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Summary Objective The vascularization of subchondral bone plays a significant role in the progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Treatment with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has positive effects on cartilage lesions. However, PRP's efficacy for subchondral bone marrow lesions and the relationship of these lesions to cartilage are still undiscovered. Therefore, our aims were first to longitudinally investigate the change in subchondral flow by dynamic contrast enhanced MRI and degeneration of cartilage by MRI T2∗ in an anterior cruciate transection rodent (ACLT) model, and second to examine changes in parameters after intra-articular PRP injection. Design A 32-week investigation in 18 rats allocated to sham-control, ACLT with normal saline injection (ACLT + NS), and ACLT with PRP injection groups ended with histological evaluation. Another rat was used as a donor of allogenic PRP. Results Compared to the sham-control group, the ACLT + NS group had higher subchondral blood volume A (0.051, 95% confidence interval: 0.009, 0.092) and lower venous washout kel (−0.030: −0.055, −0.005) from week 4; lower permeability kep from week 18 (−0.954: −1.339, −0.569); higher cartilage T2∗ values (1.803: 1.504, 2.102) reflecting collagen loss beginning at week 10. For the PRP treatment group, subchondral bone marrow A and cartilage T2∗ decreased from week 10. Histological results confirmed and were correlated with the MRI findings. Conclusion Subchondral hyper-perfusion plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of OA and was associated with cartilage degeneration. The efficacy of PRP can be observed from reduced perfusion and MRI T2∗ values.

Objectives Renal replacement therapy-requiring acute kidney injury frequently occurs in ICUs, which require evidence-based medical attention. However, in the postacute kidney injury patient population, the evidence regarding effective therapies to improve patient outcomes is lacking. Therefore, we aimed to examine whether the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockade is effective in improving renal outcomes in postacute kidney injury patients who experienced temporary renal replacement therapy and have hypertension. Design A retrospective cohort study. Setting A nationwide database in Taiwan. Patients From January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2013, we identified 8,558 acute kidney injury patients with hypertension in the national registry database. All these patients experienced an acute kidney injury episode, which required temporary renal replacement therapy for at least once. Interventions Users (n = 3,885) and nonusers (n = 4,673) of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers. Measurements and main results We used Cox proportional hazards regression models to analyze hazard ratios for the commencement of end-stage renal disease and all-cause mortality for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin II receptor blocker users (n = 3,885) and nonusers (n = 4,673). In a median follow-up of 4.3 years, 5,880 patients (68.7%) required long-term dialysis, and 4,841 patients (56.6%) died. Compared with postacute kidney injury patients who did not use angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin II receptor blocker, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin II receptor blocker users are marginally less likely to progress to end-stage renal disease (adjusted hazard ratio 0.95; 95% CI 0.90-1.01; p = 0.06) and significantly less likely to suffer from all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 0.93; 95% CI 0.87-0.98; p = 0.011). Conclusions In patients who experienced renal replacement therapy-requiring acute kidney injury and have hypertension, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin II receptor blocker use is associated with better survival outcomes compared with nonuser.

The hospitalization rate is higher in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) than in the general population. However, the national estimates in Taiwan remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated the hospitalization rates of ESKD patients in a disease-specific manner from 2010 to 2018 in Taiwan.This population-based study was conducted using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database. We analyzed the hospitalization rates of patients with ESKD, defined as continuous dialysis for at least three successive months. The first diagnosis at discharge for each hospitalization was defined as the main diagnosis of hospitalization. The hospitalization rate in a certain year was calculated as the number of hospitalizations divided by the number of patients undergoing chronic dialysis in the respective year.Hospitalization occurred in half of all prevalent ESKD patients, with an increasing trend over time. The hospitalization rate increased from 964.1 per 1000 person-years in 2010 to 1037.9 per 1000 person-years in 2018. ESKD patients who were male, aged over 75 years, and receiving hemodialysis had higher hospitalization rates. Infection-related hospitalization was the main cause of hospitalization, followed by cardiovascular disease. The 30-day re-admission rate was 19%, and the in-hospital mortality rate was 9%.Hospitalization rates continued to increase from 2010 to 2018. The high hospitalization rates for infection-related diseases and hemodialysis patients call for further strategies to be developed that reduce the hospitalization burden.

The burden of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) continues to grow globally. Information on medication prescribed to advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients can help formulate further CKD prevention policies. This study aimed to review and assess several major medications routinely prescribed to pre-ESKD patients.Medication information of advanced CKD patients one year before regular dialysis was collected from the National Health Insurance Research Database from 2000 to 2018 in Taiwan. Usages of major medication were comprehensively analyzed.During 2000-2018, trends in medication usage evolved gradually in the pre-ESKD population in Taiwan. The use of erythropoietin had increased (48.3% in 2000 to 71.0% in 2018) with decreased blood transfusion rate (70.9% in 2003 to 52.1% in 2018). The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs had also dropped (43.5% in 2004 to 25.5% in 2018). These changes were more evident for patients enrolled in the pre-ESKD prevention program. The most frequently used blood pressure-lowering and glucose-lowering agents were calcium channel blockers (90.6%) and insulin (78.1%), but usage of metformin was unexpectedly high (38.4% in 2018). The most frequently used blood thinner was aspirin (49.5%), with considerably increased use of direct oral anticoagulant (16.5% in 2018).An overview of the trends of major medication usage and blood transfusion represented the continuously improving care quality in pre-ESKD patients in Taiwan. These trends were especially evident in patients enrolled in the pre-ESKD prevention program. This report also indirectly indicated the potential and long-term benefits of implementing CKD and pre-ESKD prevention programs.

Renal transplantation (RTX) is the treatment of choice for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Taiwan has the highest incidence and prevalence of ESKD in this world. This is the first study to illustrate the national registry database of RTX.All patients who received RTX in Taiwan between 2010 and 2018 were enrolled in this study. Demographic data and comorbidities were obtained from the National Health Insurance Research Database and Transplantation Society of Taiwan. Graft and patient survival rates were also analyzed.Men were more likely to receive RTX. During the observation periods,30% of the recipients were relatively young (20-44 years). The percentage of preemptive RTX (p = 0.014) and living RTX (p = 0.022) increased annually with statistical significance (linear regression model). Recently, recipients had more cardiovascular disease (p = 0.014), diabetes mellitus (p = 0.097), and hypertension (p = 0.021). The mean duration of graft survival increased yearly (p = 0.001). The proportion of patients surviving till age of ≧65 years increased significantly with time (2.2% in 2010, 33.1% in 2018) (p 0.0001). Younger recipients (44 years) had significantly better survival than the elderly (≧65 years). Patients with diabetes were more likely to have worse graft and patient survival rates. Recipients enrolled in pre-ESRD care program had better graft and patient survival rates than those not enrolled in these care program.The proportion of preemptive and livingdonor RTX increased but was still low. Despite increased number of commodities in recipients, graft and patient survival have increased recently. Enrolling patients with CKD in pre-ESRD care program was associated with better graft and patient survival.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and tuberculosis (TB) infections affect patient morbidity and mortality and challenge infection control procedures within dialysis facilities. Thus, updated information on the yearly infection trends in the dialysis population is pivotal to preventing and improving the management of these infectious diseases.This study used reimbursement data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Long-term hemodialysis (HD) patients were defined as those receiving regular HD for more than 3 months. Treated HBV, HCV, and TB cases were defined according to the diagnosis codes, together with specified prescriptions. Liver malignancy and liver-related mortality were determined by the disease diagnosis.The long-term HD population in Taiwan grew from 57,539 in 2010 to 74,203 in 2018. The mean number of treated HBV, HCV, and TB cases in the HD population was 254 (3.9 per thousand HD patients), 136 (2.0 per thousand), and 165 (2.6 per thousand), respectively. An increasing trend of treated viral hepatitis and a mildly decreasing trend in treated TB were observed. Liver outcome showed an increasing trend in liver malignancy prevalence and a stationary trend of liver-related mortality. Treated HBV and TB, liver malignancy, and liver-associated mortality were higher in men than women (all p 0.001). The burden of liver complications was higher in southern Taiwan.The increasing yearly trend of treated HBV and HCV and a stable trend of treated TB provide evidence for further infection control management and risk population identification of the HD population.

We developed a new probe, Gd-DO3A-Am-PBA, for imaging tumors. Our results showed active targeting of Gd-DO3A-Am-PBA to sialic acid (SA) moieties, with increased cellular labeling in vitro and enhanced tumor accumulation and retention in vivo, compared to the commercial Gadovist. The effectiveness of our newly synthesized probe lies in its adequate retention phase, which is expected to provide a suitable time window for tumor diagnosis and a faster renal clearance, which will reduce toxicity risks when translated to clinics. Hence, this study can be extended to other tumor types that express SA on their surface. Targeting and MR imaging of any type of tumors can also be achieved by conjugating the newly synthesized contrast agent with specific antibodies. This study thus opens new avenues for drug delivery and tumor diagnosis via imaging.

For a long time, local craft traditions were passed on through apprenticeships. Consequently, new generations of designers and industries cannot easily intervene or produce new designs. This inability to integrate craft traditions in a modern context and changing cultural environment has resulted in the stagnation, decline, or even elimination of such crafts. This study focused on the use of banana fibres in the craft traditions of the Kavalan people of Taiwan, and research-through-design concepts were applied to the creative study of materials that are essential to ecological sustainability and cultural heritage. The method, Material Driven Design (MDD), was implemented through participation to experience traditional processes and explore the visible properties of craft materials. The goal was to gain a holistic understanding of materials and leverage the participants’ expertise in determining which steps in the methods could be improved. This process was supplemented with grounded theory, which was used to analyse and summarise the data in order to understand the factors influencing the creations of participants. Lastly, in addition to producing semifinished and finished products in our experiment, we believe that our findings regarding the examined materials and material tinkering to develop a material-tinkering loop based on the MDD can be (i) combined with the unique insights and technical expertise of designers and (ii) used alongside contemporary technical and digital aids to effectively support the continued development of innovative craft designs.

The purpose of present study was to longitudinally investigate the alterations in infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP) vascularity in 5/6 nephrectomized rats by using dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI and IPFP degeneration by using MRI T2* relaxation time. Twelve male Sprague–Dawley rats were assigned to a control group and a 5/6 nephrectomy CKD group. The right knees of all rats were longitudinally scanned by 4.7 T MRI, and serial changes in the IPFP were assessed at 0, 8, 16, 30, and 44 weeks by DCE-MRI (parameters A, kel and kep) and MRI T2* mapping. After MRI measurements, knee specimens were obtained and evaluated histologically. The CKD group had IPFPs with lower blood volume A and lower permeability kep values from 16 weeks (p kel value from 30 weeks (p * values reflecting adipocyte degeneration beginning at 16 weeks (p

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is extensively used in clinical and basic biomedical research. However, MRI detection of pH changes still poses a technical challenge. Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging is a possible solution to this problem. Using saturation transfer, alterations in the exchange rates between the solute and water protons because of small pH changes can be detected with greater sensitivity. In this study, we examined a fatigued skeletal muscle model in electrically stimulated mice. The measured CEST signal ratio was between 1.96 ppm and 2.6 ppm in the z-spectrum, and this was associated with pH values based on the ratio between the creatine (Cr) and the phosphocreatine (PCr). The CEST results demonstrated a significant contrast change at the electrical stimulation site. Moreover, the pH value was observed to decrease from 7.23 to 7.15 within 20 h after electrical stimulation. This pH decrease was verified by 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy and behavioral tests, which showed a consistent variation over time.

// Ko-Lin Kuo 1, 2 , Szu-Chun Hung 1, 2 , Wei-Cheng Tseng 3, 4 , Jia-Sin Liu 5 , Ming-Huang Lin 6 , Chih-Cheng Hsu 4, 6, 7 and Der-Cherng Tarng 3, 4, 8 1 Division of Nephrology, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan 2 School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan 3 Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan 4 Institute of Clinical Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan 5 Department of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 6 Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Taiwan 7 Department of Health Services Administration, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan 8 Department and Institute of Physiology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan Correspondence to: Chih-Cheng Hsu, email: cch@nhri.org.tw Der-Cherng Tarng, email: dctarng@vghtpe.gov.tw Keywords: chronic kidney disease, dialysis, erythropoiesis-stimulating agent, dipyridamole, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockade Received: May 07, 2017 Accepted: July 25, 2017 Published: August 03, 2017 ABSTRACT Introduction: Dipyridamole decreases proteinuria and improves renal function progression in patients with glomerular disease through its inhibition of platelet activation and enhanced nitric oxide expression. Few studies have evaluated the effects of dipyridamole on renal outcome or survival in CKD stage 5 patients who have not yet received dialysis (CKD 5 ND). Materials and Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted based on the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. From January 1, 2000 to June 30, 2009, we enrolled 28,497 patients who had a serum creatinine > 6 mg/dL and a hematocrit < 28% and who were treated with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). All patients were further divided into two groups with or without dipyridamole use within 90 days after starting ESA therapy. Patient followed-up took place until dialysis, death before initiation of dialysis or December 31, 2009. The primary outcomes were long-term dialysis and death before initiating dialysis. Results: The dipyridamole users and nonusers groups included 7,746 and 20,751 patients, respectively. We found that 20,152 patients (70.7%) required long-term dialysis and 5,697 patients (20.0%) died before a progression to end-stage renal disease required dialysis. After propensity score-matching, dipyridamole users were associated with lower risks for long-term dialysis (adjusted HR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93–0.99) and death (adjusted HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.85–0.97) compared with nonusers. Conclusions: Dipyridamole exhibited a protective effect in reducing the risk for long-term dialysis and death among CKD 5 ND patients. Randomized studies are needed to validate this association.

Summary Objective Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by metabolic disturbances in calcium and phosphorus homeostasis as kidney function declines. Alterations in blood perfusion in bone resulting from arteriosclerosis of bone vessels may relate to the progression of CKD. Herein, change in dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI parameters ( A : amplitude , k el : elimination constant , and k ep : permeability rate constant ) and MRI T2 ∗ relaxation time of the knee cartilage were measured in a rodent nephrectomy model in order to (1) examine the relationship of peripheral blood perfusion to CKD and (2) demonstrate the feasibility of using DCE-MRI parameters and MRI T2 ∗ as imaging biomarkers to monitor disease progression. Design Two groups of male Sprague–Dawley rats received either (1) no intervention or (2) 5/6 nephrectomy. Results We found that the CKD group (compared with the control group) had lower A and k el values and similar k ep value in the lateral and medial articular cartilages beginning at 12 weeks ( P ∗ values in the lateral and medial articular cartilages beginning at 18 weeks ( P P Conclusion Perfusion deficiency and CKD may be related. DCE parameters and MRI T2 ∗ could serve as imaging biomarkers of cartilage degeneration in CKD progression.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Most targeted drugs approved for lung cancer treatment are tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) directed against EGFR or ALK, and are used mainly for adenocarcinoma. At present, there is no effective or tailored targeting agent for large cell carcinoma (LCC) or small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Therefore, we aimed to identify targeting peptides with diagnostic and therapeutic utility that possess broad subtype specificity for SCLC and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We performed phage display biopanning of H460 LCC cells to select broad-spectrum lung cancer-binding peptides, since LCC has recently been categorized as an undifferentiated tumor type within other histological subcategories of lung cancer. Three targeting phages (HPC1, HPC2, and HPC4) and their respective displayed peptides (HSP1, HSP2, and HSP4) were able to bind to both SCLC and NSCLC cell lines, as well as clinical specimens, but not to normal pneumonic tissues. In vivo optical imaging of phage homing and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of peptide-SPIONs revealed that HSP1 was the most favorable probe for multimodal molecular imaging. Using HSP1-SPION, the T2-weighted MR signal of H460 xenografts was decreased up to 42%. In contrast to the tight binding of HSP1 to cancer cell surfaces, HSP4 was preferentially endocytosed and intracellular drug delivery was thereby effected, significantly improving the therapeutic index of liposomal drug in vivo. Liposomal doxorubicin (LD) conjugated to HSP1, HSP2, or HSP4 had significantly greater therapeutic efficacy than non-targeting liposomal drugs in NSCLC (H460 and H1993) animal models. Combined therapy with an HSP4-conjugated stable formulation of liposomal vinorelbine (sLV) further improved median overall survival (131 vs. 84 days; P = 0.0248), even in aggressive A549 orthotopic models. Overall, these peptides have the potential to guide a wide variety of tailored theranostic agents for targeting therapeutics, non-invasive imaging, or clinical detection of SCLC and NSCLC.

Background The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor is an immunosuppressive drug used in kidney transplantation. Whether the mTOR inhibitor is associated with reduced risk of cancer development and mortality after kidney transplantation is controversial. Methods We conducted a nationwide population-based study. Patients who did not have malignancy history and received kidney transplantation between 2010 and 2013 were enrolled. Recipients who had mTOR inhibitors (n = 430) for more than 30 days comprised the study group; 1720 recipients who did not have mTOR inhibitors comprised the control group. The primary outcome is the development of cancer after kidney transplantation. These patients were followed until the first-time admission with diagnosis of cancer, death, or the end of 2014. A Cox proportional-hazard model was used to determine the risk of cancer development and all-cause mortality. Results During the 35-month median duration of observation, there were 16 and 61 patients with cancer development in the study group and the control group, respectively. The cancer incidence was 12.8 and 12.4 per 1000 person-years. There were 10 and 135 mortality cases, with the incidence rate of 7.8 and 26.9 per 1000 person-years. After multivariable adjustment, the mTOR inhibitors users were not associated with reduced risk of new cancer development as compared with control (hazard ratio [HR], 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.46–1.60; P = .63), nor risk of all-cause mortality (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.33–1.46; P = .34). Conclusions The use of mTOR inhibitors was not associated with a reduction in the risk of cancer development and all-cause mortality in kidney transplantation recipients.

Background Previous studies show that mTOR inhibitors decrease the risk of cancer development after kidney transplantation. However, the effect of cumulative doses of mTOR inhibitors on cancer after kidney transplantation is not well known. Methods In the current study, patients were registered into a national database in Taiwan. Between year 2000 and 2013, 4,563 patients received kidney transplantation. They were divided into two groups, according to mTOR inhibitors usage. The cumulative dose of mTOR inhibitors was recorded. Patients were followed-up until de novo cancer development, death, or the end of 2014. Results Patients were divided into two groups: mTOR inhibitors users (study group, n = 828) and mTOR inhibitors non-users (control group, n = 3,735). The median follow-up duration was 7.8 years. The risk of de novo cancer (hazards ratio (HR) 0.80, 95% CI [0.60–1.09], p = 0.16) and risk of death (HR 1.14, 95% CI [0.82–1.60], p = 0.43) was not different between mTOR inhibitor user and non-user groups. Neither high- nor low-dose exposure to mTOR inhibitors was associated with increased risk of cancer or mortality. Analysis of cancer subtypes showed no influence by mTOR inhibitors. In addition, the cause of mortality was not significantly different between the two groups. Discussion We could not find the association of mTOR inhibitors use and risk of de novo cancer development or mortality in patients with kidney transplantation in Chinese patients. Cumulative exposure to mTOR inhibitors did not change the results.

The Hoffa fat pad (infrapatellar fat pad) is a source of post-traumatic anterior knee pain, and Hoffa disease is a syndrome leading to chronic inflammation of the fat pad. Herein, change in T2* relaxation time of the fat pad was measured in a rodent anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLX) model in order to (i) examine the causal relationship of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficiency and Hoffa disease and (ii) demonstrate the feasibility of using T2* as an imaging biomarker to monitor disease progression. Three groups of male Sprague Dawley rats (n = 6 each group), received either (i) no intervention; (ii) sham surgery at the right knee; or (iii) right ACLX. T2* relaxation time was measured and histology was examined in the Hoffa fat pad after surgery. At 13 and 18 weeks after surgery, T2* values were significantly higher in the right fat pad than the left (p

The pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is multifactorial. In the progression of CKD arthropathy, arteriosclerosis may alter the knee subchondral bone marrow by altering blood flow through the bone vasculature. Herein, multi-parametric MRI assessment, including dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), MRI T2*, contrast enhanced MR angiography (CE-MRA), and micro-CT were applied in a rodent nephrectomy model to: 1) investigate the blood perfusion of subchondral bone marrow and its relationship to fat water content and trabeculation pattern in CKD and 2) demonstrate the feasibility of using multi-parametric MRI parameters as imaging biomarkers to evaluate the disease’s progression. Two groups of rats in our study underwent either 1) no intervention or 2) 5/6 nephrectomy. We found that in the CKD group, perfusion amplitude A and elimination constant k el values were significantly decreased, and vascular permeability k ep was significantly increased. MRS showed that fat fraction (FF) was significantly lower, water fraction (WF) was significantly higher in the CKD group. Micro-CT showed a significant loss of trabecular bone. Knee subchondral bone marrow perfusion deficiency in experimental CKD may be associated with decreased fat content, increased water content, and sparse trabeculation.

Cerebral microvascular aberrations have recently become recognized as a source of pathologies in neurodegenerative disorders, but this concept has not been fully examined with respect to Huntington's disease (HD). A novel in vivo technique, three-dimensional microscopic magnetic resonance angiography (μMRA), allows visualization of the neurovascular system in exquisite detail and provides quantitative structural and functional information. This technique was applied in the present study, in parallel with immunohistological analysis and behavioral assessment, to a well-characterized mouse model of HD (R6/2). Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The μMRA findings revealed an increase in vessel volume fraction and cerebral blood volume in the brains of R6/2 mice at the age of 7weeks when no apparent motor dysfunction was detected. Collagen IV immunostaining disclosed an enhancement in vessel density, but not in vessel size of the microvasculature in the mouse HD brain. This change in neurovasculature worsened with disease progression, with no apparent disruption in the BBB. Most importantly, immunohistological assays of human tissues revealed that the vessel densities in the cortex, caudate/putamen, and substantia nigra were higher in HD patients than in non-HD human subjects. The early onset of such vessel aberrations could be used as a biomarker for the early diagnosis of HD.

Understanding of structural and functional characteristics of the vascular microenvironment in gliomas and the impact of antiangiogenic treatments is essential for developing better therapeutic strategies. Although a number of methods exist in which this process can be studied experimentally, no single noninvasive test has the capacity to provide information concerning both microvascular function and morphology. The purpose of present study is to demonstrate the feasibility of using a novel three-dimensional ΔR2-based microscopic magnetic resonance angiography (3D ΔR2-μMRA) technique for longitudinal imaging of tumor angiogenesis and monitoring the effects of antiangiogenic treatment in rodent brain tumor models. Using 3D ΔR2-μMRA, a generally consistent early pattern of vascular development in gliomas was revealed, in which a single feeding vessel was visualized first (arteriogenesis), followed by sprouting angiogenesis. Considerable variability of the tumor-associated vasculature was then noted at later stages of tumor evolution. ΔR2-μMRA revealed that anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment induced a rapid and significant alteration of the intratumoral angiogenic phenotype. In summary, 3D ΔR2-μMRA enables high-resolution visualization of tumor-associated vessels while simultaneously providing functional information on the tumor microvasculature. It can serve as a useful tool for monitoring both the temporal evolution of tumor angiogenesis and the impact of antiangiogenic therapies.

In this work, we report a monodisperse bifunctional nanoparticle system, MIO@SiO2-RITC, as an MRI contrast agent [core, manganese iron oxide (MIO); shell, amorphous silica conjugated with rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RITC)]. It was prepared by thermal decomposition and modified microemulsion methods. The nanoparticles with varying iron to manganese ratios displayed different saturated magnetizations and relaxivities. In vivo MRI of rats injected intravenously with MIO@SiO2-RITC nanoparticles exhibited enhancement of the T1 contrast in brain tissue, in particular a time-delayed enhancement in the hippocampus, pituitary gland, striatum and cerebellum. This is attributable to the gradual degradation of MIO@SiO2-RITC nanoparticles in the liver, resulting in the slow release of manganese(II) [Mn(II)] into the blood pool and, subsequently, accumulation in the brain tissue. Thus, T1-weighted contrast enhancement was clearly detected in the anatomic structure of the brain as time progressed. In addition, T2*-weighted images of the liver showed a gradual darkening effect. Here, we demonstrate the concept of the slow release of Mn(II) for neuroimaging. This new nanoparticle-based manganese contrast agent allows one simple intravenous injection (rather than multiple infusions) of Mn(II) precursor, and results in delineation of the detailed anatomic neuroarchitecture in MRI; hence, this provides the advantage of the long-term study of neural function. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

article i nfo This study investigates how semantic networks represent different artistic furniture. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants made style-match judgments for table and chair sets. All of the ta- bles were in the Normal style, whereas the chairs were in the Normal, Minimal, ReadyMade, or Deconstruc- tion styles. The Normal and Minimal chairs had the same rates of "match" responses, which were both higher than the rates for the ReadyMade and Deconstruction chairs. Compared with Normal chairs, the ERPs elicited by both ReadyMade chairs and Deconstruction chairs exhibited reliable N400 effects, which suggests that these two design styles were unlike the Normal design style. However, Minimal chairs evoked ERPs that were similar to the ERPs of Normal chairs. Furthermore, the N400 effects elicited by ReadyMade and Decon- struction chairs showed different scalp distributions. These findings reveal that semantic networks represent different design styles for items of the same category.

SummaryObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to investigate whether the effect of treatment with hyaluronic acid (HA) on cartilage in osteoarthritis (OA) can be determined by measuring the magnetic resonance (MR) T2 value of cartilage in an anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLX) animal model.MethodEighteen male Sprague Dawley rats were separated randomly into three groups (n=6 for each group). Group 1 was given ACLX and intra-articular (IA) normal saline (NS) injection (ACLX+NS), group 2 was given ACLX and IA HA injection (ACLX+HA), and group 3 was the sham control. The ACLX+NS and ACLX+HA groups received ACLX on the right knee at 8 weeks of age and were then treated with IA NS or HA injection once a week, respectively, for 4 weeks starting at 13 weeks of age. In the sham-control group, the right knee joint was opened surgically but ACLX was not performed at 8 weeks of age. MR T2 measurements were obtained on all rats at 8, 12, and 21 weeks of age, and histological Mankin scoring was performed at 21 weeks of age.ResultsFive weeks after the 4-week treatment, the MR T2 value of the ACLX right knee cartilage was significantly lower in ACLX+HA (29.58±1.12ms) than in ACLX+NS (32.04±1.39ms) (P

Summary Objective: Both animal and human studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) show that cartilage degeneration increases the T2 value. However, it is unclear whether the T2 value correlates linearly with water content in cartilage with osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the T2 value and water content using an animal model of cartilage injury measured at 4.7 T. Design: Thirty Sprague Dawley rats were randomly separated into three groups (n ¼ 10 for each group). Group 1 rats were not operated on (control). Group 2 rats received a sham operation, and group 3 rats received an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) transection. Six rats of each group were randomly assigned to T2 measurement and later subjected to ex vivo analysis of the relative water content of the knee cartilage. The other four rats in each group were killed, and the severity of cartilage degeneration was examined histologically. The knees of the six rats in the ACL transection group were imaged sequentially 4 and 13 weeks after ACL transection, and the relative water content was measured at 13 weeks. Results: The cartilage T2 value was significantly higher 4 and 13 weeks after ACL transection in the operated knees than in the knees of the control and sham groups. The cartilage T2 value was significantly higher at 13 weeks than at 4 weeks in the operated knees. The T2 value was strongly positively correlated with the relative water content (R ¼ 0.885, P < 0.0001). Conclusion: The trend of changes in the T2 values is consistent with an increase in the relative water content in our cartilage degeneration model. This model has potential use for the clinical evaluation of osteoarthritis.

This study proposed a novel methodology for depicting cerebral small vessels including veins, arterioles, and venules, called 3DDeltaR(2)-mMRA (three-dimensional, steady-state DeltaR(2)-based, and flow-independent microscopic magnetic resonance angiography). The DeltaR(2) map calculated by a fast spin-echo imaging technique before and after the injection of an iron-oxide contrast agent was used to delineate the relative cerebral blood volume, primarily to microvasculature. The proposed 3DDeltaR(2)-mMRA method, which employs 3D reconstruction techniques, can simultaneously provide high-resolution 3D information on the cerebral anatomy, in vivo microvascular architecture, and hemodynamic response, which can be used to evaluate pathological microvascular changes over time in cerebromicrovascular disease. Since spin-echo-based DeltaR(2) imaging was applied, the inflow effects, susceptibility artifacts, and the overestimation of vessel size in brain were reduced. A well-defined three-vessel occlusion model in the rat was performed to evaluate the capability of the proposed method in evaluating alterations to the microvasculature.

Postischemic cerebral blood flow and blood volume changes have been associated with angiogenesis; nevertheless, the spatiotemporal changes in vascular permeability, vascular density, and vessel size have not been investigated. Here we report a prolonged increase in vascular permeability from day 3 to day 21 after ischemia, in particular in the reperfused outer cortical layers and leptomeninges. Increased cerebral blood volume (CBV) was observed from day 3 to day 14, whereas increased blood volume in small vessels, primarily capillaries, was noticed from day 7 to day 14 in the reperfused cortex. An initial decrease in vascular density and a reciprocal increase in vessel size were observed within the reperfused cortex at days 1 and 3 after ischemia. Immunohistological analysis confirmed a similar decrease in microvessel density and an increase in vessel size in vessels with a diameter greater than 30 μm. These large-sized vessels exhibited intense basic fibroblast growth factor and endothelial nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity, suggesting the growth of collateral vessels. By contrast, a late increase in vascular density was noticed in the reperfused outer cortex at days 14 and 21 after ischemia. Together, these findings suggest that the early phase of CBV increase is likely because of the improvement in collateral circulation, whereas the late phase of CBV increase is attributed to the surge of angiogenesis.

International knowledge and skills are essential for success in today’s highly competitive global marketplace. As one of the key providers of such knowledge and skills, universities have become a key focus of the internationalization strategies of governments throughout the world. While the internationalization of higher education clearly has certain benefits for students, schools, the national economy, and the international community, each country gives a different degree of importance to each of these various benefits. The purpose of this study was threefold: 1) to determine which benefits of the internationalization of education are deemed most important in Taiwan and Japan; 2) to determine which measures are most effective for realizing these benefits; and 3) to determine the extent to which these measures have actually been carried out. A questionnaire was used to obtain the views of 100 professors, 50 in Taiwan and 50 in Japan, as to the current situation in their respective countries. The results indicate that there are significant differences between the two country’s reasons for promoting the internationalization of education, as well as in their respective internationalization strategies.