Pediatric Phlyctenular Keratoconjunctivitis at a Tertiary Care Center in the United States.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate characteristics and outcomes of pediatric phlyctenulosis at a tertiary care center in the United States.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of phlyctenulosis diagnosis in patients younger than 18 years was conducted. Demographics, presenting features, treatment regimens, and outcomes were analyzed.

Current status on cyclotron facilities and related infrastructure supporting PET applications in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This review presents the results of a survey conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency on cyclotrons and related infrastructure used for radionuclide and radiopharmaceutical production which are supporting PET imaging applications in Latin America and the Caribbean region.

IAEA Contribution to Nanosized Targeted Radiopharmaceuticals for Drug Delivery.

The rapidly growing interest in the application of nanoscience in the future design of radiopharmaceuticals and the development of nanosized radiopharmaceuticals in the late 2000's, resulted in the creation of a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2014. This CRP entitled ' involved a team of expert scientist from various member states. This team of scientists worked on a number of cutting-edge areas of nanoscience with a focus on developing well-defined, highly effective and site-specific delivery systems of radiopharmaceuticals.

Potential Theranostic Boron Neutron Capture Therapy Agents as Multimodal Radiopharmaceuticals.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) has been extant for decades and continues to be practiced in many centers around the globe. Most of the active clinical trials utilize boronophenylalanine as the drug containing boron atoms. The important aspect that has been added to the BNCT practice is the use of an F-18 radiolabeled analog for ascertaining targeting and monitoring follow-up studies.

Highlight selection of radiochemistry and radiopharmacy developments by editorial board.

Background: The Editorial Board of EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry releases a biyearly highlight commentary to update the readership on trends in the field of radiopharmaceutical development.

Results: This commentary of highlights has resulted in 21 different topics selected by each member of the Editorial Board addressing a variety of aspects ranging from novel radiochemistry to first in man application of novel radiopharmaceuticals. Also the first contribution in relation to MRI-agents is included.

Production and Supply of α-Particle-Emitting Radionuclides for Targeted α-Therapy.

Encouraging results from targeted α-therapy have received significant attention from academia and industry. However, the limited availability of suitable radionuclides has hampered widespread translation and application. In the present review, we discuss the most promising candidates for clinical application and the state of the art of their production and supply.

Assessment of Cell Cytotoxicity and Comet Assay on HER2/neu Positive Cell Line Due to In Auger Electrons as DNA-Targeting Radioimmunoconjugate.

Background: Breast cancer Auger electron therapy is a growing field of study in radioimmunotherapy and oncology research. Trastuzumab, a high affinity-binding monoclonal antibody against HER2/neu is which is over-expressed in breast tumors, is used in radiopharmaceutical development.

Objectives: In this work, the lethal effects of In, In-DTPA-trastuzumab and In-trastuzumab coupled-nuclear localizing sequence peptide (In-DTPA-NLS-trastuzumab) on malignant cells were studied in vitro.

IAEA contribution to the development of 64Cu radiopharmaceuticals for theranostic applications.

Copper-64 is a very attractive radioisotope with unique nuclear properties that allow using it as both a diagnostic and therapeutic agent, thus providing an almost ideal example of a theranostic radionuclide. A characteristic of Cu-64 stems from the intrinsic biological nature of copper ions that play a fundamental role in a large number of cellular processes. Cu-64 is a radionuclide that reflects the natural biochemical pathways of Cu-64 ions, therefore, can be exploited for the detection and therapy of certain malignancies and metabolic diseases.

Copper-64 based radiopharmaceuticals for brain tumors and hypoxia imaging.

Introduction: The most common and aggressive primary malignancy of the central nervous system is Glioblastoma that, as a wide range of malignant solid tumor, is characterized by extensive hypoxic regions. A great number of PET radiopharmaceuticals have been developed for the identification of hypoxia in solid tumors, among these, we find copper-based tracers. The aim of the current review paper was to provide an overview of radiocopper compounds applied for preclinical and clinical research in brain tumors and hypoxia imaging or therapy.

IAEA Activities on Cu, Re, Sc Theranostic Radionuclides and Radiopharmaceuticals.

Despite interesting properties, the use of Cu, Re and Sc theranostic radionuclides in preclinical studies and clinical trials is curtailed by their limited availability due to a lack of widely established production methods. An IAEA Coordinated Research Project (CRP) was initiated to identify important technical issues related to the production and quality control of these emerging radionuclides and related radiopharmaceuticals, based on the request from IAEA Member States. The international team worked on targetry, separation, quality control and radiopharmaceutical aspects of the radionuclides obtained from research reactors and cyclotrons leading to preparation of a standard recommendations for all Member States.

Cyclotron production of no carrier added Re radionuclide for theranostic applications.

Re (T = 3.7183 d, E = 346.7 keV, I = 92.

Monte Carlo track-structure for the radionuclide Copper-64: characterization of S-values, nanodosimetry and quantification of direct damage to DNA.

TOPAS-nBio was used to simulate, collision-to-collision, the complete trajectories of electrons in water generated during the explicit simulation of Cu decay. S-values and direct damage to the DNA were calculated representing the cell (C) and the cell nucleus (N) with concentric spheres of 5 μm and 4 μm in radius, respectively. The considered 'target'←'source' configurations, including the cell surface (Cs) and cytoplasm (Cy), were: C←C, C←Cs, N←N, N←Cy and N←Cs.

Preparation and Biological Evaluation of Gallium- Labeled Iranian Hemiscorpius Lepturus Scorpion Venom.

Background: The Hemiscorpius lepturus (H. lepturus) is a deadly scorpion species living in the southern Iran.

Objective: H.

Ga-radiolabeled bombesin-conjugated to trimethyl chitosan-coated superparamagnetic nanoparticles for molecular imaging: preparation, characterization and biological evaluation.

Introduction: Nowadays, nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted much attention in biomedical imaging due to their unique magnetic and optical characteristics. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are the prosperous group of NPs with the capability to apply as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. Radiolabeling of targeted SPIONs with positron emitters can develop dual positron emission tomography (PET)/MRI agents to achieve better diagnosis of clinical conditions.

Optimized Production and Biological Evaluation of Ga-PDTMP as a New Agent for PET Bone Scanning.

Introduction: In this study, Ga-PDTMP was introduced as a novel agent for PET bone scanning.

Methods: Ga-PDTMP was prepared with radiochemical purity of higher than 98% at the optimized conditions.

Results: Stability tests showed no decrease in radiochemical purity, even after 120 min.

A simple and efficient method to recover isotopically enriched Ni-64 from electrolytic solutions.

Production of Cu via the proton irradiation of Ni, electrodeposited on a suitable backing substrate, remains the most common method to produce this emerging radionuclide. Some unforeseen cases arise when the electrodeposition does not work and the electrolytic solution needs to be reprocessed, but the presence of salt buffers makes it difficult to recover the nickel to prepare a fresh solution. The aim of this work was to develop a simple and efficient method to recover Ni from bath solutions.

Porphyrins as ligands for copper: background and trends.

Porphyrins and Cu have emerged as a novel synergic option for applications in PET molecular imaging. Both the characteristics and photophysical properties of macrocyclic porphyrins and the relatively long half-life of the copper isotope, in addition to the increased tumor-specific uptake of porphyrins compared to normal cells, make this complex an attractive option not only for diagnosis but also for therapeutic applications. Herein, we present an overview of the latest results on the development of PET agents based on porphyrins and Cu, including methods used to improve the selectivity of these macrocycles when conjugated with biological units such as monoclonal antibodies, peptides or proteins.

Preclinical Evaluation of Ga-MAA from Commercial Available Tc-MAA Kit.

Tc-Macroaggregated Albumin (Tc-MAA) has been used as a perfusion agent. This study described development of the Ga-MAA via commercially available kits from Pars-Isotopes Company as a Tc-MAA kit. Ge/Ga generator was eluted with suprapure HCl (0.

Biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of [Cu]copper dichloride: first-in-human study in healthy volunteers.

Background: In recent years, Copper-64 (T = 12.7 h) in the chemical form of copper dichloride ([Cu]CuCl) has been identified as a potential agent for PET imaging and radionuclide therapy targeting the human copper transporter 1, which is overexpressed in a variety of cancer cells. Limited human biodistribution and radiation dosimetry data is available for this tracer.

Development of a Radiolabeled Amlodipine Analog for L-type Calcium Channel Imaging.

Purpose: The non-invasive imaging and quantification of L-type calcium channels (also known as dihydropyridine channels) in living tissues is of great interest in diagnosis of congestive heart failure, myocardial hypertrophy, irritable bowel syndrome etc.

Methods: Technetium-99m labeled amlodipine conjugate ([99mTc]-DTPA-AMLO) was prepared starting freshly eluted (<1 h) 99mTechnetium pertechnetate (86.5 MBq) and conjugated DTPAAMLO at pH 5 in 30 min at room temperature in high radiochemical purity (>99%, RTLC; specific activity: 55-60 GBq/mmol).

Preclinical Study of Ga-DOTATOC: Biodistribution Assessment in Syrian Rats and Evaluation of Absorbed Dose in Human Organs.

Objectives: Gallium-68 DOTA-DPhe-Tyr-Octreotide (Ga-DOTATOC) has been applied by several European centers for the treatment of a variety of human malignancies. Nevertheless, definitive dosimetric data are yet unavailable. According to the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, researchers are investigating the safety and efficacy of this radiotracer to meet Food and Drug Administration requirements.

Preparation and preclinical evaluation of Ga-DOTA-amlodipine for L-type calcium channel imaging.

Aim: In order to develop a possible tracer for L-type calcium channel imaging, we here report the development of a Ga-68 amlodipine derivative for possible PET imaging.

Materials And Methods: Amlodipine DOTA conjugate was synthesized, characterized and went through calcium channel blockade, toxicity, apoptosis/necrosis tests. [Ga] DOTA AMLO was prepared at optimized conditions followed by stability tests, partition coefficient determination and biodistribution studies using tissue counting and co incidence imaging up to 2 h.