Quantification of human high‐energy phosphate metabolite concentrations at 3 T with partial volume and sensitivity corrections

Practical noninvasive methods for the measurement of absolute metabolite concentrations are key to the assessment of the depletion of myocardial metabolite pools which occurs with several cardiac diseases, including infarction and heart failure. Localized MRS offers unique noninvasive access to many metabolites, but is often confounded by nonuniform sensitivity and partial volume effects in the large, poorly defined voxels commonly used for the detection of low‐concentration metabolites with surface coils. These problems are exacerbated at higher magnetic field strengths by greater radiofrequency (RF) field inhomogeneity and differences in RF penetration with heteronuclear concentration referencing. An example is the ³¹P measurement of cardiac adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and phosphocreatine (PCr) concentrations, which, although central to cardiac energetics, have not been measured at field strengths above 1.5 T. Here, practical acquisition and analysis protocols are presented for the quantification of [PCr] and [ATP] with one‐dimensionally resolved surface coil spectra and concentration referencing at 3 T. The effects of nonuniform sensitivity and partial tissue volumes are addressed at 3 T by the application of MRI‐based three‐dimensional sensitivity weighting and tissue segmentation. The method is validated in phantoms of different sizes and concentrations, and used to measure [PCr] and [ATP] in healthy subjects. In calf muscle (n = 8), [PCr] = 24.7 ± 3.4 and [ATP] = 5.7 ± 1.3 µmol/g wet weight, whereas, in heart (n = 18), [PCr] = 10.4 ± 1.5 and [ATP] = 6.0 ± 1.1 µmol/g wet weight (all mean ± SD), consistent with previous reports at lower fields. The method enables, for the first time, the efficient, semi‐automated quantification of high‐energy phosphate metabolites in humans at 3 T with nonuniform excitation and detection. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surgeons'' knowledge, attitude, and use of preoperative autologous blood donation

Before a comprehensive educational program on preoperative autologous blood donation was begun, 118 surgeons from three different areas of the country were tested to assess their baseline knowledge and attitude about this practice. Test results were correlated with the percentage of eligible patients that the surgeons actually referred for preoperative donation during a period of observation. The purpose of this preliminary effort was to identify areas in the educational program that required emphasis. Overall, the surgeons' attitude toward preoperative donation was quite favorable, but their depth of knowledge varied. Misunderstandings may have led to diminished use of this service (eg, about 50% didn't realize that many patients with medical conditions or low hematocrits are permitted to donate). However, it is not clear that simply bolstering surgeons' knowledge will increase their appropriate use of preoperative donation. When all 118 surgeons were studied, their knowledge and attitude were unrelated to the percentage of eligible patients referred. However, when 44 surgeons who managed the largest number of eligible patients were analyzed separately, their use of preoperative donation was directly correlated with their knowledge and attitude. The local awareness of AIDS also significantly influenced the use of this service. It is proposed that knowledge of preoperative donation may be important for inducing surgeons to begin referring patients for this service. Once a pattern of successful participation is established, referral seems to increase with the acquisition of working knowledge.     

茶碱减少肺泡间隔厚度以改善高氧暴露新生大鼠肺发育的研究(英文)

目的明确高氧暴露新生大鼠肺组织的肺泡间隔增厚是否由肺泡间隔细胞凋亡抑制引起,进一步研究茶碱是否可以通过减少肺泡间隔厚度改善高氧暴露新生大鼠的肺发育。方法建立新生SD大鼠高氧暴露(85%O2)肺损伤模型,将新生大鼠随机分为3组。①新生大鼠每日注射生理盐水并予高氧暴露;②新生大鼠每日注射生理盐水并置正常空气中;③新生大鼠注射茶碱20 mg/(kg.d)并予高氧暴露。并运用TUNEL法检测肺泡间隔中的凋亡细胞,用免疫组织化学技术检测肺泡间隔中的肌成纤维细胞。结果高氧暴露7 d的新生大鼠肺组织肺泡间隔增厚,肺泡间隔细胞凋亡减少,肺泡间隔肌成纤维细胞数量增加;而茶碱可以使高氧暴露后新生大鼠肺组织肺泡间隔细胞变薄,肺泡间隔细胞凋亡增加,肺泡间隔肌成纤维细胞减少。结论茶碱可以通过减少肺泡间隔厚度,减少肺泡间隔内的肌成纤维细胞数量,进而改善高氧暴露新生大鼠的肺发育。增加肺泡间隔细胞凋亡可能是茶碱的作用机制之一。肌成纤维细胞作为一种重要的间质细胞,可能在高氧引起的肺泡间隔细胞凋亡异常及肺泡间隔增厚等变化中起重要作用。[临床儿科杂志,2010,28(12):1101-1107]     

50 years of the EORTC and the central role of the EORTC Headquarters

EORTC Headquarters plays a unique role in coordinating and supporting large-scale pan-European cancer clinical and translational research. Initially established to provide efficient methodological and coordinating services to the EORTC Research groups and to ensure professional involvement of the organization, it has grown over the years in step with an increasing number and complexity of cancer clinical trials. Recent advances in laboratories around the world have shed light on the biology of cancer, and EORTC Headquarters, armed with a competent and dedicated staff, continues to advance the state of cancer clinical research and implement the appropriate infrastructures to support the conduct of the next generation of cancer clinical trials.