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The future of 89Zr-based immuno-PET is reliant upon the development of new chelators with improved stability compared to the currently used deferoxamine (DFO). Herein, we report the evaluation of the octadentate molecule DFO-HOPO (3) as a suitable chelator for 89Zr and a more stable alternative to DFO. The molecule showed good potential for the future development of a DFO-HOPO-based bifunctional chelator (BFC) for the radiolabelling of biomolecules with 89Zr. This work broadens the selection of available chelators for 89Zr in search of improved successors to DFO for clinical 89Zr-immuno-PET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charcoal was analysed from late Middle Stone Age (MSA) layers dating to 56.7 ± 2.3 kyr, 53.4 ± 3.2 kyr and 26 000 ± 420 BP. Most of the species identified can be found in the area today and therefore this initial analysis does not provide strong evidence for a different environment in the late MSA. The charcoal assemblages are dominated by riverine and evergreen forest components, although deciduous forest taxa that are found near the cave today are also present. In all levels there are indications of a drier open environment with taxa that occur only in northern parts of South Africa. These species suggest that another environment near the cave was exploited by its inhabitants in addition to the riverine vegetation. The charcoal results complement environmental interpretations from the analysis of seeds and fauna at Sibudu Cave. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]