Discovery of Two Novel Immunoepitopes and Development of a Peptide-based Sarcoidosis Immunoassay.

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disorder associated with hypergammaglobulinemia and the presence of autoantibodies. The specific antigens initiating granulomatous inflammation in sarcoidosis are unknown, and there is no specific test available to diagnose sarcoidosis. To discover novel sarcoidosis antigens, we developed a high-throughput T7 phage display library derived from the sarcoidosis cDNA and identified numerous clones differentiating sarcoidosis from other respiratory diseases.

A new prediction model for total body water estimation by BIA in children with normal and excessive weight.

Background: Various methods, including bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), are used for total body water (TBW) estimation. The objective of our study by BIA was to develop a new predication model based on corrected TBW for normal adult BMI, a concept similar to the standardization of glomerular filtration rate by relating it to the average adult body surface area.

Method: We measured TBW by BIA in 335 children 3-21 years old with normal or excessive body weight.

Obesity and impaired barrier function after shock: A biomimetic in vitro model using microfluidics.

Background: Impaired microvascular perfusion in the obese patient has been linked to chronic adverse health consequences. The impact on acute illnesses including trauma, sepsis, and hemorrhagic shock (HS) is uncertain. Studies have shown that endothelial glycocalyx and vascular endothelial derangements are causally linked to perfusion abnormalities.

Live cell measurements of interaction forces and binding kinetics between Discoidin Domain Receptor 1 (DDR1) and collagen I with atomic force microscopy.

Background: Discoidin Domain Receptors (DDRs) are membrane-tethered proteins of the receptor tyrosine kinase family, which signal in response to collagen. DDR expression is associated with human diseases, including fibrosis and cancer. The role of DDRs in human pathogenesis is mediated by dysregulated receptor function in response to the collagenous milieu.

Validation of MRI classification system for tibial stress injuries.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to compare an MRI classification system for tibial stress injuries with semiquantitative MR features of injury severity and clinical outcome.

Materials And Methods: Two musculoskeletal radiologists retrospectively reviewed in consensus the MR findings of 142 tibial stress injuries to quantify the degree of periosteal and bone marrow edema and grade the injuries using the Fredericson classification system (grade 1 = periosteal edema only, grade 2 = bone marrow edema visible on T2-weighted images, grade 3 = bone marrow edema visible on T1-weighted and T2-weighted images, grade 4a = multiple focal areas of intracortical signal abnormality, and grade 4b = linear areas of intracortical signal abnormality). Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to determine the relationship between the grade of stress injury and the degree of periosteal and bone marrow edema and the time to return to sports activity.

MR arthrography of the hip: comparison of IDEAL-SPGR volume sequence to standard MR sequences in the detection and grading of cartilage lesions.

Purpose: To compare the diagnostic performance of iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-squares estimation (IDEAL)-spoiled gradient-recalled echo (SPGR) with that of standard magnetic resonance (MR) arthrography sequences for detecting and grading cartilage lesions within the hip joint during MR arthrography.

Materials And Methods: Following institutional review board approval, 67 consecutive hip MR arthrograms were retrospectively reviewed independently by three musculoskeletal radiologists and one musculoskeletal fellow. IDEAL-SPGR images and the two-dimensional images, the latter from the routine MR arthrography protocol, were evaluated at separate sittings to grade each articular surface of the hip joint.

Aneurysm volume-to-ostium area ratio: a parameter useful for discriminating the rupture status of intracranial aneurysms.

Background: Slow or stagnant flow is a hemodynamic feature that has been linked to the risk of aneurysm rupture.

Objective: To assess the potential value of the ratio of the volume of an aneurysm to the area of its ostium (VOR) as an indicator of intra-aneurysmal slow flow and, thus, in turn, the risk of rupture.

Methods: Using a sample defined from internal databases, a retrospective analysis of aneurysm size, aspect ratio (AR), and VOR was performed on a series of 155 consecutive aneurysms having undergone 3-dimensional digital subtraction angiography as a part of their evaluation.

Changing trends in serious extra-articular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis among United State veterans over 20 years.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine prevalence trends of serious extra-articular manifestations (EAMs) in a data set representing both hospitalized and ambulatory patients with RA.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used serial cross-sectional data to examine the prevalence of serious EAMs in patients with RA from 1985 to 2006 across the United States (US) Veteran's Health Administration system. Serious EAMs included rheumatoid carditis, RA lung disease, FS and pooled EAM rates included previously reported vasculitis prevalence as queried by ICD-9 searches.

3.0-T evaluation of knee cartilage by using three-dimensional IDEAL GRASS imaging: comparison with fast spin-echo imaging.

Purpose: To compare the diagnostic performance of iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-squares estimation (IDEAL) gradient-recalled acquisition in steady-state (GRASS) imaging with a routine magnetic resonance (MR) imaging protocol for evaluating knee cartilage at 3.0 T in patients by using arthroscopy as the reference standard.

Materials And Methods: This prospective Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant study was performed with a waiver of informed consent from the institutional review board.

Longitudinal assessment of colonic tumor fate in mice by computed tomography and optical colonoscopy.

Rationale And Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative merits of micro-computed tomograph colonography (mCTC) and optical colonoscopy (OC) for longitudinal studies of colonic tumors in mice.

Materials And Methods: Colonic tumors in mice carrying the Min allele of Apc were followed over several weeks using mCTC and OC. A total of 146 colonic tumors were monitored: 62 in 32 untreated Min mice, 53 in 43 Min mice treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and 31 in 17 Min mice treated with piroxicam.

Validation of results from knowledge discovery: mass density as a predictor of breast cancer.

The purpose of our study is to identify and quantify the association between high breast mass density and breast malignancy using inductive logic programming (ILP) and conditional probabilities, and validate this association in an independent dataset. We ran our ILP algorithm on 62,219 mammographic abnormalities. We set the Aleph ILP system to generate 10,000 rules per malignant finding with a recall >5% and precision >25%.

Decline in rheumatoid vasculitis prevalence among US veterans: a retrospective cross-sectional study.

Objective: To examine trends in the prevalence of rheumatoid vasculitis in a national US population comprising both hospitalized and ambulatory patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: In this serial cross-sectional study, we analyzed data on hospitalized and ambulatory patients spanning 22 years (1985-2006) and 10 years (1997-2006), respectively, to determine the prevalence of rheumatoid vasculitis, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision. Our search encompassed data collected on a predominantly male study population during 10 million hospitalizations and outpatient visits, and included annual data on >37,000 RA patients.

Endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: nonenhanced volumetric CT for follow-up.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical usefulness of volumetric analysis at nonenhanced computed tomography (CT) as the sole method with which to follow up endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) and to identify endoleaks causing more than 2% volumetric increase from the previous volume determination.

Materials And Methods: The study had institutional review board approval. Images were reviewed retrospectively in a HIPAA-compliant manner for 230 CT studies in 70 patients (11 women, 59 men; mean age, 74 years) who underwent EVAR.

Comparison of the accuracy rates of 3-T and 1.5-T MRI of the knee in the diagnosis of meniscal tear.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of 3-T MRI with that of 1.5-T MRI of the knee in the diagnosis of meniscal tear and to analyze the causes of diagnostic error.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed the medical records and original MRI interpretations of 100 consecutive patients who underwent 3-T MRI of the knee and of 100 consecutive patients who underwent 1.

Comparison of standard hip MR arthrographic imaging planes and sequences for detection of arthroscopically proven labral tear.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare multiple imaging planes and two pulse sequences for detection of arthroscopically proven labral tears.

Materials And Methods: From March 2004 through June 2007, acetabular labral tear was diagnosed at hip arthroscopy of 189 patients. Preoperative MR arthrography of the affected hip was performed on 144 patients at our institution.

Background fluctuation of kidney function versus contrast-induced nephrotoxicity.

Objective: The reported incidence of contrast-induced acute kidney injury varies widely. Almost no studies have been conducted to quantify the background fluctuation of kidney function of patients receiving iodinated contrast medium. The purpose of this study was a retrospective comparison of the incidence of acute kidney injury among patients undergoing CT with low-osmolar (iohexol) or isoosmolar (iodixanol) contrast medium with the incidence among patients undergoing CT without contrast administration.

Vastly undersampled isotropic projection steady-state free precession imaging of the knee: diagnostic performance compared with conventional MR.

Purpose: To compare a vastly undersampled isotropic projection steady-state free precession (VIPR-SSFP) sequence and routine magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for evaluating the cartilage, ligaments, menisci, and osseous structures of the knee in symptomatic patients.

Materials And Methods: All subjects signed written informed consent prior to participation in this prospective, HIPAA-compliant, institutional review board-approved study. VIPR-SSFP was added to the routine 1.

Comparison of 1.5- and 3.0-T MR imaging for evaluating the articular cartilage of the knee joint.

Purpose: To retrospectively compare the diagnostic performance of 1.5- and 3.0-T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging protocols for evaluating the articular cartilage of the knee joint in symptomatic patients.

MR diagnosis of posterior root tears of the lateral meniscus using arthroscopy as the reference standard.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to determine whether tears of the posterior root of the lateral meniscus can be diagnosed using standard MR criteria of a meniscal tear in the presence or absence of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear.

Materials And Methods: From a series of 559 knee MR examinations with arthroscopic correlation, we selected all 16 proven tears isolated to the posterior root of the lateral meniscus for retrospective blinded review, along with 45 cases of arthroscopically intact lateral meniscal posterior roots. The reviewers categorized whether there was a torn, possibly torn, or intact root based on three specific coronal and three specific sagittal image locations.

Juvenile versus adult osteochondritis dissecans of the knee: appropriate MR imaging criteria for instability.

Purpose: To retrospectively compare the sensitivity and specificity of previously described magnetic resonance (MR) imaging criteria for the detection of instability in patients with juvenile or adult osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the knee, with arthroscopic findings as the reference standard.

Materials And Methods: Informed consent was waived by the Institutional Review Board for this HIPAA-compliant study. The study group consisted of 32 skeletally immature patients (25 boys, seven girls; mean age, 14.