An open-label safety and pharmacokinetics study of duloxetine in pediatric patients with major depression.

Objective: This preliminary, 32-week study assessed the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of duloxetine in pediatric patients (aged 7-17 years) with major depressive disorder.

Methods: Patients received flexible duloxetine doses of 20-120 mg once daily, with dose changes made based on clinical improvement and tolerability. Pharmacokinetic samples were collected across all duloxetine doses, and data were analyzed using population modeling.

Biochemical and in vivo characterization of a small, membrane-permeant, caspase-activatable far-red fluorescent peptide for imaging apoptosis.

Apoptosis is an important process involved in diverse developmental pathways, homeostasis, and response to therapy for a variety of diseases. Thus, noninvasive methods to study regulation and to monitor cell death in cells and whole animals are desired. To specifically detect apoptosis in vivo, a novel cell-permeable activatable caspase substrate, TcapQ647, was synthesized and Km, kcat, and Ki values were biochemically characterized.

Permeation peptide conjugates for in vivo molecular imaging applications.

Rapid and efficient delivery of imaging probes to the cell interior using permeation peptides has enabled novel applications in molecular imaging. Membrane permeant peptides based on the HIV-1 Tat basic domain sequence, GRKKRRQRRR, labeled with fluorophores and fluorescent proteins for optical imaging or with appropriate peptide-based motifs or macrocycles to chelate metals, such as technetium for nuclear scintigraphy and gadolinium for magnetic resonance imaging, have been synthesized. In addition, iron oxide complexes have been functionalized with the Tat basic domain peptides for magnetic resonance imaging applications.

Selective cell uptake of modified Tat peptide-fluorophore conjugates in rat retina in ex vivo and in vivo models.

Purpose: To determine the pattern of retinal uptake of modified Tat peptide-fluorophore conjugates in the rat after ex vivo application and intravitreal injection.

Methods: Modified Tat peptide (RKKRRORRRGC) was conjugated at the C terminus to Alexa Fluor 594 to enable visualization of uptake. In the ex vivo model, posterior segments were incubated for up to 120 minutes in peptide solution.

Characterization of novel histidine-tagged Tat-peptide complexes dual-labeled with (99m)Tc-tricarbonyl and fluorescein for scintigraphy and fluorescence microscopy.

To enable concurrent whole body scintigraphy and direct imaging of subcellular localization of permeation peptides, dual-labeled Tat-peptides useful for both radiometric analysis and fluorescence microscopy are desired for molecular imaging applications. Thus, novel dual-labeled D-Tat-peptides comprising Tat-basic domain (hgrkkrrqrrrgc), C-terminus conjugated with fluorescein-5-maleimide (FM) and N-terminus chelated with [(99m)Tc(CO)(3)] via histidine coordination, were synthesized and characterized. In human Jurkat cells, radiotracer uptake and washout studies revealed concentration-dependent accumulation of the dual-labeled Tat-peptide within cells.