111In–L–LDL and 153Gd–L–LDL as radiotracers for detection of AR4‐2J rat pancreatic tumors

Pancreatic cancer has an extremely poor prognosis, due, in part, to lack of methods for early diagnosis. The present study was designed to evaluate the potential of labeling low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) with a radionuclide using a lipid chelating agent, bis(stearylamide) of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (L), to detect pancreatic tumors by gamma‐scintigraphy. Previous studies indicated that the difficulty of visualization of pancreatic tumors was due to their poor vascularization. This study compares the ability of two radiotracers, ¹¹¹In–L–LDL and ¹⁵³Gd–L–LDL to target highly vascularized rat pancreatic tumors (AR4‐2J) implanted in nude mice. Biodistribution studies showed that the tumor uptake of ¹¹¹In–L–LDL and ¹⁵³Gd–L–LDL tracers was twofold and fivefold higher respectively than with the controls (¹¹¹In citrate and ¹⁵³Gd citrate respectively). These tracers would thus be suitable for scintigraphic imaging. We show here that LDL could be employed as a delivery system for tracers such as ¹¹¹In or ¹⁵³Gd when these two radionuclides are complexed by a lipid‐chelating anchor, and that ¹¹¹In–L–LDL and ¹⁵³Gd–L–LDL enabled better visualization of the pancreatic tumor tissues, with a better result with ¹⁵³Gd–L–LDL. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The oxime bond formation as an efficient tool for the conjugation of ruthenium complexes to oligonucleotides and peptides

A convenient method for the conjugation of ruthenium complex on oligonucleotides and peptides through chemoselective oxime linkage is reported. Novel Ru(II) complexes sustaining an aminooxy containing ligand were prepared and efficiently coupled with the oligonucleotides and peptides functionalized with the complementary reactive aldehyde group. The method described herein could be a useful tool for preparing a broad range of metal complex-oligonucleotide and peptide conjugates.     

Xanthones and other constituents of Allanblackia monticola (Guttiferae)

A xanthone derivative, 3,6,7-trihydroxy-1-methoxyxanthone has been isolated from the stem bark of Allanblackia monticola together with other known compounds, 2,6-dihydroxy-1-methoxyxanthone, allanxanthone A, epicathechin and oleanolic acid acetate. The structure of the new compound was elucidated by spectroscopic methods.     

Microrobotics and MEMS-based fabrication techniques for scaffold-based tissue engineering

Scaffold based tissue engineering strategies use cells, biomolecules and a scaffold to promote the repair and regeneration of tissues. Although scaffold-based tissue engineering approaches are being actively developed, most are still experimental, and it is not yet clear what defines an ideal scaffold/cell construct. Solid free form fabrication (SFF) techniques can precisely control matrix architecture (size, shape, interconnectivity, branching, geometry and orientation). The SFF methods enable the fabrication of scaffolds with various designs and material compositions, thus providing a control of mechanical properties, biological effects and degradation kinetics. This paper reviews the application of micro-robotics and MEMS-based fabrication techniques for scaffold design and fabrication. It also presents a novel robotic technique to fabricate scaffold/cell constructs for tissue engineering by the assembly of microscopic building blocks.     

Retronasal Aroma of Beef Pate Analyzed by a Chewing Simulator

In retronasal aroma, the targeted aroma compounds are released from food during chewing. The changes in the food structures during chewing strongly influence the release of the compounds, therefore affecting the perception of food. Here, the relationship between retronasal aroma and food deliciousness based on the physicochemical properties of aroma compounds was examined. We considered the consumption of solid foods and the effect of oral parameters in elderly people. Beef pate was used as a model food sample to study the effect of the release of aroma compounds under controlled in vitro mastication and salivation conditions using a chewing simulator. We identified the effects of coexisting ingredients such as beef fat on the time course behavior of the release of aroma compounds. In particular, the release of the middle types of aromas was significantly faster with stronger chewing force, and higher with a high fat content of the sample. In addition, a larger release intensity was observed when soy proteins were partially substituted for beef proteins. Using an appropriate model saliva, a change in the salting-out effect from the saliva composition was found to be a factor, which could explain the lowering of aroma sensation in an elderly person.     

Self-activated luminescence in zinc-sulfo-selenide crystals

The orange luminescence at 2.15eV of As-grown ZnS_0.52Se_0.48crystals has been studied. The peak energy, halfwidth and Gaussian band shape exhibit a temperature dependence which is similar to that of the self-activated (SA) luminescence of ZnS at 2.66 eVand to that of ZnSe at 2.03 eV, and which can be described satisfactorily by a configurational coordinate model. However, optically detected magnetic resonance experiments at 1.8 K show that the luminescence is due to the recombination of an electron thermally released from a donor state with a hole trapped at an A-center acceptor state. The temperature dependence of the thermoluminescence spectra above 77 K and their spectral shift under additional IR exposure are also consistent with radiative recombination involving distant donor-acceptor pairs.     

On the uniqueness of minimizing harmonic maps to a closed hemisphere

We study the uniqueness of minimizing harmonic maps to a closed hemisphere. We are able to describe the boundary data for which there are more than one minimizer, and to describe in these cases the corresponding set of minimizers. This is a limiting case for a former result of W.Jäger and H.Kaul.This article was processed by the author using the Springer-Verlag T_EX PJourlg macro package 1991.     

An advanced implementation of the Dantzig—Wolfe decomposition algorithm for linear programming

Since the original work of Dantzig and Wolfe in 1960, the idea of decomposition has persisted as an attractive approach to large-scale linear programming. However, empirical experience reported in the literature over the years has not been encouraging enough to stimulate practical application. Recent experiments indicate that much improvement is possible through advanced implementations and careful selection of computational strategies. This paper describes such an effort based on state-of-the-art, modular linear programming software (IBM's MPSX/370).     

Infrared camera based on a curved retina

Design of miniature and light cameras requires an optical design breakthrough to achieve good optical performance. Solutions inspired by animals' eyes are the most promising. The curvature of the retina offers several advantages, such as uniform intensity and no field curvature, but this feature is not used. The work presented here is a solution to spherically bend monolithic IR detectors. Compared to state-of-the-art methods, a higher fill factor is obtained and the device fabrication process is not modified. We made an IR eye camera with a single lens and a curved IR bolometer. Images captured are well resolved and have good contrast, and the modulation transfer function shows better quality when comparing with planar systems.