Repetitive magnetic stimulation of cortical motor areas in Parkinson's disease: implications for the pathophysiology of cortical function.

We investigated the neurophysiological and clinical effects of repetitive magnetic stimulation (rTMS) delivered to the cortical motor areas in healthy subjects and patients with Parkinson's disease. rTMS was delivered with a high speed magnetic stimulator (Cadwell, Kennewick, WA) through a figure-eight coil centred on the primary motor area at a stimulus intensity of 120% motor threshold. Trains of 10 stimuli were delivered at frequencies of 5 Hz while subjects were at rest and during a voluntary contraction of the contralateral first dorsal interosseous muscle. In normal subjects at rest, the muscle evoked responses (MEPs) to each stimulus in a train of magnetic stimuli progressively increased in size during the train. rTMS left the MEPs unchanged in patients off therapy and had a small facilitatory effect in those on therapy. In normal subjects and patients, 5-Hz rTMS trains delivered during a voluntary contraction of the target muscle left the MEP unchanged in size. MEPs were followed by a silent period that increased in duration during the course of the train. The silent period duration increased to a similar extent in patients and controls. The reduced rTMS-induced facilitation of MEPs in patients with Parkinson's disease reflects a decreased facilitation of the excitatory cells in the cortical motor areas.     

胆管癌误诊和漏诊的影像学分析

目的：分析胆管癌误诊和漏诊的原因，评价不同检查方法对肝门区胆管癌诊断的价值，提高胆管癌的影像学诊断和鉴别诊断水平。方法：收集31例临床和病理诊断为胆管癌的病例(ERCP检查31例，B超检查31例，25例CT检查，11例行MRCP检查)，回顾性分析不同检查方法的影像学表现。结果：31例中发生在肝门区的胆管癌25例。2例初次ERCP显示胆管内出血，再次行鼻胆管造影后诊断为胆管癌，4例合并有总胆管结石。6例为总胆管中下段癌。初次诊断准确性为90．3％。11例MRCP中9例显示病变，2例显示不满意，7例显示胆管或胆囊结石。25例CT中23例显示肝内胆管扩张，9例显示肝门区肿块，2例见后腹膜转移淋巴结，1例见肝内多发性转移瘤。12例初次诊断正确(48％)。B超检查23例提示肝内胆管扩张，6例提示总胆管结石，18例诊断为胆囊炎、胆囊结石，8例提示胆管占位(25．8％)。结论：良好的直接胆管造影是诊断胆管癌的金标准，MRCP可以在一定程度上准确显示病变的范围，是ERCP的良好补充，很大程度上取代了诊断性ERCP；CT诊断的关键在于显示扩张的胆管和梗阻的定位，肝门区梗阻多为胆管癌所致。多种影像检查方法的结合明显提高了诊断的准确性，对胆管癌治疗方案的选择有重要价值。     

Signal-to-noise ratio effects in quantitative cerebral perfusion using dynamic susceptibility contrast agents.

Theoretical and simulation evidence is presented in support of the idea that the optimal manner of determining blood flow from MR perfusion studies is not necessarily obtained by setting experimental conditions to maximize either the arterial input or the measured tissue concentration level for a particular echo time (TE). The noise power in the contrast concentration curve is associated with its peak because of the nonlinear relationship between the contrast concentration and MR signal intensity curves. The optimum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), SNR(C), for a particular contrast concentration curve can be obtained when the experimental concentration level and TE are adjusted to produce an MR intensity curve whose signal loss is 63% of the precontrast MR signal intensity. It is demonstrated that the stability of the singular valued decomposition (SVD) deconvolution approach to determine blood flow parameters is increased when the tissue curve maximum signal loss is in the range of 40-80%. The accuracy and stability of the SVD-determined blood flow parameters are affected by deviations from these optimum conditions in a manner that depends on the mean transit time (MTT) associated with the residue function. It is recommended that the experimental TE value be set so that neither the tissue nor the arterial curves are placed a region of rapidly deteriorating SNR(C).     

Identifying the affected hemisphere by 1H-MR spectroscopy in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and no pathological findings in high resolution MRI

Up to 30% of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) remain without remarkable changes in MRI. In this study we investigated the role of (1)H-MR spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) in lateralizing the affected hemisphere in the mentioned patient group. Twenty-two consecutive patients diagnosed with TLE were investigated by high resolution MRI and (1)H-MRS. We examined the incidence and diagnostic accuracy of temporal metabolite alterations determined by Linear Combination of Model Spectra (L C Model) via water reference. Metabolite values of each hemisphere of TLE patients were compared with healthy controls. Results of metabolite alterations were related to intensive video EEG focus localization. Reduction of N-acetylaspartate + N-acetylaspartyl-glutamate (tNAA) in the affected hemisphere revealed identification in six of nine patients (66%) with unilateral TLE. Group comparison revealed a significant reduction of tNAA (6.1+/-0.8*) in the involved temporal lobe compared with controls (6.67+/-0.4*, P=0.026). Choline levels were significantly increased in the affected hemisphere (1.42+/-0.17*) compared with healthy controls (1.22+/-0.17*, P=0.035). The results of our study show that (1)H-MRS is able to identify the affected hemisphere of MRI negative TLE patients and can be used as an additive tool in multimodal focus localization.     

超细α-FeOOH制备过程研究 Ⅰ.制备工艺

以制备晶形、粒度、轴比等满足高性能磁粉要求的铁黄为目标,研究了碱法超细α-FeOOH合成的工艺配方和工艺条件对粒子性能的影响,包括碱比、气量、转速、Fe(OH)_2结晶条件、熟化时间等工艺参数的影响规律。重复稳定地制备出三类超微粒α-FeOOH粒子,其粒度分别为0.18、0.28、0.39μm,分布均匀,无枝叉。     

Abnormal sensorimotor integration is related to disease severity in Parkinson's disease: a TMS study.

Hyperexcitability of the motor system has been reported in Parkinson's disease (PD). We evaluate how cutaneous afferents modulate motor excitability in PD patients and whether abnormal modulation is correlated to parkinsonian symptoms. Digital stimulation causes abnormal enhancement of motor responses in patients. This effect may be one of the features of motor hyperexcitability in PD. Cutaneomotor hyperexcitability correlates with clinical scores, suggesting that abnormal processing of cutaneous inputs might contribute to the pathogenesis of parkinsonian symptoms.     

Characterization and prediction of gradient acoustic noise in MR imagers

Gradient acoustic noise has been measured and characterized for an epoxy-potted, shielded gradient assembly in a 1.5 T MRI system. Noise levels vary by 10 dB or more as a function of longitudinal position in the scanner and reflect the pattern of forces applied to the gradient assembly. The noise level increases slightly (1–3 dB) with a patient in the scanner. The spectrum of the noise is similar (but not identical) to the spectrum of the input signal. A gradient-pulse-to-acoustic-noise transfer function was obtained by using a white noise voltage input to the gradient system. The transfer function enabled us to accurately predict acoustic noise output for a pulse sequence consisting of a series of trapezoidal pulses on a single axis and for a clinical fast spin echo sequence with gradients present on all three axes.     

Retardation of pain development: a case of recovery from congenital insensitivity to pain

Congenital analgesia is a rare genetic disorder. We report here that a 12-year-old boy was able to recover from congenital insensitivity to pain. Neurological examinations revealed that there was a 'stocking' distribution of pain decrement on the lower extremities under the patient's knee joints. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of his brain showed gyrus thinning with sulcus widening at both sides of the parietal lobe. Southern blot hybridization probed with cDNAs of various opioid receptors did not detect any significant abnormality. Our results suggest that this rare case may not be genetically determined.