Search

The overlap of metabolites is a major limitation in one-dimensional (1D) spectral-based single-voxel MRS and multivoxel-based MRSI. By combining echo planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) with a two-dimensional (2D) J-resolved spectroscopic (JPRESS) sequence, 2D spectra can be recorded in multiple locations in a single slice of prostate using four-dimensional (4D) echo planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging (EP-JRESI). The goal of the present work was to validate two different non-linear reconstruction methods independently using compressed sensing-based 4D EP-JRESI in prostate cancer (PCa): maximum entropy (MaxEnt) and total variation (TV). Twenty-two patients with PCa with a mean age of 63.8 years (range, 46-79 years) were investigated in this study. A 4D non-uniformly undersampled (NUS) EP-JRESI sequence was implemented on a Siemens 3-T MRI scanner. The NUS data were reconstructed using two non-linear reconstruction methods, namely MaxEnt and TV. Using both TV and MaxEnt reconstruction methods, the following observations were made in cancerous compared with non-cancerous locations: (i) higher mean (choline + creatine)/citrate metabolite ratios; (ii) increased levels of (choline + creatine)/spermine and (choline + creatine)/myo-inositol; and (iii) decreased levels of (choline + creatine)/(glutamine + glutamate). We have shown that it is possible to accelerate the 4D EP-JRESI sequence by four times and that the data can be reliably reconstructed using the TV and MaxEnt methods. The total acquisition duration was less than 13 min and we were able to detect and quantify several metabolites.

BackgroundFour international study groups undertook a large study in resectable osteosarcoma, which included two randomised controlled trials, to determine the effect on survival of changing post-operative chemotherapy based on histological response.Patients and methodsPatients with resectable osteosarcoma aged ≤40 years were treated with the MAP regimen, comprising pre-operatively of two 5-week cycles of cisplatin 120 mg/m(2), doxorubicin 75 mg/m(2), methotrexate 12 g/m(2) × 2 (MAP) and post-operatively two further cycles of MAP and two cycles of just MA. Patients were randomised after surgery. Those with ≥10% viable tumour in the resected specimen received MAP or MAP with ifosfamide and etoposide. Those with

A current limitation of MR spectroscopic imaging of multiple skeletal muscles is prolonged scan duration. A significant reduction in the total scan duration using the echo-planar correlated spectroscopic imaging (EP-COSI) sequence was accomplished using two bipolar readout trains with different phase-encoded echoes for one of two spatial dimensions within a single repetition time (TR). The second bipolar readout was used for spatially encoding the outer k-space, whereas the first readout was used for the central k-space only. The performance of this novel sequence, called multi-echo based echo-planar correlated spectroscopic imaging (ME-EPCOSI), was demonstrated by localizing specific key features in calf muscles and bone marrow of 11 healthy volunteers and five subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2D). A 3 T MRI-MRS scanner equipped with a transmit-receive extremity coil was used. Localization of the ME-EPCOSI sequence was in good agreement with the earlier single-readout based EP-COSI sequence and the required scan time was reduced by a factor of two. In agreement with an earlier report using single-voxel based 2D MRS, significantly increased unsaturated pools of intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) and extramyocellular lipid (EMCL) and decreased IMCL and EMCL unsaturation indices (UIs) were observed in the soleus and tibialis anterior muscle regions of subjects with T2D compared with healthy controls. In addition, significantly decreased choline content was observed in the soleus of T2D subjects compared with healthy controls. Multi-voxel characterization of IMCL and EMCL ratios and UI in the calf muscle may be useful for the non-invasive assessment of altered lipid metabolism in the pathophysiology of T2D.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging is a fast spectroscopic technique to record the biochemical information in multiple regions of the brain, but for clinical applications, time is still a constraint. Investigations of neural injury in obstructive sleep apnea have revealed structural changes in the brain, but determining the neurochemical changes requires more detailed measurements across multiple brain regions, demonstrating a need for faster echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging. Hence, we have extended the compressed sensing reconstruction of prospectively undersampled 4D echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging to investigate metabolic changes in multiple brain locations of patients with obstructive sleep apnea and healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nonuniform undersampling was imposed along 1 spatial and 1 spectral dimension of 4D echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging, and test-retest reliability of the compressed sensing reconstruction of the nonuniform undersampling data was tested by using a brain phantom. In addition, 9 patients with obstructive sleep apnea and 11 healthy controls were investigated by using a 3T MR imaging/MR spectroscopy scanner. RESULTS: Significantly reduced metabolite differences were observed between patients with obstructive sleep apnea and healthy controls in multiple brain regions: NAA/Cr in the left hippocampus; total Cho/Cr and Glx/Cr in the right hippocampus; total NAA/Cr, taurine/Cr, scyllo-Inositol/Cr, phosphocholine/Cr, and total Cho/Cr in the occipital gray matter; total NAA/Cr and NAA/Cr in the medial frontal white matter; and taurine/Cr and total Cho/Cr in the left frontal white matter regions. CONCLUSIONS: The 4D echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging technique using the nonuniform undersampling-based acquisition and compressed sensing reconstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and healthy brain is feasible in a clinically suitable time. In addition to brain metabolite changes previously reported by 1D MR spectroscopy, our results show changes of additional metabolites in patients with obstructive sleep apnea compared with healthy controls.

Background and purposeEcho-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging is a fast spectroscopic technique to record the biochemical information in multiple regions of the brain, but for clinical applications, time is still a constraint. Investigations of neural injury in obstructive sleep apnea have revealed structural changes in the brain, but determining the neurochemical changes requires more detailed measurements across multiple brain regions, demonstrating a need for faster echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging. Hence, we have extended the compressed sensing reconstruction of prospectively undersampled 4D echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging to investigate metabolic changes in multiple brain locations of patients with obstructive sleep apnea and healthy controls.Materials and methodsNonuniform undersampling was imposed along 1 spatial and 1 spectral dimension of 4D echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging, and test-retest reliability of the compressed sensing reconstruction of the nonuniform undersampling data was tested by using a brain phantom. In addition, 9 patients with obstructive sleep apnea and 11 healthy controls were investigated by using a 3T MR imaging/MR spectroscopy scanner.ResultsSignificantly reduced metabolite differences were observed between patients with obstructive sleep apnea and healthy controls in multiple brain regions: NAA/Cr in the left hippocampus; total Cho/Cr and Glx/Cr in the right hippocampus; total NAA/Cr, taurine/Cr, scyllo-Inositol/Cr, phosphocholine/Cr, and total Cho/Cr in the occipital gray matter; total NAA/Cr and NAA/Cr in the medial frontal white matter; and taurine/Cr and total Cho/Cr in the left frontal white matter regions.ConclusionsThe 4D echo-planar J-resolved spectroscopic imaging technique using the nonuniform undersampling-based acquisition and compressed sensing reconstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and healthy brain is feasible in a clinically suitable time. In addition to brain metabolite changes previously reported by 1D MR spectroscopy, our results show changes of additional metabolites in patients with obstructive sleep apnea compared with healthy controls.

M Joyce Nirmala,1 Latha Durai,2 Vineet Gopakumar,1 R Nagarajan11Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, Tamil Nadu, India; 2Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, Tamil Nadu, IndiaBackground and purpose: The essential oil derived from clove buds (Syzygium aromaticum) has been used as a chemopreventive agent in Ayurvedic medicine. The antiviral, antibacterial, and anticancer properties of its chemo-skeleton have motivated this study to explore its efficacy in pharmaceutics.Methods: Nanoscale-based emulsions were prepared by employing a spontaneous emulsification technique through self-assembly using varying concentrations of Tween 20 and Tween 80 surfactants. Their physicochemical properties and stability were studied in order to choose an optimum formulation which was clear and stable. The cytotoxicity of the stable oil-based emulsion system was evaluated using MTT assay, colony formation assay, and Annexin V-FITC assay against the thyroid cancer cell line (HTh-7).Results: All three methods verified apoptosis and reduction in cancer cell proliferation, making the formulation a promising candidate as an alternative cancer drug. The oil-based emulsion system was also tested for its antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus. Membrane permeability studies proved its efficacy to permeate through cell membrane, thereby increasing the leakage of cytoplasmic contents.Conclusion: Many current treatments for cancers are aggressive yet ineffective. This study positions the clove bud-based nanoscale emulsion as a suitable candidate for further in vivo studies and trials as a cancer drug.Keywords: clove bud oil, nanoscale emulsion system, thyroid cancer, apoptosis, antibacterial activity

Study designA single-center magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopic study involving 21 patients with advanced cervical spondylosis and 11 healthy controls.ObjectiveWe assessed the utility of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to quantify biochemical changes within the spinal cord and serve as a potential biomarker in patients with cervical spondylosis with or without T2 hyperintensity within the cord.SettingLos Angeles, California, USA.MethodsTwenty-one patients with cervical spondylosis and eleven healthy controls were evaluated. Single-voxel MRS was performed in the cervical cord. Morphometry of the spinal canal space was measured. N-Acetyl aspartylglutamic acid (NAA), choline (Cho), myo-inositol (Myo-I), glutamine-glutamate complex (Glx) and lactate metabolite concentration ratios with respect to total creatine (Cr) were quantified using an LC model algorithm and compared between healthy controls and spondylosis patients. Correlation of MRS metabolites with modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) score was also performed.ResultsThe spinal canal space was significantly different between patients and controls (analysis of variance (ANOVA), P

In the modern landscape, exploiting multiple cloud services stands out as a potent strategy for enhancing both data privacy and accessibility. Our research delves into the cost-effective shift towards multicloud storage computing, with a key emphasis on seamlessly integrating on-demand resource provisioning and robust access control policies. By fragmenting datasets across diverse cloud platforms, we bolster privacy while adeptly managing complexities through cutting-edge Multi-Cloud technologies. Our approach dynamically allocates resources and enforces stringent access controls, thus optimizing security and resource utilization. This framework adeptly tackles the challenges associated with managing diverse cloud environments, offering organizations a comprehensive solution for secure and efficient data management in the multi-cloud era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]