An early delayed CD4 count recovery among HIV/viral hepatitis co-infected patients was not sustained, and was not associated with increased HIV disease progression.

PET‐CT using 18F‐FDG is employed for detecting brown adipose tissue (BAT) in humans. Alternative methods are needed because of the radiation and cost of PET‐CT imaging. The aim was to evaluate the accuracy of infrared thermography (IRT) in detecting human BAT benchmarked to PET‐CT imaging. Seventeen individuals underwent a total of 29 PET‐CT scans, 12 of whom were studied twice, after 2 h of cold stimulation at 19°C, in parallel with measurement of skin temperatures overlying the supraclavicular (SCV) fossa and the lateral upper chest (control), before and after cold stimulation. Of the 29 scans, 20 were BAT positive after cold stimulation. The mean left SCV temperature tended to be higher in the BAT‐positive group before and during cooling. It was significantly higher (P =0.04) than the temperature of the control area, which fell significantly during cooling in the BAT‐positive (−1.2 ± 0.3°C, P =0.002) but not in the negative (−0.2 ± 0.4°C) group. The temperature difference (Δtemp) between left SCV and chest increased during cooling in the BAT‐positive (1.2 ± 0.2 to 2.0 ± 0.3°C, P <0.002) but not in the negative group (0.6 ± 0.1 to 0.7 ± 0.1°C). A Δtemp of 0.9°C conferred a positive predictive value of 85% for SCV BAT, superior to that of SCV temperature. The findings were similar on the right. In conclusion, the Δtemp is significantly and consistently greater in BAT‐positive subjects. The Δtemp quantified by IRT after 2‐h cooling shows promise as a noninvasive convenient technique for studying SCV BAT function.

Our aim was to determine the feasibility of 18 F-florbetaben PET in diagnosing cardiac amyloidosis. Methods: 18 F-florbetaben PET was performed on 14 patients: 5 amyloid light chain, 5 amyloid transthyretin, and 4 control with hypertensive heart disease. Qualitative and quantitative assessments of 18 F-florbetaben activity were performed using the SUV mean of the left ventricular myocardium and blood pool and calculation of target-to-background SUV ratio. Myocardial 18 F-forbetaben retention was also calculated as the percentage mean myocardial SUV change between 0 and 5 min and 15 and 20 min after radiotracer injection. Global left ventricular longitudinal and right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain were calculated using 2-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography. Results: Targetto-background SUV ratio and percentage myocardial 18 F-forbetaben retention were higher in amyloid patients than in hypertensive controls. A cutoff of 40% was able to differentiate between cardiac amyloid patients and hypertensive controls. Percentage myocardial 18 F-forbetaben retention was an independent determinant of both global left ventricular longitudinal and right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain via an inverse curve relationship. Conclusion: 18 F-florbetaben PET imaging can accurately identify and differentiate between cardiac amyloidosis and hypertensive heart disease. Percentage myocardial 18 F-florbetaben retention was an independent determinant of myocardial dysfunction in cardiac amyloidosis.