Spinal curvature and characteristics of postural change in pregnant women.

Objective: Pregnant women often report complaints due to physiological and postural changes. Postural changes during pregnancy may cause low back pain and pelvic girdle pain. This study aimed to compare the characteristics of postural changes in pregnant compared with non-pregnant women.

Comparisons of multi b-value DWI signal analysis with pathological specimen of breast cancer.

Previous studies have reported that the signal attenuation of diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging for tumor tissues displays a non-monoexponential biexponential decay, and the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) can be divided into a fast and slow diffusion component by using a simple biexponential decay model. The purpose of this study is to examine the non-monoexponential character of the diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging signal attenuations of breast cancers, estimate the fast and slow diffusion components, and compare them with the extra- and intracellular component information obtained from the pathological specimens. Twenty-two subjects having breast cancers underwent diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging using six b-values up to 3500 s/mm(2) and the signal attenuations were analyzed using the biexponential function.

Biexponential Signal Attenuation Analysis of Diffusion-weighted Imaging of Breast.

Purpose: in vivo, the attenuation of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) signal at high b-values is sometimes nonlinear when plotted with semilogarithmic function and is fit well by a biexponential function. Previous reports have indicated that the fast and slow component fractions of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) can be derived by biexponential fitting and that these fractions correspond to the actual diffusion components in the extra- and intracellular space. In this study, we investigated the clinical utility of DWI for the breast by performing DWI using multiple b-factors on healthy volunteers and clinical subjects, analyzing the signal by fitting it with a biexponential equation, and comparing the fitting parameters of breast lesions.

[Investigation of a phantom for diffusion weighted imaging that controlled the apparent diffusion coefficient using gelatin and sucrose].

When studying diffusion weighted imaging(DWI), it is important to create a phantom that has a reliably controlled diffusion coefficient. In this study, we investigated phantoms to control both the diffusion coefficient and the T2-value by changing the concentration of gelatin or sucrose and MnCl(2), respectively. The results showed that the diffusion coefficient decreased linearly with increases in the gelatin or sucrose concentration, and decreasing of their relaxation times was observed.

[Development of comprehensive image processing technique for differential diagnosis of liver disease by using multi-modality images-pixel-based cross-correlation method using a profile-].

Imaging techniques such as high magnetic field imaging and multidetector-row CT have been markedly improved recently. The final image-reading systems easily produce more than a thousand diagnostic images per patient. Therefore, we developed a comprehensive cross-correlation processing technique using multi-modality images, in order to decrease the considerable time and effort involved in the interpretation of a radiogram (multi-formatted display and/or stack display method, etc).

[Movement analysis of chest MR image under rest breath using realignment of SPM].

Analyses of diaphragm and chest wall motion are good indicators to evaluate clinical status and pulmonary function before and after surgery for respiratory disease. Noninvasive MR images using fast gradient recalled echo techniques recently have received a great deal of attention for their assessment of inspiratory motion. However, it is laborious to analyze a large number of dynamic MR images.

[Development of computer-aided diagnostic system for detection of lung nodules in three-dimensional computed tomography images].

We have developed an automated computerized method for the detection of lung nodules in three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) images obtained by helical CT. In this scheme, a lung segmentation technique for the determination of the nodule search area is performed based on a gray-level thresholding technique. To enhance lung nodules, we employed the 3D cross-correlation method by using a 3D Gaussian template with zero-surrounding as a model of lung nodule.

Anti-allergic substances contained in the pollen of Cryptomeria japonica possess diverse effects on the degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells.

Following prolonged exposure to some of the flavonoids with RBL-2H3 cells, secretion of hexosaminidase, a granule constituent, stimulated by an immunologic was enhanced. RBL-2H3 cells do not normally respond to polybasic secretagogues, but as reported here, they do so after prolonged exposure. Effect of flavonoids on secretion of hexosaminidase was also investigated.