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Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most effective antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and are used in a variety of immunotherapeutic approaches. Adoptive cellular immunotherapy (ACI) of cancer using DCs has attracted much interest due to their capacity to promote immunity in prophylactic and therapeutic protocols. As one approach, DCs are injected into patients or tumor-bearing animals, to trigger specific antitumor immunity. In that framework, several approaches to DC delivery have been reported, including direct intratumoral injection; this has yielded positive but variable results. The underlying reasons for this have not been fully determined, but major hypotheses include technical difficulties in delivering cells into tumors and tumor-mediated immunosuppression. Image-guided ACI offers the potential to establish that DCs are efficiently delivered to the tumor site, which might eliminate some of the variability. Therefore, we developed highly sensitive methods for monitoring the injection or trafficking of DCs into tumors using a clinically approved formulation of a gadolinium-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent, Gd(III)-HP-DO3A (ProHance™). We determined the labeling efficiency of DCs with this formulation; that labeling DCs with this agent did not inhibit expression of surface markers important for antigen presentation and activation of naive T cells; that their capacity to interact with natural killer (NK) cells was not reduced; and that their migration was not diminished. Further, we determined that ProHance™-labeled DCs can be effectively imaged in vivo in established central nervous system tumors. Magn Reson Med, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Foam pads are commonly used devices in the clinics and laboratories to assess postural control. However, no reliability data are presently available to support the use of one type of foam over another. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the test-rest reliability of postural sway parameters while using two different types of foam that are commonly used and to determine which type of foam is optimal for providing a consistent and effective perturbation., Design: Test-retest reliability., Setting: Clinical setting., Participants: Ten healthy young subjects were recruited., Main Outcome Measures: The Balance Accelerometry Measure device was used to collect postural sway for 90 seconds with eyes open and closed on three different surface conditions (firm, Airex foam and Neurocom foam). Intraclass correlation coefficients were used to determine test-retest reliability., Results: Eyes open and eyes closed on a firm surface showed fair to good reliability for the path length value (ICC (3,1) = 0.61-0.64, p <0.05). Eyes open and eyes closed on the Airex pad showed fair to excellent reliability for the path length value (ICC (3,1) = 0.41-0.81, p >0.05 with eyes open and eyes closed). Eyes open and eyes closed on the Neurocom foam showed fair to good reliability for the path length value (ICC (3,1)= 0.29-0.45, p >0.05)., Conclusions: The Airex and Neurocom foam pads both provide fair to good reliability. The Airex foam had higher reliability scores with eyes closed than the Neurocom foam pad. Both foam pads appear to produce repeatable findings.