Effects of pioglitazone on survival and omental adipocyte function in mice with sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture.

Background: To examine the effects of pioglitazone, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ), on mortality and omental adipocyte function in mice with cecal ligation and puncture (CLP).

Methods: Male mice were assigned to receive (1) vehicle/sham-operation, (2) pioglitazone/CLP, or (3) vehicle/CLP. Pioglitazone was injected intraperitoneally for 7 d before operation.

Automated extraction of lymph nodes from 3-D abdominal CT images using 3-D minimum directional difference filter.

This paper presents a method for extracting lymph node regions from 3-D abdominal CT images using 3-D minimum directional difference filter. In the case of surgery of colonic cancer, resection of metastasis lesions is performed with resection of a primary lesion. Lymph nodes are main route of metastasis and are quite important for deciding resection area.