Radiotherapy with heavy ions is an upcoming cancer treatment method with to date unachieved precision. It associates higher control rates particularly for radio-resistant tumor species with reduced ...adverse effects compared to conventional photon therapy. At Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center two 14.5 GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion sources are routinely used to produce a variety of ion beams from protons up to oxygen. The operating time is 330 days per year; our experience after 3 yr of continuous operation will be presented, with special emphasis on stability and breakdowns of components. In addition, the latest enhancement and the results for the operation will be shown.
The aim was to investigate side-to-side and sex differences of anterior and inferior capsule thickness (ACT, ICT) between the throwing and non-throwing shoulder (TS, NTS) in youth elite handball ...players. 125 youth female and male elite handball players (14.1±0.7yo) were assessed for ACT and ICT by ultrasound . ACT measurement was performed from anterior (3 o'clock) in upright position and for ICT from inferior (6 o'clock) in supine position. Measurements of ICT in the TS of all athletes (1.4±0.2 mm) differed significantly but marginally to those in the NTS (1.3±0.2 mm) (p = 0.001). Female (1.2±0.2 mm vs. 1.3±0.2 mm; p = 0.007) but not male youth players (1.4±0.2 mm vs. 1.4±0.2 mm, p = n.s.) demonstrated slight differences in ICT in the TS compared with the NTS. Although significant, the thickness in the TS compared to the NTS was within the measurement accuracy of the ultrasonic assessment. No difference in ACT was observed in the TS (1.4±0.3 mm) compared to the NTS (1.4±0.3 mm) for both sexes (n.s.).
In conclusion, the anterior and inferior capsule thickness in youth elite handball athletes is not or only marginally different between throwing and non-throwing shoulders.
The genus Helleborus comprises 22 species which are allocated to six sections. Due to high intraspecific morphological variability, taxonomic and genetic relationships are ambiguous especially within ...section Helleborastrum. In order to investigate taxonomic and genetic relationships in the genus Helleborus, flow cytometry and amplified fragment length polymorphisms were used. Nuclear DNA contents of 21 analyzed species varied between 18.3 pg/2C for H. argutifolius and 32.7 pg/2C for H. thibetanus. Genome sizes between 26.8 and 31.3 pg/2C were determined for the majority of species. The genetic relationships within the genus were analyzed using ten AFLP primer combinations for 19 out of 22 Helleborus species. On the basis of 1109 polymorphic fragments across all species and the outgroup Pulsatilla vulgaris 'Violet', genetic distances were determined to conduct neighbor-joining cluster and bootstrap analysis to calculate a majority rule consensus tree. The six Helleborus sections were clearly definable in the phenogram that thereby supports the present genus division.
The Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) from the jellyfish Aequorea Victoria has proven to be a convenient and powerful vital marker in transgenic studies. Its expression can be detected ...non-destructively, in real time, simply by UV-light excitation. This property of GFP holds promise in monitoring the presence and expression of transgenes in higher plants. Based on a transient gene expression assay, the function of two GFP genes was tested: mGFP-4 (Haseloff et al., 1997) and smRS-GFP (Davis and Vierstra, 1998). The intensity of smRS-GFP fluorescence was higher than that of mGFP-4 in Petunia and easier to distinguish from other unspecific fluorescent signals. First stable transformation experiments in four commercially relevant Petunia cultivars involved the vector pMen65smRS-GFP containing nptII gene. This vector resulted in clearly detectable GFP expressing callus and made it possible to visually select exclusively for GFP. Selection using GFP only versus GFP and kanamycin selection was compared regarding the transformation efficiencies. The detection of integration the transgene via southern hybridization revealed single and multiple integrations of smRS-GFP in Petunia. Single copy plants showed intensive expression in all parts of the plants, while rising copy numbers led to only weak or partial expression of smRS-GFP. In this study, the possibility to select transgenic plants based on their GFP expression without applying antibiotic or herbicide resistance genes is shown.
Abstract Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetically and clinically heterogeneous disease characterized by extreme bone fragility. Although fracture numbers tend to decrease post-puberty, OI ...patients can exhibit significant variation in clinical outcome, even among related individuals harboring the same mutation. OI most frequently results from mutations in type I collagen genes, yet how genetic background impacts phenotypic outcome remains unclear. Therefore, we analyzed the phenotypic severity of a known proα2(I) collagen gene defect ( oim ) on two genetic backgrounds (congenic C57BL/6J and outbred B6C3Fe) throughout postnatal development to discern the phenotypic contributions of the Col1a2 locus relative to the contribution of the genetic background. To this end, femora and tibiae were isolated from wildtype (Wt) and homozygous ( oim/oim ) mice of each strain at 1, 2 and 4 months of age. Femoral geometry was determined via μCT prior to torsional loading to failure to assess bone structural and material biomechanical properties. Changes in mineral composition, collagen content and bone turnover were determined using neutron activation analyses, hydroxyproline content and serum pyridinoline crosslinks. μCT analysis demonstrated genotype-, strain- and age-associated changes in femoral geometry as well as a marked decrease in the amount of bone in oim/oim mice of both strains. Oim/oim mice of both strains, as well as C57BL/6J (B6) mice of all genotypes, had reduced femoral biomechanical strength properties compared to Wt at all ages, although they improved with age. Mineral levels of fluoride, magnesium and sodium were associated with biomechanical strength properties in both strains and all genotypes at all ages. Oim/oim animals also had reduced collagen content as compared to Wt at all ages. Serum pyridinoline crosslinks were highest at two months of age, regardless of strain or genotype. Strain differences in bone parameters exist throughout development, implicating a role for genetic background in determining biomechanical strength. Age-associated improvements indicate that oim/oim animals partially compensate for their weaker bone material, but never attain Wt levels. These studies indicate the importance of genetic background in determining phenotypic severity, but the presence of the proα2(I) collagen gene defect and age of the animal are the primary determinants of phenotypic severity.
Purpose
Evaluation of technique effectiveness, patient safety and ablation parameters of MR-guided microwave ablation in hepatic malignancies using an MR-conditional high-power microwave ablation ...system.
Materials and Methods
Institutional review board approval and informed patient consent were obtained. Patients who underwent MR-guided microwave ablation of hepatic malignancies in a 1.5T wide-bore scanner using a perfusion-cooled high-power microwave ablation system with a maximum generator power of 150 W were included. Ablation parameters comprising procedure durations, net ablation duration, applicator positions and ablation zone dimensions were recorded. Adverse events were classified according to the CIRSE classification system. Technique effectiveness was assessed after 1 month. Follow-up was conducted with contrast-enhanced MRI and ranged from 1 to 20 months (mean: 6.1 ± 5.4 months).
Results
Twenty-one consecutive patients (age: 63.4 ± 10.5 years; 5 female) underwent 22 procedures for 28 tumours (9 hepatocellular carcinomas, 19 metastases) with a mean tumour diameter of 14.6 ± 5.4 mm (range: 6–24 mm). Technique effectiveness was achieved in all lesions. Tumours were treated using 1.7 ± 0.7 applicator positions (range: 1–3). Mean energy and ablation duration per tumour were 75.3 ± 35.4 kJ and 13.3 ± 6.2 min, respectively. Coagulation zone short- and long-axis diameters were 29.1 ± 6.4 mm and 39.9 ± 7.4 mm, respectively. Average procedure duration was 146.4 ± 26.2 min (range: 98–187 min). One minor complication was reported. Five patients developed new tumour manifestations in the untreated liver. Local tumour progression was not observed during initial follow-up.
Conclusion
MR-guided high-power microwave ablation provides safe and effective treatment of hepatic malignancies with short ablation times and within acceptable procedure durations.
Background
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MRI‐based elastography (MRE) are the most promising noninvasive techniques in assessing liver diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an ...advanced multiparametric imaging method for staging disease and assessing treatment response in realistic preclinical alcohol‐associated liver disease (ALD).
Methods
We utilized four different preclinical mouse models in our study: Model 1—mice were fed a fast‐food diet and fructose water for 48 weeks to induce nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; Model 2—mice were fed chronic‐binge ethanol (EtOH) for 10 days or 8 weeks to induce liver steatosis/inflammation. Two groups of mice were treated with interleukin‐22 at different time points to induce disease regression; Model 3—mice were administered CCl4 for 2 to 4 weeks to establish liver fibrosis followed by 2 or 4 weeks of recovery; and Model 4—mice were administered EtOH plus CCl4 for 12 weeks. Mouse liver imaging biomarkers including proton density fat fraction (PDFF), liver stiffness (LS), loss modulus (LM), and damping ratio (DR) were assessed. Liver and serum samples were obtained for histologic and biochemical analyses. Ordinal logistic regression and generalized linear regression analyses were used to model the severity of steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis, and to assess the regression of these conditions.
Results
Multiparametric models with combinations of biomarkers (LS, LM, DR, and PDFF) used noninvasively to predict the histologic severity and regression of steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis were highly accurate (area under the curve > 0.84 for all). A three‐parameter model that incorporates LS, DR, and ALT predicted histologic fibrosis progression (r = 0.84, p < 0.0001) and regression (r = 0.79, p < 0.0001) as measured by collagen content in livers.
Conclusion
This preclinical study provides evidence that multiparametric MRI/MRE can be used noninvasively to assess disease severity and monitor treatment response in ALD.
Non‐contrast hepatic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) can provide a composite metric to discriminate different steatosis grades, inflammation grades, and fibrosis stages in alcohol‐related liver disease (ALD) with high accuracies (AUCs all > 0.80), respectively. Combined with serum biomarkers, multiparametric hepatic MRE can assess the subtle changes of liver collagen content in fibrosis progression and regression. In summary, multiparametric MRI/MRE has the potentials to assess the severity of ALD and monitor response to treatment.
Metastatic mouse models of melanoma have been characterized by gross necropsy examination, histopathology, and optical imaging. To determine if the time progression, extent, and metabolism of ...melanoma metastases could be monitored noninvasively, serial micro-CT and small-animal PET imaging studies were performed by using a mouse model of melanoma. Juvenile female C57BL/6 mice were injected intravenously with syngenic B16-F10 melanoma cells. Serial micro-CT imaging studies were performed on anesthetized mice. Mice were necropsied at the development of adverse clinical signs or at postinjection Day 30, and tissues were collected for histopathology. In a separate study of four mice, tumor viability was assessed with 2-deoxy-2-18Ffluoro-d-glucose (18FFDG) and studied by using small-animal PET imaging. A total of 59% of the mice developed metastatic tumors. Micro-CT image analysis was able to identify and follow up to 36% of metastatic lesions. Examples of metastatic lesions identified and followed up by micro-CT imaging included a lung metastasis, mandibular metastasis, subcutaneous metastasis, and tibial/femoral metastasis. Micro-CT and small-animal PET fusion imaging successfully correlated anatomic localization of glucose metabolism of the metastatic tumors. Micro-CT and small-animal PET imaging were found to be highly effective in detection and characterization of lesions produced by this metastatic melanoma model.
PDF
