Bacterial counts recovered by vaginal swab.

<p>Summary of the course of infection over the first three weeks after challenge, as measured by qPCR.</p

Comparison of the mean MRI image and gross pathology scores at the end of the study for the three groups of mice.

<p>MRI image scores at Day 63 were consistently higher than gross pathology scores at Day 65, although no significant differences were seen between the techniques for the control and EB immunized-challenged groups. Error bars represent SEM.</p

MRI images of an example control mouse at all time points during the study (n = 10 mice in control group).

<p>The coronal images are acquired such that the animal’s head is at the top of the figures, the tail at the bottom, and as if the animal is facing the viewer such that the animal’s left side is on the right side of the figures. Arrows point to uterine horns, asterisks denote an ovary/oviduct when present in the image plane, and the double asterisk identifies the bladder at baseline. Images are shown at the approximate plate of the uterine horn branching or to show both horns. The MRI image score is shown next to the time point, and the gross pathology score at Day 65 was 0 for this animal.</p

MRI images of an example naïve-challenged mouse at all time points of the study (n = 10 mice in naïve-challenged group).

<p>Arrows point to uterine horns, and asterisks denote an ovary/oviduct when present in the image. Images are shown at the approximate plate of the uterine horn branching or to show horns. Excessive fluid in the uterine horns is seen at Day 63. The MRI image score is shown next to the time point, and the gross pathology score at Day 65 was 3 for this animal.</p

Mean and SEM of Gross Necropsy Scores by Group at Day 65.

<p>Mean and SEM of Gross Necropsy Scores by Group at Day 65.</p

Incidence of Positive Pathology in Ovaries/Oviducts Detected by MRI Images.

<p>Incidence of Positive Pathology in Ovaries/Oviducts Detected by MRI Images.</p

MRI images of an example EB immunized-challenged mouse at all time points during the study (n = 10 mice in EB immunized-challenged group).

<p>Arrows point to uterine horns, and asterisks denote an ovary/oviduct when present in the image. Black arrows are used only to provide contrast on hyperintense regions. Images are shown at the approximate plate of the uterine horn branching or to show horns. The presence of fluid in the animal’s left ovary/oviduct was seen from Day 21 through Day 63. The MRI image score is shown next to the time point, and the gross pathology score at Day 65 was 1 for this animal.</p

Group means of the MRI scores during the course of the study.

<p>Error bars represent the standard error of the mean (SEM).</p

Comparative Analysis of Folate Derived PET Imaging Agents with [¹⁸F]-2-Fluoro-2-deoxy‑d‑glucose Using a Rodent Inflammatory Paw Model

Activated macrophages play a significant role in initiation and progression of inflammatory diseases and may serve as the basis for the development of targeted diagnostic methods for imaging sites of inflammation. Folate receptor beta (FR-β) is differentially expressed on activated macrophages associated with inflammatory disease states yet is absent in either quiescent or resting macrophages. Because folate binds with high affinity to FR-β, development of folate directed imaging agents has proceeded rapidly in the past decade. However, reports of PET based imaging agents for use in inflammatory conditions remain limited. To investigate whether FR-β expressing macrophages could be exploited for PET based inflammatory imaging, two separate folate-targeted PET imaging agents were developed, 4-[¹⁸F]-fluorophenylfolate and [⁶⁸Ga]-DOTA-folate, and their ability to target activated macrophages were examined in a rodent inflammatory paw model. We further compared inflamed tissue uptake with 2-[¹⁸F]­fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose ([¹⁸F]-FDG). microPET analysis demonstrated that both folate-targeted PET tracers had higher uptake in the inflamed paw compared to the control paw. When these radiotracers were compared to [¹⁸F]-FDG, both folate PET tracers had a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than [¹⁸F]-FDG, suggesting that folate tracers may be superior to [¹⁸F]-FDG in detecting diseases with an inflammatory component. Moreover, both folate-PET imaging agents also bind to FR-α which is overexpressed on multiple human cancers. Therefore, these folate derived PET tracers may also find use for localizing and staging FR⁺ cancers, monitoring response to therapy, and for selecting patients for tandem folate-targeted therapies