Development of a digital zebrafish phantom and its application to dedicated small-fish PET.

Objective. We are developing a small-fish positron emission tomography (PET) scanner dedicated to small aquatic animals relevant for biomedical and biological research, e.g. zebrafish. We plan to use Monte Carlo simulations to optimize its configuration and the required water-filled imaging chambers. Our objectives were: (1) to create a digital 3D zebrafish phantom using conventional micro-CT, (2) include the phantom into a simulated PET environment based on the framework GATE, and (3) investigate the effects of the water environment on the reconstructed images.Approach. To create the phantom, we performedex vivomeasurements of zebrafish specimen using a tabletop micro-CT and compared three methods to fixate the specimen. From segmented micro-CT images we created digital emission and transmission phantoms which were incorporated in GATE via tessellated volumes. Two chamber sizes were considered. For reference, a simulation with the zebrafish in air was implemented. The simulated data were reconstructed using CASToR. For attenuation correction, we used the exact attenuation information or a uniform distribution (only water). Several realizations of each scenario were performed; the reconstructed images were quantitatively evaluated.Main results. Fixation in formalin led to the best soft-tissue contrast at the cost of some specimen deformation. After attenuation correction, no significant differences were found between the reconstructed images. The PET images reflected well the higher uptake simulated in the brain and heart, despite their small size and surrounding background activity; the swim bladder (no activity) was clearly identified. The simplified attenuation map, consisting only of water, slightly worsened the images.Significance. A conventional micro-CT can provide sufficient image quality to generate numerical phantoms of small fish without contrast media. Such phantoms are useful to evaluate in-silico small aquatic animal imaging concepts and develop imaging protocols. Our results support the feasibility of zebrafish PET with an aqueous environment.

Real-time cell analysis: sensitivity of different vertebrate cell cultures to copper sulfate measured by xCELLigence(®).

In this study, we report the use of a real-time cell analysis (RTCA) test system, the xCELLigence(®) RTCA, as efficient tool for a fast cytotoxicity analysis and comparison of four different vertebrate cell cultures. This new dynamic real-time monitoring and impedance-based assay allows for a combined measurement of cell adhesion, spreading and proliferation. Cell cultures were obtained from mouse, rat, human and fish, all displaying a fibroblast-like phenotype. The measured impedance values could be correlated to characteristic cell culture behaviours. In parallel, relative cytotoxicity of a commonly used but due to its very good water solubility highly hazardous pesticide, copper sulfate, was evaluated under in vitro conditions through measurements of cell viability by classical end-point based assays MTT and PrestoBlue(®). Cell line responses in terms of viability as measured by these three methods were variable between the fish skin cells and cells from higher vertebrates and also between the three methods. The advantage of impedance-based measurements is mainly based on the continuous monitoring of cell responses for a broad range of different cells, including fish cells.

In vitro expansion of autonomously contracting, cardiomyogenic structures from rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss.

In primary cell preparations from larvae of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, the formation of autonomously contracting cell aggregates was observed after 7 days. These contracting elements could be propagated and some aggregates were maintained over a period of 35 days. Electron microscopical and immunocytochemical examination revealed the presence of cardiomyocytes.

Gamow-Teller strengths in the A = 14 multiplet: a challenge to the shell model.

A new experimental approach to the famous problem of the anomalously slow Gamow-Teller (GT) transitions in the beta decay of the A=14 multiplet is presented. The GT strength distributions to excited states in 14C and 14O were studied in high-resolution (d,2He) and (3He,t) charge-exchange reactions on 14N. No-core shell-model calculations capable of reproducing the suppression of the beta decays predict a selective excitation of Jpi=2+ states. The experimental confirmation represents a validation of the assumptions about the underlying structure of the 14N ground state wave function. However, the fragmentation of the GT strength over three 2+ final states remains a fundamental issue not explained by the present no-core shell model using a 6homega model space, suggesting possibly the need to include cluster structure in these light nuclei in a consistent way.