Imaging of the Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque. Pre-Clinical Evaluation of PET Tracers for Vascular Inflammation

Atherosclerosis is a vascular inflammatory disease causing coronary artery disease, myocardial infarct and stroke, the leading causes of death in Finland and in many other countries. The development of atherosclerotic plaques starts already in childhood and is an ongoing process throughout life. Rupture of a plaque and the following occlusion of the vessel is the main reason for myocardial infarct and stroke, but despite extensive research, the prediction of rupture remains a major clinical problem. Inflammation is considered a key factor in the vulnerability of plaques to rupture. Measuring the inflammation in plaques non-invasively is one potential approach for identification of vulnerable plaques. The aim of this study was to evaluate tracers for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of vascular inflammation. The studies were performed with a mouse model of atherosclerosis by using ex vivo biodistribution, autoradiography and in vivo PET and computed tomography (CT). Several tracers for inflammation activity were tested and compared with the morphology of the plaques. Inflammation in the atherosclerotic plaques was evaluated as expression of active macrophages. Systematic analysis revealed that the uptake of 18F-FDG and 11C-choline, tracers for metabolic activity in inflammatory cells, was more prominent in the atherosclerotic plaques than in the surrounding healthy vessel wall. The tracer for αvβ3 integrin, 18Fgalacto- RGD, was also found to have high potential for imaging inflammation in the plaques. While 11C-PK11195, a tracer targeted to receptors in active macrophages, was shown to accumulate in active plaques, the target-to-background ratio was not found to be ideal for in vivo imaging purposes. In conclusion, tracers for the imaging of inflammation in atherosclerotic plaques can be tested in experimental pre-clinical settings to select potential imaging agents for further clinical testing. 18F-FDG, 18F-galacto-RGD and 11C-choline choline have good properties, and further studies to clarify their applicability for atherosclerosis imaging in humans are warranted.

Espai corporal i praxi constructiva grafomotora a l'edat pre-escolar

En totes les investigacions sobre I'evolució ontogeneticadel nen es parteix d'una serie de pressuposits que,plantejats d'una manera explícita o no, determinen el seuenfoc i les seves conclusions teoriques. La relació existententre desenvolupament i aprenentatge n'es un dels mesimportants. Aquesta relació pot considerar-se com a unidireccional(a/ el desenvolupament es una condició previaa I'aprenentatge o b/ I'aprenentatge és desenvolupament)o be com a mútua i interdependent

Psychological and Family Factors Associated with Suicidal Ideation in Pre-Adolescents

To assess the psychological and family factors associated with suicidal ideation in preadolescent children, we studied a sample of 361 students, average age 9 years old. Twogroups were formed, on the basis of the presence (n = 34) or absence (n = 44) of suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation was assessed with the Children’s Depression Inventory and the Children’s Depression Rating Scale-Revised. Depression, hopelessness, self-esteem, and perceived family environment were compared in both the suicidal ideation and the control groups. Students with suicidal ideation generally presented greater depressive symptoms and hopelessness, and lower self-esteem and family expressiveness, although there weredifferences both between sexes, and when the variable depression was controlled. Identifying these risk factors in pre-adolescents may have an impact on prevention of suicidal behavior at higher risk ages

Un análisis optimista de la educación matemática en la formación de maestros de educación infantil = An optimistic analysis of mathematics education in training pre-school teachers

This article offers a panorama of mathematics training for future teachers at pre-school level in Spain. With this goal in mind, this article is structured infour sections: where we come from, where we are, where we’re going and where we want to go. It offers, in short, a brief analysis that shows the efforts made to ensure there is sufficient academic and scientific rigour in teachers’ studies at pre-school in general and students’ mathematics education in particular. Together with a description of the progress made in recent years, it also raises some questions for all those involved in training future teachers for this educational stage

Una visión actualizada de la didáctica de la matemática en educación infantil = An up-to-date vision of pre-school mathematics teaching

This article aims to investigate pre-school mathematics teaching from an uptodate perspective. To pursue this contemporary vision we focus on four key questions: what kind of maths is being worked on, who is doing it, how it is being done, and why it is being done

The pre-history of cryoscopy: what was done before raoult?

Cryoscopy is considered one of the foundations of the modern theory of solutions and of physical chemistry. This paper shows in order the first regularities pointed out by several scientists on the subject, in the first chapter of its birth as a scientific discipline. The study is focused on the identification of the different steps that helped, first qualitatively and then quantitatively, to adjust the different classes of possible solutions, including those that formed hydrates, to a basic formulation that the French scientist François-Marie Raoult would later generalize in the law that bears his name.

The importance of pre-treatment of spent hydrotreating catalysts on metals recovery

This work describes a three-step pre-treatment route for processing spent commercial NiMo/Al2O3 catalysts. Extraction of soluble coke with n-hexane and/or leaching of foulant elements with oxalic acid were performed before burning insoluble coke under air. Oxidized catalysts were leached with 9 mol L-1 sulfuric acid. Iron was the only foulant element partially leached by oxalic acid. The amount of insoluble matter in sulfuric acid was drastically reduced when iron and/or soluble coke were previously removed. Losses of active phase metals (Ni, Mo) during leaching with oxalic acid were compensated by the increase of their recovery in the sulfuric acid leachate.

Biosorption and removal of chromium from water by using moringa seed cake (Moringa oleifera Lam.)

This study evaluated the adsorption capacity of chromium from contaminated aqueous solutions by using Moringa oleifera Lam. seeds. Parameters such as solution pH, adsorbent mass, contact time between solution and adsorbent, isotherms, thermodynamic, kinetics, and desorption were evaluated. The maximum adsorption capacity (Qm) calculated to be 3.191 mg g-1 for the biosorbent. Activated carbon was used for comparison purposes in addition to the biosorbent. The best fit was obtained by the Langmuir model for both adsorbents. The average desorption value indicated that both the biosorbent and activated carbon have a strong interaction with the metal. The results showed that the biosorbent has advantages owing to its low cost and efficiency in Cr3+ removal from contaminated waters.

Characterization and catalytic performance of potassium loaded on rice husk silica and zeolite nay for transesterification of jatropha seed oil

Rice husk silica (RHS) and NaY were used as supports for potassium (K) prepared from acetate buffer (B) and acetate (A) solutions. K loading did not destroy the NaY structure, but it caused a decrease in the surface area; the K species resided in micropores and on the external surface. In contrast, K loading resulted in the collapse and a decrease in the surface area of RHS. It was found that 12K/NaY-B was the most active catalyst for the transesterification of Jatropha seed oil. The minimum K content in K/NaY-B that provided complete conversion of the Jatropha seed oil was 11 wt%, and the biodiesel yield was 77.9%.

Bioanalytical method for the quantification of the monastrol derivative anticancer candidate lasom 65 in pre-clinical pharmacokinetic investigations

A simple HPLC/UV method was developed for the determination of the anticancer candidate LaSOM 65 in rat plasma. Samples were cleaned by protein precipitation with acetonitrile (recovery > 95%), after which they were subjected to chromatography under the isocratic elution of an acetonitrile:water (45:55, ν/ν) solution with detection at 303 nm. The method was linear (r² > 0.98) over the concentration range (0.05-2 µg mL-1) with intra- and inter-day precision ranging from 9.6% to 13.6% and 4.3% to 5.4%, respectively. The accuracy of the method ranged from 85% to 113.6%, and it showed sufficient sensitivity to determine pharmacokinetic parameters of LaSOM 65 after intravenous administration to Wistar rats.