Attenuation correction of SPECT imaging by dual energy method--quantification of 111In-labeled monoclonal anti-tumor antibody localization

Application of radiolabeled monoclonal anti-tumor antibodies for diagnosis and therapy has made remarkable progress in the past few years. Quantification of radiopharmaceutical localization is required adequate attenuation correction in SPECT imaging. Attenuation correction by transmission CT (TCT) data is one of the best method at present time. However, if a patient is moved between TCT and SPECT, this method is no more applicable. We developed a new attenuation correction algorithm by dual energy method, using 99mTc and 111In because of similarity of these linear attenuation coefficients. The new algorithm uses data of TCT with an external source of 99mTc, and requires another data from SPECT of 111In labeled monoclonal anti-tumor antibody, which are simultaneously obtained. TCT results in an attenuation map, which then serves as input into the final intrinsic correction algorithm to uncorrected SPECT data. In chest phantom experiment, the attenuation corrected SPECT images revealed nearly same distribution of actual radioactivity of 111In as compared to that of uncorrected one.     

Destructive and non-destructive determination of titanium in yttrium,niobium and tantalum oxides by photon activation

Destructive and non-destructive procedures have been developed for the determination of titanium by photon activation analysis. The non-destructive analyses with an internal standard method are performed on niobium and tantalum oxides while destructive determinations, including non-isotope addition and radiochemical separation, are applied to yttrium oxide samples.     

Development of miniaturized multi-channel high-performance liquid chromatography for high-throughput analysis

We have developed miniaturized multi-channel high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system. With this system, we can simultaneously separate multiple samples, using a single high-pressure gradient pump, a chip-based sample injection unit, a monolithic silica capillary column array, and a multi-channel UV detection unit based on fiber optics. The injection unit has a simplified structure composed of brass housing and a quartz microchip having microchannels and access ports, which enable a direct injection of sample to multi-channel by commercial multichannel micropipette. Moreover, that possesses a function of microvalve, and on-chip definition of sample injection plugs achieved with a cross channel injection method, providing each column of monolithic silica capillary array. The substances in channels were simultaneously detected with UV having multiple cells. Standard samples were analyzed for characterizing newly developed system, and sharp peaks were obtained with reproducibility data of < 0.9% (R.S.D.). Analysis of tryptic digestion of casein was also employed. These results show that the novel multi-channel HPLC system has the benefits for the high-throughput analysis in the post-genomic analysis/combinatorial chemistry.     

Investigation of the crystal structure and the structural and magnetic properties of SrCu2(PO4)2

SrCu2(PO4)2 was prepared by the solid-state method at 1153 K. Its structure was solved by direct methods in the space group Pccn (No. 56) with Z = 8 from synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data measured at room temperature. Structure parameters were then refined by the Rietveld method to obtain the lattice parameters, a = 7.94217(8) A, b = 15.36918(14) A, and c = 10.37036(10) A. SrCu2(PO4)2 presents a new structure type and is built up from Sr2O16 and Cu1Cu2O8 units with Cu1...Cu2 = 3.256 A. The magnetic properties of SrCu2(PO4)2 were investigated by magnetic susceptibility, magnetization up to 65 T, Cu nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR), electron-spin resonance, and specific heat measurements. With spin-dimer analysis, it was shown that the two strongest spin-exchange interactions between Cu sites result from the Cu1-O...O-Cu2 and Cu2-O...O-Cu2 super-superexchange paths with Cu1...Cu2 = 5.861 A and Cu2...Cu2 = 5.251 A, and the superexchange associated with the structural dimer Cu1Cu2O8 is negligible. The magnetic susceptibility data were analyzed in terms of a linear four-spin cluster model, Cu1-Cu2-Cu2-Cu1 with -2J(1)/kB = 82.4 K for Cu1-Cu2 and -2J(2)/k(B) = 59 K for Cu2-Cu2. A spin gap deduced from this model (Delta/kB = 63 K) is in agreement with that obtained from the Cu NQR data (Delta/kB = 65 K). A one-half magnetization plateau was observed between approximately 50 and 63 T at 1.3 K. Specific heat data show that SrCu2(PO4)2 does not undergo a long-range magnetic ordering down to 0.45 K. SrCu2(PO4)2 melts incongruently at 1189 K. We also report its vibrational properties studied with Raman spectroscopy.     

Structure and microstructure of epitaxial Sr n Fe n O3 n −1 films

Thin films of SrFeO_{3??? x} (0?≤?x?≤?0.5) (SFO) grown on a (LaAlO₃)_0.3 (SrAl_0.5Ta_0.5O₃)_0.7 (LSAT) substrate by pulsed laser deposition have been structurally investigated by electron diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy for different post-deposition oxygen treatments. During the deposition and post-growth oxidation, the oxygen-reduced SFO films accept extra oxygen along the tetrahedral layers to minimize the elastic strain energy. The oxidation process stops at a concentration SFO_2.875 and/or SFO_2.75 because a zero misfit with the LSAT substrate is reached. A possible growth mechanism and phase transition mechanism are suggested. The non-oxidized films exhibit twin boundaries having a local perovskite-type structure with a nominal composition close to SFO₃.     

Synthesis of a “molecular rope curtain”: Preparation and characterization of a sliding graft copolymer with grafted poly(ethylene glycol) side chains by the “grafting onto” strategy

A sliding graft copolymer (SGC) with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) side chains was prepared by ester formation between terminal carboxyl groups of oxidized PEG methyl ether with molecular weight of 2000 (mPEG2000‐COOH) and hydroxyl groups of a polyrotaxane consisting of PEG and cyclodextrins (CDs). Formation of the SGC structure was confirmed by ¹H NMR, attenuated total reflectance Fourier‐transformed infrared, and gel permeation chromatography. The SGC was soluble in good solvents of PEG and insoluble in poor solvents of PEG. Estimation of the number of grafted mPEG chains suggested a “rope‐curtain” like structure, in which an mPEG chain is connected to each CD ring. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Fluorine in Shark Teeth: Its Direct Atomic‐Resolution Imaging and Strengthening Function

Atomic‐resolution imaging of beam‐sensitive biominerals is extremely challenging, owing to their fairly complex structures and the damage caused by electron irradiation. Herein, we overcome these difficulties by performing aberration‐corrected electron microscopy with low‐dose imaging techniques, and report the successful direct atomic‐resolution imaging of every individual atomic column in the complex fluorapatite structure of shark tooth enameloid, which can be of paramount importance for teeth in general. We demonstrate that every individual atomic column in shark tooth enameloid can be spatially resolved, and has a complex fluorapatite structure. Furthermore, ab initio calculations show that fluorine atoms can be covalently bound to the surrounding calcium atoms, which improves understanding of their caries‐reducing effects in shark teeth.