The Gathering.

Abstract

The Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging in Chicago was fantastic! Gathering with nuclear medicine professionals from around the world to share new ideas, technologies, and information is always an exhilarating experience, and this year was no exception. Although the haze and smoke from the Canadian fires darkened the city skies, nothing could darken the mood of those attending the meeting, either virtually or in person. There was something for everyone, including the festive opening ceremony, the very competitive knowledge bowl, the packed educational opportunities, the many social events, the informative and educational exhibit hall, and the new ‘virtual’ poster hall, not to mention the many networking opportunities! A great social and educational time was had by all! During the educational program, Mary Beth Farrell, JNMT’s CE Editor, presented “How to Write a Manuscript” to students and attending nuclear medicine professionals, designed to provide and encourage future authors with the tools to write successfully. JNMT is always looking for new content and new authors! I followed with a very brief summary of the publication process once the manuscript is submitted. For authors new to the publication process, we stressed the fact that help is available and emphasized that, aside from the prestige and bragging rights of being published, there also may be financial rewards associated with being published! For those not quite ready to put pen to paper, ok, so I’m “old school”—how about fingers to the keyboard—we encouraged becoming a reviewer. Every nuclear medicine professional is an expert in some aspect of nuclear medicine. Why not consider becoming a reviewer of manuscripts specific to that expertise? The process is easy and begins by creating an account on the SNMMI publication portal at JNM Manuscript Processing System (snmjournals.org). Turning to this issue, a diverse collection of continuing education articles is offered. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) units replaced dual-energy photon absorptiometry (DPA) units in the late 1980s; however, many nuclear medicine departments continue to perform DXA procedures today. Banks et al. present Part 1 of a two-part series that summarizes bone physiology, osteoporosis etiology, and the principles and technical aspects of DXA (1). Part 2 will follow in the December issue with a review of DXA interpretation as well as potential scanning pitfalls and techniques to improve image quality. Practice guidelines support best practice in the clinical setting. The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) and the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) routinely review and update guidelines for imaging and therapeutic nuclear medicine procedures to improve the quality of service for patients worldwide. The updated practice guideline for the treatment of palliation of bone pain provides the latest information on the therapeutic use of available radiopharmaceuticals to treat osteoblastic metastases (2). Finally, an in-depth discussion is presented on the appropriate use of 18F-fluoroestradiol (Cerianna) to identify estrogen receptor plus tumor cells throughout the body (3). The Practical Protocol Tip that follows the Cerianna article provides a detailed protocol on Cerianna whole-body imaging that can be clipped and incorporated into a department’s procedure manual (4). Although the negative clinical impact associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has stabilized, its influence on current clinical practice continues. A survey performed by the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (NMTCB) to assess data used to determine the current appropriateness of the entry-level certification exam offers some interesting thoughts and insights regarding current practice and ongoing consequences of the pandemic (5). Meckel’s imaging is used to identify unexplained gastrointestinal bleeding associated with ectopic gastric mucosa. Pretreatment with an H2 inhibitor enhances the scan’s sensitivity by reducing washout activity in the intestinal lumen. Ververs et al. explore the effectiveness of the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) esomeprazole as an ideal substitute for the H2 histamine blocker ranitidine (6). In the Educators’ Forum, Currie introduces ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence algorithm that has been described as an immediate threat to academic and scientific writing as well as a potential benefit in supporting and enhancing student learning (7,8). When time allows, don’t miss the additional clinical discussions, radiation safety topics, and teaching case studies included in this issue. With your support, JNMT continues to offer content relevant to your professional growth. Please contact me if you are interested in becoming an author or reviewer and, most importantly, please contact me at ksthomas0412@msn.com with your ideas and suggestions to enhance JNMT content. Kathy S. Thomas, MHA, CNMT, PET, FSNMMI-TS