Fast and robust quantification of uncertainty in non-linear diffusion MRI models.

Diffusion MRI (dMRI) allows for non-invasive investigation of brain tissue microstructure. By fitting a model to the dMRI signal, various quantitative measures can be derived from the data, such as fractional anisotropy, neurite density and axonal radii maps. We investigate the Fisher Information Matrix (FIM) and uncertainty propagation as a generally applicable method for quantifying the parameter uncertainties in linear and non-linear diffusion MRI models.

Fiber-orientation independent component of R* obtained from single-orientation MRI measurements in simulations and a post-mortem human optic chiasm.

The effective transverse relaxation rate (R*) is sensitive to the microstructure of the human brain like the g-ratio which characterises the relative myelination of axons. However, the fibre-orientation dependence of R* degrades its reproducibility and any microstructural derivative measure. To estimate its orientation-independent part (R*) from single multi-echo gradient-recalled-echo (meGRE) measurements at arbitrary orientations, a second-order polynomial in time model (hereafter M2) can be used.

Protective Effects of 3'-Epilutein and 3'-Oxolutein against Glutamate-Induced Neuronal Damage.

Dietary lutein can be naturally metabolized to 3'-epilutein and 3'-oxolutein in the human body. The epimerization of lutein can happen in acidic pH, and through cooking, 3'-epilutein can be the product of the direct oxidation of lutein in the retina, which is also present in human serum. The 3'-oxolutein is the main oxidation product of lutein.

Changes in the distribution of occlusal forces in the course of the orthodontic retention phase : A prospective cohort study.

Purpose: Aim of the present study was to assess the relative distribution of occlusal forces after orthodontic treatment and during the first 3 months of the retention phase using a computerized occlusal analysis system (T-Scan, Tekscan Inc., Norwood, MA, USA).

Materials And Methods: A total of 52 patients were included in this prospective cohort study and underwent analysis of occlusal forces on the level of tooth, jaw-half, and -quadrant during a 3-month period.

Magnetic resonance imaging at 9.4 T: the Maastricht journey.

The 9.4 T scanner in Maastricht is a whole-body magnet with head gradients and parallel RF transmit capability. At the time of the design, it was conceptualized to be one of the best fMRI scanners in the world, but it has also been used for anatomical and diffusion imaging.

Steroid hormone imbalance drives macrophage infiltration and Spp1/osteopontin foam cell differentiation in the prostate.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) occurs progressively with aging in men and drives deteriorating symptoms collectively known as lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Age-associated changes in circulating steroid hormones, and prostate inflammation have been postulated in the etiology of BPH/LUTS. The link between hormones and inflammation in the development of BPH/LUTS is conflicting because they may occur independently or as sequential steps in disease pathogenesis.

BUDA-MESMERISE: Rapid acquisition and unsupervised parameter estimation for T , T , M , B , and B maps.

Purpose: Rapid acquisition scheme and parameter estimation method are proposed to acquire distortion-free spin- and stimulated-echo signals and combine the signals with a physics-driven unsupervised network to estimate T , T , and proton density (M ) parameter maps, along with B and B information from the acquired signals.

Theory And Methods: An imaging sequence with three 90° RF pulses is utilized to acquire spin- and stimulated-echo signals. We utilize blip-up/-down acquisition to eliminate geometric distortion incurred by the effects of B inhomogeneity on rapid EPI acquisitions.

Corrigendum: The Influence of Radio-Frequency Transmit Field Inhomogeneities on the Accuracy of G-ratio Weighted Imaging.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.

Iodine concentration and tissue attenuation in dual-energy contrast-enhanced CT as a potential quantitative parameter in early detection of local pancreatic carcinoma recurrence after surgical resection.

Purpose: Due to the difficult differentiation from non-specific postoperative soft tissue formation (PSF), early diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma recurrence remains challenging. Thus, we investigated the diagnostic potential of dual-energy (DE) contrast-enhanced CT.

Method: After potentially curative pancreatic carcinoma resection, 31 consecutive patients with PSF were examined via DE perfusion CT, acquiring 34 images (80 kV/140 kV) every 1.

The Influence of Radio-Frequency Transmit Field Inhomogeneities on the Accuracy of G-ratio Weighted Imaging.

G-ratio weighted imaging is a non-invasive, MRI-based technique that aims at estimating an aggregated measure of relative myelination of axons across the entire brain white matter. The MR g-ratio and its constituents (axonal and myelin volume fraction) are more specific to the tissue microstructure than conventional MRI metrics targeting either the myelin or axonal compartment. To calculate the MR g-ratio, an MRI-based myelin-mapping technique is combined with an axon-sensitive MR technique (such as diffusion MRI).

MESMERISED: Super-accelerating T relaxometry and diffusion MRI with STEAM at 7 T for quantitative multi-contrast and diffusion imaging.

There is an increasing interest in quantitative imaging of T, T and diffusion contrast in the brain due to greater robustness against bias fields and artifacts, as well as better biophysical interpretability in terms of microstructure. However, acquisition time constraints are a challenge, particularly when multiple quantitative contrasts are desired and when extensive sampling of diffusion directions, high b-values or long diffusion times are needed for multi-compartment microstructure modeling. Although ultra-high fields of 7 T and above have desirable properties for many MR modalities, the shortening T and the high specific absorption rate (SAR) of inversion and refocusing pulses bring great challenges to quantitative T, T and diffusion imaging.

VirtualTaste: a web server for the prediction of organoleptic properties of chemical compounds.

Taste is one of the crucial organoleptic properties involved in the perception of food by humans. Taste of a chemical compound present in food stimulates us to take in food and avoid poisons. Bitter taste of drugs presents compliance problems and early flagging of potential bitterness of a drug candidate may help with its further development.

Computed Tomography Perfusion Analysis of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma using Deconvolution, Maximum Slope, and Patlak Methods - Evaluation of Diagnostic Accuracy and Interchangeability of Cut-Off Values.

Purpose:  The goal of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of perfusion computed tomography (CT) parameters obtained by different mathematical-kinetic methods for distinguishing pancreatic adenocarcinoma from normal tissue. To determine cut-off values and to assess the interchangeability of cut-off values, which were determined by different methods.

Materials And Methods:  Perfusion CT imaging of the pancreas was prospectively performed in 23 patients.

Data Quality and Cost-effectiveness Analyses of Electronic and Paper-Based Interviewer-Administered Public Health Surveys: Systematic Review.

Background: A population-level survey (PLS) is an essential and standard method used in public health research that supports the quantification of sociodemographic events, public health policy development, and intervention designs. Data collection mechanisms in PLS seem to be a significant determinant in avoiding mistakes. Using electronic devices such as smartphones and tablet computers improves the quality and cost-effectiveness of public health surveys.

Assessment of tissue perfusion of pancreatic cancer as potential imaging biomarker by means of Intravoxel incoherent motion MRI and CT perfusion: correlation with histological microvessel density as ground truth.

Background/objectives: The aim of this study was to compare intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) diffusion weighted (DW) MRI and CT perfusion to assess tumor perfusion of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods: In this prospective study, DW-MRI and CT perfusion were conducted in nineteen patients with PDAC on the day before surgery. IVIM analysis of DW-MRI was performed and the parameters perfusion fraction f, pseudodiffusion coefficient D*, and diffusion coefficient D were extracted for tumors, upstream, and downstream parenchyma.

[Housing Situation Among People with Substance Use Disorder in a Psychiatric Centre in Berlin, Germany - A Cross-Sectional Patient Survey].

Objective: To investigate the housing situation, service use and substance use among patients with substance use disorders seeking psychiatric treatment.

Methods: Structured interview among 540 psychiatric inpatients including day clinics in a psychiatric centre in Berlin, Germany.

Results: Patients under instable housing conditions were significantly more often diagnosed with a comorbid psychotic disorder and were significantly younger when first psychiatric or substance use treatment occurred, on average before onset of homelessness.

Psychiatric beds and prison populations in 17 Latin American countries between 1991 and 2017: rates, trends and an inverse relationship between the two indicators.

Background: In 1990, Latin American countries committed to psychiatric reforms including psychiatric bed removals. Aim of the study was to quantify changes in psychiatric bed numbers and prison population rates after the initiation of psychiatric reforms in Latin America.

Methods: We searched primary sources to collect numbers of psychiatric beds and prison population rates across Latin America between the years 1991 and 2017.

Ultra-high resolution and multi-shell diffusion MRI of intact ex vivo human brains using k-dSTEAM at 9.4T.

Diffusion MRI (dMRI) in ex vivo human brain specimens is an important research tool for neuroanatomical investigations and the validation of dMRI techniques. Many ex vivo dMRI applications have benefited from very high dMRI resolutions achievable on small-bore preclinical or animal MRI scanners for small tissue samples. However, the investigation of entire human brains post mortem provides the important context of entire white matter (WM) network systems and entire gray matter (GM) areas connected through these systems.

Data Quality and Cost-Effectiveness Analyses of Electronic and Paper-Based Interviewer-Administered Public Health Surveys: Protocol for a Systematic Review.

Background: Population-level survey is an essential standard method used in public health research to quantify sociodemographic events and support public health policy development and intervention designs with evidence. Although all steps in the survey can contribute to the data quality parameters, data collection mechanisms seem the most determinant, as they can avoid mistakes before they happen. The use of electronic devices such as smartphones and tablet computers improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of public health surveys.

Access to mobile phone and willingness to receive mHealth services among patients with diabetes in Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: This study aimed at determining access to mobile phone and willingness to receive mobile phone-based diabetes health services as well as identify associated factors in Northwest Ethiopia.

Design: An institution-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from February to March 2016.

Participants: Systematic randomly selected 423 patients with diabetes.

A Comparison of Electronic Medical Record Data to Paper Records in Antiretroviral Therapy Clinic in Ethiopia: What is affecting the Quality of the Data?

Background: Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) care is a lifelong treatment, which needs accurate and reliable data collected for long period of time. Poor quality of medical records data remains a challenge and is directly related to the quality of care of patients. To improve this, there is an increasing trend to implement electronic medical record (EMR) in hospitals.

Partial magnetic ordering in one-dimensional arrays of endofullerene single-molecule magnet peapods.

The magnetic ordering and bistability of one-dimensional chains of endofullerene Dy2ScN@C80 single-molecule magnets (SMMs) packed inside single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been studied using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), and ab initio calculations. X-ray absorption measurements reveal that the orientation of the encapsulated endofullerenes differs from the isotropic distribution in the bulk sample, indicating a partial ordering of the endofullerenes inside the SWCNTs. The effect of the one-dimensional packing was further investigated by ab initio calculations, demonstrating that for specific tube diameters, the encapsulation is leading to energetically preferential orientations of the endohedral clusters.

Dual-energy CT iodine maps as an alternative quantitative imaging biomarker to abdominal CT perfusion: determination of appropriate trigger delays for acquisition using bolus tracking.

Objective: Quantitative evaluation of different bolus tracking trigger delays for acquisition of dual energy (DE) CT iodine maps as an alternative to CT perfusion.

Methods: Prior to this retrospective analysis of prospectively acquired data, DECT perfusion sequences were dynamically acquired in 22 patients with pancreatic carcinoma using dual source CT at 80/140 kV with tin filtration. After deformable motion-correction, perfusion maps of blood flow (BF) were calculated from 80 kV image series of DECT, and iodine maps were calculated for each of the 34 DECT acquisitions per patient.