Biodegradable Polydioxanone Microspheres for Transcatheter Arterial Embolization: Proof of Principle.

Purpose: To evaluate feasibility, embolization success, biodegradability, reperfusion, and biocompatibility of biodegradable microspheres (MS) made from polydioxanone (PDO) for transcatheter arterial embolization.

Materials And Methods: Unilateral selective renal embolization of a segmental artery was performed in 16 New Zealand White rabbits with PDO-MS (100-150 μm and 90-315 μm). Animals were randomly assigned to different observation periods and underwent control digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and MR imaging immediately (n = 3), 1 week (n = 2), 4 weeks (n = 2), 8 weeks (n = 2), 12 weeks (n = 5), and 16 weeks (n = 2) after embolization.

C-Arm Cone Beam CT for Intraprocedural Image Fusion and 3D Guidance in Portal Vein Embolization (PVE).

Purpose: Portal vein embolization (PVE) is applied in patients with extended oncologic liver disease to induce hyperplasia of the future liver remnant and make resection feasible. Ultrasound (US) guidance is the gold standard for percutaneous portal vein access. This study evaluated feasibility and safety of C-arm cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) for needle guidance.

CT follow-up in patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs): combined radiation and contrast dose reduction.

Background Frequent computed tomography (CT) follow-ups involve significant radiation related risks for patients with low-grade neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Contrast agent (CA) application is essential for diagnostic evidence and has additional risks especially in patients with limited renal function. Purpose To investigate if a combination of dose and contrast agent (CA) reduction affects image quality and diagnostic evidence in neuroendocrine tumor (NET) patients.

Comparison of applied dose and image quality in staging CT of neuroendocrine tumor patients using standard filtered back projection and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction.

Objective: To investigate whether dose reduction via adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) affects image quality and diagnostic accuracy in neuroendocrine tumor (NET) staging.

Methods: A total of 28 NET patients were enrolled in the study. Inclusion criteria were histologically proven NET and visible tumor in abdominal computed tomography (CT).

Percutaneous computer tomography-guided ethanol sympathicolysis for the treatment of resistant arterial hypertension.

Purpose: As an alternative to catheter-based radiofrequency (RF) ablation, renal sympathicolysis can also be achieved by image-guided percutaneous injection of ethanol around the renal artery.

Materials And Methods: We report the case of a 50-year-old man with refractory hypertension and end-stage renal failure of unclear etiology who was treated with computed tomography-guided percutaneous periarterial ethanol sympathicolysis.

Results: The procedure was painless.

Reducing Radiation Dose in Emergency CT Scans While Maintaining Equal Image Quality: Just a Promise or Reality for Severely Injured Patients?

Objective. This study aims to assess the impact of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) on CT imaging quality, diagnostic interpretability, and radiation dose reduction for a proven CT acquisition protocol for total body trauma. Methods.

MR guidance and thermometry of percutaneous laser disc decompression in open MRI: an ex vivo study.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of guidance and thermometry by open 1.0 T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging during percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD).

Methods: A fluoroscopic proton-density-weighted turbo spin echo sequence was used for positioning a laser fiber and a reference thermosensor within the targeted spinal disc.

MR guidance and thermometry of percutaneous laser disc decompression in open MRI: an initial clinical investigation.

Objectives: To assess the feasibility, safety and efficacy of real-time MR guidance and thermometry of percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD).

Methods: Twenty-four discs in 22 patients with chronic low-back and radicular pain were treated by PLDD using open 1.0-T magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI).

MR-guided discography using an open 1 Tesla MRI system.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of MR-guided discography using an open 1 Tesla MRI system.

Methods: 48 disc segments of 41 patients scheduled for intradiscal thermal treatment, total disc replacement or spondylodesis were examined. A 1.

Triage of patients with suspected coronary artery disease using multislice computed tomography.

Rationale And Objectives: Several studies have shown that multislice computed tomography (MSCT) has a high sensitivity and specificity for detecting coronary artery stenoses. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether MSCT can reliably triage patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or no revascularization.

Materials And Methods: A total of 123 patients with suspected CAD who were referred for conventional coronary angiography (CATH) additionally underwent MSCT (16*0.

Efficacy of contrast medium use for neuroimaging at 3.0 T: utility of IR-FSE compared to other T1-weighted pulse sequences.

As inversion-recovery (IR) technique improves T1 contrast at high field strength, signal enhancement by T1-shortening contrast media may be affected. To clarify the different enhancement properties at 3.0 T, the authors compared T1-weighted sequences.

In vivo assessment of the tolerance dose of small liver volumes after single-fraction HDR irradiation.

Purpose: To prospectively assess a dose-response relationship for small volumes of liver parenchyma after single-fraction irradiation.

Methods And Materials: Twenty-five liver metastases were treated by computed tomography (CT)-guided interstitial brachytherapy. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed 1 day before and 3 days and 6, 12, and 24 weeks after therapy.

Dual role of oxygen during lipoxygenase reactions.

Studying the oxygenation kinetics of (19R/S,5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-19-hydroxyeicosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenoic acid (19-OH-AA) by rabbit 15-lipoxygenase-1 we observed a pronounced oxygen dependence of the reaction rate, which was not apparent with arachidonic acid as substrate. Moreover, we found that peroxide-dependent activation of the lipoxygenase depended strongly on the oxygen concentration. These data can be described with a kinetic model that extends previous schemes of the lipoxygenase reaction in three essential aspects: (a) the product of 19-OH-AA oxygenation is a less effective lipoxygenase activator than (13S,9Z,11E)-13-hydroperoxyoctadeca-9,11-dienoic acid; (b) molecular dioxygen serves not only as a lipoxygenase substrate, but also impacts peroxide-dependent enzyme activation; (c) there is a leakage of radical intermediates from the catalytic cycle, which leads to the formation of inactive ferrous lipoxygenase.

Magnetic resonance imaging of hyaline cartilage defects at 1.5T and 3.0T: comparison of medium T2-weighted fast spin echo, T1-weighted two-dimensional and three-dimensional gradient echo pulse sequences.

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the diagnostic accuracy of appropriate magnetic resonance (MR) sequences in the detection of cartilage lesions at 1.5T and 3.0T.

Time-matched pre- and postsynaptic changes of GABAergic synaptic transmission in the developing mouse superior colliculus.

Developmental changes in the kinetics of GABAergic postsynaptic currents have been reported for various brain structures. However, it has remained unclear whether these modifications are matched by presynaptic changes. We addressed this question by analysing evoked IPSCs (eIPSCs) in mouse superior colliculus slices between postnatal day (P) 1 and 22.

Overexpression and affinity chromatography purification of the Type III restriction endonuclease EcoP15I for use in transcriptome analysis.

The Type III restriction endonuclease EcoP15I is a multifunctional hetero-oligomeric enzyme that recognizes the non-symmetric DNA sequence 5'-CAGCAG. For efficient cleavage, EcoP15I needs the interaction with two copies of the recognition sequence that have to be inversely oriented in the DNA double strand. The enzyme cuts the upper DNA strand 25-26 bp and the lower DNA strand 27-28 bp, respectively, downstream of the recognition sequence-a distinct feature that makes the enzyme particularly valuable for gene expression profiling methods relying on the SAGE procedure (Matsumura et al.

Environment- and gene-dependent human ontogenesis, sociogenesis and phylogenesis (eco-geno-onto-socio-phylogenesis).

Prevention of environment- and gene-dependent, teratogenic malfunctions ("Functional Teratogenesis")-- caused by abnormal hormone, neurotransmitter and cytokine concentrations during organization of the neuro-endocrine-immune system (NEIS) should be considered as a global challenge of outstanding relevance. By optimizing the natural and social environment and correcting in time abnormal concentrations of hormones, neurotransmitters and cytokines during the critical perinatal (pre- and early postnatal) organization period of the NEIS ("Neuro-Endocrine-Immune Prophylaxis") human ontogenesis and sociogenesis can be decisively improved ("Primary Prevention of Maldevelopments of Human Beings and their Societies"). Finally, phylogenesis is dependent on incessant sequencies of ontogenesis and sociogenesis ("Onto-Socio-Phylogenesis").

Primary endothelial sarcoma of the thoracic aorta.

Primary malignant tumors of the aorta are extremely rare. The case of a 64-year-old woman who presented with peripheral embolism to both femoropopliteal arteries is reported. The search for a source revealed a polypoid lesion severely narrowing the lumen of the distal thoracic aorta.

Preferential accumulation of GABAA receptor gamma 2L, not gamma 2S, cytoplasmic loops at rat spinal cord inhibitory synapses.

Alternative splicing generates two variants of the GABAAR gamma2-subunit, gamma2S and gamma2L, which differ by insertion of the amino acid sequence LLRMFSFK into the large cytoplasmic loop between transmembrane domains 3 and 4. This additional sequence within the GABAAR gamma2L-subunit contains the potential protein kinase C (PKC) phosphorylation site serine 343 (Ser343). In the present study we intended to determine the capacity of these two splice variants to accumulate at inhibitory synaptic terminals and to colocalize with gephyrin, and to find out whether phosphorylation of Ser343 has any effect on GABAAR distribution.

Inflammatory response after neurosurgery.

Investigation into the inflammatory response in the central nervous system (CNS) is a rapidly growing field, and a vast amount of information on this topic has accumulated over the past two decades. Inflammation is a particularly interesting issue in the (traditionally non-regenerating) CNS, owing to its dual role in worsening or improving regeneration and functional outcome in certain circumstances. This paper reviews the current literature on the interactions between the immune system and the CNS in physiological and pathological states.

Direct impact of T cells on neurons revealed by two-photon microscopy in living brain tissue.

Encephalitogenic T cells invade the brain during neuroinflammation such as multiple sclerosis (MS), inducing damage to myelin sheaths and oligodendrocytes. Only recently, neuronal structures were reported to be a crucial target in the disease. Here, two-photon microscopy using ion-sensitive dyes revealed that within the complex cellular network of living brain tissue, proteolipid protein (PLP)-specific T cells and T cells recognizing the nonmurine antigen ovalbumin (OVA) directly and independently of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) contact neurons in which they induce calcium oscillations.

Isotropic half-millimeter angiography of coronary artery bypass grafts with 16-slice computed tomography.

Background: Computed tomography (CT) with four detector rows and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are still of limited value for the assessment of coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG). We investigated the abilities of 16-slice CT in these patients.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of all noninvasive coronary angiographies with multislice computed tomography (MSCT; Aquilion, Toshiba) on patients with CABG referred to our institution between October 2002 and April 2003 was conducted.

A gephyrin-related mechanism restraining glycine receptor anchoring at GABAergic synapses.

Spinal cord neurons release glycine and GABA and accumulate glycine receptors (GlyRs) and GABA(A) receptors in the same postsynaptic densities. In contrast, supramedullar neurons prefer GABA as a neurotransmitter and exclude GlyRs from postsynaptic anchoring. The general aim of the present study was to elucidate the mechanisms underlying transmitter-appropriate receptor accumulation at inhibitory synapses.