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.     

汉防己甲素抑制三种神经递质引起的新生大鼠脑细胞内游离钙的升高

应用Ｐｕｒａ－２技术测定游离新生大鼠脑［Ｃａ２＋］ｉ浓度的技术、研究了Ｔｅｔ对静息脑［Ｃａ２＋］ｉ和３种递质引起的脑［Ｃａ２］ｉ变化的影响。Ｔｅｔ（１，１０和２０μｍｏｌ·Ｌ－１）对静息脑［Ｃａ２＋］ｉ无明显影响。Ｔｅｔ（１０μｍｏｌ·Ｌ－１）可降低Ｌ－Ｇｌｎ（０．１、１．０和１０μｍｏｌ·Ｌ－１）引起的脑（Ｃａ２＋）ｉ的升高。在Ｈａｎｋ＇ｓ液Ｃａ２＋为１．３ｍｍｏｌ·Ｌ－１时，Ｔｅｔ１０μｍｏｌ·Ｌ－１可降低Ｈｉｓ（５０和１００μｍｏｌ·Ｌ－１）和５－ＨＴ（０．１、１．０、１０和１００μｍｏｌ·Ｌ－１）引起的脑［Ｃａ２＋］ｉ的升高。但不能降低Ｈａｎｋ＇ｓ液无Ｃａ２＋时Ｈｉｓ和５－ＨＴ引起的脑［Ｃａ２＋］ｉ的升高。研究表明Ｔｅｔ可阻滞Ｌ－Ｇｉｎ、Ｈｉｓ和５－ＨＴ受体调控的钙通道。但对Ｈｉｓ和５－ＨＴ引起的细胞内贮存钙的释放并无明显影响。Ｔｅｔ的这种降低脑［Ｃａ２＋］ｉ的作用可能是其治疗脑缺血性疾病的机理之一。Ｐ＜０．０１在Ｔｅｔ１０μｍｏｌ·Ｌ－１作用下，相同浓度的细胞外液钙和Ｈｉｓ（０、５０和１００μｍｏｌ·Ｌ－１），脑［Ｃａ２＋］ｉ分别是２２１±５、２４５±５和３０２±６ｎｍｏｌ·Ｌ－１。增加了１１．８?     

1000例正常人发电子自旋共振（ESR）波谱的饱和特性研究

本文报道1000例正常人发自由基的电子自旋共振波谱饱和功率(ESR-SP)的检测结果。所得正常值的全组中位数为2.496mw;95％上下限分别为2.989及1.720mw。如按性别统计,则女性下限(1.617mw)较男性(1.983mw)为低,(P<0.05)。按年龄分别统计,则40岁以上的中位数(2.376mw)及其下限(2.009mw)高于40岁以下的中位数(2.548mw)及其下限(1.597mw),两者差异有显著性(P<0.05)及极显著性(P<0.01)。因此在使用此正常值指标时,必须注意性别与年龄因素。     

普鲁卡因静脉复合麻醉对肝脏血流和氧耗影响的实验研究

采用电磁血流仪和血气分析等技术，研究普鲁卡因静脉复合麻醉对犬体循环血流动力学及肝脏血流和氧耗影响。 １％普鲁卡因复合液以 １．０ｍｇ· ｋｇ－１／ｍｉｎ速度静滴时，随麻醉时间延长，血浆普鲁卡因浓度逐渐升高，６０分钟达５６．９±８．７ｍｇ／Ｌ。体循环各项血流动力学参数趋于稳定，仅在６０分钟产生明显的体循环抑制效应。心率和平均动脉压分别降低２７％、２５％，心指数由３．５２±０．２１Ｌ·ｍｉｎ－１／ｍ２降至 ３． ０８±０．１２Ｌ· ｍｉｎ－１／ｍ２。肝总血流量和氧耗与体循环动力学呈一致性变化。因此，肝脏疾患及肝手术的患者，只要控制血中普鲁卡因浓度不过高，仍可安全实施普鲁卡因静脉复合麻醉。     

Age-related changes in oxygen saturation over the first year of life: A longitudinal study

Stability of oxygen saturation depends on maturation and function of individual components of the respiratory system. The aim of this study was to record and analyse comprehensive oxygen saturation data in a longitudinal study over the first year of life. Detailed sleep studies were performed on 15 normal infants eight times in the first year of life. The accrued oxygen saturation data were analysed on a computerized oximetry data analysis system. Results show the mean sleep saturation levels trending upwards and stabilizing by 185 days. There was an inverse curvilinear relationship between mean age and median desaturation time and the median number of desaturations at ≥95, ≥92 and ≥90% saturation. The mean cumulative desaturation time ≥90% in the first 4 months was 11.08 min (range 2.5–36.57 min). This study demonstrates monotonic patterns of increasing saturation and decreasing number and time of desaturations ≥95% and ≥90% but a random pattern of desaturations ≥85% occurs across the first 6 months of life. Cumulative desaturation times over the first 4 months of life were high and could be important to the development of maturity of the respiratory system. After 6 months, all indices of saturation and desaturation point to a stable and mature respiratory system.     

Additive effects of earthworm extract with HpD-laser on the enhancement of reactive oxygen production and the inhibition of[~3H]—thymidine.uptake in mouse ascitic tumor cells

The effects of combined use of earthworm extract(912)and HpD-laser on the produc-tion of reactive oxygen and the biosynthesis of DNA in S_(180) tumor cells were studied throughchemiluminescence measurement and[~3H]-TdR incorporation assay.The results showed that as com-pared with the control,the intensity of chemiluminescence emitted by tumor cells treatedsimultaneously with 912 and HpD-laser was enhanced more than ten-folds,while that treated with912 or HpD-laser alone was increased only 2～4 folds.The[~3H]-TdR incorporation into tumorcells of the former group was inhibited upto 74.1%,and that of the latter groups decreased onlyby 42.2% and 40.0%,respectively.In accordance with these biochemical changes,the ultrastructuraldamage of tumor cells of the former,combinedly treated group appeared to be the most serious.This suggests an additive effect of 912 with HpD-laser on tumor cells.In addition,if free radicalscavengers,such as catalase and superoxide dismutase,were added to the reaction systembefore chemiluminescence assay,the luminescent enhancement effect mentioned above was dramaticallyalleviated,implying the presence of O_2~ and H_2O_2 in the system.Therefore,as to the toxic effecton tumor cells,912 and HpD-laser are not only additive in efficiency,but also similar in theunderlying mechanism of action.     

A developmental role for ataxia-telangiectasia mutated in protecting the embryo from spontaneous and phenytoin-enhanced embryopathies in culture.

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is characterized by impaired recognition and repair of DNA damage and increased sensitivity to ionizing radiation (IR), cancer, and neurodegeneration. We previously showed pregnant knockout mice lacking the A-T gene product ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (Atm) are highly susceptible to the embryopathic effects of IR, which damages DNA, possibly via generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here we show that Atm more broadly protects against both spontaneous and phenytoin-enhanced embryopathies. In the absence of drug exposure, cultured embryos from pregnant Atm knockout mice showed more embryopathies than wild-type littermates, with a gene dose-dependent decrease in susceptibility from -/- to +/- to +/+ embryos (p < 0.05). A similar but significantly enhanced gene dose-dependent pattern of embryopathic susceptibility was evident in Atm knockout embryos exposed to the ROS-initiating teratogen phenytoin (p < 0.05). These results provide the first evidence that Atm has a broad developmental importance beyond IR embryopathies, possibly by protecting the embryo from constitutive and xenobiotic-enhanced oxidative stress, with even heterozygotes showing increased risk. This developmental role of Atm further implicates DNA damage in ROS-mediated teratogenesis and DNA damage response and repair as risk factors for individual susceptibility.     

Curative resection of gastric cancer: Limitation of peritoneal lavage cytology in predicting the outcome

Patients with stage T3N0～2M0 gastric carcinoma (n = 108) were studied for relevant prognostic factors. Peritoneal lavage cytology (PLC) was performed in all. In univariate analysis, 5-year survival rates were better with smaller serosal invasion (diameter <3.0 cm vs. ≥3.0 cm, 61% vs. 37%, P < 0.05) and fewer metastatic nodes (≤5 vs. ≥6, 57% vs. 29%, P < 0.05). In multivariate analyses, only these two factors were significant. The predictive value of PLC was not shown in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Peritoneal recurrence occured in 14 (22%) of 77 patients with negative PLC, and in 3 (18%) of 17 with positive PLC, the difference being not significant. Our results indicate that PLC is insensitive in predicting the development of peritoneal recurrence. Its role in the estimation of survival is limited, as many will die of visceral or locoregional recurrence if not of peritoneal dissemination.     

Total and free tissue factor pathway inhibitor in pregnancy hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the role played by tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) in pregnancy hypertension. METHODS: Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, hemostatic measurements were obtained for women with pre-eclampsia (n=51), nonproteinuric hypertension of pregnancy (n=62), postpartum pre-eclampsia 24 h after childbirth (n=31), and no hypertension (healthy pregnant controls, n=100). RESULTS: There was a significant increase in circulating free TFPI levels in women with pre-eclampsia (9.7+/-6.2 ng/mL) or nonproteinuric hypertension of pregnancy (8.3+/-5.3 ng/mL) compared with healthy controls (5.3+/-2.1 ng/mL). In women with pre-eclampsia the levels remained elevated after placental delivery (10.6+/-4.0 ng/mL). Free protein S levels were significantly higher in women with pre-eclampsia (40.0%+/-10.7%), nonproteinuric hypertension of pregnancy (37.1%+/-12.5%), or postpartum pre-eclampsia (39.3%+/-9.1%) than in healthy pregnant controls (32.2%+/-8.5%). CONCLUSION: Increased levels of the physiologically active free forms of TFPI and free protein S, 2 coagulation inhibitors, may protect women with pregnancy-induced hypertension from the risks of hemostatic activation.     

Multicoil Dixon chemical species separation with an iterative least-squares estimation method.

This work describes a new approach to multipoint Dixon fat-water separation that is amenable to pulse sequences that require short echo time (TE) increments, such as steady-state free precession (SSFP) and fast spin-echo (FSE) imaging. Using an iterative linear least-squares method that decomposes water and fat images from source images acquired at short TE increments, images with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and uniform separation of water and fat are obtained. This algorithm extends to multicoil reconstruction with minimal additional complexity. Examples of single- and multicoil fat-water decompositions are shown from source images acquired at both 1.5T and 3.0T. Examples in the knee, ankle, pelvis, abdomen, and heart are shown, using FSE, SSFP, and spoiled gradient-echo (SPGR) pulse sequences. The algorithm was applied to systems with multiple chemical species, and an example of water-fat-silicone separation is shown. An analysis of the noise performance of this method is described, and methods to improve noise performance through multicoil acquisition and field map smoothing are discussed.