Anti-VCL monoclonal antibody, clone WJO-22-6

We report the synthesis of poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) nanogels (PVCL NGs) loaded with gadolinium (Gd) for tumor MR imaging applications. The PVCL NGs were synthesized via precipitation polymerization using the monomer N-vinylcaprolactam (VCL), the comonomer acrylic acid (AAc), and the degradable cross-linker 3,9-divinyl-2,4,8,10-tetraoxaspiro-[5,5]-undecane (VOU) in aqueous solution, followed by covalently binding with 2,2',2 ''-(10-(4-((2-amino ethyl) amin o)-1-carb oxy-4-oxobutyl) -1,4,7,104 etraazacycl o do de cane -1,4,7triyl) triacetic acid (NH2-DOTA-GA)/Gd complexes. We show that the formed Gdloaded PVCL NGs (PVCL-Gd NGs) having a size of 180.67 +/- 11.04 nm are water dispersible, colloidally stable, uniform in size distribution, and noncytotoxic in a range of the studied concentrations. The PVCL-Gd NGs also display a r1 relaxivity (6.38-7.10 mM-1 s-'), which is much higher than the clinically used Gd chelates. These properties afforded the use of the PVCL-Gd NGs as an effective positive contrast agent for enhanced MR imaging of cancer cells in vitro as well as a subcutaneous tumor model in vivo. Our study suggests that the developed PVCL-Gd NGs contrast agent for T-1-weighted MR imaging of diverse biosystems. could be applied as a promising contrast agent for T-1-weighted MR imaging of diverse biosystems.

Horses are seasonal breeders with a natural breeding season beginning in spring and extending through midsummer. In this study, quantitative and qualitative parameters of chilled stallion semen were compared between fertile and subfertile stallions and between the breeding and the non-breeding season. Semen quality parameters compared included ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, total sperm number, sperm morphology, and computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA)-derived sperm movement characteristics obtained from two groups of warmblood stallions (n = 8; four fertile stallions and four subfertile stallions), which differ in the seasonal pregnancy rate 80 % -90% (fertile) vs. 40 % -60% (subfertile). A total of 64 ejaculates were collected from the stallions (n = 8; four in the breeding season and four in the non-breeding season of each stallion). No significant differences in the semen quality parameters between the fertile and the subfertile stallions in the non-breeding season were observed. However, in the breeding season the proportion of morphologically normal sperm, total motility, progressive motility, average path velocity (VAP), and curvilinear velocity (VCL) were significantly higher in the fertile group (P < 0.05) when compared with the subfertile group. In addition, a significant seasonal variation in the proportion of morphological normal sperm was found in the fertile group between the breeding and the non-breeding season (P < 0.05). Moreover, significant seasonal variations (P<0.05) in CASA parameters of mean VAP, straight line velocity (VSL), and beat-cross frequency (BCF) were observed in the fertile and the subfertile stallions, which tended to be lower in the non-breeding season. In conclusion, differences between the fertile and the subfertile stallions were observed only in the breeding season, and a few of CASA-derived parameters seemed to be significantly lower during the non-breeding season in both the fertile and the subfertile stallions.