Characterization of an automated method to segment the human locus coeruleus.

Following the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods to assay the integrity of catecholamine nuclei, including the locus coeruleus (LC), there has been an effort to develop automated methods that can accurately segment this small structure in an automated manner to promote its widespread use and overcome limitations of manual segmentation. Here we characterize an automated LC segmentation approach (referred to as the funnel-tip [FT] method) in healthy individuals and individuals with LC degeneration in the context of Alzheimer's disease (AD, confirmed with tau-PET imaging using [18F]MK6240). The first sample included n = 190 individuals across the AD spectrum from cognitively normal to moderate AD.

Normative Values of Neuromelanin-Sensitive MRI Signal in Older Adults Obtained Using a Turbo Spin Echo Sequence.

Background: The integrity and function of catecholamine neurotransmitter systems can be assessed using neuromelanin-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI). The relevance of this method to neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders is becoming increasingly evident, and it has potential as a clinical biomarker.

Purpose: To support future application of NM-MRI as a clinical biomarker by defining the normative range of NM-MRI signal and volume metrics in cognitively normal older adults.

Selective Imaging of Matrix Metalloproteinase-13 to Detect Extracellular Matrix Remodeling in Atherosclerotic Lesions.

Purpose: Overexpression and activation of matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) within atheroma increases susceptibility to plaque rupture, a major cause of severe cardiovascular complications. In comparison to pan-MMP targeting [F]BR-351, we evaluated the potential for [F]FMBP, a selective PET radiotracer for MMP-13, to detect extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling in vascular plaques possessing markers of inflammation.

Procedures: [F]FMBP and [F]BR-351 were initially assessed in vitro by incubation with en face aortae from 8 month-old atherogenic ApoE mice.

Current and Future Cardiovascular PET Radiopharmaceuticals.

PET imaging is a continuously developing clinical tool for the imaging of different markers of cardiovascular diseases. In this article, some important PET tracers for several diseases affecting the heart and the vessels are highlighted; these include myocardial blood flow, atherosclerosis, fatty acid metabolism, and pathologies in the cardiac autonomic nervous system.

Should sex differences be considered when applying mathematical indices and formulas for discriminating β- thalassemia minor from iron deficiency?

Background: β-thalassemia minor (BTM) and iron deficiency (ID) are common disorders characterized by microcytosis and/or hypochromasia, leading to a challenge in their discrimination during mass-screening programs especially in developing countries where resources are limited. It has been shown with varying reliability that quick exclusion of either disorder could be achieved mathematically using RBC-based indices and formulas. However, none of these proposed indices and formulas considered the sex-based hematological differences.

Exercise promotes the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) through the action of the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate.

Exercise induces beneficial responses in the brain, which is accompanied by an increase in BDNF, a trophic factor associated with cognitive improvement and the alleviation of depression and anxiety. However, the exact mechanisms whereby physical exercise produces an induction in brain Bdnf gene expression are not well understood. While pharmacological doses of HDAC inhibitors exert positive effects on Bdnf gene transcription, the inhibitors represent small molecules that do not occur in vivo.

Epigenetic changes in diabetes.

The incidence of diabetes is increasing worldwide. Diabetes is quickly becoming one of the leading causes of death. Diabetes is a genetic disease; however, the environment plays critical roles in its development and progression.

Normal blood cells reference intervals of healthy adults at the Gaza Strip-Palestine.

Hematological parameters are affected by different factors that include age, sex, smoking, ethnicity, and environmental altitude. It has been justified that each population must establish its own normal reference intervals to be used in clinical assessments and interpretations. Hematological reference intervals for adults from the Gaza Strip-Palestine have never been addressed.

Does cigarette smoking affect the diagnostic reliability of hemoglobin alpha 2 delta 2 (HbA2)?

Quantitation of hemoglobin alpha 2 delta 2 (HbA2) is a basic and confirmatory test in diagnosing the carrier state of beta-thalassemia. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of cigarette smoking on the diagnostic reliability of HbA2. A total of 2,867 (654 smokers and 2,213 never smokers) male subjects were involved in the present study.