Reproducibility of proton density fat fraction assessment of thigh muscle in a multi-site, multi-vendor cohort study at 10 years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Background: Dixon-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) intramuscular proton density fat fraction (PDFF) is a potentially useful imaging biomarker of muscle quality. However, multi-vendor, multi-site reproducibility of intramuscular PDFF quantification, required for large clinical studies, can be strongly dependent on acquisition and processing. The purpose of this study was (I) to develop a 6-point Dixon MRI-based acquisition and processing technique for reproducible multi-vendor, multi-site quantification of thigh intramuscular PDFF; and (II) to evaluate the ability of the technique to detect differences in thigh muscle status between operated .

Unsupervised Segmentation of Knee Bone Marrow Edema-like Lesions Using Conditional Generative Models.

Bone marrow edema-like lesions (BMEL) in the knee have been linked to the symptoms and progression of osteoarthritis (OA), a highly prevalent disease with profound public health implications. Manual and semi-automatic segmentations of BMELs in magnetic resonance images (MRI) have been used to quantify the significance of BMELs. However, their utilization is hampered by the labor-intensive and time-consuming nature of the process as well as by annotator bias, especially since BMELs exhibit various sizes and irregular shapes with diffuse signal that lead to poor intra- and inter-rater reliability.

Patellar Dislocation in Adolescent Patients: Influence on Cartilage Properties Based on T1ρ Relaxation Times.

Background: Adolescents who experience a patellar dislocation have an elevated risk of patellofemoral posttraumatic osteoarthritis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based T1ρ relaxation times were measured for adolescents to evaluate patellofemoral cartilage after patellar dislocation. Long T1ρ relaxation times are an indicator of cartilage degradation.

Reproducibility of T and T quantification in a multi-vendor multi-site study.

Objective: To evaluate the multi-vendor multi-site reproducibility of two-dimensional (2D) multi-echo spin-echo (MESE) T mapping (product sequences); and to evaluate the longitudinal reproducibility of three-dimensional (3D) magnetization-prepared angle-modulated partitioned k-space spoiled gradient echo snapshots (MAPSS) T and T mapping (research sequences), and 2D MESE T mapping, separated by 6 months, in a multi-vendor multi-site setting.

Methods: Phantoms and volunteers (n = 5 from each site, n = 20 in total) were scanned on four 3 T magnetic resonance (MR) systems from four sites and three vendors (Siemens, General Electric, and Phillips). Two traveling volunteers (3 knees) scanned at all 4 sites at baseline and 6-month follow-up.

Baseline cartilage T1ρ and T2 predicted patellofemoral joint cartilage lesion progression and patient-reported outcomes after ACL reconstruction.

This study aims to determine if baseline T1ρ and T2 will predict cartilage morphological lesion progression in the patellofemoral joint (PFJ) and patient-reported outcomes at 2-year after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR). Thirty-nine ACL-injured patients were studied at baseline and two-year after ACLR. 3 T MR T1ρ and T2 images and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) were acquired at both time points.

Multi-vendor multi-site quantitative MRI analysis of cartilage degeneration 10 Years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: MOON-MRI protocol and preliminary results.

Objective: To describe the protocol of a multi-vendor, multi-site quantitative MRI study for knee post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), and to present preliminary results of cartilage degeneration using MR T and T imaging 10 years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).

Design: This study involves three sites and two MR platforms. The patients are from a nested cohort (termed as Onsite cohort) within the Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network (MOON) cohort 10 years after ACLR.

Elevated Patellofemoral and Tibiofemoral T1ρ Relaxation Times Following a First Time Patellar Dislocation.

Objective: The study was performed to evaluate cartilage within the knee following a first-time patellar dislocation, using elevated MRI-based T1ρ relaxation times as an indicator of low proteoglycan concentration. The hypothesis is that MRI-based T1ρ relaxation times for patellofemoral and tibiofemoral cartilage are significantly longer for knees being treated for patellar dislocation than for healthy control knees.

Design: Twenty-one subjects being treated for a first-time, unilateral dislocation of the patella and 16 healthy controls participated in MRI-based T1ρ relaxation time mapping.

MRI-based Texture Analysis of Infrapatellar Fat Pad to Predict Knee Osteoarthritis Incidence.

Background Infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP) quality has been implicated as a marker for predicting knee osteoarthritis (KOA); however, no valid quantification for subtle IPFP abnormalities has been established. Purpose To investigate whether MRI-based three-dimensional texture analysis of IPFP abnormalities could help predict incident radiographic KOA. Materials and Methods In this prospective nested case-control study, 690 participants whose knees were at risk for KOA were included from the Pivotal Osteoarthritis Initiative MRI Analyses incident osteoarthritis cohort.

Classification of Public Health Centres in Accra through a Web-Based Portal Integrated with Geographical Information System (GIS).

A health system is described as a logically organized collection of resources, agents, and institutions that offer healthcare to a specific population based on the finance, regulation, and delivery of health services. Many health centres have been established in Accra, the capital city of Ghana, due to the importance of good health. People in other developed nations can seek adequate healthcare, since information about relevant health centres is readily available.

Multi-vendor multi-site T and T quantification of knee cartilage.

Objective: To develop 3D T and T imaging based on the same sequence structure on MR systems from multiple vendors, and to evaluate intra-site repeatability and inter-site inter-vendor reproducibility of T and T measurements of knee cartilage.

Methods: 3D magnetization-prepared angle-modulated partitioned k-space spoiled gradient echo snapshots (3D MAPSS) were implemented on MR systems from Siemens, GE and Philips. Phantom and human subject data were collected at four sites using 3T MR systems from the three vendors with harmonized protocols.

First Report of Rhizoctonia spp. Causing a Root Rot of the Invasive Rangeland Weed Lepidium draba in North America.

The exotic, invasive perennial rangeland weed Lepidium draba spreads rapidly and reduces native species diversity. The extensive root system of L. draba constitutes 76% of its biomass (4).

Effects of Agaricus lilaceps fairy rings on soil aggregation and microbial community structure in relation to growth stimulation of western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii) in Eastern Montana rangeland.

Stimulation of plant productivity caused by Agaricus fairy rings has been reported, but little is known about the effects of these fungi on soil aggregation and the microbial community structure, particularly the communities that can bind soil particles. We studied three concentric zones of Agaricus lilaceps fairy rings in Eastern Montana that stimulate western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii): outside the ring (OUT), inside the ring (IN), and stimulated zone adjacent to the fungal fruiting bodies (SZ) to determine (1) soil aggregate proportion and stability, (2) the microbial community composition and the N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase activity associated with bulk soil at 0-15 cm depth, (3) the predominant culturable bacterial communities that can bind to soil adhering to wheatgrass roots, and (4) the stimulation of wheatgrass production. In bulk soil, macroaggregates (4.

First Report of Spot Form Net Blotch Caused by Pyrenophora teres f. maculata on Barley in the Mon-Dak Area of the United States.

Pyrenophora teres Drechs. causes net blotch of barley, a common foliar disease in cultivation zones around the world. The disease occurs in two forms, namely a net form net blotch (NFNB) caused by P.

Aetiological agents of cerebrospinal meningitis: a retrospective study from a teaching hospital in Ghana.

Background: Meningitis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in low-resource settings. In sub-Saharan Africa, the meningitis belt has been characterized by particularly high and seasonal incidences of bacterial meningitis extending throughout life. Despite the progress being made in treating the condition, the mortality rates continue to be high, ranging between 2% and 30% globally.

Traditional herbalists and cancer management in Kumasi, Ghana.

Cancer incidence rates are increasing in sub-Saharan Africa where traditional medical practitioners (TMPs) are involved in cancer management. Little is known about the specific role that TMPs play in cancer management in Ghana; we hypothesize that an understanding of the practices of TMPs with regard to cancer patients would help to enhance literacy about cancer amongst TMPs and would contribute to the diagnosis of cancer at earlier stages, by avoiding the detrimental delays while enlisting their help in certain activities that enhance cancer care. To elucidate the nature of the involvement of TMPs in cancer management, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 42 TMPs who practice in Kumasi, Ghana.

First Report of a Root and Crown Disease of the Invasive Weed Lepidium draba Caused by Phoma macrostoma.

The exotic rangeland perennial Lepidium draba occurs as a noxious weed in 22 states, mostly in the western United States. Because chemical control measures against this invasive perennial, a member of the Brassicaceae, have not achieved adequate results, biological control is being pursued. While inventories of arthropods that feed on L.

Effect of lead (Pb) on the systemic movement of RNA viruses in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum var. Turkish).

Effect of various lead (Pb) concentrations on the systemic movement of RNA viruses was examined in tobacco plants. Prior to inoculation, plants were grown hydroponically for 6 days in Hoagland's solution supplemented with five concentrations of lead nitrate [Pb(NO(3))(2)]: 0.0 (control), 10, 15, 50, and 100 μM.

Direct Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based Detection of Cercospora beticola in Field Soils.

Cercospora beticola, the causal agent of Cercospora leaf spot of sugar beet, survives as pseudostromata in infected sugar beet residues in the soil. Under optimal conditions, overwintering propagules germinate and produce conidia that are dispersed as primary inoculum to initiate infection in sugar beet. We developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for rapid detection of C.

First Report of Anthracnose Stem Canker of the Invasive Perennial Weed Lepidium draba Caused by Colletotrichum higginsianum in Europe.

Exotic perennial Lepidium draba, native to Eurasia, is an invasive weed in dense stands in rangelands and disturbed areas in several states of the western United States and an agricultural weed in the prairie provinces of Canada. To determine strategies, such as a potential multipathogen strategy (1), for biological control of the weed, surveys that included the native range were conducted in spring 2009 to detect diseases that occur on this weed. Several stunted and chlorotic plants were found scattered throughout a stand of L.

First Report of a Root and Crown Disease Caused by Rhizoctonia solani on Centaurea stoebe in Russia.

Spotted knapweed (SKW), Centaurea stoebe L., is a nonindigenous species that is invasive over large areas in the United States, especially in the west. It has been estimated that infestations of SKW cause $42 million in direct and indirect economic losses annually (2), and the weed could potentially invade 13.

First Report of a Leaf Spot Caused by Alternaria brassicae on the Invasive Weed Lepidium draba in North America.

The exotic, rangeland weed Lepidium draba L., a brassicaceous perennial, is widely distributed in the United States. For example, Oregon contains 100,000 ha of land infested with L.

First Report of Leaf Spot Caused by Cercospora bizzozeriana on Lepidium draba in the United States.

The herbaceous perennial Lepidium draba L. is an invasive weed of rangelands and riparian areas in North America and Australia. As of 2002, it had infested 40,500 ha of rangeland in Oregon and large areas in Wyoming and Utah.

First Report of Crown Gall Caused by Agrobacterium tumefaciens on Euphorbia esula/virgata in Europe.

Hypertrophy and hyperplasia resembling crown galls were found on roots of Euphorbia esula/virgata at a single site in east-central Hungary in 2005. E. esula/virgata, known as leafy spurge in North America, is an invasive species causing substantial economic losses to the value of grazing lands in the Northern Great Plains of the United States and is the target of biological control.

Severe hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic coma in a nondiabetic patient receiving aripiprazole.

Aripiprazole is commonly used as an atypical antipsychotic. It has been associated with abnormalities in glucose metabolism. Severe diabetic complications associated with its use occur rarely.