Cell-penetrating nitroxides as molecular sensors for imaging of cancer in vivo, based on tissue redox activity.

The present study shows that hydrophobic and cell-penetrating piperidine-type nitroxide radicals SLENU and TEMPOL, but not hydrophilic and partially penetrating or non-penetrating pyrrolidine-type nitroxides carbamoyl-PROXYL and carboxy-PROXYL, are appropriate contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of cancer, based on its functionality - tissue redox activity. The experiments were conducted on anesthetized mice: healthy and neuroblastoma-bearing in a moderate stage of cancer development. The method is based on the nitroxide redox cycle, coupled with appearance or disappearance of the MRI signal.

Comparison of 2-amino-[3-¹¹C]isobutyric acid and 2-deoxy-2-[¹⁸F]fluoro-D-glucose in nude mice with xenografted tumors and acute inflammation.

Objective: 2-Deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose ([18F]FDG) accumulates in tumors and also during active inflammation, including therapy-related inflammation. Additional PET tracers that are less avid to inflammation could be useful in differentiating cancer from inflammation and could complement the limitation of [18F]FDG-PET. 2-Amino-[3-11C]isobutyric acid ([3-11C]AIB) is a potential PET tracer for this purpose.

Roles and limitations of FDG PET in pediatric non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Purpose: The usefulness of 18F fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma (p-HL) has been well demonstrated; however, pediatric non-Hodgkin lymphoma (p-NHL) has distinct characteristics from p-HL and adult NHL. We assessed roles of FDG PET in p-NHL.

Materials And Methods: Nineteen patients with p-NHL underwent 80 scans.

[Acute aortic dissection with anomalous coronary artery].

A 38-year-old man was diagnosed with acute type A aortic dissection and severe aortic regurgitation, and taken immediately to the operating room for repair of the ascending aorta using the Bentall procedure. The presence of the anomalous right coronary artery was revealed at the time of the procedure, and was repaired with single coronary button technique. Some case reports have described anomalous coronary artery in association with acute myocardiac infarction or angina pectoris.

Positron emission tomography imaging of tumor angiogenesis and monitoring of antiangiogenic efficacy using the novel tetrameric peptide probe 64Cu-cyclam-RAFT-c(-RGDfK-)4.

64Cu-cyclam-RAFT-c(-RGDfK-)4 is a novel multimeric positron emission tomography (PET) probe for αVβ3 integrin imaging. Its uptake and αVβ3 expression in tumors showed a linear correlation. Since αVβ3 integrin is strongly expressed on activated endothelial cells during angiogenesis, we aimed to determine whether 64Cu-cyclam-RAFT-c(-RGDfK-)4 PET can be used to image tumor angiogenesis and monitor the antiangiogenic effect of a novel multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, TSU-68.

Giant vesicles containing superparamagnetic iron oxide as biodegradable cell-tracking MRI probes.

A major breakthrough in in vivo cellular imaging has been the clinical/preclinical use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast agent. Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) is a promising candidate for the development of smart MRI probes for cell-tracking. In the present study, we describe biodegradable probes made of giant vesicles (GVs; closed lipid membranes with diameters >1 μm) that encapsulate SPIO for use as an MRI contrast agent.

Novel human monoclonal antibody against epidermal growth factor receptor as an imaging probe for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in many epithelial cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and is an attractive target for cancer imaging and therapy. We attempted a novel noninvasive imaging method to evaluate anti-EGFR human monoclonal antibody clones for determining the uptake of therapeutic anti-EGFR antibody in HCC.

Methods: In-vitro cell binding of nine I-labeled antibody clones was compared in the human epidermoid cancer cell line A431, in three HCC cell lines Hep-G2, SK-Hep1, and HuH-7, and in the EGFR-negative control cell line A4.

Ultraselective arterial embolization of vasa recta using 1.7-French microcatheter with small-sized detachable coils in acute colonic hemorrhage after failed endoscopic treatment.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to document our experiences with ultraselective arterial embolization to manage acute colonic hemorrhage using a 1.7-French microcatheter with small-sized detachable coils and to discuss the feasibility and clinical efficacy of this new technique.

Conclusion: We achieved technical success in all four patients with the sole use of short-segment embolization of the long branch of the vasa recta.

[New mechanisms of quinolone resistance among Enterobacteriaceae: focused on plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance].

Quinolones are useful synthetic antimicrobial agents in the clinical settings with broad specrum, potent efficacy, good bioavailability, and excellent safety. Therefore, development and increase of quinolone-resistance among clinically isolated pathogens are a worrisome problem. Recently, increasing numbers of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) among clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae have been reported.

Molecular characterization of carbapenem-non-susceptible Acinetobacter spp. in Japan: predominance of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii clonal complex 92 and IMP-type metallo-β-lactamase-producing non-baumannii Acinetobacter species.

We conducted an epidemiological study concerning carbapenem-non-susceptible clinical isolates of Acinetobacter spp. in Japan by molecular procedures including carbapenemase gene identification and amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis. Among 598 clinically isolated Acinetobacter spp.

Early and late results of surgical treatment for ventricular septal rupture with and without use of the infarction exclusion technique--experience with two- and three-sheet modification.

Background: Ventricular septal rupture (VSR) is an infrequent but life-threatening situation. Although outcomes have improved with the introduction of infarction exclusion, we have experienced difficulty in determining the optimal patch size and shape for obtaining good outcomes. Therefore, we modified the infarction exclusion technique.

Virulence-suppressing effects of linezolid on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: possible contribution to early defervescence.

In the present study, immunomodulatory effects of linezolid (LZD) on methicillin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections were evaluated. We have retrospectively reviewed treatment effects of LZD on 52 patients with severe MRSA infections. Sixty-four percent of the febrile patients demonstrated significant defervescence within 3 days, despite the presence of positive culture results.

Quantitative measurement of changes in calcium channel activity in vivo utilizing dynamic manganese-enhanced MRI (dMEMRI).

The ability of manganese ions (Mn(2+)) to enter cells through calcium ion (Ca(2+)) channels has been used for depolarization dependent brain functional imaging with manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI). The purpose of this study was to quantify changes to Mn(2+) uptake in rat brain using a dynamic manganese-enhanced MRI (dMEMRI) scanning protocol with the Patlak and Logan graphical analysis methods. The graphical analysis was based on a three-compartment model describing the tissue and plasma concentration of Mn.

Roles of interleukin-17 in an experimental Legionella pneumophila pneumonia model.

Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is a key factor in T helper type 17 (Th17) lineage host responses and plays critical roles in immunological control of a variety of infectious diseases. Although Legionella pneumophila, an intracellular bacterium found widely in the environment, often causes a serious and life-threatening pneumonia in humans, the contribution of IL-17 to immune function during Legionella pneumonia is unknown. In the present study, we used an experimental Legionella pneumonia infection to clarify the role of IL-17 in the resulting immune response.

Chromosomal integration and location on IncT plasmids of the blaCTX-M-2 gene in Proteus mirabilis clinical isolates.

Analysis of five CTX-M-2-producing Proteus mirabilis isolates in Japan demonstrated that bla(CTX-M-2) was located on the chromosome in four isolates and on IncT plasmids in three isolates, including two isolates that also carried the gene on the chromosome. In all four isolates with chromosomal bla(CTX-M-2), ISEcp1 was responsible for the integration of the gene into the chromosome. Three different sites in the P.

Radiolabeled Cu-ATSM as a novel indicator of overreduced intracellular state due to mitochondrial dysfunction: studies with mitochondrial DNA-less ρ0 cells and cybrids carrying MELAS mitochondrial DNA mutation.

Objectives: Radiolabeled Cu-diacetyl-bis (N(4)-methylthiosemicarbazone) (*Cu-ATSM), including (60/62/64)Cu-ATSM, is a potential imaging agent of hypoxic tumors for positron emission tomography (PET). We have reported that *Cu-ATSM is trapped in tumor cells under intracellular overreduced states, e.g.

ZDHHC8 knockdown enhances radiosensitivity and suppresses tumor growth in a mesothelioma mouse model.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive tumor caused by asbestos exposure, the incidence of which is predicted to increase globally. The prognosis of patients with mesothelioma undergoing conventional therapy is poor. Radiation therapy for mesothelioma is of limited use because of the intrinsic radioresistance of tumor cells compared with surrounding normal tissue.

In vivo tracking of transplanted mononuclear cells using manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI).

Background: Transplantation of mononuclear cells (MNCs) has previously been tested as a method to induce therapeutic angiogenesis to treat limb ischemia in clinical trials. Non-invasive high resolution imaging is required to track the cells and evaluate clinical relevance after cell transplantation. The hypothesis that MRI can provide in vivo detection and long-term observation of MNCs labeled with manganese contrast-agent was investigated in ischemic rat legs.

Chemical nature and structure of organic coating of quantum dots is crucial for their application in imaging diagnostics.

Background: One of the most attractive properties of quantum dots is their potential to extend the opportunities for fluorescent and multimodal imaging in vivo. The aim of the present study was to clarify whether the composition and structure of organic coating of nanoparticles are crucial for their application in vivo.

Methods: We compared quantum dots coated with non-crosslinked amino-functionalized polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers, quantum dots encapsulated in crosslinked carboxyl-functionalized PAMAM dendrimers, and silica-shelled amino-functionalized quantum dots.

Tumor enhancement effect of overexpressed manganese-superoxide dismutase in manganese-enhanced MR imaging.

Purpose: Manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI), used to trace neuronal connections and visualize brain activity, has recently been suggested useful for tumor detection, but the mechanism of tumor enhancement by manganese (Mn) is poorly understood. Our recent report of preferential enhancement of human mesothelioma cells with higher levels of manganese-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) expression may suggest a correlation between Mn-SOD expression and enhancement. We investigate this possibility further using engineered human ovarian cancer cells overexpressing Mn-SOD.

Pravastatin inhibits farnesol production in Candida albicans and improves survival in a mouse model of systemic candidiasis.

Candidemia remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in immunocompromised patients. A strategy of reducing virulence and virulence factors of Candida spp. is an attractive approach for the treatment of serious infections caused by these yeasts.

Long-term effects of hepatocyte growth factor gene therapy in rat myocardial infarct model.

We investigated the long-term effects of human hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene therapy in a rat myocardial infarct model. Treatment adenovirus coexpressing the HGF therapeutic gene and the human sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) reporter gene or control adenovirus expressing the NIS gene alone were injected directly into the infarct border zone immediately after permanent coronary ligation in rats (n=6 each). A uniform disease state was confirmed in the acute phase in terms of impaired left ventricular (LV) function by cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), large infarct extent by (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and successful gene transfer and expression by (99m)TcO(4)(-) SPECT.

Congestive heart failure due to coral reef thoracoabdominal aorta.

Acquired coarctation due to coral reefs is a rare and unique entity characterized by extensively calcified thrombus of the entire aorta. There are few reports of coral reef aorta resulting in severely congestive heart failure in the literature. We describe a 60-year-old female with acute heart failure.

Additional effects of FDG-PET to thin-section CT for the differential diagnosis of lung nodules: a Japanese multicenter clinical study.

Objective: This study was a controlled multicenter clinical study on patients with peripheral lung nodules to verify the improvement in the diagnostic ability of FDG-PET when used in combination with thin-section CT (TS-CT).

Methods: Patients with peripheral lung nodules (long maximal diameter: 10-30 mm) detected using CT were examined using TS-CT and FDG-PET for the differential diagnosis of benign or malignant lesions. The primary endpoint was the specificity of the results using a combination of TS-CT and FDG-PET, compared with the results for TS-CT alone.