Cardiac Energetics Before, During, and After Anthracycline-Based Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients Using P Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: A Pilot Study.

To explore the utility of phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (P MRS) in identifying anthracycline-induced cardiac toxicity in patients with breast cancer. Twenty patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy had cardiac magnetic resonance assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and P MRS to determine myocardial Phosphocreatine/Adenosine Triphosphate Ratio (PCr/ATP) at three time points: pre-, mid-, and end-chemotherapy. Plasma high sensitivity cardiac troponin-I (cTn-I) tests and electrocardiograms were also performed at these same time points.

Characterisation of tissue-type metabolic content in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: a magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging study.

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy yields metabolic information and has proved to be a useful addition to structural imaging in neurological diseases. We applied short-echo time Spectroscopic Imaging in a cohort of 42 patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). Linear modelling with respect to brain tissue type yielded metabolite levels that were significantly different in white matter lesions compared with normal-appearing white matter, suggestive of higher myelin turnover (higher choline), higher metabolic rate (higher creatine) and increased glial activity (higher myo-inositol) within the lesions.

Quantitative assessment of myocardial blood flow in coronary artery disease by cardiovascular magnetic resonance: comparison of Fermi and distributed parameter modeling against invasive methods.

Background: Mathematical modeling of perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) data allows absolute quantification of myocardial blood flow and can potentially improve the diagnosis and prognostication of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), against the current clinical standard of visual assessments. This study compares the diagnostic performance of distributed parameter modeling (DP) against the standard Fermi model, for the detection of obstructive CAD, in per vessel against per patient analysis.

Methods: A pilot cohort of 28 subjects (24 included in the final analysis) with known or suspected CAD underwent adenosine stress-rest perfusion CMR at 3T.

Peri-abortion contraceptive choices of migrant Chinese women: a retrospective review of medical records.

Background: Migrant Asian women reportedly have low levels of contraceptive use and high rates of abortion in New Zealand. Chinese make up the largest proportion of migrant Asian in New Zealand. This study aimed to describe the contraceptive choices of Chinese women seeking abortion; to examine method choice in relation to demographic characteristics (including length of stay) and to determine whether Chinese women were over-represented among abortion clinic attendees.

Attitudes toward long-acting reversible contraception among young women seeking abortion.

Aims: Use of long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods can reduce rates of unplanned pregnancy and abortion, but for a range of reasons, these methods are underused by young women. A third of women seeking abortion return for a subsequent abortion during their reproductive years and could benefit from using effective long-acting methods. We aimed to explore the attitudes of women seeking abortion toward contraception, with a focus on long-acting methods.