Search results for "DIFFUSION"
showing 10 items of 1615 documents
Imaging in mice and men: Pathophysiological insights into multiple sclerosis from conventional and advanced MRI techniques
2019
Abstract Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most important tool for diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS). However, MRI is still unable to precisely quantify the specific pathophysiological processes that underlie imaging findings in MS. Because autopsy and biopsy samples of MS patients are rare and biased towards a chronic burnt-out end or fulminant acute early stage, the only available methods to identify human disease pathology are to apply MRI techniques in combination with subsequent histopathological examination to small animal models of MS and to transfer these insights to MS patients. This review summarizes the existing combined imaging and histopathological studies performed in M…
Early silent microstructural degeneration and atrophy of the thalamocortical network in multiple sclerosis
2016
Recent studies on patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and multiple sclerosis (MS) demonstrated thalamic atrophy. Here we addressed the following question: Is early thalamic atrophy in patients with CIS and relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) mainly a direct consequence of white matter (WM) lesions-as frequently claimed-or is the atrophy stronger correlated to "silent" (nonlesional) microstructural thalamic alterations? One-hundred and ten patients with RRMS, 12 with CIS, and 30 healthy controls were admitted to 3 T magnetic resonance imaging. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was computed from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess thalamic and WM microstructure. The relative thalamic vol…
Small endogenous molecules as moiety to improve targeting of CNS drugs.
2016
A major challenge in the development of novel neuro-therapeutic agents is to effectively overcome the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which acts as a 'working dynamic barrier'. The core problem in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases is failed delivery of potential medicines due to their inadequate permeation rate. Areas covered: The present review gives a summary of endogenous moieties used in synthesizing prodrugs, derivatives and bioisosteric drugs appositely designed to structurally resemble physiological molecular entities able to be passively absorbed or carried by specific carrier proteins expressed at BBB level. In particular, this overview focuses on aminoacidic, glycosyl, purine…
Characterizing microstructural tissue properties in multiple sclerosis with diffusion MRI at 7 T and 3 T: The impact of the experimental design
2019
The recent introduction of advanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques to characterize focal and global degeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS), like the Composite Hindered and Restricted Model of Diffusion, or CHARMED, diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) and Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) made available new tools to image axonal pathology non-invasively in vivo. These methods already showed greater sensitivity and specificity compared to conventional diffusion tensor-based metrics (e.g., fractional anisotropy), overcoming some of its limitations. While previous studies uncovered global and focal axonal degeneration in MS patients compared to healthy contr…
A simple method to estimate the isoelectric point of modified Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) particles
2017
We present a simple method to estimate the isoelectric point (pI) of Tomato Bushy Stunt particles. We demonstrate that the combination of agarose gels with different pH buffers can be used to electrophorese the virus particles and their migration patterns can be compared. This method allows us to estimate the pI of the virus particles (wild type, wt, and genetically modified particles) and to monitor the effect of the pI of modified peptide side chains of the viral capsid subunit on the pI of the whole virus particle.
Iron-loaded transferrin (Tf) is detrimental whereas iron-free Tf confers protection against brain ischemia by modifying blood Tf saturation and subse…
2018
Despite transferrin being the main circulating carrier of iron in body fluids, and iron overload conditions being known to worsen stroke outcome through reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced damage, the contribution of blood transferrin saturation (TSAT) to stroke brain damage is unknown. The objective of this study was to obtain evidence on whether TSAT determines the impact of experimental ischemic stroke on brain damage and whether iron-free transferrin (apotransferrin, ATf)-induced reduction of TSAT is neuroprotective. We found that experimental ischemic stroke promoted an early extravasation of circulating iron-loaded transferrin (holotransferrin, HTf) to the ischemic brain parenchyma.…
Automated Categorization of Parkinsonian Syndromes Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a Clinical Setting
2020
Background Machine learning algorithms using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data can accurately discriminate parkinsonian syndromes. Validation in patients recruited in routine clinical practice is missing. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of a machine learning algorithm trained on a research cohort and tested on an independent clinical replication cohort for the categorization of parkinsonian syndromes. Methods Three hundred twenty-two subjects, including 94 healthy control subjects, 119 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), 51 patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) with Richardson's syndrome, 35 with multiple system atrophy (MSA) of the parkinsoni…
Modeling of Particle Number Fluctuations in Entire Cells
2012
In a recent study we developed a method to model protein diffusion in cells [1], where special attention was given to generating from image data of the measured cell a realistic digital model cell in which protein dynamics were simulated. The method was shown to be well suited for modeling non-equilibrium situations that arise, e.g., in photobleaching experiments, and to be capable of producing more detailed information about protein motion than traditional modeling.Another experimental way to assess protein dynamics is to study fluctuations in the local protein number, as it is done, e.g., in fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), or in similar measurements that apply single-plane il…
Corticospinal Tract Integrity and Long-Term Hand Function Prognosis in Patients With Stroke
2019
Background: The restoration of hand function is an important goal for patients with stroke. This study investigated the relationship between corticospinal tract (CST) integrity and the functional status of the hand in patients with stroke 6 months after onset and evaluated which of the following values would be useful for predicting hand function: fiber number (FN), fractional anisotropy (FA) at the mid-pons, and FA at the pontomedullary junction. Methods: The present retrospective cross-sectional observational study assessed 44 patients with stroke who were able to walk without using a walking aid or orthosis. The final hand function results were classified into three groups: no recovery (…
Ficciones inmunitarias. Sobre la lógica de la inmunidad en la cultura contemporánea
2018
This article develops the concept of “immunitarian fiction” taking as paradigmatic examples epidemics and zombie narratives, which share the idea of contagion as the main matrix of their narrative. The article tries to address the following question: in what way do these fictions, and other similar ones, participate in the imaginary of immunity and, at the same time, show some of their internal contradictions? For this, the text reflects on a set of cultural products of mass diffusion (novels, television series, cinematographic works). We analyze, in the first place, how these fictions highlight the fears and social anxieties linked to the tensions of the “immune paradigm” and represent the…