Disruption of neural periodicity predicts clinical response after deep brain stimulation for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Recent advances in surgical neuromodulation have enabled chronic and continuous intracranial monitoring during everyday life. We used this opportunity to identify neural predictors of clinical state in 12 individuals with treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) receiving deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy ( NCT05915741 ). We developed our neurobehavioral models based on continuous neural recordings in the region of the ventral striatum in an initial cohort of five patients and tested and validated them in a held-out cohort of seven additional patients.

Bringing the Clinic Home: An At-Home Multi-Modal Data Collection Ecosystem to Support Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation.

Adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS) shows promise for improving treatment for neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD). aDBS uses symptom-related biomarkers to adjust stimulation parameters in real-time to target symptoms more precisely. To enable these dynamic adjustments, parameters for an aDBS algorithm must be determined for each individual patient.

Understanding the tool influence function during sub-aperture belt-on-wheel glass polishing.

The tool influence function (TIF) during sub-aperture belt-on-wheel polishing has been evaluated as a function of various process conditions (belt use/wear, dwell time, displacement, belt velocity, and wheel modulus and diameter) on fused silica glass workpieces using polishing media. TIF spots are circular or elliptical in shape with a largely flat bottom character. The volumetric removal rate varies significantly with belt use (or wear), stabilizing after ∼15 of use.

Minimizing cotton ball retention in neurological procedures.

Neurosurgical operations are long and intensive medical procedures, during which the surgeon must constantly have an unobscured view of the brain in order to be able to properly operate, and thus must use a variety of tools to clear obstructions (like blood and fluid) from the operating area. Currently, cotton balls are the most versatile and effective option to accomplish this as they absorb fluids, are soft enough to safely manipulate the brain, act as a barrier between other tools and the brain, and function as a spacer to keep anatomies of the brain open and visible during the operation. While cotton balls allow neurosurgeons to effectively improve visibility of the operating area, they may also be accidentally left in the brain upon completion of the surgery.

Minimizing cotton retention in neurosurgical procedures: which imaging modality can help?

Cotton balls are used in neurosurgical procedures to assist with hemostasis and improve vision within the operative field. Although the surgeon can reshape pieces of cotton for multiple intraoperative uses, this customizability and scale also places them at perpetual risk of being lost, as blood-soaked cotton balls are visually similar to raw brain tissue. Retained surgical cotton can induce potentially life-threatening immunologic responses, impair postoperative imaging, lead to a textiloma or misdiagnosis, and/or require reoperation.

Draft Genome Sequences of 10 Bacterial Strains Isolated from an Abandoned Coal Mine in Southeast Kansas.

Here, we report 10 bacterial strains isolated from an abandoned coal mine in southeast Kansas to determine their potential for bioremediation through comparison of the genome sizes and distribution patterns of unique metabolic genes. The selected strains belong to the genera , , , , , , , , and .

MR enterography in the management of patients with Crohn disease.

Crohn disease is a complex pathologic process with an unpredictable lifelong course that includes frequent relapses. It often affects young patients, who are most vulnerable to the potential adverse effects of repeated exposure to ionizing radiation from computed tomography performed for diagnosis and surgical planning. The small intestine is the bowel segment that is most frequently affected, but it is the least accessible with endoscopic techniques.

Elucidation of the disulfide bridge pattern of the recombinant human growth and differentiation factor 5 dimer and the interchain Cys/Ala mutant monomer.

Growth and differentiation factor 5 (GDF5) is involved in many developmental processes such as chondrogenesis and joint and bone formation. A recombinant monomeric human GDF5 mutant rGDF5(C84A) is in vitro as potent as the dimeric native form, and clinical investigations of rGDF5(C84A) are in progress. Native homodimeric GDF5 belongs to the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) superfamily; each monomer contains a cystine knot formed by three intrachain disulfide bridges, and the monomers are connected via an interchain disulfide bridge.

Extracolonic findings at virtual colonoscopy: an important consideration in asymptomatic colorectal cancer screening.

Background: Virtual colonoscopy has been evaluated for use as a colorectal cancer screening tool, and in prior studies, it has been estimated that the evaluation of extra-colonic findings adds $28-$34 per patient studied.

Methods: As an ancillary study to a prospective cohort study comparing virtual colonoscopy to conventional colonoscopy for colorectal cancer detection, the investigators retrospectively determined the number and estimated costs of all clinic visits, imaging and laboratory studies, and medical procedures that were generated as a direct result of extra-colonic findings at virtual colonoscopy.

Results: We enrolled 143 subjects who underwent CTC followed by conventional colonoscopy.

Monomeric and dimeric GDF-5 show equal type I receptor binding and oligomerization capability and have the same biological activity.

Growth and differentiation factor 5 (GDF-5) is a homodimeric protein stabilized by a single disulfide bridge between cysteine 465 in the respective monomers, as well as by three intramolecular cysteine bridges within each subunit. A mature recombinant human GDF-5 variant with cysteine 465 replaced by alanine (rhGDF-5 C465A) was expressed in E. coli, purified to homogeneity, and chemically renatured.

Cystic changes in hepatic and peritoneal metastases from gastrointestinal stromal tumors treated with Gleevec.

Background: Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (Gleevec or STI-571) must be considered the treatment of choice for metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). The purpose of this article is to address and illustrate a long-term follow-up of computed tomographic (CT) radiologic findings in patients with metastases from GIST after Gleevec treatment.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of seven patients (four male, three female) with unresectable metastases from GIST who were treated with STI-571 in a 1-year period.

Cystic changes in hepatic metastases from gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) treated with Gleevec (imatinib mesylate).

Objective: The purpose of this article is to illustrate the CT findings in patients with hepatic metastases from a gastrointestinal stromal tumor who were treated with STI-571.

Conclusion: Hepatic metastases from gastrointestinal stromal tumors that respond to treatment with STI-571 can appear as near-cystic components with well-defined borders on contrast-enhanced CT. Most metastases became smaller.

Noninvasive assessment of portomesenteric venous thrombosis: current concepts and imaging strategies.

Rapid, noninvasive imaging strategies, especially multidetector spiral CT and CT angiography (CTA) as well as gadolinium-enhanced MR angiography (MRA), have facilitated early diagnosis of splanchnic venous thrombosis, a potentially lethal cause of intestinal ischemia. Single breath-hold volumetric acquisitions permit superior temporal and contrast resolution while eliminating motion artifact and suppressing respiratory misregistration. Increased spatial resolution is aided by thinner slice collimation.

Mesenteric venous thrombosis: diagnosis and noninvasive imaging.

Mesenteric venous thrombosis is an uncommon but potentially lethal cause of bowel ischemia. Several imaging methods are available for diagnosis, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. Doppler ultrasonography allows direct evaluation of the mesenteric and portal veins, provides semiquantitative flow information, and allows Doppler waveform analysis of the visceral vessels; however, it is operator dependent and is often limited by overlying bowel gas.

CT appearance of disseminated peritoneal adenomucinosis.

Disseminated peritoneal adenomucinosis (DPAM) is a relatively rare cause of pseudomyxoma peritonei, marked by peritoneal lesions with abundant extracellular mucin and little cytologic atypia among exfoliated tumor cells, and usually associated with appendiceal adenomas. Peritoneal mucinous carcinomatosis (PMCA) also causes diffuse peritoneal tumor but is marked by neoplastic mucinous epithelium with cytologic features of carcinoma and associated with appendiceal, colon, gastric, or small bowel carcinoma. Compared with PMCA, DPAM has a different distribution of disease and a significantly better prognosis.

CT diagnosis of acute flank pain from urolithiasis.

The use of noncontrast helical CT (NHCT) to assess patients with acute flank pain and hematuria for potential urinary tract stone disease was first reported in 1995. After several years of experience with the technique, sensitivity and specificity of NHCT has proven to be better than intravenous urography for evaluating ureteral stones. NHCT imaging findings for urinary calculi and the differential diagnosis are discussed in this article.

Is it necessary to biopsy the obvious?

Objective: The radiologist and oncologist are often confident that biopsy will confirm their suspicion of recurrent disease, but a biopsy is performed to confirm the histologic diagnosis before beginning or altering therapy. We have examined data to determine how often the biopsied lesion represents recurrent disease from the primary tumor or is an instance of new cancer, and whether recurrent disease can be predicted.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed the medical and imaging records of 253 patients who underwent CT-guided biopsy of an abdominal or pelvic lesion between 1993 and 1996.

Abnormal calcification on plain radiographs of the abdomen.

The purpose of this pictorial review is to facilitate recognition and understanding of calcifications seen on conventional radiographs of the abdomen. Calcifications can be categorized by organ system and location in the abdomen. Both common and rare calcifications in the urinary tract, liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, adrenal glands, digestive tract, genital tract, peritoneal cavity, and retroperitoneum are illustrated.

Interpretation of abdominal CT: analysis of errors and their causes.

Purpose: Our goal was to analyze those factors contributing to the error rate in the interpretation of abdominal CT scans at an academic medical center.

Method: From a total of 694 consecutive patients (329 male, 365 female), we evaluated the error rates of interpreting abdominal CT studies. The average patient age was 54 years.

Imaging approach to staging of renal cell carcinoma.

Current imaging techniques, especially CT and MR imaging, make accurate preoperative staging of renal cell carcinoma possible. Because surgery provides the only effective therapy and because survival depends on local and distant extent, precise staging is critical for preoperative planning and prognosis. This article reviews the advantages, limitations, accuracy, and pitfalls of each of the imaging approaches to staging renal cell carcinoma, concentrating on CT and MR imaging.

The role of imaging in staging renal adenocarcinoma.

Numerous surgical options are available to physicians treating patients with renal adenocarcinoma. In the current clinical setting, imaging plays a key role in determining which options are selected. Newer imaging techniques such as helical CT with CT angiography, MRI, and ultrasound (US) have improved staging capabilities in this patient population.

Assessment of rectal tumor infiltration utilizing endorectal MR imaging and comparison with endoscopic rectal sonography.

Background: The preoperative assessment of depth of invasion of rectal carcinoma is increasingly important as new treatment methodologies are developed. Accuracy of preoperative endorectal MR imaging was therefore compared with that of the endoscopic rectal sonography in determining depth of invasion of rectal carcinomas.

Method: From March 1993 to April 1994, 10 consecutive patients with biopsy-proven rectal carcinomas were imaged with both endorectal MR imaging and endoscopic rectal sonography.