ABSTRACT The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the quality of the spraying by the spray volume deposit provided by different nozzles models in two agrometeorological conditions of application. Four parameters related to spray quality were evaluated: spray volume deposit, droplet size, surface tension and contact angle. The treatments consisted of three nozzle models (AXI Twin 12002, TTJ 110015 and JAI 120015) and two application times (between 02:00 p.m. and 04:00 p.m. and between 08:00 a.m. and 09:30 a.m.). The spray volume deposit in the upper portion of the soybean plants was similar, but the JAI 120015 nozzle model produces more uniform droplet spectra and is safer than the AXI Twin 12002 and TTJ 110015 due to the highest drift risk. It is necessary to study alternatives that increase spray deposits in the lower portion of the crop, since in this study the distribution uniformity of the mixture in the portions of the soybean plant was low and the agrometeorological conditions interferes in the deposits of the sprayed mixture but is dependent on the selected nozzle model.

ABSTRACT Background Some men with localized radio-recurrent prostate cancer may benefit from salvage high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). Herein, we describe oncologic outcomes and predictors of disease response after salvage whole gland HIFU from our prospective cohort. Materials and Methods Patients with localized radio-recurrent prostate cancer were prospectively enrolled from January 2005 to December 2014. Participants had to meet both biochemical and histological definitions of recurrence. Exclusion criteria included the receipt of prior salvage therapy, presence of metastatic disease, and administration of ADT in the 6-months prior to enrollment. Participants were treated with a single session of whole-gland HIFU ablation with the AblathermTM device (EDAP, France). The primary endpoint was recurrence-free survival (RFS), defined as a composite endpoint of PSA progression (Phoenix criteria), receipt of any further salvage therapy, receipt of ADT, clinical progression, or death. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to determine the primary end-point and stratifications were used to determine the significance of 6 pre-specified predictors of improved RFS (TRUS biopsy grade, number of study entry TRUS biopsy cores positive, palpable disease at study enrollment, pre-HIFU PSA, an undetectable post-HIFU PSA nadir, and receipt of prior hormone therapy). Survival analysis was performed on participants with a minimum of 1-year follow-up. Results Twenty-four participants were eligible for study inclusion with a median follow-up of 31.0 months. Median PSA at study entry was 4.02ng/ml. Median time to PSA nadir was 3 months after treatment and median post-HIFU PSA nadir was 0.04ng/ml. Median 2-year and 5-year RFS was 66.3% and 51.6% respectively. Of our 6 prespecified predictors, an undetectable PSA nadir was the only significant predictor of improved RFS (HR 0.07, 95% CI 0.02-0.29, log-rank P<0.001). One participant underwent an intervention for a urethral stricture. No participants developed osteitis pubis or rectourethral fistulae. Conclusions Salvage HIFU allows for disease control in selected patients with localized radio-recurrent prostate cancer. An undetectable PSA nadir serves as an early predictor of disease response.

Positron emission tomography (PET) é uma modalidade de imagem que vem evoluindo rapidamente e tem ganho ampla aceitação na oncologia em geral e no câncer da tiróide em particular, graças a uma série de radionuclídeos. Pacientes com doenças da tiróide têm sido estudados principalmente com 18F-Fluorodeoxiglicose (FDG)-PET, cuja maior utilidade talvez seja a de poder localizar tumor em pacientes negativos na pesquisa de corpo inteiro e com tireoglobulina positiva. Também é útil na identificação de pacientes que não devem se beneficiar de terapia adicional com 131I e de pacientes de alto risco que podem se beneficiar de terapias mais agressivas ou testes clínicos com drogas alvo-dirigidas. Dados recentes sugerem que a fusão PET/CT aumenta a acurácia e modifica o plano terapêutico de um número significativo de casos de CDT comparada com as imagens de PET apenas. Entretanto, ainda não existem estudos que documentem melhora na sobrevida e na recorrência decorrentes da imagem por FDG-PET em pacientes com câncer da tiróide. Existem exemplos específicos de casos de CDT que aparentemente se beneficiaram do FDG-PET, mas há menos dados relativos ao carcinoma anaplásico ou ao medular. Este artigo revê a utilidade e as limitações do FDG-PET no tratamento do CDT e oferece recomendações práticas.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a rapidly evolving imaging modality that has gained widespread acceptance in oncology, with several radionuclides applicable to thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer patients have been studied most commonly using 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET, with perhaps the greatest utility being the potential localization of tumor in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients who are radioiodine whole body scan (WBS) negative and thyroglobulin (Tg) positive. Also of value is the identification of patients unlikely to benefit from additional 131I therapy and identification of patients at highest risk of disease-specific mortality, which may prompt more aggressive therapy or enrollment in clinical trials. Emerging data suggest that PET/CT fusion studies provide increased accuracy and modify the treatment plan in a significant number of DTC cases when compared to PET images alone. However, studies documenting improvements in survival and tumor recurrence attributable to FDG-PET imaging in thyroid cancer patients are lacking. Specific case examples of thyroid cancer patients who appear to have benefited from FDG-PET imaging do exist, while less data are available in the setting of anaplastic or medullary thyroid carcinoma. This article reviews the utility and limitations of FDG-PET in DTC management, and offers practical recommendations.