[(18)F]T807 demonstrates high affinity and selectivity to PHF-tau as well as favorable in vivo properties, making this a promising candidate as an imaging agent for AD.

The effects of exposure concentration on the bioaccumulation of four perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs): perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluoroocanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), was investigated using green mussels, Perna viridis. Mussels were exposed to concentrations of 1 μgL(-1) and 10 μgL(-1) of each PFC for 56 days, and the bioaccumulation factors (BAF) were found to range from 15 to 859 L/kg and from 12 to 473 L/kg at 1 μgL(-1) and 10 μgL(-1), respectively. For all compounds, the BAF was larger at the lower dosage. Results suggest that the bioaccumulation of PFCs is concentration dependent. This concentration dependency can be explained by a nonlinear adsorption mechanism, which was further supported by the experimental results. The sensitivity of BAF to exposure concentration was found to be positively related to perfluorinated chain length and the binding affinity of the compounds. Bioaccumulation of long chain carboxylates and sulfonates are more easily affected by concentration changes. The validity of the conventional kinetic method was examined by comparing the results with the fundamental steady-state method: in addition to the above-mentioned batch test, mussels were also subject to 24-day exposure (1 μgL(-1) and 10 μgL(-1)) followed by 24-day depuration. Contradictions were found in the resulting kinetic BAF and model curving fittings. A new kinetic model based on adsorption mechanism was proposed, which potentially provide more accurate description of the bioaccumulation process of PFCs.

Senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are prominent neuropathological hallmarks in Alzheimer's disease and are considered to be targets for therapeutic intervention as well as biomarkers for diagnostic in vivo imaging agents. While there are a number of amyloid-β positron emission tomography (PET) tracers currently in different stages of clinical development and commercialization, there have been very few reports on imaging agents selectively targeting tau aggregates. In search of [18F]-PET tracers that possess great binding affinity and selectivity toward tau tangles, we tested more than 900 compounds utilizing a unique screening process. A competitive autoradiography assay was set up to test compounds for binding to native tau tangles and amyloid-β plaques on human brain tissue sections. In our in vitro assays, the 18F labeled compound [18F]-T808 displayed a high level of binding affinity and good selectivity for tau aggregates over amyloid-β plaques. [18F]-T808 showed rapid uptake and washout in rodent brains. Our in vitro and preclinical in vivo studies suggest that [18F]-T808 possesses suitable properties and characteristics to be a specific and selective PET probe for imaging of paired helical filament tau in human brains.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were prepared from thoracic aortas of male Sprague-Dawley rats by the explant method to observe VSMC proliferation via phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling transduction pathway induced by apelin-13. Expression of PI3K, phospho-PI3K, phospho-Akt, ERK1/2, phospho-ERK1/2 and cyclin D1 was detected by western blot analysis. Results showed that apelin-13 promoted the expression of phospho-PI3K and phospho-Akt in dose- and timedependent manner. PI3K inhibitor LY294002 significantly decreased the expression of phospho-PI3K, phospho-Akt, phospho-ERK1/2, and cyclin D1 induced by apelin-13. The Akt inhibitor 1701-1 significantly diminished the expression of phospho-Akt, phospho-ERK1/2, and cyclin D1 stimulated by apelin-13. MTT assay results showed that PI3K inhibitor LY294002 and Akt inhibitor 1701-1 significantly inhibited the VSMC proliferation induced by apelin-13. Apelin-13 promoted VSMC proliferation through PI3K/Akt signaling transduction pathway.

Zinc anode in aqueous batteries always suffers from severe electrochemical corrosion and internal dendrite growth. These issues could be alleviated by using hydrophobic polymers and ion-conductive inorganics as an artificial...