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A new facility producing intense mono-energetic neutron beams has been developed at The Svedberg Laboratory (TSL), Uppsala, Sweden. The facility utilizes the existing cyclotron and a flexible lithium target in a rebuilt beam line. The new facility can operate at unsurpassed mono-energetic neutron intensities and provides flexibility of the neutron beam properties, like energy and geometrical shape.

NMR spectra of quadrupolar nuclei in anisotropic systems sometimes exhibit quadrupole splittings of the same order of magnitude as the linewidths. The resulting overlap of spectral lines prevents accurate measurements of the spectral parameters. We demonstrate here how 2D spin-echo and multiple-quantum filter techniques can be advantageously used to reduce the overlap problem for half-integer spin quadrupolar nuclei.

A generator system, 110Sn/110In, is suggested for use in the labelling of leukocytes with this short-lived (t1/2 = 1.15 h) positron emitting (62%) isotope of indium. The half-life gives the labelled leukocytes time to be adequately distributed but is short enough to allow repeated studies within a few hours. The mother radionuclide 110Sn (t1/2 = 4.15 h) is produced by the reaction natIn(p, xn)110Sn which has a maximum cross-section of 110 mb at approx. 70 MeV and a practical yield of 400 MBq/microAh.

Radionuclide imaging of the HER2 receptor, which is a target for trastuzumab therapy, can provide important diagnostic information. Further, targeting radionuclide therapy might be an option for treatment of HER2 expressing tumors. The phage-display selected Affibody ligand Z(HER2:342), which binds to HER2 with an affinity of 22 pM, may here play an important role. The small size of the Z(HER2:342), 7.5 kDa, enables quick tumor localization and fast blood clearance. Earlier, successful targeting of HER2-expressing xenografts using Z(HER2:342) labeled using [(111)In]benzyl-DTPA was reported. By changing to the CHX-A''-DTPA chelator, the stability and labeling kinetics of the radiometal-Z(HER2:342) conjugate can be improved. The aim of this study was to evaluate the labeling of the CHX-A''-DTPA-Z(HER2:342) conjugate with (111)In for diagnostic imaging and with (114m)In for locoregional radionuclide therapy.The isothiocyanate derivative of CHX-A''-DTPA was coupled to Z(HER2:342) in alkaline conditions at 37 degrees C. The conjugate was labeled with both (111)In and (114m)In and evaluated in vitro and in vivo.Labeling with (111)In and (114m)In provided95% yield after 30 min at RT. Specific radioactivity was 0.5 and 12 MBq/nmol, for (114m)In and (111)In, respectively. The radiolabeled conjugates demonstrated specific binding to HER2 expressing SKOV-3 cells. In mice bearing SKOV-3 xenografts, the tumor uptake of [(111)In]CHX-A''-DTPA-Z(HER2:342) 4 h postinjection was 10.3+/-3.6% IA/g and tumor-to-blood ratio about 190.[(111)In]CHX-A''-DTPA-Z(HER2:342) is a promising candidate for the visualization of HER2 expression in malignant tumors. Labeled with (114m)In it could also be used for locoregional treatment of HER2 expressing tumors.

A new facility is constructed for measurements of neutron‐induced fission cross sections in the 20–180 MeV energy region versus the np scattering cross section, which is adopted as the primary neutron standard. The advantage of the experiment compared to earlier studies is that the fission‐fragment detection and the neutron‐flux measurement via np scattering are performed simultaneously and at the same position in the beam, and, therefore, many sources of systematic errors cancel out. Further reduction of systematic errors is achieved due to “embedded” determination of effective solid angle of particle detectors using α‐particles from the radioactive decay of the target nuclei. The performance of the facility is illustrated by first data obtained for angular distributions of fission fragments in the 238U(n,f) reaction.

Cisplatin and carboplatin are two frequently used cytostatic agents. They are often combined with other drugs. Cisplatin is used in therapy of testis, head and neck, ovarian and bladder tumours. Individual variations in the therapeutic results are seen for patients receiving the same cytostatic drug treatment although they have the same histological form of cancer in the same stage.

A new facility producing intense mono-energetic neutron beams has been developed at The Svedberg Laboratory (TSL), Uppsala, Sweden. The facility utilizes the existing cyclotron and a flexible lithium target in a rebuilt beam line. The new facility can operate at unsurpassed mono-energetic neutron intensities and provides flexibility of the neutron beam properties, like energy and geometrical shape.

The method to produce very thin foils of polypropylene, described by Barrus and Blake 1 ), has been used for fabricating thin gas tight entrance windows for ionization chambers 2 ). Thicknesses down to about 15 μg / cm 2 have been achieved and preliminary strength tests have been made. Results from these tests and the particular apparatus used are described.