Estimation of phase signal change in neuronal current MRI for evoke response of tactile detection with realistic somatosensory laminar network model

Magnetic field generated by neuronal activity could alter magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signals but detection of such signal is under debate. Previous researches proposed that magnitude signal change is below current detectable level, but phase signal change (PSC) may be measurable with current MRI systems. Optimal imaging parameters like echo time, voxel size and external field direction, could increase the probability of detection of this small signal change. We simulate a voxel of cortical column to determine effect of such parameters on PSC signal. We extended a laminar network model for somatosensory cortex to find neuronal current in each segment of pyramidal neurons (PN). 60,000 PNs of simulated network were positioned randomly in a voxel. Biot–savart law applied to calculate neuronal magnetic field and additional phase. The procedure repeated for eleven neuronal arrangements in the voxel. PSC signal variation with the echo time and voxel size was assessed. The simulated results show that PSC signal increases with echo time, especially 100/80 ms after stimulus for gradient echo/spin echo sequence. It can be up to 0.1 mrad for echo time = 175 ms and voxel size = 1.48 × 1.48 × 2.18 mm³. With echo time less than 25 ms after stimulus, it was just acquired effects of physiological noise on PSC signal. The absolute value of the signal increased with decrease of voxel size, but its components had complex variation. External field orthogonal to local surface of cortex maximizes the signal. Expected PSC signal for tactile detection in the somatosensory cortex increase with echo time and have no oscillation.     

Utility of Tissue Similarity Maps Based on Relative Cerebral Blood Volume for Grading Gliomas as Validated by Histological Results

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N-三甲基壳聚糖对促进阿昔洛韦滴眼液眼部滞留性的体内外考察

目的对不同季铵化程度(DQ)的N-三甲基壳聚糖(TMC)促进阿昔洛韦(ACV)滴眼液眼部滞留性进行考察。方法将浓度为0.5%,DQ分别为20%、40%及60%的TMC(TMC20,TMC40,TMC60)加入ACV滴眼液中;以同浓度壳聚糖(CS)ACV滴眼液为阳性对照,以普通ACV滴眼液为阴性对照,选用家兔为实验动物,采用悬挂泡技术和束缚泡技术进行离体眼球表面接触角及解吸附动力学进行研究,同时在各种ACV滴眼液中分别加入0.05%的荧光素钠为示踪剂,在体研究各种ACV滴眼液在家兔眼部的滞留性。结果与普通ACV滴眼液相比,含CS及TMC的滴眼液在角膜表面的接触角明显降低,解吸时间及在体滞留时间明显延长(P<0.05);与同浓度的CS ACV阳性对照相比,TMC20促进滞留作用较弱,而TMC40作用差异无显著性(P>0.05),而TMC60的作用明显较强(P<0.05)结论 TMC可显著增加ACV的眼部滞留性,且与其DQ呈正相关。     

Mixed Reality Combined with Three‐Dimensional Printing Technology in Total Hip Arthroplasty: An Updated Review with a Preliminary Case Presentation

Three‐dimensional (3D) printing technology, virtual reality, and augmented reality technology have been used to help surgeons to complete complex total hip arthroplasty, while their respective shortcomings limit their further application. With the development of technology, mixed reality (MR) technology has been applied to improve the success rate of complicated hip arthroplasty because of its unique advantages. We presented a case of a 59‐year‐old man with an intertrochanteric fracture in the left femur, who had received a prior left hip fusion. After admission to our hospital, a left total hip arthroplasty was performed on the patient using a combination of MR technology and 3D printing technology. Before surgery, 3D reconstruction of a certain bony landmark exposed in the surgical area was first performed. Then a veneer part was designed according to the bony landmark and connected to a reference registration landmark outside the body through a connecting rod. After that, the series of parts were made into a holistic reference registration instrument using 3D printing technology, and the patient's data for bone and surrounding tissue, along with digital 3D information of the reference registration instrument, were imported into the head‐mounted display (HMD). During the operation, the disinfected reference registration instrument was installed on the selected bony landmark, and then the automatic real‐time registration was realized by HMD through recognizing the registration landmark on the reference registration instrument, whereby the patient's virtual bone and other anatomical structures were quickly and accurately superimposed on the real body of the patient. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to use MR combined with 3D printing technology in total hip arthroplasty.     

妊娠期高血压疾病早期肾损害的监测进展

妊娠妇女随着孕周的增加,其本身及胎儿代谢产物逐渐增多,加之循环血容量增加,使肾脏总体负荷加重,容易并发肾损害。妊娠期高血压疾病是妊娠期特有的疾病,其病理生理变化为全身小血管痉挛、内皮损伤及局部缺血;肾脏最先受累。严重的肾损害会导致较高的母儿患病率和病死率,而肾脏损害存在无症状阶段,通过筛查才能发现相对早期的肾损害。探索妊娠期高血压疾病早期肾损害敏感性指标,可早发现、早干预,从而减少不良产科结局。     

Binding mode of conformations and structure-based pharmacophore development for farnesyltransferase inhibitors

Farnesyltransferase (FTase) is one of the prenyltransferase family enzymes that catalyse the transfer of 15-membered isoprenoid (farnesyl) moiety to the cysteine of CAAX motif-containing proteins including Rho and Ras family of G proteins. Inhibitors of FTase act as drugs for cancer, malaria, progeria and other diseases. In the present investigation, we have developed two structure-based pharmacophore models from protein–ligand complex (3E33 and 3E37) obtained from the protein data bank. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed on the complexes, and different conformers of the same complex were generated. These conformers were undergone protein–ligand interaction fingerprint (PLIF) analysis, and the fingerprint bits have been used for structure-based pharmacophore model development. The PLIF results showed that Lys164, Tyr166, TrpB106 and TyrB361 are the major interacting residues in both the complexes. The RMSD and RMSF analyses on the MD-simulated systems showed that the absence of FPP in the complex 3E37 has significant effect in the conformational changes of the ligands. During this conformational change, some interactions between the protein and the ligands are lost, but regained after some simulations (after 2 ns). The structure-based pharmacophore models showed that the hydrophobic and acceptor contours are predominantly present in the models. The pharmacophore models were validated using reference compounds, which significantly identified as HITs with smaller RMSD values. The developed structure-based pharmacophore models are significant, and the methodology used in this study is novel from the existing methods (the original X-ray crystallographic coordination of the ligands is used for the model building). In our study, along with the original coordination of the ligand, different conformers of the same complex (protein–ligand) are used. It concluded that the developed methodology is significant for the virtual screening of novel molecules on different targets.     

Dying is the Most Grown-Up Thing We Ever Do: But Do Health Care Professionals Prevent Us from Taking It Seriously?

This paper takes a somewhat slant perspective on flourishing and care in the context of suffering, death and dying, arguing that care in this context consists principally of ‘acts of work and courage that enable flourishing’. Starting with the perception that individuals, society and health care professionals have become dulled to death and the process of dying in Western advanced health systems, it suggests that for flourishing to occur, both of these aspects of life need to be faced more directly. The last days of life need to be ‘undulled’. Reflections upon the experiences of the author as carer and daughter in the face of her mother’s experience of death are used as basis for making suggestions about how care systems and professionals might better assist people in dealing with ‘the most grown up thing’ humans ever do, which is to die.