Human immunodeficiency virus and respiratory disorders: clinical and diagnostic considerations.

Respiratory infections are a major health burden for the people of Papua New Guinea (PNG) who are positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In the face of an ongoing HIV epidemic, little is known about the epidemiology and aetiology of respiratory infections in people living with HIV in PNG. In this article we provide an overview of the most important respiratory pathogens in HIV-positive people globally, focusing primarily on adults.

Pandemic influenza vaccination: will the health care system take its own medicine?

Objective: To identify factors associated with acceptance of the pandemic Influenza A H1N1 California 7/09 vaccine (pH1N1 vaccine) in rural hospital staff.

Design: Cross-sectional group administered survey.

Setting: A 58-bed rural Queensland hospital, over a 10-day period starting five days after commencement of the pH1N1 vaccination program.

Serotonin-3 receptors in the posterior ventral tegmental area regulate ethanol self-administration of alcohol-preferring (P) rats.

Several studies indicated the involvement of serotonin-3 ([5-hydroxy tryptamine] 5-HT(3)) receptors in regulating alcohol-drinking behavior. The objective of this study was to determine the involvement of 5-HT(3) receptors within the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in regulating ethanol self-administration by alcohol-preferring (P) rats. Standard two-lever operant chambers (Coulbourn Instruments, Allentown, PA) were used to examine the effects of seven consecutive bilateral microinfusions of ICS 205-930 (ICS), a 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist, directly into the posterior VTA on the acquisition and maintenance of 15% (vol/vol) ethanol self-administration.

Modifying radiation damage.

Radiation leaves a fairly characteristic footprint in biological materials, but this is rapidly all but obliterated by the canonical biological responses to the radiation damage. The innate immune recognition systems that sense "danger" through direct radiation damage and through associated collateral damage set in motion a chain of events that, in a tissue compromised by radiation, often unwittingly result in oscillating waves of molecular and cellular responses as tissues attempt to heal. Understanding "nature's whispers" that inform on these processes will lead to novel forms of intervention targeted more precisely towards modifying them in an appropriate and timely fashion so as to improve the healing process and prevent or mitigate the development of acute and late effects of normal tissue radiation damage, whether it be accidental, as a result of a terrorist incident, or of therapeutic treatment of cancer.

Improved 18F labeling of peptides with a fluoride-aluminum-chelate complex.

We reported previously the feasibility to radiolabel peptides with fluorine-18 ((18)F) using a rapid one-pot method that first mixes (18)F(-) with Al(3+) and then binds the (Al(18)F)(2+) complex to a NOTA ligand on the peptide. In this report, we examined several new NOTA ligands and determined how temperature, reaction time, and reagent concentration affected the radiolabeling yield. Four structural variations of the NOTA ligand had isolated radiolabeling yields ranging from 5.

Chemoprophylaxis of Tropical Infectious Diseases.

Travelers to tropical countries are at risk for a variety of infectious diseases. In some cases effective vaccinations are available, but for other infections chemoprophylaxis can be offered. Malaria prevention has become increasingly complex as species become resistant to available drugs.

Correlation of complex ascites with intestinal gangrene and perforation in neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis.

Background/purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a correlation exists between the finding of complex ascites on ultrasound (US) and the presence of intestinal perforation or gangrene in neonates with complicated necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).

Methods: Charts of neonates with NEC (n = 76) whose care involved consultations with the pediatric surgery service between 2005 and 2008 were reviewed. Twenty-three babies with NEC without free air had a bedside abdominal US.

Repair of long gap esophageal atresia without anastomosis.

Background/purpose: Repair of long gap esophageal atresia represents a challenge. Several different techniques may be used. We describe 5 cases of long gap esophageal atresia managed successfully with suture approximation without anastomosis.

Integration of epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors with preoperative chemoradiation.

In many different cancer cell types, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway becomes hyperactivated because of overproduction of the ligand, overproduction of the receptor, or constitutive activation of the receptor. The overproduction of EGFR and its ligands correlates with poor prognosis in several solid tumors such as lung, colon, and ovary. These observations led to the development of EGFR inhibitors for anticancer treatment.

Pretargeted immuno-positron emission tomography imaging of carcinoembryonic antigen-expressing tumors with a bispecific antibody and a 68Ga- and 18F-labeled hapten peptide in mice with human tumor xenografts.

(18)F-Fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) is the most common molecular imaging agent in oncology, with a high sensitivity and specificity for detecting several cancers. Antibodies could enhance specificity; therefore, procedures were developed for radiolabeling a small ( approximately 1451 Da) hapten peptide with (68)Ga or (18)F to compare their specificity with (18)F-FDG for detecting tumors using a pretargeting procedure. Mice were implanted with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA; CEACAM5)-expressing LS174T human colonic tumors and a CEA-negative tumor, or an inflammation was induced in thigh muscle.

Recombinant bispecific monoclonal antibodies prepared by the dock-and-lock strategy for pretargeted radioimmunotherapy.

The selective delivery of therapeutic radionuclides is a promising approach for treating cancer. Antibody-targeted radionuclides are of particular interest, with 2 products approved for the treatment of certain forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. However, for many other cancers, radioimmunotherapy has been ineffective, being limited by prolonged exposure to the highly radiosensitive bone marrow.

Animal models for medical countermeasures to radiation exposure.

Since September 11, 2001, there has been the recognition of a plausible threat from acts of terrorism, including radiological or nuclear attacks. A network of Centers for Medical Countermeasures against Radiation (CMCRs) has been established across the U.S.

Links between innate immunity and normal tissue radiobiology.

The body senses "danger" from "damaged self" molecules through members of the same receptor superfamily it uses for microbial "non-self", triggering canonical signaling pathways that lead to the generation of acute inflammatory responses. For this reason, the biology of normal tissue responses to moderate and clinically relevant doses of radiation is inextricably connected to innate immunity. The complex sequence of inflammatory events that ensues causes further cell and tissue damage to eliminate potential invaders but also leads to cytoprotective responses that limit the spread of damage and to wound healing through tissue regeneration or replacement.

Immune rejection in a humanized model of murine prostate cancer.

Background/aim: We attempted to develop a humanized mouse model for prostate cancer to study immune recognition and responses to human prostate-tumor antigens in mice.

Materials And Methods: Our study was based on cell lines derived from transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) tumors. TRAMP cells were modified to express a chimeric MHC I molecule comprising the extracellular domains of human HLA-A2.

Differential Effects of the Proteasome Inhibitor NPI-0052 against Glioma Cells.

Proteasome inhibitors are emerging as a new class of cancer therapeutics, and bortezomib has shown promise in the treatment of multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. However, bortezomib has failed to have an effect in preclinical models of glioma. NPI-0052 is a new generation of proteasome inhibitors with increased potency and strong inhibition of all three catalytic activities of the 26S proteasome.

In vivo wireless ethanol vapor detection in the Wistar rat.

Traditional alcohol studies measure blood alcohol concentration to elucidate the biomedical factors that contribute to alcohol abuse and alcoholism. These measurements require large and expensive equipment, are labor intensive, and are disruptive to the subject. To alleviate these problems, we have developed an implantable, wireless biosensor that is capable of measuring alcohol levels for up to six weeks.

A novel facile method of labeling octreotide with (18)F-fluorine.

Unlabelled: Several methods have been developed to label peptides with (18)F. However, in general these are laborious and require a multistep synthesis. We present a facile method based on the chelation of (18)F-aluminum fluoride (Al(18)F) by 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triacetic acid (NOTA).

Radiation resistance of cancer stem cells: the 4 R's of radiobiology revisited.

There is compelling evidence that many solid cancers are organized hierarchically and contain a small population of cancer stem cells (CSCs). It seems reasonable to suggest that a cancer cure can be achieved only if this population is eliminated. Unfortunately, there is growing evidence that CSCs are inherently resistant to radiation, and perhaps other cancer therapies.

Screening of antimicrobial agents for in vitro radiation protection and mitigation capacity, including those used in supportive care regimens for bone marrow transplant recipients.

Antibiotic and antifungal agents used in supportive care regimens for bone marrow transplantation recipients contribute to a significant dose-modifying effect of otherwise lethal total body irradiation. To determine whether drugs used in supportive care and other commonly used antibiotics such as tetracycline function as radiation protectors or damage mitigators in vitro, 13 drugs were tested for radiation protection and radiation damage mitigation of 32D cl 3 hematopoietic progenitor cells in clonagenic survival curves in vitro. Antibiotic/Antifungal agents including cilastatin, amikacin, ceftazidine, vancomycin, tetracycline, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin, metronidazole, methacycline, minocycline, meclocycline, oxytetracycline and rolitetracycline were added in 1, 10, or 100 micromolar concentrations to murine interleukin-3-dependent hematopoietic progenitor cell line 32D cl 3 cells either before or after irradiation of 0 to 8 Gy.

Pretargeted radioimmunoscintigraphy in patients with primary colorectal cancer using a bispecific anticarcinoembryonic antigen CEA X anti-di-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid F(ab')2 antibody.

Background: Antibody-based imaging agents are available commercially, but their success has been limited, mainly because of low contrast and the emergence of 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scanning. In pretargeting, administration of the radionuclide is separated from the antibody, thereby enhancing image contrast and allowing detection at earlier time points after injection.

Methods: The authors conducted an open-label, single-arm trial that assessed a pretargeting procedure in which an anticarcinoembryonic antigen x (anti-CEA x) anti-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (anti-DTPA)-indum (In) antibody was used in combination with a (111)In-labeled di-DTPA peptide for the diagnostic imaging of CEA-expressing colorectal cancer.

Changes in gene expression in regions of the extended amygdala of alcohol-preferring rats after binge-like alcohol drinking.

The objective of this study was to determine time-course changes in gene expression within two regions of the extended amygdala after binge-like alcohol drinking by alcohol-preferring (P) rats. Adult male P rats were given 1-h access to 15 and 30% ethanol three times daily for 8 weeks. Rats (n = 10/time point for ethanol and n = 6/time point for water) were killed by decapitation 1, 6, and 24 h after the last drinking episode.

A critical evaluation of influence of ethanol and diet on salsolinol enantiomers in humans and rats.

Background: (R/S)-Salsolinol (SAL), a condensation product of dopamine (DA) with acetaldehyde, has been speculated to have a role in the etiology of alcoholism. Earlier studies have shown the presence of SAL in biological fluids and postmortem brains from both alcoholics and nonalcoholics. However, the involvement of SAL in alcoholism has been controversial over several decades, since the reported SAL levels and their changes after ethanol exposure were not consistent, possibly due to inadequate analytical procedures and confounding factors such as diet and genetic predisposition.

Pretargeted radioimmunotherapy of pancreatic cancer xenografts: TF10-90Y-IMP-288 alone and combined with gemcitabine.

Unlabelled: Pancreatic cancer is a silent disease that most commonly presents in an already metastatic form. Current treatment options provide little survival benefit. Radiolabeled PAM4 IgG, a monoclonal antibody that recognizes a unique epitope associated with a mucin found almost exclusively in pancreatic cancer, has shown encouraging therapeutic effects in animal models and in early clinical testing ((90)Y-humanized PAM4 IgG, (90)Y-clivatuzumab tetraxetan).