bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Carotid arterial wall MRI at 3T using 3D variable‐flip‐angle turbo spin‐echo (TSE) with flow‐sensitive dephasing (FSD)
Authors: Fan Zhaoyang , Zhang Zhuoli , Chung Yiu‐Cho , Weale Peter , Zuehlsdorff Sven , Carr James , Li Debiao
Published: February 2010

Purpose:

To evaluate the effectiveness of flow‐sensitive dephasing (FSD) magnetization preparation in improving blood signal suppression of three‐dimensional (3D) turbo spin‐echo (TSE) sequence (SPACE) for isotropic high‐spatial‐resolution carotid arterial wall imaging at 3T.

Materials and Methods:

The FSD‐prepared SPACE sequence (FSD‐SPACE) was implemented by adding two identical FSD gradient pulses right before and after the first refocusing 180°‐pulse of the SPACE sequence in all three orthogonal directions. Nine healthy volunteers were imaged at 3T with SPACE, FSD‐SPACE, and multislice T2‐weighted 2D TSE coupled with saturation band (SB‐TSE). Apparent carotid wall‐lumen contrast‐to‐noise ratio (aCNRw‐l) and apparent lumen area (aLA) at the locations with residual‐blood (rb) signal shown on SPACE images were compared between SPACE and FSD‐SPACE. Carotid aCNRw‐l and lumen (LA) and wall area (WA) measured from FSD‐SPACE were compared to those measured from SB‐TSE.

Results:

Plaque‐mimicking flow artifacts identified in seven carotids on SPACE images were eliminated on FSD‐SPACE images. The FSD preparation resulted in slightly reduced aCNRw‐l (P = 0.025), but significantly improved aCNR between the wall and rb regions (P < 0.001) and larger aLA (P < 0.001). Compared to SB‐TSE, FSD‐SPACE offered comparable aCNRw‐l with much higher spatial resolution, shorter imaging time, and larger artery coverage. The LA and WA measurements from the two techniques were in good agreement based on intraclasss correlation coefficient (0.988 and 0.949, respectively; P < 0.001) and Bland‐Altman analyses.

Conclusion:

FSD‐SPACE is a time‐efficient 3D imaging technique for carotid arterial wall with superior spatial resolution and blood signal suppression. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;31:645–654. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Repeatability of magnetic resonance elastography for quantification of hepatic stiffness
Authors: Hines Catherine D.G. , Bley Thorsten A. , Lindstrom Mary J. , Reeder Scott B.
Published: February 2010

Purpose:

To determine the sources of variability of MRE hepatic stiffness measurements using healthy volunteers and patients and to calculate the minimum change required for statistical significance. Hepatic stiffness measured with magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) has demonstrated tremendous potential as a noninvasive surrogate of hepatic fibrosis, although the underlying repeatability of MRE for longitudinal tracking of liver disease has not been documented.

Materials and Methods:

MRE stiffness measurements from 20 healthy volunteers and 10 patients were obtained twice on the same day, and repeated 2–4 weeks later for volunteers in this institutional review board‐approved study. A linear mixed effects model was used to estimate the component sources of variability in the data.

Results:

The standard deviation of MRE measurements of the same individual on different days is 11.9% (percent of the measured stiffness) using the same reader and 12.0% using different readers. The standard deviation of the difference between two measurements (i.e., longitudinal change in an individual) is 17.4%; the corresponding 95% confidence interval for zero change is (−27.0%, 37.0%).

Conclusion:

MRE is a repeatable method for quantifying liver stiffness. Using the described MRE technique, changes greater than 37.0% of the smaller measured stiffness value represent meaningful changes in longitudinal liver stiffness measurements. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;31:725–731. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Validation of functional diffusion maps (fDMs) as a biomarker for human glioma cellularity
Authors: Ellingson Benjamin M. , Malkin Mark G. , Rand Scott D. , Connelly Jennifer M. , Quinsey Carolyn , LaViolette Pete S. , Bedekar Devyani P. , Schmainda Kathleen M.
Published: February 2010

Purpose:

To present comprehensive examinations of the assumptions made in functional diffusion map (fDM) analyses and provide a biological basis for fDM classification.

Materials and Methods:

Sixty‐nine patients with gliomas were enrolled in this study. To determine the sensitivity of apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) to cellularity, cell density from stereotactic biopsy specimens was correlated with preoperative ADC maps. For definition of ADC thresholds used for fDMs, the 95% confidence intervals (CI) for changes in voxel‐wise ADC measurements in normal appearing tissue was analyzed. The sensitivity and specificity to progressing disease was examined using both radiographic and neurological criteria.

Results:

Results support the hypothesis that ADC is inversely proportional to cell density with a sensitivity of 1.01 × 10−7 [mm2/s]/[nuclei/mm2]. The 95% CI for white matter = 0.25 × 10−3 mm2/s, gray matter = 0.31 × 10−3 mm2/s, a mixture of white and gray matter = 0.40 × 10−3 mm2/s, and a mixture of white matter, gray matter, and cerebrospinal fluid = 0.75 × 10−3 mm2/s. Application of these measurements as ADC thresholds produce varying levels of sensitivity and specificity to disease progression, which were all significantly better than chance.

Conclusion:

This study suggests fDMs are valid biomarkers for brain tumor cellularity. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;31:538–548. ©2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparison of apparent diffusion coefficients and distributed diffusion coefficients in high‐grade gliomas
Authors: Kwee Thomas C. , Galbán Craig J. , Tsien Christina , Junck Larry , Sundgren Pia C. , Ivancevic Marko K. , Johnson Timothy D. , Meyer Charles R. , Rehemtulla Alnawaz , Ross Brian D. , Chenevert Thomas L.
Published: February 2010

Purpose:

To compare apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) with distributed diffusion coefficients (DDCs) in high‐grade gliomas.

Materials and Methods:

Twenty patients with high‐grade gliomas prospectively underwent diffusion‐weighted MRI. Traditional ADC maps were created using b‐values of 0 and 1000 s/mm2. In addition, DDC maps were created by applying the stretched‐exponential model using b‐values of 0, 1000, 2000, and 4000 s/mm2. Whole‐tumor ADCs and DDCs (in 10−3 mm2/s) were measured and analyzed with a paired t‐test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and the Bland‐Altman method.

Results:

Tumor ADCs (1.14 ± 0.26) were significantly lower (P = 0.0001) than DDCs (1.64 ± 0.71). Tumor ADCs and DDCs were strongly correlated (R = 0.9716; P < 0.0001), but mean bias ± limits of agreement between tumor ADCs and DDCs was −0.50 ± 0.90. There was a clear trend toward greater discordance between ADC and DDC at high ADC values.

Conclusion:

Under the assumption that the stretched‐exponential model provides a more accurate estimate of the average diffusion rate than the mono‐exponential model, our results suggest that for a little diffusion attenuation the mono‐exponential fit works rather well for quantifying diffusion in high‐grade gliomas, whereas it works less well for a greater degree of diffusion attenuation. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;31:531–537. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
“Flow‐void” sign at MR imaging: A rare finding of extracranial head and neck schwannomas
Authors: Kato Hiroki , Kanematsu Masayuki , Mizuta Keisuke , Aoki Mitsuhiro , Kuze Bunya , Ohno Takatoshi , Oshima Koji , Hirose Yoshinobu
Published: February 2010

The authors present two cases of extracranial head and neck schwannomas that exhibited the “flow‐void” sign at MR imaging. In the described cases, MR images showed intratumoral signal voids, which corresponded to dilated vessels. Dynamic contrast‐enhanced CT also demonstrated dilated vessels within the tumors on the arterial phase and tumor parenchymal enhancement on the delayed phase. Histopathologic examinations of excised specimens revealed thin‐walled, dilated abnormal vessels with or without hyaline degeneration. Schwannoma should be considered when MR images demonstrate the “flow‐void” sign in extracranial head and neck tumors. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;31:703–705. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
MRI of the wrist at 7 tesla using an eight‐channel array coil combined with parallel imaging: Preliminary results
Authors: Chang Gregory , Friedrich Klaus M. , Wang Ligong , Vieira Renata L.R. , Schweitzer Mark E. , Recht Michael P. , Wiggins Graham C. , Regatte Ravinder R.
Published: February 2010

Purpose:

To determine the feasibility of performing MRI of the wrist at 7 Tesla (T) with parallel imaging and to evaluate how acceleration factors (AF) affect signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR), and image quality.

Materials and Methods:

This study had institutional review board approval. A four‐transmit eight‐receive channel array coil was constructed in‐house. Nine healthy subjects were scanned on a 7T whole‐body MR scanner. Coronal and axial images of cartilage and trabecular bone micro‐architecture (3D‐Fast Low Angle Shot (FLASH) with and without fat suppression, repetition time/echo time = 20 ms/4.5 ms, flip angle = 10°, 0.169–0.195 × 0.169–0.195 mm, 0.5–1 mm slice thickness) were obtained with AF 1, 2, 3, 4. T1‐weighted fast spin‐echo (FSE), proton density‐weighted FSE, and multiple‐echo data image combination (MEDIC) sequences were also performed. SNR and CNR were measured. Three musculoskeletal radiologists rated image quality. Linear correlation analysis and paired t‐tests were performed.

Results:

At higher AF, SNR and CNR decreased linearly for cartilage, muscle, and trabecular bone (r < −0.98). At AF 4, reductions in SNR/CNR were:52%/60% (cartilage), 72%/63% (muscle), 45%/50% (trabecular bone). Radiologists scored images with AF 1 and 2 as near‐excellent, AF 3 as good‐to‐excellent (P = 0.075), and AF 4 as average‐to‐good (P = 0.11).

Conclusion:

It is feasible to perform high resolution 7T MRI of the wrist with parallel imaging. SNR and CNR decrease with higher AF, but image quality remains above‐average. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;31:740–746. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Development of a signal‐inducing bone cement for magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Wichlas Florian , Bail J. Hermann , Seebauer Christian J. , Schilling Rene , Pflugmacher Robert , Pinkernelle Jens , Rump Jens , Streitparth Florian , Teichgräber K.M. Ulf
Published: February 2010

Purpose:

To develop a signal‐inducing bone cement for musculoskeletal procedures in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials and Methods:

Acrylic resins were mixed with contrast agents (CAs) and water. We determined the ideal concentration of the components and assessed feasibility in cadaveric bones in an open high‐field MR scanner. The contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) in air and bone was evaluated and mechanical tests were achieved. We determined the amount of water that was not incorporated and measured the amount of CA released with photometric analysis. The cement was analyzed microscopically.

Results:

Preparation and application of the CA‐water‐cement compound was feasible and its differentiation in MRI was clear. The maximal CNRair had a value of 157.5 (SD 18.3) in an interventional fast T1W turbo‐spin echo (TSE) sequence. The compressive strength decreased with the amount of water added. Although nearly 50% of the water added was not incorporated in the cement, the CNR was sufficient for cement detection. The threshold for systemic toxicity of delivered CA was not reached and the microscopic analysis showed water bubbles in the cement.

Conclusion:

A signal‐inducing bone cement is feasible for the use in MRI. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;31:636–644. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prostate cancer detection with 3 T MRI: Comparison of diffusion‐weighted imaging and dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI in combination with T2‐weighted imaging
Authors: Kitajima Kazuhiro , Kaji Yasushi , Fukabori Yoshitatsu , Yoshida Ken‐ichiro , Suganuma Narufumi , Sugimura Kazuro
Published: February 2010

Purpose:

To evaluate the diagnostic ability of diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) and dynamic contrast‐enhanced imaging (DCEI) in combination with T2‐weighted imaging (T2WI) for the detection of prostate cancer using 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with a phased‐array body coil.

Materials and Methods:

Fifty‐three patients with elevated serum levels of prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) were evaluated by T2WI, DWI, and DCEI prior to needle biopsy. The obtained data from T2WI alone (protocol A), a combination of T2WI and DWI (protocol B), a combination T2WI and DCEI (protocol C), and a combination of T2WI plus DWI and DCEI (protocol D) were subjected to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

Results:

The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the ROC curve (Az) for region‐based analysis were: 61%, 91%, 84%, and 0.8415, respectively, in protocol A; 76%, 94%, 90%, and 0.8931, respectively, in protocol B; 77%, 93%, 89%, and 0.8655, respectively, in protocol C; and 81%, 96%, 92%, and 0.8968, respectively in protocol D. ROC analysis revealed significant differences between protocols A and B (P = 0.0008) and between protocols A and D (P = 0.0004).

Conclusion:

In patients with elevated PSA levels the combination of T2WI, DWI, DCEI using 3 T MRI may be a reasonable approach for the detection of prostate cancer. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;31:625–631. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assessment of tumor blood flow in breast tumors with T1‐dynamic contrast‐enhanced MR Imaging: Impact of dose reduction and the use of a prebolus technique on diagnostic efficacy
Authors: Makkat Smitha , Luypaert Robert , Sourbron Steven , Stadnik Tadeusz , De Mey Johan
Published: February 2010

Purpose:

To prospectively evaluate whether dose reduction and the application of a prebolus technique can effectively alleviate signal saturation effects in T1 dynamic contrast enhanced (T1‐DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data in breast tumors and lead to increased diagnostic efficacy of the regional tumor blood flow (TBF) values obtained with deconvolution of T1‐DCE MRI data.

Materials and Methods:

After obtaining informed consent, 23 women (32–80 years) with histologically proven breast tumors underwent MR mammography that included a whole‐breast T1 DCE sequence. In the slice where the tumor enhanced maximally, a prebolus protocol was applied. One mL of Gd‐DTPA solution at 2 mL/s was injected at the beginning of a dynamic axial single slice inversion‐prepared turbo field echo acquisition. At the 400th dynamic, a high dose of either 20 mL (15 patients) or 10 mL (8 patients) of contrast agent was injected at 2 mL/s and a further 400 dynamics were acquired. From the aortic prebolus curve an arterial input function (AIF) was reconstructed by time‐shifting and adding the prebolus data. The relative enhancement time course from the tumor region of interest was deconvolved with the reconstructed AIF to generate the impulse response function, the maximum of which yielded the TBF. The institutional ethical committee approved the study.

Results:

Reducing the contrast dose by a factor of 2 led to an increase in diagnostic contrast for the TBF values of malignant and benign tumors by a factor of slightly more than 2. Addition of the prebolus technique improved this further by 45%. receiver operating characteristic analysis showed a significant increase of diagnostic yield related to the combined use of a prebolus and minimal dose.

Conclusion:

Using a prebolus approach provides an estimate of the unsaturated AIF, while reduction of the high‐dose bolus minimizes possible saturation effects in the tumor time course. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;31:556–561. ©2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Differential diagnosis of mammographically and clinically occult breast lesions on diffusion‐weighted MRI
Authors: Partridge Savannah C. , DeMartini Wendy B. , Kurland Brenda F. , Eby Peter R. , White Steven W. , Lehman Constance D.
Published: February 2010

Purpose:

To investigate the diagnostic performance of diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) for mammographically and clinically occult breast lesions.

Materials and Methods:

The study included 91 women with 118 breast lesions (91 benign, 12 ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS], 15 invasive carcinoma) initially detected on dynamic contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE‐MRI) and assigned BI‐RADS category 3, 4, or 5. DWI was acquired with b = 0 and 600 s/mm2. Lesion visibility was assessed on DWI. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were compared between malignancies, benign lesions, and normal (no abnormal enhancement on DCE‐MRI) breast tissue, and the diagnostic performance of DWI was assessed based on ADC thresholding.

Results:

Twenty‐four of 27 (89%) malignant and 74/91 (81%) benign lesions were hyperintense on the b = 600 s/mm2diffusion‐weighted images. Both DCIS (1.33 ± 0.19 × 10−3mm2/s) and invasive carcinomas (1.30 ± 0.27 × 10−3mm2/s) were lower in ADC than benign lesions (1.71 ± 0.43 × 10−3mm2/s;P< 0.001), and each lesion type was lower in ADC than normal tissue (1.90 ± 0.38 × 10−3mm2/s,P≤ 0.001). Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.77, and sensitivity = 96%, specificity = 55%, positive predictive value (PPV) = 39%, and negative predictive value (NPV) = 98% for an ADC threshold of 1.60 × 10−3mm2/s.

Conclusion:

Many mammographically and clinically occult breast carcinomas were visibly hyperintense on diffusion‐weighted images, and ADC enabled differentiation from benign lesions. Further studies evaluating DWI while blinded to DCE‐MRI are necessary to assess the potential of DWI as a noncontrast breast screening technique. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;1:562–570. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hepatic vascular flow measurements by phase contrast MRI and doppler echography: A comparative and reproducibility study
Authors: Yzet Thierry , Bouzerar Roger , Allart Jean‐Dominique , Demuynck Fabien , Legallais Cécile , Robert Brice , Deramond Hervé , Meyer Marc‐Etienne , Balédent Olivier
Published: February 2010

Purpose:

To directly compare and study the variability of parameters related to hepatic blood flow measurements using 3 T phase‐contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC‐MRI) and Doppler ultrasound (US).

Materials and Methods:

Nine healthy subjects were studied. Blood velocities and flow rate measurements were performed in the portal vein and the proper hepatic artery. MR studies were performed using a 3 T imager. Gradient‐echo fast phase contrast sequences were used with both cardiac and respiratory gating. MR and Doppler flow parameters were extracted and compared. Two methods of calculation were used for Doppler flow rate analysis.

Results:

Compared to Doppler US, PC‐MRI largely underestimated hepatic flow data with lower variability and higher reproducibility. This reproducibility was more pronounced in the portal vein than in the proper hepatic artery associated with poorer velocity correlations. Total hepatic flow values were 1239 ± 223 mL/min and 1595 ± 521 mL/min for PC‐MRI and Doppler US, respectively.

Conclusion:

Free‐breathing PC‐MRI can provide reliable noninvasive measurement of hepatic flow parameters compared to Doppler US. The MR technique could help to improve Doppler flow calculations, thereby allowing standardization of protocols, particularly for applications in disease. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;31:579–588. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Minute amounts of intraarticular gas mimicking torn discoid lateral menisci
Authors: Jordanov Martin I. , Block John J.
Published: February 2010

Presented are two cases of minute amounts of vacuum phenomena within the central portion of the lateral compartments of two knee joints, mimicking torn discoid lateral menisci. In each case, only the gradient echo images were able to correctly characterize the minute quantities of intraarticular gas by demonstrating “blooming” magnetic susceptibility artifact. The signal characteristics of the intraarticular gas were identical to those of fibrocartilage on all of the remaining routine, fast spin echo, “sports protocol” magnetic resonance imaging sequences. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;31:698–702. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Improved multimodality imaging using alginate molding in xenograft tumor models
Authors: Strobel Klaus , Bergmann Ralf , Meister Sebastian , van den Hoff Joerg , Pietzsch Jens
Published: February 2010

Purpose:

To allow for reproducible rodent positioning using molding in multimodal tomographic imaging (positron emission tomography [PET], magnetic resonance imaging/spectroscopy [MRI/MRS]), minimization of magnetic field inhomogeneity during MRI investigations of peripheral structures, and reproducible positioning for subsequent histological sectioning of the separated tumor.

Materials and Methods:

Chemical shift imaging (CSI) studies were carried out using phantoms and NMRI nu/nu mice bearing subcutaneous tumors. For embedding, three different materials were used: 1) alginate, 2) gelatin, and 3) a mixture of wheat flour and salt. The animals were placed in an animal chamber including position markers visible by MRI and PET. The frozen embedded explanted tumors were sliced and examined autoradiographically as well as histologically.

Results:

Alginate showed a substantial improvement of magnetic field homogeneity and histological sectioning was superior to the other methods. This embedding led to a significant reduction of the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the water peak in the peripheral rim of the tumor in comparison to the same peak FWHM without embedding (41 ± 10 Hz vs. 80 ± 20 Hz).

Conclusion:

Our research shows that animal positioning in an imaging chamber together with alginate embedding allows high‐quality multimodality investigations including coregistration of MRI/MRS, PET, and histological images. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;31:747–752. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Machine learning study of several classifiers trained with texture analysis features to differentiate benign from malignant soft‐tissue tumors in T1‐MRI images
Authors: Juntu Jaber , Sijbers Jan , De Backer Steve , Rajan Jeny , Van Dyck Dirk
Published: February 2010

Purpose:

To study, from a machine learning perspective, the performance of several machine learning classifiers that use texture analysis features extracted from soft‐tissue tumors in nonenhanced T1‐MRI images to discriminate between malignant and benign tumors.

Materials and Methods:

Texture analysis features were extracted from the tumor regions from T1‐MRI images of clinically proven cases of 49 malignant and 86 benign soft‐tissue tumors. Three conventional machine learning classifiers were trained and tested. The best classifier was compared to the radiologists by means of the McNemar's statistical test.

Results:

The SVM classifier performs better than the neural network and the C4.5 decision tree based on the analysis of their receiver operating curves (ROC) and cost curves. The classification accuracy of the SVM, which was 93% (91% specificity; 94% sensitivity), was better than the radiologist classification accuracy of 90% (92% specificity; 81% sensitivity).

Conclusion:

Machine learning classifiers trained with texture analysis features are potentially valuable for detecting malignant tumors in T1‐MRI images. Analysis of the learning curves of the classifiers showed that a training data size smaller than 100 T1‐MRI images is sufficient to train a machine learning classifier that performs as well as expert radiologists. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;31:680–689. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparison of ferucarbotran‐enhanced fluid‐attenuated inversion‐recovery echo‐planar, T2‐weighted turbo spin‐echo, T2*‐weighted gradient‐echo, and diffusion‐weighted echo‐planar imaging for detection of malignant liver lesions
Authors: Fukukura Yoshihiko , Kamiyama Takuro , Takumi Koji , Shindo Toshikazu , Higashi Ryutaro , Nakajo Masayuki
Published: February 2010

Purpose:

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)‐enhanced fluid‐attenuated inversion‐recovery echo‐planar imaging (FLAIR EPI) for malignant liver tumors with that of T2‐weighted turbo spin‐echo (TSE), T2*‐weighted gradient‐echo (GRE), and diffusion‐weighted echo‐planar imaging (DW EPI).

Materials and Methods:

SPIO‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that included FLAIR EPI, T2‐weighted TSE, T2*‐weighted GRE, and DW EPI sequences was performed using a 3 T system in 54 consecutive patients who underwent surgical exploration with intraoperative ultrasonography. A total of 88 malignant liver tumors were evaluated. Images were reviewed independently by two blinded observers who used a 5‐point confidence scale to identify lesions. Results were correlated with results of histopathologic findings and surgical exploration with intraoperative ultrasonography. The accuracy of each MRI sequence was measured with jackknife alternative free‐response receiver operating characteristic analysis. The sensitivity of each observer with each MRI sequence was compared with McNemar's test.

Results:

Accuracy values were significantly higher with FLAIR EPI sequence (0.93) than with T2*‐weighted GRE (0.80) or DW EPI sequences (0.80) (P < 0.05). Sensitivity was significantly higher with the FLAIR EPI sequence than with any of the other sequences.

Conclusion:

SPIO‐enhanced FLAIR EPI sequence was more accurate in the diagnosis of malignant liver tumors than T2*‐weighted GRE and DW EPI sequences. SPIO‐enhanced FLAIR EPI sequence is helpful for the detection of malignant liver tumors. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;31:607–616. ©2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Non‐small cell lung carcinoma of the superior sulcus: The evolution of treatment outcomes with multimodality treatment at a single institution
Authors: Tagawa Tetsuzo , Osoegawa Atsushi , Yamazaki Koji , Okamoto Tatsuro , Kometani Takuro , Wataya Hiroshi , Seto Takashi , Fukuyama Seiichi , Hirai Fumihiko , Sugio Kenji , Ichinose Yukito
Published: February 2010

Objectives

We evaluated the efficacy of the multimodality approach in treating superior sulcus non‐small cell lung carcinoma (SS NSCLC).

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the records of 57 patients with SS NSCLC who were treated at our institution between 1982 and 2007.

Results

During the study period, 3‐ and 5‐year survival increased significantly from 42.6% and 42.6% in the first half of the study period (1982–1994) to 72.7% and 65.4% in the second half (1995–2007), respectively. Methods of clinical staging were unchanged between the two time periods, although the ratio of adenocarcinoma was increased, and multimodality treatment, particularly concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by surgical resection, was used more frequently in the second half of the study period. The 5‐year survival of patients who received preoperative chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery (n = 27) was better than that of those who received other treatment regimen with surgery (n = 22, 64.6% vs. 49.6%; P = 0.044). Five‐year survival in patients with complete resection after chemoradiotherapy was 70.4%. Thirteen patients (48%) achieved a pathologic complete response or minimal microscopic disease.

Conclusions

Multimodality treatment with concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery appears to contribute to improved outcomes over time in patients with SS NSCLC. J. Surg. Oncol. 2010; 101:495–499. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Angiosarcoma developing in a non‐functioning arteriovenous fistula post‐renal transplant
Authors: Qureshi Yassar A. , Strauss Dirk C. , Thway Khin , Fisher Cyril , Thomas J. Meirion
Published: February 2010

Background

Angiosarcomas comprise less than 1% of all sarcomas, arising from endothelial cells of blood or lymph vessels. Chronic immunosuppression increases the risk of many malignancies and an association between the development of angiosarcoma with an immunosuppressed state is established. A few cases have been reported of angiosarcomas arising in the post‐renal transplant patient. Specifically, there have been six cases of an angiosarcoma arising in arteriovenous (AV) fistulae in this patient population. We describe a further case and review the relevant literature with specific emphasis on a possible mechanism for the development of angiosarcoma in the post‐transplant patient.

Case Presentation

We report the case of a 48‐year‐old male who developed an angiosarcoma in a ligated native AV fistula. The lesion arose on the background of immunosuppression following a successful ABO‐incompatible renal transplant for chronic renal failure.

Conclusion

Angiosarcomas are extremely rare tumours but should be considered as a differential diagnosis for an evolving mass near the site of an AV fistula. Diagnosis relies on an index of suspicion and obtaining a definitive histological diagnosis. Both clinicians and patients should be aware that an evolving mass within or around an AV fistula should prompt urgent biopsy. J. Surg. Oncol. 2010; 101:520–523. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
PIM‐1 gene RNA interference induces growth inhibition and apoptosis of prostate cancer cells and suppresses tumor progression in vivo
Authors: Zhang Tong , Zhang Xiaoguang , Ding Kejia , Yang Kuo , Zhang Zhihong , Xu Yong
Published: February 2010

Background

The goal of this study was to investigate the roles of PIM‐1 in prostate cancer (CaP) cell proliferation and apoptosis, and to assess the potential of PIM‐1 as a target for CaP therapy.

Methods

Using RNAi technology, we knocked down the expression of PIM‐1 in PC‐3 cell. After siRNA transfection, cell morphology, cell proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis rate were analyzed. PIM‐1 siRNA with Lipofectamine were injected into xenograft models to evaluate its therapeutic effect.

Results

PIM‐1 siRNA significantly inhibited PIM‐1 expression. In vitro, silencing of the PIM‐1 gene resulted in irregular cell morphology, decreased cell proliferation, inhibition of cell‐cycle progression, and induction of apoptosis. Compared with control groups, intratumoral injection of PIM‐1 siRNA with Lipofectamine in nude mice dramatically suppressed PC‐3 tumor progression.

Conclusions

PIM‐1 could play important roles in the progression of CaP and may be an interesting target for CaP therapy. J. Surg. Oncol. 2010; 101:513–519. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Soil erosion and hydrological response to land abandonment in a central inland area of Portugal
Authors: Nunes A. N. , Coelho C. O. A. , de Almeida A. C. , Figueiredo A.
Published: February 2010

This paper analyses the effects of land abandonment on runoff and sediment yield in a central inland area of Portugal. Rainfall simulation experiments were performed in areas of traditional land use (land cultivated with cereals) with various types of soil plant cover associated with the period of abandonment (4–5 years, 15–20 years and 30–40 years) in two different seasons, namely under very dry conditions and after a long wet period.

Statistical analysis showed a notable difference between the cultivated soils and those abandoned for a long period of time, which included appreciable vegetation recovery, higher organic matter content and negligible overland flow and soil loss. Cereal cultivation, in particular ploughing, is a very negative land management practice, due to the high runoff and soil loss. Within 4–5 years a crust develops over abandoned soils with sparse herbaceous plant cover, particularly after a dry season, which enhances runoff and sediment yield. In scrubland and oak plots, although marked water repellency was registered at the end of a dry, warm season, its influence seems to be irrelevant in terms of overland flow and erosion yield. The major factor in controlling overland flow and reducing soil erosion rates appears to be the role played by vegetation in protecting the soil surface and supplying organic carbon to the top layer. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thermo‐Responsive Nanogels Based on Poly[NIPAAm‐graft‐(2‐alkyl‐2‐oxazoline)]s Crosslinked in the Micellar State
Authors: Zschoche Stefan , Rueda Juan , Boyko Volodymyr , Krahl Franziska , Arndt Karl‐Friedrich , Voit Brigitte
Published: February 2010

Graft copolymers with thermo‐sensitive PNIPAAm backbone and hydrophilic PEtOxa graft chains demonstrated typical amphiphilic behavior. For specific compositions stable micelle‐like aggregates were formed depending on the temperature. Applying long polyoxazoline side chains ($\overline {DP} $ > 120), stable reversible micelle‐like aggregates with hydrodynamic radii of 30–40 nm could be obtained between 33 and 55 °C. These graft copolymers have been successfully crosslinked by electron‐beam irradiation in the micellar state yielding core/shell type nanogels with thermo‐reversible swelling behavior. The temperature dependent volume change of the new thermo‐responsive nanogels due to the phase transition of the PNIPAAm core has been verified by DLS.

magnified image
Bari–Markus property for Riesz projections of 1D periodic Dirac operators
Authors: Djakov P. , Mityagin B.
Published: February 2010

The Dirac operators

equation image

with L2‐potentials

equation image

considered on [0, π] with periodic, antiperiodic or Dirichlet boundary conditions (bc), have discrete spectra, and the Riesz projections

equation image

are well‐defined for |n | ≥ N if N is sufficiently large. It is proved that

equation image

where P0 n, n ∈ ℤ, are the Riesz projections of the free operator.

Then, by the Bari–Markus criterion, the spectral Riesz decompositions

equation image

converge unconditionally in L2 (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Weighted anisotropic product Hardy spaces and boundedness of sublinear operators
Authors: Bownik Marcin , Li Baode , Yang Dachun , Zhou Yuan
Published: February 2010

Let A1 and A2 be expansive dilations, respectively, on ℝn and ℝm. Let A ≡ (A1, A2) and 𝒜p(A) be the class of product Muckenhoupt weights on ℝn × ℝm for p ∈ (1, ∞]. When p ∈ (1, ∞) and w ∈ 𝒜p(A), the authors characterize the weighted Lebesgue space Lp w(ℝn × ℝm) via the anisotropic Lusin‐area function associated with A. When p ∈ (0, 1], w ∈ 𝒜∞(A), the authors introduce the weighted anisotropic product Hardy space Hp w (ℝn × ℝm; A) via the anisotropic Lusin‐area function and establish its atomic decomposition. Moreover, the authors prove that finite atomic norm on a dense subspace of Hp w (ℝn×ℝm; A) is equivalent with the standard infinite atomic decomposition norm. As an application, the authors prove that if T is a sublinear operator and maps all atoms into uniformly bounded elements of a quasi‐Banach space ℬ︁, then T uniquely extends to a bounded sublinear operator from Hp w (ℝn × ℝm; A) to ℬ︁. The results of this paper improve the existing results for weighted product Hardy spaces and are new even in the unweighted anisotropic setting (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Discrepancy of Hammersley points in Besov spaces of dominating mixed smoothness
Authors: Hinrichs Aicke
Published: February 2010

We study the discrepancy function of two‐dimensional Hammersley type point sets in the unit square. It is well‐known that the symmetrized Hammersley point set achieves the asymptotically best possible rate for the L2‐norm of the discrepancy function. In this paper we consider the norm of the discrepancy function of Ham¬mersley type point sets in Besov spaces of dominating mixed smoothness and show that it achieves the optimal rate under appropriate assumptions on the set and the smoothness parameter of the Besov space. Our proof relies on a characterization of the Besov spaces of dominating mixed smoothness via coefficients in the Haar expansion and the computation of the Haar expansion of the discrepancy function of Hammersley type point sets (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Molecular structure of nitrophenylO‐glycosides in relation to their redox potentials
Authors: Gubica Tomasz , Temeriusz Andrzej , Pawłowski Paweł , Stroka Jadwiga
Published: February 2010

The effect of the non‐electroactive groups on the redox potentials of the active centres of 26 nitrophenylO‐glycosides possessing various substituents has been studied electrochemically using cyclic voltammetry. The potentials of both redox processes, a two‐electron quasi‐reversibleR‐NHOH/R‐NO (Ef) and four‐electron irreversibleR‐NO2/R‐NHOH (Epc(I)) systems, have been determined and compared for all the compounds under investigations. The nitrophenylO‐glycosides were chosen as model compounds as they significantly vary in many aspects of their structure such as: (i) the isomeric substitution of nitro group in benzene ring to the sugar moiety (ortho,metaandparaisomers); (ii) the size of sugar moieties (the derivatives of mono‐ and disaccharides); (iii) the presence and absence of additional groups in saccharidic fragments (e.g. pentose and hexose); (iv) functionalisation of hydroxyl groups (free or acetylated hydroxyl groups) and (v) absolute configurations of selected sugar carbon atoms (e.g. the pairs of anomers). Among other effects, a significant variation in the increasing order of the two‐electron quasi‐reversible (Ef,ortho > meta > para) and four‐electron irreversible (Epc(I),meta > ortho > para) redox processes has been found and explained taking into account the negative inductive effect (–I) caused by the glycosidic oxygen atom that facilitates the electroreduction of the nitro group, and the positive mesomeric effect (+M) which makes the electroreduction more difficult. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Combined experimental and theoretical studies of the elimination kinetic of 2‐methoxytetrahydropyran in the gas phase
Authors: Rosas Felix , Domínguez Rosa M. , Mora José R. , Marquez Edgar , Córdova Tania , Chuchani Gabriel
Published: February 2010

The products formed in 2‐methoxytetrahydropyran elimination reaction in the gas phase are 3, 4‐dihydro‐2H‐pyran and methanol. The kinetic study was carried out in a static system, with the vessels deactivated with allyl bromide, and the presence of the free radical suppressor toluene. Temperature and pressure ranges were 400–450 °C and 25–83 Torr, respectively. The process is homogeneous, unimolecular, and follows a first‐order rate law. The observed rate coefficient is represented by the following equation: log k (s−1) = (13.95 ± 0.15) − (223.1 ± 2.1) (kJ mol−1) (2.303RT)−1. The reactant exists mainly in two low energy chair‐like conformations, with the 2‐methoxy group in axial or equatorial position. However, the transition state (TS) for the elimination of the two conformers is the same. Theoretical calculations of this reaction were carried for two possible mechanisms from these conformations by using DFT functionals B3LYP, MPW1PW91, and PBE with the basis set 6‐31G(d,p) and 6‐31G++(d,p). The calculation results demonstrate that 2‐methoxytetrahydropyran exists mainly in two conformations, with the 2‐methoy group in axial or equatorial position, that are thermal in equilibrium. The average thermodynamic and kinetic parameters, taking into account the populations of the conformers in the equilibrium, are in good agreement with experimental values at B3LYP/6‐31++(d,p) level of theory. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Protein profiling in pathology: Analysis and evaluation of 239 frozen tissue biopsies for diagnosis of B‐cell lymphomas
Authors: Jansen Corine , Feuth Ton , Raemaekers John M. M. , Rijntjes Jos , Meijer Jos W. , Westenend Pieter J. , van Baarlen Joop , van Krieken Johan H. J. M. , Hebeda Konnie M. , Groenen Patricia J. T. A.
Published: February 2010

Purpose: We determined the potential value of protein profiling of tissue samples by assessing how precise this approach enables discrimination of B‐cell lymphoma from reactive lymph nodes, and how well the profiles can be used for lymphoma classification.

Experimental design: Protein lysates from lymph nodes (n=239) from patients with the diagnosis of reactive hyperplasia (n=44), follicular lymphoma (n=63), diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (n=43), mantle cell lymphoma (n=47), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic B‐cell lymphoma (n=42) were analysed by SELDI‐TOF MS. Data analysis was performed by (i) classification and regression tree‐based analysis and (ii) binary and polytomous logistic regression analysis.

Results: After internal validation by the leave‐one‐out principle, both the classification and regression tree and logistic regression classification correctly identified the majority of the malignant (87 and 96%, respectively) and benign cases (73 and 75%, respectively). Classification was less successful since approximately one‐third of the cases of each group were misclassified according to the histological classification. However, an additional mantle cell lymphoma case that was misclassified as chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic B‐cell lymphoma initially was identified based on the protein profile.

Conclusions and clinical relevance: SELDI‐TOF MS protein profiling allows for reliable identification of the majority of malignant lymphoma cases; however, further validation and testing robustness in a diagnostic setting is needed.
Effects of endurance exercise on the urinary proteome analyzed by 2‐D PAGE and Orbitrap MS
Authors: Kohler Maxie , Walpurgis Katja , Thomas Andreas , de Maree Markus , Mester Joachim , Schänzer Wilhelm , Thevis Mario
Published: February 2010

Purpose: Exercise‐induced proteinuria is a well‐known phenomenon and the influence of parameters such as intensity and duration was studied extensively. Usually, total protein or albumin was measured for diagnosis of a proteinuria, and the present study was performed to search for qualitative differences in the urinary proteome before and after endurance exercise.

Experimental design: Urine samples were concentrated and proteins separated by means of 2‐D PAGE. Proteins differing in the investigated groups were identified by nano‐UPLC‐Orbitrap MS after trypsin digestion.

Results: The study yielded several proteins such as hemopexin, albumin, orosomucoid 1, transferrin or carbonic anhydrase 1 that were elevated after a marathon run in comparison to a control group. These are linked to physiological changes resulting from endurance exercise such as destruction of erythrocytes or increased fat metabolism. On the contrary, 2‐D PAGE profiles of athletes at rest did not differ from those of control samples.

Conclusions and clinical relevance:The study is a starting point to build up individual 2‐D PAGE protein maps of athletes. Further studies will investigate intra‐individual differences and further exercise parameters, which potentially lead to a physiological monitoring system for athletes in training and competition and may also complement the blood passport in doping control.
Studies of insect peptides alloferon, Any‐GS and their analogues. Synthesis and antiherpes activity
Authors: Kuczer Mariola , Dziubasik Katarzyna , Midak‐Siewirska Anna , Zahorska Renata , Łuczak Mirosław , Konopińska Danuta
Published: February 2010

The subject of these studies was synthesis and determination of biological properties of a series of insect peptides, such as alloferon, Any‐GS and their analogues. The synthesis of 14 peptides was performed by the solid‐phase method. Biological effect of these peptides was evaluated by the antiviral test against Human Herpes Virus type 1 (HHV‐1) in vitro using a Vero cell line. It was found that the investigated peptides inhibit the replication of HHV‐1 in Vero cells. Copyright © 2010 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the estimation of disease prevalence by latent class models for screening studies using two screening tests with categorical disease status verified in test positives only
Authors: Chu Haitao , Zhou Yijie , Cole Stephen R. , Ibrahim Joseph G.
Published: February 2010

To evaluate the probabilities of a disease state, ideally all subjects in a study should be diagnosed by a definitive diagnostic or gold standard test. However, since definitive diagnostic tests are often invasive and expensive, it is generally unethical to apply them to subjects whose screening tests are negative. In this article, we consider latent class models for screening studies with two imperfect binary diagnostic tests and a definitive categorical disease status measured only for those with at least one positive screening test. Specifically, we discuss a conditional‐independent and three homogeneous conditional‐dependent latent class models and assess the impact of misspecification of the dependence structure on the estimation of disease category probabilities using frequentist and Bayesian approaches. Interestingly, the three homogeneous‐dependent models can provide identical goodness‐of‐fit but substantively different estimates for a given study. However, the parametric form of the assumed dependence structure itself is not ‘testable’ from the data, and thus the dependence structure modeling considered here can only be viewed as a sensitivity analysis concerning a more complicated non‐identifiable model potentially involving a heterogeneous dependence structure. Furthermore, we discuss Bayesian model averaging together with its limitations as an alternative way to partially address this particularly challenging problem. The methods are applied to two cancer screening studies, and simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance of these methods. In summary, further research is needed to reduce the impact of model misspecification on the estimation of disease prevalence in such settings. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Controlling ecological bias in evidence synthesis of trials reporting on collapsed and overlapping covariate categories
Authors: Govan L. , Ades A. E. , Weir C. J. , Welton N. J. , Langhorne P.
Published: February 2010

Meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials based on aggregated data is vulnerable to ecological bias if trial results are pooled over covariates that influence the outcome variable, even when the covariate does not modify the treatment effect, or is not associated with the treatment. This paper shows how, when trial results are aggregated over different levels of covariates, the within‐study covariate distribution, and the effects of both covariates and treatments can be simultaneously estimated, and ecological bias reduced. Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo methods are used. The method is applied to a mixed treatment comparison evidence synthesis of six alternative approaches to post‐stroke inpatient care. Results are compared with a model using only the stratified covariate data available, where each stratum is treated as a separate trial, and a model using fully aggregated data, where no covariate data are used. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.