Synthesis and stability of rhenium tricarbonyl radiotracers

Abstract only availableMetal tricarbonyl complexes can be employed for cancer diagnosis and therapy using the radioisotopes Tc-99m or Re-188. These radiopharmaceuticals can be designed with specific physical and biological qualities such as low lipophilicity, high stability, and the capacity to target specific tumors. The goal of this project is to synthesize stable rhenium tricarbonyl complexes that could be integrated into a future radiopharmaceutical. A synthetic method to create metal tricarbonyls has been previously determined; however, preferred ligand systems have not been thoroughly investigated. Selected bidentate and tridentate ligands were used in the synthesis and HPLC was utilized to determine whether the complex remained intact or if solvent exchange had taken place. Complexes derived from bidentate ligands containing a labile chlorine were subject to solvent exchange; however, stability improved when a greater number of π bonds were conjugated to a coordinating nitrogen (6π > 3π > 0π). Tridentate derivatives of pyridine appeared stable in aqueous media and were further analyzed for stability in the presence of cysteine and histidine. These results will be utilized in the development of tricarbonyl radiotracers.NSF-REU Radiochemistr

Function and Dysfunction in Distinct Facets of Empathy

Empathy is crucial for successful social interactions and it is impaired in many devastating disorders. Empathy deficits are highly burdensome for affected individuals, caregivers, and significant others, and costly for society as a whole. However, empathy is thought to be a multifaceted construct, including cognitive empathy, affective sharing, and empathic concern components. These constituents may be linked to different behavioural outcomes and neurocognitive substrates, and presentation varies depending on the facets affected. Thus, there is a critical need to determine the behavioural and neurocognitive substrates of different components of empathic responding, and how these are affected in particular disorders. The present work aimed to elucidate the nature of different components of empathy and how they vary as a function of clinical diagnoses and individual differences in subclinical traits, as well as their underlying functional neural mechanisms. Study I used the Multifaceted Empathy Test, a performance-based task tapping cognitive empathy, affective sharing, and empathic concern elicited by realistic emotional images, in patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). This revealed a global cognitive empathy deficit, deficient affective sharing for negative experiences, and a generalized processing impairment for negative stimuli in bvFTD. In Study II, healthy adults completed the Multifaceted Empathy Test and questionnaire measures of autistic traits, coldhearted psychopathic traits, and trait anxiety. Coldhearted traits were found to disrupt affective sharing and empathic concern, whereas trait anxiety appeared to influence subjective affective experience via generalized arousal. Study III investigated the involvement of action-perception matching, simulation mechanisms in cognitive versus emotional empathy, using fMRI during cognitive empathy, emotional empathy, and simulation network localizer tasks in healthy adults. Increased activation was observed in identified simulation regions during emotional versus cognitive empathy, providing evidence for greater involvement of simulation mechanisms in emotional empathy. Taken together, this work suggests that cognitive empathy, and emotional empathy, including affective sharing and empathic concern, represent aspects of empathy that are distinguishable and differentially linked with certain patient populations, subclinical traits, and neurocognitive mechanisms. These findings are discussed with respect to the nature and conceptualization of empathy and its components, as well as implications for disorders featuring empathy dysfunction

New insights into protein recommendations for promoting muscle hypertrophy

In this article, Lindsay Macnaughton and Dr Oliver Witard critique the latest information regarding athletespecific protein recommendations for promoting muscle hypertrophy

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes Summer 2009

BLM and wildfire protection in the Mojave, studies of the sticky ringstem flowering phenology in Lake Mead NRA, restoration work within gypsum soils, post-fire response synthesis for Mojave and Sonoran desert

Comparison of bacterioneuston and bacterioplankton dynamics during a phytoplankton bloom in a fjord mesocosm

The bacterioneuston is the community of Bacteria present in surface microlayers, the thin surface film that forms the interface between aquatic environments and the atmosphere. In this study we compared bacterial cell abundance and bacterial community structure of the bacterioneuston and the bacterioplankton (from the subsurface water column) during a phytoplankton bloom mesocosm experiment. Bacterial cell abundance, determined by flow cytometry, followed a typical bacterioplankton response to a phytoplankton bloom, with Synechococcus and high nucleic acid (HNA) bacterial cell numbers initially falling, probably due to selective protist grazing. Subsequently HNA and low nucleic acid (LNA) bacterial cells increased in abundance but Synechococcus did not. There was no significant difference between bacterioneuston and bacterioplankton cell abundances during the experiment. Conversely, distinct and consistent differences between the bacterioneuston and the bacterioplankton community structure were observed. This was monitored simultaneously by Bacteria 16S rRNA gene terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The conserved patterns of community structure observed in all of the mesocosms indicate that the bacterioneuston is distinctive and non-random

A Crafted Legacy: The Self-Memorialization of John Motley Morehead III

This paper explores the self-memorialization project of John Motley Morehead III (1870-1965) through his benefactions to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1930s through 1950s. An examination of the conception and execution of the Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower, Morehead Planetarium and Sundial, and Morehead-Cain Foundation reveals how Morehead sought to carefully engrave his name and memory into both the built landscape and the reputation of the University to promote a legacy of prestige through his own memory. This paper also examines relevant biographical details drawn from Morehead’s personal papers, which have not previously been subject to academic examination, and offers a critical review of Morehead’s legacy and contributions to the University as well as situates them within the philanthropic context of this period. Finally, it explores the implications of Morehead’s self-memorialization project for contemporary philanthropy as a means of establishing legacy.Bachelor of Art

Social Cognition in Frontotemporal Dementia, Motor Neurone Disease, and Alzheimer's Disease

The orbitofrontal cortex and ventromedial prefrontal cortex have been implicated in many aspects of social cognition, and conditions that affect these regions are thereby accompanied by deficits in interpersonal behaviour. In order to assess social cognition across a number of neurodegenerative diseases, a test battery and two questionnaires were administered to frontal variant frontotemporal dementia (fvFTD), motor neurone disease (MND), Alzheimer`s disease, and healthy control participant groups. This included the newly developed Social Rule Break Cartoons task, which is a visually presented test tapping several aspects of social cognition. An exercise-smoking Implicit Association Test (IAT) and sweets or alcohol-healthy food IAT were also administered to investigate whether an inability to automatically access associated social knowledge may underlie some of the behavioural alterations seen in fvFTD, and increased appetite, sweet food preference, and drinking and smoking in particular. The FTD patient group was found to score significantly lower than the MND and control groups on faux pas detection and theory of ming questions on the Faux Pas Test, as expected. Their scores on social rule knowledge questions of the Social Rule Break Cartoons task also tended towards being significantly lower, and they demonstrated overall behaviour changes on the family-rated Frontal Systems Behavior Scale. This pointed towards a social cognition deficit in the FTD group, possibly seated in social knowledge impairments. No other significant differences were found across patient groups on the social cognition tests or the IATs, though individual patient performance fell in line with previous findings in terms of neural substrates, behavioural manifestations, and disease progression. Future studies including larger patient groups may provide further insight into the specificity and sensitivity of the Social Rule Break Cartoons task, and allow for a pattern in IAT performance to emerge

Tricarbonylchlorido(6'7'-dihydro-5’H-spiro[cyclopentane-1,6'-dipyrido-[3,2-d:2',3'-f][1,3]diazepine]-κ2N1,N11)-rhenium(I)

In the title compound, [ReCl(C15H16N4)(CO)3], the ReI ion is coordinated in a distorted octahedral geometry by one Cl atom, two N atoms of the bidentate ligand and three carbonyl groups. The cyclopentane group is orientated in a transoid fashion with respect to the chloride ligand. The dihedral angle between the pryridine rings is 10.91 (12)°. In the crystal, N-H...Cl hydrogen bonds link complex molecules, forming a two-dimensional network parallel to (001)

Improving education and supervision of Queensland X-ray Operators through video conference technology: a teleradiography pilot project

Introduction X-ray Operator (XO) supervision in Queensland is performed by radiographers in a site removed from the XO site. This has historically been performed by telephone when the XO requires immediate help, as well as post-examination through radiographer review and the provision of written feedback on images produced. This project aimed to improve image quality through the provision of real-time support of XOs by the introduction of video conference (VC) supervision. Methods A 6-month pilot project compared image quality with and without VC supervision. VC equipment was installed in the X-ray room at two rural sites, as well as at the radiographer site, to enable visual and oral supervision. The VC unit enabled visualisation of the X-ray examination technique as it was being undertaken, as well as the images produced prior to transmission to the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). Results Statistically significant improvement in image quality criteria measures were seen for patient positioning (P = 0.008), image quality (P < 0.001) and diagnostic value (P < 0.001) of images taken during this project. No statistically significant differences were seen during case level assessment in the inclusion of only appropriate imaging (P = 0.06), and the inclusion of unacceptable imaging (P = 0.06), however improvements were seen in both of these criteria. The survey revealed 24.6% of examinations performed would normally have involved the XO contacting the radiographer for assistance, although, assistance was actually provided in 88.3% of examinations. Conclusion This project has demonstrated that significant improvement in image quality is achievable with VC supervision. A larger study with a control arm that did not receive direct supervision should be used to validate the findings of this study