Publications by authors named "Akazawa Kentaro"

Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers analyzed data from 404 participants aged 65 and older, using brain CT scans, blood tests, and cognitive assessments to evaluate calcification levels.
  • * Findings suggest distinct mechanisms behind calcification in different brain areas, particularly noting that male gender and intact parathyroid hormone levels are linked to specific regions, while age and lifestyle diseases are more general predictors.
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MR imaging is often used in assessing patients with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. Assessment is done through quantitative imaging analysis in addition to visual assessment using structural MRI. Advanced MRI techniques, such as diffusion MRI, functional MRI, arterial spin labeling (ASL), and MR spectroscopy, are also potential imaging biomarkers.

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Background: Mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM) is a novel biomarker for cognitive decline based on its association with cerebral small vessel disease (SVD). Cerebral microbleeds (MBs) are characteristic of SVD; however, a direct association between MR-proADM and MBs has not been explored.

Objective: We aimed to examine whether circulating levels of MR-proADM are associated with the identification of MBs by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and whether this association could be linked with cognitive impairment.

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Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)-based thermometry offers potential as a noninvasive method for measuring temperatures deep inside the human brain. However, DWI might be influenced by the pulsatile flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This study aimed to investigate the influence of such pulsations on DWI thermometry in healthy individuals.

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We present the case of a 52-year-old woman with right hemiparesis due to a mass lesion in the left parietal white matter and corpus callosum. The lesion was hyperintense on diffusion weighted image and homogenously enhanced with gadolinium on magnetic resonance imaging, and was radiologically indistinguishable with lymphoma. Following progressive aggravation of symptoms, craniotomy for biopsy of the lesion was performed, and it was revealed that the patient had anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-associated disease by histopathological and serological diagnosis.

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Here, we report two cases showing tumor-like white matter lesions; one case was diagnosed as having inflammatory disease, and the other was diagnosed as having astrocytoma. Their outcomes were completely distinct despite similar pathology. Prior to biopsy, perfusion computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were conducted.

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The cauda equina itself is an unsuitable site for radiological diagnostic imaging because the cauda equina is anatomically a small structure, and magnetic resonance imaging is of limited value to accurately detect lesions in this area. Therefore, in addition to the imaging findings of the cauda equina itself, it is necessary to consider findings in the spinal cord and other areas, as well as clinically correlate these data. In this article, we discuss diseases that cause cauda equina disorders and describe the characteristic imaging findings in such cases.

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Purpose: Deep white matter lesions (DWMLs), T2 high-intensity areas in the subcortical white matter on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are a clinical phenotype of cerebral small vessel disease. Factors such as age and hypertension have been reported to significantly contribute to the presence and severity of DWMLs in cross-sectional studies. We herein report a 10-year longitudinal study on DWMLs in elderly Japanese subjects to reveal the clinical variables contributing to the progression of DWMLs.

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Aim: Pineal parenchymal volume (PPV) reduction is one of the predisposing factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, PPV could be used as a predictor of developing AD in clinical settings. We investigated whether PPV in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was correlated with conversion of these patients to AD.

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Purpose: To investigate whether whole-tumor histogram analyses of diffusivity measurements derived from q-space imaging (QSI) improves the differentiation between meningioma and schwannoma.

Materials And Methods: Fifteen extra-axial tumors (11 meningiomas and 4 schwannomas) with MR examinations from April 2011 to May 2013 were included. Three-dimensional regions of interest (ROI) encompassed the whole tumor, including cystic areas.

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To examine the feasibility and potential difficulties of automatically generating radiologic reports (RRs) to articulate the clinically important features of brain magnetic resonance (MR) images. We focused on examining brain atrophy by using magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo (MPRAGE) images. The technology was based on multi-atlas whole-brain segmentation that identified 283 structures, from which larger superstructures were created to represent the anatomic units most frequently used in RRs.

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Background: The anti-aging protein, α-Klotho, may be involved in cognitive decline and has potential as a surrogate marker that reflects dementia. However, the role of α-Klotho in the brain has not been sufficiently investigated.

Objective: Here, we investigated the association between α-Klotho and cognitive decline that is associated with cerebral deep white matter lesions (DWMLs).

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The data presented in this article are related to the research article entitled "Mapping the Critical Gestational Age at Birth that Alters Brain Development in Preterm-born Infants using Multi-Modal MRI" (Wu et al., 2017) [1]. Brain immaturity at birth poses critical neurological risks in the preterm-born infants.

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Article Synopsis
  • Adrenomedullin (ADM) is a peptide found in the brain's vascular system that has various beneficial effects, and this study focuses on its stable fragment, MR-proADM, in relation to cognitive decline and deep white matter lesions (DWMLs).
  • The research involved 288 participants over five years, using MRI to classify DWMLs and cognitive tests to assess mental function, revealing that higher MR-proADM levels were linked to more severe DWMLs and worse cognitive performance.
  • The findings suggest that elevated MR-proADM may serve as a potential diagnostic marker for cognitive decline associated with DWMLs.
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Preterm birth adversely affects postnatal brain development. In order to investigate the critical gestational age at birth (GAB) that alters the developmental trajectory of gray and white matter structures in the brain, we investigated diffusion tensor and quantitative T2 mapping data in 43 term-born and 43 preterm-born infants. A novel multivariate linear model-the change point model, was applied to detect change points in fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, and T2 relaxation time.

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Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are an important risk factor for stroke and dementia. We have shown that the collagen binding surface Cnm protein expressed on cnm-positive Streptococcus mutans is involved in the development of CMBs. However, whether the collagen binding activity of cnm-positive S.

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Purpose: Q-space imaging (QSI) is a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that enables assessment of micro-structural changes of white matter. The acquisition time, however, is comparatively long to use for routine clinical assessment. Therefore, the present study investigated the clinically feasible b value combinations to measure the water molecular displacement probability density function (PDF) in healthy subjects.

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Probabilistic maps of white matter pathways related to motor, somatosensory, auditory, visual, and limbic functions, and major white matter tracts (the corpus callosum, the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and the middle cerebellar peduncle) were applied to evaluate the developmental trajectories of these tracts, using longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) obtained in term-born and preterm-born healthy infants. Nineteen term-born and 30 preterm-born infants completed MR scans at three time points: Time-point 1, 41.6±2.

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Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been widely used to investigate the development of the neonatal and infant brain, and deviations related to various diseases or medical conditions like preterm birth. In this study, we created a probabilistic map of fiber pathways with known associated functions, on a published neonatal multimodal atlas. The pathways-of-interest include the superficial white matter (SWM) fibers just beneath the specific cytoarchitectonically defined cortical areas, which were difficult to evaluate with existing DTI analysis methods.

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Background: Vascular dementia is related to intracranial arteriosclerosis associated with deep white matter lesions (DWMLs). DWMLs have been linked to thrombogenesis due to sustained platelet activation; therefore, an accurate hematological marker is needed. This study was done to evaluate the usefulness of a new method to examine the function of activated platelets in order to assess DWMLs associated with cognitive decline.

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Purpose: The brain produces intense heat as a result of cerebral metabolism and cerebral blood flow, and the generated heat is removed mainly through circulation of the intracranial blood vessels and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Because magnetic resonance (MR) images are constructed from analysis of the spin of various molecules, the diffusion coefficient can be used as a parameter that reflects the temperature of water molecules. We used diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)-based MR imaging to measure the temperature of the CSF around the lateral ventricles in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH).

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We present a rare case of testicular seminoma in persistent Mullerian duct syndrome (PMDS) with transverse testicular ectopia (TTE). A 42-year-old man noticed scrotal swelling a few weeks earlier and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on suspicion of testicular tumor. MRI revealed a normal left testis on the left side of the left scrotum and a heterogeneous mass on the right side within the left scrotum.

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