A simple method to improve the quality of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging with rapid histologic correlation in a murine model.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) has been used extensively in biomedical research. However, this technique has often suffered from distortion artifacts because of the magnetic field inhomogeneity surrounding the tissues. Histology is important for validating MRI interpretations, but correlating MRIs with tissue samples is challenging.

Quantitative analysis of binding sites for 9-fluoropropyl-(+)-dihydrotetrabenazine ([¹⁸F]AV-133) in a MPTP-lesioned PD mouse model.

Unlabelled: [¹⁸F]AV-133 is a novel PET tracer for targeting the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2). The aim of this study is to characterize and quantify the loss of monoamine neurons with [¹⁸F]AV-133 in the MPTP-lesioned PD mouse model using animal PET imaging and ex vivo quantitative autoradiography (QARG).

Methods: Optimal imaging time window of [¹⁸F]AV-133 was first determined in normal C57BL/6 mice (n = 3) with a 90-min dynamic scan.

Sigma receptor binding of tetrabenazine series tracers targeting VMAT2 in rat pancreas.

Unlabelled: The vesicular monoamine transporter type II (VMAT2) is highly expressed in pancreatic β-cells and thus has been proposed to be a potential target for measuring β-cell mass (BCM) by molecular imaging. Several tracers based on the TBZ backbone, including 9-fluoropropyl-(+)-dihydrotetrabenazine ([(18)F]AV-133), have shown some promising results as potential biomarkers for BCM despite a relatively high background signal in the pancreas. In the present study, we explore the background binding characteristics of [(18)F]AV-133 in rat pancreas.

Binding characteristics of 9-fluoropropyl-(+)-dihydrotetrabenzazine (AV-133) to the vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 in rats.

Unlabelled: The vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 (VMAT2) is highly expressed in pancreatic beta-cells and thus has been proposed to be a potential target for measuring beta-cell mass (BCM) by molecular imaging. C-11- and F-18-labeled tetrabenazine derivatives targeting VMAT2 have shown some promising results as potential biomarkers for BCM. In the present study, we examined the binding characteristics of 9-fluoropropyl-(+)-dihydrotetrabenzazine ([(18)F]AV-133), a potential PET tracer for BCM imaging, in rat pancreas and rat brain.

Pressurized water extraction of polysaccharides as secondary metabolites from Lentinula edodes.

The suitability of pressurized water extraction (PWE) of crude polysaccharides as secondary metabolites from Lentinula edodes was investigated. A series of experiments were carried out to examine the effects of extraction times and pressures. The results indicated that the maximum recovery of polysaccharides was about 90% of the crude polysaccharides from mycelia pellets when the pressure was at 10.