pH-sensitive modulation of the second hydration sphere in lanthanide(III) tetraamide-DOTA complexes: a novel approach to smart MR contrast media

The lanthanide(III) complexes of three tetraamide DOTA bearing pyridyl, phenolic and hydroxypyridyl substituents have been studied by NMR, luminescence and cyclic voltammetry. The relaxivity profiles of the gadolinium complexes of the pyridyl and phenolic ligands were flat and essentially the same between pH 2 and 8. The hydroxypyridyl ligand, however, exhibited two regions of enhanced relaxivity. The small relaxivity enhancement (25 %) at lower pH (pH 2-4) has been attributed to an increase in the prototropic exchange of the coordinated water molecule while the slightly larger enhancement (84 %) at higher pH (pH 6-9) reflects deprotonation of the ligand amide protons. Deprotonation of the amides results in the formation of an intramolecular acid-base pair interaction with the phenolic protons and this, in turn, causes a highly organized second hydration sphere to come into effect, thereby increasing the relaxivity. The water relaxivity of the Gd(3+)-hydroxypyridyl complex is further enhanced upon binding to serum albumin.     

Synthesis, binding affinity, and relaxivity of target-specific MRI contrast agents

Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most important imaging modalities of the central nervous system (CNS), one of the main drawbacks of MRI is its limited specificity. This can potentially be partially alleviated by target-specific contrast agents. In the present paper we describe a simple high yield synthesis of two such gadolinium-based spiperone targeted MRI contrast agents, 1a and 1b. The R₁ relaxivities of 1a and 1b were evaluated and found to be 5.94 and 8.31 mM⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively at 9.4T, while their R₂ relaxivities at the same magnetic field were found to be 18.05 and 22.60 mM⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively. In addition and very importantly compound 1a, which is a gadolinium-based, spiperone-targeted MRI contrast agent, was found to preserve some of the spiperone affinity toward the dopamine D2 receptor. Compounds 1a and 1b thus represent potential agents for in vitro dopamine receptor imaging using MRI in experimental models. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

New dimension in nano-imaging: breaking through the diffraction limit with scanning near-field optical microscopy

In recent years scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) has developed into a powerful surface analytical technique for observing specimens with lateral resolution equal to or even better than 100 nm. A large number of applications, from material science to biology, have been reported. In this paper, two different kinds of near-field optical microscopy, aperture and scattering-type SNOM, are reviewed together with recent studies in surface analysis and biology. Here, near-field optical techniques are discussed in comparison with related methods, such as scanning probe and standard optical microscopy, with respect to their specific advantages and fields of application.     

小分子荧光探针在蛋白质标记与成像分析中的应用

小分子荧光探针由于其体积小、合成简单等特点在蛋白质成像技术中扮演着越来越重要的角色。此领域的研究融合了生物化学、有机合成、分析化学等相关学科,是当今化学发展的一个重要方向,有着广阔的前景。目前,能够专一性地与目标蛋白质(POI)结合的小分子探针较少,设计和合成方法的缺乏已经成为制约该领域进一步发展的瓶颈。本文概括地介绍了近年来出现的一些小分子荧光探针,关注它们在活体标记中的应用。     

数码成像比色法测定水样中的总磷

在酸性介质中,磷酸二氢钾与钼酸铵、酒石酸锑钾及抗坏血酸作用,生成蓝色的络合物。随着磷酸二氢钾浓度的增加,溶液颜色加深,其数码成像的RGB值亦随着磷酸二氢钾浓度的增加而增加,由此建立数码成像比色法(DIC)测定水样中总磷的新方法。考察了DIC法的影响因素和最佳反应条件。与钼酸铵分光光度法对照,该方法简单,快速。用于实际水样的测定,相对标准偏差为1.8%~3.4%,回收率为99.7%~102.5%,结果与分光度法一致。     

CT、MRI对良恶性甲状腺结节的鉴别价值

本文探讨了计算机断层扫描（CT）、磁共振成像（MRI）对良恶性甲状腺结节的鉴别价值。方法：选取2015年3月至2018年3月本院收治的甲状腺结节患者150例，依据病理结果分为恶性48例、良性102例，所有患者均给予CT、MRI检查，分析CT、MRI对良恶性甲状腺结节的鉴别价值。结果发现，MRI总病灶、形态不规则、边界不清/毛糙、信号/密度不均检出率明显高于CT，MRI钙化灶检出率明显低于CT，差异有统计学意义（P<0.05），CT、MRI淋巴结转移检出率比较，差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）；在鉴别良恶性甲状腺结节的敏感度、特异度、准确度中，CT为79.17%、74.51%、76.00%，MRI为83.33%、80.39%、81.33%，CT联合MRI为95.83%、96.08%、96.00%，CT联合MRI明显高于CT、MRI，差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。说明CT、MRI可作为鉴别良恶性甲状腺结节的重要方法，CT对钙化灶有较高的分辨能力，MRI对软组织及小病灶有较高的分辨能力，CT联合MRI可有效提高其鉴别价值。     

Dielectric analysis of polystyrene microcapsules using scanning dielectric microscope

 A dielectric imaging technique with a scanning dielectric microscope was applied to polystyrene microcapsules in an aqueous environment to study the electrical properties of individual ones. The dielectric images obtained over a frequency range from 10 kHz to 10 MHz showed frequency dependence, which indicated dielectric dispersion (or relaxation) due to interfacial polarization or the build up of charge on the boundaries between the microcapsule shell and the aqueous phases. The dielectric dispersion was analyzed based on an equivalent electrical circuit model and a shell-sphere model in which a spherical core is covered with an insulating shell. Received: 26 September 1997 Accepted: 26 December 1997     

Inhomogeneity in Distribution and Conformation of Bovine Serum Albumin in Sol–Gel: A Closer Look with a Near-Infrared Multispectral Imaging Technique

Concentration distributions and conformations of bovine serum albumin (BSA) entrapped in sol–gels were successfully determined for the first time by use of the recently developed NIR multispectral imaging instrument. It was found that BSA molecules were inhomogeneously distributed within the sol–gel matrix, independent of its concentration. At relatively high concentration (366 mg/mL) the encapsulation process does not seem to produce any observable changes in the conformation of BSA. However, when the concentration of BSA was decreased to 220 mg/mL, pronounced changes in the spectra of the protein were observed as a function of (sol–gel reaction) time. The observed inhomogenity might be traced to both a non-uniform concentration distribution of BSA and changes in protein native conformation resulting from interactions between the charged protein and the silicate anions. Results obtained seem to suggest that the protein molecules might adapt themselves to accommodate evolving geometry and sites of the silica network.