Femoral versus jugular access for Denali Vena Cava Filter placement: Analysis of fluoroscopic time, filter tilt and retrieval outcomes.

Purpose: To analyze relevant metrics involved in Denali Vena Cava Filter placement via different venous access sites.

Materials And Methods: Patients with Denali filters inserted between March 2017 and February 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Pre-procedural and pre-retrieval computed tomography (CT) were reviewed.

Central venous catheterization-induced right brachiocephalic vein pseudoaneurysm: Successfully treated with stent-assisted coiling.

Introduction: Central venous catheterization-induced central vein pseudoaneurysm is rare. Several treatment options have been recommended. We describe a case of central venous catheterization-induced right brachiocephalic vein pseudoaneurysm successfully treated with an uncovered self-expandable stent-assisted coil embolization and discuss the imaging findings, treatment strategy, and review of literature associated with thoracic venous pseudoaneurysm.

Proteus vulgaris and Proteus mirabilis Decrease Candida albicans Biofilm Formation by Suppressing Morphological Transition to Its Hyphal Form.

Purpose: Candida albicans (C. albicans) and Proteus species are causative agents in a variety of opportunistic nosocomial infections, and their ability to form biofilms is known to be a virulence factor. In this study, the influence of co-cultivation with Proteus vulgaris (P.

Influence of bacterial presence on biofilm formation of Candida albicans.

Purpose: Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that is commonly found in human microflora. Biofilm formation (BF) is known as a major virulence factor of C. albicans.

Anterior mediastinal fat in Behçet's disease: qualitative and quantitative CT analysis.

The fat-rich anterior mediastinum could be a sensitive window for monitoring minute changes in vascularity induced by systemic vasculitis. To evaluate this hypothesis, an analysis of anterior mediastinal fat in patients with Behçet's disease and a control group was conducted. This study included 43 patients diagnosed with Behçet's disease within the last 11 years who underwent CT scan; 55 patients were selected as a control population.

Immunological features of macrophages induced by various morphological structures of Candida albicans.

Candida albicans is a dimorphic fungus that commensally colonizes human mucosal surfaces. The aim of this study was to assess the role of different C. albicans morphologies in inducing pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and cytokines in macrophages.

Synthesis and application of a novel cysteine-based DTPA-NCS for targeted radioimmunotherapy.

Introduction: For the development of safe and effective protein-based radiolabeled complexes such as radioimmunotherapy (RIT), the selection of the radionuclides and the chelating agents used for the radiolabeling of tumor-targeting molecules is a critical factor. We aim to synthesize a novel bifunctional chelating agent containing the isothiocyanate group for easy conjugation with antibodies having the characteristics of high stable chelation with therapeutic radionuclides.

Methods: We have synthesized the DTPA analogue retaining L-cysteine as a core ligand of the thiol group.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel (177)Lu-DOTA-[Gly(3)-cyclized(Dap(4), (d)-Phe(7), Asp(10))-Arg(11)]α-MSH(3-13) analogue for melanocortin-1 receptor-positive tumor targeting.

In this study, a novel α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) analogue 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) coupled [Gly(3)-cyclized(Dap(4), (d)-Phe(7), Asp(10))-Arg(11)]α-MSH(3-13) (DOTA-GMSH) for melanocortin-1 receptor (MC-1R) targeting was newly synthesized, radiolabeled with (177)Lu, and in vitro and in vivo characterized. (177)Lu-labeled peptides were prepared with a high radiolabeling yield (>98%), and its Log p value was -2.89.

Increased energy expenditure and leptin sensitivity account for low fat mass in myostatin-deficient mice.

Myostatin deficiency causes dramatically increased skeletal muscle mass and reduced fat mass. Previously, myostatin-deficient mice were reported to have unexpectedly low total energy expenditure (EE) after normalizing to body mass, and thus, a metabolic cause for low fat mass was discounted. To clarify how myostatin deficiency affects the control of body fat mass and energy balance, we compared rates of oxygen consumption, body composition, and food intake in young myostatin-deficient mice relative to wild-type (WT) and heterozygous (HET) controls.

Preparation and evaluation of 99mTc-labeled cyclic arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) peptide for integrin targeting.

Technetium coordination chemistry has been a subject of interest in the development of radiopharmaceuticals, especially imaging radiotracers. Due to the extensive work done on developing chelates for (99m)Tc, various chelators have been investigated and applied to radiopharmceuticals. Previous studies on the coordination chemistry of the [(99m)Tc=O] core have established peptide-derived sequences as effective chelating ligands.

Cultured hypothalamic neurons are resistant to inflammation and insulin resistance induced by saturated fatty acids.

Hypothalamic inflammation induced by high-fat feeding causes insulin and leptin resistance and contributes to the pathogenesis of obesity. Since in vitro exposure to saturated fatty acids causes inflammation and insulin resistance in many cultured cell types, we determined how cultured hypothalamic neurons respond to this stimulus. Two murine hypothalamic neuronal cell cultures, N43/5 and GT1-7, were exposed to escalating concentrations of saturated fatty acids for up to 24 h.

Hypothalamic inflammation and energy homeostasis: resolving the paradox.

Determining the effect of hypothalamic inflammatory signals on energy balance presents a paradox. On the one hand, a large body of work has identified inflammatory signaling in the hypothalamus as an essential mediator of the sickness response--the anorexia, cachexia, fever, inactivity, lethargy, anhedonia and adipsia that are triggered by systemic inflammatory stimuli and promote negative energy balance. On the other hand, numerous recent studies implicate inflammatory activation within the hypothalamus as a key factor whereby high-fat diets--and saturated fats in particular--cause central leptin and insulin resistance and thereby promote the defense of elevated body weight.

Atypical protein kinase C activity in the hypothalamus is required for lipopolysaccharide-mediated sickness responses.

By activating the Toll-like receptor 4-nuclear factor-kappaB signal transduction pathway, the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces anorexia, weight loss, fever, and other components of the sickness response. By comparison, the hormones leptin and insulin cause anorexia without sickness via a central mechanism involving the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase signaling pathway. In the current study, we investigated whether a common Toll-like receptor 4 and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase signaling intermediate, atypical protein kinase Czeta/lambda (aPKC), contributes to changes of energy balance induced by these stimuli.

Radiolabeling of monoclonal anti-CD105 with (177)Lu for potential use in radioimmunotherapy.

In this study, we carried out a radioimmunoconjugation using (177)Lu with anti-CD105 (endoglin) monoclonal antibody for an angiogenesis targeting. CD105 has been shown to be a more useful marker to identify proliferating endothelium involved in tumor angiogenesis than panendothelial markers. We optimized the labeling of the anti-CD105 monoclonal antibody with (177)Lu by using cysteine derivative isothiocyanatobenzyl-DTPA (DTPA-NCS) as BFCA.

Radiolabeling of monoclonal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR 1) with (177)Lu for potential use in radioimmunotherapy.

The main goal of this study was to optimize the radioimmunoconjugation of monoclonal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR 1) with (177)Lu as a potential angiogenic molecular tracer for radioimmunotherapy (RIT). For a successful radiolabeling, we chose cysteine derivative DTPA-NCS as the bifunctional chelating agent and optimized radiolabeling condition with modifications on the factors such as the reaction time and molar ratio which are known to be very critical in radiolabeling. Under the optimized conditions, radiolabeling yield was greater than 99%.

NF-kappaB-dependency and consequent regulation of IL-8 in echinomycin-induced apoptosis of HT-29 colon cancer cells.

The present study was to see whether echinomycin-induced apoptosis would be NF-kappaB-dependent and if so, whether echinomycin would activate or inhibit NF-kappaB as well as resultant chemokine IL-8 expression. In HT-29 cells echinomycin activated NF-kappaB in time-dependent manner. EMSA in the presence of antibodies specific for p50 and p65 subunits indicated that echinomycin-induces the translocation of p50-p65 heterodimeric subunits of NF-kappaB.

Double-stranded RNA mediates interferon regulatory factor 3 activation and interleukin-6 production by engaging Toll-like receptor 3 in human brain astrocytes.

Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) participates in the innate immune response by recognizing viral pathogens. In this study, human brain astrocytes were found to constitutively express TLR3, and this expression was increased by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) or double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Treatment employing dsRNA in astrocytes induced IFN regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) phosphorylation, dimer formation and nuclear translocation followed by STAT1 activation.

Differential expression, shedding, cytokine regulation and function of TNFR1 and TNFR2 in human fetal astrocytes.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha induces pleiotropic cellular effects through a 55kDa, type 1 receptor (TNFR1) and a 75kDa type 2 receptor (TNFR2). Moreover, it participates in the pathogenesis of several CNS diseases, including demyelinating diseases. TNF-alpha receptors are differentially expressed and are regulated in many cell types.

Preparation and in-vivo evaluation of 99mTc-IOTIDA for cholescintigraphy.

The synthesis, radiolabeling and in vivo evaluation of 99mTc-IOIDA(3-iodo 2,4,6-trimethylpheyl carbamoylmethyl iminodiacetic acid) for the assessment of hepatocytic function and the functional status of the cystic duct and the gallbladder are described. For a scintigraphic imaging comparison, three different 99mTc-IDA derivatives, 99mTc-DISIDA, 99mTc-mebrofenin and 99mTc-IOTIDA, were prepared and evaluated for their in vivo pharmacokinetic behavior through animal studies. Serial static image scans of rabbits injected with 99mTc-IOTIDA revealed that none of the tissues except the hepatobiliary system showed radioactivity concentrations.

The availability of contrast media in the application of Holmium-166-DTPA for vascular brachytherapy.

Since coronary angioplasty using a liquid radiation source is performed with computed tomography(CT) angiography, use of a CT contrast agent is a good alternative to see if the balloon has close contact with the blood vessel wall for the delivery of a sufficient radiation dose to the stenotic artery. In order to examine the usefulness of the CT contrast agent as a diluent of a liquid radiation source, various physicochemical studies and in vivo stability studies using animals were implemented using (166)Ho-DTPA for vascular brachytherapy and a PTCA balloon catheter. For this study, three CT contrast agents, Hexabrix (320)(Rx), Iomeron (350)(Rx) and Visipaque (320)(Rx) were used.

Characterization of the two genes differentially expressed during development in human fetal astrocytes.

Astrocytes are ubiquitous in the brain and have multiple functions. It is becoming clear that they play an important role in monitoring the neuromicroenvironment, information processing, and signaling in the central nervous system (CNS) in normal conditions and that they respond to CNS injuries. During the development of the CNS, astrocytes play a key role as a substrate for neuronal migration and axonal growth.

166Ho-coated balloon for vascular brachytherapy.

A simple procedure was developed for coating the surface of a conventional percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty balloon angioplasty catheter with 166Ho. The absorbed dose delivered by the surface-coated catheter is twice that of a similar catheter filled with a solution containing the same activity of 166Ho. Leakage tests show that <0.

Holmium-166-DTPA as a liquid source for endovascular brachytherapy.

Liquid radiation sources with beta emitters have advantages of accurate positioning and uniform dose distribution to the vessel walls to prevent the restenosis of coronary artery. As a liquid radiation source, 166Ho-DTPA was prepared and evaluated its in-vivo pharmacokinetic behavior through animal studies.166Ho-DTPA was prepared by simple mixing the Holmium with DTPA at room temperature.