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The Toll-like receptors ( TLRs) are related to innate immunity. TLR9, a member of TLRs, is expressed in immune cell-rich tissues and mediates cellular response. We investigated the association between TLR9 polymorphisms and kidney allograft outcomes. To investigate whether TLR9 polymorphisms are associated with acute rejection after renal transplantation, two single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs) of TLR9 gene (rs187084 -1486; rs352140, G2848A) were selected and genotyped by direct sequencing in 342 renal transplant recipients. SNPStats, SNPAnalyzer, Helixtree and Haploview version 4.2 were used to analyse genetic data. Multiple logistic regression models (codominant, dominant, recessive and log-additive) were used to evaluate odds ratios ( ORs), 95% confidence intervals ( CIs) and P values. Both SNPs, TLR9 rs187084 -1486 and rs352140 G2848A, of recipients were associated with the risk of acute rejection in renal transplantation. C allele of rs187084 -1486 and A allele of rs352140 G2848A were protective genotype for acute rejection (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.40-0.92; P = 0.018, OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.42-0.98; P = 0.04, respectively). rs187084 -1486 CT and rs352140 G2848A GA genotype were associated with a lower eGFR after a year of renal transplantation. TLR9 polymorphisms, rs187084 and rs352140, of recipients were associated with the risk of acute rejection in renal transplantation. The patients with rs187084 -1486 CT and rs352140 G2848A GA genotype showed a lower eGFR after a year of renal transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the effects of metal artefacts and acquisition time among slice encoding for metal artefact correction (SEMAC), SEMAC with dual-source par- allel radiofrequency (SEMAC-DSPRF) transmission and fast spin echo (FSE) images using 3.0-T MRI. Methods: The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was calculated in a phantom study using a pedicle screw. A total of 16 patients who underwent spinal surgery using pedicle screws were included in the clinical study. T1 weighted FSE, SEMAC and SEMAC-DSPRF images were obtained. Four imaging findings (visibility of the dural sac, neural foramens, bone-implant interface and overall artefacts) were evaluated by using five-point scales independently by two observers. The mean scan time was recorded. Results: The mean SNR was 71.2, 25.7 and 28.4 for FSE, SEMAC and SEMAC-DSPRF images, respectively. FSE images were ranked lower than SEMAC and SEMAC-DSPRF images, and ranking of SEMAC and SEMAC-DSPRF images did not differ statistically for all four imaging findings. The mean scan time was 9min51s and 6min3ls for SEMAC and SEMAC-DSPRF images, respectively. Conclusion: SEMAC can reduce metallic artefacts and improve the visualisation of anatomical structures around metal implants. An additional DSPRF technique can reduce the acquisition time of SEMAC images without the loss of SNR and image quality. Advances in knowledge: This study demonstrates that the use of the DSPRF transmission technique can reduce the acquisition time of SEMAC images without loss of image quality in patients with metal implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the factors modulating transplant rejection, chemokines and their respective receptors deserve special attention. Increased expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and its corresponding receptor (chemokine receptor-2, CCR2) has been implicated in renal transplant rejection. To determine the impact of the MCP-1-2518G and CCR2-64I genotypes on renal allograft function, 167 Korean patients who underwent transplantation over a 25-year period were evaluated. Genomic DNA was genotyped using polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Fifty-five (32.9%) patients were homozygous for the MCP-1-2518G polymorphism. Nine (5.4%) patients were homozygous for the CCR2-64I polymorphism. None of the investigated polymorphism showed a significant shift in long-term allograft survival. However, a significant increase was noted for the risk of late acute rejection in recipients who were homozygous for the MCP-1-2518G polymorphism (OR, 2.600; 95% CI, 1.125–6.012; P = 0.022). There was also an association between the MCP-1-2518G/G genotype and the number of late acute rejection episodes ( P = 0.024). Although there was no difference in the incidence of rejection among recipients stratified by the CCR2-V64I genotype, recipients with the CCR2-V64I GG genotype in combination with the MCP-1-2518G/G genotype had a significantly higher risk of acute or late acute rejection among the receptor-ligand combinations ( P = 0.006, P = 0.008, respectively). The MCP-1 variant may be a marker for risk of late acute rejection in Korean patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has proved to be an excellent tool in diagnosing injuries of the cruciate ligaments and menisci. However, multiple planes and sometimes optimal oblique or double-oblique scan planes are needed due to the variability in the positioning of important structures, which means there is a lower throughput and longer scanning time. Purpose: To compare the performance of a 1-mm-thickness fast spin-echo (FSE) proton-density-weighted (PDW) MR imaging technique with multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) in diagnosing tears of the menisci and cruciate ligaments with that of conventional MR imaging. Material and Methods: Twenty-five consecutive patients underwent preoperative conventional and 1-mm-thickness FSE PDW MR imaging with subsequent knee arthroscopic surgery. Two musculoskeletal radiologists evaluated the status of the cruciate ligaments and menisci using two sets of MR images (method A: conventional images including seven sequences, taking 26 min; method B: 1-mm-thickness FSE PDW images with MPR, taking 7 min 20 s). The diagnostic efficacies of both methods for tears of the cruciate ligament and menisci were calculated and compared. Results: Arthroscopic surgery revealed 10 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, one posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tear, and 26 meniscal tears. The diagnostic values of both methods were 100% for a cruciate ligament tear. The diagnostic values (sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value) for meniscal tears were 90%, 100%, 96%, 100%, and 94% for method A, and 95%, 100%, 98%, 100%, and 97% for method B, respectively. There were no significant differences in the diagnostic values between methods A and B. Conclusion: 1-mm-slice-thickness FSE PDW imaging with MPR showed comparable performance in diagnosing tears of the cruciate ligaments and menisci to conventional sequences but the scan time was much shorter. Therefore, this technique (method B) might improve the throughput of a 3T MR imaging system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The behaviour of nanoscale optical devices in a variety of burgeoning research areas, such as photonic crystals, near-field microscopy, surface plasmonics and negative index of refraction materials, is governed by strongly localized electromagnetic waves. Although such light waves are analogous to the localized electronic wavefunctions that determine the properties of solid-state quantum devices, unlike matter waves, these optical fields are vectorial in nature, and their orientation and magnitude vary on a subwavelength scale. In order to obtain a complete description of light in nanoscale devices, it is therefore crucial to be able to map the field vectors with subwavelength resolution. Thus far, local field vectors have mostly been studied by theoretical means. Here, we describe and demonstrate the first experimental mapping of vector fields of light on the nanoscale. By directly accessing the local field in its entirety, new capabilities and applications in nanophotonics may emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endotracheal intubation in rats is challenging due to difficulties visualizing the epiglottis and vocal cords. No visualization of these structures results in repeated intubation attempts which can cause trauma to the oral cavity and/or oesophagus, and death of the animal due to respiratory failure. Here, we describe a simple blind oral tracheal intubation technique in the rat that decreases the frequency of repeated intubations using an intubation device that comprises a 16 G intravenous catheter and a modified 18 G epidural needle, and a rodent ventilator. The epidural needle is bent in such a way that it curves in conformity with the rat's oral airway in order to direct the catheter into the larynx, and the rodent ventilator is used to verify its correct placement. The first attempt success rate of endotracheal intubation using the blind oral tracheal intubation technique with a rodent ventilator was greater than the first attempt success rate using the blind oral tracheal intubation technique without using a rodent ventilator. Although this method is a simple modification of a previously described method of blind oral endotracheal intubation, our method is easy to learn, inexpensive and does not require specialized equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When light illuminates a thick metal film perforated with small holes, shadows appear. At the nanoscopic level, however, light can be emitted predominantly from the metal surfaces between the holes—shadows can be indeed brighter than the lighted holes. The symmetry of the near-field emission pattern is determined by the symmetry of the surface plasmon waves. Surprisingly, these nanoscopic emission patterns from the metal can be preserved to the far-field region, where the pattern becomes sinusoidal. This unusual behavior of light emission from the shadows is explained by efficient wave vector selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response by K.G. Lee, et al. to a letter to the editor about their article on a new technique for spatially imaging the vectorial properties of optical near fields which was published in the journal is presented.