Prostate cancer chemotherapy by intratumoral administration of Docetaxel-Mesoporous silica nanomedicines.

Docetaxel (DTX) is a recommended treatment in patients with metastasic prostate cancer (PCa), despite its therapeutic efficacy is limited by strong systemic toxicity. However, in localized PCa, intratumoral (IT) administration of DTX could be an alternative to consider that may help to overcome the disadvantages of conventional intravenous (IV) therapy. In this context, we here present the first in vivo preclinical study of PCa therapy with nanomedicines of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) and DTX by IT injection over a xenograft mouse model bearing human prostate adenocarcinoma tumors.

AG5 is a potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and immune regulator that preserves innate immunity.

An archetypal anti-inflammatory compound against cytokine storm would inhibit it without suppressing the innate immune response. AG5, an anti-inflammatory compound, has been developed as synthetic derivative of andrographolide, which is highly absorbable and presents low toxicity. We found that the mechanism of action of AG5 is through the inhibition of caspase-1.

Nuclear-medicine probes: Where we are and where we are going.

Nuclear medicine probes turned into the key for the identification and precise location of sentinel lymph nodes and other occult lesions (i.e., tumors) by using the systemic administration of radiotracers.

Acoustic Holograms for Bilateral Blood-Brain Barrier Opening in a Mouse Model.

Transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) in conjunction with circulating microbubbles injection is the sole non-invasive technique that temporally and locally opens the blood-brain barrier (BBB), allowing targeted drug delivery into the central nervous system (CNS). However, single-element FUS technologies do not allow the simultaneous targeting of several brain structures with high-resolution, and multi-element devices are required to compensate the aberrations introduced by the skull. In this work, we present the first preclinical application of acoustic holograms to perform a bilateral BBB opening in two mirrored regions in mice.

Characterization of Viscoelastic Media Combining Ultrasound and Magnetic-Force Induced Vibrations on an Embedded Soft Magnetic Sphere.

We report a method to locally assess the complex shear modulus of a viscoelastic medium. The proposed approach is based on the application of a magnetic force to a millimeter-sized steel sphere embedded in the medium and the subsequent monitoring of its dynamical response. A coil is used to create a magnetic field inducing the displacement of the sphere located inside a gelatin phantom.

Gamma Camera Imaging with Rotating Multi-Pinhole Collimator. A Monte Carlo Feasibility Study.

In this work, we propose and analyze a new concept of gamma ray imaging that corresponds to a gamma camera with a mobile collimator, which can be used in vivo, during surgical interventions for oncological patients for localizing regions of interest such as tumors or ganglia. The benefits are a much higher sensitivity, better image quality and, consequently, a dose reduction for the patient and medical staff. This novel approach is a practical solution to the overlapping problem which is inherent to multi-pinhole gamma camera imaging and single photon emission computed tomography and which translates into artifacts and/or image truncation in the final reconstructed image.

Macrolides May Prevent Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Entry into Cells: A Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship Study and Experimental Validation.

The global pandemic caused by the emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is threatening the health and economic systems worldwide. Despite the enormous efforts of scientists and clinicians around the world, there is still no drug or vaccine available worldwide for the treatment and prevention of the infection. A rapid strategy for the identification of new treatments is based on repurposing existing clinically approved drugs that show antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Effect of the early use of antivirals on the COVID-19 pandemic. A computational network modeling approach.

It seems that we are far from controlling COVID-19 pandemics, and, consequently, returning to a fully normal life. Until an effective vaccine is found, safety measures as the use of face masks, social distancing, washing hands regularly, etc., have to be taken.

Author Correction: High resolution and sensitivity gamma camera with active septa. A first Monte Carlo study.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Roadmap toward the 10 ps time-of-flight PET challenge.

Since the seventies, positron emission tomography (PET) has become an invaluable medical molecular imaging modality with an unprecedented sensitivity at the picomolar level, especially for cancer diagnosis and the monitoring of its response to therapy. More recently, its combination with x-ray computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) has added high precision anatomic information in fused PET/CT and PET/MR images, thus compensating for the modest intrinsic spatial resolution of PET. Nevertheless, a number of medical challenges call for further improvements in PET sensitivity.

High resolution and sensitivity gamma camera with active septa. A first Monte Carlo study.

Gamma cameras are of great interest due to their high potential in the field of Nuclear Medicine Imaging. They allow for an early diagnosis of reduced size tumors, and also for a wide variety of preclinical studies with the aim of designing more effective treatments against cancer. In this work we propose a significantly improved multi-pinhole collimator gamma camera and perform a first Monte Carlo analysis of its characteristics.

Simulations of the gain profile and performance of a diode side-pumped QCW Nd:YAG laser.

A design of a diode side-pumped Nd:YAG laser module and simulations of the gain distribution inside the active medium are presented in this paper. The code is based on a nonsequential ray-tracing Monte Carlo method for the light generated by the laser diodes. The fluorescence image of the active medium was analyzed in order to compare it with the simulations, which were found to be in good agreement with experimental data.