Extraction of [18F]fluoride from [18O]water by a fast fibrous anion exchange resin

[18F]Fluoride for nucleophilic radiofluorination was recovered from target water by trapping on a fibrous anion exchange resin in the hydroxide form and subsequent displacement into wet methanolic K2CO3. Extraction into methanol facilitated rapid evaporation and resolubilization of the [18F]fluoride as an ion pair. The resin was first dried in situ and rehydrated with [18O]H2O to avoid isotopic dilution of the target water.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28900/1/0000737.pd

Routine production of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro--glucose by direct nucleophilic exchange on a quaternary 4-aminopyridinium resin

Resin-supported [18F]fluoride ion has been prepared and applied to a rapid, convenient synthesis of [18F]FDG. "No-carrier-added" [18F]fluoride ion is collected on a quaternary 4-(N, N-dialkylamino)-pyridinium functionalized polystyrene anion exchange resin directly from a [18O]water target, dried by rinsing with acetonitrile, and then reacted with 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-2-O-trifluoromethanesulfonyl-[beta]--mannopyrannose. Acidic hydrolysis yields [18F]FDG in a synthesis time of 40 min with overall yields presently averaging above 50%.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28859/1/0000694.pd

Differences in client and therapist views of the working alliance in drug treatment

Background - There is growing evidence that the therapeutic alliance is one of the most consistent predictors of retention and outcomes in drug treatment. Recent psychotherapy research has indicated that there is a lack of agreement between client, therapist and observer ratings of the therapeutic alliance; however, the clinical implications of this lack of consensus have not been explored. Aims - The aims of the study are to (1) explore the extent to which, in drug treatment, clients and counsellors agree in their perceptions of their alliance, and (2) investigate whether the degree of disagreement between clients and counsellors is related to retention in treatment. Methods - The study recruited 187 clients starting residential rehabilitation treatment for drug misuse in three UK services. Client and counsellor ratings of the therapeutic alliance (using the WAI-S) were obtained during weeks 1-12. Retention was in this study defined as remaining in treatment for at least 12 weeks. Results - Client and counsellor ratings of the alliance were only weakly related (correlations ranging from r = 0.07 to 0.42) and tended to become more dissimilar over the first 12 weeks in treatment. However, whether or not clients and counsellors agreed on the quality of their relationship did not influence whether clients were retained in treatment. Conclusions - The low consensus between client and counsellor views of the alliance found in this and other studies highlights the need for drug counsellors to attend closely to their clients' perceptions of the alliance and to seek regular feedback from clients regarding their feelings about their therapeutic relationship

Adolescent transport and unintentional injuries: a systematic analysis using the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Globally, transport and unintentional injuries persist as leading preventable causes of mortality and morbidity for adolescents. We sought to report comprehensive trends in injury-related mortality and morbidity for adolescents aged 10–24 years during the past three decades. Methods: Using the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2019 Study, we analysed mortality and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) attributed to transport and unintentional injuries for adolescents in 204 countries. Burden is reported in absolute numbers and age-standardised rates per 100 000 population by sex, age group (10–14, 15–19, and 20–24 years), and sociodemographic index (SDI) with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). We report percentage changes in deaths and DALYs between 1990 and 2019. Findings: In 2019, 369 061 deaths (of which 214 337 [58%] were transport related) and 31·1 million DALYs (of which 16·2 million [52%] were transport related) among adolescents aged 10–24 years were caused by transport and unintentional injuries combined. If compared with other causes, transport and unintentional injuries combined accounted for 25% of deaths and 14% of DALYs in 2019, and showed little improvement from 1990 when such injuries accounted for 26% of adolescent deaths and 17% of adolescent DALYs. Throughout adolescence, transport and unintentional injury fatality rates increased by age group. The unintentional injury burden was higher among males than females for all injury types, except for injuries related to fire, heat, and hot substances, or to adverse effects of medical treatment. From 1990 to 2019, global mortality rates declined by 34·4% (from 17·5 to 11·5 per 100 000) for transport injuries, and by 47·7% (from 15·9 to 8·3 per 100 000) for unintentional injuries. However, in low-SDI nations the absolute number of deaths increased (by 80·5% to 42 774 for transport injuries and by 39·4% to 31 961 for unintentional injuries). In the high-SDI quintile in 2010–19, the rate per 100 000 of transport injury DALYs was reduced by 16·7%, from 838 in 2010 to 699 in 2019. This was a substantially slower pace of reduction compared with the 48·5% reduction between 1990 and 2010, from 1626 per 100 000 in 1990 to 838 per 100 000 in 2010. Between 2010 and 2019, the rate of unintentional injury DALYs per 100 000 also remained largely unchanged in high-SDI countries (555 in 2010 vs 554 in 2019; 0·2% reduction). The number and rate of adolescent deaths and DALYs owing to environmental heat and cold exposure increased for the high-SDI quintile during 2010–19. Interpretation: As other causes of mortality are addressed, inadequate progress in reducing transport and unintentional injury mortality as a proportion of adolescent deaths becomes apparent. The relative shift in the burden of injury from high-SDI countries to low and low–middle-SDI countries necessitates focused action, including global donor, government, and industry investment in injury prevention. The persisting burden of DALYs related to transport and unintentional injuries indicates a need to prioritise innovative measures for the primary prevention of adolescent injury. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Identification of molecular targets for the chemoprevention of non-melanoma skin cancer

The ultraviolet (UV) component of sunlight has been identified as a major etiological factor in the development of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Upregulation of Activator Protein-1 (AP-1) and Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) have clearly demonstrated a functional role in skin tumor promotion. The goal of this work was to contribute to the growing knowledge of UVA and UVB induced signaling events leading to increases in AP-1 and COX-2. We show that UVA induces COX-2 expression in the human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT through a post-transcriptional mechanism involving the 3 ' untranslated region (3'UTR). Use of a pharmacological inhibitor of p38 MAPK, SB202190, decreased UVA-induced COX-2 steady-state mRNA and protein levels. The stability of COX-2 mRNA is increased in UVA-irradiated cells and dependent upon p38 MAPK activity. We further explored the role of UVA-induced p38 MAPK activity in apoptosis in both HaCaT cells and primary keratinocytes. Dramatic increases in apoptosis were observed in UVA-irradiated cells treated with SB202190 or through the use of a dominant-negative construct. UVA induced expression of Bcl-X L with abrogation of expression using SB202190. Overexpression of Bcl-X L prevented PARP (Poly ADP-ribose Polymerase) cleavage induced by the combination of UVA and p38 MAPK inhibition. We further demonstrated that UVA enhanced the stability of Bcl-XL mRNA through increases in p38 MAPK activity mediated through the 3' UTR. p38 MAPK and Bcl-XL expression play critical roles in the survival of UVA-irradiated keratinocytes. Previous investigations from the laboratory identified p38 MAPK and PI3-Kinase as the major mediators of UVB-induced AP-1 and COX-2 in the HaCaT cell line. To further validate p38 MAPK and PI3-Kinase as potential molecular targets we investigated whether an acute UVB dose activated the p38 MAPK and PI3-Kinase pathways in vivo. We observed rapid increases in both p38 MAPK and PI3-Kinase signaling in mouse epidermis. Activation of these pathways resulted in the phosphorylation of cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB). Topical treatment with SB202190 or LY294002 (a specific inhibitor of PI3-Kinase) significantly decreased UVB-induced COX-2 expression and AP-1 activation in vivo. Our data suggest that p38 MAPK and PI3-Kinase may serve as significant molecular targets for the chemoprevention of UVB-induced NMSC

The Role of JNK and p38 MAPK Activities in UVA-Induced Signaling Pathways Leading to AP-1 Activation and c-Fos Expression

To further delineate ultraviolet A (UVA) signaling pathways in the human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT, we examined the potential role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in UVA-induced activator protein-1 (AP-1) transactivation and c-Fos expression. UVA-induced phosphorylation of p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) proteins was detected immediately after irradiation and disappeared after approximately 2 hours. Conversely, phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase was significantly inhibited for up to 1 hour post-UVA irradiation. To examine the role of p38 and JNK MAPKs in UVA-induced AP-1 and c-fos transactivations, the selective pharmacologic MAPK inhibitors, SB202190 (p38 inhibitor) and SP600125 (JNK inhibitor), were used to independently treat stably transfected HaCaT cells in luciferase reporter assays. Both SB202190 and SP600125 dose-dependently inhibited UVA-induced AP-1 and c-fos transactivations. SB202190 (0.25–0.5 µM) and SP600125 (62–125 nM) treatments also primarily inhibited UVA-induced c-Fos expression. These results demonstrated that activation of both JNK and p38 play critical role in UVA-mediated AP-1 transactivation and c-Fos expression in these human keratinocyte cells. Targeted inhibition of these MAPKs with their selective pharmacologic inhibitors may be effective chemopreventive strategies for UVA-induced nonmelanoma skin cancer

Pre-validation of an in vitro skin irritation test for medical devices using the reconstructed human tissue model EpiDerm™.

Assessment of dermal irritation is an essential component of the safety evaluation of medical devices. Reconstructed human epidermis (RhE) models have replaced rabbit skin irritation testing for neat chemicals and their mixtures (OECD Test Guideline 439). However, this guideline cannot be directly applied to the area of medical devices (MD) since their non-toxicity assessment is largely based on the testing of MD extracts that may have very low irritation potential. Therefore, the RhE-methods previously validated with neat chemicals needed to be modified to reflect the needs for detection of low levels of potential irritants. A protocol employing RhE EpiDerm was optimized in 2013 using known irritants and spiked polymers (Casas et al., 2013, TIV). In 2014 and 2015 MatTek In Vitro Life Science Laboratories (IVLSL) and RIVM assessed the transferability of the assay. After the successful transfer and standardization of the protocol, 17 laboratories were trained in the use of the protocol in the preparation for the validation. Laboratories produced data with 98% agreement of predictions for the selected references and controls. We conclude that a modified RhE skin irritation test has the potential to address the skin irritation potential of the medical devices. Standardization and focus on the technical issues is essential for accurate prediction