Evaluation of [Ga]Ga-DOTA-AeK as a Potential Imaging Tool for PET Imaging of Cell Wall Synthesis in Bacterial Infections.

The ability of bacteria to recycle exogenous amino acid-based peptides and amino sugars for peptidoglycan biosynthesis was extensively investigated using optical imaging. In particular, fluorescent AeK-NBD was effectively utilized to study the peptidoglycan recycling pathway in Gram-negative bacteria. Based on these promising results, we were inspired to develop the radioactive AeK conjugate [Ga]Ga-DOTA-AeK for the in vivo localization of bacterial infection using PET/CT.

Insights into Peptidoglycan-Targeting Radiotracers for Imaging Bacterial Infections: Updates, Challenges, and Future Perspectives.

The unique structural architecture of the peptidoglycan allows for the stratification of bacteria as either Gram-negative or Gram-positive, which makes bacterial cells distinguishable from mammalian cells. This classification has received attention as a potential target for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Bacteria's ability to metabolically integrate peptidoglycan precursors during cell wall biosynthesis and recycling offers an opportunity to target and image pathogens in their biological state.

COVID-19 Is a Multi-Organ Aggressor: Epigenetic and Clinical Marks.

The progression of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), resulting from a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, may be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Several viruses hijack the host genome machinery for their own advantage and survival, and similar phenomena might occur upon SARS-CoV-2 infection. Severe cases of COVID-19 may be driven by metabolic and epigenetic driven mechanisms, including DNA methylation and histone/chromatin alterations.