Effectiveness of ear skin swabs for monitoring methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST398 in pigs at abattoirs.

Monitoring the prevalence of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) in pigs could be useful for managing transmission risk to humans. To optimize sampling for LA-MRSA monitoring, we compared the sensitivity of MRSA isolation from skin swabs taken behind the ear and nasal swabs collected from 276 pigs and investigated the prevalence of MRSA in their carcasses. MRSA was isolated from 40 behind the ear skin swabs (14.

Isolation of ST398 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from pigs at abattoirs in Tohoku region, Japan.

Here, we investigated the presence of ST398 livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) in nasal swabs of 420 slaughtered pigs from 84 farms at three abattoirs in Tohoku, Japan. MRSA were isolated from 13 (3.1%) samples from 9 (10.

High contrast between lumbar nerve roots and surrounding structures using dual echo 3D turbo spin echo additional fusion images.

Purpose: We performed lumbar spinal magnetic resonance imaging of three-dimensional (3D) dual echo volumetric isotropic turbo spin echo acquisition (DE-VISTA) and constructed DE-VISTA additional fusion images (DE-VISTA-AFI), which is the addition of DE-VISTA proton density-weighted images (DE-VISTA-PDWI) to DE-VISTA T2-weighted images (DE-VISTA-T2WI). The aim of this study was to clarify whether DE-VISTA-AFI was able to clearly delineate spinal nerve roots.

Methods: A total of 677 patients underwent lumbar MR imaging, and the signal ratio (SR) between cerebrospinal fluid and nerve roots inside the dural sac and the SR between fat and nerve roots outside the dural sac were estimated using DE-VISTA-AFI, DE-VISTA-PDWI, DE-VISTA-T2WI, and 2D-T2WI.

Utility of High-b-Value Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Evaluating Reversible Medial Longitudinal Fasciculus Syndrome Caused by Acute Brainstem Ischemia.

Background: Medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF) syndrome refers to a gaze disorder characterized by impaired adduction on the ipsilateral side to the injured MLF, with dissociated nystagmus of the contralateral abducting eye. The most common cause of the MLF syndrome is ischemic stroke. However, acute ischemic change in the MLF may be undetectable even on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) partly because of its small size and specific brainstem location.

Delineation of extensor tendon of the hand by MRI: usefulness of "soap-bubble" mip processing technique.

To evaluate the capability of the "Soap-Bubble" maximum intensity projection (MIP) processing technique in visualisation of extensor tendons of the hand, 36 intact subjects and seven patients with surgically confirmed extensor tendon rupture were examined. Three-dimensional T1-weighted turbo spin echo (3DT1TFE) MRI was performed using a sensitivity encoding flex coil, followed by Soap-Bubble MIP processing. For patients with extensor tendon ruptures, MRI findings and intraoperative findings were compared.

Usefulness of dual echo volumetric isotropic turbo spin echo acquisition (VISTA) in MR imaging of the temporomandibular joint.

Purpose: We investigated the ability to detect the articular disk and joint effusion of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of a method of dual echo volumetric isotropic turbo spin echo acquisition (DE-VISTA) additional fusion images (AFI).

Methods: DE-VISTA was performed in the 26 TMJ of 13 volunteers and 26 TMJ of 13 patients. Two-dimensional (2D) dual echo turbo spin echo was performed in the 26 TMJ of 13 volunteers.

Visualization of coronary arterial wall based on maximum intensity fusion of whole-heart MR angiograms and water suppression SPIR 3D T(1) TFE images.

Purpose: We estimated the coronary artery wall using maximum intensity fusion (MIF) of whole-heart magnetic resonance (MR) angiography (WHCA) and water suppression-spectral presaturation with inversion recovery (WS-SPIR) 3D T(1)-weighted turbo field echo (3DT(1) TFE).

Methods: We created a phantom using a wall of plastic bottles varied with plastic tapes measuring 0.4 to 3.

Hyperacute stroke patients and catheter thrombolysis therapy: correlation between computed tomography perfusion maps and final infarction.

Purpose: We investigated the correlation between abnormal perfusion areas by computed tomography perfusion (CTP) study of hyperacute stroke patients and the final infarction areas after intraarterial catheter thrombolysis.

Materials And Methods: CTP study using the box-modulation transfer function (box-MTF) method based on the deconvolution analysis method was performed in 22 hyperacute stroke patients. Ischemic lesions were immediately treated with catheter thrombolysis after CTP study.

Measuring visceral fat with water-selective suppression methods (SPIR, SPAIR) in patients with metabolic syndrome.

We attempted to measure the area and volume of visceral fat using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to avoid radiation exposure. We used water suppression-spectral attenuation with inversion recovery (WS-SPAIR) as prepulses and conducted T(1) high-resolution isotropic volume examination (THRIVE). Image processing software can be used to estimate the area and volume of fat and separate the fat and water signals at a visually optimal threshold in the MR image, which requires contrast enhancement between intestinal contents and visceral fat.

[Usefulness of the sagittal section imaging technique in whole-heart coronary MRA(WHCA)].

Whole-heart coronary MRA(WHCA)was performed in transaxial and sagittal sections in random order in 10 healthy volunteers to obtain coronal section multiplanar reconstruction(MPR)at an interval of 0.5 mm and thickness of 1 mm for evaluation. Visual evaluation showed sagittal section imaging to be superior to transaxial section imaging in 12 out of a total of 20 regions in the left and right proximal coronary arteries.

MR measurement of visceral fat: assessment of metabolic syndrome.

One diagnostic criterion for metabolic syndrome is obesity from the accumulation of visceral fat; others include abdominal circumference and area of visceral fat as measured by computed tomography (CT) at the umbilical level. We evaluated visceral fat using frequency-selective excitation magnetic resonance (MR) imaging SPAIR (spectral attenuation with inversion recovery) water suppression THRIVE (3D T1-high resolution isotropic volume examination). Fifty of 70 slices with 2-mm interval were used to render and measure volume of visceral fat ranging within 10 cm of the umbilicus; the area of visceral fat at the umbilical level was also measured.