Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Neurourol Urodyn 2021 Jun 15. Epub 2021 Jun 15.

School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Aims: To investigate the inter- and intratester repeatability of measurement of the location and displacement of five pelvic landmarks related to pelvic floor muscles with transperineal ultrasound (TPUS) imaging recorded from healthy men and men before and after prostatectomy.

Methods: TPUS images were selected from four different participant groups: healthy men, men awaiting prostatectomy, men 2 weeks after prostatectomy, and men 12 months after prostatectomy. On two separate occasions, two assessors with different levels of experience performed analysis of location and displacement of five pelvic landmarks in images made at rest and during voluntary contraction. Read More

Lasers Surg Med 2021 Jun 15. Epub 2021 Jun 15.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712, USA.

Background And Objectives: Despite rapid advances and discoveries in medical imaging, monitoring therapeutic efficacy for malignant gliomas and monitoring tumor vasculature remains problematic. The purpose of this study is to utilize optical coherence angiography for vasculature characterization inside and surrounding brain tumors in a murine xenograft brain tumor model. Features included in our analysis include fractional blood volume, vessel tortuosity, diameter, orientation, and directionality. Read More

Dtsch Med Wochenschr 2021 Jun 15;146(12):832-836. Epub 2021 Jun 15.

Deep vein thrombosis usually manifests as leg or pelvic vein thrombosis (DVT). The causes are either acquired or inherited and can also occur in combination. Early diagnosis and treatment of DVT can reduce the risk of pulmonary embolism and postthrombotic syndrome. Read More

Neuropsychobiology 2021 Jun 15:1-12. Epub 2021 Jun 15.

Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.

Introduction: An increase in brain white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) and a decrease in white matter fractional anisotrophy (FA) have been detected in bipolar I (BPI), II (BPII), and major depressive disorder (MDD) patients. Their relationship, and differences in diagnostic groups are obscure. Longitudinal studies are rare. Read More

J Neural Eng 2021 Jun 15. Epub 2021 Jun 15.

School of Biomedical Engineering, Tianjin Medical University, Heping District, Tianjin, 300070, CHINA.

Objective: Electrical brain stimulation has been used to ameliorate symptoms associated with neurologic and psychiatric disorders. The astrocytic activation and its interaction with neurons may contribute to the therapeutic effects of electrical stimulation. However, how the astrocytic activity is affected by electrical stimulation and its calcium signaling mechanisms remain largely unknown. Read More

Phys Med Biol 2021 Jun 15. Epub 2021 Jun 15.

Institute of Biomedical Engineering , Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, CHINA.

Preclinical positron emission tomography (PET) is a sensitive and quantitative molecule imaging modality widely used in characterizing the biological processes and diseases in small animals. The purpose of this study is to investigate the methods to optimize a PET detector for high-resolution preclinical imaging. The PET detector proposed in this study consists of a 28×28 array of LYSO crystals 0. Read More

J Neurosurg Pediatr 2021 Jun 15:1-10. Epub 2021 Jun 15.

Departments of1Biomedical Engineering.

Objective: The objective of this study was to characterize changes in head impact exposure (HIE) across multiple football seasons and to determine whether changes in HIE correlate with changes in imaging metrics in youth football players.

Methods: On-field head impact data and pre- and postseason imaging data, including those produced by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), were collected from youth football athletes with at least two consecutive seasons of data. ANCOVA was used to evaluate HIE variations (number of impacts, peak linear and rotational accelerations, and risk-weighted cumulative exposure) by season number. Read More

Clin Neurophysiol 2021 May 24;132(8):1813-1819. Epub 2021 May 24.

Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Neurology, Ankara, Turkey.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the vestibulo-collic reflex (VCR) and linear vestibulo-ocular reflex (lVOR) and their correlation with brain lesions in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS).

Methods: The study group consisted of 17 patients (34 ears) with POMS (mean age 18.73 ± 2. Read More

Clin Neurophysiol 2021 May 8;132(8):1790-1801. Epub 2021 May 8.

University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Center for Human Movement Sciences, Groningen, the Netherlands; Institute of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, Faculty of Sciences, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; Somogy County Kaposi Mór Teaching Hospital, Kaposvár, Hungary.

Objective: Age-related differences in neural strategies for motor learning are not fully understood. We determined the effects of age on the relationship between motor network connectivity and motor skill acquisition, consolidation, and interlimb transfer using dynamic imaging of coherent sources.

Methods: Healthy younger (n = 24, 18-24 y) and older (n = 24, 65-87 y) adults unilaterally practiced a visuomotor task and resting-state electroencephalographic data was acquired before and after practice as well as at retention. Read More

J Surg Res 2021 Jun 12;267:37-47. Epub 2021 Jun 12.

Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address:

Background: Body mass index (BMI) does not reliably predict Surgical site infections (SSI). We hypothesize that abdominal wall thickness (AWT) would serve as a better predictor of SSI for patients undergoing emergency colon operations.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated our Emergency Surgery Database (2007-2018). Read More

Eur J Radiol 2021 Jun 8;141:109815. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong Province, China. Electronic address:

Purpose: To explore radiological changes of the lacrimal gland (LG) in Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) based on multi-parametric quantitative MRI and its clinical utility in LG diagnosis and activity in GO.

Methods: We enrolled 99 consecutive patients with GO (198 eyes) and 12 Graves' Disease (GD) patients (24 eyes) from July 2018 to June 2020. Clinical, laboratory, and MRI data were collected at the first visit. Read More

Phys Med 2021 Jun 12;87:90-98. Epub 2021 Jun 12.

Department of Radiological Sciences (LCR), State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Pavilhão Haroldo Lisboa da Cunha, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ CEP 20550-900, Brazil.

Purpose: Mammography is the diagnostic imaging practice used in screening to detect early lesions suspected of malignancy. It uses a low energy X-ray beam in which a low dose in the order of 2-3 mGy is delivered to patient breast cells. However, it has been speculated that it could lead to significant cell damage, when compared to conventional X-ray. Read More

Comput Biol Med 2021 May 21;134:104502. Epub 2021 May 21.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital and Laboratory of Cardiac Imaging and 3D Printing, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Science, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.

Background: Real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3D TEE) has been increasingly used in clinic for fast 3D analysis of cardiac anatomy and function. However, 3D TEE still suffers from the limited field of view (FoV). It is challenging to adopt conventional multi-view fusion methods to 3D TEE images because feature-based registration methods tend to fail in the ultrasound scenario, and conventional intensity-based methods have poor convergence properties and require an iterative coarse-to-fine strategy. Read More

Respir Med Res 2021 Jun 4;80:100832. Epub 2021 Jun 4.

Department of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospitals KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.

Objective: SARS CoV-2 is an epidemic viral infection that can cause mild to severe lung involvement. Newly apprehended knowledge on thoracic imaging abnormalities and the growing clinical experience on the evolution of this disease make the radiographic follow-up of hospitalized patients relevant. The value of consecutive bedside lung ultrasonography in the follow-up of hospitalized patients with SARS CoV-2 pneumonia and its correlation with other clinical and laboratory markers needs to be evaluated. Read More

Seizure 2021 May 31;91:81-90. Epub 2021 May 31.

Division of Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA.

Objective: To develop and test a deep learning model to automatically detect malformations of cortical development (MCD).

Methods: We trained a deep learning model to distinguish between diffuse cortical malformation (CM), periventricular nodular heterotopia (PVNH), and normal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We trained 4 different convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures. Read More

Neuroimage Clin 2021 Jun 5;31:102709. Epub 2021 Jun 5.

Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Radiology and Medical Informatics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Brain and Mind Research, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address:

Agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC) is a congenital brain malformation characterized by the complete or partial failure to develop the corpus callosum. Despite missing the largest white matter bundle connecting the left and right hemispheres of the brain, studies have shown preserved inter-hemispheric communication in individuals with AgCC. It is likely that plasticity provides mechanisms for the brain to adjust in the context of AgCC, as the malformation disrupts programmed developmental brain processes very early on. Read More

J Affect Disord 2021 Jun 5;292:223-226. Epub 2021 Jun 5.

Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.

Irritability has been associated with aberrant patterns of neural activation, yet little is known about structural brain correlates of irritability. As such, we aimed to investigate associations between irritability and gray matter volume (GMV) in a community sample of children enriched for irritability. The sample comprised children (n=162) aged 9-11 years with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), participating in a cohort study with magnetic resonance imaging data available. Read More

Neurobiol Aging 2021 May 14;105:252-261. Epub 2021 May 14.

Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. Electronic address:

We investigated whether cerebrovascular disease contributes to neurodegeneration and clinical phenotype in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Regional cortical thickness and subcortical gray matter volumes were estimated from structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 165 DLB patients. Cortical and subcortical infarcts were recorded and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) were assessed. Read More

Biosens Bioelectron 2021 Jun 12;190:113403. Epub 2021 Jun 12.

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA; The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA; Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA. Electronic address:

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is one of the most common malignancies that account for nearly one-third of all pediatric cancers. The current diagnostic assays are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and require expensive reagents. Here, we report a label-free approach featuring diffraction phase imaging and Raman microscopy that can retrieve both morphological and molecular attributes for label-free optical phenotyping of individual B cells. Read More

Water Res 2021 Jun 1;201:117317. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, HKSAR, P.R.China; HKBU Institute of Research and Continuing Education, Shenzhen Virtual University Park, Shenzhen, P.R.China. Electronic address:

Despite continuous research on microplastics (MPs), studies exploring the complexity of interaction between MPs and other aqueous constituents in multi-solute systems are scarce. In this study, the uptake and release of nanoceria (CeNPs) by various polystyrene MPs (PSMPs) were investigated. Results showed that PSMPs in the presence of heavy metals (HMs) exhibited a substantially higher sorption affinity for isotropic charged CeNPs than PSMPs alone; this enhanced affinity was attributed to the formation of PSMP-HM-CeNP complexes. Read More

J Neurol Sci 2021 Jun 11;427:117531. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Department of Radiology, USA. Electronic address:

Patients with rheumatological diseases may present with neurological manifestations of peripheral and/or central nervous system (CNS). Symptoms may be related to underlying rheumatological disease or CNS effects of immune-modulating drugs. Early diagnosis and therapy may help prevent serious complications. Read More

J Neurol Sci 2021 Jun 1;427:117514. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Department of Neurology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Japan.

Introduction: Atrial remodeling due to high-burden atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with cardioembolic stroke (CES). As not all CESs is caused by AF, we analyzed the diagnostic values of each echocardiographic parameter to distinguish likely AF-related CES in acute stroke patients while in non-AF rhythm.

Methods: The data of consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke in sinus rhythm between 2012 and 2015 were obtained. Read More

Phytomedicine 2021 May 24;88:153604. Epub 2021 May 24.

State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of TCMs Pharmaceuticals, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China. Electronic address:

Background: Blue light can directly penetrate the lens and reach the retina to induce retinal damage, causing dry age-related macular degeneration (dAMD). Cynaroside (Cyn), a flavonoid glycoside, was proved to alleviate the oxidative damage of retinal cells in vitro. However, whether or not Cyn also exerts protective effect on blue light-induced retinal degeneration and its mechanisms of action are unclear. Read More

Cortex 2021 May 25;141:403-420. Epub 2021 May 25.

The University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Center for Vital Longevity, Dallas, TX, USA. Electronic address:

Even within healthy aging, vascular risk factors can detrimentally influence cognition, with executive functions (EF) particularly vulnerable. Fronto-parietal white matter (WM) connectivity in part, supports EF and may be particularly sensitive to vascular risk. Here, we utilized structural equation modeling in 184 healthy adults (aged 20-94 years of age) to test the hypotheses that: 1) fronto-parietal WM microstructure mediates age effects on EF; 2) higher blood pressure (BP) and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden influences this association. Read More

Clin Nutr 2021 May 1;40(6):3729-3740. Epub 2021 May 1.

Department of Intensive Care Medicine, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

Background & Aims: Esophageal cancer patients often suffer from cancer-related malnutrition and, as a result, sarcopenia. Whether sarcopenia worsens the outcome after esophagectomy is unclear. Inconsistent study results are partly caused by varying cut-off values used for defining sarcopenia. Read More

J Pharm Biomed Anal 2021 Jun 9;203:114199. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, 110016, PR China; School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, 110016, PR China. Electronic address:

Nitroreductase is a reductase that catalyzes nitro aromatic compounds to aromatic amines. It effectively reduces nitro to hydroxylamine or amino when in the presence of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. In terms of tumor, nitroreductase is upregulated in hypoxic tumor cells, and its content is directly related to the degree of hypoxia. Read More

Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM 2021 Jun 12:100421. Epub 2021 Jun 12.

Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Neonatology, Sydney Medical School Nepean, University of Sydney, Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia.

This review presents the available data on the diagnosis of obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI) by postnatal ultrasound imaging. There is increasing evidence that anal sphincter tears are often missed after childbirth and, even when diagnosed, often sub- optimally repaired, with a high rate of residual defects after reconstruction. Even after postpartum diagnosis and primary repair, 25-50% of patients will have persistent anal incontinence (AI). Read More

World Neurosurg 2021 Jun 12. Epub 2021 Jun 12.

Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China. Electronic address:

Objective: We reviewed cases to better characterize children with glioblastoma (GBM), assess outcomes and identify prognostic factors associated with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in a relatively large cohort from one institution.

Methods: We selected thirty-eight pediatric patients diagnosed with GBM at The First Affiliated Hospital, University of Zhengzhou between January 2015 and January 2020 for retrospective review. Comparisons were made among clinical and pathological characteristics, images, treatment, and survival variables. Read More

World Neurosurg 2021 Jun 12. Epub 2021 Jun 12.

Department of Neurosurgery, St. Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, 41 Victoria Pde, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065, Australia.

Tumefactive demyelinating lesions (TDL) are a rare sequalae of idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases (IIDD) of the central nervous system (CNS). Their propensity to mimic tumor and abscess poses a diagnostic challenge for the clinician. Our case depicts TDL causing right hand focal sensory seizures in an otherwise healthy 35-year-old female. Read More

World Neurosurg 2021 Jun 12. Epub 2021 Jun 12.

Postgraduate Program in Neuropsychiatry, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil, Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235, University City, Recife, PE CEP: 50670-901, Brazil; Internal Medicine Department, Clinics Hospital, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil; Telehealth Unit, Clinics Hospital, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.

Objective: To describe the foramen magnum angle (FMA) as a new parameter for basilar invagination (BI) type B.

Methods: The FMA was performed on sagittal slice of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a line from the hard palate to the opisthion (angle vertex), and another line from the opisthion to the basion. The MRIs from 31 participants with BI type B and 96 controls were used. Read More