Aim To compare the performance of axial images of the ankle joint on three-dimensional (3D) volume isotropic turbo spin echo acquisition (VISTA) with that of two-dimensional (2D) fast spin echo (FSE) ...T2-weighted images for the diagnosis of anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) injury. Materials and methods This retrospective study included 101 patients who underwent both 2D FSE T2-weighted and 3D VISTA magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the ankle. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of both sequences were measured. The anatomical identification score and diagnostic performances of both sequences were evaluated by two radiologists. The diagnostic performances of 3D VISTA and 2D FSE images were analysed in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for diagnosing ATFL injury. Surgically or clinically confirmed diagnoses were used as reference standards. Results The margin sharpness scores on 3D VISTA were significantly inferior to those of 2D FSE ( p <0.001). Other scores (entire length, entire width) were not significantly different between the two imaging methods. The SNRs and CNRs of 3D VISTA were significantly higher than those of 2D FSE ( p <0.001). When diagnoses were classified as normal and abnormal, the specificity of the 3D VISTA images for the diagnosis of ATFL injury was 95.7%, significantly superior to 2D FSE (84.3–85.7%). There were no significant differences between 3D VISTA and 2D FSE images in sensitivity or accuracy for diagnosis ( p =0.227–1.000), with the exception of accuracy by reader 1 ( p =0.039). Conclusion 3D VISTA imaging has a diagnostic performance comparable to that of 2D FSE for the diagnosis of ATFL injury, although 3D VISTA is inferior to 2D FSE for the evaluation of margin sharpness. Replacing axial and coronal images with 3D VISTA can save imaging time without negatively impacting the diagnostic ability for ATFL injury.
Abstract Background Hyperglycemia occurs frequently after kidney transplantation and may be reversed when the dosage of the immunosuppressive agents is tapered. However, the effect of transient ...post-transplantation hyperglycemia (PTH) on transplantation outcomes is not well described. Methods Kidney transplant recipients without diabetes who underwent kidney transplantation between 2001 and 2012 were enrolled in the study. Transient PTH was defined as recovery from PTH without further antidiabetic therapy and the maintenance of glycated hemoglobin levels <6.5% at 1 year after transplantation. Persistent PTH until 1 year after transplantation was considered to be new-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT). The factors associated with increased risk of PTH were analyzed. We compared the development of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and other transplantation outcomes among patients with no PTH, transient PTH, and NODAT. Results Among 176 kidney transplant recipients, 106 (60.2%) developed PTH and 58 (54.7%) of 106 patients with PTH had transient PTH. Older age, high body mass index (BMI), and female gender were independent risk factors for transient PTH. The incidence of diabetes was not significantly different between patients with no PTH and those with transient PTH. The incidence of cardiovascular disease was significantly increased in NODAT group compared with that in no PTH and transient PTH groups. However, the incidences of acute rejection, allograft loss, and patient death were comparable among the three groups. Conclusions Transient hyperglycemia after kidney transplantation was found to be associated with older age, high body mass index, and female gender. Transient elevation of blood glucose level did not affect post-transplantation outcomes, including diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. However, patients with NODAT should be carefully monitored for the occurrence of cardiovascular disease.
We investigated whether oral health, represented by missing teeth, was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure (HF), stroke, ...and all-cause mortality. Subjects who underwent routine dental examinations and health checkups provided by the Korean National Health Insurance from 2007 to 2008 (n = 4,440,970) were followed up for incident MI, HF, stroke, and death until 2016. During follow-up of 7.56 y, 68,063 (1.5%) subjects died, and 31,868 (0.7%) were admitted for MI, 22,637 (0.5%) for HF, and 30,941 (0.7%) for stroke. Cardiovascular events and mortality increased in proportion to tooth loss. Tooth loss was an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events after multivariable analysis adjusted for cardiovascular risk, behavioral, and income factors. Each missing tooth was associated with an approximately 1% increase in MI (HR, 1.010; 95% CI, 1.007 to 1.014), 1.5% increase in HF (HR, 1.016; 95% CI, 1.013 to 1.019) and stroke (HR, 1.015; 95% CI, 1.012 to 1.018), and 2% increase in mortality (HR, 1.022; 95% CI, 1.020 to 1.023). Having ≥5 missing teeth substantially increased risk for cardiovascular outcomes, and even a small number of missing teeth (1 to 4) was associated with an increased risk for MI, stroke, and death. This association was consistent in subgroup analyses and especially strong among the younger subjects (age <65 y) and those with periodontitis. In this large Korean nationwide cohort study, we found that tooth loss showed a dose-dependent association with incident MI, HF, ischemic stroke, and all-cause death and was a good predictor of cardiovascular outcome. In clinical practice, the number of missing teeth can aid physicians in discriminating patients with a higher cardiovascular risk.
Subependymal enhancement and DWI have been reported to be useful MR imaging markers for identifying true progression. Our aim was to determine whether the subependymal enhancement pattern and ADC can ...differentiate true progression from pseudoprogression in patients with glioblastoma multiforme treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy by using temozolomide.
Forty-two patients with glioblastoma multiforme with newly developed or enlarged enhancing lesions on the first follow-up MR images obtained within 2 months of concurrent chemoradiotherapy completion were included. Subependymal enhancement was analyzed for the presence, location, and pattern (local or distant relative to enhancing lesions). The mean ADC value and the fifth percentile of the cumulative ADC histogram were determined. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent factors associated with true progression.
Distant subependymal enhancement (ie, extending >1 cm or isolated from the enhancing lesion) was significantly more common in true progression (n = 24) than in pseudoprogression (n = 18) (P = .042). The fifth percentile of the cumulative ADC histogram was significantly lower in true progression than in pseudoprogression (P = .014). Both the distant subependymal enhancement and the fifth percentile of the cumulative ADC histogram were independent factors associated with true progression (P = .041 and P = .033, respectively). Sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of true progression were 83% and 67%, respectively, by using both factors.
Both the distant subependymal enhancement and the fifth percentile of the cumulative ADC histogram were significant independent factors predictive of true progression.
The Rare Isotope Science Project (RISP) was launched by the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in December 2011 in Korea. The project aims to construct the new accelerator complex consisting of the ...Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) and the In-Flight Fragment (IF) facilities for the rare isotope science. The scientific programs and the experimental systems of RISP are briefly introduced with an overview of the complex.
The Thorpe scale is an energy-containing vertical overturning scale of large eddies associated with shear-generated turbulence. This study investigates indirect estimates of vertical diffusivities ...from the Thorpe scale method in the polar front region east of the Kerguelen Islands based on fine-scale density profiles gathered during the 2011 KEOPS2 (KErguelen Ocean and Plateau compared Study 2) cruise. These diffusivities are validated in comparison with diffusivities estimated from the turbulence dissipation rate directly measured via a TurboMAP (Turbulence ocean Microstructure Acquisition Profiler) microstructure profiler. The results are sensitive to the choice of the diffusivity parameterization and the overturn ratio Ro, and the optimal results have been obtained from the parameterization by Shih et al. (2005) and the Ro = 0.25 criterion, rather than the parameterization by Osborn (1980) and the Ro = 0.2 criterion originally suggested by Gargett and Garner (2008). The Thorpe-scale-derived diffusivities in the KEOPS2 region show a high degree of spatial variability, ranging from a canonical value of O(10-5) m2 s-1 in the Winter Water layer and in the area immediately north of the polar front to a high value of O(10-4) m2 s-1 in the seasonal thermocline between the surface mixed layer and the Winter Water. The latter high diffusivities are found especially over the shallow plateau southeast of the Kerguelen Islands and along the polar front that is attached to the escarpment northeast of the islands. The interaction of strong frontal flow with prominent bottom topography likely causes the observed elevated mixing rates.
For 478 centrally located sunspots observed in the optical continuum with Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic Magnetic Imager, we perform seismological diagnostics of the physical parameters of ...umbral photospheres. The new technique is based on the theory of slow magnetoacoustic waves in a non-isothermally stratified photosphere with a uniform vertical magnetic field. We construct a map of the weighted frequency of three-minute oscillations inside the umbra and use it for the estimation of the Alfvén speed, plasma-beta, and mass density within the umbra. We find the umbral mean Alfvén speed ranges between 10.5 and 7.5 km s−1 and is negatively correlated with magnetic field strength. The umbral mean plasma-beta is found to range approximately between 0.65 and 1.15 and does not vary significantly from pores to mature sunspots. The mean density ranges between (1-6) × 10−4 kg m−3 and shows a strong positive correlation with magnetic field strength.
It is anticipated that more than 75 Mb/s per subscriber is required for the convergence service such as triple-play service (TPS). Among several types of high-speed access network technologies, ...wavelength-division-multiplexing passive optical network (WDM-PON) is the most favorable for the required bandwidth in the near future. Furthermore, WDM technologies, such as athermal arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG) and low-cost light source, have matured enough to be applied in the access network. In this paper, the authors propose and implement a WDM-PON system as a platform for TPS. The system employs an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE)-injected Fabry-Pe/spl acute/rot laser diode scheme. It has 32 channels of 125 Mb/s and adopts Ethernet as Layer 2. Multicast and virtual local area network features are used for the integration of services such as Internet protocol high-definition broadcast, voice-over Internet protocol, video on demand, and video telephone. The services were demonstrated using the WDM-PON system.
p53 is a key regulator of cell growth and death by controlling cell cycle progression and apoptosis under conditions of stress such as DNA damage or oncogenic stimulation. As these processes are ...critical for cell function and inhibition of tumor development, p53 regulatory pathways are strictly monitored in cells. Recently, it was recognized that nucleolar proteins, including nucleophosmin/B23, ribosomal protein L11, and alternate reading frame (ARF), form the nucleolus-ARF-murine double minute 2 (MDM2) axis in p53 regulatory pathways, which increases p53 stability by suppressing the activity of MDM2. In this work, we show that nucleolar protein glioma tumor-suppressor candidate region gene 2 (GLTSCR2) translocates to the nucleoplasm under ribosomal stress, where it interacts with and stabilizes p53 and inhibits cell cycle progression without the involvement of the major upstream p53 regulator, ARF. Furthermore, ectopic expression of GLTSCR2 significantly suppressed growth of cancer cells in a xenograft animal model via p53-dependent pathway. Our data identify GLTSCR2 as a new member of the nucleolus-nucleoplasmic axis for p53 regulation. ARF-independent direct regulation of p53 by GLTSCR2 may be a key mechanism and therapeutic target for cell death or growth inhibition when nucleolus-ARF-p53 pathways are inactivated by genetic or epigenetic modifications of ARF, which are the second most common types of genetic change observed in human cancers.
Korean kimchi is known for its myriad of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with diverse bioactive compounds. This study was undertaken to isolate an efficient antifungal LAB strain among the isolated kimchi ...LABs. One thousand and four hundred LABs isolated from different kimchi samples were initially screened against Aspergillus niger. The strain exhibiting the highest antifungal activity was identified as Lactobacillus plantarum YML007 by 16S rRNA sequencing and biochemical assays using API 50 CHL kit. Lact. plantarum YML007 was further screened against Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium oxysporum and other pathogenic bacteria. The morphological changes during the inhibition were assessed by scanning electron microscopy. Preliminary studies on the antifungal compound demonstrated its proteinaceous nature with a molecular weight of 1256·617 Da, analysed by matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF). The biopreservative activity of Lact. plantarum YML007 was evaluated using dried soybeans. Spores of A. niger were observed in the negative control after 15 days of incubation. However, fungal growth was not observed in the soybeans treated with fivefold concentrated cell‐free supernatant of Lact. plantarum YML007. The broad activity of Lact. plantarum YML007 against various food spoilage moulds and bacteria suggests its scope as a food preservative.
Significance and Impact of the Study
After screening 1400 kimchi bacterial isolates, strain Lactobacillus plantarum YML007 was selected with strong antifungal activity against various foodborne pathogens. From the preliminary studies, it was found that the bioactive compound is a low molecular weight novel protein of 1256·617 Da. Biopreservative potential of Lact. plantarum YML007 was demonstrated on soybean grains, and the results point out YML007 as a potent biopreservative having broad antimicrobial activity against various foodborne pathogens.
Significance and Impact of the Study: After screening 1400 kimchi bacterial isolates, strain Lactobacillus plantarum YML007 was selected with strong antifungal activity against various foodborne pathogens. From the preliminary studies, it was found that the bioactive compound is a low molecular weight novel protein of 1256·617 Da. Biopreservative potential of Lact. plantarum YML007 was demonstrated on soybean grains, and the results point out YML007 as a potent biopreservative having broad antimicrobial activity against various foodborne pathogens.
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