Publications by authors named "Abby Deans"

A prominent feature of the developing mammalian brain is the widespread migration of neural progenitor (NP) cells during embryogenesis. A striking example is provided by NP cells born in the ventral forebrain of mid-gestation stage mice, which subsequently migrate long distances to their final positions in the cortex and olfactory bulb. Previous studies have used two-dimensional histological methods, making it difficult to analyze three-dimensional (3D) migration patterns.

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Object: Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) represents a spectrum of developmental cortical abnormalities and is one of the most common causes of intractable epilepsy in children and young adults. Outcomes after surgery for FCD are highly variable, and prognosticators of seizure freedom are unclear. In a subset of FCDs, a transmantle sign is observed on imaging that focally spans the entire cerebral mantle from the ventricle to the cortical surface.

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Objective: To describe the magnetic resonance imaging findings of cervical ectopic pregnancy in the second trimester.

Conclusions: Magnetic resonance imaging findings of cervical ectopic pregnancy in the second trimester include intracervical location of the fetus, endometrial hyperplasia within an otherwise empty endometrial cavity, and irregular placentation in the cervix. Correct recognition of the condition is critical because of the potential for catastrophic and life-threatening maternal bleeding.

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The purpose of this study is to report further about the statistically significant results from a prospective study, which suggests that fusion of prone F-18 Fluoro-deoxy-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance (MR) breast scans increases the positive predictive value (PPV) and specificity for patients in whom the MR outcome alone would be nonspecific. Thirty-six women (mean age, 43 years; range, 24-65 years) with 90 lesions detected on MR consented to undergo a FDG-PET scan. Two blinded readers evaluated the MR and the computer tomography (CT) attenuation-corrected prone FDG-PET scans side-by-side, then after the volumes were superimposed (fused).

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The mouse is the preferred model organism for genetic studies of mammalian brain development. MRI has potential for in utero studies of mouse brain development, but has been limited previously by challenges of maximizing image resolution and contrast while minimizing artifacts due to physiological motion. Manganese (Mn)-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) studies have demonstrated central nervous system (CNS) contrast enhancement in mice from the earliest postnatal stages.

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Unlabelled: MRI is a sensitive method for detecting invasive breast cancer, but it lacks specificity. To examine the effect of combining PET with MRI on breast lesion characterization, a prototype positioning device was fabricated to allow PET scans to be acquired in the same position as MRI scans--that is, prone.

Methods: To test the hypothesis that fusion of (18)F-FDG PET and MRI scans improves detection of breast cancer, 23 patients with suspected recurrent or new breast cancer underwent a routine whole-body PET scan, a prone PET scan of the chest, and a routine breast MRI scan.

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Purpose: This study compared prone acquisition of PET scans with traditional supine acquisition to improve fusion of PET scans with MRI scans and improve evaluation of enhancing breast lesions detected on MRI.

Materials And Methods: MRI breast scans are acquired in the prone position using a breast coil to allow the breasts to hang pendant. An apparatus was fabricated to allow prone acquisition of PET scans.

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Recently there has been growing interest in the development and use of iron-based contrast agents for cellular imaging with MRI. In this study we investigated coexpression of the transferrin receptor and ferritin genes to induce cellular contrast in a biological system. Expression of transgenic human transferrin receptor and human ferritin H-subunit was induced in a stably transfected mouse neural stem cell line.

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