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A comprehensive water quality assessment model was developed based on fuzzy mathematics technique. The model adopted function of subjection to describe the boundary of water quality, was under the jurisdiction of subjection degree selecting nearly principles, reflect the mistiness, make the result closer the objective reality. The water quality data covering 6 parameters from 6 monitoring stations were collected from January 2005 to December 2010, and the model was used to assess the water quality of Lanjiang River watershed. The water quality of Lanjiang River from 2005 to 2010 is maintain Class III, and can basically satisfy its designated use.The major pollutants were ammonia nitrogen and total phosphorus. The water qualtiy assessment model based on fuzzy mathematics is suitable for Lanjiang River watershed.

To study the acireductone dioxygenase (designated as SmARD) gene of Salvia miltiorrhiza through bioinformatics and characterization of its tissue expression and response expression on stress in shoot.SmARD gene was obtained by sequencing cDNA library constructed by us. BLAST was used for alignment, ORF finder software was applied to find open reading frame, prosite was used to analyze the protein characterization. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was used to detect the gene expression level.The full -length cDNA of SmRAD was 688 bp long with a 591 bp ORF (open reading frame) that putatively encoded a polypeptide of 196 amino acids; with a predicted molecular mass of 23.27 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of SmRAD of gene shared high homology with other known RADs. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that SmRAD was constitutively expressed in roots, stems, flower and leaves of S. miltiorrhiza, with the high expression in roots. In addition, SmRAD expression level under different stress condition was also analyzed in root, including signaling components for plant defence responses, such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid and ABA, as well as drought, cold and salt abiotic stress. The expression of SmRAD was suppressed by water deficit treatment for 3 d, 150 mmol x L(-1) NaCl, 4 degrees C cold and 100 mmol x L(-1) ABA treatment for 1 d, but induced by 100 mmol x L(-1) MJ and 10 mmol x L(-1) ETH.A novel SmARD gene was cloned from S. miltiorrhiza. This study will enable us to further understand the role of SmARD in the defense response under different abiotic stress and in synthesis of active cmpounds in S. miltiorrhiza at molecular level.

Poly(vinylbenzyl-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl-D-gluconamide) (PVLA) can be specifically internalized by hepatocytes via the asialoglycoprotein receptor. In this study, we synthesized and characterized galactose-carrying copolymers with hydrazinonicotinamide chains as bifunctional groups to radiolabel PVLA with 99mTc for SPECT targeting specific hepatocytes. Methods: Poly(N-p-vinylbenzyl-[O-β-D-galactopyranosyl-(1→4)-D-gluconamide]-co-N-p-vinylbenzyl-6-[2-(4-dimethylamino)benzaldehydehydrazono]nicotinate) (P(VLA-co-VNI)) was first prepared via copolymerization of N-p-vinylbenzyl-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl-D-gluconamide with 5% (mol) of N-p-vinylbenzyl-(4-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde hydrazono)nicotinamide. The copolymer was labeled with 99mTc using tricine as a coligand. Then 99mTc[P(VLA-co-VNI)](tricine)2 was evaluated by in vivo metabolic stability and biodistribution in normal mice. SPECT was performed in normal New Zealand White rabbits and rabbits with liver cancer. Results:99mTc[P(VLA-co-VNI)](tricine)2 was prepared in high labeling yield (>95%) and radiochemical purity (>99%), with good stability. The results of biodistribution in mice demonstrated that the liver uptake was 125.33 ± 10.99 percentage injected dose per gram at 10 min after injection and could be blocked significantly by preinjecting free neogalactosylalbumin or P(VLA-co-VNI). SPECT images with high quality were obtained at 15, 30, 60, and 120 min after injection of the radiotracer. Significant radioactivity defect was observed in the liver cancer model. Conclusion: The bifunctional coupling agent hydrazinonicotinamide was introduced to PVLA via copolymerization and labeled with 99mTc. The promising biologic properties of 99mTc[P(VLA-co-VNI)](tricine)2 afford potential applications for the assessment of hepatocyte function in the future.

The feasibility of chitosan (CS) as a backbone for the design of (99m)Tc-labeled targeting agent was evaluated in this study. Chitosan-folate conjugate (CSFA) and chitosan-folate dithiocarbamate (CSFADTC) were synthesized, characterized and radiolabeled with (99m)Tc as model compounds for folate-receptor (FR) targeting. (99m)Tc-complexes were prepared with high radiochemical purity and high stability. The hydrophilicities of these (99m)Tc-complexes were determined by partition coefficient experiments. The results of biodistribution in normal mice showed that the folic-acid modified agents ((99m)Tc-CSFA and (99m)TcN-CSFADTC) had obviously higher uptake in FR-positive kidney and much lower liver and spleen uptakes than that of non-folic-acid modified (99m)Tc-agent, and the kidney uptakes of FA-modified agents could be blocked significantly by the corresponding cold ligand. Furthermore in vitro and in vivo specific studies will be done in cell line and tumor bearing mice to confirm the usefulness of this chitosan backbone for FR targeting agent design.

Objective To study the acireductone dioxygenase (designated as SmARD) gene of Salvia miltiorrhiza through bioinformatics and characterization of its tissue expression and response expression on stress in shoot. Method SmARD gene was obtained by sequencing cDNA library constructed by us. BLAST was used for alignment, ORF finder software was applied to find open reading frame, prosite was used to analyze the protein characterization. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was used to detect the gene expression level. Result The full -length cDNA of SmRAD was 688 bp long with a 591 bp ORF (open reading frame) that putatively encoded a polypeptide of 196 amino acids; with a predicted molecular mass of 23.27 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of SmRAD of gene shared high homology with other known RADs. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that SmRAD was constitutively expressed in roots, stems, flower and leaves of S. miltiorrhiza, with the high expression in roots. In addition, SmRAD expression level under different stress condition was also analyzed in root, including signaling components for plant defence responses, such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid and ABA, as well as drought, cold and salt abiotic stress. The expression of SmRAD was suppressed by water deficit treatment for 3 d, 150 mmol x L(-1) NaCl, 4 degrees C cold and 100 mmol x L(-1) ABA treatment for 1 d, but induced by 100 mmol x L(-1) MJ and 10 mmol x L(-1) ETH. Conclusion A novel SmARD gene was cloned from S. miltiorrhiza. This study will enable us to further understand the role of SmARD in the defense response under different abiotic stress and in synthesis of active cmpounds in S. miltiorrhiza at molecular level.

most web text clustering is based on the space vector text representation model. This results in a high dimension in the terms; and it leads to an increase in time complexity and a loss of text semantics due to the fact that the semantic relationship of the terms is not considered. In this paper, a new approach is taken where a concept lattice is generated with text treated as object and terms of text as attribute to construct a concept lattice. Based on this, formal concepts in the concept lattice are extracted to represent the texts. In addition, similarity function between concepts is defined. To address the drawbacks of the existing K-Means algorithm, such as random selection of initial center, a method is proposed which takes into account the density and distance factors comprehensively. This new algorithm has been applied to the clustering module of our existing maritime vertical searching engine "Haisou". The results demonstrate improved clustering efficiency and accuracy.

Galactosylated chitosan (GC) was prepared by reacting lactobionic acid with water-soluble chitosan. GC was labeled with fluorine-18 by conjugation with N-succinimidyl-4-(18)F-fluorobenzoate ([(18)F]SFB) under a slightly basic condition. After rapid purification with HiTrap desalting column, [(18)F]FB-GC was obtained with high radiochemical purity (>97%) determined by radio-HPLC. The total reaction time for [(18)F]FB-GC was about 150 min. Typical decay-corrected radiochemical yield was about 4-8%. Ex vivo biodistribution in normal mice showed that [(18)F]FB-GC had moderate activity accumulation in liver with very good retention (11.13+/-1.63, 10.97+/-1.90 and 10.77+/-0.95%ID/g at 10, 60, 120 min after injection, respectively). The other tissues except kidney showed relative low radioactivity accumulation. The high liver/background ratio affords promising biological properties to get clear images. The specific binding of this radiotracer to the ASGP receptor was confirmed by blocking experiment in mice. Compared with the non-blocking group the hepatic uptake of [(18)F]FB-GC significantly declined in all selected time points. The better liver retention properties of [(18)F]FB-GC than that of albumin based imaging agents may improve imaging quality and simplify pharmacokinetic model of liver function in the future application with PET imaging.

Myocardial extractions of pyridaben, a mitochondrial complex I (MC-I) inhibitor, is well correlated with blood flow. Based on the synthesis and characterization of pyridaben analogue 2- tert -butyl-5-[2-(2-[ 18 F]fluroethoxy)ethoxy]benzyloxy]-4-chloro-2 H -pyridazin-3-one ([ 18 F]FP2OP), this study assessed its potential to be developed as myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) agent. Methods : The tosylate labeling precursor 2-(2-(4-( tert -butyl-5-chloro-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-pyridazin-4-yloxymethyl)benzyloxy)ethoxy)ethyl ester (OTs-P2OP) and the nonradioactive 2- tert -butyl-5-[2-(2-[ 19 F]fluroethoxy)ethoxy]benzyloxy]-4-chloro-2 H -pyridazin-3-one ([ 19 F]FP2OP) were synthesized and characterized by IR, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR and MS analysis. By substituting tosyl of precursor OTs-P2OP with 18 F, the radiolabeled complex [ 18 F]FP2OP was prepared and further evaluated for its in vitro physicochemical properties, in vivo biodistribution, the metabolic stability in mice, ex vivo autoradiography and cardiac PET/CT imaging. Results : Starting with [ 18 F]F − Kryptofix 2.2.2./K 2 CO 3 solution, the total reaction time for [ 18 F]FP2OP was about 100 min, with final high-performance liquid chromatography purification included. Typical decay-corrected radiochemical yield stayed at 41 ± 5.3%, the radiochemical purity, 98% or more. Biodistribution in mice showed that the heart uptake of [ 18 F]FP2OP was 41.90 ± 4.52%ID/g at 2 min post-injection time, when the ratio of heart/liver, heart/lung and heart/blood reached 6.83, 9.49 and 35.74, respectively. Lipophilic molecule was further produced by metabolized [ 18 F]FP2OP in blood and urine at 30 min. Ex vivo autoradiography demonstrates that [ 18 F]FP2OP may have high affinity with MC-I and that can be blocked by [ 19 F]FP2OP or rotenone (a known MC-I inhibitor). Cardiac PET images were obtained in a Chinese mini-swine at 5, 15, 30 and 60 min post-injection time with high quality. Conclusion : [ 18 F]FP2OP was synthesized with high radiochemical yield. The promising biological properties of [ 18 F]FP2OP suggest high potential as MPI agent for positron emission tomography in the future.

Asialoglycoprotein receptors (ASGP-R) are well known to exist on the mammalian liver, situate on the surface of hepatocyte membrane. Quantitative imaging of asialoglycoprotein receptors could estimate the function of the liver. 99m Tc labeled galactosyl-neoglycoalbumin (NGA) and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid galactosyl human serum albumin (GSA) have been developed for SPECT imaging and clinical used in Japan. In this study, we labeled the NGA with 18 F to get a novel PET tracer [ 18 F]FNGA and evaluated its hepatic-targeting efficacy and pharmacokinetics. Methods : NGA was labeled with 18 F by conjugation with N -succinimidyl-4- 18 F-fluorobenzoate ([ 18 F]SFB) under a slightly basic condition. The in vivo metabolic stability of [ 18 F]FNGA was determined. Ex vivo biodistribution of [ 18 F]FNGA and blocking experiment was investigated in normal mice. MicroPET images were acquired in rat with and without block at 5 min and 15 min after injection of the radiotracer (3.7 MBq/rat), respectively. Results : Starting with 18 F − Kryptofix 2.2.2./K 2 CO 3 solution, the total reaction time for [ 18 F]FNGA is about 150 min. Typical decay-corrected radiochemical yield is about 8–10%. After rapid purified with HiTrap desalting column, the radiochemical purity of [ 18 F]FNGA was more than 99% determined by radio-HPLC. [ 18 F]FNGA was metabolized to produce [ 18 F]FB-Lys in urine at 30 min. Ex vivo biodistribution in mice showed that the liver accumulated 79.18 ± 7.17% and 13.85 ± 3.10% of the injected dose per gram at 5 and 30 min after injection, respectively. In addition, the hepatic uptake of [ 18 F]FNGA was blocked by pre-injecting free NGA as blocking agent (18.55 ± 2.63%ID/g at 5 min pi), indicating the specific binding to ASGP receptor. MicroPET study obtained quality images of rat at 5 and 15 min post-injection. Conclusion : The novel ASGP receptor tracer [ 18 F]FNGA was synthesized with high radiochemical yield. The promising biological properties of [ 18 F]FNGA afford potential applications for assessment of hepatocyte function in the future. It may provide quantitative information and better resolution which particularly help to the liver surgery.

In this study, we investigated the 18F-labeled anti-carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) T84.66 diabody, a genetically engineered noncovalent dimer of single-chain variable fragments, for small-animal PET imaging of CEA expression in xenograft-bearing mice.18F labeling of the anti-CEA T84.66 diabody (molecular mass, 55 kDa) was achieved with N-succinimidyl-4-18F-fluorobenzoate (18F-SFB). The biodistribution of the 18F-fluorobenzyl-T84.66 diabody (18F-FB-T84.66 diabody) was evaluated in athymic nude mice bearing subcutaneous LS 174T human colon carcinoma and C6 rat glioma tumors. Serial small-animal PET imaging studies were performed to further evaluate in vivo targeting efficacy and pharmacokinetics.Radiolabeling required 35 +/- 5 (mean +/- SD) min starting from 18F-SFB, and the tracer 18F-FB-T84.66 diabody was synthesized with a specific activity of 1.83 +/- 1.71 TBq/mmol. The decay-corrected radiochemical yield was 1.40% +/- 0.16% (n = 4), and the radiochemical purity was greater than 98%. The radioimmunoreactivity was 57.1% +/- 2.0%. The 18F-FB-T84.66 diabody showed rapid and high tumor uptake and fast clearance from the circulation in the LS 174T xenograft model, as evidenced by both small-animal PET imaging and biodistribution studies. High-contrast small-animal PET images were obtained as early as 1 h after injection of the 18F-FB-T84.66 diabody, and only a background level of activity accumulation was found in CEA-negative C6 tumors. The tracer exhibited predominantly renal clearance, with some activity in the liver and spleen at early time points.The 18F-labeled diabody represents a new class of tumor-specific probes for PET that are based on targeting cell surface antigen expression. The 18F-FB-T84.66 diabody can be used for high-contrast small-animal PET imaging of CEA-positive tumor xenografts. It may be translated to the clinic for PET of CEA-positive malignancies.

The cell adhesion molecule integrin alpha v beta 3 plays a key role in tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. A series of 18F-labeled RGD peptides have been developed for PET of integrin expression based on primary amine-reactive prosthetic groups. In this study we introduced a new method of labeling RGD peptides through a thiol-reactive synthon, N-[2-(4-18F-fluorobenzamido)ethyl]maleimide (18F-FBEM).18F-FBEM was synthesized by coupling N-succinimidyl 4-18F-fluorobenzoate (18F-SFB) with N-(2-aminoethyl)maleimide. After high-pressure liquid chromatography purification, it was allowed to react with thiolated RGD peptides, and the resulting tracers were subjected to receptor-binding assay, in vivo metabolic stability assessment, biodistribution, and microPET studies in murine xenograft models.Conjugation of monomeric and dimeric sulfhydryl-RGD peptides with 18F-FBEM was achieved in high yields (85% +/- 5% nondecay-corrected on the basis of 18F-FBEM). The radiochemical purity of the 18F-labeled peptides was98% and the specific activity was 100 approximately 150 TBq/mmol. Noninvasive microPET and direct tissue sampling experiments demonstrated that both 18F-FBEM-SRGD (RGD monomer) and 18F-FBEM-SRGD2 (RGD dimer) had integrin-specific tumor uptake in subcutaneous U87MG glioma and orthotopic MDA-MB-435 breast cancer xenografts.The new tracer 18F-FBEM-SRGD2 was synthesized with high specific activity via 18F-FBEM and the tracer exhibited high receptor-binding affinity, tumor-targeting efficacy, metabolic stability, as well as favorable in vivo pharmacokinetics. The new synthon 18F-FBEM developed in this study will also be useful for radiolabeling of other thiolated biomolecules.

The gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) is found to be overexpressed in a variety of human tumors. The aim of this study was to develop 18F-labeled bombesin analogs for PET of GRPR expression in prostate cancer xenograft models.[Lys3]Bombesin ([Lys3]BBN) and aminocaproic acid-bombesin(7-14) (Aca-BBN(7-14)) were labeled with 18F by coupling the Lys3 amino group and Aca amino group, respectively, with N-succinimidyl-4-18F-fluorobenzoate (18F-SFB) under slightly basic condition (pH 8.5). Receptor-binding affinity of FB-[Lys3]BBN and FB-Aca-BBN(7-14) was tested in PC-3 human prostate carcinoma cells. Internalization and efflux of both radiotracers were also evaluated. Tumor-targeting efficacy and in vivo kinetics of both radiotracers were examined in male athymic nude mice bearing subcutaneous PC-3 tumors by means of biodistribution and dynamic microPET imaging studies. 18F-FB-[Lys3]BBN was also tested for orthotopic PC-3 tumor delineation. Metabolic stability of 18F-FB-[Lys3]BBN was determined in mouse blood, urine, liver, kidney, and tumor homogenates at 1 h after injection.The typical decay-corrected radiochemical yield was about 30%-40% for both tracers, with a total reaction time of 150 +/- 20 min starting from 18F-. 18F-FB-[Lys3]BBN had moderate stability in the blood and PC-3 tumor, whereas it was degraded rapidly in the liver, kidneys, and urine. Both radiotracers exhibited rapid blood clearance. 18F-FB-[Lys3]BBN had predominant renal excretion. 18F-FB-Aca-BBN(7-14) exhibited both hepatobiliary and renal clearance. Dynamic microPET imaging studies revealed that the PC-3 tumor uptake of 18F-FB-[Lys3]BBN in PC-3 tumor was much higher than that of 18F-FB-Aca-BBN(7-14) at all time points examined (P0.01). The receptor specificity of 18F-FB-[Lys3]BBN in vivo was demonstrated by effective blocking of tumor uptake in the presence of [Tyr4]BBN. No obvious blockade was found in PC-3 tumor when 18F-FB-Aca-BBN(7-14) was used as radiotracer under the same condition. 18F-FB-[Lys3]BBN was also able to visualize orthotopic PC-3 tumor at early time points after tracer administration, at which time minimal urinary bladder activity was present to interfere with the receptor-mediated tumor uptake.This study demonstrates that 18F-FB-[Lys3]BBN and PET are suitable for detecting GRPR-positive prostate cancer in vivo.

The aim of this study was to change adenovirus tropism by chemical modification of the fiber knobs with PEGylated RGD peptide for targeting integrin alpha(v)beta(3) that is uniquely or highly expressed in tumor cells and neovasculature of tumors of various origins.The first generation Ad (Ad) vector, which expresses the herpes simplex virus type 1 mutant thymidine kinase (HSV1-sr39tk) gene under the control of cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter was conjugated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) or RGD-PEG. The transduction efficiency of Ads (Adtk, PEG-Adtk, and RGD-PEG-Adtk) into different types of cells (293T, MCF7, MDA-MB-435, and U87MG) was analyzed and quantified by thymidine kinase (TK) assay using 8-(3)H-penciclovir (8-(3)H-PCV) as substrate. The in vivo infectivity of the Ad vectors after intravenous administration into integrin alpha(v)beta(3)-positive U87MG and MDA-MB-435 tumor-bearing athymic nude mice was measured by both noninvasive microPET using 9-[4-(18)F-fluoro-3-(hydroxymethyl)butyl]guanine ((18)F-FHBG) as a reporter probe and ex vivo TK assay of the tumor and tissue homogenates.PEGylation completely abrogated coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR)-knob interaction and the infectivity of PEG-Adtk is significantly lower than that of unmodified Adtk in CAR-positive cells. RGD-PEG-modified virus (RGD-PEG-Adtk) had significantly higher infectivity than PEG-Adtk and the extent of increase is related to both CAR and integrin alpha(v)beta(3) expression levels. (18)F-FHBG had minimal nonspecific uptake in the liver and tumors that are void of sr39tk. Mice preinjected intravenously with unmodified Adtk resulted in high hepatic uptake and moderate tumor accumulation of the tracer. In contrast, RGD-PEG-Adtk administration resulted in significantly lower liver uptake without compromising the tumor accumulation of (18)F-FHBG. Expression of TK in the liver and tumor homogenates corroborated with the magnitude of (18)F-FHBG uptake quantified by noninvasive microPET. Analysis of liver and tumor tissue integrin level confirmed that RGD-integrin interaction is responsible for the enhanced tumor infectivity of RGD-PEG-Adtk.The results of this study suggest that RGD-PEG conjugation is an effective way to modify Ad vector tropism for improved systemic gene delivery. Noninvasive PET and (18)F-FHBG are able to monitor in vivo transfectivity of both Adtk and RGD-PEG-Adtk vectors in the liver and tumors after intravenous injection.

Bombesin (BBN), an analog of human gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP), binds to the GRP receptor (GRPR) with high affinity and specificity. Overexpression of GRPR has been discovered in mostly androgen-independent human prostate tissues and, thus, provides a potential target for prostate cancer diagnosis and therapy. We have previously demonstrated the feasibility of the positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using 64Cu-1,4,7,10-tetraazadodecane-N,N',N'',N'''-tetraacetic acid (DOTA)-[Lys3]BBN to detect GRPR-positive prostate cancer. In this study, we compared the receptor affinity, metabolic stability, tumor-targeting efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of a truncated BBN analog 64Cu-DOTA-Aca-BBN(7-14) with 64Cu-DOTA-[Lys3]BBN. Binding of each DOTA conjugate to GRPR on PC-3 and 22Rv1 prostate cancer cells was evaluated with competitive binding assay using 125I-[Tyr4]BBN as radioligand. In vivo pharmacokinetics was determined on male nude mice subcutaneously implanted with PC-3 cells. Dynamic microPET imaging was performed to evaluate the systemic distribution of the tracers. Metabolic stability of the tracers in blood, urine, tumor, liver and kidney was studied using high-performance liquid chromatography. The results showed that 125I-[Tyr4]BBN has a K(d) of 14.8+/-0.4 nM against PC-3 cells, and the receptor concentration on PC-3 cell surface is approximately 2.7+/-0.1 x 10(6) receptors per cell. The 50% inhibitory concentration value for DOTA-Aca-BBN(7-14) is 18.4 +/- 0.2 nM, and that for DOTA-[Lys3]BBN is 2.2 +/- 0.5 nM. DOTA-[Lys3]BBN shows a better tumor contrast and absolute tumor activity accumulation compared to DOTA-Aca-BBN(7-14). Studies on metabolic stability for both tracers on organ homogenates showed that 64Cu-DOTA-[Lys3]BBN is relatively stable. This study demonstrated that both tracers are suitable for targeted PET imaging to detect the expression of GRPR in prostate cancer, while 64Cu-DOTA-[Lys3]BBN may have a better potential for clinical translation.

Integrin alpha(v)beta(3) plays a critical role in tumor-induced angiogenesis and metastasis and has become a promising diagnostic indicator and therapeutic target for various solid tumors. Radiolabeled RGD peptides that are integrin specific can be used for noninvasive imaging of integrin expression level as well as for integrin-targeted radionuclide therapy.In this study we developed a tetrameric RGD peptide tracer (64)Cu-DOTA-E{E[c(RGDfK)](2)}(2) (DOTA is 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N',N'',N'''-tetraacetic acid) for PET imaging of integrin alpha(v)beta(3) expression in female athymic nude mice bearing the subcutaneous UG87MG glioma xenografts.The RGD tetramer showed significantly higher integrin binding affinity than the corresponding monomeric and dimeric RGD analogs, most likely due to a polyvalency effect. The radiolabeled peptide showed rapid blood clearance (0.61 +/- 0.01 %ID/g at 30 min and 0.21 +/- 0.01 %ID/g at 4 h after injection, respectively [%ID/g is percentage injected dose per gram]) and predominantly renal excretion. Tumor uptake was rapid and high, and the tumor washout was slow (9.93 +/- 1.05 %ID/g at 30 min after injection and 4.56 +/- 0.51 %ID/g at 24 h after injection). The metabolic stability of (64)Cu-DOTA-E{E[c(RGDfK)](2)}(2) was determined in mouse blood, urine, and liver and kidney homogenates at different times after tracer injection. The average fractions of intact tracer in these organs at 1 h were approximately 70%, 58%, 51%, and 26%, respectively. Noninvasive microPET studies showed significant tumor uptake and good contrast in the subcutaneous tumor-bearing mice, which agreed well with the biodistribution results. Integrin alpha(v)beta(3) specificity was demonstrated by successful blocking of tumor uptake of (64)Cu-DOTA-E{E[c(RGDfK)](2)}(2) in the presence of excess c(RGDyK) at 1 h after injection. The highest absorbed radiation doses determined for the human reference adult were received by the urinary bladder wall (0.262 mGy/MBq), kidneys (0.0296 mGy/MBq), and liver (0.0242 mGy/MBq). The average effective dose resulting from a single (64)Cu-DOTA-E{E[c(RGDfK)](2)}(2) injection was estimated to be 0.0164 mSv/MBq.The high integrin and avidity and favorable biokinetics make (64)Cu-DOTA-E{E[c(RGDfK)](2)}(2) a promising agent for peptide receptor radionuclide imaging and therapy of integrin-positive tumors.

To observe the effect of laser in treatment of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).Eighty-nine cases of OSAHS were treated by Laser assisted uvulopalptoplasty (LAUP). Among the cases, the soft palate and uvula were partly resected. The cureiform incise was made into the soft palate along the each side of uvula.The follow-up period was six months, 76 cases received the detection of polysomnography. Eight cases were cured; 36 cases had notable effects; 25 cases had effects; 7 cases had no effects. The total ratio of validity was 90.8%.It has clinical value to use LAUP in treatment of OSAHS, and its advantage include hemostasia, solidfication, penetrability, clear visual threshold, lower complication and shortening the surgery time.

Asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R) is a well-known cell surface receptor specific for liver, present in normal mammalian hepatocyte membrane. Detection of its number and activity is an excellent method for evaluating the status and function of liver [1]. Copolymer based radiotracers with controllable ratio of targeting moiety (VLA) were developed as potential ASGP-R targeted imaging agents. P(VLA-co-VNI) were synthesized by free-radical copolymerization and lyophilized for Tc instant kit labeling with high yield and RCP (N99%) [2]. Static 3D SPECT/CT images were acquired at 1 h and 4 h after injection of 18 MBq series of Tc-tracers in normalmice. The results showed that liver has specific high uptake at 1 h p.i. with good retention. (NSFC (21271030) and 973 Program of China (2014CB744503)).

The stability of the contact line region as affected by the disjoining pressure has been analyzed by solving the augmented Young-Laplace equation. Because of the results in Part I (Zhang, X., Neogi, P., and Ybarra, R. M., J. Colloid Interface Sci.), we have concentrated on obtaining multiple solutions for the same set of conditions. As many as five solutions were obtained: drops that end in a thin film with uniform thickness and where the film shape oscillates, drops that end with microscopic contact angles, as well as uniform thin films of two different thicknesses. The results of linear stability analysis were used to show that most cases were unstable to infinitesimal disturbances. Only two stable drop shapes for the particular disjoining pressure investigated are stable, a thin film of constant thickness and a thin drop that ends in a film of same thickness. Both multiplicity and stability have been discussed here for the first time and shed considerable light on the role of the attractive and repulsive forces.

The contact line region as affected by the disjoining pressure has been analyzed under the assumption that it can sustain only two types of profiles. Disjoining pressure represents the extra potential in thin films that always exists in the contact angle region where a liquid drop or a wedge thins to meet the solid substrate and in turn affects the contact angle as well as the film profile. It is shown here that the integration of the augmented Young-Laplace equation to yield the above types of drop profiles under the action of disjoining pressure leads to the usual conditions of equilibrium as well as the condition of stability in the same analysis. Other inequality constraints are obtained where the stability condition does not apply. The fact that stability condition coexists with the conditions of equilibrium is pursued to show in one case that the stability modifies half of the predicted outcomes in the drop shapes. In addition, exceptions to the rule are found, which are physically meaningful, and a scale-dependent equilibrium is reported for the first time.

Organic liquids such as nematic liquid crystals should wet solids with high surface energies like mica, yet they generally do not. In the model proposed here, the affinity to wet the solid in form of Hamaker forces is opposed by elastic effects due to nematic order. Results predict correctly that such liquids show small contact angles and the formation of ultrathin liquid films ahead of the bulk drops. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

This report illustrates a new strategy of designing a T1-T2 dual-modal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-visible vector for siRNA delivery and MRI. Hydrophobic gadolinium embedded iron oxide (GdIO) nanocrystals are self-assembled into nanoclusters in the water phase with the help of stearic acid modified low molecular weight polyethylenimine (stPEI). The resulting water-dispersible GdIO-stPEI nanoclusters possess good stability, monodispersity with narrow size distribution and competitive T1-T2 dual-modal MR imaging properties. The nanocomposite system is capable of binding and delivering siRNA for knockdown of a gene of interest while maintaining its magnetic properties and biocompatibility. This new gadolinium embedded iron oxide nanocluster provides an important platform for safe and efficient gene delivery with non-invasive T1-T2 dual-modal MRI monitoring capability.

In the title compound, C17H20ClFN2O3, the dihedral angle between the pyridazine and benzene rings is 41.37 (10)°. In the crystal, there are no significant intermolecular interactions present. The terminal –CH2F group is disordered over two sets of sites with an occupancy ratio of 0.737 (2):0.263 (2).

Kinetics of wetting by a polymer solution have been studied theoretically for a film pinned to a slot. The fluid mechanical equations have been solved using a numerical scheme. The role of polymers appears in the disjoining pressure in the model. The spreading kinetics are observed to follow a power law: a power of 14 is observed at short times due to the Laplace pressure, and 12 at large times under the Hamaker part of the disjoining pressure at very large times and with no equilibration. It is argued and demonstrated that techniques which have low resolutions such as microscopy will measure quite different kinetics: at short times a power of 14 as for wetting liquids and then a sudden equilibration as reported in these experiments. It is also argued on the basis of steric exclusion, and quantified in the disjoining pressure, that the behavior returns to that of wetting liquids when the polymer molecular weight becomes very high, as also observed in the experiments. Examples of how these features can find practical applications, and hence, the importance of use of polymers as additives are given.