Spatially resolved assessment of serotonin-induced bronchoconstrictive responses in the rat lung using 3He ventilation MRI under spontaneous breathing conditions.

The effect on lung ventilation of bronchoconstriction induced by serotonin (intravenous injection of 50 microg/kg of serotonin) was imaged using a hyperpolarized (3)He MR ventilation protocol in spontaneously breathing rats. Lung function maps assessing airflow obstruction, a key feature in clinical pneumology, were derived from dynamic image series acquired after inhalation of (3)He gas. Dynamic ventilation (3)He MR images spanning a respiratory cycle were obtained using a retrospective cine image reconstruction procedure.

Hyperpolarized 3He MR for sensitive imaging of ventilation function and treatment efficiency in young cystic fibrosis patients with normal lung function.

Purpose: To assess the sensitivity of hyperpolarized helium 3 ((3)He) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for the detection of peripheral airway obstruction in younger cystic fibrosis (CF) patients showing normal spirometric results (mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV(1)], 112% +/- 14.5 [standard deviation]) and to observe the immediate effects of a single chest physical therapy (CPT) session, thereby comparing two image quantification techniques.

Materials And Methods: Ten pediatric CF patients (age range, 8-16 years) with normal spirometric results were included in this study after approval from the local research ethics committee.

Bevacizumab and paclitaxel for breast cancer patients with central nervous system metastases: a case series.

Central nervous system (CNS) metastases are a major concern in patients with stage IV breast cancer. Recent studies have shown the efficacy of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs on brain tumors, in particular glioblastoma, but none has explored their efficacy and tolerance in breast cancer patients with CNS metastases. We report 4 cases of patients with CNS metastases treated with bevacizumab and paclitaxel.

Cyclosporine-related posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome after heart transplantation: should we withdraw or reduce cyclosporine?: case reports.

Cyclosporine (CsA) related encephalopathy has not been well documented after heart transplantation. We report 2 cases of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). The first case was a 68-year-old woman who underwent heart transplantation and received immunosuppression with mycophenolate mofetil, prednisone, and CsA.

Aerosols and gaseous contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging of the lung.

Magnetic resonance imaging of lungs and the investigation of pulmonary pathologies with this technique are limited by low proton spin density, degraded magnetic homogeneity and motion. Inhaled contrast agents (gases or aerosols) can improve the diagnostic value of MRI for lung. Paramagnetic contrast agents such as gadolinium chelates aerosol or dioxygen gas increase the relaxivity of proton in lung parenchyma and can be used to assess the ventilated fraction of the bronchoalveolar space.