Clinical Research Directory

First-in-Human Assessment of Safety, Biodistribution and Pharmacokinetics of 18F-Fluoro-1-Naphthol (18F-4FN) for PET Imaging

18F-4FN represents a novel PET agent for imaging inflammation. Acute inflammatory signaling through the TLR axis recruits neutrophils and macrophages to inflammatory sites. Both cells activate the production of high energy reactive oxygen species/reactive nitrogen species (RONS), setting off a cascade that can be leveraged to detect the presence of these inflammatory cells by molecular imaging. 18F-4FN is efficiently oxidized by high energy RONS, leading to retention and accumulation in human neutrophil-like cells in vitro, and at the sites of acute inflammation in vivo. Like 18F-FDG, 18F-4FN clears rapidly through the kidney at 1 hr following i.v. injection

Postmortem Evaluation of Adrenal and Other Endocrine Tumors in Patients With Sudden Death

Sudden Cardiac Death is a leading cause of mortality and remains a major public health burden worldwide. Cardiac arrest due to coronary heart disease explains a large proportion of the cases, but if autopsy is not performed the exact underlying cause remains obscure in many adults who face sudden death outside heath care organizations. The investigators aim to find proof that primary aldosteronism is a risk factor for sudden death and to characterize the prevalence of adrenal pathology in sudden death of undetermined cause in a case-control study. In addition, the study aims to characterize the prevalence of other adrenal pathology i.e. silent adenomas, cortisol-producing adenomas and pheochromocytomas in sudden death. The investigators also seek evidence that other endocrine hormone overproduction-causing diseases are more prevalent in persons with sudden death compared with those experiencing traumatic or suicidal death sudden death.