Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Comput Biol Med 2018 Nov 29;104:197-204. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Mitral valve (MV) leaflets affect the formation, growth, and decay of vortices in the left ventricle (LV) during diastolic filling. The shape and motion of MV leaflets are simplified in most studies due to computational restrictions. In this study, we present a newly developed mathematical method to model the dynamic movement of valve leaflets and annulus, which is based on in vivo data obtained with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Read More

Epilepsy Behav 2018 Dec 3;90:93-98. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

IRCCS "NEUROMED", Pozzilli, IS, Italy; Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Italy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report long-term seizure outcome in patients who underwent frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) surgery.

Method: This retrospective study included 44 consecutive subjects who underwent resective surgery for intractable FLE at IRCCS NEUROMED (period 2001-2014), followed up for at least 2 years (mean: 8.7 years). Read More

World Neurosurg 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Neurological Surgery, Policlinico "G. Rodolico" University Hospital, Via Santa Sofia 86, 95123 - Catania, Italy.

Background: Arachnoiditis ossificans (AO) is a rare condition often associated with previous spine surgery. Here we describe a unique case of a patient affected by ankylosing spondylitis (AS), presenting with progressive neurological deterioration due to AO. We also review the literature on evaluation and management of patients suffering from AO. Read More

Eur J Pharm Sci 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, United States of America. Electronic address:

Reducing the dosing frequency of corticosteroids may increase compliance and increase pulmonary targeting. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether a high molecular weight dextran-budesonide conjugate might be suitable for pulmonary slow release of the otherwise fast absorbed budesonide. An array of dextran-spacer-budesonide conjugates was prepared that differed in the molecular weight of dextran (20 kDa or 40 kDa) and the length of the dicarboxylic spacer (succinic, glutaric, and adipic anhydride). Read More

Int J Biol Macromol 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

National Center for Research and Development of Edible Fungus Processing Technology, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Food & Medicine Resource Function, Henan Province, Kaifeng 475004, China. Electronic address:

Two novel polysaccharides were obtained from flowers of Apocynum venetum L., and named as Vp2a-II and Vp3. Their average molecular weights were 7 kDa and 9 kDa, respectively. Read More

Int J Biol Macromol 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

State Key Laboratory of Bio-Fibers and Eco-Textiles, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, PR China; College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, PR China. Electronic address:

The graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) onto alginate was carried out in aqueous media by initiators of ammonium persulphate under a nitrogen gas atmosphere. Then, the grafting of PMMA chains onto the alginate backbone was confirmed through the study of Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. At last, a thin and transparent polymethyl methacrylate grafted alginate film with high strength was obtained by the casting method. Read More

Int J Biol Macromol 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202002, India.

In an attempt to gain insights into the possible relationship between the irradiation-mediated molecular weight reduction and structural modification and the growth-promotion activity, characterization of the polysaccharide before and after irradiation was carried out through Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopic studies. Moreover, graded concentrations of irradiated carrageenan (IC) were applied through foliage to assess the performance of peppermint (Mentha piperita L.). Read More

Surv Ophthalmol 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Wills Eye Hospital , Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia PA.

A 51-year-old woman with a previous history of rheumatoid arthritis experienced painless and progressive visual loss in the left eye for three weeks. Fundus examination revealed optic disc pallor in her left eye. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and orbits showed enhancement of the pachymeninges and hypersignal at the left optic nerve. Read More

Surv Ophthalmol 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Associate Professor, Departments of Clinical Neurosciences and Surgery, University of Calgary.

A 45-year-old Caucasian woman presented with chronic bilateral, painless, progressive, peripheral vision loss. She was found to have bilateral optic atrophy and non-enhancing multifocal white matter lesions on magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed elevated myelin basic protein. Read More

PLoS One 2018 6;13(12):e0208763. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Division of Otolaryngology, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America.

Clinicians commonly recommend increased hydration to patients with voice disorders. However, effects on clinical voice outcome measures have been inconsistent. Hydration-induced change within different layers of vocal fold tissue is currently unknown. Read More

PLoS One 2018 6;13(12):e0208620. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Neurology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Background: Anterior temporal lobe hyperintensities detected by brain MRI are a recognized imaging hallmark of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL). Because similar findings may be present in patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), the brain MRI in these two diseases is often misinterpreted. We compared the MRI findings between the two entities to examine whether they display distinctive characteristics. Read More

J Phys Condens Matter 2019 Jan;31(2):025301

Laboratory of Spintronics and Nanomagnetism (LabSpiN), Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

In this work, we explore a kind of geometrical effect in the thermodynamics of artificial spin ices (ASI). In general, such artificial materials are athermal. Here, We demonstrate that geometrically driven dynamics in ASI can open up the panorama of exploring distinct ground states and thermally magnetic monopole excitations. Read More

J Phys Condens Matter 2019 Jan;31(2):025803

Department of Physics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Opto-electronic Functional Materials & Micro-nano Devices, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, People's Republic of China.

Exploring quantum spin liquid (QSL) state has both fundamental scientific value and realistic application potential. Recently, α-RuCl was experimentally observed to hold in-plane zigzag antiferromagnetic (AFM) order at low temperature, which was further proposed to be proximate to a Kitaev QSL ground state. We have studied the magnetic properties of α-RuCl in the framework of electronic structure calculation based on density functional theory (DFT) with Hubbard U correction (DFT+U) and spin-orbit coupling. Read More

J Phys Condens Matter 2019 Jan;31(2):025804

Laboratorio de Materiales Nanoestructurados, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, Avenida Túpac Amaru 210, Rímac 025, Lima, Peru.

We present a phenomenological theory for the ferromagnetic transition temperature, the magnetic susceptibility at high temperatures, and the structural distortion in the La[Formula: see text](Ca[Formula: see text]Sr[Formula: see text])[Formula: see text]MnO[Formula: see text] system. We construct a Ginzburg-Landau free energy that describes the magnetic and the structural transitions, and a competition between them. The parameters of the magnetic part of the free energy are derived from a mean-field solution of the magnetic interaction for arbitrary angular momentum. Read More

J Phys Condens Matter 2019 Jan;31(2):025802

ISIS Neutron and Muon Facility, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom.

The presence of spin-fluctuations deep within the ordered state of ferromagnetic [Formula: see text] alloy [Formula: see text] has long been suspected but seldom directly observed. Inhomogeneities of one type or another have been cited as important in stabilizing [Formula: see text] behaviour-either longitudinal spin-fluctuations associated with the [Formula: see text]-state (local environment) model or transverse magnetisation arising from non-collinear spin structures. In this study we employ small-angle neutron scattering with neutron polarization analysis to distinguish between the two possibilities. Read More

Rom J Intern Med 2018 Dec;56(4):233-242

Laboratory of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, "Nicolae Testemitanu" State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova.

Pancreas divisum (PD) is the most common developmental anatomic variant of pancreatic duct. The attention towards the PD has grown significantly since there are reports that this condition may cause acute relapsing pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis and chronic abdominal pain syndrome. Furthermore, over the years, there have been multiple reports of PD associated with different types of tumors. Read More

Inorg Chem 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering , East China Normal University , Shanghai 200062 , P. R. China.

A new discrete hexagonal metallacycle M containing tris-[2]pseudorotaxane moiety has been successfully designed and synthesized via coordination-driven self-assembly. The newly designed tris-[2]pseudorotaxane metallacycle was well characterized with nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectra analysis. Such tris-[2]pseudorotaxane metallacycle M and pillar[5]arene dimer (PD) could further form a new family of cross-linked redox-responsive supramolecular polymer M⊃(PD) through a host-guest interaction. Read More

J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Urology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104.

Based on the hypothesis that bioscaffold permeability is a major factor in determining the outcome of histologically complete and functional bladder regeneration, we evaluated regeneration processes of four-layer porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) construct; and compared results between rat bladders augmented with single-layer SIS bioscaffolds. Sprague-Dawley female rats were subjected to hemi-cystectomy followed by anastomosis of a patch of either single- or four-layer porcine SIS. Permeability was analyzed in situ using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at post-operative days 7 and 14. Read More

Chemistry 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Zhejiang University, School of Materials Science and Engineering, 38 Zheda Road, 310027, Hangzhou, CHINA.

Developing high-efficiency electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbing materials with light weight, thin thickness and wide absorption bandwidth is highly desirable for ever-developing electronic and telecommunication devices. Herein, hierarchical metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived Co/C@V2O3 hollow spheres were designed and synthesized through a facile hydrothermal, precipitation and pyrolysis method. The composite exhibits both excellent impedance matching and light weight due to the rational combination of hollow V2O3 spheres and porous Co/C. Read More

Ann Neurol 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation and Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

'Differential placebo effects' is the concept that different types of placebos (e.g. inert pill versus sham device) may yield different magnitudes of placebo effects. Read More

Clin Anat 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.

Introduction: We compared the spatial distribution of tibiofemoral cartilage change between individuals who will develop accelerated knee osteoarthritis (KOA) versus typical onset of KOA prior to the development of radiographic KOA.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a longitudinal case-control analysis of 129 individuals from the Osteoarthritis Initiative. We assessed the percent change in tibiofemoral cartilage on magnetic resonance images at 36 informative locations from two to one year prior to the development of accelerated (n=44) versus typical KOA (n=40). Read More

Nanoscale 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología, CNEA, CONICET, Centro Atómico Bariloche, Av. Bustillo 9500 (8400) S. C. Bariloche, Argentina.

We report a simple and effective way to control the heat generation of a magnetic colloid under alternate magnetic fields by changing the shell composition of bimagnetic core-shell Fe3O4/ZnxCo1-xFe2O4 nanoparticles. The core-shell structure constitutes a magnetically-coupled biphase system, with an effective anisotropy that can be tuned by the substitution of Co2+ by Zn2+ ions in the shell. Magnetic hyperthermia experiments of nanoparticles dispersed in hexane and butter oil showed that the magnetic relaxation is dominated by Brown relaxation mechanism in samples with higher anisotropy (i. Read More

Dalton Trans 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China.

In this work, we report the syntheses, crystal structures and magnetic properties of three novel Zn-Ln mixed metal complexes, namely [Zn4Dy2(L1)2(L2)2(N3)2]Cl2·2H2O (1), [Zn4Tb2(L1)2(L2)2(Cl)2][ZnN3Cl3]·2H2O (2), and [Zn4Gd2(L1)2(L2)2(Cl)2][ZnN3Cl3]·2H2O (3), in which L12- and L23- were formed from the ligand L [L = N1,N3-bis(3-methoxysalicylidene)diethylenetriamine] through in situ reactions. Interestingly, carbon dioxide in air was absorbed in the process of forming carbamate ligand L23-; this can be ascribed to the insertion of CO2 into M-N amide bonds. Moreover, 1 and 2 represent the first series of 3d-4f SMMs containing carbamate ligands by fixation of CO2 in air. Read More

G Ital Cardiol (Rome) 2018 Dec;19(12):679-691

Dipartimento Cardiovascolare, ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo.

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has proved to be a powerful tool in the assessment of several cardiac diseases, thanks to its capability to offer multiparametric morphologic and functional evaluation of the heart and great vessels, using neither ionizing radiations nor nephrotoxic contrast medium. The accuracy in quantification of cardiac volumes and ejection fraction (gold standard) together with native and post-contrast myocardial tissue characterization have made CMR an invaluable tool for the diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic planning in patients with heart failure and cardiomyopathy. Read More

Clin Spine Surg 2018 Dec 4. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.

Study Design: This is a retrospective case series.

Objective: Define the anatomic variations and the risk factors for such within the operative corridor of the transpsoas lateral interbody fusion.

Summary Of Background Data: The lateral interbody fusion approach has recently been associated with devastating complications such as injury to the lumbosacral plexus, surrounding vasculature, and bowel. Read More

J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2018 Dec 6:1-7. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

2Department of Penal Law, School of Law,University of Tartu (Tallinn branch),Tallinn,Estonia.

Objectives: Several studies on human risk taking and risk aversion have reported the involvement of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Yet, current knowledge of the neural mechanisms of risk-related decision making is not conclusive, mainly relying on studies using non-motor tasks. Here we examine how modulation of DLPFC activity by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) affects risk-taking behavior during a motor response task. Read More

J Atten Disord 2018 Dec 6:1087054718816170. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

1 Nanjing University of Science & Technology, China.

Objective: In this study, we investigate the brain lateralization in ADHD patients. Furthermore, we also explore the difference between male and female patients, and the difference among distinct ADHD subtypes, that is, ADHD-inattentive (ADHD-IA) and ADHD-combined (ADHD-C).

Method: We employed the standard deviation to quantify the variability of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal and measure the lateralization index (LI). Read More

J Neurotrauma 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico "Carlo Besta", Neuroradiology department, Milano, Italy ;

In disorder of consciousness (DOC) patients, corpus callosum (CC) and subcortical white matter (SWM) integrity were showed to discriminate between diagnostic categories. The aims of the study were: 1) to clarify the link between the integrity of CC and of SWM and the clinical status in DOC patients, disentangling the role played by the different brain injuries (traumatic or hemorrhagic brain injury); 2) to investigate the relationship between the CC integrity and the brain metabolism. We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of the CC and SWM integrity, using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI), in a sample of DOC individuals, well-balanced for diagnosis and etiology. Read More

J Am Heart Assoc 2018 Dec;7(23):e010054

1 Department of Neurology Medical University of South Carolina Charleston SC.

Background Cardiovascular risk factor burden in the absence of clinical or radiological "events" is associated with mild cognitive impairment. Magnetic resonance imaging techniques exploring the integrity of neuronal fiber connectivity within white matter networks supporting cognitive processing could be used to measure the impact of cardiovascular disease on brain health and be used beyond bedside neuropsychological tests to detect subclinical changes and select or stratify participants for entry into clinical trials. Methods and Results We assessed the relationship between verbal IQ and brain network integrity and the effect of cardiovascular risk factors on network integrity by constructing whole-brain structural connectomes from magnetic resonance imaging diffusion images (N=60) from people with various degrees of cardiovascular risk factor burden. Read More

Nano Lett 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering , National University of Singapore , 4 Engineering Drive 3 , Singapore 117583 , Singapore.

Nanostructured metasurfaces demonstrate extraordinary capabilities to control light at the subwavelength scale, emerging as key optical components to physical realization of multitasked devices. Progress in multitasked metasurfaces has been witnessed in making a single metasurface multitasked by mainly resorting to extra spatial freedom, for example, interleaved subarrays, different angles. However, it imposes a challenge of suppressing the cross-talk among multiwavelength without the help of extra spatial freedom. Read More

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

A synergetic approach to enhance magnetoelectric effects (i.e., control of magnetism with voltage) and improve energy efficiency in magnetically actuated devices is presented. Read More

Anal Chem 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

High-throughput and low-cost detection of mycotoxins in complex matrices is becoming increasingly urgent but still challenged for ultra-sensitive analyses. Here we reported a green and practical cytometric micro-bead magnetic suspension array (CBMSA) strategy for rapid and economical detection of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in multiple batches of lotus seeds samples. The protocol included the fabrication of the suspension array chips by immobilizing the biotin-modified bovine serum albumin-AFB1 (antigen) onto the surface of streptavidin-coated magnetic micro-beads in a multi-wells array, the indirect immuno-competition of antigen and target of AFB1 in lotus seed samples with the specific antibodies, the rapid magnetic separation regardless complex pretreatment steps, and the ultra-sensitive fluorescence detection of fluorescein isothiocyanate labeled goat anti-mouse immunoglobulin G (FITC-IgG) probes. Read More

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Spintronics Research Center , Tsukuba 305-8568 , Japan.

A magnetic nanolayer with a perpendicular magnetic easy axis and negligible magnetization is demonstrated. Even though a manganese metal is antiferromagnetic in bulk form, a few manganese monolayers grown on a paramagnetic ordered alloy template and capped by an oxide layer exhibit a strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy field exceeding 19 T as well as a negligible magnetization of 25 kA/m. The nanolayer shows tunnel magnetoresistance. Read More

Ir Med J 2018 08 13;111(7):790. Epub 2018 Aug 13.

Department of Urology, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland

Aims Accurate preoperative knowledge of tumour stage is important in preoperative planning at radical prostatectomy (RP). The aim of this study was to assess the predictive ability of multiparametric MRI for detecting pathological outcomes. Methods A retrospective review was performed of all patients who underwent RP over a 4 year period. Read More

J Obstet Gynaecol Res 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gifu Prefectural Tajimi Hospital, Tajimi, Japan.

A 41-year-old woman (gravida 2, para 1) underwent elective termination of pregnancy at approximately 7 weeks of gestation. At 1 month after the elective abortion, she was referred due to abnormal results in a cervical cytological examination. Transvaginal ultrasonography showed a heterogeneous mass of 16 mm in diameter in the left adnexal region. Read More

Dalton Trans 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

General Education, Faculty of Science and Technology, Seikei University, 3-3-1 Kichijoji-kita machi, Musashino 180-8633, Japan.

The two-dimensional quadratic lattice magnet, bis(glycolato)cobalt(ii) ([Co(HOCH2CO2)2]), showed antiferromagnetic ordering at 15.0 K and an abrupt increase in magnetisation at H = 22 600 Oe and 2 K, thereby acting as a metamagnet. Heat capacity measurements revealed that the associated entropy change ΔS around the transition temperature was evaluated to be 6. Read More

Analyst 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan. and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan and Institute of NanoEngineering and Microsystems, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) are among the most severe complications emerging from prosthetic joint replacement surgeries. In order to possess a rapid means of diagnosing PJIs, an integrated microfluidic system was developed herein for detecting and identifying bacteria in human synovial fluid (HSF). The entire molecular diagnostic process, including (1) sample treatment, (2) bacterial isolation, (3) bacterial lysis, (4) nucleic acid amplification (via polymerase chain reaction (PCR)), and (5) optical detection, could be automated on a single chip. Read More

Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2018 Nov 5. Epub 2018 Nov 5.

Central Institute for Labour Protection - National Research Institute, Warszawa, Poland (Laboratory of Electromagnetic Hazards).

Objectives: Electromagnetic fields (EMF) may cause malfunctions in electronic devices, in particular in active implantable medical devices (AIMD), along with discomfort or health hazards to users. The use of AIMD by workers is increasing (especially cardiac pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators and wearable insulin infusion pumps). Electromagnetic fields may be much stronger in the working environment than applied in basic immunity tests of AIMD (based on EN 60601- 1-2:2015 and EN 50527-1:2016). Read More

Med Sci Monit 2018 Dec 6;24:8822-8830. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Radiology, First Clinical Medical College, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China (mainland).

BACKGROUND Astrocytomas are the most common primary brain neoplasms. Biological indicators of astrocytomas can reflect its biological characteristics. The aim of this study was to assess the expression of the pathological glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) Topo IIα and O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) in astrocytomas using magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) to evaluate the biological characteristics of astrocytomas. Read More

Nanotechnology 2019 Feb;30(5):055103

School of Materials Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing, People's Republic of China.

Fabrication of environmental sensitive and controllable drug release systems is urgently needed. In this paper, thermosensitive and magnetic response drug release systems were fabricated via layer-by-layer technique using acetylsalicylic acid (AA) intercalated ZnAl-LDH as core, poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and AA micelles as well as small size ZnAl-LDH sheets as building blocks of the shell. By forming anionic micelles, cationic PNIPAM macromolecules were sandwiched in the LDH sheets with cationic charges which provided a novel way of fabrication of drug release systems. Read More

Phys Med Biol 2018 Dec 6;63(23):235031. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, UC Davis, Davis, California, United States of America. Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed.

Preclinical positron emission tomography, combined with magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI), is increasingly used as a tool to simultaneously characterize functional processes in vivo. Many emerging preclinical applications, however, are limited by PET detection sensitivity, especially when generating short imaging frames for quantitative studies. One such application is dynamic multifunctional imaging, which probes multiple aspects of a biological process, using relationships between the datasets to quantify interactions. Read More

Psychol Med 2018 Dec 6:1-9. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University,Guangzhou,China.

Background: We hypothesize that the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) may play a role in disturbing the effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) on the striatal connectivity in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods: We performed a longitudinal observation by combining resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and biochemical analyses to identify the abnormal striatal connectivity in MDD patients, and to evaluate the effect of TNF-α level on these abnormal connectivities during SSRI treatment. Eighty-five rs-fMRI scans were collected from 25 MDD patients and 35 healthy controls, and the scans were repeated for all the patients before and after a 6-week SSRI treatment. Read More

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Psych J 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.

Prospective memory (PM) refers to the ability to remember to do something in the future. Implementation intention refers to a self-regulatory strategy in the form of "If …, then …" planning that can improve PM performance. However, the neural basis of the effect of implementation intention on PM remains unclear, as do the phases of PM that are affected by implementation intention. Read More

J Comp Neurol 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Paris 06, Brain and Spine Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France.

Specific Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) markers of myelin are critical for the evaluation and development of regenerative therapies for demyelinating diseases. Several MRI methods have been developed for myelin imaging, based either on acquisition schemes or on mathematical modeling of the signal. They generally showed good sensitivity but validation for specificity towards myelin is still warranted to allow a reliable interpretation in an in vivo complex pathological environment. Read More

Brain Imaging Behav 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

School of Information Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University, P.O. Box 730000, Lanzhou, China.

Despite many neuroimaging studies in the past years, the neuroanatomical substrates of major depressive disorder (MDD) subcortical structures are still not well understood. Since hippocampus and amygdala are the two vital subcortical structures that most susceptible to MDD, finding the evidence of morphological changes in their subregions may bring some new insights for MDD research. Combining structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with novel morphometry analysis methods, we recruited 25 MDD patients and 28 healthy controls (HC), and investigated their volume and morphological differences in hippocampus and amygdala. Read More

Brain Imaging Behav 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.

Reduced working memory is frequently reported by Veterans with a history of blast-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), but can be difficult to quantify on neuropsychological measures. This study aimed to improve our understanding of the impact of blast-related mTBI on the working memory system by using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore differences in functional connectivity between OEF/OIF/OND Veterans with and without a history of mTBI. Participants were twenty-four Veterans with a history of blast-related mTBI and 17 Veterans who were deployed but had no lifetime history of TBI. Read More

Eur Radiol 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

UCL Centre for Medical Imaging, 2nd Floor Charles Bell House, 43 - 45 Foley Street, London, W1W 7TS, UK.

Objectives: To determine the diagnostic accuracy and interobserver concordance of whole-body (WB)-MRI, vs. Tc bone scintigraphy (BS) and fluoro-ethyl-choline (F-choline) PET/CT for the primary staging of intermediate/high-risk prostate cancer.

Methods: An institutional review board approved prospective cohort study carried out between July 2012 and November 2015, whereby 56 men prospectively underwent 3. Read More

Eur Radiol 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Pediatrics, Division of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Erasmus Medical Center, Wytemaweg 80, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Objectives: This study was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of geometric distortion (GD) on MRI lung volume quantification and evaluate available manual, semi-automated, and fully automated methods for lung segmentation.

Methods: A phantom was scanned with MRI and CT. GD was quantified as the difference in phantom's volume between MRI and CT, with CT as gold standard. Read More

Eur Radiol 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7DQ, UK.

Purpose: To perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), human lung imaging, and quantification of the gas-transfer dynamics of hyperpolarized xenon-129 (HPX) from the alveoli into the blood plasma.

Materials And Methods: HPX MRI with iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-square estimation (IDEAL) approach were used with multi-interleaved spiral k-space sampling to obtain HPX gas and dissolved phase images. IDEAL time-series images were then obtained from ten subjects including six normal subjects and four patients with pulmonary emphysema to test the feasibility of the proposed technique for capturing xenon-129 gas-transfer dynamics (XGTD). Read More