Inhibition of the Hepatic Uptake of Tc-Tetrofosmin Using an Organic Cation Transporter Blocker.

The accumulation of high levels of Tc-tetrofosmin (Tc-TF) in the hepatobiliary system can lead to imaging artifacts and interference with diagnosis. The present study investigated the transport mechanisms of Tc-TF and attempted to apply competitive inhibition using a specific inhibitor to reduce Tc-TF hepatic accumulation. In this in vitro study, Tc-TF was incubated in HEK293 cells expressing human organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B1 (OATP1B1), OATP1B3, OATP2B1, organic anion transporter 2 (OAT2), organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1), OCT2, and Na-taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide with or without each specific inhibitor to evaluate the contribution of each transporter to Tc-TF transportation.

Characteristics of azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus attached to agricultural products imported to Japan.

Due to the increase in the number of azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus, there is an urgent need of data to predict future trends and prevent further spreading. The intercountry transfer of resistant A. fumigatus on plant bulbs have been reported.

A newly developed enzyme-immunoassay for measuring the tissue contents of PACAP in fish.

We have developed a novel and easy enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) for pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP). We used it to determine immunoreactive PACAP levels in the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral tissues of two fishes, a teleost (the stargazer) and an elasmobranch (a stingray). An antiserum was raised in a white rabbit immunized with a conjugate of synthetic stargazer PACAP27 plus keyhole limpet hemocyanin.