Gallium-67 Imaging In A Patient With Paracoccidioidomycosis: A Case Report

A 26 year-old female was admitted with abdominal pain, fever and weight loss. The clinical and laboratory investigations led to the diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis. Gallium-67 whole body images correlated well with the clinical course of the disease and with the patient's prognosis.423167170Barbosa, W., Paracoccidioidomicose (Blastomicose sul-americana) (1989), pp. 653-662. , AMATO NETO, V. & BALDY, J.L.S., ed. Doenças transmissíveis. 3. ed. São Paulo, SarvierBarbosa, W., Daher, R.R., Blastomicose sul-americana (Paracoccidioidomicose) (1995), pp. 634-646. , VERONESI, R.FOCACCIA, R. & DIETZE, R., ed. Doenças infecciosas e parasitárias. 8. ed. São Paulo, Guanabara-KooganBecker, W., The contribution of nuclear medicine to the patient with infection (1995) Europ. J. Nucl. Med., 22, pp. 1195-1211Bethlem, N.M., Lemle, A., Bethlem, E., Wanke, B., Paracoccidioidomycosis (1991) Semin. Resp. Med., 12, pp. 81-97Braga, F.J.H.N., Abreu, P.R., Rivitti, M.C.M., La paracoccidioidomycose chéloide étudiée avec le gallium (1992) Bull. Soc. Path. Exot., 85, pp. 118-119Braga, F.J.H.N., Camargo, E.E., Segurado, A.A.C., La paracoccidioidomycose évaluée par quatre études isotopiques (1992) Bull. Soc. Path. Exot., 85, pp. 115-117Dayaniki, B.F., Weissman, A.F., Wahl, R.L., Successful gallium-67 imaging of North American pulmonary blastomycosis (1993) J. Nucl. Med., 34, pp. 958-960Del Negro, G.M.B., Garcia, N.M., Rodrigues, E.G., The sensitivity, specificity and efficiency values of some serological tests used in the diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis (1991) Rev. Inst. Med. Trop. S. Paulo, 33, pp. 277-280Giorgi, M.C.P., Camargo, E.E., Pinto, W.P., Del Negro, G., Gallium-67 imaging in the diagnosis of blastomycosis (1987) Europ. J. Nucl. Med., 13, pp. 300-304Negroni, R., Paracoccidioidomycosis (1993) Int. J. Derm., 32, pp. 847-859Palestro, C.J., The current role of gallium imaging in infection (1994) Semin. Nucl. Med., 24, pp. 128-141Peters, A.M., The use of nuclear medicine in infections (1998) Brit. J. Radiol., 71, pp. 252-26

Radiodynamic therapy using TAT peptide‐targeted Verteporfin‐encapsulated PLGA nanoparticles

Radiodynamic therapy (RDT) is a recent extension of conventional photodynamic therapy, in which visible/near infrared light irradiation is replaced by a well-tolerated dose of high-energy X-rays. This enables greater tissue penetration to allow non-invasive treatment of large, deep-seated tumors. We report here the design and testing of a drug delivery system for RDT that is intended to enhance intra- or peri-nuclear localization of the photosensitizer, leading to DNA damage and resulting clonogenic cell kill. This comprises a photosensitizer (Verteporfin, VP) incorporated into poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (PLGA NPs) that are surface-functionalized with a cell-penetrating HIV trans-activator of transcription (TAT) peptide. In addition to a series of physical and photophysical characterization studies, cytotoxicity tests in pancreatic (PANC-1) cancer cells in vitro under 4 Gy X-ray exposure from a clinical 6 MV linear accelerator (LINAC) showed that TAT targeting of the nanoparticles markedly enhances the effectiveness of RDT treatment, particularly when assessed by a clonogenic, i.e., DNA damage-mediated, cell kill.Sandhya Clement, Ayad G. Anwer, Layla Pires, Jared Campbell, Brian C. Wilson and Ewa M. Goldy

Bi-modified Pt Electrodes toward Glycerol Electrooxidation in Alkaline Solution: Effects on Activity and Selectivity

Herein we investigate the effect of irreversibly adsorbed bismuth on polycrystalline platinum (Ptp) on the electrooxidation of glycerol in alkaline media by combining electrochemical, spectroscopic (in situ FTIR), and analytical (HPLC on line) techniques. We found that the activity of Ptp increases by about 5-fold when the optimal quantity of Bi ions is added to the solution. Besides, the adatom strongly impacts the reaction products by suppressing the pathways with C–C bond breaking, hindering the formation of CO (and other unknown intermediates) and enhancing the production of glycerate. Different from the results in acid media for Ptp-Bi systems where Bi blocks the oxidation pathway through the primary carbon, glycerate is the main product in alkaline media, and dihydroxyacetone is either produced in extremely low quantities or not produced. Besides, comparing our results with those in acid media, the peak current recorded at 1 mV·s–1 in this work was 1 order of magnitude higher. These results show the strong impact of the pH in the reaction rate and selectivity.Financial support from the Brazilian agencies: PSF and JLB thanks FAPESP (grants: 2016/01365-0) and Shell and the strategic importance of the support given by ANP (Brazil’s National Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency) through the R&D levy regulation. MBCS thanks PRP-FAEPEX and RAV and VYY thanks SAE-Unicamp for their scholarships. J.S-G. acknowledges financial support from VITC (Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia de Conocimiento) of the University of Alicante (UATALENTO16-02)

The yield of head CT in syncope: a pilot study

Although head CT is often routinely performed in emergency department (ED) patients with syncope, few studies have assessed its value