Development of a specific tracer for metabolic imaging of alveolar echinococcosis: A preclinical study.

Positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) using [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) (FDG-PET/CT) is a valuable method for initial staging and follow up of patients with alveolar echinococcosis (AE). However, the cells responsible for FDG uptake have not been clearly identified. The main goal of our study was to evaluate the uptake of PET tracers by the cells involved in the host-parasite reaction around AE lesions as the first step to develop a specific PET tracer that would allow direct assessment of parasite viability in AE.

A novel sulfonated prosthetic group for [18F]-radiolabelling and imparting water solubility of biomolecules and cyanine fluorophores.

Synthesis and some applications of a novel [(18)F]-fluorinated prosthetic group based on the promising sultone radiochemistry and suitable for the labelling of amine-containing (bio)chemical compounds are described. The combined sequential use of two easy and efficient conjugation reactions namely the fluoride ring-opening of a 1,3-propanesultone moiety and the aminolysis of an N-hydroxysuccinimidyl ester is the key component of this original radiolabelling strategy. The mild reaction conditions and the release of a free sulfonic acid moiety as a result of the [(18)F]-induced sultone ring-opening reaction, both make this [(18)F]-conjugation method suitable for the radiofluorination of fragile and hydrophobic biomolecules and fluorophores, particularly by making the separation of the targeted [(18)F]-tagged sulfonated compound from its starting precursor easier and thus faster.

HPLC analysis of aliphatic sulfonate surfactants using ion-pair detection.

A method was developed for the analysis of a number of surfactants which contained no UV-chromophores, using RP-HPLC with Indirect Photometric Detection, IPD. Pyridinium salts such as N-methylpyridinium iodide, N-methyl-2,2'-dipyridinium iodide and N,N'-dimethyl-2,2'-dipyridinium diiodide, were used as the visualization reagents, forming ion-pair complexes with the sulfonate surfactants. This allowed ordinary UV-detection.

Tris(1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H)-pyridone)oxotantalum(v): a new water-soluble tantalum complex containing the [Ta=O]3+ core.

The synthesis, the characterization and the X-ray crystal structure of a novel tantalum(v) complex tris(1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H)-pyridone)oxotantalum(v) [TaO(C7H8O2N)3] 1 is reported. Starting from the tantalum pentaethoxide a two-step reaction was carried out observing rigorous anhydrous conditions in methanol in the first step, while the insertion of the oxo group was achieved using water as oxygen donor in the second step. X-Ray diffraction analysis of a crystal of 1 obtained upon evaporation of an aqueous solution shows a seven-coordinate monomeric complex containing the [Ta=O]3+ core in the triclinic space group P1, a = 7.