Is Ultrasonography an Effective Method for Diagnosing Degenerative Changes in the Temporomandibular Joint?

Background: The accurate diagnosis of degenerative joint diseases (DJDs) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) presents a significant clinical challenge due to their progressive nature and the complexity of associated structural changes. These conditions, characterized by cartilage degradation, subchondral bone remodeling, and eventual joint dysfunction, necessitate reliable and efficient imaging techniques for early detection and effective management. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is widely regarded as the gold standard for evaluating osseous changes in the TMJ, offering detailed visualization of bony structures.

Association between Clinical Manifestations in Temporomandibular Joint Disorders and Corresponding Radiographic Findings.

: Temporomandibular disorders are common conditions characterized by discomfort within the temporomandibular joints, acoustic changes, and restricted mandibular movement. Accurate diagnosis and subsequent treatment rely heavily on clinical examination, but it is often necessary to add radiological examinations to the diagnostics. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is the gold standard for visualizing the disc, while cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is primarily used for evaluating condylar morphology.

Redefining Radiation Metrics: Evaluating Actual Doses in Computed Tomography Scans.

Background: Computed tomography (CT) contributes significantly to the collective dose from medical sources, raising concerns about potential health risks. However, existing radiation dose estimation tools, such as volume computed tomography dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length product (DLP), effective dose (ED), and size-specific dose estimate (SSDE), have limitations in accurately reflecting patient exposure. This study introduces a new parameter, size-specific dose-length product (DLPss), aiming to enhance the precision of radiation dose estimation in real-life scenarios.

Physical activity and the brain myelin content in humans.

New imaging sequences and biophysical models allow adopting magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for myelin mapping in humans. Understanding myelination and remyelination processes in the brain is fundamental from the perspective of proper design of physical exercise and rehabilitation schemes that aim to slow down demyelination in the aging population and to induce remyelination in patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, in this review we strive to provide a state-of-the art summary of the existing MRI studies in humans focused on the effects of physical activity on myelination/remyelination.

The usefulness of selected sequences of magnetic resonance imaging in a diagnostic model for Crohn's disease.

Introduction: We hypothesized that, based on magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), measured in the affected parts of the intestine, it is possible to effectively differentiate active and chronic phases of Crohn's disease.

Aim: To create a multidimensional diagnostic model for differentiating between the phases of Crohn's disease.

Material And Methods: This study included 125 patients - 55 women (aged 19 to 66 years) and 70 men (aged 12 to 67 years) - who underwent MRE and ADC measurement for the first time.

L-Carnitine Combined with Leucine Supplementation Does Not Improve the Effectiveness of Progressive Resistance Training in Healthy Aged Women.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of L-carnitine (LC) in combination with leucine supplementation on muscle strength and muscle hypertrophy in aged women participating in a resistance exercise training (RET) program.

Design/setting/participants: Thirty-seven out of sixty (38.3% dropout) healthy women aged 60-75 years (mean 67.

Diagnostic value of diffusion tensor imaging in patients with clinical signs of cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Aim Of The Study: The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in patients with symptoms of cervical myelopathy. Detailed goals included determining the diagnostic effectiveness of quantitative parameters, i.e.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound of adrenal hemorrhage: a helpful problem solving tool.

Aims: A focal lesion in the region of the adrenal gland in a newborn often requires further assessment. Ultrasound (US) is the initial imaging method of choice in young children as it does not use radiation or require sedation and it has excellent spatial resolution. In this case series, we present contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) as a problem-solving tool in the evaluation of neonatal adrenal lesions.

Substances of abuse and the blood brain barrier: Interactions with physical exercise.

Substance use disorders pose a common medical, social and financial problem. Among the pathomechanisms of substance use disorders, the disruption and increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier has been recently revealed. Physical exercise appears to be a relatively inexpensive and feasible way to implement behavioral therapy counteracting the blood-brain barrier impairment.

A Pilot Study on the Effects of l-Carnitine and Trimethylamine-N-Oxide on Platelet Mitochondrial DNA Methylation and CVD Biomarkers in Aged Women.

l-carnitine supplementation has been used for cardiovascular health protection for a long time. Recently, trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), which is an end product of l-carnitine metabolism via the activity of microbiota, has been identified as a cardiovascular disease (CVD) biomarker. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of 6 months of l-carnitine supplementation in a group of aged women engaged in a regular physical training.

The "Optimum Volume" of Acrylic Cement Filling for Treating Vertebral Compression Fractures: A Morphometric Study of Thoracolumbar Vertebrae.

Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a treatment option in vertebral compression fractures (VCF). The aim of the study was to propose the mathematical calculation of the "optimum volume" of acrylic cement filling of the vertebral body, depending on the severity of a fracture. Two hundred computed tomography (CT) scans of vertebral columns in healthy adult Caucasians were analyzed.

Relative Cerebral Blood Transit Time Decline and Neurological Improvement in Patients After Internal Carotid Artery Stenting.

In this study we hypothesized that the alleviation of neurological symptoms long after internal carotid artery (ICA) stenting may be related to sustained improvement of cerebral perfusion. Thirty-four subjects (F/M; 15/19) with >70% stenosis of a single internal carotid artery and neurological symptoms, who underwent a carotid artery stenting procedure, were studied. Brain computed tomography perfusion (CTP) imaging was performed before and 3 years after ICA stenting.

Computed tomography indicators of cerebral microperfusion improve long term after carotid stenting in symptomatic patients.

Objectives: We tested the hypothesis that computed tomography (CT) perfusion markers of cerebral microcirculation would improve 36 months after internal carotid artery stenting for symptomatic carotid stenosis while results obtained 6-8 weeks after the stenting procedure would yield a predictive value.

Methods: We recruited consecutive eligible patients with >70% symptomatic carotid stenosis with a complete circle of Willis and normal vertebral arteries to the observational cohort study. We detected changes in the cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV), mean transit time (MTT), time to peak (TTP) and permeability surface area-product (PS) before and after carotid stenting.

Morphometric Analysis of the Lumbar Vertebrae Concerning the Optimal Screw Selection for Transpedicular Stabilization.

Transpedicular stabilization is a frequently used spinal surgery for fractures, degenerative changes, or neoplastic processes. Improper screw fixation may cause substantial vascular or neurological complications. This study seeks to define detailed morphometric measurements of the pedicle (height, width, and surface area) in the aspects of screw length and girth selection and the trajectory of its implantation, i.

Blood-brain barrier permeability and physical exercise.

In this narrative review, a theoretical framework on the crosstalk between physical exercise and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability is presented. We discuss the influence of physical activity on the factors affecting BBB permeability such as systemic inflammation, the brain renin-angiotensin and noradrenergic systems, central autonomic function and the kynurenine pathway. The positive role of exercise in multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease is described.

Cognitive Predictors of Cortical Thickness in Healthy Aging.

This study seeks to define the role of predictive values of the motor speed, inhibition control, and fluid and crystallized intelligence in estimating the cortical thickness in healthy elderly. Forty-six older healthy subjects (37 women, 9 men) over 60 years of age were included in the study. The participants were examined on 3.

Effects of melatonin on low-dose lipopolysaccharide-induced oxidative stress in mouse liver, muscle, and kidney.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration in an in vivo experimental mice model causes oxidative damage in the liver, muscle, and kidney. We aimed to determine specific mechanisms underlying melatonin's antioxidant protective role. Assays were carried out in quadruplicate in the control, melatonin (10 mg/kg, 10 days), acute LPS administration (once 150 μg), and LPS + melatonin groups.

Cardiac Involvement in Systemic Sclerosis: Diagnostic Tools and Evaluation Methods.

The heart is one of the major organs commonly involved in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Myocardial fibrosis has been identified in a high percentage of these patients. Most SSc patients with cardiac involvement (CI) are subclinical, especially early on in the course of their disease.

Understanding the Physiopathology Behind Axial and Radial Diffusivity Changes-What Do We Know?

The use of the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is rapidly growing in the neuroimaging field. Nevertheless, rigorously performed quantitative validation of DTI pathologic metrics remains very limited owing to the difficulty in co-registering quantitative histology findings with magnetic resonance imaging. The aim of this review is to summarize the existing state-of-the-art knowledge with respect to axial (λ) and radial (λ) diffusivity as DTI markers of axonal and myelin damage, respectively.

Regional resting state perfusion variability and delayed cerebrovascular uniform reactivity in subjects with chronic carotid artery stenosis.

The aim of this study was to assess regional perfusion at baseline and regional cerebrovascular resistance (CVR) to delayed acetazolamide challenge in subjects with chronic carotid artery stenosis. Sixteen patients (ten males) aged 70.94±7.

Oscillations of Subarachnoid Space Width as a Potential Marker of Cerebrospinal Fluid Pulsatility.

In the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation, two components can be distinguished: bulk flow (circulation) and pulsatile flow (back and forth motion). CSF pulsatile flow is generated by both cardiac and respiratory cycles. Recent years have seen increased interest in cardiac- and respiratory-driven CSF pulsatility as an important component of cerebral homeostasis.

Central sympathetic nervous system reinforcement in obstructive sleep apnoea.

The available studies on cerebrovascular reactivity and cerebral oxygenation in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients brought conflicting results, yet the overall evidence suggests that resting state cerebral perfusion is diminished in these patients. Interestingly, in a group of healthy professional breath-hold divers who are exercising very long apnoeas - episodes corresponding to the ones observed in patients with OSA - demonstrated that cerebral oxygenation may remain stable at the expense of extreme sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation. In the present review we address several mechanisms that could potentially explain these discrepancies.

Carotid Artery Stenting and Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability in Subjects with Chronic Carotid Artery Stenosis.

Failure of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a critical event in the development and progression of diseases such as acute ischemic stroke, chronic ischemia or small vessels disease that affect the central nervous system. It is not known whether BBB breakdown in subjects with chronic carotid artery stenosis can be restrained with postoperative recovery of cerebral perfusion. The aim of the study was to assess the short-term effect of internal carotid artery stenting on basic perfusion parameters and permeability surface area-product (PS) in such a population.

Intracranial region of the vertebral artery: morphometric study in the context of clinical usefulness.

Background: The aim of this study was to analyse the morphometry of the intracranial segment of the vertebral artery in the context of clinical usefulness. The results were compared with published data available in full-text archived medical journals.

Materials And Methods: More than 100 digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and 3-dimensional (3D) angio-computed tomography (CT) examinations were used to measure the following parameters: the whole and partial length of V4 in characteristic anatomical points, the diameter in three places (on the level of foramen magnum, in point of exit to the posterior inferior cerebellar artery, and in the vertebro-basilar junction), the angle of connection to the vertebral arteries, and all anatomical variations including fenestration, duplication, dolichoectasia or absent artery.