New recyclable and functionalized chitosan-based polyurethane foams for effective and incessant removal of Orange II (OII) and Rhodamine B (RhB) dyes from water.

The development of new efficient materials for the removal of water-soluble toxic organic dyes has been one of the focused research areas in the recent past. There is a strong demand for the new materials as most of the reported techniques/materials suffer from serious limitations. In this regard, a series of flexible chitosan-based task-specific polyurethane foams (PUCS-GP, PUCS-CA-GP, PUCS-TA-GP, and PUCS-GA-GP) associated with naturally available hydroxycarboxylic acids was developed.

A novel organic-inorganic matrix nanofiltration membrane for remediating copper with enhanced thermal stability and mechanical strength.

Membrane separation technology in the last 40 years has experienced impressive growth, displacing conventional separation processes due to inherent advantages such as less capital investment, and energy efficiency and the devices were simple, compact, and modular. In the current work, we aimed to synthesize a thin-sheet nanofiltration membrane using chitosan (CS), poly(vinyl) alcohol (PVA), and montmorillonite nanoclay (MMT) for copper removal from aqueous solution. Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry were employed to evaluate the thermal stability of a novel organic-inorganic hybrid membrane.

Biometric assessments of the posterior fossa by fetal MRI: A systematic review.

Background: Posterior fossa abnormalities (PFAs) are commonly identified within routine screening and are a frequent indication for fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Although biometric measurements of the posterior fossa (PF) are established on fetal ultrasound and MRI, qualitative visual assessments are predominantly used to differentiate PFAs.

Objectives: This systematic review aimed to assess 2-dimensional (2D) biometric measurements currently in use for assessing the PF on fetal MRI to delineate different PFAs.

Adsorption Studies of Lead(II) from aqueous solution onto Nanochitosan /Polyurethane /Polypropylene glycol ternary blends.

Chitosan is one of the most abundant natural biopolymer after cellulose. Nanochitosan (NCS) was prepared from chitosan by ionic gelation method with sodium tripolyphosphate. Polyurethanes (PU) find wide range of applications as good materials for the concentration and removal of both organic and inorganic pollutants because of their high efficiency for sorption of various ionic and neutral materials.

Apparent normal arrangement pattern of three-vessel view in a fetus with transposition of great arteries and L-malposed aorta.

Transposition of great arteries (TGA) is more commonly associated with D-malposition of great arteries where anterior aorta produces characteristic "I" sign in the three-vessel view (3VV) in fetal heart imaging. We describe two cases with TGA and L-malposition of aorta where 3VV imaging showed an apparently normal arrangement of vessels while outflow tract imaging proved vital in diagnosing transposition anatomy. Apparently, normal 3VV in the presence of disproportionate vessel caliber and inability to produce normal outflow images should raise the suspicion.

Batch adsorption and desorption studies on the removal of lead (II) from aqueous solution using nanochitosan/sodium alginate/microcrystalline cellulose beads.

The feasibility of adsorption and desorption behavior of nanochitosan(NCS)/sodium alginate(SA)/microcrystalline cellulose (MC) bead prepared in 2:8:1 ratio for Pb(II) removal has been investigated through batch studies. The proof of adsorption of Pb(II) ions onto NCS/SA/MC beads was identified from FT-IR and EDX-SEM Studies. Studies of the effect of pH, adsorbent dose, metal ion concentration and temperature reveals that the optimum conditions for adsorption was found to be pH:6; adsorbent dose:4g; initial metal concentration: 62.

Removal of copper(II) from aqueous solution using nanochitosan/sodium alginate/microcrystalline cellulose beads.

The present study was aimed to prepare the novel ternary biopolymeric beads of nanochitosan (NCS)/sodium alginate (SA)/microcrystalline cellulose (MC) for the removal of heavy metal copper from aqueous solution through batch adsorption mode. The polymeric beads were characterized before and after adsorption using FTIR, XRD and EDX-SEM studies. The efficiency of the adsorbent was analyzed by varying the parameters such as initial metal ion concentration, contact time, adsorbent dose and pH.

Common genetic variants and risk of brain injury after preterm birth.

Background: The role of heritable factors in determining the common neurologic deficits seen after preterm birth is unknown, but the characteristic phenotype of neurocognitive, neuroanatomical, and growth abnormalities allows principled selection of candidate genes to test the hypothesis that common genetic variation modulates the risk for brain injury.

Methods: We collected an MRI-linked genomic DNA library from 83 preterm infants and genotyped tag single nucleotide polymorphisms in 13 relevant candidate genes. We used tract-based spatial statistics and deformation-based morphometry to examine the risks conferred by carriage of particular alleles at tag single nucleotide polymorphisms in a restricted number of genes and related these to the preterm cerebral endophenotype.

Development of cortical microstructure in the preterm human brain.

Cortical maturation was studied in 65 infants between 27 and 46 wk postconception using structural and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging. Alterations in neural structure and complexity were inferred from changes in mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy, analyzed by sampling regions of interest and also by a unique whole-cortex mapping approach. Mean diffusivity was higher in gyri than sulci and in frontal compared with occipital lobes, decreasing consistently throughout the study period.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the newborn brain: automatic segmentation of brain images into 50 anatomical regions.

We studied methods for the automatic segmentation of neonatal and developing brain images into 50 anatomical regions, utilizing a new set of manually segmented magnetic resonance (MR) images from 5 term-born and 15 preterm infants imaged at term corrected age called ALBERTs. Two methods were compared: individual registrations with label propagation and fusion; and template based registration with propagation of a maximum probability neonatal ALBERT (MPNA). In both cases we evaluated the performance of different neonatal atlases and MPNA, and the approaches were compared with the manual segmentations by means of the Dice overlap coefficient.

Microglia activation in the extremely preterm human brain.

Background: The periventricular white matter (PVWM) of the immature preterm brain is selectively vulnerable to a spectrum of injury. Although essential for normal brain development, the presence of resident microglia may exacerbate PVWM injury.

Methods: We used immunohistochemistry to investigate microglia profile in human preterm noninjured control brains and in brains with evidence of germinal matrix hemorrhage/intraventricular hemorrhage (GMH/IVH), with median gestational age (GA) of 24.

Influence of clay on the adsorption of heavy metals like copper and cadmium on chitosan.

The influence of clay on the adsorption of heavy metals like copper and cadmium on chitosan from simulated industrial wastewater is evaluated. Chitosan-clay blend with ratio of (1:1), (1:2), and (2:1) have been prepared, and these were used as membranes to remove copper and cadmium ions from synthetic industrial wastewater. The chemical parameters for quantities of adsorption of heavy metal contamination have been done, and the kinetics of adsorption has also been carried out.

A dynamic 4D probabilistic atlas of the developing brain.

Probabilistic atlases are widely used in the neuroscience community as a tool for providing a standard space for comparison of subjects and as tissue priors used to enhance the intensity-based classification of brain MRI. Most efforts so far have focused on static brain atlases either for adult or pediatric cohorts. In contrast to the adult brain the rapid growth of the neonatal brain requires an age-specific spatial probabilistic atlas to provide suitable anatomical and structural information.

Subplate in the developing cortex of mouse and human.

The subplate is a largely transient zone containing precocious neurons involved in several key steps of cortical development. The majority of subplate neurons form a compact layer in mouse, but are dispersed throughout a much larger zone in the human. In rodent, subplate neurons are among the earliest born neocortical cells, whereas in primate, neurons are added to the subplate throughout cortical neurogenesis.

The association of lung disease with cerebral white matter abnormalities in preterm infants.

Objective: Preterm infants have a high incidence of neurodevelopmental impairment associated with diffuse cerebral white matter abnormalities and also a high incidence of serious respiratory disease. However, it is unclear if lung disease and brain injury are related, and previous research has been impeded by confounding effects, including prematurity and infection. Using a new approach that permits multivariate statistical analysis, we tested the hypothesis that lung disease is associated with specific white matter abnormalities, detected as reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in diffusion tensor imaging data.

Evaluation of rigid and non-rigid motion compensation of cardiac perfusion MRI.

Although the evaluation of cardiac perfusion using MRI could be of crucial importance for the diagnosis of ischemic heart diseases, it is still not a routinely used technique. The major difficulty is that MR perfusion images are often corrupted by inconsistent myocardial motion. Although motion compensation methods have been studied throughout the past decade, no clinically accepted solution has emerged.

Specific relations between neurodevelopmental abilities and white matter microstructure in children born preterm.

Survivors of preterm birth have a high incidence of neurodevelopmental impairment which is not explained by currently understood brain abnormalities. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the neurodevelopmental abilities of 2-year-old children who were born preterm and who had no evidence of focal abnormality on conventional MR imaging were consistently linearly related to specific local changes in white matter microstructure. We studied 33 children, born at a median (range) gestational age of 28(+5) (24(+4)-32(+1)) weeks.

Frequently encountered cranial ultrasound features in the white matter of preterm infants: correlation with MRI.

Background: Bilateral symmetrical echogenic and echolucent areas in the white matter are frequently seen on the cranial ultrasound scans of apparently well preterm infants without overt pathology.

Aim: To determine whether these features reflect maturational processes as seen on MRI.

Methods: Preterm and term-born infants without overt pathology on contemporaneous brain ultrasound and MRI were studied.

MR imaging methods for assessing fetal brain development.

Fetal magnetic resonance imaging provides an ideal tool for investigating growth and development of the brain in vivo. Current imaging methods have been hampered by fetal motion but recent advances in image acquisition can produce high signal to noise, high resolution 3-dimensional datasets suitable for objective quantification by state of the art post acquisition computer programs. Continuing development of imaging techniques will allow a unique insight into the developing brain, more specifically process of cell migration, axonal pathway formation, and cortical maturation.

Probabilistic diffusion tractography of the optic radiations and visual function in preterm infants at term equivalent age.

Children born prematurely have a high incidence of visual disorders which cannot always be explained by focal retinal or brain lesions. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that visual function in preterm infants is related to the microstructural development of white matter in the optic radiations. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) with probabilistic diffusion tractography to delineate the optic radiations at term equivalent age and compared the fractional anisotropy (FA) to a contemporaneous evaluation of visual function.

Groupwise combined segmentation and registration for atlas construction.

The creation of average anatomical atlases has been a growing area of research in recent years. It is of increased value to construct representations of, not only intensity atlases, but also their segmentation into required tissues or structures. This paper presents novel groupwise combined segmentation and registration approaches, which aim to simultaneously improve both the alignment of intensity images to their average shape, as well as the segmentations of structures in the average space.

Longitudinal cortical registration for developing neonates.

Understanding the rapid evolution of cerebral cortical surfaces in developing neonates is essential in order to understand normal human brain development and to study anatomical abnormalities in preterm infants. Several methods to model and align cortical surfaces for cross-sectional studies have been developed. However, the registration of cortical surfaces extracted from neonates across different gestational ages for longitudinal studies remains difficult because of significant cerebral growth.

Automatic segmentation and reconstruction of the cortex from neonatal MRI.

Segmentation and reconstruction of cortical surfaces from magnetic resonance (MR) images are more challenging for developing neonates than adults. This is mainly due to the dynamic changes in the contrast between gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) in both T1- and T2-weighted images (T1w and T2w) during brain maturation. In particular in neonatal T2w images WM typically has higher signal intensity than GM.

Early growth in brain volume is preserved in the majority of preterm infants.

Objective: Preterm infants have reduced cerebral tissue volumes in adolescence. This study addresses the question: Is reduced global brain growth in the neonatal period inevitable after premature birth, or is it associated with specific medical risk factors?

Methods: Eighty-nine preterm infants at term equivalent age without focal parenchymal brain lesions were studied with 20 full-term control infants. Using a deformation-based morphometric approach, we transformed images to a reference anatomic space, and we used the transformations to calculate whole-brain volume and ventricular volume for each subject.