Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of vascular changes induced by sunitinib in papillary renal cell carcinoma xenograft tumors.

To investigate further the antiangiogenic potential of sunitinib for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treatment, its effects on tumor vasculature were monitored by dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) using an orthotopic KCI-18 model of human RCC xenografts in nude mice. Tumor-bearing mice were treated with various doses of sunitinib, and vascular changes were assessed by DCE-MRI and histologic studies. Sunitinib induced dose-dependent vascular changes, which were observed both in kidney tumors and in normal kidneys by DCE-MRI.

Structural, magnetic and electronic structure studies of NdFe(1-x)Ni(x)O(3) (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3).

We present here the structural, electronic structure, magnetic and Mössbauer studies of NdFe(1-x)Ni(x)O(3) (0≤x≤0.3) samples. All the samples exhibit a single-phase orthorhombic structure with space group Pbnm.

Sequence and structural variation in a human genome uncovered by short-read, massively parallel ligation sequencing using two-base encoding.

We describe the genome sequencing of an anonymous individual of African origin using a novel ligation-based sequencing assay that enables a unique form of error correction that improves the raw accuracy of the aligned reads to >99.9%, allowing us to accurately call SNPs with as few as two reads per allele. We collected several billion mate-paired reads yielding approximately 18x haploid coverage of aligned sequence and close to 300x clone coverage.

A geometric approach for classification and comparison of structural variants.

Motivation: Structural variants, including duplications, insertions, deletions and inversions of large blocks of DNA sequence, are an important contributor to human genome variation. Measuring structural variants in a genome sequence is typically more challenging than measuring single nucleotide changes. Current approaches for structural variant identification, including paired-end DNA sequencing/mapping and array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), do not identify the boundaries of variants precisely.

Red blood cell alloimmunization among sickle cell Kuwaiti Arab patients who received red blood cell transfusion.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is common in the Arabian Gulf region. Most cases require a red blood cell (RBC) transfusion, increasing the potential for RBC alloantibody development. The incidence of RBC alloimmunization among Kuwaiti Arab SCD patients is not yet known.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

The case of a 65 years old lady, diabetic, hypertensive, reduced functional class with history of episodic dyspnoea lasting for few weeks for the last two years. On presentation she was tachypnoiec with reduced oxygen saturation. Jugular venous distension was present with bibasal crackles.

Translation of myocardial metabolic imaging concepts into the clinics.

Flexibility in myocardial substrate metabolism for energy production is fundamental to cardiac health. This loss in plasticity or flexibility leads to overdependence on the metabolism of an individual category of substrates, with the predominance in fatty acid metabolism characteristic of diabetic heart disease and the accelerated glucose use associated with pressure-overload left ventricular hypertrophy being prime examples. There is a strong demand for accurate noninvasive imaging approaches of myocardial substrate metabolism that can facilitate the crosstalk between the bench and the bedside, leading to improved patient management paradigms.

Calibration of RF transmitter voltages for hyperpolarized gas MRI.

MRI with hyperpolarized gases, (3)He, (129)Xe, (13)C, and others, has the potential to become an important diagnostic technique for clinical imaging. Due to the nonreversible loss of magnetization in hyperpolarized gas imaging, the choice of the flip angle is a major factor that influences the signal intensity, and hence, the signal-to-noise ratio. Conventional automated radiofrequency (RF) calibration procedures for (1)H imaging are not suitable for hyperpolarized gas imaging.

Fluency: a key link between word identification and comprehension.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to respond to A. G. Kamhi's (2007) challenge to consider two points of view on reading-the broad and the narrow.

Biatrial myxoma.

A female, 32 years of age, presented with complaint of easy fatigability and exertional dyspnoea for the last one year. She had no previous history of cardiac disease. On clinical examination, there was a diastolic murmur at apex.

Improved calibration technique for in vivo proton MRS thermometry for brain temperature measurement.

The most common MR-based approach to noninvasively measure brain temperature relies on the linear relationship between the (1)H MR resonance frequency of tissue water and the tissue's temperature. Herein we provide the most accurate in vivo assessment existing thus far of such a relationship. It was derived by acquiring in vivo MR spectra from a rat brain using a high field (11.

User satisfaction with services provided by a drug information center in Sudan.

Objective: The services of the Ministry of Health Drug Information Center--Khartoum State were evaluated by assessing users' satisfaction.

Method: Four hundred and twenty-three subjects were recruited from center records using a systematic random sampling technique. Subjects who consented were interviewed by telephone using a specially designed semi-structured questionnaire.

Hyperpolarized 3He MR imaging: physiologic monitoring observations and safety considerations in 100 consecutive subjects.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety of hyperpolarized helium 3 ((3)He) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.

Materials And Methods: Local institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained. Physiologic monitoring data were obtained before, during, and after hyperpolarized (3)He MR imaging in 100 consecutive subjects (57 men, 43 women; mean age, 52 years +/- 14 [standard deviation]).

Cross-talk between notch and the estrogen receptor in breast cancer suggests novel therapeutic approaches.

High expression of Notch-1 and Jagged-1 mRNA correlates with poor prognosis in breast cancer. Elucidating the cross-talk between Notch and other major breast cancer pathways is necessary to determine which patients may benefit from Notch inhibitors, which agents should be combined with them, and which biomarkers indicate Notch activity in vivo. We explored expression of Notch receptors and ligands in clinical specimens, as well as activity, regulation, and effectors of Notch signaling using cell lines and xenografts.

Efficacy of agnique (mmf) monomolecular surface film against immature stages of Anopheles arabiensis patton and Culex spp (diptera: culicidae) in Khartoum, Sudan.

The efficacy of the larvicidal and pupicidal agent (Agnique) MMF was evaluated against larvae of An. arabiensis and Culex (Diptera: Culicidae) under field conditions in Bahary Locality, Khartoum, Sudan. At an applied dosage of 0.

Pulse-train stimulation for detecting medial malpositioning of thoracic pedicle screws.

Study Design: Thoracic pedicle screw location and the current needed to stimulate adjacent neural tissue was evaluated using brief, high-frequency pulse trains and monitoring electromyography (EMG) from muscles in the lower limbs.

Objective: To establish a safe and reliable method for detecting medial malpositioning of pedicle screws placed in the thoracic spine during instrumentation and fusion.

Summary Of Background Data: Neurophysiologic studies for testing thoracic pedicle screw placement used single-pulse stimulation and monitored EMG from thoracic-innervated muscles.

Self-assembled monolayers of benzylmercaptan and p-cyanobenzylmercaptan on Au(111) surfaces: structural and spectroscopic characterization.

The formation of self-assembled monolayers of benzylmercaptan (BM) and p-cyanobenzylmercaptan (pCBM) on Au(111) surfaces is investigated by a combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The NEXAFS results of pCBM are supported by ab initio calculations. It is found that BM as well as pCBM form well-ordered monolayers with the molecules oriented almost perpendicular to the surface.

Evaluation of paired-end sequencing strategies for detection of genome rearrangements in cancer.

Paired-end sequencing is emerging as a key technique for assessing genome rearrangements and structural variation on a genome-wide scale. This technique is particularly useful for detecting copy-neutral rearrangements, such as inversions and translocations, which are common in cancer and can produce novel fusion genes. We address the question of how much sequencing is required to detect rearrangement breakpoints and to localize them precisely using both theoretical models and simulation.

A sequence-based survey of the complex structural organization of tumor genomes.

Background: The genomes of many epithelial tumors exhibit extensive chromosomal rearrangements. All classes of genome rearrangements can be identified using end sequencing profiling, which relies on paired-end sequencing of cloned tumor genomes.

Results: In the present study brain, breast, ovary, and prostate tumors, along with three breast cancer cell lines, were surveyed using end sequencing profiling, yielding the largest available collection of sequence-ready tumor genome breakpoints and providing evidence that some rearrangements may be recurrent.

Early Detection of Tubulo-Interstitial Kidney Disease in Children Using Highly Discriminating SDS-Gel Electrophoresis.

Tubulo-interstitial kidney disease is characterized by moderate proteinuria < 1 g/day of low molecular weight proteins in range of MW 10.000-50.000.

On-line Urea Monitoring during Hemodialysis: A Review.

In recent years, methods of on-line urea concentration and on-line urea clearance monitoring have been proposed for control of dialysis dose (Kt/V) and protein catabolic rate (PCR) in patients on regular dialysis therapy; these offer an alternative to the established methods of urea kinetics based on pre- and post-dialysis measurements of urea concentration. In contrast to such conventional urea kinetics, the new methods deliver results in real time and treatment parameters can be changed instantly. Three on-line measurement methods are to be distinguished: monitoring of urea concentration in ultrafiltrate, monitoring of urea concentration in dialysate (both yield Kt/V and PCR), and monitoring of urea clearance based on conductivity measurements.