[Effect of Imaging Parameters for High-resolution Diffusion-weighted Imaging on Signal-to-noise Ratio and ADC in Prostate Examination].

Readout-segmented echo-planar imaging (readout segmentation of long variable echo trains [RESOLVE]) can be set to higher resolution than single-shot echo planar imaging, but there is concern that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is low. The purpose was to examine the effect of imaging parameters (repetition time: TR, number of excitations: NEX) for RESOLVE on SNR and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value in 1.5 T MRI, assuming a prostate examination.

[Comparison of Detectability for the New Image Processing and Conventional Image Processing by ROC Analysis: A Phantom Study of Chest Radiography].

The purpose of this study is to compare the detectability of diseases the new image processing and the conventional image processing by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and to show the usefulness of the new image processing. Radiographs with and without nodular cancer models in the chest phantom were used for observation samples. Totally 200 radiographs were evaluated by 10 radiological technologists (each readers had over 20 years or under 4 years of experience).

Treatment response of ethyl pyruvate in a mouse model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease studied by hyperpolarized Xe MRI.

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to investigate disease progression and treatment response in a murine model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using a preclinical hyperpolarized Xe (HPXe) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) strategy.

Methods: COPD phenotypes were induced in 32 mice by 10 weeks of exposure to cigarette smoke (CS) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Efficacy of ethyl pyruvate (EP), an anti-inflammatory drug, was investigated by administering EP to 16 of the 32 mice after 6 weeks of CS and LPS exposure.