Highlights and prizes of an international meeting.

A short description selected from the presentations which had been awarded prizes in the 4th International Meeting of Nuclear Medicine, of the Hellenic Society of Nuclear Medicine, in Thessaloniki, Greece, is as follows: Professor L.G. Strauss from Heidelberg received the first prize for his original paper under the title: "Modulation of FDG kinetics in tumors by gene expression". He studied 25 patients with colorectal tumors with dynamic PET-FDG within 2 days prior to surgery and he finally came to the conclusion that angiogenesis has a significant impact primarily on the kinetic data (k1, k3), but also on the global FDG uptake. A detailed analysis of the FDG kinetics can help to classify the grade of angiogenesis in primary colorectal tumors. The cell cycle associated genes have a comparable impact on the FDG kinetics as compared to the angiogenesis related genes. Furthermore, hypoxia was associated with the FDG parameters. Enhanced expression of HIF-1a was primarily associated with an enhanced influx of FDG. The results demonstrated the impact of dedicated groups of genes on the FDG kinetics. Furthermore, if the FDG kinetics are quantitatively analyzed, the expression of certain genes may be predicted from these data. Dr. P. Bouziotis et al. received the second prize for their original paper under the title: "Labeling of bevacizumab, an anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody, with technetium-99m and rhenium-188". The authors were from Athens and Oxford and studied the reduction of the endogenous disulphide bonds of bevacizumab by treatment with 2-mercaptoethanol and TCEP-HCl. The number of generated-SH groups was estimated before each labelling experiment. The results of the present study show that VEGF expression in tumors can be detected and visualized specifically with the anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody bevacizumab, labelled with gamma-emitting radioisotopes. The third prize went to Dr C. H. Tsopelas et al. from Adelaide who presented an original paper under the title: "Evaluation of visceral sensitivity after transient inflammation-An experimental model". Their aim was to characterise the inflammatory response to the transient chemically-induced colitis after instillation of trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid. Inflammation was tested by (99m)Tc-Sn-colloid-leucocytes. They concluded that the Group of Lewis rats compared to Fisher rats, developed a prolonged visceral hyperalgesia and more severe inflammation following colorectal instillation of TNBS/ethanol doses, possibly involving the systemic immune response. The Lewis rat species appears to be a good model of transient colitis, because of its heightened sensitivity to the chemical stimulus, and due to detectable visceral changes long after administration of the above stimulus. Professor A.M. Peters from England, received the fourth prize with his original paper: "New quantitative techniques for investigating and predicting lymphoedema resulting from breast cancer treatment". In lymphoedema from breast cancer treatment he investigated local uptake via putative peripheral lympho-venous communications (LVCs), using intradermally injected labelled red cells. He concluded that his results suggest that protective mechanisms could include i) interstitial proteolysis, ii) increased peripheral trans-endothelial protein transport or iii) development of peripheral LVCs. Other prizes were awarded to: Professor G.P. Bandopadhyaya et al. from New-Delhi for their original paper: "Molecular targetting of infective bacterial maltose binding protein for infection imaging using Tc-99m hydroxypropyl cyclodextrin in patients with knee joint replacement and other prostheses", to Dr P.J. Marsouvanidis et al. from Demokritos Athens and Patras for their original paper: "Synthesis, radiochemistry and preclinical comparison of [(111)In-DOTA(0)]SS-14 and [(111)In-DOTA(0),(D)Trp(8)]SS-14 in AR4-2J cells and Swiss albino mice", to Professor B. Singh et al. from Chandigarh and New Delhi for their original paper: "Efficacy of indigenously developed single vial kit preparation of (99m)Tc-ciprofloxacin in the detection of bacterial infection-An Indian experience" and to Dr. A. Bantis et al. from Alexandroupolis for their original paper: "The prognostic value of serum chromogranin A in patients with advanced prostate cancer".