Publications by authors named "Katherine Downey"

Purpose To compare disease detection of myeloma using contemporary whole-body (WB) MRI and fluorine 18 (F) fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT protocols and to correlate imaging with laboratory estimates of disease burden, including molecular characteristics. Materials and Methods In this observational, prospective study, participants were recruited from November 2015 to March 2018 who had a diagnosis of myeloma, who were planned to undergo chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation, and who underwent baseline WB-MRI and FDG PET/CT (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02403102).

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Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a form of cardiopulmonary support primarily used in cardiothoracic and intensive care unit (ICU) settings. The purpose of this review is to familiarise radiologists with the imaging features of ECMO devices, their associated complications and appropriate imaging protocols for contrast-enhanced CT imaging of ECMO patients. This paper will provide a brief introduction to ECMO and the imaging modalities utilised in ECMO patients, followed by a description of the types of ECMO available and cannula positioning.

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Fungal phytopathogens can suppress plant immune mechanisms in order to colonize living host cells. Identifying all the molecular components involved is critical for elaborating a detailed systems-level model of plant infection probing pathogen weaknesses; yet, the hierarchy of molecular events controlling fungal responses to the plant cell is not clear. Here we show how, in the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, terminating rice innate immunity requires a dynamic network of redox-responsive E3 ubiquitin ligases targeting fungal sirtuin 2 (Sir2), an antioxidation regulator required for suppressing the host oxidative burst.

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Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity of computed diffusion-weighted (DW)-MR imaging for the detection of breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: Local research ethics approval was obtained. A total of 61 women (median 48 years) underwent dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE)- and DW-MR between January 2011 and March 2012, including 27 with breast cancer on core biopsy and 34 normal cases.

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Aim: The aim of this study is to validate high-resolution endovaginal T2- and diffusion-weighted MRI measurements (tumour size, volume and length of uninvolved cervical canal) against histology in patients undergoing trachelectomy.

Patients/interventions: 55 consecutive patients 25-44 years with cervical cancer being considered for trachelectomy were prospectively assessed with endovaginal T2-W and diffusion-weighted MRI. Two independent observers blinded to histology recorded maximum tumour dimension, volume and distance from the superior aspect of the tumour to the internal os.

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Our previous research showed that enolates formed from 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, such as 2-acetylcyclopentanone (2-ACP), could provide protection in cell culture models from electrophile- or oxidative stress-induced toxicity. In the present study, we evaluated the protective abilities of 2-ACP in a mouse model of acetaminophen (APAP) hepatotoxicity. Results show that oral APAP overdose (500 mg/kg) was nearly 90% lethal within 72 hours and that the resulting hepatotoxicity was associated with substantial changes in plasma liver enzyme activities, histopathological indices, and markers of hepatocyte oxidative stress.

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Purpose Of Review: There has been considerable progress in the imaging of cervical cancer over the last 5 years. In countries with access to cross-sectional imaging resources, technical advances have enabled a range of imaging techniques to become increasingly employed and established in the detection, staging and treatment planning of cervical cancer and for identifying disease recurrence. This review highlights these developments and summarizes recent significant articles.

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A case is described where laparoscopic principles in the management of spontaneous sigmoid diverticular perforation are applied to foreign body perforation.

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Intestinal spirochetosis (IS) is an unusual infection in children, one with no standard therapeutic options. This article reports the findings on 5 new cases in conjunction with a 20-year review of the pediatric literature. The diagnosis of IS in children requires a high degree of suspicion by the physician, as many cases present with abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, and/or hematochezia associated with a normal endoscopic examination.

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Objective: Emerging evidence suggests that clinically important antiinflammatory effects of HMG-CoA reductase inhibition may extend beyond cardiovascular disease to other inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Protective bone-specific anabolic and antiresorptive effects of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors have also been evaluated in normal and osteoporotic bone. The specific effect of statins on inflammation-induced bone loss has not previously been a focus of evaluation.

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Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) is a multifunctional peptide that enhances blood flow in non-central nervous system (CNS) vascular beds by causing vasodilation. PTHrP expression is induced in non-CNS organs in response to ischemia. Experiments were therefore undertaken to determine whether PTHrP can be induced in brain in response to ischemic injury and whether PTHrP can act locally as a vasodilator in the cerebral vasculature, an effect that could be neuroprotective in the setting of stroke.

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