A review of approaches to 18F radiolabelling affinity peptides and proteins

Affinity peptide and protein‐ (APP) based radiotracers are an increasingly popular class of radiotracer in positron emission tomography (PET), which was once dominated by the use of small molecule radiotracers. Radiolabelled monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are important examples of APPs, yet a preference for smaller APPs, which exhibit fast pharmacokinetics and permit rapid PET aided diagnosis, has become apparent. ¹⁸F exhibits favourable physical characteristics for APP radiolabelling and has been described as an ideal PET radionuclide. Notwithstanding, ¹⁸F radiolabelling of APP is challenging, and this is echoed in the literature where a number of diverse approaches have been adopted. This review seeks to assess and compare the approaches taken to ¹⁸F APP radiolabelling with the intention of highlighting trends within this expanding field. Generic themes have emerged in the literature, namely the use of mild radiolabelling conditions, a preference of site‐specific methodologies with an impetus for short, automated procedures which produce high‐yielding [¹⁸F]APPs.     

Development of a Simulation-Based Mastery Learning Curriculum for Breaking Bad News

Introduction

Physician communication impacts patient outcomes. However, communication skills, especially around difficult conversations, remain suboptimal, and there is no clear way to determine the validity of entrustment decisions. The aims of this study were to 1) describe the development of a simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) curriculum for breaking bad news (BBN) conversation skills and 2) set a defensible minimum passing standard (MPS) to ensure uniform skill acquisition among learners.

Editorial Commentary: Teriparatide and Rotator Cuff Healing—Maybe Hormones Can Help Tendons to Heal

Achieving tendon-bone healing continues to be challenging after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, particularly for larger tears, despite significant improvements in repair techniques and implants. Considerable effort has been invested in research to identify methods to improve healing, including patches and injectable biologics. Parathyroid hormone improves tendon-to-bone healing. Teriparatide is osteogenic, stimulating bone growth, and chondrogenic, promoting cartilage formation at the enthesis. However, it could be difficult to justify the expense and potential risk of systemic administration of a recombinant hormone to improve structural healing until improvement in clinical outcomes can be shown.     

Interpersonal positive reframing in the daily lives of couples coping with breast cancer

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined word use as an indicator of interpersonal positive reframing in daily conversations of couples coping with breast cancer and as a predictor of stress.

Design: The Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) and Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) were used to examine naturally occurring word use conceptually linked to positive reframing (positive emotion, negative emotion, and cognitive processing words).

Sample: Fifty-two couples coping with breast cancer.

Methods: Couples wore the EAR, a device participants wear, that audio-recorded over one weekend (>16,000 sound files), and completed self-reports of positive reframing (COPE) and stress (Perceived Stress Scale). LIWC, a software program, measured word use.

Findings: Both partners’ word use (i.e., positive emotion and cognitive processing words) was associated with their own reported positive reframing, and spouses’ word use was also indicative of patients’ positive reframing. Results also revealed that, in general, words indicating positive reframing predicted lower levels of stress.

Conclusions: Findings supported the hypothesis that partners—and particularly spouses of breast cancer patients—may assist each other’s coping by positively reframing the cancer experience and other negative experiences in conversation.     

Cost-effectiveness of a clinical medication review in vulnerable older patients at hospital discharge,a randomized controlled trial

International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy - Background Drug-related problems (DRP) following hospital discharge may cause morbidity, mortality and hospital re-admissions. It is unclear whether a...     

Derivation of internal dose-based thresholds of toxicological concern for occupational inhalation exposure to systemically acting organic chemicals

This study aimed at deriving occupational thresholds of toxicological concern for inhalation exposure to systemically-acting organic chemicals using predicted internal doses. The latter were also used to evaluate the quantitative relationship between occupational exposure limit and internal dose. Three internal dose measures were identified for investigation: (i) the daily area under the venous blood concentration vs. time curve, (ii) the daily rate of the amount of parent chemical metabolized, and (iii) the maximum venous blood concentration at the end of an 8-hr work shift. A dataset of 276 organic chemicals with 8-hr threshold limit values-time-weighted average was compiled along with their molecular structure and Cramer classes (Class I: low toxicity, Class II: intermediate toxicity, Class III: suggestive of significant toxicity). Using a human physiologically-based pharmacokinetic model, the three identified dose metrics were predicted for an 8-hr occupational inhalation exposure to the threshold limit value for each chemical. Distributional analyses of the predicted dose metrics were performed to identify the percentile values corresponding to the occupational thresholds of toxicological concern. Also, simple linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between the 8-hr threshold limit value and each of the predicted dose metrics, respectively. No threshold of toxicological concern could be derived for class II due to few chemicals. Based on the daily rate of the amount of parent chemical metabolized, the proposed internal dose-based occupational thresholds of toxicological concern were 5.61?×?10^?2 and 9?×?10^?4 mmol/d at the 10th percentile level for classes I and III, respectively, while they were 4.55?×?10^?1 and 8.5?×?10^?3 mmol/d at the 25th percentile level. Even though high and significant correlations were observed between the 8-hr threshold limit values and the predicted dose metrics, the one with the rate of the amount of chemical metabolized was remarkable regardless of the Cramer class (r² = 0.81; n = 276). The proposed internal dose-based occupational thresholds of toxicological concern are potentially useful for screening-level assessments as well as prioritization within an integrated occupational risk assessment framework.