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Background: The Editorial Board of EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry releases a biannual highlight commentary to update the readership on trends in the field of radiopharmaceutical development. Main body: This selection of highlights provides commentary on 21 different topics selected by each coauthoring Editorial Board member addressing a variety of aspects ranging from novel radiochemistry to first-in-human application of novel radiopharmaceuticals. Conclusion: Trends in radiochemistry and radiopharmacy are highlighted. Hot topics cover the entire scope of EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry, demonstrating the progress in the research field in many aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuroinflammation is an important component of many neurodegenerative diseases, whether as a primary cause or a secondary outcome. For that reason, either as diagnostic tools or to monitor progression and/or pharmacological interventions, there is a need for robust biomarkers of neuroinflammation in the brain. Mitochondrial TSPO (18 kDa Translocator protein) is one of few available biomarkers of neuroinflammation for which there are clinically available PET imaging agents. In this study, we further characterised neuroinflammation in a mouse model of prion-induced chronic neurodegeneration (ME7) including a pharmacological intervention via a CSF1R inhibitor. This was achieved by autoradiographic binding of the second-generation TSPO tracer, [3H]PBR28, along with a more comprehensive examination of the cellular contributors to the TSPO signal changes by immunohistochemistry. We observed regional increases of TSPO in the ME7 mouse brains, particularly in the hippocampus, cortex and thalamus. This increased TSPO signal was detected in the cells of microglia/macrophage lineage as well as in astrocytes, endothelial cells and neurons. Importantly, we show that the selective CSF1R inhibitor, JNJ-40346527 (JNJ527), attenuated the disease-dependent increase in TSPO signal, particularly in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, where JNJ527 attenuated the number of Iba1+ microglia and neurons, but not GFAP+ astrocytes or endothelial cells. These findings suggest that [3H]PBR28 quantitative autoradiography in combination with immunohistochemistry are important translational tools for detecting and quantifying neuroinflammation, and its treatments, in neurodegenerative disease. Furthermore, we demonstrate that although TSPO overexpression in the ME7 brains was driven by various cell types, the therapeutic effect of the CSF1R inhibitor was primarily to modulate TSPO expression in microglia and neurons, which identifies an important route of biological action of this particular CSF1R inhibitor and provides an example of a cell-specific effect of this type of therapeutic agent on the neuroinflammatory process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of a new type of standing wave piezoelectric ultrasonic motor. The motor uses a metallic flex-tensional amplifier, or cymbal, to convert the contour mode vibrations of a square piezoelectric ceramic plate into flexural oscillations, which are further converted to produce rotary actuation by means of an elastic-fin friction drive. The motor operates on a single-phase electrical supply, h beryllium copper rotor design with three-fin configuration was adopted, and the geometry was varied to include different material thicknesses, fin lengths, and inclinations. The best stall torque and no load speed for a 25-mm square motor were 0.72 Nmm and 895 r/minute, respectively. The behavior of the stator structure was analyzed by ANSYS finite element software using harmonic and modal analyses. The vibration mode estimated by finite element modeling (FEM) was confirmed by laser Doppler vibration measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the proceedings of the Twenty-Second Annual Conference of American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) that was held on May 18-21, 1967 at Bolton Landing, New York. The conference was divided into fifteen formal sessions and three round tables. The new format also consists a presentation program of the best papers from a recent AAPOR competition for graduate students. In addition to the informative meetings, numerous social events were also organized. Also, the AAPOR Award of 1967 for distinguished achievement in the field of public opinion was presented to Hans Zeisel, a social researcher. Some of the topics on which papers were presented at the conference are: variations in the application of theory to attitude and opinion research; interviewing: special situations and problems; polling and the political process; socio-medical research in sensitive areas; predicting purchasing behavior: alchemy or science? and; computer-assisted analysis of survey data.

The JEC Composites Show, which took place in Paris, France, at the end of March, honored the following companies as winners of the JEC Innovation Awards Programme 2011. The JEC [...]