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Lawal IO, Abubakar S, Ankrah AO, Sathekge MM. Molecular Imaging of Tuberculosis. Semin Nucl Med 2023; 53:37-56. [PMID: 35882621 DOI: 10.1053/j.semnuclmed.2022.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Despite the introduction of many novel diagnostic techniques and newer treatment agents, tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of death from an infectious disease worldwide. With about a quarter of humanity harboring Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of TB, the current efforts geared towards reducing the scourge due to TB must be sustained. At the same time, newer alternative modalities for diagnosis and treatment response assessment are considered. Molecular imaging entails the use of radioactive probes that exploit molecular targets expressed by microbes or human cells for imaging using hybrid scanners that provide both anatomic and functional features of the disease being imaged. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is the most investigated radioactive probe for TB imaging in research and clinical practice. When imaged with positron emission tomography interphase with computed tomography (PET/CT), FDG PET/CT performs better than sputum conversion for predicting treatment outcome. At the end of treatment, FDG PET/CT has demonstrated the unique ability to identify a subset of patients declared cured based on the current standard of care but who still harbor live bacilli capable of causing disease relapse after therapy discontinuation. Our understanding of the pathogenesis and evolution of TB has improved significantly in the last decade, owing to the introduction of FDG PET/CT in TB research. FDG is a non-specific probe as it targets the host inflammatory response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is not specifically different in TB compared with other infectious conditions. Ongoing efforts are geared towards evaluating the utility of newer probes targeting different components of the TB granuloma, the hallmark of TB lesions, including hypoxia, neovascularization, and fibrosis, in TB management. The most exciting category of non-FDG PET probes developed for molecular imaging of TB appears to be radiolabeled anti-tuberculous drugs for use in studying the pharmacokinetic characteristics of the drugs. This allows for the non-invasive study of drug kinetics in different body compartments concurrently, providing an insight into the spatial heterogeneity of drug exposure in different TB lesions. The ability to repeat molecular imaging using radiolabeled anti-tuberculous agents also offers an opportunity to study the temporal changes in drug kinetics within the different lesions during treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismaheel O Lawal
- Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA; Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
| | - Sofiullah Abubakar
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Sultan Qaboos Comprehensive Cancer Care and Research Center, Muscat, Oman
| | - Alfred O Ankrah
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa; National Center for Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana; Medical Imaging Center, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Mike M Sathekge
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa; Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI), Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa
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Lawal IO, Mokoala KMG, Mathebula M, Moagi I, Popoola GO, Moeketsi N, Nchabeleng M, Hikuam C, Ellner JJ, Hatherill M, Fourie BP, Sathekge MM. Correlation Between CT Features of Active Tuberculosis and Residual Metabolic Activity on End-of-Treatment FDG PET/CT in Patients Treated for Pulmonary Tuberculosis. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:791653. [PMID: 35295606 PMCID: PMC8920557 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.791653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients who complete a standard course of anti-tuberculous treatment (ATT) for pulmonary tuberculosis and are declared cured according to the current standard of care commonly have residual metabolic activity (RMA) in their lungs on fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PER/CT) imaging. RMA seen in this setting has been shown to be associated with relapse of tuberculosis. The routine clinical use of FDG PET/CT imaging for treatment response assessment in tuberculosis is hindered by cost and availability. CT is a more readily available imaging modality. We sought to determine the association between CT features suggestive of active tuberculosis and RMA on FDG PET/CT obtained in patients who completed a standard course of ATT for pulmonary tuberculosis. We prospectively recruited patients who completed a standard course of ATT and declared cured based on negative sputum culture. All patients had FDG PET/CT within 2 weeks of completing ATT. We determined the presence of RMA on FDG PET images. Among the various lung changes seen on CT, we considered the presence of lung nodule, consolidation, micronodules in tree-in-bud pattern, FDG-avid chest nodes, and pleural effusion as suggestive of active tuberculosis. We determine the association between the presence of RMA on FDG PET and the CT features of active tuberculosis. We include 75 patients with a mean age of 36.09 ± 10.49 years. Forty-one patients (54.67%) had RMA on their FDG PET/CT while 34 patients (45.33%) achieved complete metabolic response to ATT. There was a significant association between four of the five CT features of active disease, p < 0.05 in all cases. Pleural effusion (seen in two patients) was the only CT feature of active disease without a significant association with the presence of RMA. This suggests that CT may be used in lieu of FDG PET/CT for treatment response assessment of pulmonary tuberculosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismaheel O Lawal
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.,Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Kgomotso M G Mokoala
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.,Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Matsontso Mathebula
- Department of Medical Microbiology and MeCRU, Sefako Makgatho University of Medical Science, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Ingrid Moagi
- Department of Medical Microbiology and MeCRU, Sefako Makgatho University of Medical Science, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Gbenga O Popoola
- Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Nontando Moeketsi
- Department of Medical Microbiology and MeCRU, Sefako Makgatho University of Medical Science, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Maphoshane Nchabeleng
- Department of Medical Microbiology and MeCRU, Sefako Makgatho University of Medical Science, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Chris Hikuam
- South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative, Department of Pathology, Institute of Infectious Disease and Division of Immunology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jerrold J Ellner
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Emerging Pathogens, Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Mark Hatherill
- South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative, Department of Pathology, Institute of Infectious Disease and Division of Immunology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Bernard P Fourie
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Mike M Sathekge
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.,Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa
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Lawal IO, Kgatle MM, Mokoala K, Farate A, Sathekge MM. Cardiovascular disturbances in COVID-19: an updated review of the pathophysiology and clinical evidence of cardiovascular damage induced by SARS-CoV-2. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2022; 22:93. [PMID: 35264107 PMCID: PMC8905284 DOI: 10.1186/s12872-022-02534-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2 (SARS-Co-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 is a disease with highly variable phenotypes, being asymptomatic in most patients. In symptomatic patients, disease manifestation is variable, ranging from mild disease to severe and critical illness requiring treatment in the intensive care unit. The presence of underlying cardiovascular morbidities was identified early in the evolution of the disease to be a critical determinant of the severe disease phenotype. SARS-CoV-2, though a primarily respiratory virus, also causes severe damage to the cardiovascular system, contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality seen in COVID-19. Evidence on the impact of cardiovascular disorders in disease manifestation and outcome of treatment is rapidly emerging. The cardiovascular system expresses the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2, the receptor used by SARS-CoV-2 for binding, making it vulnerable to infection by the virus. Systemic perturbations including the so-called cytokine storm also impact on the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system. Imaging plays a prominent role not only in the detection of cardiovascular damage induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection but in the follow-up of patients' clinical progress while on treatment and in identifying long-term sequelae of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismaheel O Lawal
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa. .,Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa.
| | - Mankgopo M Kgatle
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.,Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Kgomotso Mokoala
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.,Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Abubakar Farate
- Department of Radiology, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Nigeria
| | - Mike M Sathekge
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.,Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa
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Lawal IO, Popoola GO, Mahapane J, Kaufmann J, Davis C, Ndlovu H, Maserumule LC, Mokoala KMG, Bouterfa H, Wester HJ, Zeevaart JR, Sathekge MM. [ 68Ga]Ga-Pentixafor for PET Imaging of Vascular Expression of CXCR-4 as a Marker of Arterial Inflammation in HIV-Infected Patients: A Comparison with 18F[FDG] PET Imaging. Biomolecules 2020; 10:E1629. [PMID: 33287237 PMCID: PMC7761707 DOI: 10.3390/biom10121629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2020] [Revised: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
People living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) have excess risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Arterial inflammation is the hallmark of atherogenesis and its complications. In this study we aimed to perform a head-to-head comparison of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([18F]FDG PET/CT) and Gallium-68 pentixafor positron emission tomography/computed tomography [68Ga]Ga-pentixafor PET/CT for quantification of arterial inflammation in PLHIV. We prospectively recruited human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients to undergo [18F]FDG PET/CT and [68Ga]Ga-pentixafor PET/CT within two weeks of each other. We quantified the levels of arterial tracer uptake on both scans using maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and target-background ratio. We used Bland and Altman plots to measure the level of agreement between tracer quantification parameters obtained on both scans. A total of 12 patients were included with a mean age of 44.67 ± 7.62 years. The mean duration of HIV infection and mean CD+ T-cell count of the study population were 71.08 ± 37 months and 522.17 ± 260.33 cells/µL, respectively. We found a high level of agreement in the quantification variables obtained using [18F]FDG PET and [68Ga]Ga-pentixafor PET. There is a good level of agreement in the arterial tracer quantification variables obtained using [18F]FDG PET/CT and [68Ga]Ga-pentixafor PET/CT in PLHIV. This suggests that [68Ga]Ga-pentixafor may be applied in the place of [18F]FDG PET/CT for the quantification of arterial inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismaheel O. Lawal
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; (I.O.L.); (H.N.); (L.C.M.); (K.M.G.M.)
- Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI), Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria 0001, South Africa;
| | - Gbenga O. Popoola
- Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Ilorin, Ilorin 240102, Nigeria;
| | - Johncy Mahapane
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; (J.M.); (C.D.)
| | - Jens Kaufmann
- PentixaPharm GmbH, 97082 Wuerzburg, Germany; (J.K.); (H.B.)
| | - Cindy Davis
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; (J.M.); (C.D.)
| | - Honest Ndlovu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; (I.O.L.); (H.N.); (L.C.M.); (K.M.G.M.)
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; (J.M.); (C.D.)
| | - Letjie C. Maserumule
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; (I.O.L.); (H.N.); (L.C.M.); (K.M.G.M.)
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; (J.M.); (C.D.)
| | - Kgomotso M. G. Mokoala
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; (I.O.L.); (H.N.); (L.C.M.); (K.M.G.M.)
- Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI), Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria 0001, South Africa;
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; (J.M.); (C.D.)
| | - Hakim Bouterfa
- PentixaPharm GmbH, 97082 Wuerzburg, Germany; (J.K.); (H.B.)
| | - Hans-Jürgen Wester
- Pharmazeutische Radiochemie, Technische Universität München, 85748 Garching, Germany;
| | - Jan Rijn Zeevaart
- Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI), Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria 0001, South Africa;
- Radiochemistry, South African Nuclear Energy Corporation SOC (Necsa), Pelindaba 0204, South Africa
| | - Mike M. Sathekge
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; (I.O.L.); (H.N.); (L.C.M.); (K.M.G.M.)
- Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI), Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria 0001, South Africa;
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; (J.M.); (C.D.)
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