View ordering for magnetization prepared steady state free precession acquisition: application in contrast-enhanced MR angiography.

Magnetization prepared segmented acquisition requires a view order that maximizes signal contrast during the acquisition of the central portion of k-space. Steady state free precession (SSFP) acquisition further requires a view order that minimizes changes in phase-encoding gradients from one repetition to the next in order to minimize eddy current artifacts. In this article, optimal view ordering schemes satisfying these two requirements are formulated and applied to inversion prepared 3D SSFP contrast-enhanced MR angiography (MRA). Experiments on phantoms and pigs demonstrated improved background suppression and reduced image artifacts.     

Anthracycline cardiotoxicity.

Anthracycline drugs have been widely used as chemotherapeuticagents against a range of cancers, including sarcomas, carcinomas,leukaemias, and lymphomas. However, cardiotoxic effects, inparticular the development of cardiomyopathy, have limited theirclinical use. The observation of dose-dependent cardiotoxicityhas resulted in a recommended empirical dose limit of 450 mg/m²of body surface area. Age, gender, pre-existing heart disease,hypertension, and mediastinal irradiation have also been implicatedas factors contributing to the development of doxorubicin-associatedcardiomyopathy. However, cardiotoxicity may still occur at relativelylow levels of drug administration, even in individuals withno additional risk factors, and the onset may be delayed bymany years.¹ More recently, the use of trastuzumab, a monoclonalantibody directed against the HER2 receptor, has been     

Characteristics of apathy in Parkinson's disease.

The objective of this study was to use the Lille Apathy Rating Scale to assess apathy in a large population of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and identify several different apathy profiles. One hundred fifty-nine patients with probable PD and 58 healthy controls participated in the study. Apathy was assessed using the Lille Apathy Rating Scale. Motor, cognitive, and depressive symptoms were rated on standardized scales. Data were analyzed using linear regression and multivariate analyses of variance. Thirty-two percent of the PD patients were classified as apathetic. Apathy was more frequent in patients with dementia. The four apathy dimensions contributed differently to the overall severity of the apathetic condition. Action initiation and intellectual curiosity had a marked influence. Linear regression analysis revealed that the apathy level was mainly determined by cognitive impairment, not associated with the severity of motor symptoms, and only associated with the apathy subcomponent of the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale. Apathy is highly prevalent in PD patients. Apathy profiles vary according to the clinical presentation of PD. The high prevalence of apathy in PD suggests the involvement of frontal-subcortical circuits. Although the neurochemical substrate of apathy remains poorly characterized, the strong link between apathy and cognitive impairment observed in several studies suggests the participation of nondopaminergic circuits.     

Pseudoinvasion with high-grade dysplasia in a colonic adenoma. Distinction from adenocarcinoma

High-grade dysplasia was found to extend to an area of pseudoinvasion in the submucosa of a colonic adenoma mimicking invasive carcinoma. The presence of both benign and cytologically malignant epithelium and residual foci of lamina propria among the submucosal glands distinguishes this entity from adenocarcinoma arising in an adenomatous polyp.     

Expression and folding of an antibody fragment selected in vivo for high expression levels in Escherichia coli cytoplasm

In this review, we summarize some of our results on folding and directed evolution of an antibody fragment in Escherichia coli cytoplasm. We will also discuss some attempts to construct other antibodies active in this cellular compartment.     

Large Family With Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young and a Novel V121I Mutation in HNF4A

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a subtype of early-onset diabetes mellitus which is characterized by autosomal dominant inheritance. Several genes are known to induce MODY : HNF4A/MODY1, GCK/MODY2, TCF1/MODY3, IPF1/MODY4, TCF2/MODY5 and NEUROD1/MODY6. We studied a Swiss family with 13 diabetic patients over 3 generations. The average age at diagnosis was 35 +/- 15 years (7 subjects before 30). In addition, 2 individuals had an abnormal oral glucose tolerance. The mutation present in this family was located in the DNA binding domain of HNF4A, a strongly conserved region across almost all species, and segregated in all the MODY patients. Identification of this missense mutation allowed for presymptomatic diagnosis in the younger generations and will improve medical follow-up of the predisposed individuals.