Cardiovascular Disease in Women: What the Radiologist Needs to Know.

Background: Sex-specific disparities are well documented for cardiovascular disease (CVD). There are differences in physiology and pathophysiology, pain perception, spectrum of disease, risk, therapeutic aspects, prognosis, and outcome. CVD represents a broad spectrum of disorders.

[Interdisciplinary position paper: the value of radiofrequency denervation in the treatment of chronic pain].

Radiofrequency denervation has been established for many years as an important minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of chronic pain conditions. Positive experiences of many users for various indications are contrasted by a nonuniform evidence. With meticulous patient selection and correct assessment of the indications a longer term reduction of pain, a reduced need for analgesics and an improvement in the quality of life can be achieved.

Hydrogen Sulfide Affects Radical Formation in the Hippocampus of LPS Treated Rats and the Effect of Antipsychotics on Hydrogen Sulfide Forming Enzymes in Human Cell Lines.

Psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and other neuroinflammatory diseases are accompanied by an increase in the oxidative stress and changes in the immune system and in the metabolic, hormonal and neurological components of the central nervous system (CNS). Hydrogen sulfide (HS) is a gaseous molecule that is endogenously produced in the peripheral and central nervous system through cysteine by the following major HS producing enzymes in the brain: cystathionine-γlyase (CSE), cystathionine ß-synthase (CBS) and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (MPST). The physiological effects of HS are broad, with antioxidative properties being a major role in the body.

Cytokine and radical inhibition in septic intestinal barrier failure.

Background: Breakdown of the intestinal barrier is a driving force of sepsis and multiple organ failure. Radical scavengers or cytokine inhibitors may have a therapeutic impact on intestinal failure. Therapeutic effects on different sites of small intestine and colon have not been compared.

Blood modulates the kinetics of reactive oxygen release in pancreatic ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Objectives: Reason for the unsuccessful use of antioxidants in transplantation might be the unknown kinetics of reactive oxygen species (ROS) release. In this study, we compared the kinetics of ROS release from rat pancreata in the presence and absence of blood.

Methods: In vivo, ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) was induced in pancreata of male Wistar rats by occlusion of the arterial blood supply for 1 or 2 hours.

Reliability and validity of the Norwegian version of the Brief Agitation Rating Scale (BARS) in dementia.

Objective: To examine the test-retest reliability and validity of the Norwegian Brief Agitation Rating Scale (BARS), a short form of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) assessing the frequency of agitation in dementia.

Methods: We investigated the internal consistency, test-retest reliability and the validity of BARS. In the validity study, we compared the BARS scores with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory--Nursing Home Version subscale Agitation/Aggression (NPI-NH/AA) and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia subscale Agitation (CSDD/A).

Factor analysis of the brief agitation rating scale in a large sample of norwegian nursing home patients.

Background: Agitation and aggression are prevalent in dementia and put heavy strains on caregivers. Validated assessment tools measuring these symptoms are required to evaluate patients before therapy and during the follow-up period. Given the daily routine in nursing homes, abbreviated instruments are preferable.

Lipopolysaccharide-induced radical formation in the striatum is abolished in Nox2 gp91phox-deficient mice.

Encephalopathy associated with septic shock as well as psychiatric disorders can be caused by the central nervous formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) associated with inflammation. The systemic application of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 100 mug/kg i.p.

Effects of antipsychotics and vitamin C on the formation of reactive oxygen species.

There is evidence that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. Indirect biochemical alterations of ROS formation have been shown for patients treated with antipsychotics as well as for untreated patients. Only one study measured directly the ROS formation after treatment with antipsychotics by using electron spin resonance spectroscopy.

Effect of oxcarbazepine in the treatment of agitation and aggression in severe dementia.

Background/aims: To evaluate the efficacy of oxcarbazepine (OXC) in the treatment of agitation and aggression in patients with Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia or both.

Methods: This is an 8-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial carried out independently of the pharmaceutical industry. Changes in the agitation and aggression subscore of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) were the primary outcomes.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 derived from polymorphonuclear neutrophils increases gut barrier dysfunction and bacterial translocation in rat severe acute pancreatitis.

Background: The role of polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes (PMNs) and the PMN-derived protease, which is called matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), for the gut barrier dysfunction in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) has not yet been clarified. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of PMNs and MMP-9 on gut barrier dysfunction in rat SAP.

Methods: SAP was induced by the injection of 5% sodium taurocholate, and anti-rat PMN serum or BB-94 were administered 48 h and 24 h, respectively, before the induction of acute pancreatitis.

In vivo quantification of oxygen-free radical release in experimental pancreas transplantation.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were drawn to the attention in the setting of organ transplantation when the 'injury hypothesis' postulated a link between oxidative stress and the activation of the innate immunity of the recipient. While the occurrence of ROS during organ transplantation is undoubted, their onset and magnitude remain largely unknown. We therefore measured ROS using a novel cyclic hydroxylamine spin probe CMH (1-hydroxy-3- methoxycarbonyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidine) during syngeneic experimental pancreas transplantation in rats in vivo.

Haemoglobin Hokusetsu [beta52 (D3)] Asp-->Gly in German families associated with inclusion body.

Inclusion bodies associated with Hb Hokusetsu have never been published. We investigated the autoxidation of this variant as a cause for the inclusion bodies in three unrelated families. Moreover, haplotype analysis was carried out to unravel the origin of this variant also found in the Japanese population.

Local stimulation of the adenosine A2B receptors induces an increased release of IL-6 in mouse striatum: an in vivo microdialysis study.

Both adenosine and interleukin-6 (IL-6) have been implicated in the pathophysiology of, e.g., epileptic seizures, traumatic brain injury, and affective disorders.

The reliability and validity of the Norwegian version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, nursing home version (NPI-NH).

Background: Psychiatric symptoms and behavioral disturbances are highly prevalent in the residents of nursing homes. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is a commonly used scale for the assessment of such symptoms in diverse settings. We have conducted a study of the reliability and the validity of the Norwegian version of the NPI nursing home version (NPI-NH).

Evaluation of preservation solutions by ESR-spectroscopy: superior effects of University of Wisconsin over Histidine-Tryptophan-Ketoglutarate in reducing renal reactive oxygen species.

Despite the causative role of oxidative stress in renal ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury effects of preservation solutions on reactive oxygen species (ROS) release have not been sufficiently evaluated. We compared the effects of most common solutions in kidney transplantation, University of Wisconsin (UW) and Histidine-Tryptophan-Ketoglutarate (HTK). ROS formation in isolated perfused rat kidney was detected by electron spin resonance spectroscopy using spin label 1-hydroxy-3-methoxycarbonyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-pyrrolidine.

[Arthroplasty of the rheumatoid hand. Pre- and postoperative imaging with special consideration of biomechanical and pathobiomechanical aspects and its radiological evaluation].

Radiology plays a key role when the indications for arthroplasties of the hand and finger joints are determined and for the postoperative follow-up. On the one hand, the degree of inflammatory changes in all affected compartments is to be evaluated and graded; on the other hand, conventional radiograms allow for a first assessment of possible joint instability and impaired biomechanics. Both aspects influence the choice of the proper surgical therapeutic strategy.

Rheumatoid arthritis: a practical guide to state-of-the-art imaging, image interpretation, and clinical implications.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic disease of unknown origin that predominantly involves synovial tissue. RA affects 0.5%-1.

Closure of a patent foramen ovale: effective therapy of migraine and occipital stroke.

Whether stroke in a patient with migraine and patent foramen ovale (PFO) is due to PFO or migraine is difficult to decide. In a 33-year-old woman with migraine with aura, a visual field defect developed acutely. Neurological investigation revealed double vision when looking to the left and exaggerated patella tendon reflexes.

Multifocal leukoencephalopathy and polyneuropathy after 18 years on interferon alpha.

Multifocal leukoencephalopathy and sensory-motor polyneuropathy have not been reported as side-effects of long-lasting interferon alpha therapy in a single patient. In a 77-year-old man interferon alpha2b and interferon alpha2a were administered subsequently but continuously since 1984 for hairy cell leukemia. Since early 2000, left-sided hemi-hypesthesia occurred and the patient developed gait disturbance, proximal weakness of the lower limbs, bilateral stocking-type sensory disturbances, and restless leg syndrome.

Clinical and ultrasound evaluation of donor site morbidity after tram-flap for breast reconstruction.

The TRAM-flap has become a well-established method for breast reconstruction. Even though the aesthetic result is superior to implant reconstruction, a main disadvantage is the potential risk to create weakness of the abdominal wall. For evaluation of abdominal wall function, an imaging method has to be used which is able to prove functional properties of the remaining muscle.

Cross-sectional and functional imaging of the temporomandibular joint: radiology, pathology, and basic biomechanics of the jaw.

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a common site of complaint. Clicking sounds and pain are indicators of a frequent condition called internal derangement, most often affecting females. As a general term, internal derangement describes a structural abnormality within an articulation.

Angiotensin receptor blocker losartan suppresses platelet activity by interfering with thromboxane signaling.

Unlabelled: Enhanced platelet activity and platelet endothelial interaction are hallmarks of different vascular and metabolic diseases with subsequent thrombus formation. In atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, nitrate tolerance, chronic inflammation, or diabetic states, platelet activation may in part be due to a stimulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosteron system, which also contributes to enhanced oxidant stress in these conditions.

Aims: We examined the putative role of the angiotensin receptor (AT1) and of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) in mediating platelet activation under defined in vitro conditions using the AT1 receptor antagonists losartan, EXP 3174, candesartan, and the PLA2 inhibitor arachidonyltrifluoromethyl ketone (AACOCF3), respectively.

Contrast-enhanced power Doppler harmonic imaging--influence on visualization of renal vasculature.

To compare contrast-enhanced power Doppler (PD) harmonic imaging (CHI) with contrast-enhanced power Doppler fundamental imaging (CPD) in the depiction of renal cortical vessels, 20 healthy volunteers were subjected to PD imaging and HI assessment of the kidney after bolus injection of Levovist(R) (SH U 508A). System settings were standardized and the pulse-repetition frequencies (PRF) systematically toggled from 750 to 500 and 250. Videotapes were independently reviewed by three readers with regard to the presence of artefacts, the degree of Doppler signal enhancement, demarcation of vessels and the extent of visualization.