Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging of prostate cancer.

Purpose: To explore the feasibility of 3T magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and fiber tracking (FT) in patients with prostate cancer.

Materials And Methods: Thirty consecutive patients (mean age, 62.5 years) with biopsy proven prostate cancer underwent 3T-MR imaging (MRI) and DTI using a 6-channel external phased-array coil before radical prostatectomy.

The "Safari" technique to perform difficult subintimal infragenicular vessels.

The purpose of this study was to describe the efficacy of planned combined subintimal arterial flossing with antegrade-retrograde intervention (SAFARI) to obtain the precise recanalization of the patent portion of a distal runoff vessel in critical limb ischemia (CLI) patients presenting long occlusions involving the popliteal trifurcation. Four patients at risk of limb loss due to long occlusions involving the leg vessel tree and not suitable for a surgical bypass were treated by the subintimal antegrade and retrograde (posterior tibial or anterior tibial artery) approach. The patent portion of the runoff vessel was previously assessed by magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and directly punctured under Doppler ultrasound (US) guidance.

Carotid artery stenting with filter protection in high-risk patients showing severe electroencephalographic alterations during carotid endarterectomy.

Purpose: To describe the results and efficacy of stent treatment in patients with carotid stenosis who had aborted carotid endarterectomy procedures due to the appearance of severe electroencephalographic (EEG) alterations.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted of 18 patients (11 men; mean age 72 years, range 62-84) with symptomatic high-grade carotid artery stenoses (> or = 70%) who experienced severe EEG alterations during carotid endarterectomy, causing the procedure to be aborted. Twelve patients had shown no hemodynamic alterations during preoperative transcranial Doppler evaluation after external compression of the common carotid artery; the remaining 6 could not be evaluated.

Management of biliary neoplastic obstruction with two different metallic stents implanted in one session.

The efficacy of the "one-step" technique using two different metallic stents (Wallstent and Ultraflex) and associated rate of complications was studied in 87 patients with jaundice secondary to malignant biliary obstruction, with bilirubin level less than 15 mg/dl and Bismuth type 1 or 2 strictures. The study group, composed of 40 men and 47 women with a mean age of 59.4 years (range 37-81 years), was treated with a "one-step" percutaneous transhepatic implantation of self-expanding stents.

Downregulation of COX-2 and JNK expression after induction of ischemic tolerance in the gerbil brain.

The response of the inducible isoform of the prostaglandin H2 synthase (COX-2) and the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in post-ischemic neuronal damage was assessed in a model of ischemic tolerance in Mongolian Gerbils. After a single 6-min bilateral carotid occlusion, histological damage was evident in the CA1 region of hippocampus, correlated with a high expression of JNK and COX-2 mRNA. However, in the group of animals with a 2-min ischemia and the tolerance group, in which a 2-min bilateral carotid occlusion was followed 3 days later by a 6-min ischemia, no hippocampal or cortical damage was detected.

Evaluation of anterior pituitary gland volume in childhood using three-dimensional MRI.

Background: Three-dimensional MRI (3D-MRI) is a reliable tool for the evaluation of anatomical volumes. Volumetric measurement of the normal anterior pituitary gland in childhood has been performed in the past by 2D-MRI calculations, but has inherent inaccuracies.

Objective: To obtain accurate normal anterior pituitary gland volume in childhood using 3D-MRI coronal sections.

Prostaglandins and other lipid mediators in Alzheimer's disease.

In the central nervous system (CNS), prostaglandin (PG) and other bioactive lipids regulate vital aspects of neural membrane biology, including protein-lipid interactions, trans-membrane and trans-synaptic signaling. However, a series of highly reactive PGs, free fatty acids, lysophospolipids, eicosanoids, platelet-activating factor, and reactive oxygen species (ROS), all generated by enhanced phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity and arachidonic acid (AA) release, participate in cellular injury, particularly in neurodegeneration. PLA2 activation and PG production are among the earliest initiating events in triggering brain-damage pathways, which can lead to long-term neurologic deficits.

Gene expression profiling of 12633 genes in Alzheimer hippocampal CA1: transcription and neurotrophic factor down-regulation and up-regulation of apoptotic and pro-inflammatory signaling.

Alterations in transcription, RNA editing, translation, protein processing, and clearance are a consistent feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain. To extend our initial study (Alzheimer Reports [2000] 3:161-167), RNA samples isolated from control and AD hippocampal cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) were analyzed for 12633 gene and expressed sequence tag (EST) expression levels using DNA microarrays (HG-U95Av2 Genechips; Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA). Hippocampal CA1 tissues were carefully selected from several hundred potential specimens obtained from domestic and international brain banks.