Going Nuclear with Amino Acids and Proteins: Basic Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Primer for the Technologist.

In recent years, there has been an influx of new tracers into the field of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. Most of those that have been Food and Drug Administration-approved for clinical imaging exploit various mechanisms of protein biochemistry and molecular biology to bring about their actions, such as amino acid metabolism, protein folding, receptor-ligand interactions, and surface transport mechanisms. In this review, we attempt to paint a clear picture of the basic biochemistry and molecular biology of protein structure, translation, transcription, posttranslational modifications, and protein targeting, in the context of the various radiopharmaceuticals currently used clinically, all in an easy-to-understand language for entry-level technologists in the field.

Internalized Nanoceria Modify the Radiation-Sensitivity Profile of MDA MB231 Breast Carcinoma Cells.

Owing to its unique redox properties, cerium oxide (nanoceria) nanoparticles have been shown to confer either radiosensitization or radioprotection to human cells. We investigated nanoceria's ability to modify cellular health and reactive oxygen species (ROS) at various absorbed doses (Gray) of ionizing radiation in MDA-MB231 breast carcinoma cells. We used transmission electron microscopy to visualize the uptake and compartmental localization of nanoceria within cells at various treatment concentrations.

Reflectance structured illumination imaging of internalized cerium oxide nanoparticles modulating dose-dependent reactive oxygen species in breast cancer cells.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles have been shown to sensitize cancer cells to radiation damage. Their unique redox properties confer excellent therapeutic potential by augmenting radiation dose with reactive oxygen species mediating bystander effects. Owing to its metallic properties, cerium oxide nanoparticles can be visualized inside cells using reflected light and optical sectioning.

Use of siRNA molecular beacons to detect and attenuate mycobacterial infection in macrophages.

Tuberculosis is one of the leading infectious diseases plaguing mankind and is mediated by the facultative pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Once the pathogen enters the body, it subverts the host immune defenses and thrives for extended periods of time within the host macrophages in the lung granulomas, a condition called latent tuberculosis (LTB). Persons with LTB are prone to reactivation of the disease when the body's immunity is compromised.

PET/MRI: the blended-modality choice of the future?

This article addresses the emerging technology of PET coupled with MRI, or PET/MRI, which could become the technology of choice in the future for many reasons. Some of these reasons will be discussed, along with a historical account of the field of MRI and how this modality has evolved to include many aspects of molecular and functional imaging. After reading this article, nuclear medicine technologists should be able to provide an overview of the history of MRI, discuss PET and how it is mainly used today melded to CT as PET/CT, discuss how MRI is used diagnostically, explain how PET technology and MRI technology are able to function simultaneously together as PET/MRI, discuss some issues concerning who will operate these new units, and discuss the possibility that PET/MRI could be the blended technology of choice in the future.