Three-Dimensional Variable Slab-Selective Projection Acquisition Imaging.

Three-dimensional (3D) projection acquisition (PA) imaging has recently gained attention because of its advantages, such as achievability of very short echo time, less sensitivity to motion, and undersampled acquisition of projections without sacrificing spatial resolution. However, larger subjects require a stronger Nyquist criterion and are more likely to be affected by outer-volume signals outside the field of view (FOV), which significantly degrades the image quality. Here, we proposed a variable slab-selective projection acquisition (VSS-PA) method to mitigate the Nyquist criterion and effectively suppress aliasing streak artifacts in 3D PA imaging.

Clinical usability of 3D gradient-echo-based ultrashort echo time imaging: Is it enough to facilitate diagnostic decision in real-world practice?

Background: With recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, the practical role of lung MRI is expanding despite the inherent challenges of the thorax. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the current status of the concurrent dephasing and excitation (CODE) ultrashort echo-time sequence and the T1-weighted volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) sequence in the evaluation of thoracic disease by comparing it with the gold standard computed tomography (CT).

Methods: Twenty-four patients with lung cancer and mediastinal masses underwent both CT and MRI including T1-weighted VIBE and CODE.

Assessment of Pulmonary Ventilation Using 3D Ventilation Flow Capacity-Weighted and Ventilation-Weighted Maps From 3D Ultrashort Echo Time (UTE) MRI.

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) ventilation flow capacity-weighted (VFCW) maps together with 3D ventilation-weighted (VW) maps may help to better assess pulmonary function.

Purpose: To investigate the use of 3D VFCW and VW maps for evaluating pulmonary ventilation function.

Study Type: Prospective.

Novel rAAV vector mediated intrathecal HGF delivery has an impact on neuroimmune modulation in the ALS motor cortex with TDP-43 pathology.

Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV)-based gene therapies offer an immense opportunity for rare diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is defined by the loss of the upper and the lower motor neurons. Here, we describe generation, characterization, and utilization of a novel vector system, which enables expression of the active form of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) under EF-1α promoter with bovine growth hormone (bGH) poly(A) sequence and is effective with intrathecal injections. HGF's role in promoting motor neuron survival had been vastly reported.

Strategies for rapid reconstruction in 3D MRI with radial data acquisition: 3D fast Fourier transform vs two-step 2D filtered back-projection.

For 3D radial data reconstruction in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fast Fourier transform via gridding (gFFT) is widely used for its fast processing and flexibility. In comparison, conventional 3D filtered back projection (cFBP), while more robust against common radial k-space centering errors, suffers from long computation times and is less frequently used. In this study, we revisit another back-projection reconstruction strategy, namely two-step 2D filtered back-projection (tsFBP), as an alternative 3D radial MRI reconstruction method that combines computational efficiency and certain error tolerance.

Lentivirus-Mediated VEGF Knockdown Suppresses Gastric Cancer Cell Proliferation and Tumor Growth in vitro and in vivo.

Purpose: Gastric cancer has a high mortality rate worldwide. Although treatments, such as molecular-targeted therapy, have been introduced, the resulting long-term survival and prognosis remain unsatisfactory. Downregulation of the target genes using lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA) can be an effective therapeutic strategy for patients with gastric cancer.

Radioprotective effect of newly synthesized toll-like receptor 5 agonist, KMRC011, in mice exposed to total-body irradiation.

Exposure to ionizing radiation leads to severe damages in radiosensitive organs and induces acute radiation syndrome, including effects on the hematopoietic system and gastrointestinal system. In this study, the radioprotective ability of KMRC011, a novel toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) agonist, was investigated in C57BL6/N mice exposed to lethal total-body gamma-irradiation. In a 30-day survival study, KMRC011-treated mice had a significantly improved survival rate compared with control after 11 Gy total-body irradiation (TBI), and it was found that the radioprotective activity of KMRC011 depended on its dosage and repeated treatment.

Erratum to: A murine colitis model developed using a combination of dextran sulfate sodium and Citrobacter rodentium.

In the article by Park et al. published in Journal of Microbiology 2018; 56, 272-279, the supplementary data Figs S1 and S2 should be corrected as below. The original article can be found online at https://doi.

A murine colitis model developed using a combination of dextran sulfate sodium and Citrobacter rodentium.

Adult mice were treated with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and infected with Citrobacter rodentium for developing a novel murine colitis model. C57BL/6N mice (7-week-old) were divided into four groups. Each group composed of control, dextran sodium sulfate-treated (DSS), C.

Gradient-echo-based 3D submillisecond echo time pulmonary MR imaging: a preliminary usability study on clinical and preclinical MR scanners.

Objective: To preliminarily investigate a technical feasibility of a submillisecond echo time concurrent-dephasing-and-excitation (CODE) sequence for pulmonary MRI on clinical and preclinical MR scanners Methods: CODE imaging (echo time, 0.14 ~ 0.18 ms) was performed with American College of Radiology phantom at 3 T, 7 healthy volunteers at 1.

Visualization of Iron Oxide Enhancement in Focal Pulmonary Inflammatory Lesions Using a Three-Dimensional Radial Gradient-Echo-Based Ultrashort Echo Time Sequence: A Preliminary Study.

Objective: To preliminarily evaluate technical feasibility of a dual-echo ultrashort echo time (UTE) subtraction MR imaging by using concurrent dephasing and excitation (CODE) sequence for visualization of iron-oxide enhancement in focal inflammatory pulmonary lesions.

Materials And Methods: A UTE pulmonary MR imaging before and after the injection of clinically usable superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles, ferumoxytol, was conducted using CODE sequence with dual echo times of 0.14 ms for the first echo and 4.

Anti-obesity effect of robusta fermented with in high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

Robusta beans cultivated with (RMR) were successively fermented with (LM) and the antiobesity effects were examined. To produce an obese mouse model to investigate the hypolipidemic effects, ICR mice were fed the same high-fat diet for 6 weeks. Treatment groups were given 10 or 20% RMR-LM.

Cooperative Interactions between Toll-Like Receptor 2 and Toll-Like Receptor 4 in Murine Infections.

is an opportunistic and clinically significant emerging pathogen. We investigated the relative roles of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4 in initiating host defenses against . TLR2 knockout (KO), TLR4 KO, TLR2/4 double KO (DKO), and wild-type (WT) mice were inoculated with .

Nuclear paramagnetism-induced MR frequency shift and its implications for MR-based magnetic susceptibility measurement.

Purpose: To investigate the H spin contribution (0.004 parts per million (ppm)) to the water magnetic susceptibility and discuss its implications for high-precision phase mapping and tissue susceptibility measurement.

Methods: Free induction decay (FID) signals were acquired at 3 Tesla (T) and 9.

The Probiotic Lactobacillus Prevents Citrobacter rodentium-Induced Murine Colitis in a TLR2-Dependent Manner.

The main objective of this study was to investigate whether Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) ameliorated the effects of Citrobactor rodentium infection in Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) knockout (KO) and TLR4 KO mice, as well as in wild-type C57BL/6 (B6) mice. TLR2 KO, TLR4 KO, and B6 mice were divided into three groups per each strain. Each group had an uninfected control group (n = 5), C.

A radial sampling strategy for uniform k-space coverage with retrospective respiratory gating in 3D ultrashort-echo-time lung imaging.

The purpose of this work was to develop a 3D radial-sampling strategy which maintains uniform k-space sample density after retrospective respiratory gating, and demonstrate its feasibility in free-breathing ultrashort-echo-time lung MRI. A multi-shot, interleaved 3D radial sampling function was designed by segmenting a single-shot trajectory of projection views such that each interleaf samples k-space in an incoherent fashion. An optimal segmentation factor for the interleaved acquisition was derived based on an approximate model of respiratory patterns such that radial interleaves are evenly accepted during the retrospective gating.

Bimetallic phenylene-bridged Cp/amide titanium complexes and their olefin polymerization.

Bimetallic dichlorotitanium complexes, {2,6-[eta(5)-2,5-Me2C5H2](2)-4-R-C6H2N-microN}{Ti(IV)Cl2}2 (, R=Me; , R=F) and 4,4'-A[{2-(eta(5)-2,3,5-Me3C5H)C6H3NC6H11-kappaN}Ti(IV)Cl2]2 (, A=CH2; , A=O; , A=ortho-C6H4) are prepared via a key step of the Suzuki-coupling reaction of 2-dihydroxyboryl-3-methyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one () with dibromo-compounds. The solid state structure of was determined by X-ray crystallography. Complexes and are not active for ethylene/1-hexene copolymerization.

Asiaticoside induces human collagen I synthesis through TGFbeta receptor I kinase (TbetaRI kinase)-independent Smad signaling.

Skin aging appears to be principally related to a decrease in the levels of type I collagen, the primary component of the skin dermis. Asiaticoside, a saponin component isolated from Centella asiatica, has been shown to induce type I collagen synthesis in human dermal fibroblast cells. However, the mechanism underlying asiaticoside-induced type I collagen synthesis, especially at a molecular level, remains only partially understood.

Anti-inflammatory effects of magnolol and honokiol are mediated through inhibition of the downstream pathway of MEKK-1 in NF-kappaB activation signaling.

Propionibacterium acnes, an anaerobic pathogen, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of acne and seems to initiate the inflammatory process by producing proinflammatory cytokines. In order to demonstrate the anti-inflammatory effects and action mechanisms of magnolol and honokiol, several methods were employed. Through DPPH and SOD activity assays, we found that although both magnolol and honokiol have antioxidant activities, honokiol has relatively stronger antioxidant activities than magnolol {[for DPPH assay, % of DPPH bleaching of magnolol and honokiol (500 microM magnolol: 19.

Glycyrrhizin induces melanogenesis by elevating a cAMP level in b16 melanoma cells.

In mammalian melanocytes, melanin synthesis is controlled by tyrosinase, the critical enzyme in the melanogenic pathway. A recent report showed that the stimulation of melanogenesis by glycyrrhizin (GR) is because of an increased tyrosinase expression at mRNA and protein levels. But, the molecular events of melanogenesis induced by GR remain to be elucidated.