Imaging studies by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry have been successfully developed to obtain qualitative and quantitative information on the presence/distribution of titanium (ionic titanium and/or titanium dioxide nanoparticles) in sea bream tissues (kidney, liver, and muscle) after exposure assays with 45-nm citrate-coated titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Laboratory-produced gelatine standards containing ionic titanium were used as a calibration strategy for obtaining laser ablation-based images using quantitative (titanium concentrations) data. The best calibration strategy consisted of using gelatine-based titanium standards (from 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFQuantitative MR imaging is becoming more feasible to be used in clinical work since new approaches have been proposed in order to substantially accelerate the acquisition and due to the possibility of synthetically deriving weighted images from the parametric maps. However, their applicability has to be thoroughly validated in order to be included in clinical practice. In this pilot study, we acquired Magnetic Resonance Image Compilation scans to obtain T1, T2 and PD maps in 14 glioma patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMR fingerprinting (MRF) is a promising method for quantitative characterization of tissues. Often, voxel-wise measurements are made, assuming a single tissue-type per voxel. Alternatively, the Sparsity Promoting Iterative Joint Non-negative least squares Multi-Component MRF method (SPIJN-MRF) facilitates tissue parameter estimation for identified components as well as partial volume segmentations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(1) Background: Polycystic liver disease (PLD) is a heterogeneous group of congenital disorders characterized by bile duct dilatation and cyst development derived from cholangiocytes. Nevertheless, the cystogenesis mechanism is currently unknown and the PLD treatment is limited to liver transplantation. Novel and efficient therapeutic approaches are th6us needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGitelman and Bartter syndromes are rare inherited diseases that belong to the category of renal tubulopathies. The genes associated with these pathologies encode electrolyte transport proteins located in the nephron, particularly in the Distal Convoluted Tubule and Ascending Loop of Henle. Therefore, both syndromes are characterized by alterations in the secretion and reabsorption processes that occur in these regions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOur purpose is to evaluate bias and repeatability of the quantitative MRI sequences QRAPMASTER, based on steady-state imaging, and variable Flip Angle MRF (MRF-VFA), based on the transient response. Both techniques are assessed with a standardized phantom and five volunteers on 1.5 T and 3 T clinical scanners.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe present and evaluate a new insight into magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is based on the algebraic description of the magnetization during the transient response-including intrinsic magnetic resonance parameters such as longitudinal and transverse relaxation times (T, T) and proton density (PD) and experimental conditions such as radiofrequency field (B) and constant/homogeneous magnetic field (B) from associated scanners. We exploit the correspondence among three different elements: the signal evolution as a result of a repetitive sequence of blocks of radiofrequency excitation pulses and encoding gradients, the continuous Bloch equations and the mathematical description of a sequence as a linear system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), cyst development and enlargement lead to ESKD. Macrophage recruitment and interstitial inflammation promote cyst growth. TWEAK is a TNF superfamily (TNFSF) cytokine that regulates inflammatory responses, cell proliferation, and cell death, and its receptor Fn14 (TNFRSF12a) is expressed in macrophage and nephron epithelia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Advanced MRI-based biomarkers offer comprehensive and quantitative information for the evaluation and characterization of brain tumors. In this study, we report initial clinical experience in routine glioma imaging with a novel, fully 3D multiparametric quantitative transient-state imaging (QTI) method for tissue characterization based on T1 and T2 values.
Methods: To demonstrate the viability of the proposed 3D QTI technique, nine glioma patients (grade II-IV), with a variety of disease states and treatment histories, were included in this study.
The case of a 71-year-old patient who had respiratory disorders for more than 11 years is reported. Direct microscopy was negative in 4 sputum samples and finally, on five occasions, the culture gave rise to a strain biochemically labeled as Mycobacterium scrofulaceum. The case corresponded to a mycobacteriosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 19-year-old female patient with gonadal dysgenesis and a de novo t(X;17) (Xp17q;Xq17p) is described. Since the critical segment Xq13----q26 was intact, this case is a further exception to the critical region hypothesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn double-outlet atrium either the right or the left atrium empties into both ventricles while the other atrium remains disconnected from the ventricular cavities. Cases of double-outlet atrium with a single atrioventricular (AV) valve have been reported but no cases of double-outlet left atrium and only two of double-outlet right atrium (one with three valves) have been reported. A description of the second case of double-outlet right atrium with two AV valves and a review of the other reported case are presented.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSix patients with subacute left ventricular free wall rupture (anatomically proved) following acute myocardial infarction are presented. Diagnosis of cardiac rupture in every case was suspected several hours before death or surgical intervention, when clinical and hemodynamic data of cardiac tamponade were found. In three patients right atrial pressure decreased with inspiration and in the other three cases it did not show any modification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe authors report a case with a double mitral orifice associated with a single auricle; it was operated on successfully. It was unnecessary to carry out any surgical procedure on the mitral valve itself, as it was functioning normally. A review of the literature follows.
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