Diffusion kurtosis imaging: An efficient tool for evaluating age-related changes in rat brains.

Purpose: To evaluate and determine age-related changes in rat brains by studying the diffusion kurtosis imaging results among different age groups of rats.

Methods: Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats underwent conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion Kurtosis Imaging (DKI). Two diffusion values of mean kurtosis (MK) and kurtosis (K ) were measured and analyzed based on laterality, brain regions and age groups.

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals significant decline in the contents of -acetylaspartylglutamate in the hippocampus of aged healthy subjects.

Introduction: To characterize the contents of choline (Cho), creatine (Cr) and N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAA) in the hippocampus of healthy volunteers, we investigated the contents and their correlationship with age, gender and laterality.

Material And Methods: Volunteers were grouped into a young, a middle and an old age. The Cho, Cr and NAA contents were determined with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS), and the correlationship was analyzed with Pearson correlation.

A Cross-Sectional Voxel-Based Morphometric Study of Age- and Sex-Related Changes in Gray Matter Volume in the Normal Aging Brain.

Objective: The aim of the study was to carry out a cross-sectional study of 124 cognitively normal Chinese adults using the voxel-based morphometry approach to delineate age-related changes in the gray matter volume of regions of interest (ROI) in the brain and further analyze their correlation with age.

Methods: One hundred twenty-four cognitively normal adults were divided into the young age group, the middle age group, and the old age group. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging was performed with the Achieva 3.

A voxel-based morphometric study of age- and sex-related changes in white matter volume in the normal aging brain.

Objective: To carry out a cross-sectional study of 187 cognitively normal Chinese adults using the voxel-based morphometry (VBM) approach to delineate age-related changes in the white matter volume of regions of interest in the brain and further analyze their correlation with age.

Materials And Methods: A total of 187 cognitively normal adults were divided into the young, middle, and old age-groups. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging was performed with the Achieva 3.

MRI localization of the subthalamic nucleus in normal adults and its relation with age.

The subthalamic nucleus regulates motor and neurocognitive functions. Because of its small size and close proximity to other small subcortical structures, it has been a challenge to localize and visualize it using MRI. Here, we sought to define the optimal MRI scan method and visualization plane for locating the subthalamic nucleus on MRI images and to further delineate the geometric dimensions of the subthalamic nucleus and their correlation with age, laterality, and sex.

Study of functional connectivity in patients with sensorineural hearing loss by using resting-state fMRI.

Objective: To determine functional connectivity of the default mode network in patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in resting state.

Methods: The posterior cingulate cortex was selected as a seed for assessment of functional connectivity of the activated brain areas in resting state by using a seed-based correlation analysis of the resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data.

Results: The fMRI results demonstrated that, the healthy volunteers and the patients with NSHL shared certain activated brain areas with positive functional connectivity with region of interest (ROI).

Alternative Fas-mediated cell death pathway is dependent on the different cleavage patterns of procaspase-8.

It has been reported that mitochondria-independent or mitochondria-dependent (type I/II) Fas signaling pathways in leukemia cells depend on the amount of active caspase-8. However, Bid molecules, which could not be cleaved in type I cells, could be effectively cleaved by recombinant active caspase-8 in vitro. The cleavage of recombinant Bid by recombinant active caspase-8 could be blocked by anti-p10 and anti-p18 specific antibodies.

Intracellular localization of protein C inhibitor (PCI) and urinary plasminogen activator in renal tubular epithelial cells from humans and human PCI gene transgenic mice.

Urinary plasminogen activator (uPA) is a serine protease that plays important roles in various extracellular proteolytic processes. In humans, protein C inhibitor (PCI) is known to regulate the activity of the serine proteases involved in blood coagulation, wound healing, and tumor metastasis, whereas PCI is not present in murine plasma or tissues other than the reproductive tissues. The large amount of uPA-PCI complexes found in human urine suggests that these complexes are formed in the kidneys.