肾上腺髓质素对内皮素促家兔气道平滑肌细胞增殖的抑制作用

在体外培养的家兔气道平滑肌细胞（ＡＳＭＣ）上，观察肾上腺髓质素（ＡＭ）对内皮素（ＥＴ）促ＡＳＭＣ增殖的影响及丝裂素活化蛋白激酶（ＭＡＰＫ）活性的变化。以探讨ＡＭ对ＡＳＭＣ增殖的调控。结果显示１０－８ｍｏｌ／ＬＥＴ－１显著刺激ＡＳＭＣ３Ｈ－ＴｄＲ参入及ＭＡＰＫ激活（Ｐ＜０．０１）。ＡＭ（１３－５２）呈剂量依赖地抑制ＥＴ－１的上述作用（Ｐ＜０．０５，Ｐ＜０．０１）。单独应用ＡＭ（１３－５２）对ＡＳＭＣ３Ｈ－ＴｄＲ参入及ＭＡＰＫ活性无明显影响。表明ＡＭ（１３－５２）可抑制ＡＳＭＣ对ＥＴ－１的增殖反应，其机理可能涉及ＭＡＰＫ活性的抑制。     

Partial k-space reconstruction in single-shot diffusion-weighted echo-planar imaging.

Partial k-space sampling is frequently used in single-shot diffusion-weighted echo-planar imaging (DW-EPI) to reduce the TE and thereby improve the SNR. However, it increases the sensitivity of the technique to bulk rotational motion, which introduces a phase gradient across the tissue that shifts the echo in k-space. If the echo is displaced into the high spatial frequencies, conventional homodyne reconstruction fails, causing intensity oscillations across the image. Zero-padding, on the other hand, compromises the image resolution and may cause truncation artifacts. We present an adaptive version of the homodyne algorithm that detects the location of the echo in k-space and adjusts the center and width of the homodyne filters accordingly. The adaptive algorithm produces artifact-free images when the echo is shifted into the high positive k-space range, and reduces to the standard homodyne algorithm in the absence of bulk motion.     

脑实质内小占位病灶的手术治疗

报告手术治疗脑内小占位病灶４５例，其中经颅骨钻孔ＣＴ立体定向下摘除病灶１９例，而３例是以显微手术完成的。在ＣＴ立体定向下用显微手术摘除脑实质内小占位病灶具有定位准确，更易保护脑组织及血管，使术后患者脑组织功能保持或优于术前水平。     

Severe rhinosinusitis

Rhinosinusitis is diagnosed frequently in clinical practice, but the term may in fact encompass a wide spectrum of diseases. Inflammation of the nasal and sinus mucosa can arise from various causes and lead to different sequelae. Moreover, the term rhinosinusitis is more accurate than sinusitis. Causes range from a viral infection leading to the common cold to an invasive, fungal infection. An accurate diagnosis is important because effective therapy is available if recognized early and if specific therapy is used. Importantly, there is a close relationship between upper and lower airway disease and each have unique structural and functional differences that make an understanding of rhinosinusitis important not only for upper airway disease, but also for the management of asthma. All too often, rhinosinusitis becomes chronic and this becomes a challenge because medical therapy may not be sufficient to control disease. Finally, we should note that the differential diagnosis of rhinosinusitis is extensive and physicians should place heavy emphasis not only on the history, but also on appropriate imaging studies. A normal exam does not rule out the possibility or rhinosinusitis. Finally, we should emphasize that effective treatment is dependent on the etiology of the symptoms but also dependent on whether it is acute or chronic.     

Relative motion of lung and chest wall promotes uniform pleural space thickness

The pleural space is modeled in two dimensions as a thin layer of fluid separating a deformable membrane and a rigid surface containing a bump. We computed the steady-state membrane configuration and fluid pressure distribution during relative sliding of the two surfaces. For physiologically relevant values of membrane tension, shear flow-induced pressures near the bump and far-field pressure gradients are similar to those measured in vivo within the pleural space (e.g. Lai-Fook et al.) [J. Appl. Physiol.: Respirat. Environ. Exercise Physiol. 56 (1984) 1633-1639]. Deformation of the membrane over the bump suggests that the pressure field generated by the sliding motion promotes an even layer of fluid in the pleural space, preventing asperities from touching. Results also suggest a possible mechanism for pleural fluid redistribution during breathing, whereby irreversible fluid motion is associated with the deformability of the membrane.     

An Automated Self‐Similarity Analysis of the Pulmonary Tree of the Sprague–Dawley Rat

We present the results of an automated analysis of the morphometry of the pulmonary airway trees of the Sprague–Dawley rat. Our work is motivated by a need to inform lower‐dimensional mathematical models to prescribe realistic boundary conditions for multiscale hybrid models of rat lung mechanics. Silicone casts were made from three age‐matched, male Sprague–Dawley rats, immersed in a gel containing a contrast agent and subsequently imaged with magnetic resonance (MR). From a segmentation of this data, we extracted a connected graph, representing the airway centerline. Segment statistics (lengths and diameters) were derived from this graph. To validate this MR imaging/digital analysis method, airway segment measurements were compared with nearly 1,000 measurements collected by hand using an optical microscope from one of the rat lung casts. To evaluate the reproducibility of the MR imaging/digital analysis method, two lung casts were each imaged three times with randomized orientations in the MR bore. Diameters and lengths of randomly selected airways were compared among each of the repeated imaging datasets to estimate the variability. Finally, we analyzed the morphometry of the airway tree by assembling individual airway segments into structures that span multiple generations, which we call branches. We show that branches not segments are the fundamental repeating unit in the rat lung and develop simple mathematical relationships describing these structures for the entire lung. Our analysis shows that airway diameters and lengths have both a deterministic and stochastic character. Anat Rec, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Existing in-between two worlds: supporting asylum seeking women living in temporary accommodation through a creative movement and art intervention

ABSTRACT

In this reflective article we introduce Moving Space, a creative movement and art project supporting female Asylum Seekers as they move through the transient space of temporary accommodation. We explore how this cross-modal approach supports women to anchor experiences of displacement, loss and trauma through the use of embodied and visual creative process. Moreover, we argue that the transient nature of the therapeutic space brings into focus women’s resourcefulness and resilience despite the adversity and uncertainty they are experiencing.