Preparation, radiochemical purity control and stability of 99mTc-mertiatide (Mag-3)

BACKGROUND: Scintigraphic image analysis of 99mTc-mertiatide (Mag-3, mercaptoacetyltriglycine) clearance provides the determination of the blood flow, the tubular transit time and the excretion as well from both kidneys. Radiopharmaceutical routine recommends a radiochemical purity control before administration of the product to a patient. The main objective of this study is to develop a Mag-3 labeling procedure that fits better than the previous one in our daily routine production of radiopharmaceuticals. METHODS: Increasing proportions of 99mTc-Mag-3 were measured during the heating and cooling steps of the Mag-3 labeling procedure. HPLC analysis was used to confirm the results of a rapid radiochemical quality control assay on standard ITLC-SG paper. RESULTS: The reconstitution time takes 20-25 minutes from the harvest of pertechnetate to a ready-for-use calibrated patient syringe. The HPLC profile of 99mTc-Mag-3 including its minor impurities remains unchanged for 24-48 hours after reconstitution. CONCLUSIONS: The application of a programmable Peltier-directed device for heating/cooling provides a better control of the temperature course. The procedure proposed fully meets the labeling criteria recommended by the supplier and can be performed with a minimum of attention within a time-span that we formerly needed for solely the radiochemical purity control assay. Moreover, 99mTc-Mag-3 prepared in this way seems to be considerably more stable than mentioned in the manufacturer's instruction

Rooting human parechovirus evolution in time

BACKGROUND: The Picornaviridae family contains a number of important pathogenic viruses, among which the recently reclassified human parechoviruses (HPeVs). These viruses are widespread and can be grouped in several types. Understanding the evolutionary history of HPeV could answer questions such as how long the circulating lineages last shared a common ancestor and how the evolution of this viral species is shaped by its population dynamics. Using both strict and relaxed clock Bayesian phylogenetics we investigated 1) the substitutions rates of the structural P1 and capsid VP1 regions and 2) evolutionary timescale of currently circulating HPeV lineages. RESULTS: Our estimates reveal that human parechoviruses exhibit high substitution rates for both structural P1 and capsid VP1 regions, respectively 2.21x10E-3 (0.48 - 4.21x10E-3) and 2.79x10E-3 (2.05 - 3.66x10E-3) substitutions per site per year. These are within the range estimated for other picornaviruses. By employing a constant population size coalescent prior, the date of the most common recent ancestor was estimated to be at around 1600 (1427-1733). In addition, by looking at the frequency of synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions within the VP1 gene we show that purifying selection constitutes the dominating evolutionary force leading to strong amino acid conservation. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our estimates provide a timescale for the evolution of HPeVs and suggest that genetic diversity of current circulating HPeV types has arisen about 400 years ag