In Vivo Gene Silencing and Cotreatment with Tamoxifen for Luminal A Breast Cancer Therapy.

Background: Acquired resistance and adverse effects are some of the challenges faced by thousands of Luminal A breast cancer patients under tamoxifen (TMX) treatment. Some authors associate the overexpression of HOXB7 with TMX resistance in this molecular subtype, and the knockdown of this gene could be an effective strategy to regain TMX sensitivity. Therefore, we used calcium phosphate hybrid nanoparticles (HNP) for the delivery of short interfering RNA molecule (siRNA) complementary to the HOXB7 gene and evaluated the RNA interference (RNAi) effects associated with TMX treatment in breast cancer in vivo.

Highlight selection of radiochemistry and radiopharmacy developments by editorial board.

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

Main Body: This selection of highlights provides commentary on 19 different topics selected by each coauthoring Editorial Board member addressing a variety of aspects ranging from novel radiochemistry to first-in-human application of novel radiopharmaceuticals.

Conclusion: Trends in radiochemistry and radiopharmacy are highlighted.

The Pattern of GH Action in the Mouse Brain.

GH acts in numerous organs expressing the GH receptor (GHR), including the brain. However, the mechanisms behind the brain's permeability to GH and how this hormone accesses different brain regions remain unclear. It is well-known that an acute GH administration induces phosphorylation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (pSTAT5) in the mouse brain.

Comparison of Point Cloud Registration Techniques on Scanned Physical Objects.

This paper presents a comparative analysis of six prominent registration techniques for solving CAD model alignment problems. Unlike the typical approach of assessing registration algorithms with synthetic datasets, our study utilizes point clouds generated from the Cranfield benchmark. Point clouds are sampled from existing CAD models and 3D scans of physical objects, introducing real-world complexities such as noise and outliers.

Recognition of breast cancer subtypes using FTIR hyperspectral data.

Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is a powerful, non-destructive, highly sensitive and a promising analytical technique to provide spectrochemical signatures of biological samples, where markers like carbohydrates, proteins, and phosphate groups of DNA can be recognized in biological micro-environment. However, method of measurements of large cells need an excessive time to achieve high quality images, making its clinical use difficult due to speed of data-acquisition and lack of optimized computational procedures. To address such challenges, Machine Learning (ML) based technologies can assist to assess an accurate prognostication of breast cancer (BC) subtypes with high performance.

Radioactive gold nanoparticles coated with BSA: A promising approach for prostate cancer treatment.

Nanotechnology has revolutionized medicine, especially in oncological treatments. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) stand out as an innovative alternative due to their biocompatibility, potential for surface modification, and effectiveness in radiotherapeutic techniques. Given that prostate cancer ranks as one of the leading malignancies among men, there's a pressing need to investigate new therapeutic approaches.

Comparison of three F-labeled 2-nitroimidazoles for imaging hypoxia in breast cancer xenografts: [F]FBNA, [F]FAZA and [F]FMISO.

Background: Tumour hypoxia is associated with increased metastasis, invasion, poor therapy response and prognosis. Most PET radiotracers developed and used for clinical hypoxia imaging belong to the 2-nitroimidazole family. Recently we have developed novel 2-nitroimidazole-derived PET radiotracer [F]FBNA (N-(4-[F]fluoro-benzyl)-2-(2-nitro-1H-imidazol-1-yl)-acet-amide), an F-labeled analogue of antiparasitic drug benznidazole.

Plant-derived polyphenolic compounds: nanodelivery through polysaccharide-based systems to improve the biological properties.

Plant-derived polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds widely distributed in plants. They have received greater attention in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to their potential health benefits, reducing the risk of some chronic diseases due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, cardioprotective, and neuro-action properties. Polyphenolic compounds orally administered can be used as adjuvants in several treatments but with restricted uses due to chemical instability.

Rapid identification of breast cancer subtypes using micro-FTIR and machine learning methods.

Breast cancer (BC) molecular subtypes diagnosis involves improving clinical uptake by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic imaging, which is a non-destructive and powerful technique, enabling label free extraction of biochemical information towards prognostic stratification and evaluation of cell functionality. However, methods of measurements of samples demand a long time to achieve high quality images, making its clinical use impractical because of the data acquisition speed, poor signal to noise ratio, and deficiency of optimized computational framework procedures. To address those challenges, machine learning (ML) tools can facilitate obtaining an accurate classification of BC subtypes with high actionability and accuracy.

Quaternion to Euler angles conversion: A direct, general and computationally efficient method.

Current methods of the conversion between a rotation quaternion and Euler angles are either a complicated set of multiple sequence-specific implementations, or a complicated method relying on multiple matrix multiplications. In this paper a general formula is presented for extracting the Euler angles in any desired sequence from a unit quaternion. This is a direct method, in that no intermediate conversion step is required (no quaternion-to-rotation matrix conversion, for example) and it is general because it works with all 12 possible sequences of rotations.

Effects of Notch signaling pathway inhibition by dibenzazepine in acute experimental toxoplasmosis.

Notch signaling pathway plays a crucial role in cellular fate across species, being important for the differentiation and development of several cell types. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Notch inhibition pathway by dibenzazepine (DBZ) in histological and inflammatory alterations and, tissue parasitism in acute Toxoplasma gondii infection. For this, C57BL/6 mice were treated with DBZ before infection with T.

A closer look at the synthesis of 2-[F]fluoroethyl tosylate to minimize the formation of volatile side-products.

Background: 2-[F]Fluoroethyltosylate ([F]FEtOTs) is a well-known F-fluoroalkylating agent widely used to synthesize radiotracers for positron emission tomography. The widespread use of [F]FEtOTs is due in part to its low volatility when compared to other halide and sulfonate building blocks. In this work, the radioactive volatile side-products formed during the synthesis of [F]FEtOTs were identified and characterized for the first time, and an optimization of the reaction conditions to minimize their formation was proposed.

Lycopene induces bone marrow lymphopoiesis and differentiation of peritoneal IgA-producing cells.

Lycopene is a hydrocarbon-carotenoid commonly found in red fruits intake with major function correlated to antioxidative capacity in several pathological conditions, including cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Recently, lycopene has been associated with hematopoiesis, although the effects on B lymphocyte differentiation and antibody production are poorly understood. In this work, the principal aim was to investigate whether lycopene affects B lymphopoiesis and terminal differentiation into plasma cells.

Highlight selection of radiochemistry and radiopharmacy developments by editorial board.

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

Main Body: This commentary of highlights has resulted in 21 different topics selected by each coauthoring Editorial Board member addressing a variety of aspects ranging from novel radiochemistry to first in man application of novel radiopharmaceuticals.

Conclusion: Trends in radiochemistry and radiopharmacy are highlighted demonstrating the progress in the research field in various topics including new PET-labelling methods, FAPI-tracers and imaging, and radionuclide therapy being the scope of EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry.

Unripe banana flour (Musa cavendishii) promotes increased hypothalamic antioxidant activity, reduced caloric intake, and abdominal fat accumulation in rats on a high-fat diet.

The present study aimed to evaluate the nutritional and redox status of supplementation with unripe banana flour (Musa cavendishii) in high-fat-fed Wistar rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into the following groups for 98 days: control-lab chow; unripe banana flour (UBF)-lab chow with added unripe banana flour; high-fat (HFD)-lab chow with added lard; unripe banana flour + high-fat (UBF + HFD)-lab chow with added unripe banana flour and lard. The HFD group showed higher caloric intake, weight gain, abdominal fat accumulation, steatosis, and oxidative stress in the hypothalamus than the other groups.

Synthesis of a 2-nitroimidazole derivative N-(4-[F]fluorobenzyl)-2-(2-nitro-1H-imidazol-1-yl)-acetamide ([ F]FBNA) as PET radiotracer for imaging tumor hypoxia.

Background: Tissue hypoxia is a pathological condition characterized by reducing oxygen supply. Hypoxia is a hallmark of tumor environment and is commonly observed in many solid tumors. Non-invasive imaging techniques like positron emission tomography (PET) are at the forefront of detecting and monitoring tissue hypoxia changes in vivo.

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 23 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 and also a contribution in relation to MRI-agents is included.

Conclusion: Trends in (radio)chemistry and radiopharmacy are highlighted demonstrating the progress in the research field being the scope of EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry.

Molecular Imaging for In Vivo Tracking and Detection of Galectin Binding Partners.

Molecular imaging (MI) is a non-invasive growing technology that allows the investigation of cellular and molecular processes in basic and clinical research and medicine. Luminescent proteins and radionuclides can be associated to target molecules providing high-definition and real-time image of whole body in few minutes or hours. Several MI studies have enabled the determination of molecular partners, in vivo tracking, and fate of compounds in different disorders.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking studies of novel 1,2,3-triazole-quinazolines as antiproliferative agents displaying ERK inhibitory activity.

ERK1/2 inhibitors have attracted special attention concerning the ability of circumventing cases of innate or log-term acquired resistance to RAF and MEK kinase inhibitors. Based on the 4-aminoquinazoline pharmacophore of kinases, herein we describe the synthesis of 4-aminoquinazoline derivatives bearing a 1,2,3-triazole stable core to bridge different aromatic and heterocyclic rings using copper-catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC) as a Click Chemistry strategy. The initial screening of twelve derivatives in tumoral cells (CAL-27, HN13, HGC-27, and BT-20) revealed that the most active in BT-20 cells (25a, IC 24.

Novel Sterile Insect Technology Program Results in Suppression of a Field Mosquito Population and Subsequently to Reduced Incidence of Dengue.

Background: There is a steady rise in the global incidence of Aedes-borne arbovirus disease. It has become urgent to develop alternative solutions for mosquito vector control. We developed a new method of sterilization of male mosquitoes with the goal to suppress a local Aedes aegypti population and to prevent the spread of dengue.

Knee radiosynovectomy with Sm-hydroxyapatite compared to Y-hydroxyapatite: initial results of a prospective trial.

Introduction: Radiosynovectomy (RS) with Y-hydroxyapatite (Y-HyA) aims to control knee hemarthrosis in hemophiliac patients to prevent secondary arthropathy. However, knee RS using Sm-hydroxyapatite (Sm-HyA) is considered less suitable due to the lower average soft tissue range and energy of Sm for large joints, such as the knees.

Purpose: The objective of this investigation was to assess the efficacy and safety of knee RS with Sm-HyA, compared to Y-HyA.

Cognitive performance in children and adolescents at high-risk for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Background: Cognitive performance has been studied in adults with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and in adult relatives of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) Meanwhile, few studies have been conducted with children under the same conditions. This study compared the neurocognitive domains previously associated with dysfunction in OCD, especially visuoconstructive ability, visuospatial memory, executive functions, and intelligence, in children and adolescents at high risk (HR) for OCD (n = 18) and non-OCD controls (NOC) (n = 31).

Methods: For the HR group, we considered the first-degree relatives of patients with OCD that present OCS, but do not meet diagnostic criteria for OCD.

Galectins in Host Defense Against Microbial Infections.

Galectins are differentially expressed in a variety of cell types, including immune cells, and characterized by the affinity for β-galactoside-containing glycans. There are fifteen galectin members in mammals. Galectins are primarily located intracellularly, but can be secreted outside the cells.

Galectin-3 Regulates the Expression of Tumor Glycosaminoglycans and Increases the Metastatic Potential of Breast Cancer.

Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a multifunctional -galactoside-binding lectin that once synthesized is expressed in the nucleus, cytoplasm, cell surface, and extracellular environment. Gal-3 plays an important role in breast cancer tumors due to its ability to promote interactions between cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) elements, increasing tumor survival and metastatic dissemination. Still, the mechanism by which Gal-3 interferes with tumor cell migration and metastasis formation is complex and not fully understood.