Noninvasive modalities. Cardiac MR imaging.

As outlined in this article, the strength of MR imaging is that it can provide flow, function, and in some cases metabolic data in a single examination, independent of patient body habitus. Future prospects for real-time imaging and in vivo mapping of fiber orientation promise further advances in our understanding of the structure-function relationship in diastole. Many of the MR imaging methods that have been developed for cardiovascular imaging are now mature and available on state-of-the-art scanners.

[Intensified after-care--a method for improving occupational reintegration after myocardial infarct and/or bypass operation].

Occupational reintegration after coronary heart disease of patients who are insured by the German workers pension (Arbeiterrentenversicherung) succeeds in 40-60% of the recorded cases. Patients who were not able to return to work after finishing their regular cardiac rehabilitation took part in a program called "Intensivierte Nachsorge (INA)". INA is an interdisciplinary support program, taking place twice a week for a whole day over a period of six weeks.

Left ventricular torsion is equal in mice and humans.

Global cardiac function has been studied in small animals with methods such as echocardiography, cine-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and cardiac catheterization. However, these modalities make little impact on delineation of pathophysiology at the tissue level. The advantage of tagged cine-MRI technique is that the twisting motion of the ventricle, referred to as torsion, can be measured noninvasively, reflecting the underlying shearing motion of individual planes of myofibrils that generate wall thickening and ventricular ejection.

The range of normal values of cardiovascular structures in infants, children, and adolescents measured by magnetic resonance imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful diagnostic technique and research tool for assessment of congenital heart disease due to its ability to accurately assess anatomy, function, and flow in any orientation in the thorax. However, little data exist on normative reference values for cardiac structures, except in small study populations, and even fewer data exist for pediatric populations. In this review, MRI acquisition and analysis methods for assessment of aortic size, pulmonary artery size, and right and left ventricular function, volume, and mass are presented along with reference data obtained in pediatric populations by MRI.

Characterization of t1 relaxation and blood-myocardial contrast enhancement of NC100150 injection in cardiac MRI.

A new ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (Clariscan; NC100150 Injection) was studied in domestic farm pigs. The T1 effects were characterized for blood and myocardium and the blood-myocardial contrast was measured in T1-weighted cine images. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were measured at baseline and contrast doses of 1 and 5 mg Fe/kg body weight (bw) at end diastole and late systole.

Contrast-enhanced coronary MRA.

Coronary angiography with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has long been a goal for bringing cardiac MRI into clinical use for diagnosis of coronary artery disease. In this paper, the fundamental problems of respiratory and cardiac motion, signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio are discussed in reference to implications for coronary imaging strategies. Various methods that have been proposed to improve signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios in MR coronary imaging are presented with an emphasis on the role of T1-shortening contrast agents, both extracellular and intravascular.

Novel real-time R-wave detection algorithm based on the vectorcardiogram for accurate gated magnetic resonance acquisitions.

Electrocardiograph (ECG) triggered or gated magnetic resonance methods are used in many imaging applications. Therefore, a reliable trigger signal derived from to the R-wave of the ECG is essential, especially in cardiac imaging. However, currently available methods often fail mainly due to the artifacts in the ECG generated by the MR scanner itself, such as the magnetohydrodynamic effect and gradient switching noise.

Determination of cyclophosphamide and its metabolites in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A sensitive HPLC-MS method was developed for the simultaneous determination of cyclophosphamide and its metabolites 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide (aldocyclophosphamide), 4-ketocyclophosphamide, caboxyphosphamide and 3-dechloroethylifosfamide in human plasma. 4-Hydroxycyclophosphamide was converted with methylhydroxylamine to the stable methyloxime form. We used a solid-phase extraction with C18 cartridges followed by HPLC-MS with the single mass spectrometer SSQ 7000 of Finnigan.

Benefit of T1 reduction for magnetic resonance coronary angiography: a numerical simulation and phantom study.

Contrast agents have dramatically improved magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of the abdominal and peripheral arteries. The imaging technique for these applications is usually a steady-state acquisition, for which the relationship between T1 in blood and the MR signal is well known. However, in electrocardiography-triggered angiography with limited acquisition windows, this relationship is more complex.

Blood pool agent strongly improves 3D magnetic resonance coronary angiography using an inversion pre-pulse.

The ability of a blood pool contrast agent to enhance MR coronary angiography was defined. The proximal coronary vessels of pigs were imaged before and after administration of Gd-DTPA bound covalently to bovine serum albumin (0.2 mmol/ kg).

Suppressors of superoxide dismutase (SOD1) deficiency in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Identification of proteins predicted to mediate iron-sulfur cluster assembly.

Yeast deficient in the cytosolic copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) exhibit metabolic defects indicative of oxidative damage even under non-stress conditions. To help identify the endogenous sources of this oxidative damage, we isolated mutant strains of S. cerevisiae that suppressed metabolic defects associated with loss of SOD1.

Noninvasive delineation of normal right ventricular contractile motion with magnetic resonance imaging myocardial tagging.

As the importance of the right ventricle in many diseases and conditions has been realized, the need for quantitative assessment of the motion and contraction of the right ventricular free wall (RVFW) has become apparent. This study applied the myocardial tagging magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique to the normal RVFW to elucidate normal heterogeneity in RV motion and contractile patterns. The RVFW was divided into three segments (inferior, mid and superior) in each of three slices (apical, mid and basal) to allow for a detailed analysis of the motion and contraction.

Discrimination of Bordetella parapertussis and Bordetella pertussis organisms from clinical isolates by PCR using biotin-labelled oligonucleotide probes.

A recently developed shared-primer polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was investigated, in an ongoing pertussis surveillance study for discrimination of Bordetella parapertussis and Bordetella pertussis organisms, by using specific biotin-labelled oligonucleotide probes. From a total of 132 samples, 83 were positive by the B. parapertussis specific probe, 33 were positive by the B.

Statistical shape model based segmentation of medical images.

This paper reviews several kinds of 2D shape representations by a set of parameters based on labeled points, Fourier descriptors and wavelet descriptors. Seven shape models for axial slices of spinal vertebra are derived by a statistical analysis of parameters corresponding to a set of example shapes and are subsequently compared. Two of the developed models are incorporated into methods for interactive segmentation of 2D gray level images.

Alterations in pulmonary artery flow patterns and shear stress determined with three-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging in Fontan patients.

Objective: This study compares in vivo pulmonary blood flow patterns and shear stresses in patients with either the direct atrium-pulmonary artery connection or the bicaval tunnel connection of the Fontan procedure to those in normal volunteers. Comparisons were made with the use of three-dimensional phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods: Three-dimensional velocities, flows, and pulmonary artery cross-sectional areas were measured in both pulmonary arteries of each subject.

Normal three-dimensional pulmonary artery flow determined by phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging.

In this study, an application was developed to measure three-dimensional blood flow in the main, right, and left pulmonary arteries of seven healthy volunteers using phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Presently, no other noninvasive technique is capable of providing this information. Flow, mean velocity, kinetic energy, and cross-sectional area were measured at multiple phases of the cardiac cycle and were consistent with previously reported values measured with one-dimensional velocity encoded MRI and Doppler echocardiography.

Large, septated ileal duplication cyst in a 4-year old, simulating the urinary bladder.

A 4-year-old boy presented with acute abdominal pain and a 1-year history of intermittent umbilical complaints. Ultrasonographic examination demonstrated a large cyst in the lower abdomen divided by a thin membrane. With micturition, impaired bladder function was expected.

Quantification of in-plane motion of the coronary arteries during the cardiac cycle: implications for acquisition window duration for MR flow quantification.

Motion of the coronary arteries during the heart cycle can result in image blurring and inaccurate flow quantification by MR. This condition applies particularly for longer acquisition windows that are typical of breath-hold coronary flow measurements. To determine the sensitivity of the technique to in-plane motion of different coronary arteries, the temporal variation in coronary position was measured in a plane perpendicular to the proximal portion of the vessel.

Early wound closure and early reconstruction. Experience with a dermal substitute in a child with 60 per cent surface area burn.

A dermal substitute was used for wound management and after early scar release on a 4-year-old child with mostly full thickness burns covering 60 per cent of the body surface. The biosynthetic material (INTEGRA Artificial Skin) consists of an upper silicone film and a lower layer of porous cross-linked collagen and chondroitin-6-sulfate as a template for dermal regeneration. Eight sheets each 4 x 10 in.

Autologous transplantation of urothelium into demucosalized gastrointestinal segments: evidence for epithelialization and differentiation of in vitro expanded and transplanted urothelial cells.

Purpose: Our study established a technique for in vitro expansion and subsequent transplantation of autologous urothelial cells into vascularized seromuscular segments from stomach and colon in sheep. The proof of proliferation and differentiation of the transplanted urothelium in the absence of resident urothelium is considered to be a prerequisite for use of this technique in bladder augmentation.

Materials And Methods: Autologous sheep urothelial cells were expanded in vitro and grown on collagen membranes for sheet grafting.

Regional measurement of the Gd-DTPA tissue partition coefficient in canine myocardium.

Quantifiable MRI perfusion studies using the contrast agent Gd-DTPA require measurement or estimation of the tissue partition coefficient (lambda) for tracer kinetic modeling. Radiotracer techniques were used to obtain regional lambda measurements from the left ventricles of five dogs. Measurements were analyzed to determine whether spatial heterogeneity was a major component of lambda variability.