Barium titanate microparticles as potential carrier platform for lanthanide radionuclides for their use in the treatment of arthritis

Since the inception of radiation synovectomy, a host of radioactive colloids and microparticles incorporating suitable therapeutic radionuclides have been proposed for the treatment of arthritis. The present article reports the synthesis and evaluation of barium titanate microparticles as an innovative and effective carrier platform for lanthanide radionuclides in the preparation of therapeutic agents for treatment of arthritis. The material was synthesized by mechanochemical route and characterized by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, surface area, and particle size distribution analyses. Loading of lanthanide radionuclides (¹⁶⁶Ho, ¹⁵³Sm, ¹⁷⁷Lu, and ¹⁶⁹Er) on the microparticles was achieved in high yield (> 95%) resulting in the formulation of loaded particulates with excellent radiochemical purities (> 99%). Radiolanthanide‐loaded microparticles exhibited excellent in vitro stability in human serum. In vitro diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid challenge study indicated fairly strong chemical association of lanthanides with barium titanate microparticles. Long‐term biodistribution studies carried out after administration of ¹⁷⁷Lu‐loaded microparticles into one of the knee joints of normal Wistar rats revealed near‐complete retention of the formulation (> 96% of the administered radioactivity) within the joint cavity even 14 days post‐administration. The excellent localization of the loaded microparticles was further confirmed by sequential whole‐body radio‐luminescence imaging studies carried out using ¹⁶⁶Ho‐loaded microparticles.     

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST): lesser known facts

In an era of molecular targeted therapy, patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) are living longer and are often followed with imaging. Therefore, it is important for the radiologists to be aware of the atypical subtypes of GIST, implications of molecular makeup, its behavior, and the uncommon metastatic sites. The aim of this pictorial review is to illustrate the lesser-known aspects of GIST including histological and molecular classifications, syndromes associated with GIST, and uncommon metastatic sites.     

Bond strength of newer dentin bonding agents in different clinical situations

This study compared the tensile bond strengths of different adhesive systems to different dentinal substrate conditions. The adhesive systems used were Adper Single Bond 2 total etch, XP Bond total etch, and two all-in-one adhesives, Adper Easy One and Xeno V. Ninety-six intact human premolars extracted on periodontal or orthodontic grounds were collected and stored in 0.9% physiologic saline for less than four weeks. Teeth were carefully cleaned to remove the soft tissue remnants. The occlusal surfaces were ground until the level of the dentinoenamel junction, exposing superficial dentin using a low-speed diamond disc. A standard smear layer was produced by wet sanding the dentin surface with 600-grit silicon carbide sandpaper for 40 seconds. The 96 specimens were embedded in autopolymerizing acrylic resin and divided into four groups of 24 each based on the dentin bonding agents used. Each group consisted of 24 specimens, which were further divided into two subgroups of 12 specimens each, moist dentin and dentin air-dried for 10 seconds. The regions of interest for adhesion were demarcated in each sample using adhesive tape, with a 4-mm–diameter hole isolating the peripheral region, and each adhesive system was employed. Four adhesive systems, two total etch and two self-etching adhesive, were applied to different dentinal substrates as per the manufacturers' instructions. Following the adhesive application, the specimens were restored with composite material using a metallic mold measuring 5 mm in diameter and 5 mm in height to keep the material in cylindrical form and were light cured per manufacturers' instructions. After being stored for 24 hours in distilled water at room temperature, the specimens were thermocycled for 550 cycles at temperatures ranging from 5°C to 60°C with a dwell time of 15 seconds in each bath and a transfer time of five seconds. The tensile bond strengths were determined using a Universal loading machine (Lloyd Universal Testing Machine) at a cross-head speed of 1 mm/min. On moist dentin, total-etch adhesives showed higher bond strength than did the all-in-one adhesives. Under the dry dentin condition, XP Bond exhibited significantly higher bond strength than did the Adper Single Bond 2 and two all-in-one adhesives, Adper Easy One and Xeno V.     

Total oligomeric flavonoids of Cyperus rotundus ameliorates neurological deficits, excitotoxicity and behavioral alterations induced by cerebral ischemic-reperfusion injury in rats

Interactions between neurons and astrocytes play a critical role in the central nervous system homeostasis. Cyperus rotundus (family: Cyperaceae), a traditional Indian medicinal herb, used as nervine tonic and nootropic in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. The present study was undertaken to investigate the neuroprotective effect of total oligomeric flavonoids (TOFs), prepared from C. rotundus, in rat model of cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. Male Sprague Dawley rats (290-340 g) were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 2 h and reperfusion for 70 h. Experimental animals were divided into four groups: Group I - sham operated (n = 7); Group II - vehicle treated ischemic-reperfusion (IR) (n = 9), and Group III and IV - TOFs treated (100 and 200 mg/kg body weight, p.o., respectively; n = 7 in each group). Vehicle or TOFs were pretreated for four days before the induction of ischemia and continued for next three days after the ischemia i.e. treatment was scheduled totally for a period of 7 days. MCAO surgery was performed on day 4, 1 h after TOFs administration. Neuroprotective effect of TOFs was substantiated in terms of neurological deficits, excitotoxicity (glutamate, glutamine synthetase and Na⁺K⁺ATPase levels), oxidative stress (malondialdehyde, super oxide dismutase, and glutathione) and neurobehavioral functions in the experimental animals. TOFs decreased glutamate, glutamine synthetase (GS) and increased Na⁺K⁺ATPase activity in a dose dependent manner when compared to the IR rats. Treatment with TOFs significantly reduced the neurological deficits and reversed the anxiogenic behavior in rats. Further, it also significantly decreased MDA and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione content in brains of experimental rats. Histopathological examination using cresyl violet staining revealed the attenuation of neuronal loss by TOFs in stroke rats. The present study demonstrates the unswerving involvement of TOFs on ischemia-reperfusion triggered biochemical alterations in MCAO/R rats. Hence, TOFs might be an attractive candidate for further studies in the development of new drugs for cerebral stroke treatment.     

Multiple focal nodular hyperplasia, an incidental finding on autopsy

Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is a benign condition of the liver often discovered incidentally on radiological investigation. Although FNH is a well-described lesion in the literature considerable diagnostic problems regarding this entity still remains. We report a case of multiple FNH in a 23-year-old male patient detected as an incidental finding in autopsy. On gross examination FNH was not suspected because of the multiple lesions and the lack of central scar which is characteristically described in FNH. The diagnosis was established on histopathology after examination of multiple sections of the lesions.