Robust Multiple Sclerosis Lesion Inpainting with Edge Prior.

Inpainting lesions is an important preprocessing task for algorithms analyzing brain MRIs of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, such as tissue segmentation and cortical surface reconstruction. We propose a new deep learning approach for this task. Unlike existing inpainting approaches which ignore the lesion areas of the input image, we leverage the edge information around the lesions as a prior to help the inpainting process.

Impact of AKI on Urinary Protein Excretion: Analysis of Two Prospective Cohorts.

Background: Prior studies of adverse renal consequences of AKI have almost exclusively focused on eGFR changes. Less is known about potential effects of AKI on proteinuria, although proteinuria is perhaps the strongest risk factor for future loss of renal function.

Methods: We studied enrollees from the Assessment, Serial Evaluation, and Subsequent Sequelae of AKI (ASSESS-AKI) study and the subset of the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) study enrollees recruited from Kaiser Permanente Northern California.

Distinguishing Ménétrier's disease from its mimics.

Objective: Ménétrier's disease (MD) is a rare hypertrophic gastropathy characterised by giant rugal folds, hypochlorhydria, protein loss and a classic constellation of symptoms (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and peripheral oedema). It is considered a clinical diagnosis that may at times be difficult to establish. Firm diagnostic criteria for MD are proposed by delineating the clinicopathological features that best differentiate MD from its mimics.

Ménétrier disease and gastrointestinal stromal tumors: hyperproliferative disorders of the stomach.

Ménétrier disease and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are hyperproliferative disorders of the stomach caused by dysregulated receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). In Ménétrier disease, overexpression of TGF-alpha, a ligand for the RTK EGFR, results in selective expansion of surface mucous cells in the body and fundus of the stomach. In GISTs, somatic mutations of the genes encoding the RTK KIT (or PDGFRA in a minority of cases) result in constitutive kinase activity and neoplastic transformation of gut pacemaker cells (interstitial cells of Cajal).

Controlling thermal damage of incisions using diamond, copper, and sapphire heat-conducting templates with and without cooling.

Introduction: We investigated the reduction of thermal damage to the surrounding tissue when laser incisions were made with and without using thermal conducting templates at room temperature and cooled to 5 degrees C.

Study Design/materials And Methods: We used the Vanderbilt free-electron laser (FEL) at 5.4, 6.

Differential and opposing regulation of PAI-1 promoter activity by estrogen receptor alpha and estrogen receptor beta in endothelial cells.

To investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in the estrogen-dependent control of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene expression in vascular cells, we compared the transactivation properties of estrogen receptors (ERalpha and ERbeta) in regulating the activity of a human PAI-1 promoter reporter construct in transfected bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs). ERalpha increased PAI-1 promoter activity in BAECs by an estrogen-dependent mechanism, whereas ERbeta suppressed PAI-1 promoter activity by an estrogen-independent mechanism. The suppressive activity of ERbeta was dominant over the inductive activity of ERalpha.

Prehospital management of acute tachyarrhythmias.

Arrhythmias are commonly encountered by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. The potential seriousness of acute symptomatic arrhythmias necessitates thorough up-to-date training of EMS personnel. The three most common acute tachyarrhythmias, not linked to cardiac arrest, that are observed outside the hospital are paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT), atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response (RAF), and perfusing ventricular tachycardia (VT).

Ligand-specific control of src-suppressed C kinase substrate gene expression.

The src-suppressed C-kinase substrate, SSeCKS, is now recognized as a key regulator of cell signaling and cytoskeletal dynamics. However, few ligands that control SSeCKS expression have been identified. We report that platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB), lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) potently modulate SSeCKS gene expression in cultured smooth muscle (RASM) cells relative to other bioactive ligands tested.

Successful management of an ABO-mismatched lung allograft using antigen-specific immunoadsorption, complement inhibition, and immunomodulatory therapy.

Background: Successful management of an ABO-mismatched lung allograft recipient has not previously been described.

Methods: Because of a clerical error, a 67-year-old blood type B patient with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis received a left single-lung allograft from a blood type A donor. Cyclophosphamide was added to immunosuppression with anti-thymocyte globulin induction, cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisone.

Postoperative coronary revascularization on LVAD support for surgically inaccessible myocardial ischemia.

The authors have used the concept of hybrid revascularization to salvage a patient in persistent cardiogenic shock after incomplete emergent surgical revascularization. While the patient was on left ventricular assist device support, a complex angioplasty was done on a surgically inaccessible right coronary artery, with subsequent cardiac recovery.

SSeCKS gene expression in vascular smooth muscle cells: regulation by angiotensin II and a potential role in the regulation of PAI-1 gene expression.

Rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASM) express the src suppressed C-kinase substrate (SSeCKS), which is thought to be an integral regulatory component of cytoskeletal dynamics and G-protein coupled-receptor signaling modules. The specific sub-classes of growth factor receptors that regulate the genomic changes in SSeCKS expression in smooth muscle cells have not been characterized. In this study we identify SSeCKS as an angiotensin type 1 (AT(1)) receptor-dependent target gene in RASM cells treated with angiotensin II (Ang II).

K-Ras-independent effects of the farnesyl transferase inhibitor L-744,832 on cyclin B1/Cdc2 kinase activity, G2/M cell cycle progression and apoptosis in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a highly lethal malignancy that is resistant to traditional cytotoxic therapy. High rates of activating codon 12 K-Ras mutations in this disease have generated considerable interest in the therapeutic application of novel farnesyl transferase inhibitors (FTIs). However, a comprehensive analysis of the effects of FTI treatment on pancreatic cancer cells has not been performed.

Immunohistologic evaluation of mechanisms mediating hyperacute lung rejection, and the effect of treatment with K76-COOH, FUT-175, and anti-Gal column immunoadsorption.

Although most investigators agree that lung dysfunction occurs rapidly in various pig-to-primate hyperacute lung rejection (HALR) models, the basic mechanisms mediating this phenomenon remain in question. Here we describe an immunohistochemical method for assessment of mechanisms driving HALR. Using an established model wherein piglet lungs are perfused ex vivo with human blood, six experimental groups (K76 COOH; FUT-175; K76 with FUT; anti-alpha-Gal column adsorption; column with FUT; and column with K76) and two control groups (unmodified human blood; autologous pig blood) were studied.

Expansion of Pdx1-expressing pancreatic epithelium and islet neogenesis in transgenic mice overexpressing transforming growth factor alpha.

Background & Aims: The progenitor cells responsible for transforming growth factor (TGF)-alpha-induced pancreatic ductal metaplasia and neoplasia remain uncharacterized. During pancreatic development, differentiated cell types arise from ductal progenitor cells expressing the Pdx1 homeodomain transcription factor. The aims of this study were, first, to evaluate the role of Pdx1-expressing stem cells in MT-TGFalpha transgenic mice, and second, to further characterize cell proliferation and differentiation in this model.