A study on tissue compensator thickness ratio and an application for 4MV X-rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Young Bum; Kwon, Young Ho; Jung, Hee Young; Kim, You Hyun

1996-01-01

A radiation beam incident on irregular or sloping surface produces an inhomogeneity of absorbed dose. The use of a tissue compensator can partially correct this dose inhomogeneity. The tissue compensator should be made based on experimentally measured thickness ratio. The thickness ratio depends on beam energy, distance from the tissue compensator to the surface of patient, field size, treatment depth, tissue deficit and other factors. In this study, the thickness ratio was measured for various field size of 5cm x 5cm, 10cm x 10cm, 15cm x 15cm, 20 x 20cm for 4MV X-ray beams. The distance to the compensator from the X-ray target was fixed, 49cm, and measurement depth was 3, 5, 7, 9 cm. For each measurement depth, the tissue deficit was changed from 0 to(measurement depth-1)cm by 1cm increment. As a result, thickness ratio was decreased according to field size and tissue deficit was increased. Use of a representative thickness ratio for tissue compensator, there was 10% difference of absorbed dose but use of a experimentally measured thickness ratio for tissue compensator, there was 2% difference of absorbed dose. Therefore, it can be concluded that the tissue compensator made by experimentally measured thickness ratio can produce good distribution with acceptable inhomogeneity and such tissue compensator can be effectively applied to clinical radiotherapy.

Stereological estimation of surface area and barrier thickness of fish gills in vertical sections.

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Da Costa, Oscar T F; Pedretti, Ana Carolina E; Schmitz, Anke; Perry, Steven F; Fernandes, Marisa N

2007-01-01

Previous morphometric methods for estimation of the volume of components, surface area and thickness of the diffusion barrier in fish gills have taken advantage of the highly ordered structure of these organs for sampling and surface area estimations, whereas the thickness of the diffusion barrier has been measured orthogonally on perpendicularly sectioned material at subjectively selected sites. Although intuitively logical, these procedures do not have a demonstrated mathematical basis, do not involve random sampling and measurement techniques, and are not applicable to the gills of all fish. The present stereological methods apply the principles of surface area estimation in vertical uniform random sections to the gills of the Brazilian teleost Arapaima gigas. The tissue was taken from the entire gill apparatus of the right-hand or left-hand side (selected at random) of the fish by systematic random sampling and embedded in glycol methacrylate for light microscopy. Arches from the other side were embedded in Epoxy resin. Reference volume was estimated by the Cavalieri method in the same vertical sections that were used for surface density and volume density measurements. The harmonic mean barrier thickness of the water-blood diffusion barrier was calculated from measurements taken along randomly selected orientation lines that were sine-weighted relative to the vertical axis. The values thus obtained for the anatomical diffusion factor (surface area divided by barrier thickness) compare favourably with those obtained for other sluggish fish using existing methods.

Optimal reconstructed section thickness for the detection of liver lesions with multidetector CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soo, G.; Lau, K.K.; Yik, T.; Kutschera, P.

2010-01-01

Aim: To evaluate the impact of different reconstructed section thicknesses on liver lesion detection using multidetector computed tomography (CT). Methods: Fifty-three patients were examined using a 16-section CT machine with axial reconstructions provided at 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 mm section thicknesses. Images of different reconstructed section thicknesses from different patients were presented in random order to three independent, blinded radiologists for review at multiple sessions. All images were then reviewed by three radiologists in a common session. Consensus was reached following review of the previous interpretation results and results of follow-up imaging regarding the number of true liver lesions (n = 101) for comparison. Results: Mean detection rates were as follows: 93/101 lesions detected with the 2.5 mm section thickness, 98/101 lesions detected at the 5 mm section thickness, 78/101 lesions detected at the 7.5 mm section thickness, and 54/101 lesions detected at the 10 mm section thickness. Lesions missed at the 2.5 mm section thickness were due to masking by image noise. There was particular difficulty detecting subcapsular lesions and lesions adjacent to fissures or the gall bladder at the 7.5 mm and 10 mm section thicknesses. Conclusion: The optimal reconstructed section thickness for lesion detection in the liver was 5 mm.

Evaporation process in histological tissue sections for neutron autoradiography.

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Espector, Natalia M; Portu, Agustina; Santa Cruz, Gustavo A; Saint Martin, Gisela

2018-05-01

The analysis of the distribution and density of nuclear tracks forming an autoradiography in a nuclear track detector (NTD) allows the determination of 10 B atoms concentration and location in tissue samples from Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) protocols. This knowledge is of great importance for BNCT dosimetry and treatment planning. Tissue sections studied with this technique are obtained by cryosectioning frozen tissue specimens. After the slicing procedure, the tissue section is put on the NTD and the sample starts drying. The thickness varies from its original value allowing more particles to reach the detector and, as the mass of the sample decreases, the boron concentration in the sample increases. So in order to determine the concentration present in the hydrated tissue, the application of corrective coefficients is required. Evaporation mechanisms as well as various factors that could affect the process of mass variation are outlined in this work. Mass evolution for tissue samples coming from BDIX rats was registered with a semimicro analytical scale and measurements were analyzed with software developed to that end. Ambient conditions were simultaneously recorded, obtaining reproducible evaporation curves. Mathematical models found in the literature were applied for the first time to this type of samples and the best fit of the experimental data was determined. The correlation coefficients and the variability of the parameters were evaluated, pointing to Page's model as the one that best represented the evaporation curves. These studies will contribute to a more precise assessment of boron concentration in tissue samples by the Neutron Autoradiography technique.

Analysis of feature stability for laser-based determination of tissue thickness

Science.gov (United States)

Ernst, Floris; Schweikard, Achim; Stüber, Patrick; Bruder, Ralf; Wagner, Benjamin; Wissel, Tobias

2015-03-01

Localisation of the cranium is necessary for accurate stereotactic radiotherapy of malign lesions in the brain. This is achieved by immobilizing the patient's head (typically by using thermoplastic masks, bite blocks or combinations thereof) and x-ray imaging to determine the actual position of the patient with respect to the treatment device. In previous work we have developed a novel method for marker-less and non-invasive tracking of the skull using a combination of laser-based surface triangulation and the analysis of backscattered feature patterns of a tightly collimated NIR laser beam scanned over the patient's forehead. An HDR camera is coupled into the beam path of the laser scanning system to acquire one image per projected laser point. We have demonstrated that this setup is capable of accurately determining the tissue thickness for each triangulation point and consequently allows detecting the surface of the cranial bone with sub-millimetre accuracy. Typical clinical settings (treatment times of 15-90 min) require feature stability over time, since the determination of tissue thickness is achieved by machine learning methods trained on initial feature scans. We have collected initial scans of the forehead as well as long-term backscatter data (20 images per seconds over 30 min) from five subjects and extracted the relevant tissue features from the image streams. Based on the knowledge of the relationship between the tissue feature values and the tissue thickness, the analysis of the long-term data showed that the noise level is low enough to allow robust discrimination of tissue thicknesses of 0.5 mm.

Measurement of facial soft tissues thickness using 3D computed tomographic images

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Ho Gul; Kim, Kee Deog; Shin, Dong Won; Hu, Kyung Seok; Lee, Jae Bum; Park, Hyok; Park, Chang Seo [Yonsei Univ. Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Han, Seung Ho [Catholic Univ. of Korea, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2006-03-15

To evaluate accuracy and reliability of program to measure facial soft tissue thickness using 3D computed tomographic images by comparing with direct measurement. One cadaver was scanned with a Helical CT with 3 mm slice thickness and 3 mm/sec table speed. The acquired data was reconstructed with 1.5 mm reconstruction interval and the images were transferred to a personal computer. The facial soft tissue thickness were measured using a program developed newly in 3D image. For direct measurement, the cadaver was cut with a bone cutter and then a ruler was placed above the cut side. The procedure was followed by taking pictures of the facial soft tissues with a high-resolution digital camera. Then the measurements were done in the photographic images and repeated for ten times. A repeated measure analysis of variance was adopted to compare and analyze the measurements resulting from the two different methods. Comparison according to the areas was analyzed by Mann-Whitney test. There were no statistically significant differences between the direct measurements and those using the 3D images(p>0.05). There were statistical differences in the measurements on 17 points but all the points except 2 points showed a mean difference of 0.5 mm or less. The developed software program to measure the facial soft tissue thickness using 3D images was so accurate that it allows to measure facial soft tissue thickness more easily in forensic science and anthropology.

Measurement of facial soft tissues thickness using 3D computed tomographic images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Ho Gul; Kim, Kee Deog; Shin, Dong Won; Hu, Kyung Seok; Lee, Jae Bum; Park, Hyok; Park, Chang Seo; Han, Seung Ho

2006-01-01

To evaluate accuracy and reliability of program to measure facial soft tissue thickness using 3D computed tomographic images by comparing with direct measurement. One cadaver was scanned with a Helical CT with 3 mm slice thickness and 3 mm/sec table speed. The acquired data was reconstructed with 1.5 mm reconstruction interval and the images were transferred to a personal computer. The facial soft tissue thickness were measured using a program developed newly in 3D image. For direct measurement, the cadaver was cut with a bone cutter and then a ruler was placed above the cut side. The procedure was followed by taking pictures of the facial soft tissues with a high-resolution digital camera. Then the measurements were done in the photographic images and repeated for ten times. A repeated measure analysis of variance was adopted to compare and analyze the measurements resulting from the two different methods. Comparison according to the areas was analyzed by Mann-Whitney test. There were no statistically significant differences between the direct measurements and those using the 3D images(p>0.05). There were statistical differences in the measurements on 17 points but all the points except 2 points showed a mean difference of 0.5 mm or less. The developed software program to measure the facial soft tissue thickness using 3D images was so accurate that it allows to measure facial soft tissue thickness more easily in forensic science and anthropology

The study on facial soft tissue thickness using Han population in Xinjiang.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jierui; Zhao, Xi; Mi, Congbo; Raza, Iqbal

2016-09-01

Facial profile is an important aspect in physical anthropology, forensic science, and cosmetic research. Thus, facial soft tissue measurement technology plays a significant role in facial restoration. A considerable amount of work has investigated facial soft tissue thickness, which significantly varies according to gender, age, and race. However, only few studies have considered the nutritional status of the investigated individuals. Moreover, no sufficient research among Chinese ethnic groups, particularly Xinjiang population in China, is currently available. Hence, the current study investigated the adaptability of facial soft tissue to the underlying hard tissue among young adults of Han population in Xinjiang, China; the analysis was performed on the basis of gender, skeletal class, and body mass index (BMI). Measurements were obtained from the lateral cephalometric radiographs of 256 adults aged 18-26 years old. Differences in soft tissue thickness were observed between genders and among skeletal classes. With regard to gender, significant differences in soft tissue thickness were found at rhinion, glabella, subnasale, stomion, labrale superius, pogonion, and gnathion among different BMI groups. Thus, nutritional status should be considered when reconstructing an individual's facial profile. Results showed that the thinnest and thickest craniofacial soft tissues existed in rhinion and lip regions, respectively. Overall, this research provides valuable data for forensic facial reconstruction and identification of young adults in Xinjiang, China. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of the Section Thickness Measurement in Tomosynthesis by Thin Metal Plate Edge Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Ikeno, Kaoru; Akita, Tsunemichi; Hanai, Kozo; Muramatsu, Yoshihisa

When performing tomosynthesis, the section thickness needs to be set depending on a radiographic part and its diagnostic purpose. However, the section thickness in tomosynthesis has not been clearly defined and its measurement method has not been established yet. In this study, we devised the alternative measurement method to diagnose the section thickness using an edge of thin metal plate, and compared with the simulation results, the wire and bead method reported in the previous papers. The tomographic image of the thin metal plate positioned on the table top inclining 30 degrees, which showed the edge spread function (ESF) of each tomographic height, was taken, and then the line spread function (LSF) was obtained by differentiating the ESF image. For the next, a profile curve was plotted by maximum values of LSF of each tomographic height, and a section thickness was calculated using the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the profile curve. The edge method derived the section thickness close to the simulation results than the other methods. Further, the section thickness depends on the thickness of the metal plate and not the material. The thickness of the metal plate suitable for the evaluation of section thickness is 0.3 mm that is equivalent to pixel size of the flat panel detector (FPD). We conducted quantitative verification to establish the measurement method of the section thickness. The edge method is a useful technique as well as the wire and bead method for grasping basic characteristics of an imaging system.

Section thickness-dependent tensile properties of squeeze cast magnesium alloy AM60

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuezhi Zhang

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The development of alternative casting processes is essential for the high demand of light weight magnesium components to be used in the automotive industry, which often contain different section thicknesses. Squeeze casting with its inherent advantages has been approved for the capability of minimizing the gas porosity in magnesium alloys. For advanced engineering design of light magnesium automotive applications, it is critical to understand the effect of section thickness on mechanical properties of squeeze cast magnesium alloys. In this study, magnesium alloy AM60 with different section thicknesses of 6, 10 and 20 mm squeeze cast under an applied pressure of 30 MPa was investigated. The prepared squeeze cast AM60 specimens were tensile tested at room termperature. The results indicate that the mechanical properties including yield strength (YS, ultimate tensile strength (UTS and elongation (A decrease with an increase in section thickness of squeeze cast AM60. The microstructure analysis shows that the improvement in the tensile behavior of squeeze cast AM60 is primarily attributed to the low-gas porosity level and fine grain strucuture which result from the variation of cooling rate of different section thickness. The numerical simulation (Magmasoft? was employed to determine the solidification rates of each step, and the simulated results show that the solidification rate of the alloy decreases with an increase in the section thickness. The computed solidification rates support the experimental observation on grain structural development.

Measurement of subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness by near-infrared

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Yu; Ying, Zeqiang; Hao, Dongmei; Zhang, Song; Yang, Yimin; Zeng, Yanjun

2013-01-01

Obesity is strongly associated with the risks of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and there is a need to measure the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) layer thickness and to understand the distribution of body fat. A device was designed to illuminate the body parts by near-infrared (NIR), measure the backscattered light, and predict the SAT layer thickness. The device was controlled by a single-chip microcontroller (SCM), and the thickness value was presented on a liquid crystal display (LCD). There were 30 subjects in this study, and the measurements were performed on 14 body parts for each subject. The paper investigated the impacts of pressure and skin colour on the measurement. Combining with principal component analysis (PCA) and support vector regression (SVR), the measurement accuracy of SAT layer thickness was 89.1 % with a mechanical caliper as reference. The measuring range was 5–11 mm. The study provides a non-invasive and low-cost technique to detect subcutaneous fat thickness, which is more accessible and affordable compared to other conventional techniques. The designed device can be used at home and in community.

Effect of annealing, thickness ratio and bend angle on springback of AA6061-T6 with non-uniform thickness section

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Adnan M.F.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Non-uniform thickness section section is considered one of the most effective approaches to reduce automotive part weight. Reduction in term of mass and size result in less fuel consumption and greenhouse gases. Thickness is the most significant parameter to formability, therefore forming a section with non-uniform thickness becomes a great challenge. Improper process and incorrect decision may lead to severe defect and one of the main concerns is the springback. This study will focus on springback behaviour of non-uniform thickness AA6061 strip with complex profile using Taguchi Method. Profile projector (PC 3000 is used to measure the spring back and two-line technique is applied to measure angles (after loading between two lines. Three parameters (i.e. annealing temperature, thickness ratio and bend angle are studied, and results determine that the most significant parameter is bend angle, followed by thickness ratio, and then by the annealing temperature of the specimen during bending process.

Electrochemical removal of metallic implants from Technovit 9100 New embedded hard and soft tissues prior to histological sectioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Willbold, Elmar; Reebmann, Mattias; Jeffries, Richard; Witte, Frank

2013-11-01

Solid metallic implants in soft or hard tissues are serious challenges for histological processing. However, metallic implants are more frequently used in e.g. cardiovascular or orthopaedic therapies. Before clinical use, these devices need to be tested thoroughly in a biological environment and histological analysis of their biocompatibility is a major requirement. To allow the histological analysis of metallic implants in tissues especially in calcified hard tissues, we describe a method for embedding these tissues in the resin Technovit 9100 New and removing the metallic implants by electrochemical dissolution. With the combination of these two processes, we are able to achieve 5 μm thick sections from soft or hard tissues with a superior preservation of tissue architecture and especially the implant-tissue interface. These sections can be stained by classical stainings, immunohistochemical and enzymehistochemical as well as DNA-based staining methods.

Tissue factor levels and the fibrinolytic system in thin and thick intraluminal thrombus and underlying walls of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Science.gov (United States)

Siennicka, Aldona; Zuchowski, Marta; Kaczmarczyk, Mariusz; Cnotliwy, Miłosław; Clark, Jeremy Simon; Jastrzębska, Maria

2018-03-20

The hemostatic system cooperates with proteolytic degradation in processes allowing abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) formation. In previous studies, it has been suggested that aneurysm rupture depends on intraluminal thrombus (ILT) thickness, which varies across each individual aneurysm. We hypothesized that hemostatic components differentially accumulate in AAA tissue in relation to ILT thickness. Thick (A1) and thin (B1) segments of ILTs and aneurysm wall sections A (adjacent to A1) and B (adjacent to B1) from one aneurysm sac were taken from 35 patients undergoing elective repair. Factor levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of protein extract. Tissue factor (TF) activities were significantly higher in thinner segments of AAA (B1 vs A1, P = .003; B vs A, P thick thrombus-covered wall segments (A) than in B, A1, and B1 (P = .015, P thick ILT (P = .021) and thick ILT (A1; P thick ILT (A1). However, no correlations were found at B sites, except for a correlation between plasmin and TF activities (r = 0.55; P = .004). These results suggest that higher TF activities are present in thinner AAA regions. These parameters and local fibrinolysis may be part of the processes leading to destruction of the aneurysm wall. Copyright © 2018 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Factors that influence soft tissue thickness over the greater trochanter: application to understanding hip fractures.

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Iris C; Minty, Lauren E; Laing, Andrew C

2015-03-01

Fall-related hip injuries are a concern for the growing population of older adults. Evidence suggests that soft tissue overlying the greater trochanter attenuates the forces transmitted to the proximal femur during an impact, reducing mechanical risk of hip fracture. However, there is limited information about the factors that influence trochanteric soft tissue thickness. The current study used ultrasonography and electromyography to determine whether trochanteric soft tissue thickness could be quantified reproducibly and whether it was influenced by: (1) gender; (2) hip postures associated with potential falling configurations in the sagittal plane (from 30° of extension to 60° of flexion, at 15° intervals), combined adduction-flexion, and combined adduction-extension; and (3) activation levels of the tensor fascia lata (TFL) and gluteus medius (GM) muscles. Our results demonstrated that soft tissue thickness can be measured reliably in nine hip postures and three muscle activation conditions (for all conditions, ICC >0.98). Mean (SD) thickness in quiet stance was 2.52 cm. Thickness was 27.0% lower for males than females during quiet stance. It was 16.4% greater at maximum flexion than quiet standing, 27.2% greater at maximum extension, and 12.5% greater during combined adduction-flexion. However, there was no significant difference between combined adduction-extension and quiet standing. Thickness was not affected by changes in muscle activity. Forces applied to the femoral neck during a lateral fall decrease as trochanteric soft tissue thickness increases; gender and postural configuration at impact could influence the loads applied to the proximal femur (and thus hip fracture risk) during falls on the hip. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dual-energy digital mammography: Calibration and inverse-mapping techniques to estimate calcification thickness and glandular-tissue ratio

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kappadath, S. Cheenu; Shaw, Chris C.

2003-01-01

Breast cancer may manifest as microcalcifications in x-ray mammography. Small microcalcifications, essential to the early detection of breast cancer, are often obscured by overlapping tissue structures. Dual-energy imaging, where separate low- and high-energy images are acquired and synthesized to cancel the tissue structures, may improve the ability to detect and visualize microcalcifications. Transmission measurements at two different kVp values were made on breast-tissue-equivalent materials under narrow-beam geometry using an indirect flat-panel mammographic imager. The imaging scenario consisted of variable aluminum thickness (to simulate calcifications) and variable glandular ratio (defined as the ratio of the glandular-tissue thickness to the total tissue thickness) for a fixed total tissue thickness--the clinical situation of microcalcification imaging with varying tissue composition under breast compression. The coefficients of the inverse-mapping functions used to determine material composition from dual-energy measurements were calculated by a least-squares analysis. The linear function poorly modeled both the aluminum thickness and the glandular ratio. The inverse-mapping functions were found to vary as analytic functions of second (conic) or third (cubic) order. By comparing the model predictions with the calibration values, the root-mean-square residuals for both the cubic and the conic functions were ∼50 μm for the aluminum thickness and ∼0.05 for the glandular ratio

Design, construction and performance evaluation of the target tissue thickness measurement system in intraoperative radiotherapy for breast cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yazdani, Mohammad Reza, E-mail: myazdani@aut.ac.ir [Faculty of Energy Engineering and Physics, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Setayeshi, Saeed, E-mail: setayesh@aut.ac.ir [Faculty of Energy Engineering and Physics, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Arabalibeik, Hossein, E-mail: arabalibeik@tums.ac.ir [Research Center for Biomedical Technology and Robotics (RCBTR), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Akbari, Mohammad Esmaeil [Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2017-05-21

Intraoperative electron radiation therapy (IOERT), which uses electron beams for irradiating the target directly during the surgery, has the advantage of delivering a homogeneous dose to a controlled layer of tissue. Since the dose falls off quickly below the target thickness, the underlying normal tissues are spared. In selecting the appropriate electron energy, the accuracy of the target tissue thickness measurement is critical. In contrast to other procedures applied in IOERT, the routine measurement method is considered to be completely traditional and approximate. In this work, a novel mechanism is proposed for measuring the target tissue thickness with an acceptable level of accuracy. An electronic system has been designed and manufactured with the capability of measuring the tissue thickness based on the recorded electron density under the target. The results indicated the possibility of thickness measurement with a maximum error of 2 mm for 91.35% of data. Aside from system limitation in estimating the thickness of 5 mm phantom, for 88.94% of data, maximum error is 1 mm.

Aspects of Quantitation in Mass Spectrometry Imaging Investigated on Cryo-Sections of Spiked Tissue Homogenates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Heidi Toft; Janfelt, Christian

2016-01-01

for differences in tissue types in, for example, whole-body imaging, a set of tissue homogenates of different tissue types (lung, liver, kidney, heart, and brain) from rabbit was spiked to the same concentration with the drug amitriptyline and imaged in the same experiment using isotope labeled amitriptyline...... for these results range approximately within a factor of 3 (but for other compounds in other tissues could be higher), underscore the importance of preparing the standard curve in the same matrix as the unknown sample whenever possible. In, for example, whole-body imaging where a diversity of tissue types...... are present, this variation across tissue types will therefore add to the overall uncertainty in quantitation. The tissue homogenates were also used in a characterization of various phenomena in quantitative MSI, such as to study how the signal depends of the thickness of the cryo-section, and to assess...

Soft tissue thickness of face profile conditioning by dento-skeletal anomalies

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Tanić Tatjana

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Orthodontic treatment of dento-skeletal anomalies is generally based on the correction of teeth and jaws relationship, while it is expected that soft facial tissue spontaneously adapts to therapeutically achieved relationship and to accompany hard tissue changes. Objective. To establish facial soft tissue thickness conditioning by the presence of dento-skeletal anomalies. Methods. The study was performed at the Dental Clinic of Niš, and involved the analysis of cephalometric rendgenograms in 121 patients, aged 12-18 years, with no previous orthodontical treatment. According to dento-skeletal relationship between teeth and jaws the patients were divided into four groups; class I (control group, class II of division 1, class II of division 2 and class III. The standard analysis of dento-skeletal profile was done according to Steiner and soft tissue profile according to Burstone was done in all. Results. The patients of class II/1 had a significantly thinner upper lip (t=2.650; p<0.05 and thinner upper lip sulcus (t=1.999; p<0.05. The patients of class II/2 had a significantly thicker upper lip (t=2.912; p<0.01, while those of class III had a significantly thinner lower lip (t=3.900; p<0.001. Conclusion. The thickness of facial soft tissue considerably influences facial profile appearance in persons with a dento-skeletal anomaly. Not only do soft tissues adapt to the existing jaws relationship, but can also camouflage present anomalies.

The influence of fiber thickness, wall thickness and gap distance on the spiral nanofibrous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Junping; Shah, Ami; Yu Xiaojun

2011-01-01

We have developed a 3D nanofibrous spiral scaffold for bone tissue engineering which has shown enhanced cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation compared to traditional cylindrical scaffolds due to the spiral structures and the nanofiber incorporation. Some important parameters of these spiral scaffolds including gap distance, wall thickness and especially fiber thickness are crucial to the performance of the spiral structured scaffolds. In this study, we investigated the fiber thickness, gap distance and wall thickness of the spiral structure on the behavior of osteoblast cells. The human osteoblast cells are seeded on spiral structured scaffolds with various fiber thickness, gap distance and wall thickness and cell attachment, proliferation, differentiation and mineralized matrix deposition on the scaffolds are evaluated. It was found that increasing the thickness of nanofiber layer not only limited the cell infiltration into the scaffolds, but also restrained the osteoblastic cell phenotype development. Moreover, the geometric effect studies indicated that scaffolds with the thinner wall and gap distance 0.2 mm show the best bioactivity for osteoblasts.

Use of autologous tissue engineered skin to treat porcine full-thickness skin defects

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

CAI Xia; CAO Yi-lin; CUI Lei; LIU Wei; GUAN Wen-xiang

2005-01-01

Objective: To explore a feasible method to repair full-thickness skin defects utilizing tissue engineered techniques. Methods: The Changfeng hybrid swines were used and the skin specimens were cut from the posterior limb girdle region, from which the keratinocytes and fibroblasts were isolated and harvested by trypsin, EDTA, and type II collagenase. The cells were seeded in Petri dishes for primary culture. When the cells were in logarithmic growth phase, they were treated with trypsin to separate them from the floor of the tissue culture dishes. A biodegradable material, Pluronic F-127, was prefabricated and mixed with these cells, and then the cell-Pluronic compounds were seeded evenly into a polyglycolic acid (PGA). Then the constructs were replanted to the autologous animals to repair the full-thickness skin defects. Histology and immunohistochemistry of the neotissue were observed in 1, 2, 4, and 8 postoperative weeks. Results: The cell-Pluronic F-127-PGA compounds repaired autologous full-thickness skin defects 1 week after implantation. Histologically, the tissue engineered skin was similar to the normal skin with stratified epidermis overlying a moderately thick collageneous dermis. Three of the structural proteins in the epidermal basement membrane zone, type IV collagen, laminin, and type VII collagen were detected using immunohistochemical methods. Conclusions: By studying the histology and immunohistochemistry of the neotissue, the bioengineered skin graft holds great promise for improving healing of the skin defects.

MCNP Code in Assessment of Variations of Effective Dose with Torso Adipose Tissue Thickness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Massoud, E.

2005-01-01

The effective dose is the unite used in the field of radiation protection. It is a well defined doubly weighted uantity involving both physical and biological variables. Several factors may induce variation in the effective dose in different individuals of similar exposure data. One of these factors is the variation of adipose tissue thickness in different exposed individuals. This study essentially concenrs the assessment of the possible variation in the effective dose due to variation in the thickness of adipose tissue. The study was done using MCNP4b code to perform mathematical model of the human body depending on that given to the reference man developed by International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP), and calculate the effective dose with different thicknessess of adipose tissues. The study includes a comprehensive appraisal of the Monte Cario simulation, the Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) model for the human body, and the various mathematical considerations involved in the radiation dose calculations for the various pertinent parts of the human body. The radiation energies considered were 80 KeV, 300 KeV and I MeV, applying two exposure positions; anteroposterior (AP), postero-anterior (PA) with different adipose tissue thickness. This study is a theoretical approach based on detailed mathematical calculations of great precision that deals with all considerations involved in the mechanisms of radiation energy absorption in biological system depending on the variation in the densities of the particular in biological system depending on the variation in the densities of the particular tissues. The results obtained indicate that maximum decrease in effective dose occures with the lowest energy at 5cm adipose tissues thickeness for both AP and PA exposure positions. The results obtained were compared to similar work previsouly done using MCNP4 b showing very good agreement

Dorsiflexor muscle-group thickness in children with cerebral palsy: Relation to cross-sectional area

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bandholm, Thomas; Magnusson, Peter; Jensen, Bente Rona

2009-01-01

If the thickness and cross-sectional area of the dorsiflexor muscle group are related in children with cerebral palsy, measurements of muscle thickness may be used to monitor changes in muscle size due to training or immobilisation in these patients. We assessed the validity and reliability.......001), and the reliability of the muscle-thickness measurements was high in the healthy subjects (ICC_{2.1} = 0.94, standard error of measurement = 0.04 cm). The dorsiflexor muscle-thickness was 22% less in the affected compared to the non-affected leg in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (P ..., the dorsiflexor cross-sectional area was 32% less in the affected compared to the non-affected leg (P = 0.002). Measurements of dorsiflexor muscle-thickness can be reliably obtained, and they reflect dorsiflexor cross-sectional area in children with cerebral palsy....

Comparisons of Soft Tissue Thickness Measurements in Adult Patients With Various Vertical Patterns

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Neslihan Seyhan Cezairli

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Objective: The purposes of this study were to evaluate to study soft tissue facial profile among the different vertical patterns using the Holdaway analysis and the soft tissue thickness measurements. Materials and Methods: The study sample consisted of 90 patients divided into 3 groups: low angle group (30 patients; mean age, 20.38±3.76 years, normal angle group (30 patients; mean age, 19.36±2.83 years and high angle group (30 patients; mean age, 19.44±2.14 years. The study sample, comprised a total of 90 patients (54 women and 36 men divided into low-angle, normal-angle and high angle groups based on vertical growth pattern using the SN/GoGn angle (high-angle group >37°; low-angle group <27°; and control group or normal angle group 27-37°. Facial soft-tissue thickness and Holdaway measurements were analyzed on each radiograph with Image J programme. One-way analysis of variance and post-hoc test (Tukey were used to compare Holdaway measurements and soft tissue thicknesses among the three groups. Results: Significant differences among vertical patterns were observed for the ‘gnathion’, ‘menton’, ‘stomion’ and ‘inferior sulcus to H line’ when both genders were combined. These measurements were thinner in the high-angle group. Significant differences among vertical patterns were observed for ‘gnathion’ and ‘lower lip to H line’ in women; for ‘stomion’ and ‘nose prominence’ in men when examined separately. Conclusion: Facial soft tissue measurements except some for in high angle group were thinner than in low angle group. All soft tissue measurements were greater except for gnathion in low angle group in men than in women.

Rapid in vivo vertical tissue sectioning by multiphoton tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Batista, Ana; Breunig, Hans Georg; König, Karsten

2018-02-01

A conventional tool in the pathological field is histology which involves the analysis of thin sections of tissue in which specific cellular structures are stained with different dyes. The process to obtain these stained tissue sections is time consuming and invasive as it requires tissue removal, fixation, sectioning, and staining. Moreover, imaging of live tissue is not possible. We demonstrate that multiphoton tomography can provide within seconds, non-invasive, label-free, vertical images of live tissue which are in quality similar to conventional light micrographs of histologic stained specimen. In contrast to conventional setups based on laser scanning which image horizontally sections, the vertical in vivo images are directly recorded by combined line scanning and timed adjustments of the height of the focusing optics. In addition, multiphoton tomography provides autofluorescence lifetimes which can be used to determine the metabolic states of cells.

Does Acellular Dermal Matrix Thickness Affect Complication Rate in Tissue Expander Based Breast Reconstruction?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica F. Rose

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background. While the benefits of using acellular dermal matrices (ADMs in breast reconstruction are well described, their use has been associated with additional complications. The purpose of this study was to determine if ADM thickness affects complications in breast reconstruction. Methods. A retrospective chart review was performed including all tissue expander based breast reconstructions with AlloDerm (LifeCell, Branchburg, NJ over 4 years. We evaluated preoperative characteristics and assessed postoperative complications including seroma, hematoma, infection, skin necrosis, and need for reintervention. We reviewed ADM thickness and time to Jackson-Pratt (JP drain removal. Results. Fifty-five patients underwent 77 ADM-associated tissue expander based breast reconstructions, with average age of 48.1 years and average BMI of 25.9. Average ADM thickness was 1.21 mm. We found higher complication rates in the thick ADM group. Significant associations were found between smokers and skin necrosis (p<0.0001 and seroma and prolonged JP drainage (p=0.0004; radiated reconstructed breasts were more likely to suffer infections (p=0.0085, and elevated BMI is a significant predictor for increased infection rate (p=0.0037. Conclusion. We found a trend toward increased complication rates with thicker ADMs. In the future, larger prospective studies evaluating thickness may provide more information.

Influence of Casting Section Thickness on Fatigue Strength of Austempered Ductile Iron

Science.gov (United States)

Olawale, J. O.; Ibitoye, S. A.

2017-10-01

The influence of casting section thickness on fatigue strength of austempered ductile iron was investigated in this study. ASTM A536 65-45-12 grade of ductile iron was produced, machined into round samples of 10, 15, 20 and 25 mm diameter, austenitized at a temperature of 820 °C, quenched into an austempering temperature (TA) of 300 and 375 °C and allowed to be isothermally transformed at these temperatures for a fixed period of 2 h. From the samples, fatigue test specimens were machined to conform to ASTM E-466. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) methods were used to characterize microstructural morphology and phase distribution of heat-treated samples. The fatigue strength decreases as the section thickness increases. The SEM image and XRD patterns show a matrix of acicular ferrite and carbon-stabilized austenite with ferrite coarsening and volume fraction of austenite reducing as the section thickness increases. The study concluded that the higher the value of carbon-stabilized austenite the higher the fatigue strength while it decreases as the ausferrite structure becomes coarse.

Controlling Fluences of Reactive Species Produced by Multipulse DBDs onto Wet Tissue: Frequency and Liquid Thickness

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Wei; Kushner, Mark J.

2015-09-01

Tissue covered by a thin liquid layer treated by atmospheric pressure plasmas for biomedical applications ultimately requires a reproducible protocol for human healthcare. The outcomes of wet tissue treatment by dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) depend on the plasma dose which determines the integral fluences of radicals and ions onto the tissue. These fluences are controlled in part by frequency and liquid thickness. In this paper, we report on results from a computational investigation of multipulse DBDs interacting with wet tissue. The DBDs were simulated for 100 stationary or random streamers at different repetition rates and liquid thicknesses followed by 10 s to 2 min of afterglow. At 100 Hz, NOaq and OHaq are mixed by randomly striking streamers, although they have different rates of solvation. NOaq is nearly completely consumed by reactions with OHaq at the liquid surface. Only H2O2aq, produced through OHaq mutual reactions, survives to reach the tissue. After 100 pulses, the liquid becomes ozone-rich, in which the nitrous ion, NO2-aq, is converted to the nitric ion, NO3-aq. Reducing the pulse frequency to 10 Hz results in significant fluence of NOaq to the tissue as NOaq can escape during the interpulse period from the liquid surface where OHaq is formed. For the same reason, NO2-aq can also reach deeper into the liquid at lower frequency. Frequency and thickness of the liquid are methods to control the plasma produced aqueous species to the underlying tissue. Work supported by DOE (DE-SC0001319) and NSF (CHE-1124724).

Gold internal standard correction for elemental imaging of soft tissue sections by LA-ICP-MS: element distribution in eye microstructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Konz, Ioana; Fernández, Beatriz; Fernández, M Luisa; Pereiro, Rosario; González, Héctor; Alvarez, Lydia; Coca-Prados, Miguel; Sanz-Medel, Alfredo

2013-04-01

Laser ablation coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry has been developed for the elemental imaging of Mg, Fe and Cu distribution in histological tissue sections of fixed eyes, embedded in paraffin, from human donors (cadavers). This work presents the development of a novel internal standard correction methodology based on the deposition of a homogeneous thin gold film on the tissue surface and the use of the (197)Au(+) signal as internal standard. Sample preparation (tissue section thickness) and laser conditions were carefully optimized, and internal normalisation using (197)Au(+) was compared with (13)C(+) correction for imaging applications. (24)Mg(+), (56)Fe(+) and (63)Cu(+) distributions were investigated in histological sections of the anterior segment of the eye (including the iris, ciliary body, cornea and trabecular meshwork) and were shown to be heterogeneously distributed along those tissue structures. Reproducibility was assessed by imaging different human eye sections from the same donor and from ten different eyes from adult normal donors, which showed that similar spatial maps were obtained and therefore demonstrate the analytical potential of using (197)Au(+) as internal standard. The proposed analytical approach could offer a robust tool with great practical interest for clinical studies, e.g. to investigate trace element distribution of metals and their alterations in ocular diseases.

Cross section measurement and integral test for several activation reactions using T + d and thick-Li + d sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dumais, J.R.; Tanaka, S.; Odano, N.; Iwasaki, S.; Sugiyama, K.

1988-01-01

Recent activities on the area of the cross section measurement for several activation reactions at Department of Nucl. Eng., Tohoku Univ. are described. The first subject is the cross section measurement for (n,2n) reaction on aluminum using the RTNS-II neutron source. Cross sections with rather small error band were obtained for the incident neutron energies from 14 to 14.7 MeV. The second one is the status of the program for the integral experiments on several reactions using the thick Li + d source at Tohoku Fast Neutron Lab. The experimental results showed the usefullness of the source as a tool for the cross section assessment. (author)

Differential cross sections in a thick brane world scenario

Science.gov (United States)

Pedraza, Omar; Arceo, R.; López, L. A.; Cerón, V. E.

2018-04-01

The elastic differential cross section is calculated at low energies for the elements He and Ne using an effective 4D electromagnetic potential coming from the contribution of the massive Kaluza-Klein modes of the 5D vector field in a thick brane scenario. The length scale is adjusted in the potential to compare with known experimental data and to set bounds for the parameter of the model.

Global adiposity and thickness of intraperitoneal and mesenteric adipose tissue depots are increased in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Science.gov (United States)

Borruel, Susana; Fernández-Durán, Elena; Alpañés, Macarena; Martí, David; Alvarez-Blasco, Francisco; Luque-Ramírez, Manuel; Escobar-Morreale, Héctor F

2013-03-01

Sexual dimorphism suggests a role for androgens in body fat distribution. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a mainly androgen excess disorder, often present with abdominal obesity and visceral adiposity. We hypothesized that women with PCOS have a masculinized body fat distribution favoring the deposition of fat in visceral and organ-specific adipose tissue depots. This was a case-control study. The study was conducted at an academic hospital. Women with PCOS (n = 55), women without androgen excess (n = 25), and men (n = 26) presenting with similar body mass index participated in the study. There were no interventions. Ultrasound measurements of adipose tissue depots including sc (minimum and maximum), preperitoneal, ip, mesenteric, epicardial, and perirenal fat thickness were obtained and total body fat mass was estimated using a body fat monitor. Men and patients with PCOS had increased amounts of total body fat compared with control women. Men had increased thickness of intraabdominal adipose tissue depots compared with the control women, with the women with PCOS showing intermediate values that were also higher than those of control women in the case of ip and mesenteric fat thickness and was close to reaching statistical significance in the case of epicardial fat thickness. Women with PCOS also showed increased minimum sc fat thickness compared with the control women. Obesity increased the thickness of all of the adipose tissue depots in the 3 groups of subjects. Women with PCOS have higher global adiposity and increased amounts of visceral adipose tissue compared with control women, especially in the ip and mesenteric depots.

Benefit of computer-aided detection analysis for the detection of subsolid and solid lung nodules on thin- and thick-section CT.

Science.gov (United States)

Godoy, Myrna C B; Kim, Tae Jung; White, Charles S; Bogoni, Luca; de Groot, Patricia; Florin, Charles; Obuchowski, Nancy; Babb, James S; Salganicoff, Marcos; Naidich, David P; Anand, Vikram; Park, Sangmin; Vlahos, Ioannis; Ko, Jane P

2013-01-01

The objective of our study was to evaluate the impact of computer-aided detection (CAD) on the identification of subsolid and solid lung nodules on thin- and thick-section CT. For 46 chest CT examinations with ground-glass opacity (GGO) nodules, CAD marks computed using thin data were evaluated in two phases. First, four chest radiologists reviewed thin sections (reader(thin)) for nodules and subsequently CAD marks (reader(thin) + CAD(thin)). After 4 months, the same cases were reviewed on thick sections (reader(thick)) and subsequently with CAD marks (reader(thick) + CAD(thick)). Sensitivities were evaluated. Additionally, reader(thick) sensitivity with assessment of CAD marks on thin sections was estimated (reader(thick) + CAD(thin)). For 155 nodules (mean, 5.5 mm; range, 4.0-27.5 mm)-74 solid nodules, 22 part-solid (part-solid nodules), and 59 GGO nodules-CAD stand-alone sensitivity was 80%, 95%, and 71%, respectively, with three false-positives on average (0-12) per CT study. Reader(thin) + CAD(thin) sensitivities were higher than reader(thin) for solid nodules (82% vs 57%, p thick), reader(thick) + CAD(thick), reader(thick) + CAD(thin) were 40%, 58% (p thick); false-positive rates were 1.17, 1.19, and 1.26 per case for reader(thick), reader(thick) + CAD(thick), and reader(thick) + CAD(thin), respectively. Detection of GGO nodules and solid nodules is significantly improved with CAD. When interpretation is performed on thick sections, the benefit is greater when CAD marks are reviewed on thin rather than thick sections.

Hip fracture and anthropometric variations: dominance among trochanteric soft tissue thickness, body height and body weight during sideways fall.

Science.gov (United States)

Majumder, Santanu; Roychowdhury, Amit; Pal, Subrata

2013-01-01

Hip fracture depends on various anthropometric parameters such as trochanteric soft tissue thickness, body height and body weight. The objective was to evaluate the responses to the variations in anthropometric parameters during sideways fall, and to identify the most dominant parameter among them. Seven finite element models were developed having anthropometric variations in trochanteric soft tissue thickness (5-26 mm), body height (1.70-1.88 m), and body weight (63-93.37 kg). These were simulated for sideways fall with ANSYS-LS-DYNA® code. Significant effect of trochanteric soft tissue thickness variation was found on 'normalized peak impact force with respect to the body weight' (p=0.004, r²=0.808) and strain ratio (p=0.083, r²=0.829). But, variation in body height was found to be less significant on normalized peak impact force (p=0.478, r²=0.105) and strain ratio (p=0.292, r²=0.217). Same was true for the variation in body weight on normalized peak impact force (p=0.075, r²=0.456) and strain ratio (p=0.857, r²=0.007). The risk factor for fracture was also well correlated to the strain ratio for the inter-trochanteric zone (pfractures are clinically observed to happen. Trochanteric soft tissue thickness was found likely to be the most dominant parameter over body height and body weight, signifying that a slimmer elderly person, taller or shorter, with less trochanteric soft tissue thickness should be advised to take preventive measures against hip fracture under sideways fall. © 2013.

Improved resolution by mounting of tissue sections for laser microdissection.

Science.gov (United States)

van Dijk, M C R F; Rombout, P D M; Dijkman, H B P M; Ruiter, D J; Bernsen, M R

2003-08-01

Laser microbeam microdissection has greatly facilitated the procurement of specific cell populations from tissue sections. However, the fact that a coverslip is not used means that the morphology of the tissue sections is often poor. To develop a mounting method that greatly improves the morphological quality of tissue sections for laser microbeam microdissection purposes so that the identification of target cells can be facilitated. Fresh frozen tissue and formalin fixed, paraffin wax embedded tissue specimens were used to test the morphological quality of mounted and unmounted tissue. The mounting solution consisted of an adhesive gum and blue ink diluted in water. Interference of the mounting solution with DNA quality was analysed by the polymerase chain reaction using 10-2000 cells isolated by microdissection from mounted and unmounted tissue. The mounting solution greatly improved the morphology of tissue sections for laser microdissection purposes and had no detrimental effects on the isolation and efficiency of amplification of DNA. One disadvantage was that the mounting solution reduced the cutting efficiency of the ultraviolet laser. To minimise this effect, the mounting solution should be diluted as much as possible. Furthermore, the addition of blue ink to the mounting medium restores the cutting efficiency of the laser. The mounting solution is easy to prepare and apply and can be combined with various staining methods without compromising the quality of the DNA extracted.

Thick-target method in the measurement of inner-shell ionization cross-sections by low-energy electron impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An, Z.; Wu, Y.; Liu, M.T.; Duan, Y.M.; Tang, C.H.

2006-01-01

In this paper, we have studied the thick-target method for the measurements of atomic inner-shell ionization cross-section or X-ray production cross-section by keV electron impact. We find that in the processes of electron impact on the thick targets, the ratios of the characteristic X-ray yields of photoelectric ionization by bremsstrahlung to the total characteristic X-ray yields are Z-dependent and shell-dependent, and the ratios also show the weak energy-dependence. In addition, in the lower incident energy region (i.e. U < 5-6), the contribution from the rediffusion effect and the secondary electrons can be negligible. In general, the thick-target method can be appropriately applied to the measurements of atomic inner-shell ionization cross-sections or X-ray production cross-sections by electron impact for low and medium Z elements in the lower incident electron energy (i.e. U < 5-6). The experimental accuracies by the thick-target method can reach to the level equivalent or superior to the accuracies of experimental data based on the thin-target method. This thick-target method has been applied to the measurement of K-shell ionization cross-sections of Ni element by electron impact in this paper

Glycomic profiling of tissue sections by LC-MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Yunli; Zhou, Shiyue; Khalil, Sarah I; Renteria, Calvin L; Mechref, Yehia

2013-04-16

Because routine preparation of glycan samples involves multiple reaction and cleaning steps at which sample loss occurs, glycan analysis is typically performed using large tissue samples. This type of analysis yields no detailed molecular spatial information and requires special care to maintain proper storage and shipping conditions. We describe here a new glycan sample preparation protocol using minimized sample preparation steps and optimized procedures. Tissue sections and spotted samples first undergo on-surface enzymatic digestion to release N-glycans. The released glycans are then reduced and permethylated prior to online purification and LC-electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS analysis. The efficiency of this protocol was initially evaluated using model glycoproteins and human blood serum (HBS) spotted on glass or Teflon slides. The new protocol permitted the detection of permethylated N-glycans derived from 10 ng RNase B. On the other hand, 66 N-glycans were identified when injecting the equivalent of permethylated glycans derived from a 0.1-μL aliquot of HBS. On-tissue enzymatic digestion of nude mouse brain tissue permitted the detection of 43 N-glycans. The relative peak areas of these 43 glycans were comparable to those from a C57BL/6 mouse reported by the Consortium for Functional Glycomics (CFG). However, the sample size analyzed in the protocol described here was substantially smaller than for the routine method (submicrogram vs mg). The on-tissue N-glycan profiling method permits high sensitivity and reproducibility and can be widely applied to assess the spatial distribution of glycans associated with tissue sections, and may be correlated with immunoflourescence imaging when adjacent tissue sections are analyzed.

Improved resolution by mounting of tissue sections for laser microdissection.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijk, M.C.R.F. van; Rombout, P.D.M.; Dijkman, H.B.P.M.; Ruiter, D.J.; Bernsen, M.R.

2003-01-01

BACKGROUND: Laser microbeam microdissection has greatly facilitated the procurement of specific cell populations from tissue sections. However, the fact that a coverslip is not used means that the morphology of the tissue sections is often poor. AIMS: To develop a mounting method that greatly

Analytical and Experimental Characterization of Thick-Section Fiber-Metal Laminates

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-01

laminate . The model individually models each layer of the laminate and predicts stiffness degradation as metal layers plastically deform and as prepreg ...eliminating four of the possible ECM laminates . Additionally, since at least four individual layers (two aluminum and two prepreg ) are used in FML an...AFRL-AFOSR-UK-TR-2013-0023 Analytical and Experimental Characterization of Thick- Section Fiber-Metal Laminates Dr. Rene

Epicardial adipose tissue and pericoronary fat thickness measured with 64-multidetector computed tomography: potential predictors of the severity of coronary artery disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammed Bora Demircelik

2014-06-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE:The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between pericoronary fat and the severity and extent of atherosclerosis, quantified using 64-multidetector computed tomography, in patients with suspected coronary artery disease.METHODS:The study population consisted of 131 patients who were clinically referred for noninvasive multislice computed tomography coronary angiography for the evaluation of coronary artery disease. Patients were classified as follows: no atherosclerosis, Group 1; nonobstructive atherosclerosis (luminal narrowing <50% in diameter, Group 2; and obstructive atherosclerosis (luminal narrowing ≥50% in a single vessel or obstructive atherosclerosis in the left main coronary artery and/or multiple vessels, Group 3. Epicardial adipose tissue was defined as the adipose tissue between the surface of the heart and the visceral layer of the pericardium (visceral epicardium. Epicardial adipose tissue thickness (mm was determined in the right ventricular anterior free wall. The mean thickness of the pericoronary fat surrounding the three coronary arteries was used for the analyses.RESULTS:The average thickness over all three regions was 13.2 ± 2.1 mm. The pericoronary fat thickness was significantly increased in Group 3 compared with Groups 2 and 1. The epicardial adipose tissue thickness was significantly increased in Group 3 compared with Groups 2 and 1. A receiver operating characteristic curve for obstructive coronary artery disease was assessed to verify the optimum cut-off point for pericoronary fat thickness, which was 13.8 mm. A receiver operating characteristic curve for obstructive coronary artery disease was also assessed to verify the optimum cut-off point for epicardial adipose tissue, which was 6.8 cm.CONCLUSION:We showed that the epicardial adipose tissue and pericoronary fat thickness scores were higher in patients with obstructive coronary artery diseases.

Epicardial adipose tissue and pericoronary fat thickness measured with 64-multidetector computed tomography: potential predictors of the severity of coronary artery disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Demircelik, Muhammed Bora; Gurel, Ozgul Malcok; Selcoki, Yusuf; Atar, Inci Asli; Eryonucu, Beyhan, E-mail: drdemircelik@yahoo.com [Turgut Ozal Univercity, Department of Cardiology, Ankara (Turkey); Bozkurt, Alper; Akin, Kayihan [Turgut Ozal Univercity, Department of Radiology, Ankara (Turkey); Yilmaz, Omer Caglar [Ankara Occupational Diseases Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Ankara (Turkey)

2014-06-15

Objective: the aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between pericoronary fat and the severity and extent of atherosclerosis, quantified using 64-multidetector computed tomography, in patients with suspected coronary artery disease. Methods: the study population consisted of 131 patients who were clinically referred for noninvasive multislice computed tomography coronary angiography for the evaluation of coronary artery disease. Patients were classified as follows: no atherosclerosis, Group 1; nonobstructive atherosclerosis (luminal narrowing < 50% in diameter), Group 2; and obstructive atherosclerosis (luminal narrowing ≧ 50%) in a single vessel or obstructive atherosclerosis in the left main coronary artery and/or multiple vessels, Group 3. Epicardial adipose tissue was defined as the adipose tissue between the surface of the heart and the visceral layer of the pericardium (visceral epicardium). Epicardial adipose tissue thickness (mm) was determined in the right ventricular anterior free wall. The mean thickness of the pericoronary fat surrounding the three coronary arteries was used for the analyses. Results: the average thickness over all three regions was 13.2 ± 2.1 mm. The pericoronary fat thickness was significantly increased in Group 3 compared with Groups 2 and 1. The epicardial adipose tissue thickness was significantly increased in Group 3 compared with Groups 2 and 1. A receiver operating characteristic curve for obstructive coronary artery disease was assessed to verify the optimum cut-off point for pericoronary fat thickness, which was 13.8 mm. A receiver operating characteristic curve for obstructive coronary artery disease was also assessed to verify the optimum cut-off point for epicardial adipose tissue, which was 6.8 cm. Conclusion: we showed that the epicardial adipose tissue and pericoronary fat thickness scores were higher in patients with obstructive coronary artery diseases. (author)

Epicardial adipose tissue and pericoronary fat thickness measured with 64-multidetector computed tomography: potential predictors of the severity of coronary artery disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demircelik, Muhammed Bora; Gurel, Ozgul Malcok; Selcoki, Yusuf; Atar, Inci Asli; Eryonucu, Beyhan; Bozkurt, Alper; Akin, Kayihan; Yilmaz, Omer Caglar

2014-01-01

Objective: the aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between pericoronary fat and the severity and extent of atherosclerosis, quantified using 64-multidetector computed tomography, in patients with suspected coronary artery disease. Methods: the study population consisted of 131 patients who were clinically referred for noninvasive multislice computed tomography coronary angiography for the evaluation of coronary artery disease. Patients were classified as follows: no atherosclerosis, Group 1; nonobstructive atherosclerosis (luminal narrowing < 50% in diameter), Group 2; and obstructive atherosclerosis (luminal narrowing ≧ 50%) in a single vessel or obstructive atherosclerosis in the left main coronary artery and/or multiple vessels, Group 3. Epicardial adipose tissue was defined as the adipose tissue between the surface of the heart and the visceral layer of the pericardium (visceral epicardium). Epicardial adipose tissue thickness (mm) was determined in the right ventricular anterior free wall. The mean thickness of the pericoronary fat surrounding the three coronary arteries was used for the analyses. Results: the average thickness over all three regions was 13.2 ± 2.1 mm. The pericoronary fat thickness was significantly increased in Group 3 compared with Groups 2 and 1. The epicardial adipose tissue thickness was significantly increased in Group 3 compared with Groups 2 and 1. A receiver operating characteristic curve for obstructive coronary artery disease was assessed to verify the optimum cut-off point for pericoronary fat thickness, which was 13.8 mm. A receiver operating characteristic curve for obstructive coronary artery disease was also assessed to verify the optimum cut-off point for epicardial adipose tissue, which was 6.8 cm. Conclusion: we showed that the epicardial adipose tissue and pericoronary fat thickness scores were higher in patients with obstructive coronary artery diseases. (author)

Validity of soft-tissue thickness of calf measured using MRI for assessing unilateral lower extremity lymphoedema secondary to cervical and endometrial cancer treatments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Qing; Li, Yulai; Chen, Tian-Wu; Yao, Yuan; Zhao, Zizhou; Li, Yang; Xu, Jianrong; Jiang, Zhaohua; Hu, Jiani

2014-01-01

Aim: To determine whether soft-tissue thickness of the calf measured using MRI could be valid for assessing unilateral lower extremity lymphoedema (LEL) secondary to cervical and endometrial cancer treatments. Materials and methods: Seventy women with unilateral LEL and 25 without LEL after cervical or endometrial cancer treatments underwent MRI examinations of their calves. Total thickness of soft-tissue (TT), muscle thickness (MT), and subcutaneous tissue thickness (STT) of the calf, and the difference between the affected and contralateral unaffected calf regarding TT (DTT), MT (DMT), and STT (DSTT) were obtained using fat-suppressed T2-weighted imaging in the middle of the calves. The volume of the calf and difference in volume (DV) between calves were obtained by the method of water displacement. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the validity of MRI measurements by volume measurements in staging LEL. Results: There was a close correlation between volume and TT for the affected (r = 0.927) or unaffected calves (r = 0.896). STT of the affected calf, and DTT or DSTT of the calves were closely correlated with volume of the affected calf or DV of the calves (all p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed significant differences in TT, STT, volume of the affected calf, DTT, DSTT, and DV between stages except in volume of the affected calf or in DV between stage 0 and 1. For staging LEL, DSTT showed the best discrimination ability among all the parameters. Conclusions: Soft-tissue thickness of the calf measured at MRI could be valid for quantitatively staging unilateral LEL, and DSTT of the calves could be the best classifying factor. - Highlights: • The soft tissue thickness of calves on MRI could quantitatively assess secondary LEL. • Calf soft tissue thickness indicated concurrent or construct validity of calf volume. • The difference of subcutaneous tissue thickness of calves could be used to stage LEL

Modulation of scar tissue formation using different dermal regeneration templates in the treatment of experimental full-thickness wounds.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Druecke, D.; Lamme, E.N.; Hermann, S.; Pieper, J.S.; May, P.S.; Steinau, H.U.; Steinstraesser, L.

2004-01-01

The recovery of skin function is the goal of each burn surgeon. Split-skin graft treatment of full-thickness skin defects leads to scar formation, which is often vulnerable and instable. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze wound healing and scar tissue formation in acute full-thickness

The toughness of secondary cell wall and woody tissue

OpenAIRE

Lucas, P. W.; Tan, H. T. W.; Cheng, P. Y.

1997-01-01

The 'across grain' toughness of 51 woods has been determined on thin wet sections using scissors. The moisture content of sections and the varying sharpness of the scissor blades had little effect on the results. In thin sections (less than 0.6mm), toughness rose linearly with section thickness. The intercept toughness at zero thickness, estimated from regression analysis, was proportional to relative density, consistent with values reported for non-woody plant tissues. Extrapolation of the i...

Raman molecular imaging of brain frozen tissue sections.

Science.gov (United States)

Kast, Rachel E; Auner, Gregory W; Rosenblum, Mark L; Mikkelsen, Tom; Yurgelevic, Sally M; Raghunathan, Aditya; Poisson, Laila M; Kalkanis, Steven N

2014-10-01

Raman spectroscopy provides a molecular signature of the region being studied. It is ideal for neurosurgical applications because it is non-destructive, label-free, not impacted by water concentration, and can map an entire region of tissue. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the meaningful spatial molecular information provided by Raman spectroscopy for identification of regions of normal brain, necrosis, diffusely infiltrating glioma and solid glioblastoma (GBM). Five frozen section tissues (1 normal, 1 necrotic, 1 GBM, and 2 infiltrating glioma) were mapped in their entirety using a 300-µm-square step size. Smaller regions of interest were also mapped using a 25-µm step size. The relative concentrations of relevant biomolecules were mapped across all tissues and compared with adjacent hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections, allowing identification of normal, GBM, and necrotic regions. Raman peaks and peak ratios mapped included 1003, 1313, 1431, 1585, and 1659 cm(-1). Tissue maps identified boundaries of grey and white matter, necrosis, GBM, and infiltrating tumor. Complementary information, including relative concentration of lipids, protein, nucleic acid, and hemoglobin, was presented in a manner which can be easily adapted for in vivo tissue mapping. Raman spectroscopy can successfully provide label-free imaging of tissue characteristics with high accuracy. It can be translated to a surgical or laboratory tool for rapid, non-destructive imaging of tumor margins.

Research on terahertz properties of rat brain tissue sections during dehydration

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Gangqiang; Liang, Jianfeng; Zhao, Hongwei; Zhao, Xianghui; Chang, Chao

2018-01-01

Biological tissue sections are always kept in a system purged with dry nitrogen for the measurement of terahertz spectrum. However, the injected nitrogen will cause dehydration of tissue sections, which will affect the accuracy of spectrum measurement. In this paper, terahertz time-domain spectrometer is used to measure the terahertz spectra of rat brain tissue sections during dehydration. The changes of terahertz properties, including terahertz transmittance, refractive index and extinction coefficient during dehydration are also analyzed. The amplitudes of terahertz time-domain spectra increase gradually during the dehydration process. Besides, the terahertz properties show obvious changes during the dehydration process. All the results indicate that the injected dry nitrogen has a significant effect on the terahertz spectra and properties of tissue sections. This study contributes to further research and application of terahertz technology in biomedical field.

Reverse tissue expansion by liposuction deflation adopted for harvest of large sheet of full-thickness skin graft.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibrahim, A E; Debbas, C C; Dibo, S A; Atiyeh, B S; Abu-Sittah, G S; Isik, S

2012-06-30

Full-thickness skingraft is a valid option to release burn scar contractures with the main purpose of correcting the induced limitation in function and improve the disfiguring appearance of the scar. The main pitfall remains the limited availability of these grafts, especially when large sheets are needed. We present an application of a previously described technique known as reverse tissue expansion, which permits the harvesting of a large sheet of full thickness skin graft when needed. This method was adopted to release a burn scar contracture in a 32-yr-old man who sustained a 65% TBSA burn secondary to a gasoline tank explosion at the age of 7 yr followed by multiple reconstructive procedures. The patient presented with a disfiguring anterior neck contracture coupled to limited range of motion. Improvement of neck extension was contemplated using full-thickness skin graft harvested following reverse tissue expansion achieved by deflation liposuction of the donor site.

Facial soft tissue thicknesses: Noise, signal, and P.

Science.gov (United States)

Stephan, Carl N; Munn, Lachlan; Caple, Jodi

2015-12-01

Facial soft tissue thicknesses (FSTTs) hold an important role in craniofacial identification, forming the underlying quantitative basis of craniofacial superimposition and facial approximation methods. It is, therefore, important that patterns in FSTTs be correctly described and interpreted. In prior FSTT literature, small statistically significant differences have almost universally been overemphasized and misinterpreted to reflect sex and ancestry effects when they instead largely encode nuisance statistical noise. Here we examine FSTT data and give an overview of why P-values do not mean everything. Scientific inference, not mechanical evaluation of P, should be awarded higher priority and should form the basis of FSTT analysis. This hinges upon tempered consideration of many factors in addition to P, e.g., study design, sampling, measurement errors, repeatability, reproducibility, and effect size. While there are multiple lessons to be had, the underlying message is foundational: know enough statistics to avoid misinterpreting background noise for real biological effects. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aspects of Quantitation in Mass Spectrometry Imaging Investigated on Cryo-Sections of Spiked Tissue Homogenates.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Heidi Toft; Janfelt, Christian

2016-12-06

Internal standards have been introduced in quantitative mass spectrometry imaging in order to compensate for differences in intensities throughout an image caused by, for example, difference in ion suppression or analyte extraction efficiency. To test how well the internal standards compensate for differences in tissue types in, for example, whole-body imaging, a set of tissue homogenates of different tissue types (lung, liver, kidney, heart, and brain) from rabbit was spiked to the same concentration with the drug amitriptyline and imaged in the same experiment using isotope labeled amitriptyline as internal standard. The results showed, even after correction with internal standard, significantly lower intensities from brain and to some extent also lung tissue, differences which may be ascribed to binding of the drug to proteins or lipids as known from traditional bioanalysis. The differences, which for these results range approximately within a factor of 3 (but for other compounds in other tissues could be higher), underscore the importance of preparing the standard curve in the same matrix as the unknown sample whenever possible. In, for example, whole-body imaging where a diversity of tissue types are present, this variation across tissue types will therefore add to the overall uncertainty in quantitation. The tissue homogenates were also used in a characterization of various phenomena in quantitative MSI, such as to study how the signal depends of the thickness of the cryo-section, and to assess the accuracy of calibration by droplet deposition. For experiments on liver tissue, calibration by spiked tissue homogenates and droplet deposition was found to provide highly similar results and in both cases linearity with R 2 values of 0.99. In the process, a new method was developed for preparation of standard curves of spiked tissue homogenates, based on the drilling of holes in a block of frozen liver homogenate, providing easy cryo-slicing and good quantitative

Technical advances in the sectioning of dental tissue and of on-section cross-linked collagen detection in mineralized teeth.

Science.gov (United States)

Singhrao, Sim K; Sloan, Alastair J; Smith, Emma L; Archer, Charles W

2010-08-01

Immunohistochemical detection of cross-linked fibrillar collagens in mineralized tissues is much desired for exploring the mechanisms of biomineralization in health and disease. Mineralized teeth are impossible to section when embedded in conventional media, thus limiting on-section characterization of matrix proteins by immunohistochemistry. We hypothesized that by using an especially formulated acrylic resin suitable for mineralized dental tissues, not only sectioning of teeth would be possible, but also our recently developed immunofluorescence labeling technique would be amenable to fully calcified tissues for characterization of dentinal fibrillar collagens, which remains elusive. The hypothesis was tested on fixed rodent teeth embedded in Technovit 9100 New. It was possible to cut thin (1 mum) sections of mineralized teeth, and immunofluorescence characterization of cross-linked type I fibrillar collagen was selected due to its abundance in dentine. Decalcified samples of teeth embedded in paraffin wax were also used to compare immunolabeling from either method using the same immunoreagents in equivalent concentrations. In the decalcified tissue sections, type I collagen labeling in the dentine along the tubules was "patchy" and the signal in the predentine was very weak. However, enhanced signal in mineralized samples with type I collagen was detected not only in the predentine but also at the limit between intertubular dentine, within the elements of the enamel organ and subgingival stroma. This report offers advances in sectioning mineralized dental tissues and allows the application of immunofluorescence not only for on-section protein detection but importantly for detecting cross-linked fibrous collagens in both soft and mineralized tissue sections.

Weld repair issues in thick section austenitic pipework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodwin, S.J.; Price, A.T.

1989-03-01

Thick section austenitic Type 316 Stainless steel, in the solution treated condition, has been used in Central Electricity Generating Board plant in the United Kingdom for some three decades and has given good service. Repair and replacement of this material after long term service is becoming a requirement and is complicated by the precipitation hardening and sensitisation of the materials. This paper summarises the compositional, microstructural and ageing characteristics of the wrought material and weld metals and the consequences for materials properties. Post weld heat treatment options are outlined and sensitisation to stress corrosion cracking is discussed. Finally, some examples of cracking that has occurred in plant after long term operation are given and weld repair research requirements are noted. (author)

Anterior thigh composition measured using ultrasound imaging to quantify relative thickness of muscle and non-contractile tissue: a potential biomarker for musculoskeletal health

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agyapong-Badu, Sandra; Warner, Martin; Samuel, Dinesh; Stokes, Maria; Narici, Marco; Cooper, Cyrus

2014-01-01

This study aimed to use ultrasound imaging to provide objective data on the effects of ageing and gender on relative thickness of quadriceps muscle and non-contractile tissue thickness (subcutaneous fat, SF, combined with perimuscular fascia). In 136 healthy males and females (aged 18–90 years n = 63 aged 18–35 years; n = 73 aged 65–90) images of the anterior thigh (dominant) were taken in relaxed supine using B-mode ultrasound imaging. Thickness of muscle, SF and perimuscular fascia were measured, and percentage thickness of total anterior thigh thickness calculated. Independent t-tests compared groups. Correlation between tissue thickness and BMI was examined using Pearson’s coefficient. Muscle thickness was: 39  ±  8 mm in young males, 29  ±  6 mm in females, 25  ±  4 mm in older males and 20  ±  5 mm in females. Percentage muscle to thigh thickness was greater in young participants (p = 0.001). Percentage SF and fascia was 17  ±  6% in young and 26  ±  8% in older males, 32  ±  7% in young and 44  ±  7% in older females. BMI was similar for age and correlated moderately with non-contractile tissue (r = 0.54; p < 0.001) and poorly with muscle (r = −0.01; p = 0.93). In conclusion, this novel application of ultrasound imaging as a simple and rapid means of assessing thigh composition (relative thickness of muscle and non-contractile tissue) may help inform health status, e.g. in older people at risk of frailty and loss of mobility, and aid monitoring effects of weight loss or gain, deconditioning and exercise. (paper)

Thick-section weldments in 21-6-9 and 316LN stainless steel for fusion energy applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexander, D.J.; Goodwin, G.M.

1991-01-01

The Burning Plasma Experiment (BPX), formerly known as the Compact Ignition Tokomak, will be a major advance in the design of a fusion reactor. The successful construction of fusion reactors will require extensive welding of thick-section stainless steel plates. Severe service conditions will be experienced by the structure. Operating temperatures will range from room temperature (300 K) to liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K), and perhaps even lower. The structure will be highly stressed, and subject to sudden impact loads if plasma disruptions occur. This demands a combination of high strength and high toughness from the weldments. Significant portions of the welding will be done in the field, so preweld and postweld heat treatments will be difficult. The thick sections to be welded will require a high deposition rate process, and will result in significant residual stresses in the materials. Inspection of these thick sections in complex geometries will be very difficult. All of these constraints make it essential that the welding procedures and alloys be well understood, and the mechanical properties of the welds and their heat-affected zones must be adequately characterized. The candidate alloy for structural applications in the BPX such as the magnet cases was initially selected as 21-6-9 austenitic stainless steel, and later changed to 316LN stainless steel. This study examined several possible filler materials for thick-section (25 to 50 mm) weldments in these two materials. The tensile and Charpy V-notch properties were measured at room temperature and 77 K. The fracture toughness was measured for promising materials

Estimating the thickness of ultra thin sections for electron microscopy by image statistics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sporring, Jon; Khanmohammadi, Mahdieh; Darkner, Sune

2014-01-01

We propose a method for estimating the thickness of ultra thin histological sections by image statistics alone. Our method works for images, that are the realisations of a stationary and isotropic stochastic process, and it relies on the existence of statistical image-measures that are strictly m...

An examination of the potential for 9%Cr1%Mo steel as thick section tubeplates in fast reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orr, J.; Sanderson, S.J.

1984-01-01

The steam generator units of future commercial demonstration fast reactors are likely to have a requirement for heavy section tubeplates (up to 500mm thick) with good elevated temperature strength and creep-fatigue resistance. A comparison of the mechanical properties available for ferritic steels has suggested that 9%Cr1%Mo steel would be a strong candidate material for this application. Although this steel is covered in some national specifications for tubes, pipes, plates and forgings and is also well established in the UK nuclear industry, international experience to date is confined to sections less than ca 150mm. The potential of 9%Cr1%Mo steel for use in thick sections has therefore been assessed in the present study by using simulation heat treatments. The work reported here involved the laboratory-scale cooling of bar samples to simulate water-quenching rates in cylindrical sections up to 720mm diameter (ie: equivalent to 500mm thick plate). The tensile properties at ambient and 525 0 C and impact fracture appearance transition temperatures were determined for material tempered after cooling at simulated thick section rates; the transformation characteristics as influenced by the net chromium equivalent were also established. The results of this work show that 9%Cr1%Mo steel may be fully hardened in the equivalent of the section sizes examined,and the mechanical properties of tempered material show only a small reduction from those of thin section normalised and tempered 9%Cr1%Mo steel. These findings support the potential usage of heavy section 9%Cr1%Mo steel envisaged for fast reactor steam generator tubeplates

Epicardial adipose tissue thickness and NGAL levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Sahin, Serap Baydur; Cure, Medine Cumhur; Ugurlu, Yavuz; Ergul, Elif; Gur, Emine Uslu; Alyildiz, Nese; Bostan, Mehmet

2014-02-16

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with an increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and early atherosclerosis. Epicardial adipose tissue thickness (EATT) is clinically related to subclinical atherosclerosis. In the present study, considering the major role of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) which is an acute phase protein rapidly releasing upon inflammation and tissue injury, we aimed to evaluate NGAL levels and EATT in PCOS patients and assess their relationship with cardiometabolic factors. 64 patients with PCOS and 50 age- and body mass index-matched healthy controls were included in the study. We evaluated anthropometric, hormonal and metabolic parameters. EATT was measured by echocardiography above the free wall of the right ventricle. Serum NGAL and high-sensitive C- reactive protein (hsCRP) levels were measured by ELISA. Mean EATT was 0,38 +/-0,16 mm in the PCOS group and 0,34 +/-0,36 mm in the control group (p = 0,144). In the obese PCOS group (n = 44) EAT was thicker compared to the obese control group (n = 41) (p = 0.026). Mean NGAL levels of the patients with PCOS were 101,98 +/-21,53 pg/ml, while mean NGAL levels were 107,40 +/-26,44 pg/ml in the control group (p = 0,228). We found a significant positive correlation between EATT and age, BMI, waist circumference, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, triglyceride and hsCRP levels in PCOS group. Thickness of the epicardial adipose tissue can be used to follow the risk of CVD development in obese PCOS cases. However serum NGAL levels do not differ in patients with PCOS and control group.

Relationship between the Echocardiographic Epicardial Adipose Tissue Thickness and Serum Adiponectin in Patients with Angina

Science.gov (United States)

Yun, Kyeong Ho; Rhee, Sang Jae; Yoo, Nam Jin; Oh, Seok Kyu; Kim, Nam-Ho; Park, Do-Sim; Park, Hyun-Young

2009-01-01

Background It is still unknown whether increased cardiac adiposity is related to the risk factors of coronary artery disease (CAD). We measured epicaridal adopose tissue (EAT) and mediastinal adipose tissue (MAT) using echocardiography and examined their correlations with CAD and serum adiponectin. Methods One hundred fifty three patients who underwent elective coronary angiography for chest pain were measured cardiac adiposity by transthoracic echocardiography. The correlations of cardiac adipose tissue with the presence and severity of CAD and the serum adiponectin level were examined. Results EAT was thicker in patients with CAD (1.8±1.4 vs. 3.8±1.9 mm, phomocystein (r=0.289, p=0.001), fasting glucose (r=0.167, p=0.042), and fibrinogen (r=0.218, p=0.009), and a significant negative correlation with serum adiponectin (r=-0.194, p=0.016). EAT thickness (OR 11.53, 95% CI; 3.61-36.84, p<0.001) and low serum adiponectin (OR 2.88, 95% CI; 1.02-8.15, p=0.046) were independent predictors of obstructive CAD. However, MAT thickness was not associated with CAD. Conclusion EAT was associated with the severity and risk factors of CAD and correlated with serum adiponectin level. In contrast with EAT, MAT was not associated with CAD and adiponectin. PMID:20661336

Sensitivity of Shallow Land Burial to neutron environment and activation cross sections in IFE thick-liquid concepts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cabellos, O.; Sanz, J. [Institute of Nuclear Fusion, UPM (Spain); Cabellos, O.; Garcia-Herranz, N. [Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, UPM (Spain); Sanz, J. [Dept. of Power Engineering, UNED (Spain); Reyes, S.; Latkowski, J. [Livermore National Lab., LLNL (United States)

2006-06-15

A comprehensive assessment on the eligibility of reduced activation (RA) steels as structural chamber material in Inertial Fusion Energy thick-liquid concepts is performed. As far as alloying elements, it is shown that the activation of tungsten is a question to discuss. Regarding impurity elements, it is analyzed if they could question the possibility of obtaining real RA steels for shallow land burial (SLB). The effect of the thickness of the liquid wall on the SLB response of alloying and impurity elements is computed. It seems that a reasonable liquid thickness of about 80 cm is allowable to obtain SLB acceptability of real RA steels. And above all, we have estimated the impact of cross section uncertainties when addressing the former questions, and we identify those to be improved. The necessary improvement of some tungsten and niobium cross sections is justified. (authors)

Monte Carlo electron-trajectory simulations in bright-field and dark-field STEM: Implications for tomography of thick biological sections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sousa, A.A.; Hohmann-Marriott, M.F.; Zhang, G. [Laboratory of Bioengineering and Physical Science, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bldg. 13, Rm. 3N17, 13 South Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-5766 (United States); Leapman, R.D. [Laboratory of Bioengineering and Physical Science, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bldg. 13, Rm. 3N17, 13 South Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-5766 (United States)], E-mail: leapmanr@mail.nih.gov

2009-02-15

A Monte Carlo electron-trajectory calculation has been implemented to assess the optimal detector configuration for scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography of thick biological sections. By modeling specimens containing 2 and 3 at% osmium in a carbon matrix, it was found that for 1-{mu}m-thick samples the bright-field (BF) and annular dark-field (ADF) signals give similar contrast and signal-to-noise ratio provided the ADF inner angle and BF outer angle are chosen optimally. Spatial resolution in STEM imaging of thick sections is compromised by multiple elastic scattering which results in a spread of scattering angles and thus a spread in lateral distances of the electrons leaving the bottom surface. However, the simulations reveal that a large fraction of these multiply scattered electrons are excluded from the BF detector, which results in higher spatial resolution in BF than in high-angle ADF images for objects situated towards the bottom of the sample. The calculations imply that STEM electron tomography of thick sections should be performed using a BF rather than an ADF detector. This advantage was verified by recording simultaneous BF and high-angle ADF STEM tomographic tilt series from a stained 600-nm-thick section of C. elegans. It was found that loss of spatial resolution occurred markedly at the bottom surface of the specimen in the ADF STEM but significantly less in the BF STEM tomographic reconstruction. Our results indicate that it might be feasible to use BF STEM tomography to determine the 3D structure of whole eukaryotic microorganisms prepared by freeze-substitution, embedding, and sectioning.

Raman spectroscopic analysis of human skin tissue sections ex-vivo: evaluation of the effects of tissue processing and dewaxing

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Syed M.; Bonnier, Franck; Tfayli, Ali; Lambkin, Helen; Flynn, Kathleen; McDonagh, Vincent; Healy, Claragh; Clive Lee, T.; Lyng, Fiona M.; Byrne, Hugh J.

2013-06-01

Raman spectroscopy coupled with K-means clustering analysis (KMCA) is employed to elucidate the biochemical structure of human skin tissue sections and the effects of tissue processing. Both hand and thigh sections of human cadavers were analyzed in their unprocessed and formalin-fixed, paraffin-processed (FFPP), and subsequently dewaxed forms. In unprocessed sections, KMCA reveals clear differentiation of the stratum corneum (SC), intermediate underlying epithelium, and dermal layers for sections from both anatomical sites. The SC is seen to be relatively rich in lipidic content; the spectrum of the subjacent layers is strongly influenced by the presence of melanin, while that of the dermis is dominated by the characteristics of collagen. For a given anatomical site, little difference in layer structure and biochemistry is observed between samples from different cadavers. However, the hand and thigh sections are consistently differentiated for all cadavers, largely based on lipidic profiles. In dewaxed FFPP samples, while the SC, intermediate, and dermal layers are clearly differentiated by KMCA of Raman maps of tissue sections, the lipidic contributions to the spectra are significantly reduced, with the result that respective skin layers from different anatomical sites become indistinguishable. While efficient at removing the fixing wax, the tissue processing also efficiently removes the structurally similar lipidic components of the skin layers. In studies of dermatological processes in which lipids play an important role, such as wound healing, dewaxed samples are therefore not appropriate. Removal of the lipids does however accentuate the spectral features of the cellular and protein components, which may be more appropriate for retrospective analysis of disease progression and biochemical analysis using tissue banks.

Serial section scanning electron microscopy (S3EM) on silicon wafers for ultra-structural volume imaging of cells and tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Horstmann, Heinz; Körber, Christoph; Sätzler, Kurt; Aydin, Daniel; Kuner, Thomas

2012-01-01

High resolution, three-dimensional (3D) representations of cellular ultrastructure are essential for structure function studies in all areas of cell biology. While limited subcellular volumes have been routinely examined using serial section transmission electron microscopy (ssTEM), complete ultrastructural reconstructions of large volumes, entire cells or even tissue are difficult to achieve using ssTEM. Here, we introduce a novel approach combining serial sectioning of tissue with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using a conductive silicon wafer as a support. Ribbons containing hundreds of 35 nm thick sections can be generated and imaged on the wafer at a lateral pixel resolution of 3.7 nm by recording the backscattered electrons with the in-lens detector of the SEM. The resulting electron micrographs are qualitatively comparable to those obtained by conventional TEM. S(3)EM images of the same region of interest in consecutive sections can be used for 3D reconstructions of large structures. We demonstrate the potential of this approach by reconstructing a 31.7 µm(3) volume of a calyx of Held presynaptic terminal. The approach introduced here, Serial Section SEM (S(3)EM), for the first time provides the possibility to obtain 3D ultrastructure of large volumes with high resolution and to selectively and repetitively home in on structures of interest. S(3)EM accelerates process duration, is amenable to full automation and can be implemented with standard instrumentation.

Serial section scanning electron microscopy (S3EM on silicon wafers for ultra-structural volume imaging of cells and tissues.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heinz Horstmann

Full Text Available High resolution, three-dimensional (3D representations of cellular ultrastructure are essential for structure function studies in all areas of cell biology. While limited subcellular volumes have been routinely examined using serial section transmission electron microscopy (ssTEM, complete ultrastructural reconstructions of large volumes, entire cells or even tissue are difficult to achieve using ssTEM. Here, we introduce a novel approach combining serial sectioning of tissue with scanning electron microscopy (SEM using a conductive silicon wafer as a support. Ribbons containing hundreds of 35 nm thick sections can be generated and imaged on the wafer at a lateral pixel resolution of 3.7 nm by recording the backscattered electrons with the in-lens detector of the SEM. The resulting electron micrographs are qualitatively comparable to those obtained by conventional TEM. S(3EM images of the same region of interest in consecutive sections can be used for 3D reconstructions of large structures. We demonstrate the potential of this approach by reconstructing a 31.7 µm(3 volume of a calyx of Held presynaptic terminal. The approach introduced here, Serial Section SEM (S(3EM, for the first time provides the possibility to obtain 3D ultrastructure of large volumes with high resolution and to selectively and repetitively home in on structures of interest. S(3EM accelerates process duration, is amenable to full automation and can be implemented with standard instrumentation.

Stress Analysis of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Leaflets Under Dynamic Loading: Effect of Reduced Tissue Thickness.

Science.gov (United States)

Abbasi, Mostafa; Azadani, Ali N

2017-07-01

In order to accommodate transcatheter valves to miniaturized catheters, the leaflet thickness must be reduced to a value which is typically less than that of surgical bioprostheses. The study aim was to use finite-element simulations to determine the impact of the thickness reduction on stress and strain distribution. A 23 mm transcatheter aortic valve (TAV) was modelled based on the Edwards SAPIEN XT (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA). Finite-element (FE) analysis was performed using the ABAQUS/Explicit solver. An ensemble-averaged transvalvular pressure waveform measured from in-vitro tests conducted in a pulse duplicator was applied to the leaflets. Through a parametric study, uniform TAV leaflet thickness was reduced from 0.5 to 0.18 mm. By reducing leaflet thickness, significantly higher stress values were found in the leaflet's fixed edge during systole, and in the commissures during diastole. Through dynamic FE simulations, the highest stress values were found during systole in the leaflet fixed edge. In contrast, at the peak of diastole high-stress regions were mainly observed in the commissures. The peak stress was increased by 178% and 507% within the leaflets after reducing the thickness of 0.5 mm to 0.18 mm at the peak of systole and diastole, respectively. The study results indicated that, the smaller the leaflet thickness, the higher the maximum principal stress. Increased mechanical stress on TAV leaflets may lead to accelerated tissue degeneration. By using a thinner leaflet, TAV durability may not atch with that of surgical bioprostheses.

Bioimaging of metallothioneins in ocular tissue sections by laser ablation-ICP-MS using bioconjugated gold nanoclusters as specific tags.

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz-Alonso, María; Fernandez, Beatriz; Álvarez, Lydia; González-Iglesias, Héctor; Traub, Heike; Jakubowski, Norbert; Pereiro, Rosario

2017-12-18

An immunohistochemical method is described to visualize the distribution of metallothioneins 1/2 (MT 1/2) and metallothionein 3 (MT 3) in human ocular tissue. It is making use of (a) antibodies conjugated to gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) acting as labels, and (b) laser ablation (LA) coupled to inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Water-soluble fluorescent AuNCs (with an average size of 2.7 nm) were synthesized and then conjugated to antibody by carbodiimide coupling. The surface of the modified AuNCs was then blocked with hydroxylamine to avoid nonspecific interactions with biological tissue. Immunoassays for MT 1/2 and MT 3 in ocular tissue sections (5 μm thick) from two post mortem human donors were performed. Imaging studies were then performed by fluorescence using confocal microscopy, and LA-ICP-MS was performed in the retina to measure the signal for gold. Signal amplification by the >500 gold atoms in each nanocluster allowed the antigens (MT 1/2 and MT 3) to be imaged by LA-ICP-MS using a laser spot size as small as 4 μm. The image patterns found in retina are in good agreement with those obtained by conventional fluorescence immunohistochemistry which was used as an established reference method. Graphical abstract Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) conjugated to a primary specific antibody serve as a label for amplified bioimaging of metallothioneins (MTs) by laser ablation coupled to inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in human ocular tissue sections.

Facial soft tissue thickness database of Gujarati population for forensic craniofacial reconstruction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anand Lodha

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The forensic facial reconstruction is a scientific art to construct the ante-mortem face from the human skull. The facial recognition is made by reconstructing the contours of the facial soft tissue thickness (FSTT.These FSTT data are essential for probable face reconstruction but the data of FSTT at particular anthropological landmarks differ in various ethnic groups. Until now several works have been reported on different population but no study exists in which the FSTT of a Gujarati population has been measured. The aim of this study is to compile a set of soft tissue depth data of Gujarati population of India to add to existing literature on FSTT. Computed tomography (CT-scan has been utilized to measure the 25 different FSTT landmarks of 324 male and 165 female. Present study shows significant differences in certain FSTT of Gujarati population from that of other populations. Our compiled data set of FSTT for the Gujarati population is important in understanding craniofacial characteristics of the Gujarati population and potentially be helpful in forensic identification.

Two-dimensional and 3-D images of thick tissue using time-constrained times-of-flight and absorbance spectrophotometry

Science.gov (United States)

Benaron, David A.; Lennox, M.; Stevenson, David K.

1992-05-01

Reconstructing deep-tissue images in real time using spectrophotometric data from optically diffusing thick tissues has been problematic. Continuous wave applications (e.g., pulse oximetry, regional cerebral saturation) ignore both the multiple paths traveled by the photons through the tissue and the effects of scattering, allowing scalar measurements but only under limited conditions; interferometry works poorly in thick, highly-scattering media; frequency- modulated approaches may not allow full deconvolution of scattering and absorbance; and pulsed-light techniques allow for preservation of information regarding the multiple paths taken by light through the tissue, but reconstruction is both computation intensive and limited by the relative surface area available for detection of photons. We have developed a picosecond times-of-flight and absorbance (TOFA) optical system, time-constrained to measure only photons with a narrow range of path lengths and arriving within a narrow angel of the emitter-detector axis. The delay until arrival of the earliest arriving photons is a function of both the scattering and absorbance of the tissues in a direct line between the emitter and detector, reducing the influence of surrounding tissues. Measurement using a variety of emitter and detector locations produces spatial information which can be analyzed in a standard 2-D grid, or subject to computer reconstruction to produce tomographic images representing 3-D structure. Using such a technique, we have been able to demonstrate the principles of tc-TOFA, detect and localize diffusive and/or absorptive objects suspended in highly scattering media (such as blood admixed with yeast), and perform simple 3-D reconstructions using phantom objects. We are now attempting to obtain images in vivo. Potential future applications include use as a research tool, and as a continuous, noninvasive, nondestructive monitor in diagnostic imaging, fetal monitoring, neurologic and cardiac

Some elevated temperature tensile and strain-controlled fatigue properties for a 9%Cr1Mo steel heat treated to simulate thick section material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanderson, S.J.; Jacques, S.

Current interest has been expressed in the usage of thick section 9%Cr1%Mo steel, particularly for UK Commercial Demonstration Fast Reactor (CDFR) steam generator tubeplates. This paper presents the results of some preliminary mechanical property test work on a single cast of the steel, heat treated to simulate heavy ruling sections encompassing thicknesses likely to be met in the CDFR context. The microstructures of the simulated thick section material were found to remain predominantly as tempered martensite even at the slowest transformation cooling rates used (50 deg. C/h). The effect of microstructure is reflected in the elevated temperature proof stress, tensile strength and strain-controlled fatigue endurance which were found to be comparable with the properties established for thin section normalised and tempered 9%Cr1%Mo steel. These results are extremely encouraging and, taken in conjunction with the results from other simulation work on this material, further demonstrate the potential of thick section 9%Cr1%Mo steel. (author)

Correlation between Macular Thickness and Visual Field in Early Open Angle Glaucoma: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Fallahi Motlagh, Behzad; Sadeghi, Ali

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to correlate macular thickness and visual field parameters in early glaucoma. A total of 104 eyes affected with early glaucoma were examined in a cross-sectional, prospective study. Visual field testing using both standard automated perimetry (SAP) and shortwave automated perimetry (SWAP) was performed. Global visual field parameters, including mean deviation (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD), were recorded and correlated with spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT)-measured macular thickness and asymmetry. Average macular thickness correlated significantly with all measures of visual field including MD-SWAP (r = 0.42), MD-SAP (r = 0.41), PSD-SWAP (r = -0.23), and PSD-SAP (r = -0.21), with P-values field parameters in early glaucoma. The results of this study should make macular thickness measurements even more meaningful to glaucoma specialists.

Subcutaneous Tissue Thickness is an Independent Predictor of Image Noise in Cardiac CT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Staniak, Henrique Lane; Sharovsky, Rodolfo [Hospital Universitário - Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Pereira, Alexandre Costa [Hospital das Clínicas - Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Castro, Cláudio Campi de; Benseñor, Isabela M.; Lotufo, Paulo A. [Hospital Universitário - Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Faculdade de Medicina - Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Bittencourt, Márcio Sommer, E-mail: msbittencourt@mail.harvard.edu [Hospital Universitário - Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2014-01-15

Few data on the definition of simple robust parameters to predict image noise in cardiac computed tomography (CT) exist. To evaluate the value of a simple measure of subcutaneous tissue as a predictor of image noise in cardiac CT. 86 patients underwent prospective ECG-gated coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA) and coronary calcium scoring (CAC) with 120 kV and 150 mA. The image quality was objectively measured by the image noise in the aorta in the cardiac CTA, and low noise was defined as noise < 30HU. The chest anteroposterior diameter and lateral width, the image noise in the aorta and the skin-sternum (SS) thickness were measured as predictors of cardiac CTA noise. The association of the predictors and image noise was performed by using Pearson correlation. The mean radiation dose was 3.5 ± 1.5 mSv. The mean image noise in CT was 36.3 ± 8.5 HU, and the mean image noise in non-contrast scan was 17.7 ± 4.4 HU. All predictors were independently associated with cardiac CTA noise. The best predictors were SS thickness, with a correlation of 0.70 (p < 0.001), and noise in the non-contrast images, with a correlation of 0.73 (p < 0.001). When evaluating the ability to predict low image noise, the areas under the ROC curve for the non-contrast noise and for the SS thickness were 0.837 and 0.864, respectively. Both SS thickness and CAC noise are simple accurate predictors of cardiac CTA image noise. Those parameters can be incorporated in standard CT protocols to adequately adjust radiation exposure.

Subcutaneous Tissue Thickness is an Independent Predictor of Image Noise in Cardiac CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staniak, Henrique Lane; Sharovsky, Rodolfo; Pereira, Alexandre Costa; Castro, Cláudio Campi de; Benseñor, Isabela M.; Lotufo, Paulo A.; Bittencourt, Márcio Sommer

2014-01-01

Few data on the definition of simple robust parameters to predict image noise in cardiac computed tomography (CT) exist. To evaluate the value of a simple measure of subcutaneous tissue as a predictor of image noise in cardiac CT. 86 patients underwent prospective ECG-gated coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA) and coronary calcium scoring (CAC) with 120 kV and 150 mA. The image quality was objectively measured by the image noise in the aorta in the cardiac CTA, and low noise was defined as noise < 30HU. The chest anteroposterior diameter and lateral width, the image noise in the aorta and the skin-sternum (SS) thickness were measured as predictors of cardiac CTA noise. The association of the predictors and image noise was performed by using Pearson correlation. The mean radiation dose was 3.5 ± 1.5 mSv. The mean image noise in CT was 36.3 ± 8.5 HU, and the mean image noise in non-contrast scan was 17.7 ± 4.4 HU. All predictors were independently associated with cardiac CTA noise. The best predictors were SS thickness, with a correlation of 0.70 (p < 0.001), and noise in the non-contrast images, with a correlation of 0.73 (p < 0.001). When evaluating the ability to predict low image noise, the areas under the ROC curve for the non-contrast noise and for the SS thickness were 0.837 and 0.864, respectively. Both SS thickness and CAC noise are simple accurate predictors of cardiac CTA image noise. Those parameters can be incorporated in standard CT protocols to adequately adjust radiation exposure

Imaging of tissue sections with very slow electrons

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Frank, Luděk; Nebesářová, Jana; Vancová, Marie; Paták, Aleš; Müllerová, Ilona

2015-01-01

Roč. 148, JAN 2015 (2015), s. 146-150 ISSN 0304-3991 R&D Projects: GA TA ČR TE01020118; GA MŠk(CZ) LO1212 Institutional support: RVO:68081731 ; RVO:60077344 Keywords : Biological STEM * Ultralow energy STEM * Tissue sections * Cathode lens * Depolymerisation Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 2.874, year: 2015

Fluid distribution and tissue thickness changes in 29 men during 1 week at moderate altitude (2,315 m).

Science.gov (United States)

Gunga, H C; Kirsch, K; Baartz, F; Steiner, H J; Wittels, P; Röcker, L

1995-01-01

To quantify fluid distribution at a moderate altitude (2,315 m) 29 male subjects were studied with respect to tissue thickness changes [front (forehead), sternum, tibia], changes of total body water, changes of plasma volume, total protein concentrations (TPC), colloid osmotic pressure (COP), and electrolytes. Tissue thickness at the forehead showed a significant increase from 4.14 mm to 4.41 mm 48 h after ascent to the Rudolfshuette (2,315 m) (P Rudolf-shuette in Saalfelden (744 m) COP was back to the control values. The TPC also showed an initial drop from 7.75 g.dl-1 to 7.48 g.dl-1 after 48 h at altitude and remained below the control value during the whole week (P < 0.01). It seems from our study that even with exposure to moderate altitude measurable fluid shifts to the upper part of the body occurred which were detected by our ultrasound method.

Use of high-resolution ultrasound to measure changes in plantar fascia thickness resulting from tissue creep in runners and walkers.

Science.gov (United States)

Welk, Aaron B; Haun, Daniel W; Clark, Thomas B; Kettner, Norman W

2015-01-01

This study sought to use high-resolution ultrasound to measure changes in plantar fascia thickness as a result of tissue creep generated by walking and running. Independent samples of participants were obtained. Thirty-six walkers and 25 runners walked on a treadmill for 10 minutes or ran for 30 minutes, respectively. Standardized measures of the thickness of the plantar fascia were obtained in both groups using high-resolution ultrasound. The mean thickness of the plantar fascia was measured immediately before and after participation. The mean plantar fascia thickness was decreased by 0.06 ± 0.33 mm SD after running and 0.03 ± 0.22 mm SD after walking. The difference between groups was not significant. Although the parameters of this study did not produce significant changes in the plantar fascia thickness, a slightly higher change in the mean thickness of the plantar fascia in the running group deserves further investigation. Copyright © 2015 National University of Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Vertical leaf mass per area gradient of mature sugar maple reflects both height-driven increases in vascular tissue and light-driven increases in palisade layer thickness.

Science.gov (United States)

Coble, Adam P; Cavaleri, Molly A

2017-10-01

A key trait used in canopy and ecosystem function modeling, leaf mass per area (LMA), is influenced by changes in both leaf thickness and leaf density (LMA = Thickness × Density). In tall trees, LMA is understood to increase with height through two primary mechanisms: (i) increasing palisade layer thickness (and thus leaf thickness) in response to light and/or (ii) reduced cell expansion and intercellular air space in response to hydrostatic constraints, leading to increased leaf density. Our objective was to investigate within-canopy gradients in leaf anatomical traits in order to understand environmental factors that influence leaf morphology in a sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall) forest canopy. We teased apart the effects of light and height on anatomical traits by sampling at exposed and closed canopies that had different light conditions at similar heights. As expected, palisade layer thickness responded strongly to cumulative light exposure. Mesophyll porosity, however, was weakly and negatively correlated with light and height (i.e., hydrostatic gradients). Reduced mesophyll porosity was not likely caused by limitations on cell expansion; in fact, epidermal cell width increased with height. Palisade layer thickness was better related to LMA, leaf density and leaf thickness than was mesophyll porosity. Vein diameter and fraction of vascular tissue also increased with height and LMA, density and thickness, revealing that greater investment in vascular and support tissue may be a third mechanism for increased LMA with height. Overall, decreasing mesophyll porosity with height was likely due to palisade cells expanding into the available air space and also greater investments in vascular and support tissue, rather than a reduction of cell expansion due to hydrostatic constraints. Our results provide evidence that light influences both palisade layer thickness and mesophyll porosity and indicate that hydrostatic gradients influence leaf vascular and support

Sensitivity of Shallow Land Burial to neutron environment and activation cross sections in IFE thick-liquid concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Cabellos, O.; Sanz, J.; Reyes, S.; Latkowski, J.; García-Herranz, N.

2006-06-01

A comprehensive assessment on the eligibility of reduced activation (RA) steels as structural chamber material in Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) thick-liquid concepts is performed. As far as alloying elements, it is shown that the activation of tungsten is a question to debate. Regarding impurity elements, it is analyzed if they could question the possibility of obtaining real RA steels for shallow land burial (SLB). The effect of the thickness of the liquid wall on the SLB response of alloying and impurity elements is computed. And above all, we have estimated the impact of cross section uncertainties when addressing the former questions, and we identify those to be improved. The necessary improvement of some tungsten and niobium cross sections is justified.

The Effects of Topical Agent (Kelo-Cote or Contractubex Massage on the Thickness of Post-Burn Scar Tissue Formed in Rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Won Jin Ko

2013-11-01

Full Text Available BackgroundWe conducted an experimental study to compare the effect of massage using topical agents (Kelo-cote or Contractubex on scar formation by massaging the healed burn wound on the dorsal area of Sprague-Dawley (SD rats.MethodsFour areas of second degree contact burn were made on the dorsal area of each of 15 SD rats, using a soldering iron 15 mm in diameter. After gross epithelialization in the defect, 15 SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: the Kelo-cote group, Contractubex group, Vaseline group, and control group. Rats in three of the groups (all but the Control group were massaged twice per day for 5 minutes each day, while those in the Control group were left unattended. For histologic analysis, we performed a biopsy and evaluated the thickness of scar tissue.ResultsIn the Kelo-cote and Contractubex groups, scar tissue thicknesses showed a significant decrease, compared with the Vaseline and control groups. However, no significant differences were observed between the Kelo-cote and Contractubex groups. In the Vaseline group, scar tissue thicknesses showed a significant decrease, compared with the control groups.ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest that massage using a topical agent is helpful in the prevention of scar formation and that massage only with lubricant (no use of a topical agent also has a considerable effect, although not as much as the use of a topical agent. Thus, we recommend massage with a topical agent on the post-burn scar as an effective method for decreasing the scar thickness.

The role of resveratrol on full - Thickness uterine wound healing in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Sayin, Oya; Micili, Serap Cilaker; Goker, Asli; Kamaci, Gonca; Ergur, Bekir Ugur; Yilmaz, Osman; Guner Akdogan, Gul

2017-10-01

Healing of the uterus after cesarean section and myomectomy operation is clinically important. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of resveratrol (3,5,4'-o-trihydroxystilbene) on the wound healing process of the uterus in rats treated with resveratrol following full thickness injury of the uterus. Twenty-one female wistar albino rats were divided randomly into three groups (1) control group with no intervention (2) injury group with uterine full thickness injury (3) resveratrol group with uterine full thickness injury and treated with resveratrol. Resveratrol was injected by oral gavage at the doses of 0.5 mg/kg/day for 30 days following uterine full thickness injury. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) distributions were assessed using the immunohistochemical methods in tissue and ELISA methods in the tissue homogenate. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were evaluated with colorimetric method and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels also were measured using high performance liquid chromatography in the tissue homogenate. The effects of resveratrol on the uterine histology also were evaluated histologically with the light microscopy. Histological evaluation and immunohistochemical evaluations showed that treatment with a resveratrol significantly increased the thickness of the uterine wall and VEGF expression and decreased expression PDGF during wound healing. Biochemically, GPx and SOD activities were increased significantly after treatment with resveratrol. Additionally, resveratrol administration decreased MDA levels. These results showed that the antioxidant effects of resveratrol has been shown to have a positive influence on wound healing of the uterus. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Antigen retrieval prior to on-tissue digestion of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumour tissue sections yields oxidation of proline residues.

Science.gov (United States)

Djidja, Marie-Claude; Claude, Emmanuelle; Scriven, Peter; Allen, David W; Carolan, Vikki A; Clench, Malcolm R

2017-07-01

MALDI-mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) has been shown to allow the study of protein distribution and identification directly within formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections. However, direct protein identification from tissue sections remains challenging due to signal interferences and/or existing post-translational or other chemical modifications. The use of antigen retrieval (AR) has been demonstrated for unlocking proteins prior to in situ enzymatic digestion and MALDI-MSI analysis of FFPE tissue sections. In the work reported here, the identification of proline oxidation, which may occur when performing the AR protocol, is described. This facilitated and considerably increased the number of identified peptides when adding proline oxidation as a variable modification to the MASCOT search criteria. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: MALDI Imaging, edited by Dr. Corinna Henkel and Prof. Peter Hoffmann. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A compact and versatile microfluidic probe for local processing of tissue sections and biological specimens

Science.gov (United States)

Cors, J. F.; Lovchik, R. D.; Delamarche, E.; Kaigala, G. V.

2014-03-01

The microfluidic probe (MFP) is a non-contact, scanning microfluidic technology for local (bio)chemical processing of surfaces based on hydrodynamically confining nanoliter volumes of liquids over tens of micrometers. We present here a compact MFP (cMFP) that can be used on a standard inverted microscope and assist in the local processing of tissue sections and biological specimens. The cMFP has a footprint of 175 × 100 × 140 mm3 and can scan an area of 45 × 45 mm2 on a surface with an accuracy of ±15 μm. The cMFP is compatible with standard surfaces used in life science laboratories such as microscope slides and Petri dishes. For ease of use, we developed self-aligned mounted MFP heads with standardized "chip-to-world" and "chip-to-platform" interfaces. Switching the processing liquid in the flow confinement is performed within 90 s using a selector valve with a dead-volume of approximately 5 μl. We further implemented height-compensation that allows a cMFP head to follow non-planar surfaces common in tissue and cellular ensembles. This was shown by patterning different macroscopic copper-coated topographies with height differences up to 750 μm. To illustrate the applicability to tissue processing, 5 μm thick M000921 BRAF V600E+ melanoma cell blocks were stained with hematoxylin to create contours, lines, spots, gradients of the chemicals, and multiple spots over larger areas. The local staining was performed in an interactive manner using a joystick and a scripting module. The compactness, user-friendliness, and functionality of the cMFP will enable it to be adapted as a standard tool in research, development and diagnostic laboratories, particularly for the interaction with tissues and cells.

THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBSERVATIONS ON THICK BIOLOGICAL SPECIMENS BY HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tetsuji Nagata

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Thick biological specimens prepared as whole mount cultured cells or thick sections from embedded tissues were stained with histochemical reactions, such as thiamine pyrophosphatase, glucose-6-phosphatase, cytochrome oxidase, acid phosphatase, DAB reactions and radioautography, to observe 3-D ultrastructures of cell organelles producing stereo-pairs by high voltage electron microscopy at accerelating voltages of 400-1000 kV. The organelles demonstrated were Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, lysosomes, peroxisomes, pinocytotic vesicles and incorporations of radioactive compounds. As the results, those cell organelles were observed 3- dimensionally and the relative relationships between these organelles were demonstrated.

Utilization of ultrasonic tomography for the mapping of residual stress fields in thick metal sections. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hildebrand, B.P.; Hufferd, D.E.

1977-01-01

It is well known that the velocity of sound propagation through a solid is altered when a stress is applied. The velocity change is small, and dependent upon the type of wave being propagated as well as the magnitude of the stress. Sensitivity is greatest to shear wave sound with the polarization vector parallel to the direction of stress. In this case, velocity changes as great as 0.6 percent were measured. Preliminary work is described aimed at evaluating computerized reconstruction of velocity fields from velocity profiles to map residual stress concentrations in thick metal sections. Experimental results with liquid and solid models are described. One could image velocity anomalies of 0.2 percent and estimate that 0.05 percent is technically feasible. It is concluded that this technique has great potential for finding and mapping residual stress in thick metal sections

The importance of fast neutron scattering cross sections for neutron dosimetry in soft tissues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jahr, R.; Brede, H.J.

1979-05-01

Tissue equivalent plastic materials are used for the construction of accurate neutron dosemeters. As compared to real tissue, in materials most of the oxygen content is replaced by carbon. In order to determine the dose to human tissue a kerma correction factor has to be used. It is shown that the uncertainty (corresponding to 1 delta) of the correction factor at E = 14.5 MeV amounts to at least 5.2%. An important contribution to the uncertainties results from the lack of experimental data of the 12 C(n, n' 3α), 16 O(n,n'p) and 16 O(n,n'α)-cross-sections. These data are to be calculated by subtracting all other cross sections from the total cross section of ( 16 O + n) and ( 12 C + n). It is shown that the uncertainties of the kerma correction factor can be considerably reduced by an accurate measurement of the scattering cross sections of carbon and oxygen. (orig.) [de

Is It Possible to Detect Activated Brown Adipose Tissue in Humans Using Single-Time-Point Infrared Thermography under Thermoneutral Conditions? Impact of BMI and Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Thickness.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergios Gatidis

Full Text Available To evaluate the feasibility to detect activated brown adipose tissue (BAT using single-time-point infrared thermography of the supraclavicular skin region under thermoneutral conditions. To this end, infrared thermography was compared with 18-F-FDG PET, the current reference standard for the detection of activated BAT.120 patients were enrolled in this study. After exclusion of 18 patients, 102 patients (44 female, 58 male, mean age 58±17 years were included for final analysis. All patients underwent a clinically indicated 18F-FDG-PET/CT examination. Immediately prior to tracer injection skin temperatures of the supraclavicular, presternal and jugular regions were measured using spatially resolved infrared thermography at room temperature. The presence of activated BAT was determined in PET by typical FDG uptake within the supraclavicular adipose tissue compartments. Local thickness of supraclavicular subcutaneous adipose tissue (SCAT was measured on CT. Measured skin temperatures were statistically correlated with the presence of activated BAT and anthropometric data.Activated BAT was detected in 9 of 102 patients (8.8%. Local skin temperature of the supraclavicular region was significantly higher in individuals with active BAT compared to individuals without active BAT. However, after statistical correction for the influence of BMI, no predictive value of activated BAT on skin temperature of the supraclavicular region could be observed. Supraclavicular skin temperature was significantly negatively correlated with supraclavicular SCAT thickness.We conclude that supraclavicular SCAT thickness influences supraclavicular skin temperature and thus makes a specific detection of activated BAT using single-time-point thermography difficult. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the possibility of BAT detection using alternative thermographic methods, e.g. dynamic thermography or MR-based thermometry taking into account BMI as a confounding factor.

New methods for multimodal MS imaging of histological tissue sections

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Amstalden Van Hove, E.R.

2011-01-01

The insights derived from spatial localization of molecules in tissue sections are of great value for understanding and treating cancer and other diseases. These insights can relate to molecules linked to a disease as well as to drug molecules distributed across organs of interest. Mass spectrometry

Does the ratio and thickness of prevertebral soft tissue provide benefit in blunt cervical spine injury?

Science.gov (United States)

Shiau, J-P; Chin, C-C; Yeh, C-N; Chen, J-F; Lee, S-T; Fang, J-F; Liao, C-C

2013-06-01

Although many reports advocate computed tomography (CT) as the initial surveillance tool for occult cervical spine injury (CSI) at the emergency department (ED), the role of a lateral cervical spine radiograph (LCSX) has still not been replaced. We hypothesized that the increased width of the prevertebral soft tissue on an LCSX provides helpful information for selecting the high-risk patients who need to be evaluated with more accurate diagnostic tools. This was a retrospective and consecutive series of injured patients requiring cervical spine evaluation who were first imaged with three-view plain films at the ED. The prevertebral soft tissue thickness (PVST) and ratio of prevertebral soft tissue thickness to the cervical vertebrae diameter (PVST ratio) were calculated on the LCSX. Suspicion of CSI was confirmed by either CT or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. A total of 826 adult trauma patients requiring cervical spine evaluation were enrolled. The C3 PVST and PVST ratio were significantly different between patients with or without upper cervical area injury (UCAI, 8.64 vs. 5.49 mm, and 0.394 vs. 0.276, respectively), and, likewise, the C6 PVST and PVST ratio for patients with or without lower cervical area injury (LCAI, 16.89 vs. 14.66 mm, and 0.784 vs. 0.749, respectively). The specificity was greater than 90 % in predicting UCAI and LCAI when combining these two parameters. This method maximizes the usefulness of LCSX during the initial assessment of a conscious patient with blunt head and neck injury, especially for the identification of high-risk patients requiring prompt CT or MRI; on the other hand, it prevents the overuse of these high-cost imaging studies as initial diagnostic tools.

A high-resolution optical imaging system for obtaining the serial transverse section images of biologic tissue

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Li; Zhang, Bin; Wu, Ping; Liu, Qian; Gong, Hui

2007-05-01

A high-resolution optical imaging system was designed and developed to obtain the serial transverse section images of the biologic tissue, such as the mouse brain, in which new knife-edge imaging technology, high-speed and high-sensitive line-scan CCD and linear air bearing stages were adopted and incorporated with an OLYMPUS microscope. The section images on the tip of the knife-edge were synchronously captured by the reflection imaging in the microscope while cutting the biologic tissue. The biologic tissue can be sectioned at interval of 250 nm with the same resolution of the transverse section images obtained in x and y plane. And the cutting job can be automatically finished based on the control program wrote specially in advance, so we save the mass labor of the registration of the vast images data. In addition, by using this system a larger sample can be cut than conventional ultramicrotome so as to avoid the loss of the tissue structure information because of splitting the tissue sample to meet the size request of the ultramicrotome.

Age effects on cortical thickness in young Down's syndrome subjects: a cross-sectional gender study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romano, Andrea; Moraschi, Marta; Cornia, Riccardo; Stella, Giacomo; Bozzao, Alessandro; Gagliardo, Olga; Chiacchiararelli, Laura; Iani, Cristina; Albertini, Giorgio; Pierallini, Alberto

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine differences in the characteristic pattern of age-related cortical thinning in men and women with Down's syndrome (DS) by means of MRI and automatic cortical thickness measurements and a cross-sectional design, in a large cohort of young subjects. Eighty-four subjects with DS, 30 females (11-35 years, mean age ± SD = 22.8 ± 5.9) and 54 males (11-35 years, mean age ± SD = 21.5 ± 6.5), were examined using a 1.5-T scanner. MRI-based quantification of cortical thickness was performed using FreeSurfer software package. For all subjects participating in the study, the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient between age and mean cortical thickness values has been evaluated. A significant negative correlation between cortical thickness and age was found in female DS subjects, predominantly in frontal and parietal lobes, bilaterally. In male DS subjects, a significant negative correlation between cortical thickness and age was found in the right fronto-temporal lobes and cingulate regions. Whole brain mean cortical thickness values were significantly negative correlated with age only in female DS subjects. Females with Down's syndrome showed a strong correlation between cortical thickness and age, already in early age. We suggest that the cognitive impairment due to hormonal deficit in the postmenopausal period could be emphasized by the early structural decline of gray matter in female DS subjects. (orig.)

Age effects on cortical thickness in young Down's syndrome subjects: a cross-sectional gender study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romano, Andrea; Moraschi, Marta [San Raffaele Foundation Rome, Rehabilitation Facility Ceglie Messapica, Rome (Italy); Cornia, Riccardo; Stella, Giacomo [University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Education and Human Sciences, Emilia-Romagna (Italy); Bozzao, Alessandro; Gagliardo, Olga [University Sapienza, NESMOS, Department of Neuroradiology, S. Andrea Hospital, Rome (Italy); Chiacchiararelli, Laura [University Sapienza, Department of Medical Physics, S. Andrea Hospital, Rome (Italy); Iani, Cristina [University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Communication and Economy, Emilia-Romagna (Italy); Albertini, Giorgio [IRCSS San Raffaele Pisana, Department of Paediatrics, Rome (Italy); Pierallini, Alberto [IRCSS San Raffaele Pisana, Department of Radiology, Rome (Italy)

2015-04-01

The aim of this study was to determine differences in the characteristic pattern of age-related cortical thinning in men and women with Down's syndrome (DS) by means of MRI and automatic cortical thickness measurements and a cross-sectional design, in a large cohort of young subjects. Eighty-four subjects with DS, 30 females (11-35 years, mean age ± SD = 22.8 ± 5.9) and 54 males (11-35 years, mean age ± SD = 21.5 ± 6.5), were examined using a 1.5-T scanner. MRI-based quantification of cortical thickness was performed using FreeSurfer software package. For all subjects participating in the study, the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient between age and mean cortical thickness values has been evaluated. A significant negative correlation between cortical thickness and age was found in female DS subjects, predominantly in frontal and parietal lobes, bilaterally. In male DS subjects, a significant negative correlation between cortical thickness and age was found in the right fronto-temporal lobes and cingulate regions. Whole brain mean cortical thickness values were significantly negative correlated with age only in female DS subjects. Females with Down's syndrome showed a strong correlation between cortical thickness and age, already in early age. We suggest that the cognitive impairment due to hormonal deficit in the postmenopausal period could be emphasized by the early structural decline of gray matter in female DS subjects. (orig.)

High-resolution and high sensitivity mesoscopic fluorescence tomography based on de-scanning EMCCD: System design and thick tissue imaging applications

Science.gov (United States)

Ozturk, Mehmet Saadeddin

Optical microscopy has been one of the essential tools for biological studies for decades, however, its application areas was limited to superficial investigation due to strong scattering in live tissues. Even though advanced techniques such as confocal or multiphoton methods have been recently developed to penetrate beyond a few hundreds of microns deep in tissues, they still cannot perform in the mesoscopic regime (millimeter scale) without using destructive sample preparation protocols such as clearing techniques. They provide rich cellular information; however, they cannot be readily employed to investigate the biological processes at larger scales. Herein, we will present our effort to establish a novel imaging approach that can quantify molecular expression in intact tissues, well beyond the current microscopy depth limits. Mesoscopic Fluorescence Molecular Tomography (MFMT) is an emerging imaging modality that offers unique potential for the non-invasive molecular assessment of thick in-vitro and in-vivo live tissues. This novel imaging modality is based on an optical inverse problem that allows for retrieval of the quantitative spatial distribution of fluorescent tagged bio-markers at millimeter depth. MFMT is well-suited for in-vivo subsurface tissue imaging and thick bio-printed specimens due to its high sensitivity and fast acquisition times, as well as relatively large fields of view. Herein, we will first demonstrate the potential of this technique using our first generation MFMT system applied to multiplexed reporter gene imaging (in-vitro) and determination of Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) agent bio-distribution in a mouse model (in-vivo). Second, we will present the design rationale, in silico benchmarking, and experimental validation of a second generation MFMT (2GMFMT) system. We will demonstrate the gain in resolution and sensitivity achieved due to the de-scanned dense detector configuration implemented. The potential of this novel platform will be

Direct linear measurement of root dentin thickness and dentin volume changes with post space preparation: A cone-beam computed tomography study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shoeb Yakub Shaikh

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Aim: The purpose of the present study was direct linear measurement of dentin thickness and dentin volume changes for post space preparation with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT. Materials and Methods: Ten maxillary central incisors were scanned, before and after root canal and post space preparation, with Orthophos XG three-dimensional hybrid unit. Thirteen axial section scans of each tooth from orifice to apex and dentin thickness for buccal, lingual, mesial, and distal were measured using proprietary measuring tool and thereafter subjected to statistical analysis. Furthermore, dentin volume was evaluated using ITK-SNAP software. Results: There was statistically significant difference between the dentin thickness in pre- and postinstrumentation (paired t-test and also between different groups (one-way ANOVA. In the shortest post length of 4.5mm the post space preparation resulted in 2.17% loss of hard tissue volume, where as 11mm longest post length post space preparation resulted in >40% loss of hard tissue volume. Conclusion: CBCT axial section scan for direct measurements of root dentin thickness can be guideline before and after post space preparation for selection of drill length and diameter.

A novel, modernized Golgi-Cox stain optimized for CLARITY cleared tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Kassem, Mustafa S; Fok, Sandra Y Y; Smith, Kristie L; Kuligowski, Michael; Balleine, Bernard W

2018-01-15

High resolution neuronal information is extraordinarily useful in understanding the brain's functionality. The development of the Golgi-Cox stain allowed observation of the neuron in its entirety with unrivalled detail. Tissue clearing techniques, e.g., CLARITY and CUBIC, provide the potential to observe entire neuronal circuits intact within tissue and without previous restrictions with regard to section thickness. Here we describe an improved Golgi-Cox stain method, optimised for use with CLARITY and CUBIC that can be used in both fresh and fixed tissue. Using this method, we were able to observe neurons in their entirety within a fraction of the time traditionally taken to clear tissue (48h). We were also able to show for the first-time that Golgi stained tissue is fluorescent when visualized using a multi-photon microscope, allowing us to image synaptic spines with a detail previously unachievable. These novel methods provide cheap and easy to use techniques to investigate the morphology of cellular processes in the brain at a new-found depth, speed, utility and detail, without previous restrictions of time, tissue type and section thickness. This is the first application of a Golgi-Cox stain to cleared brain tissue, it is investigated and discussed in detail, describing different methodologies that may be used, a comparison between the different clearing techniques and lastly the novel interaction of these techniques with this ultra-rapid stain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automatic registration of multi-modal microscopy images for integrative analysis of prostate tissue sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lippolis, Giuseppe; Edsjö, Anders; Helczynski, Leszek; Bjartell, Anders; Overgaard, Niels Chr

2013-01-01

Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths. For diagnosis, predicting the outcome of the disease, and for assessing potential new biomarkers, pathologists and researchers routinely analyze histological samples. Morphological and molecular information may be integrated by aligning microscopic histological images in a multiplex fashion. This process is usually time-consuming and results in intra- and inter-user variability. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of using modern image analysis methods for automated alignment of microscopic images from differently stained adjacent paraffin sections from prostatic tissue specimens. Tissue samples, obtained from biopsy or radical prostatectomy, were sectioned and stained with either hematoxylin & eosin (H&E), immunohistochemistry for p63 and AMACR or Time Resolved Fluorescence (TRF) for androgen receptor (AR). Image pairs were aligned allowing for translation, rotation and scaling. The registration was performed automatically by first detecting landmarks in both images, using the scale invariant image transform (SIFT), followed by the well-known RANSAC protocol for finding point correspondences and finally aligned by Procrustes fit. The Registration results were evaluated using both visual and quantitative criteria as defined in the text. Three experiments were carried out. First, images of consecutive tissue sections stained with H&E and p63/AMACR were successfully aligned in 85 of 88 cases (96.6%). The failures occurred in 3 out of 13 cores with highly aggressive cancer (Gleason score ≥ 8). Second, TRF and H&E image pairs were aligned correctly in 103 out of 106 cases (97%). The third experiment considered the alignment of image pairs with the same staining (H&E) coming from a stack of 4 sections. The success rate for alignment dropped from 93.8% in adjacent sections to 22% for sections furthest away. The proposed method is both reliable and fast and therefore well suited

The relationship between bone mineral density and adipose tissue of postmenopausal women

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Sun Hwa [Dept. of Radiology, HwaMyeong Iisin christian Hospital, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jung Hoon [Dept. of Radiological Science, Catholic University of Pusan, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Im, In Chul [Dept. of Radiological Science, Dong Eui University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2017-06-15

Postmenopausal women are at increased risk for osteoporosis and obesity due to changes in hormones. The relationship between osteoporosis and body weight is known, and its relation with body fat mass is discussed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bone mineral density(BMD) changes of epicardial adipose tissue(EAT) and abdominal subcutaneous fat. The subjects of this study were 160 postmenopausal women who underwent BMD and echocardiography. The thickness of the epicardial adipose tissue was measured in three sections and the BMD were meassured according to the diagnostic criteria. The results of this study that age increase the risk of osteoporosis increases, and as the weight and BMI decrease, the risk of osteoporosis increases(p<0.05). The relationship between changes in bone mineral density and adipose tissue in postmenopausal women, increased epicardial adipose tissue was negatively correlated with the bone mineral density(p<0.05). conversely, increased abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness was positively correlated with bone mineral density(p<0.05). In other words, the effect of bone mineral density on the location of adipose tissue was different. If Echocardiography is used to periodically examine changes in the thickness of the epicardial adipose tissue, it may be prevented before proceeding to osteoporosis.

Residual stress in a thick section high strength T-butt weld

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pearce, S.V.; Linton, V.M.; Oliver, E.C.

2008-01-01

Residual stresses in a structure are generated as a result of the various fabrication and welding processes used to make the component. Being able to quantify these residual stresses is a key step in determining the continuing integrity of a structure in service. In this work, the residual stresses around a high strength, quenched and tempered steel T-butt web to curved plate weld have been measured using neutron strain scanning. The results show that the residual stresses near the weld were dominated by the welding residual stresses, while the stresses further from the weld were dominated by the bending residual stresses. The results suggest that the combination of welding-induced residual stress and significant pre-welding residual stress, as in the case of a thick bent section of plate can significantly alter the residual stress profile from that in a flat plate

Evaluation of collagen in connective tissue walls of odontogenic cysts--a histochemical study.

Science.gov (United States)

Vij, Ruchieka; Vij, Hitesh; Rao, Nirmala N

2011-03-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the nature of collagen in the connective tissue walls of odontogenic cysts, like the odontogenic keratocyst (OKC), dentigerous cyst and radicular cyst using picrosirius red stained sections. Furthermore, it was intended to assess if the capsular connective tissue can affect the nature of overlying epithelium, thus emphasizing the role of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in biological behaviour of the cysts. The material for the study included 51 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks (15 odontogenic keratocyst, 15 dentigerous cysts, 15 radicular cysts and four normal mucosa and two dental follicular tissue as controls), retrieved from the Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, MCODS, Manipal. Tissue blocks were sectioned at 5-μm thickness, stained with picrosirius red stain and observed with polarization and light microscopy. Few sections of OKC and dentigerous cyst exhibited greenish-yellow birefringence in sub-epithelial region, whereas others showed a yellowish-orange birefringence under polarization microscopy. Most radicular cysts had yellowish-orange to orange birefringence. Shift in colour in case OKC and dentigerous cyst was attributed to the presence of inflammation in those sections. These regions also exhibited either a change in phenotype or thickness of overlying epithelium. This technique can be used to study the nature of collagen fibres in odontogenic cyst walls. Further studies with an increased sample size and using various epithelial and mesenchymal markers and ssDNA antibodies should be carried out to confirm the effect of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions on the nature of epithelium of odontogenic cysts. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Plantar fascia segmentation and thickness estimation in ultrasound images.

Science.gov (United States)

Boussouar, Abdelhafid; Meziane, Farid; Crofts, Gillian

2017-03-01

Ultrasound (US) imaging offers significant potential in diagnosis of plantar fascia (PF) injury and monitoring treatment. In particular US imaging has been shown to be reliable in foot and ankle assessment and offers a real-time effective imaging technique that is able to reliably confirm structural changes, such as thickening, and identify changes in the internal echo structure associated with diseased or damaged tissue. Despite the advantages of US imaging, images are difficult to interpret during medical assessment. This is partly due to the size and position of the PF in relation to the adjacent tissues. It is therefore a requirement to devise a system that allows better and easier interpretation of PF ultrasound images during diagnosis. This study proposes an automatic segmentation approach which for the first time extracts ultrasound data to estimate size across three sections of the PF (rearfoot, midfoot and forefoot). This segmentation method uses artificial neural network module (ANN) in order to classify small overlapping patches as belonging or not-belonging to the region of interest (ROI) of the PF tissue. Features ranking and selection techniques were performed as a post-processing step for features extraction to reduce the dimension and number of the extracted features. The trained ANN classifies the image overlapping patches into PF and non-PF tissue, and then it is used to segment the desired PF region. The PF thickness was calculated using two different methods: distance transformation and area-length calculation algorithms. This new approach is capable of accurately segmenting the PF region, differentiating it from surrounding tissues and estimating its thickness. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Skin color and tissue thickness effects on transmittance, reflectance, and skin temperature when using 635 and 808 nm lasers in low intensity therapeutics.

Science.gov (United States)

Souza-Barros, Leanna; Dhaidan, Ghaith; Maunula, Mikko; Solomon, Vaeda; Gabison, Sharon; Lilge, Lothar; Nussbaum, Ethne L

2018-04-01

To examine the role of skin color and tissue thickness on transmittance, reflectance, and skin heating using red and infrared laser light. Forty volunteers were measured for skin color and skin-fold thickness at a standardized site near the elbow. Transmittance, reflectance and skin temperature were recorded for energy doses of 2, 6, 9, and 12 Joules using 635 nm (36 mW) and 808 nm (40 mW) wavelength laser diodes with irradiances within American National Standards Institute safety guidelines (4.88 mm diameter, 0.192 W/cm 2 and 4.88 mm diameter, 0.214 W/cm 2 , respectively). The key factors affecting reflectance to an important degree were skin color and wavelength. However, the skin color effects were different for the two wavelengths: reflectance decreased for darker skin with a greater decrease for red light than near infrared light. Transmittance was greater using 808 nm compared with 635 nm. However, the effect was partly lost when the skin was dark rather than light, and was increasingly lost as tissue thickness increased. Dose had an increasing effect on temperature (0.7-1.6°C across the 6, 9, and 12 J doses); any effects of wavelength, skin color, and tissue thickness were insignificant compared to dose effects. Subjects themselves were not aware of the increased skin temperature. Transmittance and reflectance changes as a function of energy were very small and likely of no clinical significance. Absorption did not change with higher energy doses and increasing temperature. Skin color and skin thickness affect transmittance and reflectance of laser light and must be accounted for when selecting energy dose to ensure therapeutic effectiveness at the target tissue. Skin heating appears not to be a concern when using 635 and 808 nm lasers at energy doses of up to 12 J and irradiance within American National Standards Institute standards. Photobiomodulation therapy should never exceed the American National Standards Institute

High-resolution ice thickness and bed topography of a land-terminating section of the Greenland Ice Sheet

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindbäck, K.; Pettersson, R.; Doyle, S. H.

2014-01-01

We present ice thickness and bed topography maps with high spatial resolution (250 to 500 m) of a and-terminating section of the Greenland Ice Sheet derived from combined ground-based and airborne radar surveys. The data have a total area of ~12000 km2 and cover the whole ablation area of the out...

Affinity imaging mass spectrometry (AIMS): high-throughput screening for specific small molecule interactions with frozen tissue sections.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshimi, T; Kawabata, S; Taira, S; Okuno, A; Mikawa, R; Murayama, S; Tanaka, K; Takikawa, O

2015-11-07

A novel screening system, using affinity imaging mass spectrometry (AIMS), has been developed to identify protein aggregates or organ structures in unfixed human tissue. Frozen tissue sections are positioned on small (millimetre-scale) stainless steel chips and incubated with an extensive library of small molecules. Candidate molecules showing specific affinity for the tissue section are identified by imaging mass spectrometry (IMS). As an example application, we screened over a thousand compounds against Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain tissue and identified several compounds with high affinity for AD brain sections containing tau deposits compared to age-matched controls. It should also be possible to use AIMS to isolate chemical compounds with affinity for tissue structures or components that have been extensively modified by events such as oxidation, phosphorylation, acetylation, aggregation, racemization or truncation, for example, due to aging. It may also be applicable to biomarker screening programs.

Measurement of the thickness of the bronchial epithelium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowden, D.H.; Baldwin, F.

1989-02-01

Cancer of the lung in uranium miners is thought to be related to the inhalation of gaseous radon daughters which become attached to molecules of water vapour or to dust particles. Since, the depth of tissue penetration by alpha particles is short, the thickness of the epithelium that lines the bronchial tree may be a critical factor in the development of cancers at specific sites in the lung. The objectives of the present study were: 1) to measure the thickness of human bronchial epithelium; 2) to determine the distribution and depth of the nuclei of basal cells in the bronchial epithelium; and 3) to compare these parameters in groups of smokers and non-smokers. Twenty-nine surgically removed specimens of the lung were examined (26 smokers, 3 non-smokers). The specimens were fixed and prepared for examination by light and electron microscopy. Blocks of tissue were oriented so that the maximum number of bronchi were cut in cross-section; measurements included bronchi of all sizes from bronchial generations (1≥ 9.01 mm) diameter to the smallest bronchioles, generations 7 - 16 (0.26 - 2.0 mm). Comparison of measurements in smokers and non-smokers show no significant differences, so that the 29 cases are considered to represent a homogeneous group. With progressive divisions of the bronchi, the epithelium decreases in thickness. Of more importance are the figures relating to the distance from the cell surface to the underlying nucleus. Here too, with the exception of goblet cells, the measurements are significantly smaller in generations 7 - 16 than in generation 1

Cross section of α-induced reactions on iridium isotopes obtained from thick target yield measurement for the astrophysical γ process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Szücs

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The stellar reaction rates of radiative α-capture reactions on heavy isotopes are of crucial importance for the γ process network calculations. These rates are usually derived from statistical model calculations, which need to be validated, but the experimental database is very scarce. This paper presents the results of α-induced reaction cross section measurements on iridium isotopes carried out at first close to the astrophysically relevant energy region. Thick target yields of 191Ir(α,γ195Au, 191Ir(α,n194Au, 193Ir(α,n196mAu, 193Ir(α,n196Au reactions have been measured with the activation technique between Eα=13.4 MeV and 17 MeV. For the first time the thick target yield was determined with X-ray counting. This led to a previously unprecedented sensitivity. From the measured thick target yields, reaction cross sections are derived and compared with statistical model calculations. The recently suggested energy-dependent modification of the α+nucleus optical potential gives a good description of the experimental data.

Tracheal CT morphology: correlation with distribution and extent of thoracic adipose tissue

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ap Dafydd, Derfel [Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Department of Radiology, Charing Cross Hospital, London (United Kingdom); Desai, Sujal R. [King' s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, King' s College London, King' s Health Partners, London (United Kingdom); Gordon, Fabiana; Copley, Susan J. [Imperial College, London (United Kingdom)

2016-10-15

To evaluate the relationship between adipose tissue measurements and anterior bowing of the posterior tracheal wall in a large nonselected group of patients undergoing CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA). Consecutive patients undergoing CTPA over a 4-month period were analyzed retrospectively. Using an adapted scoring system (posterior bowing, flattening, mild/moderate or severe anterior bowing of the posterior tracheal membrane), the axial morphology and cross-sectional area of the trachea at the narrowest point and 1 cm above the aortic arch were evaluated. Measurements of adipose tissue were taken (anterior mediastinal fat width, sagittal upper abdominal diameter and subcutaneous fat thickness at the level of the costophrenic angle). Relationships between tracheal morphology and measurements of adipose tissue were analyzed. 296 patients were included (120 males, 176 females, mean age 59 years, range 19-90). Severe anterior bowing of the posterior tracheal wall correlated with increasing sagittal upper abdominal diameter (p = 0.002). Mild/moderate and severe anterior bowing of the posterior tracheal wall correlated with increasing mediastinal fat width (p = 0.000 and p = 0.031, respectively). Tracheal cross-sectional area was inversely correlated with increasing subcutaneous fat thickness (p = 0.022). The findings demonstrate a statistically significant relationship between CT tracheal morphology and adipose tissue measurements in a large nonselected population. (orig.)

Through thickness property variations in a thick plate AA7050 friction stir welded joint

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canaday, Clinton T.; Moore, Matthew A.; Tang, Wei; Reynolds, A.P.

2013-01-01

In this study, moderately thick (32 mm) AA7050 plates were joined by friction stir welding (FSW). Various methods were used to characterize the welded joints, including nugget grain size measurements at different locations through the thickness, micro-hardness indentation through nugget, thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), and heat affected zone (HAZ) at different cross section heights, and residual stress measurement using the cut compliance method with full thickness and partial thickness specimens. All testing results are consistent with the presence of a strong gradient in peak temperature through the plate thickness during FSW.

Diagnostic utility of melanin production by fungi: Study on tissue sections and culture smears with Masson-Fontana stain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Challa Sundaram

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Dematiaceous fungi appear brown in tissue section due to melanin in their cell walls. When the brown color is not seen on routine H and E and culture is not available, differentiation of dematiaceous fungi from other fungi is difficult on morphology alone. Aims and Objective: To study if melanin production by dematiaceous fungi can help differentiate them from other types of fungi. Materials and Methods: Fifty tissue sections of various fungal infections and 13 smears from cultures of different species of fungi were stained with Masson Fontana stain to assess melanin production. The tissue sections included biopsies from 26 culture-proven fungi and 24 biopsies of filamentous fungi diagnosed on morphology alone with no culture confirmation. Results: All culture-proven dematiaceous fungi and Zygomycetes showed strong positivity in sections and culture smears. Aspergillus sp showed variable positivity and intensity. Cryptococcus neoformans showed strong positivity in tissue sections and culture smears. Tissue sections of septate filamentous fungi (9/15, Zygomycetes (4/5, and fungi with both hyphal and yeast morphology (4/4 showed positivity for melanin. The septate filamentous fungi negative for melanin were from biopsy samples of fungal sinusitis including both allergic and invasive fungal sinusitis and colonizing fungal balls. Conclusion: Melanin is produced by both dematiaceous and non-dematiaceous fungi. Masson-Fontana stain cannot reliably differentiate dematiaceous fungi from other filamentous fungi like Aspergillus sp; however, absence of melanin in the hyphae may be used to rule out dematiaceous fungi from other filamentous fungi. In the differential diagnosis of yeast fungi, Cryptococcus sp can be differentiated from Candida sp by Masson-Fontana stain in tissue sections.

Shape and dimensions of cardiac chambers: Importance of CT section thickness and orientation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffman, E.A.; Ritman, E.L.

1985-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) scan data were used to quantitate the geometry of all heart chambers. The Dynamic Spatial Reconstructor (DSR) was used to scan dogs with in situ casts of the cardiac chambers. Chamber volumes estimated from DSR images were accurate within 5% of water displacement volume measurements of the actual casts for chambers greater than 11 ml and within 10% of water displacement volumes for chambers less than 11 ml. Anatomic features of the actual cast correlated closely with anatomy visible in computer-generated surface images of the 3D DSR image data. The important effect of reconstructed section thickness and orientation on the fidelity of 3D cardiac geometry is demonstrated

A reliable Differentiation of Mucor from Aspergillus in Tissue Sections with Ultraviolet Illumination

OpenAIRE

Senba, Masachika; Toda, Takayoshi; Toda, Yumiko; Hokama, Seitetsu

1989-01-01

In tissue, hyphae of mucor are characteristically broad and infrequently septate. However, it may be difficult to distinguish mucor from aspergillus in tissue sections occasionally, because sometimes aspergillus septa are not detected with hematoxylin-eosin (HE), periodic acid Schiff (PAS ), and Grocott's methenamine silver (GMS). In a case, aspergillus septa can be seen under ultraviolet light. Specifically, structures of these septum were clear cut differences in the histological finding be...

Immunocytochemistry of formalin-fixed human brain tissues: microwave irradiation of free-floating sections.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiurba, R A; Spooner, E T; Ishiguro, K; Takahashi, M; Yoshida, R; Wheelock, T R; Imahori, K; Cataldo, A M; Nixon, R A

1998-01-01

Formalin fixation, the chemical process in which formaldehyde binds to cells and tissues, is widely used to preserve human brain specimens from autolytic decomposition. Ultrastructure of cellular and mitochondrial membranes is markedly altered by vesiculation, but this does not interfere with diagnostic evaluation of neurohistology by light microscopy. Serious difficulties are encountered, however, when immunocytochemical staining is attempted. Antigens that are immunoreactive in unfixed frozen sections and protein extracts appear to be concealed or destroyed in formalin-fixed tissues. In dilute aqueous solution, formaldehyde is in equilibrium with methylene glycol and its polymeric hydrates, the balance by far in favor of methylene glyco. Carbonylic formaldehyde is a reactive electrophilic species well known for crosslinking functional groups in tissue proteins, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides. Some of its methylene crosslinks are readily hydrolyzed. Others are stable and irreversible. During immunostaining reactions, intra- and inter-molecular links between macromolecules limit antibody permeation of tissue sections, alter protein secondary structure, and reduce accessibility of antigenic determinants . Accordingly, immunoreactivity is diminished for many antigens. Tissues are rapidly penetrated by methylene glycol, but formaldehyde binding to cellular constituents is relatively slow, increasing progressively until equilibrium is reached. In addition, prolonged storage in formalin may result in acidification of human brain specimens. Low pH favors dissociation of methylene glycol into formaldehyde, further reducing both classical staining and antigen detectability. Various procedures have been devised to counter the antigen masking effects of formaldehyde. Examples include pretreatment of tissue sections with proteases, formic acid, or ultrasound. Recently, heating of mounted sections in ionic salt solution by microwave energy was found to restore many

A new construction technique for tissue-engineered heart valves using the self-assembly method.

Science.gov (United States)

Tremblay, Catherine; Ruel, Jean; Bourget, Jean-Michel; Laterreur, Véronique; Vallières, Karine; Tondreau, Maxime Y; Lacroix, Dan; Germain, Lucie; Auger, François A

2014-11-01

Tissue engineering appears as a promising option to create new heart valve substitutes able to overcome the serious drawbacks encountered with mechanical substitutes or tissue valves. The objective of this article is to present the construction method of a new entirely biological stentless aortic valve using the self-assembly method and also a first assessment of its behavior in a bioreactor when exposed to a pulsatile flow. A thick tissue was created by stacking several fibroblast sheets produced with the self-assembly technique. Different sets of custom-made templates were designed to confer to the thick tissue a three-dimensional (3D) shape similar to that of a native aortic valve. The construction of the valve was divided in two sequential steps. The first step was the installation of the thick tissue in a flat preshaping template followed by a 4-week maturation period. The second step was the actual cylindrical 3D forming of the valve. The microscopic tissue structure was assessed using histological cross sections stained with Masson's Trichrome and Picrosirius Red. The thick tissue remained uniformly populated with cells throughout the construction steps and the dense extracellular matrix presented corrugated fibers of collagen. This first prototype of tissue-engineered heart valve was installed in a bioreactor to assess its capacity to sustain a light pulsatile flow at a frequency of 0.5 Hz. Under the light pulsed flow, it was observed that the leaflets opened and closed according to the flow variations. This study demonstrates that the self-assembly method is a viable option for the construction of complex 3D shapes, such as heart valves, with an entirely biological material.

Reusable bi-directional 3ω sensor to measure thermal conductivity of 100-μm thick biological tissues

Science.gov (United States)

Lubner, Sean D.; Choi, Jeunghwan; Wehmeyer, Geoff; Waag, Bastian; Mishra, Vivek; Natesan, Harishankar; Bischof, John C.; Dames, Chris

2015-01-01

Accurate knowledge of the thermal conductivity (k) of biological tissues is important for cryopreservation, thermal ablation, and cryosurgery. Here, we adapt the 3ω method—widely used for rigid, inorganic solids—as a reusable sensor to measure k of soft biological samples two orders of magnitude thinner than conventional tissue characterization methods. Analytical and numerical studies quantify the error of the commonly used "boundary mismatch approximation" of the bi-directional 3ω geometry, confirm that the generalized slope method is exact in the low-frequency limit, and bound its error for finite frequencies. The bi-directional 3ω measurement device is validated using control experiments to within ±2% (liquid water, standard deviation) and ±5% (ice). Measurements of mouse liver cover a temperature ranging from -69 °C to +33 °C. The liver results are independent of sample thicknesses from 3 mm down to 100 μm and agree with available literature for non-mouse liver to within the measurement scatter.

Human brain receptor autoradiography using whole hemisphere sections: a general method that minimizes tissue artefacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quirion, R.; Robitaille, Y.; Martial, J.; Chabot, J.G.; Lemoine, P.; Pilapil, C.; Dalpe, M.

1987-01-01

A general method for the preparation of high-quality, mostly ice-crystal-artefact-free whole human brain hemisphere sections is described. Upon receipt, hemispheres are divided; one is then fixed in buffered 10% formalin for neuropathological analysis while the other is cut in 8-10-mm-thick coronal slices that are then rapidly frozen in 2-methylbutane at -40 degrees C (10-15 sec) before being placed in the brain bank at -80 degrees C. Such rapid freezing markedly decreases the formation of ice-crystal artefacts. Whole-hemisphere 20-micron thick sections are then cut and mounted onto lantern-type gelatin-coated slides. These sections are subsequently used for both qualitative and quantitative in vitro receptor autoradiography. Examples of data obtained are given by using various radioligands labelling classical neutrotransmitter, neuropeptide, enzyme, and ion channel receptor binding sites. This method should be useful for the obtention of various receptor maps in human brain. Such information could be most useful for in vivo receptor visualization studies using positron emission tomography (PET) scanning. It could also indicate if a given receptor population is specifically and selectively altered in certain brain diseases, eventually leading to the development of new therapeutic approaches

3D imaging of optically cleared tissue using a simplified CLARITY method and on-chip microscopy

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Yibo; Shin, Yoonjung; Sung, Kevin; Yang, Sam; Chen, Harrison; Wang, Hongda; Teng, Da; Rivenson, Yair; Kulkarni, Rajan P.; Ozcan, Aydogan

2017-01-01

High-throughput sectioning and optical imaging of tissue samples using traditional immunohistochemical techniques can be costly and inaccessible in resource-limited areas. We demonstrate three-dimensional (3D) imaging and phenotyping in optically transparent tissue using lens-free holographic on-chip microscopy as a low-cost, simple, and high-throughput alternative to conventional approaches. The tissue sample is passively cleared using a simplified CLARITY method and stained using 3,3′-diaminobenzidine to target cells of interest, enabling bright-field optical imaging and 3D sectioning of thick samples. The lens-free computational microscope uses pixel super-resolution and multi-height phase recovery algorithms to digitally refocus throughout the cleared tissue and obtain a 3D stack of complex-valued images of the sample, containing both phase and amplitude information. We optimized the tissue-clearing and imaging system by finding the optimal illumination wavelength, tissue thickness, sample preparation parameters, and the number of heights of the lens-free image acquisition and implemented a sparsity-based denoising algorithm to maximize the imaging volume and minimize the amount of the acquired data while also preserving the contrast-to-noise ratio of the reconstructed images. As a proof of concept, we achieved 3D imaging of neurons in a 200-μm-thick cleared mouse brain tissue over a wide field of view of 20.5 mm2. The lens-free microscope also achieved more than an order-of-magnitude reduction in raw data compared to a conventional scanning optical microscope imaging the same sample volume. Being low cost, simple, high-throughput, and data-efficient, we believe that this CLARITY-enabled computational tissue imaging technique could find numerous applications in biomedical diagnosis and research in low-resource settings.

3D imaging of optically cleared tissue using a simplified CLARITY method and on-chip microscopy

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Yibo

2017-08-12

High-throughput sectioning and optical imaging of tissue samples using traditional immunohistochemical techniques can be costly and inaccessible in resource-limited areas. We demonstrate three-dimensional (3D) imaging and phenotyping in optically transparent tissue using lens-free holographic on-chip microscopy as a low-cost, simple, and high-throughput alternative to conventional approaches. The tissue sample is passively cleared using a simplified CLARITY method and stained using 3,3′-diaminobenzidine to target cells of interest, enabling bright-field optical imaging and 3D sectioning of thick samples. The lens-free computational microscope uses pixel super-resolution and multi-height phase recovery algorithms to digitally refocus throughout the cleared tissue and obtain a 3D stack of complex-valued images of the sample, containing both phase and amplitude information. We optimized the tissue-clearing and imaging system by finding the optimal illumination wavelength, tissue thickness, sample preparation parameters, and the number of heights of the lens-free image acquisition and implemented a sparsity-based denoising algorithm to maximize the imaging volume and minimize the amount of the acquired data while also preserving the contrast-to-noise ratio of the reconstructed images. As a proof of concept, we achieved 3D imaging of neurons in a 200-μm-thick cleared mouse brain tissue over a wide field of view of 20.5 mm2. The lens-free microscope also achieved more than an order-of-magnitude reduction in raw data compared to a conventional scanning optical microscope imaging the same sample volume. Being low cost, simple, high-throughput, and data-efficient, we believe that this CLARITY-enabled computational tissue imaging technique could find numerous applications in biomedical diagnosis and research in low-resource settings.

Assessment of maxillary sinus wall thickness with paranasal sinus digital tomosynthesis and CT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Byun, Ji Eun; Shim, Sung Shine; Kim, Yoo Kyung; Kong, Kyoung Ae [Mokdong Hospital, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-05-15

This study was performed to compare paranasal sinus tomosynthesis with computed tomography (CT) imaging as a radiologic tool to evaluate the paranasal sinuses, using measurement of the soft tissue thickness of the maxillary sinus. A total of 114 patients with sinusitis who underwent both paranasal sinus digital tomosynthesis (DT) and CT were enrolled in this retrospective study. Two observers independently assessed soft tissue thickness in both maxillary sinus chambers using both DT and CT images. The mean difference in soft tissue thickness measured by each observer was −0.31 mm on CT and 0.15 mm on DT. The mean differences in soft tissue thickness measured with DT and CT were −0.15 by observer 1 and −0.31 by observer 2. Evaluation of the agreement in measurement of soft tissue thickness in the maxillary sinus using DT and CT showed a high intraclass correlation, with the 95% limit of agreement ranging from −3.36 mm to 3.06 mm [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), 0.994: p<0.01] for observer 1 and from −5.56 mm to 4.95 mm (ICC, 0.984: p<0.01) for observer 2. As an imaging tool, DT is comparable to CT for assessing the soft tissue thickness of maxillary sinuses in patients with sinusitis.

PrPSc detection in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue by ELISA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicholson Eric M

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue is regularly employed in the diagnosis of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE by immunohistochemistry (IHC, the standard by which all other TSE diagnostic protocols are judged. While IHC affords advantages over diagnostic approaches that typically utilize fresh or frozen tissue, such as Western blot and ELISA, the process of fixing, staining, and analyzing individual sections by hand does not allow for rapid or high throughput screening. However, preservation of tissues in formalin is not dependent upon the availability of refrigeration. Findings Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from TSE transmission studies of scrapie in sheep, chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer or transmissible mink encephalopathy in cattle were cut at 5 μm thickness. Samples containing the tissue equivalent of as little as one 5 μm section can be used to readily discriminate positive from negative samples. Conclusions This approach cannot replace IHC but may be used along with IHC as both a more rapid and readily high throughput screen where fresh or frozen tissues are not available or impractical.

Correlative light and immuno-electron microscopy of retinal tissue cryostat sections

Science.gov (United States)

Burgoyne, Thomas; Lane, Amelia; Laughlin, William E.; Cheetham, Michael E.

2018-01-01

Correlative light-electron microscopy (CLEM) is a powerful technique allowing localisation of specific macromolecules within fluorescence microscopy (FM) images to be mapped onto corresponding high-resolution electron microscopy (EM) images. Existing methods are applicable to limited sample types and are technically challenging. Here we describe novel methods to perform CLEM and immuno-electron microscopy (iEM) on cryostat sections utilising the popular FM embedding solution, optimal cutting temperature (OCT) compound. Utilising these approaches, we have (i) identified the same phagosomes by FM and EM in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) of retinal tissue (ii) shown the correct localisation of rhodopsin on photoreceptor outer segment disc like-structures in iPSC derived optic cups and (iii) identified a novel interaction between peroxisomes and melanosomes as well as phagosomes in the RPE. These data show that cryostat sections allow easy characterisation of target macromolecule localisation within tissue samples, thus providing a substantial improvement over many conventional methods that are limited to cultured cells. As OCT embedding is routinely used for FM this provides an easily accessible and robust method for further analysis of existing samples by high resolution EM. PMID:29315318

Grinding and polishing instead of sectioning for the tissue samples with a graft: Implications for light and electron microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukhamadiyarov, Rinat A; Sevostyanova, Victoria V; Shishkova, Daria K; Nokhrin, Andrey V; Sidorova, Olga D; Kutikhin, Anton G

2016-06-01

A broad use of the graft replacement requires a detailed investigation of the host-graft interaction, including both histological examination and electron microscopy. A high quality sectioning of the host tissue with a graft seems to be complicated; in addition, it is difficult to examine the same tissue area by both of the mentioned microscopy techniques. To solve these problems, we developed a new technique of epoxy resin embedding with the further grinding, polishing, and staining. Graft-containing tissues prepared by grinding and polishing preserved their structure; however, sectioning frequently required the explantation of the graft and led to tissue disintegration. Moreover, stained samples prepared by grinding and polishing may then be assessed by both light microscopy and backscattered scanning electron microscopy. Therefore, grinding and polishing outperform sectioning when applied to the tissues with a graft. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In vivo facial soft tissue thicknesses of adult Australians.

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Stephan, Carl N; Preisler, Rory

2018-01-01

Facial soft tissue thicknesses (FSTT) set important quantitative guides in craniofacial identification, but so far Australian FSTTs have only been published for supine cadavers. This study aimed to use B-mode ultrasound to measure FSTTs in living Australians (N=63 participants; n 1 =52 [x¯=21 years, s=2 years]; and n 2 =11 [x¯=54years, s=13years]) using 14 craniometric landmarks with participants in both upright and supine positions. The multiple pre-existing Australian cadaver investigations (n=7 reporting FSTT means and 6 of these reporting raw datasets) enabled living and cadaveric samples drawn from the same parent population to be compared. By using a non-invasive and safe imaging method (no ionising radiation) repeated measurements could be taken in the in vivo participants to gauge measurement reliability (and compare to pre-existing reliability for cadaver measurements): mean r-TEM=12%; max r-TEM=25%. In terms of changes between upright and supine positions (as measured by B-mode ultrasound) only 2 of 14 measured landmarks had FSTT changes in excess of 1mm. Comparisons of the in vivo ultrasound data to pre-existing needle puncture studies demonstrated that mean B-mode ultrasound measurements were very similar to cadaver values. Contrary to popular thought, but in keeping with the findings of prior meta-analyses, cadaver FSTT data are good proxies to living subjects, at least as measured by ultrasound. To increase sample sizes and triangulate upon ground truth FSTT values, weighted grand means combining all Australian samples were calculated (n range=280-385) and compared to the multi-group 2018 adult T-Tables (max. n=10,333). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Round robin test programmes in the reliability of thick section ultrasonic inspections: state of the art report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watkins, B.

1987-03-01

Inspection reliability is firstly defined and it is shown how difficult it is to be assessed as the influence of such factors as human performance, equipment malfunction and intrinsic technique capability are difficult to quantify. The manufacture of round robin test specimens is then considered: types of flaw, fabrication of test samples. The results of various round robin test programmes that have been carried out to determine both the capability and reliability of NDE to detect and size flaws in steel section for thick sections directly relevant to the requirements of the nuclear industry, are then reviewed and discussed: US Pressure Vessel research committee programme, PISC I Programme, the defect detection trials, and PISC II Programme

Three-dimensional assessment of brain tissue morphology

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Müller, Bert; Germann, Marco; Jeanmonod, Daniel; Morel, Anne

2006-08-01

The microstructure of brain tissues becomes visible using different types of optical microscopy after the tissue sectioning. This preparation procedure introduces stress and strain in the anisotropic and inhomogeneous soft tissue slices, which are several 10 μm thick. Consequently, the three-dimensional dataset, generated out of the two-dimensional images with lateral submicrometer resolution, needs algorithms to correct the deformations, which can be significant for mellow tissue such as brain segments. The spatial resolution perpendicular to the slices is much worse with respect to the lateral sub-micrometer resolution. Therefore, we propose as complementary method the synchrotron-radiation-based micro computed tomography (SRμCT), which avoids any kind of preparation artifacts due to sectioning and histological processing and yields true micrometer resolution in the three orthogonal directions. The visualization of soft matter by the use of SRμCT, however, is often based on elaborate staining protocols, since the tissue exhibits (almost) the same x-ray absorption as the surrounding medium. Therefore, it is unexpected that human tissue from the pons and the medulla oblongata in phosphate buffer show several features such as the blood vessels and the inferior olivary nucleus without staining. The value of these tomograms lies especially in the precise non-rigid registration of the different sets of histological slices. Applications of this method to larger pieces of brain tissue, such as the human thalamus are planned in the context of stereotactic functional neurosurgery.

Comparison of a new hydro-surgical technique to traditional methods for the preparation of full-thickness skin grafts from canine cadaveric skin and report of a single clinical case.

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Townsend, F I; Ralphs, S C; Coronado, G; Sweet, D C; Ward, J; Bloch, C P

2012-01-01

To compare the hydro-surgical technique to traditional techniques for removal of subcutaneous tissue in the preparation of full-thickness skin grafts. Ex vivo experimental study and a single clinical case report. Four canine cadavers and a single clinical case. Four sections of skin were harvested from the lateral flank of recently euthanatized dogs. Traditional preparation methods used included both a blade or scissors technique, each of which were compared to the hydro-surgical technique individually. Preparation methods were compared based on length of time for removal of the subcutaneous tissue from the graft, histologic grading, and measurable thickness as compared to an untreated sample. The hydro-surgical technique had the shortest skin graft preparation time as compared to traditional techniques (p = 0.002). There was no significant difference in the histological grading or measurable subcutaneous thickness between skin specimens. The hydro-surgical technique provides a rapid, effective debridement of subcutaneous tissue in the preparation of full-thickness skin grafts. There were not any significant changes in histological grade and subcutaneous tissue remaining among all treatment types. Additionally the hydro-surgical technique was successfully used to prepare a full-thickness meshed free skin graft in the reconstruction of a traumatic medial tarsal wound in a dog.

Quantum Cascade Laser-Based Infrared Microscopy for Label-Free and Automated Cancer Classification in Tissue Sections.

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Kuepper, Claus; Kallenbach-Thieltges, Angela; Juette, Hendrik; Tannapfel, Andrea; Großerueschkamp, Frederik; Gerwert, Klaus

2018-05-16

A feasibility study using a quantum cascade laser-based infrared microscope for the rapid and label-free classification of colorectal cancer tissues is presented. Infrared imaging is a reliable, robust, automated, and operator-independent tissue classification method that has been used for differential classification of tissue thin sections identifying tumorous regions. However, long acquisition time by the so far used FT-IR-based microscopes hampered the clinical translation of this technique. Here, the used quantum cascade laser-based microscope provides now infrared images for precise tissue classification within few minutes. We analyzed 110 patients with UICC-Stage II and III colorectal cancer, showing 96% sensitivity and 100% specificity of this label-free method as compared to histopathology, the gold standard in routine clinical diagnostics. The main hurdle for the clinical translation of IR-Imaging is overcome now by the short acquisition time for high quality diagnostic images, which is in the same time range as frozen sections by pathologists.

Accurate Rapid Lifetime Determination on Time-Gated FLIM Microscopy with Optical Sectioning.

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Silva, Susana F; Domingues, José Paulo; Morgado, António Miguel

2018-01-01

Time-gated fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) is a powerful technique to assess the biochemistry of cells and tissues. When applied to living thick samples, it is hampered by the lack of optical sectioning and the need of acquiring many images for an accurate measurement of fluorescence lifetimes. Here, we report on the use of processing techniques to overcome these limitations, minimizing the acquisition time, while providing optical sectioning. We evaluated the application of the HiLo and the rapid lifetime determination (RLD) techniques for accurate measurement of fluorescence lifetimes with optical sectioning. HiLo provides optical sectioning by combining the high-frequency content from a standard image, obtained with uniform illumination, with the low-frequency content of a second image, acquired using structured illumination. Our results show that HiLo produces optical sectioning on thick samples without degrading the accuracy of the measured lifetimes. We also show that instrument response function (IRF) deconvolution can be applied with the RLD technique on HiLo images, improving greatly the accuracy of the measured lifetimes. These results open the possibility of using the RLD technique with pulsed diode laser sources to determine accurately fluorescence lifetimes in the subnanosecond range on thick multilayer samples, providing that offline processing is allowed.

3D on-chip microscopy of optically cleared tissue

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yibo; Shin, Yoonjung; Sung, Kevin; Yang, Sam; Chen, Harrison; Wang, Hongda; Teng, Da; Rivenson, Yair; Kulkarni, Rajan P.; Ozcan, Aydogan

2018-02-01

Traditional pathology relies on tissue biopsy, micro-sectioning, immunohistochemistry and microscopic imaging, which are relatively expensive and labor-intensive, and therefore are less accessible in resource-limited areas. Low-cost tissue clearing techniques, such as the simplified CLARITY method (SCM), are promising to potentially reduce the cost of disease diagnosis by providing 3D imaging and phenotyping of thicker tissue samples with simpler preparation steps. However, the mainstream imaging approach for cleared tissue, fluorescence microscopy, suffers from high-cost, photobleaching and signal fading. As an alternative approach to fluorescence, here we demonstrate 3D imaging of SCMcleared tissue using on-chip holography, which is based on pixel-super-resolution and multi-height phase recovery algorithms to digitally compute the sample's amplitude and phase images at various z-slices/depths through the sample. The tissue clearing procedures and the lens-free imaging system were jointly optimized to find the best illumination wavelength, tissue thickness, staining solution pH, and the number of hologram heights to maximize the imaged tissue volume, minimize the amount of acquired data, while maintaining a high contrast-to-noise ratio for the imaged cells. After this optimization, we achieved 3D imaging of a 200-μm thick cleared mouse brain tissue over a field-of-view of based microscope (20× 0.75NA). Moreover, the lens-free microscope achieves an order-of-magnitude better data efficiency compared to its lens-based counterparts for volumetric imaging of samples. The presented low-cost and high-throughput lens-free tissue imaging technique enabled by CLARITY can be used in various biomedical applications in low-resource-settings.

Choroidal thickness in Malaysian eyes with full-thickness macular holes

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Chew Y Tan

2018-02-01

Full Text Available AIM: To compare choroidal thickness at the macula in eyes with unilateral idiopathic full-thickness macular holes(FTMHwith that of unaffected fellow eyes, and eyes of normal control patients.METHODS: Cross-sectional study. Thirty patients with unilateral idiopathic FTMH and thirty age, sex, and race-matched controls were recruited. Axial lengths were measured using laser interferometry. Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography images were obtained using Heidelberg spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Choroidal thickness was measured at the fovea, and at 1 mm and 2 mm nasally, temporally, superiorly and inferiorly from the center of the fovea. Statistical analysis was performed using independent and paired t-tests, chi-square tests, and Pearson correlation tests(PRESULTS: The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 201.0±44.0 μm in the FTMH group, 225.3±51.4 μm in the fellow eye group and 262.3±70.3 μm in the control group. The choroid was thinner in FTMH eyes at all locations when compared to control eyes(PPP>0.05. Choroidal thickness was generally highest subfoveally and lowest nasally. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was negatively correlated with age(r=-0.278, P=0.032, and axial length(r=-0.328, P=0.011.CONCLUSION: Choroidal thickness is lower in both eyes of patients with unilateral FTMH compared to healthy control eyes.

Imaging of single cells and tissue using MeV ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watt, F.; Bettiol, A.A.; Kan, J.A. van; Ynsa, M.D.; Ren Minqin; Rajendran, R.; Cui Huifang; Sheu, F.-S.; Jenner, A.M.

2009-01-01

With the attainment of sub-100 nm high energy (MeV) ion beams, comes the opportunity to image cells and tissue at nano-dimensions. The advantage of MeV ion imaging is that the ions will penetrate whole cells, or relatively thick tissue sections, without any significant loss of resolution. In this paper, we demonstrate that whole cells (cultured N2A neuroblastoma cells ATCC) and tissue sections (rabbit pancreas tissue) can be imaged at sub-100 nm resolutions using scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM), and that sub-cellular structural details can be identified. In addition to STIM imaging we have also demonstrated for the first time, that sub-cellular proton induced fluorescence imaging (on cultured N2A neuroblastoma cells ATCC) can also be carried out at resolutions of 200 nm, compared with 300-400 nm resolutions achieved by conventional optical fluorescence imaging. The combination of both techniques offers a potentially powerful tool in the quest for elucidating cell function, particularly when it should be possible in the near future to image down to sub-50 nm.

Diagnosis of bronchiectasis with multislice spiral CT: accuracy of 3-mm-thick structured sections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Remy-Jardin, Martine; Amara, Assia; Campistron, Philippe; Mastora, Ioana; Remy, Jacques [Department of Radiology, Hospital Calmette, University Center of Lille, Boulevard Jules Leclerc, 59037, Lille Cedex (France); Delannoy, Valerie; Duhamel, Alain [Department of Medical Statistics, University of Lille, Place de Verdun, 59037, Lille Cedex (France)

2003-05-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of 3-mm-thick reconstructed sections in the diagnosis of bronchiectasis with multislice CT (MSCT). Forty consecutive patients suspected of bronchiectasis (23 females, 17 males; mean age 51 years) underwent MSCT of the entire thorax with a 4 x 1-mm collimation (120 kV, 0.5 s/rotation, 80 mAs/slice) and a pitch of 1.75. From each data set (mean z-axis coverage: 257 mm; mean duration: 21 s), two series of images were systematically generated: 1-mm (group 1) and 3-mm (group 2)-thick reconstructed scans. Both series of images were obtained at 10-mm intervals and reconstructed with a high-spatial-frequency algorithm. Two observers independently analyzed the presence of bronchiectasis and associated abnormalities in group-1 and group-2 lung images. No significant difference between group 1 and group 2 was found in: (a) the detection of bronchiectasis, identified in 24 patients (60%) in group 1 and in 23 patients (57.5%) in group 2 (p=0.08); (b) the evaluation of the extent of bronchiectasis, identifying focal bronchiectasis in 10 patients (25%) in group 1 and 7 patients (17.5%) in group 2 (p=0.39) and multifocal bronchiectasis in 16 patients (40%) in both groups; (c) the characterisation of bronchiectasis (cylindral bronchiectasis: group 1, n=24, 60%; group 2, n=21, 53%, p=0.08); varicose bronchiectasis: group 1, n=5, 12.5%; group 2, n=6, 15%, p=0.56; and cystic bronchiectasis: group 1, n=2, 5%; group 2, n=2, 5%. Apart from the identification of abnormal bronchial wall thickening (group 2, n=35, 87.5%, vs group 1, n=31, 77.5%, p<0.05), recognition of associated bronchopulmonary anomalies did not differ between the two groups. This study demonstrates a comparable accuracy of the 3- and 1-mm-thick reconstructed scans in the detection and characterization of bronchiectasis. These results suggest the potential usefulness of 3-mm-thick scans generated from 4 x 2.5-mm acquisitions in the screening of bronchiectasis, which would

Dentine microhardness after different methods for detection and removal of carious dentine tissue

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Fernanda Brandão Mollica

2012-08-01

Full Text Available There are several methods for identifying carious dentinal tissue aiming to avoid removal of healthy dentinal tissue. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to test different methods for the detection of carious dentinal tissue regarding the amount of carious tissue removed and the remaining dentin microhardness after caries removal. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The dentin surfaces of 20 bovine teeth were exposed and half of the surface was protected with nail polish. Cariogenic challenge was performed by immersion in a demineralizing solution for 14 days. After transverse cross-section of the crown, the specimens were divided into four groups (n=10, according to the method used to identify and remove the carious tissue: "Papacárie", Caries-detector dye, DIAGNOdent and Tactile method. After caries removal, the cross-sectional surface was included in acrylic resin and polished. In a microhardness tester, the removed dentin thickness and the Vickers microhardness of the following regions were evaluated: remaining dentin after caries removal and superficial and deep healthy dentin. RESULTS: ANOVA and Tukey's test (α=0.05 were performed, except for DIAGNOdent, which did not detect the presence of caries. Results for removed dentin thickness were: "Papacárie" (424.7±105.0; a, Caries-detector dye (370.5±78.3; ab, Tactile method (322.8±51.5; bc. Results for the remaining dentin microhardness were: "Papacárie" (42.2±10.5; bc, Caries-detector dye (44.6±11.8; abc, Tactile method (24.3±9.0; d. CONCLUSIONS: DIAGNOdent did not detect the presence of carious tissue; Tactile method and "Papacárie" resulted in the least and the most dentinal thickness removal, respectively; Tactile method differed significantly from "Papacárie" and Caries-detector dye in terms of the remaining dentin microhardness, and Tactile method was the one which presented the lowest microhardness values.

Depth-Dependent Anisotropies of Amides and Sugar in Perpendicular and Parallel Sections of Articular Cartilage by Fourier Transform Infrared Imaging (FTIRI)

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Yang; Mittelstaedt, Daniel; Ramakrishnan, Nagarajan; Szarko, Matthew; Bidthanapally, Aruna

2010-01-01

Full thickness blocks of canine humeral cartilage were microtomed into both perpendicular sections and a series of 100 parallel sections, each 6 μm thick. Fourier Transform Infrared Imaging (FTIRI) was used to image each tissue section eleven times under different infrared polarizations (from 0° to 180° polarization states in 20° increments and with an additional 90° polarization), at a spatial resolution of 6.25 μm and a wavenumber step of 8 cm−1. With increasing depth from the articular surface, amide anisotropies increased in the perpendicular sections and decreased in the parallel sections. Both types of tissue sectioning identified a 90° difference between amide I and amide II in the superficial zone of cartilage. The fibrillar distribution in the parallel sections from the superficial zone was shown to not be random. Sugar had the greatest anisotropy in the upper part of the radial zone in the perpendicular sections. The depth-dependent anisotropic data were fitted with a theoretical equation that contained three signature parameters, which illustrate the arcade structure of collagens with the aid of a fibril model. Infrared imaging of both perpendicular and parallel sections provides the possibility of determining the three-dimensional macromolecular structures in articular cartilage. Being sensitive to the orientation of the macromolecular structure in healthy articular cartilage aids the prospect of detecting the early onset of the tissue degradation that may lead to pathological conditions such as osteoarthritis. PMID:21274999

4D super-resolution microscopy with conventional fluorophores and single wavelength excitation in optically thick cells and tissues.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Baddeley

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Optical super-resolution imaging of fluorescently stained biological samples is rapidly becoming an important tool to investigate protein distribution at the molecular scale. It is therefore important to develop practical super-resolution methods that allow capturing the full three-dimensional nature of biological systems and also can visualize multiple protein species in the same sample. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We show that the use of a combination of conventional near-infrared dyes, such as Alexa 647, Alexa 680 and Alexa 750, all excited with a 671 nm diode laser, enables 3D multi-colour super-resolution imaging of complex biological samples. Optically thick samples, including human tissue sections, cardiac rat myocytes and densely grown neuronal cultures were imaged with lateral resolutions of ∼15 nm (std. dev. while reducing marker cross-talk to <1%. Using astigmatism an axial resolution of ∼65 nm (std. dev. was routinely achieved. The number of marker species that can be distinguished depends on the mean photon number of single molecule events. With the typical photon yields from Alexa 680 of ∼2000 up to 5 markers may in principle be resolved with <2% crosstalk. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our approach is based entirely on the use of conventional, commercially available markers and requires only a single laser. It provides a very straightforward way to investigate biological samples at the nanometre scale and should help establish practical 4D super-resolution microscopy as a routine research tool in many laboratories.

An algorithm to biological tissues evaluation in pediatric examinations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Souza, R.T.F.; Miranda, J.R.A.; Alvarez, M.; Velo, A.F.; Pina, D.R.

2011-01-01

A prerequisite for the construction of phantoms is the quantification of the average thickness of biological tissues and the equivalence of these simulators in simulator material thicknesses. This study aim to develop an algorithm to classify and quantify tissues, based on normal distribution of CT numbers of anatomical structures found in the mean free path of the X-rays beam, using the examination histogram to carry out this evaluation. We have considered an algorithm for the determination of the equivalent biological tissues thickness from histograms. This algorithm classifies different biological tissues from tomographic exams in DICOM format and calculates the average thickness of these tissues. The founded results had revealed coherent with literature, presenting discrepancies of up to 21,6%, relative to bone tissue, analyzed for anthropomorphic phantom (RANDO). These results allow using this methodology in livings tissues, for the construction of thorax homogeneous phantoms, of just born and suckling patients, who will be used later in the optimization process of pediatrics radiographic images. (author)

Analysis of thick brain sections by obverse-reverse computer microscopy: application of a new, high clarity Golgi-Nissl stain.

Science.gov (United States)

Glaser, E M; Van der Loos, H

1981-08-01

Exceptionally clear Golgi-Nissl sections of 300 micron thickness have been morphometrically studied by light microscopy using oil immersion objectives. The clarity results from a new variation of a staining procedure that combines Golgi and Nissl images in one section. A viewing technique has been developed that permits a histologic preparation to be examined from its obverse (or normally viewed) side and its reverse (or under) side. The technique was designed for use with a computer microscope but can be employed with any light microscope whose stage position can be measured within 100 micron. Sections thicker than 300 micron can be studied dependent on the working distance of the objective lens, provided that the clarity of the material permits it.

Three-dimensional primate molar enamel thickness.

Science.gov (United States)

Olejniczak, Anthony J; Tafforeau, Paul; Feeney, Robin N M; Martin, Lawrence B

2008-02-01

Molar enamel thickness has played an important role in the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and dietary assessments of fossil primate teeth for nearly 90 years. Despite the frequency with which enamel thickness is discussed in paleoanthropological discourse, methods used to attain information about enamel thickness are destructive and record information from only a single plane of section. Such semidestructive planar methods limit sample sizes and ignore dimensional data that may be culled from the entire length of a tooth. In light of recently developed techniques to investigate enamel thickness in 3D and the frequent use of enamel thickness in dietary and phylogenetic interpretations of living and fossil primates, the study presented here aims to produce and make available to other researchers a database of 3D enamel thickness measurements of primate molars (n=182 molars). The 3D enamel thickness measurements reported here generally agree with 2D studies. Hominoids show a broad range of relative enamel thicknesses, and cercopithecoids have relatively thicker enamel than ceboids, which in turn have relatively thicker enamel than strepsirrhine primates, on average. Past studies performed using 2D sections appear to have accurately diagnosed the 3D relative enamel thickness condition in great apes and humans: Gorilla has the relatively thinnest enamel, Pan has relatively thinner enamel than Pongo, and Homo has the relatively thickest enamel. Although the data set presented here has some taxonomic gaps, it may serve as a useful reference for researchers investigating enamel thickness in fossil taxa and studies of primate gnathic biology.

Managing the Difficult Soft Tissue Envelope in Facial and Rhinoplasty Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Kosins, Aaron M; Obagi, Zein E

2017-02-01

The nasal soft tissue envelope affects the final rhinoplasty result, and can limit the expected improvement. Currently, no dependable and objective test exists to measure the thickness of the nasal skin and underlying soft tissue. This paper presents a simple, yet reliable method to determine the thickness of the soft tissue envelope. An algorithm is presented for treatment of the dermis and/or soft tissue apart from surgery of the underlying osseocartilaginous structures. Seventy-five patients presenting for primary rhinoplasty underwent visual and ultrasound assessment of their nasal soft tissue envelope. At preoperative evaluation, the Obagi "skin pinch test" was used to assess the thickness of the nasolabial fold and whether or not the skin was oily. Patients were classified based on the pinch thickness. At time of surgery prior to injection of local anesthesia, ultrasonic assessment was done at the nasolabial fold, keystone junction, supratip, and tip to measure the thickness of the nasal dermis and underlying soft tissue. Patients determined to have thin, normal, and thick skin by the "skin pinch test" were found to have a nasolabial fold dermal thickness with an average of 0.7 mm (0.4-1.2 mm), 1.1 mm (0.8-1.8 mm), and 1.4 mm (0.7-2.0 mm). Patients determined to have thin, normal, and thick skin were found to have a dermal thickness at the keystone junction with an average of 0.3 mm (0.2-0.4 mm), 0.5 mm (0.3-1.1 mm), and 0.9 mm (0.6-1.2 mm), respectively. This difference in thickness also translated to the supratip and tip areas measured. However, all areas were also affected by the oiliness of the skin. Soft tissue thickness (SMAS and muscle) underlying the dermis was variable. Patients of non-Caucasian background were more likely to have a thicker soft tissue layer. The "skin pinch test" is an easy and reliable way for the surgeon to evaluate the thickness of the nasal soft tissue envelope. The rhinoplasty surgeon can make decisions pre- and postoperatively

Uncertainties in thick-target PIXE analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campbell, J.L.; Cookson, J.A.; Paul, H.

1983-01-01

Thick-target PIXE analysis insolves uncertainties arising from the calculation of thick-target X-ray production in addition to the usual PIXE uncertainties. The calculation demands knowledge of ionization cross-sections, stopping powers and photon attenuation coefficients. Information on these is reviewed critically and a computational method is used to estimate the uncertainties transmitted from this data base into results of thick-target PIXE analyses with reference to particular specimen types using beams of 2-3 MeV protons. A detailed assessment of the accuracy of thick-target PIXE is presented. (orig.)

Nomogram to Predict Graft Thickness in Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty: An Eye Bank Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Steven S; Menninga, Isaac; Hoshino, Richard; Humphreys, Christine; Chan, Clara C

2018-06-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a nomogram to predict postcut thickness of corneal grafts prepared at an eye bank for Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK). Retrospective chart review was performed of DSAEK graft preparations by 3 experienced technicians from April 2012 to May 2017 at the Eye Bank of Canada-Ontario Division. Variables collected included the following: donor demographics, death-to-preservation time, death-to-processing time, precut tissue thickness, postcut tissue thickness, microkeratome head size, endothelial cell count, cut technician, and rate of perforation. Linear regression models were generated for each microkeratome head size (300 and 350 μm). A total of 780 grafts were processed during the study period. Twelve preparation attempts resulted in perforation (1.5%) and were excluded. Mean precut tissue thickness was 510 ± 49 μm (range: 363-670 μm). Mean postcut tissue thickness was 114 ± 22 μm (range: 57-193 μm). Seventy-nine percent (608/768) of grafts were ≤130 μm. The linear regression models included precut thickness and donor age, which were able to predict the thickness to within 25 μm 80% of the time. We report a nomogram to predict thickness of DSAEK corneal grafts prepared in an eye bank setting, which was accurate to within 25 μm 80% of the time. Other eye banks could consider performing similar analyses.

A new laser reflectance system capable of measuring changing cross-sectional area of soft tissues during tensile testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Pokhai, Gabriel G; Oliver, Michele L; Gordon, Karen D

2009-09-01

Determination of the biomechanical properties of soft tissues such as tendons and ligaments is dependent on the accurate measurement of their cross-sectional area (CSA). Measurement methods, which involve contact with the specimen, are problematic because soft tissues are easily deformed. Noncontact measurement methods are preferable in this regard, but may experience difficulty in dealing with the complex cross-sectional shapes and glistening surfaces seen in soft tissues. Additionally, existing CSA measurement systems are separated from the materials testing machine, resulting in the inability to measure CSA during testing. Furthermore, CSA measurements are usually made in a different orientation, and with a different preload, prior to testing. To overcome these problems, a noncontact laser reflectance system (LRS) was developed. Designed to fit in an Instron 8872 servohydraulic test machine, the system measures CSA by orbiting a laser transducer in a circular path around a soft tissue specimen held by tissue clamps. CSA measurements can be conducted before and during tensile testing. The system was validated using machined metallic specimens of various shapes and sizes, as well as different sizes of bovine tendons. The metallic specimens could be measured to within 4% accuracy, and the tendons to within an average error of 4.3%. Statistical analyses showed no significant differences between the measurements of the LRS and those of the casting method, an established measurement technique. The LRS was successfully used to measure the changing CSA of bovine tendons during uniaxial tensile testing. The LRS developed in this work represents a simple, quick, and accurate way of reconstructing complex cross-sectional profiles and calculating cross-sectional areas. In addition, the LRS represents the first system capable of automatically measuring changing CSA of soft tissues during tensile testing, facilitating the calculation of more accurate biomechanical properties.

Transplantation of an LGR6+ Epithelial Stem Cell-Enriched Scaffold for Repair of Full-Thickness Soft-Tissue Defects: The In Vitro Development of Polarized Hair-Bearing Skin.

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Lough, Denver M; Wetter, Nathan; Madsen, Christopher; Reichensperger, Joel; Cosenza, Nicole; Cox, Lisa; Harrison, Carrie; Neumeister, Michael W

2016-02-01

Recent literature has shown that full-thickness wounds, devoid of the stem cell niche, can subsequently be reconstructed with functional skin elements following migration of the LGR6 epithelial stem cell into the wound bed. In this study, the authors use a variety of LGR6 epithelial stem cell-seeded scaffolds to determine therapeutic utility and regenerative potential in the immediate reconstruction of full-thickness wounds. Isolated LGR6 epithelial stem cells were seeded onto a spectrum of acellular matrices and monitored in both in vitro and in vivo settings to determine their relative capacity to regenerate tissues and heal wounds. Wound beds containing LGR6 stem cell-seeded scaffolds showed significantly augmented rates of healing, epithelialization, and hair growth compared with controls. Gene and proteomic expression studies indicate that LGR6 stem cell-seeded constructs up-regulate WNT, epidermal growth factor, and angiogenesis pathways. Finally, the addition of stromal vascular fraction to LGR6 stem cell-seeded constructs induces polarized tissue formation, nascent hair growth, and angiogenesis within wounds. LGR6 stem cells are able to undergo proliferation, differentiation, and migration following seeding onto a variety of collagen-based scaffolding. In addition, deployment of these constructs induces epithelialization, hair growth, and angiogenesis within wound beds. The addition of stromal vascular fraction to LGR6 stem cell-containing scaffolds initiated an early form of tissue polarization, providing for the first time a clinically applicable stem cell-based construct that is capable of the repair of full-thickness wounds and hair regeneration. Therapeutic, V.

Continuous wave terahertz reflection imaging of human colorectal tissue

Science.gov (United States)

Doradla, Pallavi; Alavi, Karim; Joseph, Cecil S.; Giles, Robert H.

2013-03-01

Continuous wave terahertz (THz) imaging has the potential to offer a safe, non-ionizing, and nondestructive medical imaging modality for delineating colorectal cancer. Fresh excisions of normal colon tissue were obtained from surgeries performed at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester. Reflection measurements of thick sections of colorectal tissues, mounted in an aluminum sample holder, were obtained for both fresh and formalin fixed tissues. The two-dimensional reflection images were acquired by using an optically pumped far-infrared molecular gas laser operating at 584 GHz with liquid Helium cooled silicon bolometer detector. Using polarizers in the experiment both co-polarized and cross-polarized remittance form the samples was collected. Analysis of the images showed the importance of understanding the effects of formalin fixation while determining reflectance level of tissue response. The resulting co- and cross-polarized images of both normal and formalin fixed tissues showed uniform terahertz response over the entire sample area. Initial measurements indicated a co-polarized reflectance of 16%, and a cross-polarized reflectance of 0.55% from fresh excisions of normal colonic tissues.

Joining thick section aluminum to steel with suppressed FeAl intermetallic formation via friction stir dovetailing

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Reza-E-Rabby, Md.; Ross, Kenneth; Overman, Nicole R.; Olszta, Matthew J.; McDonnell, Martin; Whalen, Scott A.

2018-04-01

A new solid-phase technique called friction stir dovetailing (FSD) has been developed for joining thick section aluminum to steel. In FSD, mechanical interlocks are formed at the aluminum-steel interface and are reinforced by metallurgical bonds where intermetallic growth has been uniquely suppressed. Lap shear testing shows superior strength and extension at failure compared to popular friction stir approaches where metallurgical bonding is the only joining mechanism. High resolution microscopy revealed the presence of a 40-70 nm interlayer having a composition of 76.4 at% Al, 18.4 at% Fe, and 5.2 at% Si, suggestive of limited FeAl3 intermetallic formation.

Nearshore sediment thickness, Fire Island, New York

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Locker, Stanley D.; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Buster, Noreen A.; Hapke, Cheryl J.; Wadman, Heidi M.; McNinch, Jesse E.; Forde, Arnell S.; Stalk, Chelsea A.

2017-04-03

Investigations of coastal change at Fire Island, New York (N.Y.), sought to characterize sediment budgets and determine geologic framework controls on coastal processes. Nearshore sediment thickness is critical for assessing coastal system sediment availability, but it is largely unquantified due to the difficulty of conducting geological or geophysical surveys across the nearshore. This study used an amphibious vessel to acquire chirp subbottom profiles. These profiles were used to characterize nearshore geology and provide an assessment of nearshore sediment volume. Two resulting sediment-thickness maps are provided: total Holocene sediment thickness and the thickness of the active shoreface. The Holocene sediment section represents deposition above the maximum flooding surface that is related to the most recent marine transgression. The active shoreface section is the uppermost Holocene sediment, which is interpreted to represent the portion of the shoreface thought to contribute to present and future coastal behavior. The sediment distribution patterns correspond to previously defined zones of erosion, accretion, and stability along the island, demonstrating the importance of sediment availability in the coastal response to storms and seasonal variability. The eastern zone has a thin nearshore sediment thickness, except for an ebb-tidal deposit at the wilderness breach caused by Hurricane Sandy. Thicker sediment is found along a central zone that includes shoreface-attached sand ridges, which is consistent with a stable or accretional coastline in this area. The thickest overall Holocene section is found in the western zone of the study, where a thicker lower section of Holocene sediment appears related to the westward migration of Fire Island Inlet over several hundred years.

Synthetic aperture focusing technique in real-time and tandem operation for thick section steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doctor, S.R.; Hall, T.E.; Reid, L.D.; Mart, G.A.

1988-01-01

The authors report on a program underway at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) to move the synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) from the laboratory into the field for the purpose of inspecting light-water reactor (LWR) components. The SAFT technology was developed to produce high-resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio images of ultrasonic anomalies in materials. Other researchers have been involved in developing the 2-D or line SAFT technology, but the one thing that has limited the acceptance of 38-D SAFT is the slow processing rates. This paper describes how a special purpose processor can be used to achieve processing rates of 10 A-scans/second or larger. The tandem mode has been successfully used with SAFT but only on this materials. This paper also describes how to effectively implement the tandem mode for thick section materials

Vesicular thick-walled swollen hyphae in pulmonary zygomycosis.

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Kimura, Masatomo; Ito, Hiroyuki

2009-03-01

An autopsy case of pulmonary zygomycosis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis on immunosuppressive therapy is presented herein. There was a pulmonary cavitated infarct caused by mycotic thrombosis. Thin-walled narrow hyphae and vesicular thick-walled swollen hyphae were found on the pleural surface and in the necrotic tissue at the periphery of the cavity. Findings of such shaped fungal elements may cause erroneous histopathological diagnosis because pauciseptate broad thin-walled hyphae are usually the only detectable fungal elements in zygomycosis tissue. Although immunohistochemistry confirmed these unusual elements to be zygomycetous in the present case, it is important for the differential diagnosis to be aware that zygomycetes can form thin narrow hyphae and vesicular thick-walled swollen hyphae.

Feasibility analysis of high resolution tissue image registration using 3-D synthetic data

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Yachna Sharma

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Registration of high-resolution tissue images is a critical step in the 3D analysis of protein expression. Because the distance between images (~4-5μm thickness of a tissue section is nearly the size of the objects of interest (~10-20μm cancer cell nucleus, a given object is often not present in both of two adjacent images. Without consistent correspondence of objects between images, registration becomes a difficult task. This work assesses the feasibility of current registration techniques for such images. Methods: We generated high resolution synthetic 3-D image data sets emulating the constraints in real data. We applied multiple registration methods to the synthetic image data sets and assessed the registration performance of three techniques (i.e., mutual information (MI, kernel density estimate (KDE method [1], and principal component analysis (PCA at various slice thicknesses (with increments of 1μm in order to quantify the limitations of each method. Results: Our analysis shows that PCA, when combined with the KDE method based on nuclei centers, aligns images corresponding to 5μm thick sections with acceptable accuracy. We also note that registration error increases rapidly with increasing distance between images, and that the choice of feature points which are conserved between slices improves performance. Conclusions: We used simulation to help select appropriate features and methods for image registration by estimating best-case-scenario errors for given data constraints in histological images. The results of this study suggest that much of the difficulty of stained tissue registration can be reduced to the problem of accurately identifying feature points, such as the center of nuclei.

MEASUREMENT OF RNFL THICKNESS USING OCT IMAGES FOR GLAUCOMA DETECTION

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Dhivyabharathi

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL is one of the pompous parameters for assessing the disease, Glaucoma. A substantial amount of vision can be lost before the patient becomes aware of any defect. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT provides enhanced depth and clarity of viewing tissues with high resolution compared with other medical imaging devices. It examines the living tissue non-invasively. This paper presents an automatic method to find the thickness of RNFL using OCT images. The proposed algorithm first extracts all the layers present in the OCT image by texture segmentation using Gabor filter method and an algorithm is then developed to segment the RNFL. The thickness measurement of RNFL is automatically displayed based on pixel calculation. The calculated thickness values are compared with the original values obtained from hospital. The result shows that the proposed algorithm is efficient in segmenting the region of interest without manual intervention. The effectiveness of the proposed method is proved statistically by the performance analysis.

Dimensional soft tissue changes following soft tissue grafting in conjunction with implant placement or around present dental implants: a systematic review.

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Poskevicius, Lukas; Sidlauskas, Antanas; Galindo-Moreno, Pablo; Juodzbalys, Gintaras

2017-01-01

To systematically review changes in mucosal soft tissue thickness and keratinised mucosa width after soft tissue grafting around dental implants. An electronic literature search was conducted of the MEDLINE database published between 2009 and 2014. Sequential screenings at the title, abstract, and full-text levels were performed. Clinical human studies in the English language that had reported changes in soft tissue thickness or keratinised mucosa width after soft tissue grafting at implant placement or around a present implant at 6-month follow-up or longer were included. The search resulted in fourteen articles meeting the inclusion criteria: Six of them reported connective tissue grafting around present dental implants, compared to eight at the time of implant placement. Better long-term soft tissue thickness outcomes were reported for soft tissue augmentation around dental implants (0.8-1.4 mm), compared with augmentation at implant placement (-0.25-1.43 mm). Both techniques were effective in increasing keratinised tissue width: at implant placement (2.5 mm) or around present dental implants (2.33-2.57 mm). The present systematic review discovered that connective tissue grafts enhanced keratinised mucosa width and soft tissue thickness for an observation period of up to 48 months. However, some shrinkage may occur, resulting in decreases in soft tissue, mostly for the first three months. Further investigations using accurate evaluation methods need to be done to evaluate the appropriate time for grafting. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of colorectal tumors from serial tissue sections by computer graphics: a preliminary study.

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Kikuchi, S; Matsuzaki, H; Kondo, K; Ohtani, Y; Ihara, A; Hiki, Y; Kakita, A; Kuwao, S

2000-01-01

We present herein the three-dimensional reconstruction of colorectal tumors, with particular reference to growth pattern into each layer of the colorectal wall, and measurement of tumor volume and surface area. Conventional tissue section images of colorectal tumors were analyzed using a computer graphics analysis program. The two-dimensional extent of invasion by each tumor into each layer of intestinal wall were determined from the images of each section. Based on data from multiple sections, tumor and surrounding normal tissue layers were reconstructed three-dimensionally, and volume and surface area of the tumors were determined. Using this technique, three-dimensional morphology of tumor and tumor progression into colorectal wall could be determined. Volume and surface area of the colon tumor were 4871 mm3 and 1741 mm2, respectively. Volume and surface area of the rectal tumor were 1090 mm3 and 877 mm2, respectively. This technique may provide a new approach for pathological analysis of colorectal carcinoma.

Staining plastic blocks with triiodide to image cells and soft tissues in backscattered electron SEM of skeletal and dental tissues

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A Boyde

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Backscattered electron scanning electron microscopy (BSE SEM is an invaluable method for studying the histology of the hard, mineralised components of poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA or other resin embedded skeletal and dental tissues. Intact tissues are studied in micro-milled or polished block faces with an electron-optical section thickness of the order of a half to one micron and with the area of the section as big as a whole – large or small – bone organ. However, BSE SEM does not give information concerning the distribution of uncalcified, ‘soft’, cellular and extracellular matrix components. This can be obtained by confocal microscopy of the same block and the two sorts of images merged but the blocks have to be studied in two microscope systems. The present work shows a new, simple and economic approach to visualising both components by using the triiodide ion in Lugol's iodine solution to stain the block surface prior to the application of any conductive coating – and the latter can be omitted if charging is suppressed by use of poor vacuum conditions in the SEM sample chamber. The method permits the use of archival tissue, and it will be valuable in studies of both normal growth and development and pathological changes in bones and joints, including osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, and tissue adaptation to implants.

Greater Cortical Thickness in Elderly Female Yoga Practitioners—A Cross-Sectional Study

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Rui F. Afonso

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Yoga, a mind-body activity that requires attentional engagement, has been associated with positive changes in brain structure and function, especially in areas related to awareness, attention, executive functions and memory. Normal aging, on the other hand, has also been associated with structural and functional brain changes, but these generally involve decreased cognitive functions. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare brain cortical thickness (CT in elderly yoga practitioners and a group of age-matched healthy non-practitioners. We tested 21 older women who had practiced hatha yoga for at least 8 years and 21 women naive to yoga, meditation or any mind-body interventions who were matched to the first group in age, years of formal education and physical activity level. A T1-weighted MPRAGE sequence was acquired for each participant. Yoga practitioners showed significantly greater CT in a left prefrontal lobe cluster, which included portions of the lateral middle frontal gyrus, anterior superior frontal gyrus and dorsal superior frontal gyrus. We found greater CT in the left prefrontal cortex of healthy elderly women who trained yoga for a minimum of 8 years compared with women in the control group.

Separating spectral mixtures in hyperspectral image data using independent component analysis: validation with oral cancer tissue sections

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Duann, Jeng-Ren; Jan, Chia-Ing; Ou-Yang, Mang; Lin, Chia-Yi; Mo, Jen-Feng; Lin, Yung-Jiun; Tsai, Ming-Hsui; Chiou, Jin-Chern

2013-12-01

Recently, hyperspectral imaging (HSI) systems, which can provide 100 or more wavelengths of emission autofluorescence measures, have been used to delineate more complete spectral patterns associated with certain molecules relevant to cancerization. Such a spectral fingerprint may reliably correspond to a certain type of molecule and thus can be treated as a biomarker for the presence of that molecule. However, the outcomes of HSI systems can be a complex mixture of characteristic spectra of a variety of molecules as well as optical interferences due to reflection, scattering, and refraction. As a result, the mixed nature of raw HSI data might obscure the extraction of consistent spectral fingerprints. Here we present the extraction of the characteristic spectra associated with keratinized tissues from the HSI data of tissue sections from 30 oral cancer patients (31 tissue samples in total), excited at two different wavelength ranges (330 to 385 and 470 to 490 nm), using independent and principal component analysis (ICA and PCA) methods. The results showed that for both excitation wavelength ranges, ICA was able to resolve much more reliable spectral fingerprints associated with the keratinized tissues for all the oral cancer tissue sections with significantly higher mean correlation coefficients as compared to PCA (p<0.001).

Measurement of Mucosal Thickness in Denture-bearing Area of Edentulous Mandible

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Jian Dong

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The thickness of the alveolar mucosa influences the probability of the occurrence of denture-induced irritations. Thick denture-supporting tissues offer relief from mucosal tenderness and ulcers; however, the uniformity of the thickness across the entire mandibular alveolar mucosa cannot be accurately determined in edentulous patients. This study aimed to assess the mucosal thickness of the denture-bearing area in the edentulous mandible. Methods: Twenty-seven edentulous patients underwent cone-beam computed tomography scanning, wherein the patients wore a record base to retract soft tissues away from the alveolar mucosa. The measured regions were the central incisor (IC, lateral incisor (IL, canine (Ca, first premolar (P1, second premolar (P2, first molar (M1, and second molar (M2 regions. The thickness was measured in the alveolar ridge crest (T, buccal (B1-B4, and lingual (L1-L4 alveolar ridge mucosa. The average thickness of the mucosa at buccal sides (B and lingual sides (L were also assessed. Results: The differences in the mucosal thickness between the left and right sides were not significant. In the Ca-M2 regions, T was the thickest, and L3 was the thinnest of all the measured points in the same regions. L was significantly less than B in posterior regions (P < 0.01. On the other hand, M2 at L4 was thinnest of all the measured regions from Ca to M2 (P < 0.01, and was thicker than IC, IL, P1, and P2 at B2. Conclusions: Since the mucosal thickness of denture-bearing area in the edentulous mandible is not uniform; the tissue surface of the denture base or custom tray should be selectively relieved, which may reduce the risk of denture-induced irritations.

Development of a bedside viable ultrasound protocol to quantify appendicular lean tissue mass.

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Paris, Michael T; Lafleur, Benoit; Dubin, Joel A; Mourtzakis, Marina

2017-10-01

Ultrasound is a non-invasive and readily available tool that can be prospectively applied at the bedside to assess muscle mass in clinical settings. The four-site protocol, which images two anatomical sites on each quadriceps, may be a viable bedside method, but its ability to predict musculature has not been compared against whole-body reference methods. Our primary objectives were to (i) compare the four-site protocol's ability to predict appendicular lean tissue mass from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; (ii) optimize the predictability of the four-site protocol with additional anatomical muscle thicknesses and easily obtained covariates; and (iii) assess the ability of the optimized protocol to identify individuals with low lean tissue mass. This observational cross-sectional study recruited 96 university and community dwelling adults. Participants underwent ultrasound scans for assessment of muscle thickness and whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans for assessment of appendicular lean tissue. Ultrasound protocols included (i) the nine-site protocol, which images nine anterior and posterior muscle groups in supine and prone positions, and (ii) the four-site protocol, which images two anterior sites on each quadriceps muscle group in a supine position. The four-site protocol was strongly associated (R 2  = 0.72) with appendicular lean tissue mass, but Bland-Altman analysis displayed wide limits of agreement (-5.67, 5.67 kg). Incorporating the anterior upper arm muscle thickness, and covariates age and sex, alongside the four-site protocol, improved the association (R 2  = 0.91) with appendicular lean tissue and displayed narrower limits of agreement (-3.18, 3.18 kg). The optimized protocol demonstrated a strong ability to identify low lean tissue mass (area under the curve = 0.89). The four-site protocol can be improved with the addition of the anterior upper arm muscle thickness, sex, and age when predicting appendicular lean tissue mass

Diagnosis of filamentous fungi on tissue sections by immunohistochemistry using anti-aspergillus antibody.

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Challa, Sundaram; Uppin, Shantveer G; Uppin, Megha S; Pamidimukkala, Umabala; Vemu, Lakshmi

2015-06-01

Identification based on histology alone has limitations as Aspergillus species share morphology with other filamentous fungi. Differentiation of Aspergillus species from hyalohyphomycetes and dematiaceous fungi is important as the antifungal susceptibility varies among different species and genera. Given these problems, ancillary techniques are needed to increase specificity. Our aim was to study the utility of immunohistochemistry (IHC) with anti-Aspergillus antibody in the identification of Aspergillus species and to differentiate them from other filamentous fungi. Fifty formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissue sections including 47 from cases of culture proven filamentous fungi, 3 from colonies of cultures of hyalohyphomycetes, and 11 smears from cultures were subjected to IHC studies using polyclonal rabbit anti-Aspergillus antibody (Abcam, UK) after antigen retrieval. The IHC on tissue sections was positive in 88% cases involving culture proven Aspergillus species. There was no cross reactivity with Mucorales species, Candida species, dematiaceous fungi and hyalohyphomycetes. Hence immunohistochemistry can be used as an ancillary technique for the diagnosis of Aspergillus species. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The International Society for Human and Animal Mycology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Vascularization after treatment of gingival recession defects with platelet-rich fibrin or connective tissue graft.

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Eren, Gülnihal; Kantarcı, Alpdoğan; Sculean, Anton; Atilla, Gül

2016-11-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate histologically the following treatment of bilateral localized gingival recessions with coronally advanced flap (CAF) combined with platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) or subepithelial connective tissue graft (SCTG). Tissue samples were harvested from 14 subjects either 1 or 6 months after the surgeries. The 2-mm punch biopsies were obtained from the mid-portion of the grafted sites. Neutral buffered formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded 5-μm thick tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin eosin and Masson's trichrome in order to analyze the collagen framework, epithelium thickness and rete-peg length. Multiple sequential sections were cut from paraffin-embedded blocks of tissue and immunohistochemically prepared for detection of vascular endothelial growth factor, CD31 and CD34, for the assessment of vascularization. Rete peg formation was significantly increased in the sites treated with PRF compared to the SCTG group after 6 months (p < 0.05). On the contrary, the number of vessels was increased in the SCTG group compared to the PRF group after 6 months (p < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed in the collagen density. Staining intensity of CD31 increased in submucosal area of PRF group than SCTG group after 1 month. Higher staining intensity of CD34 was observed in the submucosal area of PRF group compared with SCTG group after 6 months. The results of the present study suggest that in histological evaluation because of its biological compounds, PRF results earlier vessel formation and tissue maturation compared to connective tissue graft. PRF regulated the vascular response associated with an earlier wound healing.

Three-Dimensional Human Cardiac Tissue Engineered by Centrifugation of Stacked Cell Sheets and Cross-Sectional Observation of Its Synchronous Beatings by Optical Coherence Tomography.

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Haraguchi, Yuji; Hasegawa, Akiyuki; Matsuura, Katsuhisa; Kobayashi, Mari; Iwana, Shin-Ichi; Kabetani, Yasuhiro; Shimizu, Tatsuya

2017-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) tissues are engineered by stacking cell sheets, and these tissues have been applied in clinical regenerative therapies. The optimal fabrication technique of 3D human tissues and the real-time observation system for these tissues are important in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, cardiac physiology, and the safety testing of candidate chemicals. In this study, for aiming the clinical application, 3D human cardiac tissues were rapidly fabricated by human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived cardiac cell sheets with centrifugation, and the structures and beatings in the cardiac tissues were observed cross-sectionally and noninvasively by two optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems. The fabrication time was reduced to approximately one-quarter by centrifugation. The cross-sectional observation showed that multilayered cardiac cell sheets adhered tightly just after centrifugation. Additionally, the cross-sectional transmissions of beatings within multilayered human cardiac tissues were clearly detected by OCT. The observation showed the synchronous beatings of the thicker 3D human cardiac tissues, which were fabricated rapidly by cell sheet technology and centrifugation. The rapid tissue-fabrication technique and OCT technology will show a powerful potential in cardiac tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and drug discovery research.

Cardiac tissue engineering

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MILICA RADISIC

2005-03-01

Full Text Available We hypothesized that clinically sized (1-5 mm thick,compact cardiac constructs containing physiologically high density of viable cells (~108 cells/cm3 can be engineered in vitro by using biomimetic culture systems capable of providing oxygen transport and electrical stimulation, designed to mimic those in native heart. This hypothesis was tested by culturing rat heart cells on polymer scaffolds, either with perfusion of culture medium (physiologic interstitial velocity, supplementation of perfluorocarbons, or with electrical stimulation (continuous application of biphasic pulses, 2 ms, 5 V, 1 Hz. Tissue constructs cultured without perfusion or electrical stimulation served as controls. Medium perfusion and addition of perfluorocarbons resulted in compact, thick constructs containing physiologic density of viable, electromechanically coupled cells, in contrast to control constructs which had only a ~100 mm thick peripheral region with functionally connected cells. Electrical stimulation of cultured constructs resulted in markedly improved contractile properties, increased amounts of cardiac proteins, and remarkably well developed ultrastructure (similar to that of native heart as compared to non-stimulated controls. We discuss here the state of the art of cardiac tissue engineering, in light of the biomimetic approach that reproduces in vitro some of the conditions present during normal tissue development.

Production and cross-sectional characterization of aligned co-electrospun hollow microfibrous bulk assemblies

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Zhou, Feng-Lei [Centre for Imaging Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT (United Kingdom); The School of Materials, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); CRUK-EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centre in Cambridge and Manchester (United Kingdom); Parker, Geoff J.M., E-mail: geoff.parker@manchester.ac.uk [Centre for Imaging Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT (United Kingdom); CRUK-EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centre in Cambridge and Manchester (United Kingdom); Eichhorn, Stephen J. [College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF (United Kingdom); Hubbard Cristinacce, Penny L. [Centre for Imaging Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT (United Kingdom); School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT (United Kingdom)

2015-11-15

The development of co-electrospun (co-ES) hollow microfibrous assemblies of an appreciable thickness is critical for many practical applications, including filtration membranes and tissue-mimicking scaffolds. In this study, thick uniaxially aligned hollow microfibrous assemblies forming fiber bundles and strips were prepared by co-ES of polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) as shell and core materials, respectively. Hollow microfiber bundles were deposited on a fixed rotating disc, which resulted in non-controllable cross-sectional shapes on a macroscopic scale. In comparison, fiber strips were produced with tuneable thickness and width by additionally employing an x–y translation stage in co-ES. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of cross-sections of fiber assemblies were analyzed to investigate the effects of production time (from 0.5 h to 12 h), core flow rate (from 0.8 mL/h to 2.0 mL/h) and/or translation speed (from 0.2 mm/s to 5 mm/s) on the pores and porosity. We observed significant changes in pore size and shape with core flow rate but the influence of production time varied; five strips produced under the same conditions had reasonably good size and porosity reproducibility; pore sizes didn't vary significantly from strip bottom to surface, although the porosity gradually decreased and then returned to the initial level. - Highlights: • Hollow microfibrous assemblies based on co-electrospinning are demonstrated. • The thickness and width of co-electrospun strips were controllable. • Cross-sections of fibres had non-normally distributed pore sizes and shapes. • Cross-sections were significantly influenced by production time and flow rate. • Co-electrospun strips had reasonably good reproducible cross-sections.

TSG-6 released from intradermally injected mesenchymal stem cells accelerates wound healing and reduces tissue fibrosis in murine full-thickness skin wounds.

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Qi, Yu; Jiang, Dongsheng; Sindrilaru, Anca; Stegemann, Agatha; Schatz, Susanne; Treiber, Nicolai; Rojewski, Markus; Schrezenmeier, Hubert; Vander Beken, Seppe; Wlaschek, Meinhard; Böhm, Markus; Seitz, Andreas; Scholz, Natalie; Dürselen, Lutz; Brinckmann, Jürgen; Ignatius, Anita; Scharffetter-Kochanek, Karin

2014-02-01

Proper activation of macrophages (Mφ) in the inflammatory phase of acute wound healing is essential for physiological tissue repair. However, there is a strong indication that robust Mφ inflammatory responses may be causal for the fibrotic response always accompanying adult wound healing. Using a complementary approach of in vitro and in vivo studies, we here addressed the question of whether mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-due to their anti-inflammatory properties-would control Mφ activation and tissue fibrosis in a murine model of full-thickness skin wounds. We have shown that the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-stimulated protein 6 (TSG-6) released from MSCs in co-culture with activated Mφ or following injection into wound margins suppressed the release of TNF-α from activated Mφ and concomitantly induced a switch from a high to an anti-fibrotic low transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)/TGF-β3 ratio. This study provides insight into what we believe to be a previously undescribed multifaceted role of MSC-released TSG-6 in wound healing. MSC-released TSG-6 was identified to improve wound healing by limiting Mφ activation, inflammation, and fibrosis. TSG-6 and MSC-based therapies may thus qualify as promising strategies to enhance tissue repair and to prevent excessive tissue fibrosis.

GRADING SCALE OF VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUE THICKNESS AND THEIR RELATION TO THE NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE

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Luís Jesuino de Oliveira ANDRADE

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Context The mesenteric fat is drained by the portal system, being related to the metabolic syndrome which is an impor­tant risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD. Objectives Graduate of visceral fat thickness and correlate with the NAFLD degree through ultrasonography method. Methods We studied 352 subjects for age, gender, measures of subcutaneous fat thickness and visceral fat thickness as well as the presence and degree of liver fatty. Was analyzed the independent relationship between visceral fat thickness and NAFLD, and linear regression analysis was used in order to predict the visceral fat thickness from subcutaneous fat thickness. Results The mean age of 225 women (63.9% and 127 men (36.1% was 47.5 ± 14.0 (18-77 years, 255 subjects had normal examinations, 97 had NAFLD thus distributed, 37 grade 1, 32 grade 2, and 28 grade 3. The subcutaneous fat thickness ranged from 0.26 to 3.50 cm with a mean of 1.3 ± 0.6 cm and visceral fat thickness ranged from 0.83 to 8.86 cm with a mean of 3.6 ± 1.7 cm. Linear regression showed that for every increase of 1 cm in subcutaneous fat thickness the visceral fat thickness will increase 0.9 cm. Conclusions The visceral fat thickness measured by ultrasonography is a useful and seems to be able to help estimate the risk of NAFLD.

Geologic thickness data: Candidate repository horizons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cross, R.W.; Fairchild, K.R.

1985-01-01

This data package contains information on the thickness of the Umtanum, McCoy Canyon, Cohassett, and Rocky Coulee flows and their intraflow structures in 20 boreholes and 2 surface sections in the Pasco Basin. Thickness data are for total flow, flow top, entablature, and colonnade (or just flow top and dense interior in some cases). Summary figures which contain descriptions and footages are included

X-ray scattering evaluation of ultrastructural changes in human dental tissues with thermal treatment.

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Sandholzer, Michael A; Sui, Tan; Korsunsky, Alexander M; Walmsley, Anthony Damien; Lumley, Philip J; Landini, Gabriel

2014-05-01

Micro- and ultrastructural analysis of burned skeletal remains is crucial for obtaining a reliable estimation of cremation temperature. Earlier studies mainly focused on heat-induced changes in bone tissue, while this study extends this research to human dental tissues using a novel quantitative analytical approach. Twelve tooth sections were burned at 400-900°C (30-min exposure, increments of 100°C). Subsequent combined small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) experiments were performed at the Diamond Light Source synchrotron facility, where 28 scattering patterns were collected within each tooth section. In comparison with the control sample, an increase in mean crystal thickness was found in burned dentine (2.8-fold) and enamel (1.4-fold), however at a smaller rate than reported earlier for bone tissue (5-10.7-fold). The results provide a structural reference for traditional X-ray scattering methods and emphasize the need to investigate bone and dental tissues separately to obtain a reliable estimation of cremation temperature. © 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Comparison of drug distribution images from whole-body thin tissue sections obtained using desorption electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and autoradiography.

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Kertesz, Vilmos; Van Berkel, Gary J; Vavrek, Marissa; Koeplinger, Kenneth A; Schneider, Bradley B; Covey, Thomas R

2008-07-01

Desorption electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (DESI-MS/MS) and whole-body autoradiography (WBA) were used for chemical imaging of whole-body thin tissue sections of mice intravenously dosed with propranolol (7.5 mg/kg). DESI-MS/MS imaging utilized selected reaction monitoring detection performed on an AB/MDS SCIEX 4000 QTRAP mass spectrometer equipped with a prototype extended length particle discriminator interface. Propranolol images of the tissue sections using DESI-MS/MS were obtained at surface scan rates of 0.1, 0.5, 2, and 7 mm/s. Although signal decreased with increasing scan rate, useful whole-body images for propranolol were obtained from the tissues even at 7 mm/s, which required just 79 min of analysis time. Attempts to detect and image the distribution of the known propranolol metabolites were unsuccessful. Regions of the tissue sections showing the most radioactivity from WBA sections were excised and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with radiochemical detection to determine relative levels of propranolol and metabolites present. Comparison of the DESI-MS/MS signal for propranolol and the radioactivity attributed to propranolol from WBA sections indicated nominal agreement between the two techniques for the amount of propranolol in the brain, lung, and liver. Data from the kidney showed an unexplained disparity between the two techniques. The results of this study show the feasibility of using DESI-MS/MS to obtain useful chemical images of a drug in whole-body thin tissue sections following drug administration at a pharmacologically relevant level. Further optimization to improve sensitivity and enable detection of the drug metabolites will be among the requirements necessary to move DESI-MS/MS chemical imaging forward as a practical tool in drug discovery.

Verification of an interaction model of an ultrasonic oscillatory system with periodontal tissues

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V. A. Karpuhin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Verification of an interaction model of an ultrasonic oscillatory system with biological tissues which was developed in COMSOL Multiphysics was carried out. It was shown that calculation results in COMSOL Multiphysics obtained using the “Finer” grid (the ratio of the grid step to a minimum transversal section area of the model ≤ 0.3 mm-1 best of all qualitatively and quantitatively corresponded to practical results. The average relative error of the obtained results in comparison with the experimental ones did not exceed 4.0%. Influence of geometrical parameters (thickness of load on electrical admittance of the ultrasonic oscillatory system interacting with biological tissues was investigated. It was shown that increase in thickness of load within the range from 0 to 95 mm led to decrease in calculated values of natural resonance frequency of longitudinal fluctuations and electrical admittance from 26,58 to 26,35 kHz and from 0,86 to 0,44 mS.

Conductive carbon tape used for support and mounting of both whole animal and fragile heat-treated tissue sections for MALDI MS imaging and quantitation.

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Goodwin, Richard J A; Nilsson, Anna; Borg, Daniel; Langridge-Smith, Pat R R; Harrison, David J; Mackay, C Logan; Iverson, Suzanne L; Andrén, Per E

2012-08-30

Analysis of whole animal tissue sections by MALDI MS imaging (MSI) requires effective sample collection and transfer methods to allow the highest quality of in situ analysis of small or hard to dissect tissues. We report on the use of double-sided adhesive conductive carbon tape during whole adult rat tissue sectioning of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) embedded animals, with samples mounted onto large format conductive glass and conductive plastic MALDI targets, enabling MSI analysis to be performed on both TOF and FT-ICR MALDI mass spectrometers. We show that mounting does not unduly affect small molecule MSI detection by analyzing tiotropium abundance and distribution in rat lung tissues, with direct on-tissue quantitation achieved. Significantly, we use the adhesive tape to provide support to embedded delicate heat-stabilized tissues, enabling sectioning and mounting to be performed that maintained tissue integrity on samples that had previously been impossible to adequately prepare section for MSI analysis. The mapping of larger peptidomic molecules was not hindered by tape mounting samples and we demonstrate this by mapping the distribution of PEP-19 in both native and heat-stabilized rat brains. Furthermore, we show that without heat stabilization PEP-19 degradation fragments can detected and identified directly by MALDI MSI analysis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Soft tissue thickness values for black and coloured South African children aged 6-13 years.

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Briers, N; Briers, T M; Becker, P J; Steyn, M

2015-07-01

In children, craniofacial changes due to facial growth complicate facial approximations and require specific knowledge of soft tissue thicknesses (STT). The lack of South African juvenile STT standards of particular age groups, sex and ancestry is problematic. According to forensic artists in the South African Police Service the use of African-American values to reconstruct faces of Black South African children yields poor results. In order to perform a facial approximation that presents a true reflection of the child in question, information regarding differences in facial soft tissue at different ages, sexes and ancestry groups is needed. The aims of this study were to provide data on STT of South African Black and Coloured children and to assess differences in STT with respect to age, sex and ancestry. STT was measured using cephalograms of South African children (n=388), aged 6-13 years. After digitizing the images, STT measurements were taken at ten mid-facial landmarks from each image using the iTEM measuring program. STT comparisons between groups per age, sex and ancestry were statistically analyzed. The results showed that STT differences at lower face landmarks are more pronounced in age groups per ancestry as opposed to differences per age and sex. Generally, an increase in STT was seen between 6-10 year old groups and 11-13 year old groups, regardless of ancestry and sex, at the midphiltrum, labiale inferius, pogonion, and beneath chin landmarks. This research created a reference dataset for STT of South African children of Black and Coloured ancestry per age and sex that will be useful for facial reconstruction/approximation of juvenile remains. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of indocyanine green-fluorescence imaging to full-thickness cholecystectomy.

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Morita, Kiyomi; Ishizawa, Takeaki; Tani, Keigo; Harada, Nobuhiro; Shimizu, Atsushi; Yamamoto, Satoshi; Takemura, Nobuyuki; Kaneko, Junichi; Aoki, Taku; Sakamoto, Yoshihiro; Sugawara, Yasuhiko; Hasegawa, Kiyoshi; Kokudo, Norihiro

2014-05-01

Fluorescence imaging using indocyanine green (ICG) has recently been applied to laparoscopic surgery to identify cancerous tissues, lymph nodes, and vascular anatomy. Here we report the application of ICG-fluorescence imaging to visualize the boundary between the liver and subserosal tissues of the gallbladder during laparoscopic full-thickness cholecystectomy. A patient with a potentially malignant gallbladder lesion was administered 2.5-mg intravenous ICG just before laparoscopic full-thickness cholecystectomy. Intraoperative fluorescence imaging enabled the real-time delineation of both extrahepatic bile duct anatomy and hepatic parenchyma throughout the procedure, which resulted in complete removal of subserosal tissues between liver and gallbladder. Safe and feasible ICG-fluorescence imaging can be widely applied to laparoscopic hepatobiliary surgery by utilizing a biliary excretion property of ICG. © 2014 Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery, Asia Endosurgery Task Force and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

In situ hybridization for the detection of rust fungi in paraffin embedded plant tissue sections.

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Ellison, Mitchell A; McMahon, Michael B; Bonde, Morris R; Palmer, Cristi L; Luster, Douglas G

2016-01-01

Rust fungi are obligate pathogens with multiple life stages often including different spore types and multiple plant hosts. While individual rust pathogens are often associated with specific plants, a wide range of plant species are infected with rust fungi. To study the interactions between these important pathogenic fungi and their host plants, one must be able to differentiate fungal tissue from plant tissue. This can be accomplished using the In situ hybridization (ISH) protocol described here. To validate reproducibility using the ISH protocol, samples of Chrysanthemum × morifolium infected with Puccinia horiana, Gladiolus × hortulanus infected with Uromyces transversalis and Glycine max infected with Phakopsora pachyrhizi were tested alongside uninfected leaf tissue samples. The results of these tests show that this technique clearly distinguishes between rust pathogens and their respective host plant tissues. This ISH protocol is applicable to rust fungi and potentially other plant pathogenic fungi as well. It has been shown here that this protocol can be applied to pathogens from different genera of rust fungi with no background staining of plant tissue. We encourage the use of this protocol for the study of plant pathogenic fungi in paraffin embedded sections of host plant tissue.

Direct molecular analysis of whole-body animal tissue sections by MALDI imaging mass spectrometry.

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Reyzer, Michelle L; Chaurand, Pierre; Angel, Peggi M; Caprioli, Richard M

2010-01-01

The determination of the localization of various compounds in a whole animal is valuable for many applications, including pharmaceutical absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) studies and biomarker discovery. Imaging mass spectrometry is a powerful tool for localizing compounds of biological interest with molecular specificity and relatively high resolution. Utilizing imaging mass spectrometry for whole-body animal sections offers considerable analytical advantages compared to traditional methods, such as whole-body autoradiography, but the experiment is not straightforward. This chapter addresses the advantages and unique challenges that the application of imaging mass spectrometry to whole-body animal sections entails, including discussions of sample preparation, matrix application, signal normalization, and image generation. Lipid and protein images obtained from whole-body tissue sections of mouse pups are presented along with detailed protocols for the experiments.

3D prostate histology image reconstruction: Quantifying the impact of tissue deformation and histology section location

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Eli Gibson

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Guidelines for localizing prostate cancer on imaging are ideally informed by registered post-prostatectomy histology. 3D histology reconstruction methods can support this by reintroducing 3D spatial information lost during histology processing. The need to register small, high-grade foci drives a need for high accuracy. Accurate 3D reconstruction method design is impacted by the answers to the following central questions of this work. (1 How does prostate tissue deform during histology processing? (2 What spatial misalignment of the tissue sections is induced by microtome cutting? (3 How does the choice of reconstruction model affect histology reconstruction accuracy? Materials and Methods: Histology, paraffin block face and magnetic resonance images were acquired for 18 whole mid-gland tissue slices from six prostates. 7-15 homologous landmarks were identified on each image. Tissue deformation due to histology processing was characterized using the target registration error (TRE after landmark-based registration under four deformation models (rigid, similarity, affine and thin-plate-spline [TPS]. The misalignment of histology sections from the front faces of tissue slices was quantified using manually identified landmarks. The impact of reconstruction models on the TRE after landmark-based reconstruction was measured under eight reconstruction models comprising one of four deformation models with and without constraining histology images to the tissue slice front faces. Results: Isotropic scaling improved the mean TRE by 0.8-1.0 mm (all results reported as 95% confidence intervals, while skew or TPS deformation improved the mean TRE by <0.1 mm. The mean misalignment was 1.1-1.9΀ (angle and 0.9-1.3 mm (depth. Using isotropic scaling, the front face constraint raised the mean TRE by 0.6-0.8 mm. Conclusions: For sub-millimeter accuracy, 3D reconstruction models should not constrain histology images to the tissue slice front faces and

Automated estimation of choroidal thickness distribution and volume based on OCT images of posterior visual section.

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Vupparaboina, Kiran Kumar; Nizampatnam, Srinath; Chhablani, Jay; Richhariya, Ashutosh; Jana, Soumya

2015-12-01

A variety of vision ailments are indicated by anomalies in the choroid layer of the posterior visual section. Consequently, choroidal thickness and volume measurements, usually performed by experts based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) images, have assumed diagnostic significance. Now, to save precious expert time, it has become imperative to develop automated methods. To this end, one requires choroid outer boundary (COB) detection as a crucial step, where difficulty arises as the COB divides the choroidal granularity and the scleral uniformity only notionally, without marked brightness variation. In this backdrop, we measure the structural dissimilarity between choroid and sclera by structural similarity (SSIM) index, and hence estimate the COB by thresholding. Subsequently, smooth COB estimates, mimicking manual delineation, are obtained using tensor voting. On five datasets, each consisting of 97 adult OCT B-scans, automated and manual segmentation results agree visually. We also demonstrate close statistical match (greater than 99.6% correlation) between choroidal thickness distributions obtained algorithmically and manually. Further, quantitative superiority of our method is established over existing results by respective factors of 27.67% and 76.04% in two quotient measures defined relative to observer repeatability. Finally, automated choroidal volume estimation, being attempted for the first time, also yields results in close agreement with that of manual methods. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is epicardial adipose tissue, another measure of central obesity, correlated with erectile dysfunction?

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Chih-Wei Tsao

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: This study investigated the correlation between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT, a measure of central obesity, and sexual function in males with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction (ED. Materials and Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study of selected males with ED aged <75 years who attended the Urology Outpatient Department of Tri-Service General Hospital. Sixty subjects were included in the study, which employed biochemical data, anthropometric indexes, echocardiography, and questionnaires. Biochemical lipid profiles and associated inflammation markers were recorded. The anthropometric indexes included general and central obesity and bioelectrical impedance analysis. Echocardiography results were assessed by a single experienced cardiologist and included epicardial and pericardial fat thickness measurements. Sexual function was evaluated using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5 score. Results: According to the analysis of variance and multivariate logistic regression, only the erectile hardness score (EHS was statistically positively correlated with the IIEF-5 score. All other anthropometric indexes and echocardiography parameters, including EAT thickness, pericardial adipose tissue thickness, and ejection fraction (EF, were not significantly associated with sexual function. Conclusions: Only EHS was statistically associated with sexual function in the male subjects with ED. The anthropometric indexes and EAT thickness, a measure of central obesity, were not significantly correlated with sexual function in the male patients with ED.

Staining of E-selectin ligands on paraffin-embedded sections of tumor tissue.

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Carrascal, Mylène A; Talina, Catarina; Borralho, Paula; Gonçalo Mineiro, A; Henriques, Ana Raquel; Pen, Cláudia; Martins, Manuela; Braga, Sofia; Sackstein, Robert; Videira, Paula A

2018-05-02

The E-selectin ligands expressed by cancer cells mediate adhesion of circulating cancer cells to endothelial cells, as well as within tissue microenvironments important for tumor progression and metastasis. The identification of E-selectin ligands within cancer tissue could yield new biomarkers for patient stratification and aid in identifying novel therapeutic targets. The determinants of selectin ligands consist of sialylated tetrasaccharides, the sialyl Lewis X and A (sLe X and sLe A ), displayed on protein or lipid scaffolds. Standardized procedures for immunohistochemistry make use of the antibodies against sLe X and/or sLe A . However, antibody binding does not define E-selectin binding activity. In this study, we developed an immunohistochemical staining technique, using E-selectin-human Ig Fc chimera (E-Ig) to characterize the expression and localization of E-selectin binding sites on paraffin-embedded sections of different cancer tissue. E-Ig successfully stained cancer cells with high specificity. The E-Ig staining show high reactivity scores in colon and lung adenocarcinoma and moderate reactivity in triple negative breast cancer. Compared with reactivity of antibody against sLe X/A , the E-Ig staining presented higher specificity to cancer tissue with better defined borders and less background. The E-Ig staining technique allows the qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis of E-selectin binding activity on cancer cells. The development of accurate techniques for detection of selectin ligands may contribute to better diagnostic and better understanding of the molecular basis of tumor progression and metastasis.

Parallel beam microradiography of dental hard tissue using synchrotron radiation and X-ray image magnification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takagi, S.; Chow, L.C.; Brown, W.E.; Dobbyn, R.C.; Kuriyama, M.

1984-01-01

A novel technique utilizing a highly parallel beam of monochromatic synchrotron radiation combined with X-ray image magnification has been used to obtain microradiographs of caries lesions in relatively thick tooth sections. Preliminary results reveal structural features not previously reported. This technique holds the promise of allowing one to follow the structural changes accompanying the formation, destruction and chemical repair of mineralized tissue in real time. (orig.)

Analysis of Chloroquine and Metabolites Directly from Whole-body Animal Tissue Sections by Liquid Extraction Surface Analysis (LESA) and Tandem Mass Spectrometry

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Parson, Whitney B [ORNL; Koeniger, Stormy L [Abbott Laboratories; Johnson, Robert W [Abbott Laboratories; Erickson, Jamie [Abbott Laboratories; Tian, Yu [Abbott Laboratories; Stedman, Christopher A. [Abbott Laboratories; Schwartz, Annette [Abbott Laboratories; Tarcsa, Edit [Abbott Laboratories; Cole, Roderic [ORNL; Van Berkel, Gary J [ORNL

2012-01-01

The rapid and direct analysis of the amount and spatial distribution of exogenous chloroquine and chloroquine metabolites from tissue sections by liquid extraction surface sampling analysis coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LESA-MS) was demonstrated. LESA-MS results compared well with previously published chloroquine quantification data collected by organ excision, extraction and fluorescent detection. The ability to directly sample and analyze spatially-resolved exogenous molecules from tissue sections with minimal sample preparation and analytical method development has the potential to facilitate the assessment of target tissue penetration of pharmaceutical compounds, to establish pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationships, and to complement established pharmacokinetic methods used in the drug discovery process during tissue distribution assessment.

Facial Soft Tissue Measurement in Microgravity-induces Fluid Shifts

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Marshburn, Thomas; Cole, Richard; Pavela, James; Garcia, Kathleen; Sargsyan, Ashot

2014-01-01

Fluid shifts are a well-known phenomenon in microgravity, and one result is facial edema. Objective measurement of tissue thickness in a standardized location could provide a correlate with the severity of the fluid shift. Previous studies of forehead tissue thickness (TTf) suggest that when exposed to environments that cause fluid shifts, including hypergravity, head-down tilt, and high-altitude/lowpressure, TTf changes in a consistent and measurable fashion. However, the technique in past studies is not well described or standardized. The International Space Station (ISS) houses an ultrasound (US) system capable of accurate sub-millimeter measurements of TTf. We undertook to measure TTf during long-duration space flight using a new accurate, repeatable and transferable technique. Methods: In-flight and post-flight B-mode ultrasound images of a single astronaut's facial soft tissues were obtained using a Vivid-q US system with a 12L-RS high-frequency linear array probe (General Electric, USA). Strictly mid-sagittal images were obtained involving the lower frontal bone, the nasofrontal angle, and the osseo-cartilaginous junction below. Single images were chosen for comparison that contained identical views of the bony landmarks and identical acoustical interface between the probe and skin. Using Gingko CADx DICOM viewing software, soft tissue thickness was measured at a right angle to the most prominent point of the inferior frontal bone to the epidermis. Four independent thickness measurements were made. Conclusions: Forehead tissue thickness measurement by ultrasound in microgravity is feasible, and our data suggest a decrease in tissue thickness upon return from microgravity environment, which is likely related to the cessation of fluid shifts. Further study is warranted to standardize the technique with regard to the individual variability of the local anatomy in this area.

Variation in thickness of the large cryosections cut for whole-body autoradiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Tsunao; Brill, A.B.

1991-01-01

A method to assess variation in thickness of the large cryosections for whole-body autoradiography (WBARG) was described, and the degree of intraslice and interslice variations were determined for our cryomicrotome system (LKB PMV-2250). Intraslice variation in thickness of the 180 x 80 mm cryosection was 0.72-0.92 μm within the range of section thickness for WBARG (15-50 μm), and interslice variation was 0.89-1.21 μm. These potential variations in section thickness should be kept in mind whenever working with quantitative WBARG. (author)

Surgical Management of the Thick-Skinned Nose.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Richard E; Hrisomalos, Emily N

2018-02-01

When executed properly, open structure rhinoplasty can dramatically improve the consistency, durability, and quality of the cosmetic surgical outcome. Moreover, in expert hands, dramatic transformations in skeletal architecture can be accomplished with minimal risk and unparalleled control, all while preserving nasal airway function. While skeletal enhancements have become increasingly more controlled and precise, the outer skin-soft tissue envelope (SSTE) often presents a formidable obstacle to a satisfactory cosmetic result. In noses with unusually thick skin, excessive skin volume and characteristically hostile healing responses frequently combine to obscure or sometimes even negate cosmetic skeletal modifications and taint the surgical outcome. For this challenging patient subgroup, care must be taken to optimize the SSTE using a graduated treatment strategy directed at minimizing skin thickness and controlling unfavorable healing responses. When appropriate efforts are implemented to manage thick nasal skin, cosmetic outcomes are often substantially improved, sometimes even negating the ill-effects of thick skin altogether. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Automated measurement of epidermal thickness from optical coherence tomography images using line region growing

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Delacruz, Jomer; Weissman, Jesse; Gossage, Kirk

2010-02-01

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging modality that acquires cross sectional images of tissue in-vivo. It accelerates skin diagnosis by eliminating invasive biopsy and laborious histology in the process. Dermatologists have widely used it for looking at morphology of skin diseases such as psoriasis, dermatitis, basal cell carcinoma etc. Skin scientists have also successfully used it for looking at differences in epidermal thickness and its underlying structure with respect to age, body sites, ethnicity, gender, and other related factors. Similar to other in-vivo imaging systems, OCT images suffer from a high degree of speckle and noise content, which hinders examination of tissue structures. Most of the previous work in OCT segmentation of skin was done manually. This compromised the quality of the results by limiting the analyses to a few frames per area. In this paper, we discuss a region growing method for automatic identification of the upper and lower boundaries of the epidermis in living human skin tissue. This image analysis method utilizes images obtained from a frequency-domain OCT. This system is high-resolution and high-speed, and thus capable of capturing volumetric images of the skin in short time. The three-dimensional (3D) data provides additional information that is used in the segmentation process to help compensate for the inherent noise in the images. This method not only provides a better estimation of the epidermal thickness, but also generates a 3D surface map of the epidermal-dermal junction, from which underlying topography can be visualized and further quantified.

Experimental Influences in the Accurate Measurement of Cartilage Thickness in MRI.

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Wang, Nian; Badar, Farid; Xia, Yang

2018-01-01

Objective To study the experimental influences to the measurement of cartilage thickness by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Design The complete thicknesses of healthy and trypsin-degraded cartilage were measured at high-resolution MRI under different conditions, using two intensity-based imaging sequences (ultra-short echo [UTE] and multislice-multiecho [MSME]) and 3 quantitative relaxation imaging sequences (T 1 , T 2 , and T 1 ρ). Other variables included different orientations in the magnet, 2 soaking solutions (saline and phosphate buffered saline [PBS]), and external loading. Results With cartilage soaked in saline, UTE and T 1 methods yielded complete and consistent measurement of cartilage thickness, while the thickness measurement by T 2 , T 1 ρ, and MSME methods were orientation dependent. The effect of external loading on cartilage thickness is also sequence and orientation dependent. All variations in cartilage thickness in MRI could be eliminated with the use of a 100 mM PBS or imaged by UTE sequence. Conclusions The appearance of articular cartilage and the measurement accuracy of cartilage thickness in MRI can be influenced by a number of experimental factors in ex vivo MRI, from the use of various pulse sequences and soaking solutions to the health of the tissue. T 2 -based imaging sequence, both proton-intensity sequence and quantitative relaxation sequence, similarly produced the largest variations. With adequate resolution, the accurate measurement of whole cartilage tissue in clinical MRI could be utilized to detect differences between healthy and osteoarthritic cartilage after compression.

Generalized Beer-Lambert model for near-infrared light propagation in thick biological tissues

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Bhatt, Manish; Ayyalasomayajula, Kalyan R.; Yalavarthy, Phaneendra K.

2016-07-01

The attenuation of near-infrared (NIR) light intensity as it propagates in a turbid medium like biological tissue is described by modified the Beer-Lambert law (MBLL). The MBLL is generally used to quantify the changes in tissue chromophore concentrations for NIR spectroscopic data analysis. Even though MBLL is effective in terms of providing qualitative comparison, it suffers from its applicability across tissue types and tissue dimensions. In this work, we introduce Lambert-W function-based modeling for light propagation in biological tissues, which is a generalized version of the Beer-Lambert model. The proposed modeling provides parametrization of tissue properties, which includes two attenuation coefficients μ0 and η. We validated our model against the Monte Carlo simulation, which is the gold standard for modeling NIR light propagation in biological tissue. We included numerous human and animal tissues to validate the proposed empirical model, including an inhomogeneous adult human head model. The proposed model, which has a closed form (analytical), is first of its kind in providing accurate modeling of NIR light propagation in biological tissues.

Fourier-transform infrared anisotropy in cross and parallel sections of tendon and articular cartilage

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Bidthanapally Aruna

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Fourier Transform Infrared Imaging (FTIRI is used to investigate the amide anisotropies at different surfaces of a three-dimensional cartilage or tendon block. With the change in the polarization state of the incident infrared light, the resulting anisotropic behavior of the tissue structure is described here. Methods Thin sections (6 μm thick were obtained from three different surfaces of the canine tissue blocks and imaged at 6.25 μm pixel resolution. For each section, infrared imaging experiments were repeated thirteen times with the identical parameters except a 15° increment of the analyzer's angle in the 0° – 180° angular space. The anisotropies of amide I and amide II components were studied in order to probe the orientation of the collagen fibrils at different tissue surfaces. Results For tendon, the anisotropy of amide I and amide II components in parallel sections is comparable to that of regular sections; and tendon's cross sections show distinct, but weak anisotropic behavior for both the amide components. For articular cartilage, parallel sections in the superficial zone have the expected infrared anisotropy that is consistent with that of regular sections. The parallel sections in the radial zone, however, have a nearly isotropic amide II absorption and a distinct amide I anisotropy. Conclusion From the inconsistency in amide anisotropy between superficial to radial zone in parallel section results, a schematic model is used to explain the origins of these amide anisotropies in cartilage and tendon.

Is epicardial adipose tissue, assessed by echocardiography, a reliable method for visceral adipose tissue prediction?

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Silaghi, Alina Cristina; Poantă, Laura; Valea, Ana; Pais, Raluca; Silaghi, Horatiu

2011-03-01

Epicardial adipose tissue is an ectopic fat storage at the heart surface in direct contact with the coronary arteries. It is considered a metabolically active tissue, being a local source of pro-inflammatory factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. The AIM of our study was to establish correlations between echocardiographic assessment of epicardial adipose tissue and anthropometric and ultrasound measurements of the central and peripheral fat depots. The study was conducted on 22 patients with or without coronaropathy. Epicardial adipose tissue was measured using Aloka Prosound α 10 machine with a 3.5-7.5 MHz variable-frequency transducer and subcutaneous and visceral fat with Esaote Megas GPX machine and 3.5-7.5 MHz variable frequency transducer. Epicardial adipose tissue measured by echocardiography is correlated with waist circumference (p < 0.05), visceral adipose tissue thickness measured by ultrasonography (US) and is not correlated with body mass index (p = 0.315), hip and thigh circumference or subcutaneous fat thickness measured by US. Our study confirms that US assessment of epicardial fat correlates with anthropometric and US measurements of the central fat, representing an indirect but reliable marker of the visceral fat.

Influence of overlying tissue and probe geometry on the sensitivity of a near-infrared tissue oximeter.

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Feng, W; Haishu, D; Fenghua, T; Jun, Z; Qing, X; Xianwu, T

2001-02-01

In this paper, the influences of overlying tissue and detecting distance between the source and the detector on the measurement of a tissue oximeter were discussed. The signal-noise-ratio of the detector was also examined. A semi-infinite multi-layer Monte Carlo model was induced to simulate the migration of the photons in the skin, adipose and muscle. The thickness of the adipose layer and the separation between the source and the detector in the muscle were changed to simulate the clinical application. Partial pathlength was introduced as a characteristic parameter to evaluate the sensitivity of the oximeter. A two-wavelength (700 and 830 nm) tissue oximeter was developed to verify the results of the simulation. The Monte Carlo simulation results showed that the sensitivity of the near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) oximeter declined greatly with increasing overlying tissue thickness. Increasing the distance between the light source and the detector improved the sensitivity. However, in order to achieve a sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratio, it was necessary to limit this distance. The results of a bicycle ergometer exercise verified the above results and showed that, for a special adipose thickness (AT), there may be a reasonable range of the emitter-detector separation.

Model-based cartilage thickness measurement in the submillimeter range

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Streekstra, G. J.; Strackee, S. D.; Maas, M.; Wee, R. ter; Venema, H. W.

2007-01-01

Current methods of image-based thickness measurement in thin sheet structures utilize second derivative zero crossings to locate the layer boundaries. It is generally acknowledged that the nonzero width of the point spread function (PSF) limits the accuracy of this measurement procedure. We propose a model-based method that strongly reduces PSF-induced bias by incorporating the PSF into the thickness estimation method. We estimated the bias in thickness measurements in simulated thin sheet images as obtained from second derivative zero crossings. To gain insight into the range of sheet thickness where our method is expected to yield improved results, sheet thickness was varied between 0.15 and 1.2 mm with an assumed PSF as present in the high-resolution modes of current computed tomography (CT) scanners [full width at half maximum (FWHM) 0.5-0.8 mm]. Our model-based method was evaluated in practice by measuring layer thickness from CT images of a phantom mimicking two parallel cartilage layers in an arthrography procedure. CT arthrography images of cadaver wrists were also evaluated, and thickness estimates were compared to those obtained from high-resolution anatomical sections that served as a reference. The thickness estimates from the simulated images reveal that the method based on second derivative zero crossings shows considerable bias for layers in the submillimeter range. This bias is negligible for sheet thickness larger than 1 mm, where the size of the sheet is more than twice the FWHM of the PSF but can be as large as 0.2 mm for a 0.5 mm sheet. The results of the phantom experiments show that the bias is effectively reduced by our method. The deviations from the true thickness, due to random fluctuations induced by quantum noise in the CT images, are of the order of 3% for a standard wrist imaging protocol. In the wrist the submillimeter thickness estimates from the CT arthrography images correspond within 10% to those estimated from the anatomical

RootAnalyzer: A Cross-Section Image Analysis Tool for Automated Characterization of Root Cells and Tissues.

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Joshua Chopin

Full Text Available The morphology of plant root anatomical features is a key factor in effective water and nutrient uptake. Existing techniques for phenotyping root anatomical traits are often based on manual or semi-automatic segmentation and annotation of microscopic images of root cross sections. In this article, we propose a fully automated tool, hereinafter referred to as RootAnalyzer, for efficiently extracting and analyzing anatomical traits from root-cross section images. Using a range of image processing techniques such as local thresholding and nearest neighbor identification, RootAnalyzer segments the plant root from the image's background, classifies and characterizes the cortex, stele, endodermis and epidermis, and subsequently produces statistics about the morphological properties of the root cells and tissues. We use RootAnalyzer to analyze 15 images of wheat plants and one maize plant image and evaluate its performance against manually-obtained ground truth data. The comparison shows that RootAnalyzer can fully characterize most root tissue regions with over 90% accuracy.

Epicardial fat tissue thickness is increased in patients with lichen planus and is linked to inflammation and dyslipidemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ertem, Ahmet Goktug; Erdogan, Mehmet; Koseoglu, Cemal; Akoglu, Gulsen; Ozdemir, Elcin; Koseoglu, Gamze; Sivri, Serkan; Keles, Telat; Durmaz, Tahir; Aktas, Akın; Bozkurt, Engin

2016-10-01

Lichen planus (LP) is a mucocutaneous inflammatory disease. Inflammation plays a major role in the progression of atherosclerosis. Epicardial fat tissue (EFT) has been shown to produce and secrete various proatherogenic and proinflammatory hormones and cytokines. The aim of this study was to assess EFT in patients with lichen planus. Fifty-four patients with LP and 50 controls were enrolled in the study. LP was diagnosed according to the World Health Organization criteria. EFT was measured on the free wall of the right ventricle in parasternal long-axis view, as previously described and validated. There were positive correlations between EFT thickness and platelet/lymphocyte ratio, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, duration of LP, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) (p<0.001, p<0.001, p=0.002 and p<0.001, respectively). In multivariate analysis, after adjustments for relevant confounders, LDL cholesterol, hsCRP, platelet/lymphocyte ratio and duration of LP were independent predictors of EFT thickness in patients with LP (β=0.231, p=0.014; β=0.205, p=0.037; β=0.361, p=0.001 and β=0.133, p=0.047, respectively). EFT is increased in patients with LP compared to control subjects. Duration of LP is correlated with EFT, and duration of LP is also an independent predictor of increased EFT, which is a predictor of subclinical atherosclerosis. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Choice of Illumination System & Fluorophore for Multiplex Immunofluorescence on FFPE Tissue Sections.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandrine Prost

Full Text Available The recent availability of novel dyes and alternative light sources to facilitate complex tissue immunofluorescence studies such as multiplex labelling has not been matched by reports critically evaluating the considerations and relative benefits of these new tools, particularly in combination. Product information is often limited to wavelengths used for older fluorophores (FITC, TRITC & corresponding Alexa dyes family. Consequently, novel agents such as Quantum dots are not widely appreciated or used, despite highly favourable properties including extremely bright emission, stability and potentially reduced tissue autofluorescence at the excitation wavelength. Using spectral analysis, we report here a detailed critical appraisal and comparative evaluation of different light sources and fluorophores in multiplex immunofluorescence of clinical biopsy sections. The comparison includes mercury light, metal halide and 3 different LED-based systems, using 7 Qdots (525, 565, 585, 605, 625, 705, Cy3 and Cy5. We discuss the considerations relevant to achieving the best combination of light source and fluorophore for accurate multiplex fluorescence quantitation. We highlight practical limitations and confounders to quantitation with filter-based approaches.

Combined in situ zymography, immunofluorescence, and staining of iron oxide particles in paraffin-embedded, zinc-fixed tissue sections.

Science.gov (United States)

Haeckel, Akvile; Schoenzart, Lena; Appler, Franziska; Schnorr, Joerg; Taupitz, Matthias; Hamm, Bernd; Schellenberger, Eyk

2012-01-01

Superparamagnetic iron oxide particles are used as potent contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging. In histology, these particles are frequently visualized by Prussian blue iron staining of aldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. Recently, zinc salt-based fixative was shown to preserve enzyme activity in paraffin-embedded tissues. In this study, we demonstrate that zinc fixation allows combining in situ zymography with fluorescence immunohistochemistry (IHC) and iron staining for advanced biologic investigation of iron oxide particle accumulation. Very small iron oxide particles, developed for magnetic resonance angiography, were applied intravenously to BALB/c nude mice. After 3 hours, spleens were explanted and subjected to zinc fixation and paraffin embedding. Cut tissue sections were further processed to in situ zymography, IHC, and Prussian blue staining procedures. The combination of in situ zymography as well as IHC with subsequent Prussian blue iron staining on zinc-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues resulted in excellent histologic images of enzyme activity, protease distribution, and iron oxide particle accumulation. The combination of all three stains on a single section allowed direct comparison with only moderate degradation of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled substrate. This protocol is useful for investigating the biologic environment of accumulating iron oxide particles, with excellent preservation of morphology.

Endothelial keratoplasty using donor tissue not suitable for full-thickness penetrating keratoplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Armour, Rebecca L; Ousley, Paula J; Wall, Jennifer; Hoar, Karen; Stoeger, Chris; Terry, Mark A

2007-06-01

To evaluate the use of corneal donor tissue deemed unsuitable for full-thickness penetrating keratoplasty (PK) for use in deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty (DLEK) and to compare postoperative results to those of DLEK surgery using donor tissue that is suitable for PK. Small-incision DLEK surgery was performed using 39 donor corneas unsuitable for PK. Thirty-five donors had anterior scars or opacities, 3 donors had pterygia within the 8-mm zone, and 1 had prior LASIK. All donor preparation was completed by manual stromal dissection. The DLEK surgical and postoperative courses were reviewed. Preoperative and 6-month postoperative results of this study group were compared with a control group consisting of the first 55 consecutive small-incision DLEK patients receiving donor corneas that had no criteria excluding them from use in PK. Four eyes in the study group and 1 eye in the control group had the confounding variables of the presence of an anterior-chamber lens or surgical vitrectomy with macular disease in the recipient eye. There was no significant difference in preoperative measurements of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA; P = 0.372), donor endothelial cell density (ECD; P = 0.749), or corneal topography [surface regularity index (SRI), P = 0.485; or surface asymmetry index (SAI), P = 0.154] between the 2 groups. For the patients receiving corneas deemed unacceptable for PK, at 6 months after surgery, the vision (P = 0.002) and corneal topography measurements improved significantly from before surgery (SRI, P < 0.001; SAI, P < 0.001), and there was no significant change in refractive astigmatism (P = 0.240). There was a significant difference in the vision at 6 months postoperatively between the overall study group and the control group, with the mean vision of the study group at 20/56 and the control group at 20/43 (P = 0.015). If eyes with known cystoid macular edema (CME) and vitrectomy are removed from each group, there is no significant

Automation of 3D reconstruction of neural tissue from large volume of conventional serial section transmission electron micrographs.

Science.gov (United States)

Mishchenko, Yuriy

2009-01-30

We describe an approach for automation of the process of reconstruction of neural tissue from serial section transmission electron micrographs. Such reconstructions require 3D segmentation of individual neuronal processes (axons and dendrites) performed in densely packed neuropil. We first detect neuronal cell profiles in each image in a stack of serial micrographs with multi-scale ridge detector. Short breaks in detected boundaries are interpolated using anisotropic contour completion formulated in fuzzy-logic framework. Detected profiles from adjacent sections are linked together based on cues such as shape similarity and image texture. Thus obtained 3D segmentation is validated by human operators in computer-guided proofreading process. Our approach makes possible reconstructions of neural tissue at final rate of about 5 microm3/manh, as determined primarily by the speed of proofreading. To date we have applied this approach to reconstruct few blocks of neural tissue from different regions of rat brain totaling over 1000microm3, and used these to evaluate reconstruction speed, quality, error rates, and presence of ambiguous locations in neuropil ssTEM imaging data.

Epicardial Adipose Tissue (EAT Thickness Is Associated with Cardiovascular and Liver Damage in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

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Anna Ludovica Fracanzani

Full Text Available Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT has been proposed as a cardiometabolic and hepatic fibrosis risk factor in patients with non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD. Aim of this study was to evaluate the role of EAT in NAFLD by analyzing 1 the association between EAT, the other metabolic parameters and the severity of steatosis 2 the relationship between cardiovascular (cIMT, cplaques, E/A, liver (presence of NASH and significant fibrosis damage and metabolic risk factors including EAT 3 the relationship between EAT and genetic factors strongly influencing liver steatosis.In a cross-sectional study, we considered 512 consecutive patients with NAFLD (confirmed by biopsy in 100. EAT, severity of steatosis, carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT and plaques were evaluated by ultrasonography and results analysed by multiple linear and logistic regression models. Variables independently associated with EAT (mm were female gender (p = 0.003, age (p = 0.001, BMI (p = 0.01, diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.009, steatosis grade 2 (p = 0.01 and 3 (p = 0.04, fatty liver index (p = 0.001 and statin use (p = 0.03. Variables independently associated with carotid IMT were age (p = 0.0001, hypertension (p = 0.009, diabetes (p = 0.04, smoking habits (p = 0.04 and fatty liver index (p = 0.02, with carotid plaques age (p = 0.0001, BMI (p = 0.03, EAT (p = 0.02, and hypertension (p = 0.02, and with E/A age (p = 0.0001, diabetes (p = 0.005, hypertension (p = 0.04 and fatty liver index (p = 0.004. In the 100 patients with available liver histology non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH was independently associated with EAT (p = 0.04 and diabetes (p = 0.054 while significant fibrosis with EAT (p = 0.02, diabetes (p = 0.01 and waist circumference (p = 0.05. No association between EAT and PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 polymorphisms was found.In patients with NAFLD, EAT is associated with the severity of liver and vascular damage besides with the known metabolic risk factors.

In situ hybridisation for identification and differentiation of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Mycoplasma hyosynoviae and Mycoplasma hyorhinis in formalin-fixed porcine tissue sections

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boye, Mette; Jensen, Tim Kåre; Ahrens, Peter

2001-01-01

Oligonucleotide probes targeting 16S ribosomal RNA were designed for species-specific identification of the porcine mycoplasmas Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Mycoplasma hyorhinis and Mycoplasma hyosynoviae using a fluorescent in situ hybridisation assay. The specificity of the probes was evaluated...... using pure cultures as well as porcine tissue sections with artificial presence of mycoplasma, and the probes were found specific for the target organisms. The assay was applied on sections of 28 tissue samples from pigs infected with one or more of the three Mycoplasma species as determined...

Influence of the slice thickness in CT to clinical effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, Kazue; Katakura, Toshihiko; Ito, Masami; Okuaki, Okihisa; Suzuki, Kenji

1980-01-01

CT is a kind of tomography. Therefore, what thickness of tissue is being observed in the picture - this is important in the clinical application of CT. The influence of slice thickness on the pictures, especially its clinical effect, was examined. The apparatus used is EMI CT 5005. For varying the slice thickness, it cannot be any larger than the thickness essential to the apparatus. Therefore, to make it thinner than the essential 14 mm, collimators were specially prepared, which were used on the sides of an X-ray tube and a detector. As basic observation, the revelation ability of form owing to the difference of slice thickness using acryl pipes, and the revelation ability of slice face owing to the difference of slice thickness, were examined. About clinical observation, the results for certain cases of cancer were compared with the CT images for the slice thickness of 14 mm essential to EMI CT 5005 and the slice thickness of 7 mm achieved by means of the collimators. (J.P.N.)

Tumor tissue slice cultures as a platform for analyzing tissue-penetration and biological activities of nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Merz, Lea; Höbel, Sabrina; Kallendrusch, Sonja; Ewe, Alexander; Bechmann, Ingo; Franke, Heike; Merz, Felicitas; Aigner, Achim

2017-03-01

The success of therapeutic nanoparticles depends, among others, on their ability to penetrate a tissue for actually reaching the target cells, and their efficient cellular uptake in the context of intact tissue and stroma. Various nanoparticle modifications have been implemented for altering physicochemical and biological properties. Their analysis, however, so far mainly relies on cell culture experiments which only poorly reflect the in vivo situation, or is based on in vivo experiments that are often complicated by whole-body pharmacokinetics and are rather tedious especially when analyzing larger nanoparticle sets. For the more precise analysis of nanoparticle properties at their desired site of action, efficient ex vivo systems closely mimicking in vivo tissue properties are needed. In this paper, we describe the setup of organotypic tumor tissue slice cultures for the analysis of tissue-penetrating properties and biological activities of nanoparticles. As a model system, we employ 350μm thick slice cultures from different tumor xenograft tissues, and analyze modified or non-modified polyethylenimine (PEI) complexes as well as their lipopolyplex derivatives for siRNA delivery. The described conditions for tissue slice preparation and culture ensure excellent tissue preservation for at least 14days, thus allowing for prolonged experimentation and analysis. When using fluorescently labeled siRNA for complex visualization, fluorescence microscopy of cryo-sectioned tissue slices reveals different degrees of nanoparticle tissue penetration, dependent on their surface charge. More importantly, the determination of siRNA-mediated knockdown efficacies of an endogenous target gene, the oncogenic survival factor Survivin, reveals the possibility to accurately assess biological nanoparticle activities in situ, i.e. in living cells in their original environment. Taken together, we establish tumor (xenograft) tissue slices for the accurate and facile ex vivo assessment of

Uninduced adipose-derived stem cells repair the defect of full-thickness hyaline cartilage.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hai-Ning; Li, Lei; Leng, Ping; Wang, Ying-Zhen; Lv, Cheng-Yu

2009-04-01

To testify the effect of the stem cells derived from the widely distributed fat tissue on repairing full-thickness hyaline cartilage defects. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) were derived from adipose tissue and cultured in vitro. Twenty-seven New Zealand white rabbits were divided into three groups randomly. The cultured ADSCs mixed with calcium alginate gel were used to fill the full-thickness hyaline cartilage defects created at the patellafemoral joint, and the defects repaired with gel or without treatment served as control groups. After 4, 8 and 12 weeks, the reconstructed tissue was evaluated macroscopically and microscopically. Histological analysis and qualitative scoring were also performed to detect the outcome. Full thickness hyaline cartilage defects were repaired completely with ADSCs-derived tissue. The result was better in ADSCs group than the control ones. The microstructure of reconstructed tissue with ADSCs was similar to that of hyaline cartilage and contained more cells and regular matrix fibers, being better than other groups. Plenty of collagen fibers around cells could be seen under transmission electron microscopy. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in comparison with other groups at each time point (t equal to 4.360, P less than 0.01). These results indicate that stem cells derived from mature adipose without induction possess the ability to repair cartilage defects.

Carotid intima-media thickness and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sothornwit, J; Somboonporn, W; Soontrapa, S; Kaewrudee, S; Wongwiwatchai, J; Soontrapa, S

2018-03-09

To explore the difference in carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) between postmenopausal women with and without osteoporosis and the risk of elevated CIMT and plaque presentation. A cross-sectional study was conducted including 46 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and 45 non-osteoporotic postmenopausal women. CIMT was measured using B-mode ultrasound. There was no statistically significant difference in mean CIMT between postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and those without osteoporosis (p > 0.05). Risk for elevated CIMT in the osteoporosis group was comparable to that of the non-osteoporosis group (adjusted odds ratio = 0.844; 95% confidence interval 0.11-6.45). The risk for the presence of plaque was three times higher in osteoporotic women than in normal individuals. However, after adjusting for age and underlying diseases that would predispose the women to cardiovascular disease, there was no significant difference in terms of presence of plaque between the two groups (adjusted odds ratio = 0.844; 95% confidence interval 0.11-6.45). There was no difference in mean CIMT between postmenopausal women with and without osteoporosis. Risk of elevated CIMT in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis was comparable to that of postmenopausal women without osteoporosis. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the presence of plaque.

An automated segmentation methodology for quantifying immunoreactive puncta number and fluorescence intensity in tissue sections.

Science.gov (United States)

Fish, Kenneth N; Sweet, Robert A; Deo, Anthony J; Lewis, David A

2008-11-13

A number of human brain diseases have been associated with disturbances in the structure and function of cortical synapses. Answering fundamental questions about the synaptic machinery in these disease states requires the ability to image and quantify small synaptic structures in tissue sections and to evaluate protein levels at these major sites of function. We developed a new automated segmentation imaging method specifically to answer such fundamental questions. The method takes advantage of advances in spinning disk confocal microscopy, and combines information from multiple iterations of a fluorescence intensity/morphological segmentation protocol to construct three-dimensional object masks of immunoreactive (IR) puncta. This new methodology is unique in that high- and low-fluorescing IR puncta are equally masked, allowing for quantification of the number of fluorescently-labeled puncta in tissue sections. In addition, the shape of the final object masks highly represents their corresponding original data. Thus, the object masks can be used to extract information about the IR puncta (e.g., average fluorescence intensity of proteins of interest). Importantly, the segmentation method presented can be easily adapted for use with most existing microscopy analysis packages.

Epicardial adipose tissue is associated with visceral fat, metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance in menopausal women.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández Muñoz, María J; Basurto Acevedo, Lourdes; Córdova Pérez, Nydia; Vázquez Martínez, Ana Laura; Tepach Gutiérrez, Nayive; Vega García, Sara; Rocha Cruz, Alberto; Díaz Martínez, Alma; Saucedo García, Renata; Zárate Treviño, Arturo; González Escudero, Eduardo Alberto; Degollado Córdova, José Antonio

2014-06-01

Epicardial adipose tissue has been associated with several obesity-related parameters and with insulin resistance. Echocardiographic assessment of this tissue is an easy and reliable marker of cardiometabolic risk. However, there are insufficient studies on the relationship between epicardial fat and insulin resistance during the postmenopausal period, when cardiovascular risk increases in women. The objective of this study was to examine the association between epicardial adipose tissue and visceral adipose tissue, waist circumference, body mass index, and insulin resistance in postmenopausal women. A cross sectional study was conducted in 34 postmenopausal women with and without metabolic syndrome. All participants underwent a transthoracic echocardiogram and body composition analysis. A positive correlation was observed between epicardial fat and visceral adipose tissue, body mass index, and waist circumference. The values of these correlations of epicardial fat thickness overlying the aorta-right ventricle were r = 0.505 (P < .003), r = 0.545 (P < .001), and r = 0.515 (P < .003), respectively. Epicardial adipose tissue was higher in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome than in those without this syndrome (mean [standard deviation], 544.2 [122.9] vs 363.6 [162.3] mm(2); P = .03). Epicardial fat thickness measured by echocardiography was associated with visceral adipose tissue and other obesity parameters. Epicardial adipose tissue was higher in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome. Therefore, echocardiographic assessment of epicardial fat may be a simple and reliable marker of cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women. Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Relative Composition of Fibrous Connective and Fatty/Glandular Tissue in Connective Tissue Grafts Depends on the Harvesting Technique but not the Donor Site of the Hard Palate.

Science.gov (United States)

Bertl, Kristina; Pifl, Markus; Hirtler, Lena; Rendl, Barbara; Nürnberger, Sylvia; Stavropoulos, Andreas; Ulm, Christian

2015-12-01

Whether the composition of palatal connective tissue grafts (CTGs) varies depending on donor site or harvesting technique in terms of relative amounts of fibrous connective tissue (CT) and fatty/glandular tissue (FGT) is currently unknown and is histologically assessed in the present study. In 10 fresh human cadavers, tissue samples were harvested in the anterior and posterior palate and in areas close to (marginal) and distant from (apical) the mucosal margin. Mucosal thickness, lamina propria thickness (defined as the extent of subepithelial portion of the biopsy containing ≤25% or ≤50% FGT), and proportions of CT and FGT were semi-automatically estimated for the entire mucosa and for CTGs virtually harvested by split-flap (SF) preparation minimum 1 mm deep or after deepithelialization (DE). Palatal mucosal thickness, ranging from 2.35 to 6.89 mm, and histologic composition showed high interindividual variability. Lamina propria thickness (P >0.21) and proportions of CT (P = 0.48) and FGT (P = 0.15) did not differ significantly among the donor sites (anterior, posterior, marginal, apical). However, thicker palatal tissue was associated with higher FGT content (P tissue composition in the hard palate, DE-harvested CTG contains much larger amounts of CT and much lower amounts of FGT than SF-harvested CTG, irrespective of the harvesting site.

Does treatment of split-thickness skin grafts with negative-pressure wound therapy improve tissue markers of wound healing in a porcine experimental model?

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Christopher; Ciraulo, David; Coulter, Michael; Desjardins, Steven; Liaw, Lucy; Peterson, Sarah

2012-08-01

Negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been used for to treat wounds for more than 15 years and, more recently, has been used to secure split-thickness skin grafts. There are some data to support this use of NPWT, but the actual mechanism by which NPWT speeds healing or improves skin graft take is not entirely known. The purpose of this project was to assess whether NPWT improved angiogenesis, wound healing, or graft survival when compared with traditional bolster dressings securing split-thickness skin grafts in a porcine model. We performed two split-thickness skin grafts on each of eight 30 kg Yorkshire pigs. We took graft biopsies on postoperative days 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 and submitted the samples for immunohistochemical staining, as well as standard hematoxylin and eosin staining. We measured the degree of vascular ingrowth via immunohistochemical staining for von Willenbrand's factor to better identify blood vessel epithelium. We determined the mean cross-sectional area of blood vessels present for each representative specimen, and then compared the bolster and NPWT samples. We also assessed each graft for incorporation and survival at postoperative day 10. Our analysis of the data revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in the degree of vascular ingrowth as measured by mean cross-sectional capillary area (p = 0.23). We did not note any difference in graft survival or apparent incorporation on a macroscopic level, although standard hematoxylin and eosin staining indicated that microscopically, there seemed to be better subjective graft incorporation in the NPWT samples and a nonsignificant trend toward improved graft survival in the NPWT group. We were unable to demonstrate a significant difference in vessel ingrowth when comparing NPWT and traditional bolster methods for split-thickness skin graft fixation. More studies are needed to elucidate the manner by which NPWT exerts its effects and the true clinical magnitude of these

Rotating disk electrodes to assess river biofilm thickness and elasticity.

Science.gov (United States)

Boulêtreau, Stéphanie; Charcosset, Jean-Yves; Gamby, Jean; Lyautey, Emilie; Mastrorillo, Sylvain; Azémar, Frédéric; Moulin, Frédéric; Tribollet, Bernard; Garabetian, Frédéric

2011-01-01

The present study examined the relevance of an electrochemical method based on a rotating disk electrode (RDE) to assess river biofilm thickness and elasticity. An in situ colonisation experiment in the River Garonne (France) in August 2009 sought to obtain natural river biofilms exhibiting differentiated architecture. A constricted pipe providing two contrasted flow conditions (about 0.1 and 0.45 m s(-1) in inflow and constricted sections respectively) and containing 24 RDE was immersed in the river for 21 days. Biofilm thickness and elasticity were quantified using an electrochemical assay on 7 and 21 days old RDE-grown biofilms (t(7) and t(21), respectively). Biofilm thickness was affected by colonisation length and flow conditions and ranged from 36 ± 15 μm (mean ± standard deviation, n = 6) in the fast flow section at t(7) to 340 ± 140 μm (n = 3) in the slow flow section at t(21). Comparing the electrochemical signal to stereomicroscopic estimates of biofilms thickness indicated that the method consistently allowed (i) to detect early biofilm colonisation in the river and (ii) to measure biofilm thickness of up to a few hundred μm. Biofilm elasticity, i.e. biofilm squeeze by hydrodynamic constraint, was significantly higher in the slow (1300 ± 480 μm rpm(1/2), n = 8) than in the fast flow sections (790 ± 350 μm rpm(1/2), n = 11). Diatom and bacterial density, and biofilm-covered RDE surface analyses (i) confirmed that microbial accrual resulted in biofilm formation on the RDE surface, and (ii) indicated that thickness and elasticity represent useful integrative parameters of biofilm architecture that could be measured on natural river assemblages using the proposed electrochemical method. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of removed dentin thickness with hand and rotary instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Shahriari, Shahriar; Abedi, Hasan; Hashemi, Mahdi; Jalalzadeh, Seyed Mohsen

2009-01-01

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the amount of dentine removed after canal preparation using stainless steel (SS) hand instruments or rotary ProFile instruments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six extracted human teeth with root canal curvatures less than 30º were embedded in clear polyester resin. The roots were cut horizontally at apical 2, 4 and 7 mm. Dentin thickness was measured at each section and the sections were accurately reassembled using a muffle. Root canals were randomly prepared by SS hand instruments or rotary ProFile instruments. Root sections were again separated, and the remaining dentin thickness was measured. Mann-Whitney U and t tests were performed for analytic comparison of the results. RESULTS: The thickness of removed dentin was significantly different between the two used methods (Pinstrumentation group (Protary instrumentation prepares root canals with a greater conservation of tooth structure. PMID:23940489

Quantitative images of metals in plant tissues measured by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, J.S.; Dietrich, R.C.; Matusch, A.; Pozebon, D.; Dressler, V.L.

2008-01-01

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used for quantitative imaging of toxic and essential elements in thin sections (thickness of 30 or 40 μm) of tobacco plant tissues. Two-dimensional images of Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cd, Rh, Pt and Pb in leaves, shoots and roots of tobacco were produced. Sections of the plant tissues (fixed onto glass slides) were scanned by a focused beam of a Nd:YAG laser in a laser ablation chamber. The ablated material was transported with argon as carrier gas to the ICP ion source at a quadrupole ICP-MS instrument. Ion intensities of the investigated elements were measured together with 13 C + , 33 S + and 34 S + within the entire plant tissue section. Matrix matching standards (prepared using powder of dried tobacco leaves) were used to constitute calibration curves, whereas the regression coefficient of the attained calibration curves was typically 0.99. The variability of LA-ICP-MS process, sample heterogeneity and water content in the sample were corrected by using 13 C + as internal standard. Quantitative imaging of the selected elements revealed their inhomogeneous distribution in leaves, shoots and roots

Automatic measuring system of zirconium thickness for zirconium liner cladding tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsui, K.; Yamaguchi, H.; Hiroshima, T.; Sakamoto, T.; Murayama, R.

1985-01-01

An automatic system of pure zirconium liner thickness for zirconium-zircaloy cladding tubes has been successfully developed. The system consists of three parts. (1) An ultrasonic thickness measuring method for mother tubes before cold rolling. (2) An electromagnetic thickness measuring method for the manufactured tubes. (3) An image processing method for the cross sectional view of the manufactured cut tube samples. In Japanese nuclear industry, zirconium-zircaloy cladding tubes have been tested in order to realize load following operation in the atomic power plant. In order to provide for the practical use in the near future, Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. has been studied and established the practical manufacturing process of the zirconium liner cladding tubes. The zirconium-liner cladding tube is a duplex tube comprising an inner layer of pure zirconium bonded to zircaloy metallurgically. The thickness of the pure zirconium is about 10 % of the total wall thickness. Several types of the automatic thickness measuring methods have been investigated instead of the usual microscopic viewing method in which the liner thickness is measured by the microscopic cross sectional view of the cut tube samples

Geologic thickness data: Candidate repository horizons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cross, R.W.; Fairchild, K.R.

1985-01-01

This data package contains information on the thickness of the Umtanum, McCoy Canyon, Cohassett, and Rocky Coulee flows and their intraflow structures in 20 boreholes and 2 surface sections in the Pasco Basin. Thickness data are for total flow, flow top, entablature, and colonnade (or just flow top and dense interior in some cases). Summary figures which contain descriptions and footages are included. SD-BWI-DP-011, Rev. 2 replaces SD-BWI-DP-011, Rev. A-0 in its entirety. (Rev. A-0 replaced Rev. 0-0.) 5 refs

The Use of Intravital Two-Photon and Thick Section Confocal Imaging to Analyze B Lymphocyte Trafficking in Lymph Nodes and Spleen.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Chung; Hwang, Il-Young; Kehrl, John H

2018-01-01

Intravital two-photon laser scanning microscopy (TP-LSM) has allowed the direct observation of immune cells in intact organs of living animals. In the B cell biology field TP-LSM has detailed the movement of B cells in high endothelial venules and during their transmigration into lymph organs; described the movement and positioning of B cells within lymphoid organs; outlined the mechanisms by which antigen is delivered to B cells; observed B cell interacting with T cells, other cell types, and even with pathogens; and delineated the egress of B cells from the lymph node (LN) parenchyma into the efferent lymphatics. As the quality of TP-LSM improves and as new fluorescent probes become available additional insights into B cell behavior and function await new investigations. Yet intravital TP-LSM has some disadvantages including a lower resolution than standard confocal microscopy, a narrow imaging window, and a shallow depth of imaging. We have found that supplementing intravital TP-LSM with conventional confocal microscopy using thick LN sections helps to overcome some of these shortcomings. Here, we describe procedures for visualizing the behavior and trafficking of fluorescently labeled, adoptively transferred antigen-activated B cells within the inguinal LN of live mice using two-photon microscopy. Also, we introduce procedures for fixed thick section imaging using standard confocal microscopy, which allows imaging of fluorescently labeled cells deep in the LN cortex and in the spleen with high resolution.

In Situ Blotting : A Novel Method for Direct Transfer of Native Proteins from Sectioned Tissue to Blotting Membrane

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Okabe, Masashi; Nyakas, Csaba; Buwalda, Bauke; Luiten, Paul G.M.

1993-01-01

We describe a novel technique for direct transfer of native proteins from unfixed frozen tissue sections to an immobilizing matrix, e.g., nitrocellulose, polyvinyliden difluoride, or positively charged nylon membranes. Proteins are directly blotted onto the membrane, providing optimal accessibility

Changes in the relative thickness of individual subcutaneous adipose tissue layers in growing pigs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McEvoy, Fintan; Strathe, Anders Bjerring; Madsen, Mads T.

2007-01-01

change in body weight in normal growing pigs. Methods: A group of nine pigs was examined using 14 MHz linear array transducer on three A group of nine pigs was examined using 14 MHz linear array transducer on three separate occasions. The average weight was 51, 94 and 124 kg for each successive scan...... longevity and finally to assist in the calculation of payments to producers that allow for general adiposity. Currently for reasons of tradition and ease, total adipose thickness measurements are made at one or multiple sites although it has been long recognized that up to three well defined layers (outer...... (L1), middle (L2), and inner (L3)) may be present to make up the total. Various features and properties of these layers have been described. This paper examines the contribution of each layer to total adipose thickness at three time points and describes the change in thickness of each layer per unit...

Mathematical Model of Stress-Strain State of Curved Tube of Non-Circular Cross-Section with Account of Technological Wall Thickness Variation

Science.gov (United States)

Pirogov, S. P.; Ustinov, N. N.; Smolin, N. I.

2018-05-01

A mathematical model of the stress-strain state of a curved tube of a non-circular cross-section is presented, taking into account the technological wall thickness variation. On the basis of the semi-membrane shell theory, a system of linear differential equations describing the deformation of a tube under the effect of pressure is obtained. To solve the boundary value problem, the method of shooting is applied. The adequacy of the proposed mathematical model is verified by comparison with the experimental data and the results of the calculation of tubes by the energy method.

Visualizing tissue molecular structure of a black type of canola (Brassica) seed with a thick seed coat after heat-related processing in a chemical way.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Peiqiang

2013-02-20

Heat-related processing of cereal grains, legume seeds, and oil seeds could be used to improve nutrient availability in ruminants. However, different types of processing may have a different impact on intrinsic structure of tissues. To date, there is little research on structure changes after processing within intact tissues. The synchrotron-based molecular imaging technique enables us to detect inherent structure change on a molecular level. The objective of this study was to visualize tissue of black-type canola (Brassica) seed with a thick seed coat after heat-related processing in a chemical way using the synchrotron imaging technique. The results showed that the chemical images of protein amides were obtained through the imaging technique for the raw, wet, and dry heated black type of canola seed tissues. It seems that different types of processing have a different impact on the protein spectral profile in the black type of canola tissues. Wet heating had a greater impact on the protein α-helix to β-sheet ratio than dry heating. Both dry and wet heating resulted in different patterns in amide I, the second derivative, and FSD spectra. However, the exact differences in the tissue images are relatively difficult to be obtained through visual comparison. Future studies should focus on (1) comparing the response and sensitivity of canola seeds to various processing methods between the yellow-type and black-type of canola seeds; (2) developing a sensitive method to compare the image difference between tissues and between treatments; (3) developing a method to link images to nutrient digestion, and (4) revealing how structure changes affect nutrient absorption in humans and animals.

Self-heating forecasting for thick laminates testing coupons in fatigue

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lahuerta, F.; Westphal, T.; Nijssen, R.P.L.

2012-01-01

Thick laminate sections can be found from the tip to the root in most common wind turbine blade designs. Obtaining accurate and reliable design data for thick laminates is subject of investigations. Due to the poor thermal conductivity properties of composites and the material self-heating that

An in vitro study of mesiobuccal root thickness of maxillary first molars.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammadzadeh Akhlaghi, Nahid; Ravandoust, Yasaman; Najafi, Mohammad; Dadresanfar, Bahareh

2012-01-01

Understanding the internal anatomy of root canal system can significantly influence outcomes of root canal treatment. The aim of this in vitro study was to measure the thickness of mesiobuccal root at different levels in maxillary first molars. In this cross-sectional study, forty extracted human maxillary first molars were radiographed; accordingly, the mesial and distal root thicknesses of mesiobuccal (MB) roots were measured at four parallel horizontal levels. The samples were sectioned at the measured levels and then sections were scanned and saved in the computer. Buccal (B), Palatal (P), Mesial (M) and Distal (D) aspects of root thicknesses in single-canalled roots were measured. In two-canalled mesiobuccal roots, Distobuccal (DB) and Distopalatal (DP) aspects were evaluated alongside other measurements. Average radicular thickness in each aspect and each level was compared using ANOVA and t-test. A total of 25 had two canals and 15 had one canal in MB root. In single-canalled roots M and D aspects were the thinnest whereas in two-canalled samples, the thicknesses of DP and DB aspects were significantly less than others (Pmolar roots in order to avoid technical mishaps.

Raising an Antibody Specific to Breast Cancer Subpopulations Using Phage Display on Tissue Sections

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Simon Asbjørn; Meldgaard, Theresa; Fridriksdottir, Agla Jael Rubner

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND/AIM: Primary tumors display a great level of intra-tumor heterogeneity in breast cancer. The current lack of prognostic and predictive biomarkers limits accurate stratification and the ability to predict response to therapy. The aim of the present study was to select recombinant antibody...... fragments specific against breast cancer subpopulations, aiding the discovery of novel biomarkers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Recombinant antibody fragments were selected by phage display. A novel shadowstick technology enabled the direct selection using tissue sections of antibody fragments specific against...

Differential N-glycan patterns identified in lung adenocarcinoma by N-glycan profiling of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaoning; Deng, Zaian; Huang, Chuncui; Zhu, Tong; Lou, Jiatao; Wang, Lin; Li, Yan

2018-02-10

N-glycan profiling is a powerful approach for analyzing the functional relationship between N-glycosylation and cancer. Current methods rely on either serum or fresh tissue samples; however, N-glycan patterns may differ between serum and tissue, as the proteins of serum originate from a variety of tissues. Furthermore, fresh tissue samples are difficult to ship and store. Here, we used a profiling method based on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections from lung adenocarcinoma patients. We found that our method was highly reproducible. We identified 58 N-glycan compositions from lung adenocarcinoma FFPE samples, 51 of which were further used for MS n -based structure prediction. We show that high mannose type N-glycans are upregulated, while sialylated N-glycans are downregulated in our FFPE lung adenocarcinoma samples, compared to the control samples. Our receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis shows that high mannose type and sialylated N-glycans are useful discriminators to distinguish between lung adenocarcinoma and control tissue. Together, our results indicate that expression levels of specific N-glycans correlate well with lung adenocarcinoma, and strongly suggest that our FFPE-based method will be useful for N-glycan profiling of cancer tissues. Glycosylation is one of the most important post-translational protein modifications, and is associated with several physiopathological processes, including carcinogenesis. In this study, we tested the feasibility of using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections to identify changes in N-glycan patterns and identified the differentially expressed N-glycans of lung adenocarcinoma. Our study shows that the FFPE-based N-glycan profiling method is useful for clinical diagnosis as well as identification of potential biomarkers, and our data expand current knowledge of differential N-glycan patterns of lung adenocarcinoma. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of gamma radiation on hard dental tissues of albino rats: investigation by light microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

El-Faramawy, Nabil; Ameen, Reham; El-Haddad, Khaled; El-Zainy, Medhat

2013-08-01

The present work aims at studying the effect of gamma radiation on the hard dental tissues. Eighty adult male albino rats with weights of about 250 g were used. The rats were irradiated at 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 Gy whole-body gamma doses. The effects on hard dental tissue samples were investigated after 48 h in histological and ground sections using light microscopy. Areas of acid phosphatase activity were detected using tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) stains. Observation of histological sections revealed disturbance in predentin thickness and odontoblastic layer as the irradiation dose increased. In cementum, widened cementocytes lacunae were occasionally detected even with low irradiated doses. On the other hand, relatively homogenous enamel was detected with darkened areas in enamel surface at doses over than 0.5 Gy. TRAP-positive cells were detected on the surface of the dentin of irradiated groups as well as cementum surface. Minimal detectable changes were observed in ground sections.

Effect of subcooling and wall thickness on pool boiling from downward-facing curved surfaces in water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Genk, M.S.; Glebov, A.G. [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1995-09-01

Quenching experiments were performed to investigate the effects of water subcooling and wall thickness on pool boiling from a downward-facing curved surface. Experiments used three copper sections of the same diameter (50.8 mm) and surface radius (148 mm), but different thickness (12.8, 20 and 30 mm). Local and average pool boiling curves were obtained at saturation and 5 K, 10 K, and 14 K subcooling. Water subcooling increased the maximum heat flux, but decreased the corresponding wall superheat. The minimum film boiling heat flux and the corresponding wall superheat, however, increased with increased subcooling. The maximum and minimum film boiling heat fluxes were independent of wall thickness above 20 mm and Biot Number > 0.8, indicating that boiling curves for the 20 and 30 thick sections were representative of quasi steady-state, but not those for the 12.8 mm thick section. When compared with that for a flat surface section of the same thickness, the data for the 12.8 mm thick section showed significant increases in both the maximum heat flux (from 0.21 to 0.41 MW/m{sup 2}) and the minimum film boiling heat flux (from 2 to 13 kW/m{sup 2}) and about 11.5 K and 60 K increase in the corresponding wall superheats, respectively.

Full-thickness skin wound healing using autologous keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts with fibrin: bilayered versus single-layered substitute.

Science.gov (United States)

Idrus, Ruszymah Bt Hj; Rameli, Mohd Adha bin P; Low, Kiat Cheong; Law, Jia Xian; Chua, Kien Hui; Latiff, Mazlyzam Bin Abdul; Saim, Aminuddin Bin

2014-04-01

Split-skin grafting (SSG) is the gold standard treatment for full-thickness skin defects. For certain patients, however, an extensive skin lesion resulted in inadequacies of the donor site. Tissue engineering offers an alternative approach by using a very small portion of an individual's skin to harvest cells for propagation and biomaterials to support the cells for implantation. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of autologous bilayered tissue-engineered skin (BTES) and single-layer tissue-engineered skin composed of only keratinocytes (SLTES-K) or fibroblasts (SLTES-F) as alternatives for full-thickness wound healing in a sheep model. Full-thickness skin biopsies were harvested from adult sheep. Isolated fibroblasts were cultured using medium Ham's F12: Dulbecco modified Eagle medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, whereas the keratinocytes were cultured using Define Keratinocytes Serum Free Medium. The BTES, SLTES-K, and SLTES-F were constructed using autologous fibrin as a biomaterial. Eight full-thickness wounds were created on the dorsum of the body of the sheep. On 4 wounds, polyvinyl chloride rings were used as chambers to prevent cell migration at the edge. The wounds were observed at days 7, 14, and 21. After 3 weeks of implantation, the sheep were euthanized and the skins were harvested. The excised tissues were fixed in formalin for histological examination via hematoxylin-eosin, Masson trichrome, and elastin van Gieson staining. The results showed that BTES, SLTES-K, and SLTES-F promote wound healing in nonchambered and chambered wounds, and BTES demonstrated the best healing potential. In conclusion, BTES proved to be an effective tissue-engineered construct that can promote the healing of full-thickness skin lesions. With the support of further clinical trials, this procedure could be an alternative to SSG for patients with partial- and full-thickness burns.

Three-dimensional fabrication of thick and densely populated soft constructs with complex and actively perfused channel network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pimentel, C Rodrigo; Ko, Suk Kyu; Caviglia, Claudia

2017-01-01

One of the fundamental steps needed to design functional tissues and, ultimately organs is the ability to fabricate thick and densely populated tissue constructs with controlled vasculature and microenvironment. To date, bioprinting methods have been employed to manufacture tissue constructs with...

Friction Stir Welding of Tapered Thickness Welds Using an Adjustable Pin Tool

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Glynn; Venable, Richard; Lawless, Kirby

2003-01-01

Friction stir welding (FSW) can be used for joining weld lands that vary in thickness along the length of the weld. An adjustable pin tool mechanism can be used to accomplish this in a single-pass, full-penetration weld by providing for precise changes in the pin length relative to the shoulder face during the weld process. The difficulty with this approach is in accurately adjusting the pin length to provide a consistent penetration ligament throughout the weld. The weld technique, control system, and instrumentation must account for mechanical and thermal compliances of the tooling system to conduct tapered welds successfully. In this study, a combination of static and in-situ measurements, as well as active control, is used to locate the pin accurately and maintain the desired penetration ligament. Frictional forces at the pin/shoulder interface were a source of error that affected accurate pin position. A traditional FSW pin tool design that requires a lead angle was used to join butt weld configurations that included both constant thickness and tapered sections. The pitch axis of the tooling was fixed throughout the weld; therefore, the effective lead angle in the tapered sections was restricted to within the tolerances allowed by the pin tool design. The sensitivity of the FSW process to factors such as thickness offset, joint gap, centerline offset, and taper transition offset were also studied. The joint gap and the thickness offset demonstrated the most adverse affects on the weld quality. Two separate tooling configurations were used to conduct tapered thickness welds successfully. The weld configurations included sections in which the thickness decreased along the weld, as well as sections in which the thickness increased along the weld. The data presented here include weld metallography, strength data, and process load data.

Effective melanin depigmentation of human and murine ocular tissues: an improved method for paraffin and frozen sections.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caroline Manicam

Full Text Available PURPOSE: The removal of excessive melanin pigments that obscure ocular tissue morphology is important to address scientific questions and for differential diagnosis of ocular tumours based on histology. Thus, the goal of the present study was to establish an effective and fast melanin bleaching method for paraffin and frozen mouse and human ocular tissues. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded and frozen ocular specimens from mice and human donors were subjected to bleaching employing two methods. The first employed potassium permanganate (KMnO4 with oxalic acid, and the second 10% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2. To determine optimal bleaching conditions, depigmentation was carried out at various incubation times. The effect of diluents used for 10% H2O2 was assessed using phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, and deionized water. Three different slide types and two fixatives, which were ice-cold acetone with 80% methanol, and 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA were used to determine the optimal conditions for better tissue adherence during bleaching. All tissues were stained in hematoxylin and eosin for histological evaluation. RESULTS: Optimal bleaching was achieved using warm 10% H2O2 diluted in PBS at 65°C for 120 minutes. Chromium-gelatin-coated slides prevented tissue detachment. Adherence of cryosections was also improved with post-fixation using 4% PFA and overnight air-drying at RT after cryosectioning. Tissue morphology was preserved under these conditions. Conversely, tissues bleached in KMnO4/oxalic acid demonstrated poor depigmentation with extensive tissue damage. CONCLUSIONS: Warm dilute H2O2 at 65°C for 120 minutes rapidly and effectively bleached both cryo- and paraffin sections of murine and human ocular tissues.

Effective melanin depigmentation of human and murine ocular tissues: an improved method for paraffin and frozen sections.

Science.gov (United States)

Manicam, Caroline; Pitz, Susanne; Brochhausen, Christoph; Grus, Franz H; Pfeiffer, Norbert; Gericke, Adrian

2014-01-01

The removal of excessive melanin pigments that obscure ocular tissue morphology is important to address scientific questions and for differential diagnosis of ocular tumours based on histology. Thus, the goal of the present study was to establish an effective and fast melanin bleaching method for paraffin and frozen mouse and human ocular tissues. Paraffin-embedded and frozen ocular specimens from mice and human donors were subjected to bleaching employing two methods. The first employed potassium permanganate (KMnO4) with oxalic acid, and the second 10% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). To determine optimal bleaching conditions, depigmentation was carried out at various incubation times. The effect of diluents used for 10% H2O2 was assessed using phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and deionized water. Three different slide types and two fixatives, which were ice-cold acetone with 80% methanol, and 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA) were used to determine the optimal conditions for better tissue adherence during bleaching. All tissues were stained in hematoxylin and eosin for histological evaluation. Optimal bleaching was achieved using warm 10% H2O2 diluted in PBS at 65°C for 120 minutes. Chromium-gelatin-coated slides prevented tissue detachment. Adherence of cryosections was also improved with post-fixation using 4% PFA and overnight air-drying at RT after cryosectioning. Tissue morphology was preserved under these conditions. Conversely, tissues bleached in KMnO4/oxalic acid demonstrated poor depigmentation with extensive tissue damage. Warm dilute H2O2 at 65°C for 120 minutes rapidly and effectively bleached both cryo- and paraffin sections of murine and human ocular tissues.

Discrimination between basal cell carcinoma and hair follicles in skin tissue sections by Raman micro-spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Larraona-Puy, M.; Ghita, A.; Zoladek, A.; Perkins, W.; Varma, S.; Leach, I. H.; Koloydenko, A. A.; Williams, H.; Notingher, I.

2011-05-01

Skin cancer is the most common human malignancy and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) represents approximately 80% of the non-melanoma cases. Current methods of treatment require histopathological evaluation of the tissues by qualified personnel. However, this method is subjective and in some cases BCC can be confused with other structures in healthy skin, including hair follicles. In this preliminary study, we investigated the potential of Raman micro-spectroscopy (RMS) to discriminate between hair follicles and BCC in skin tissue sections excised during Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS). Imaging and diagnosis of skin sections was automatically generated using ' a priori'-built spectral model based on LDA. This model had 90 ± 9% sensitivity and 85 ± 9% specificity for discrimination of BCC from dermis and epidermis. The model used selected Raman bands corresponding to the largest spectral differences between the Raman spectra of BCC and the normal skin regions, associated mainly with nucleic acids and collagen type I. Raman spectra corresponding to the epidermis regions of the hair follicles were found to be closer to those of healthy epidermis rather than BCC. Comparison between Raman spectral images and the gold standard haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) histopathology diagnosis showed good agreement. Some hair follicle regions were misclassified as BCC; regions corresponded mainly to the outermost layer of hair follicle (basal cells) which are expected to have higher nucleic acid concentration. This preliminary study shows the ability of RMS to distinguish between BCC and other tissue structures associated to healthy skin which can be confused with BCC due to their similar morphology.

Development of an algorithm for quantifying extremity biological tissue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavan, Ana L.M.; Miranda, Jose R.A.; Pina, Diana R. de

2013-01-01

The computerized radiology (CR) has become the most widely used device for image acquisition and production, since its introduction in the 80s. The detection and early diagnosis, obtained via CR, are important for the successful treatment of diseases such as arthritis, metabolic bone diseases, tumors, infections and fractures. However, the standards used for optimization of these images are based on international protocols. Therefore, it is necessary to compose radiographic techniques for CR system that provides a secure medical diagnosis, with doses as low as reasonably achievable. To this end, the aim of this work is to develop a quantifier algorithm of tissue, allowing the construction of a homogeneous end used phantom to compose such techniques. It was developed a database of computed tomography images of hand and wrist of adult patients. Using the Matlab ® software, was developed a computational algorithm able to quantify the average thickness of soft tissue and bones present in the anatomical region under study, as well as the corresponding thickness in simulators materials (aluminium and lucite). This was possible through the application of mask and Gaussian removal technique of histograms. As a result, was obtained an average thickness of soft tissue of 18,97 mm and bone tissue of 6,15 mm, and their equivalents in materials simulators of 23,87 mm of acrylic and 1,07mm of aluminum. The results obtained agreed with the medium thickness of biological tissues of a patient's hand pattern, enabling the construction of an homogeneous phantom

Evaluating temperature changes of brain tissue due to induced heating of cell phone waves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farhad Forouharmajd

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Worries have recently been increased in the absorption of radiofrequency waves and their destructing effects on human health by increasing use of cell phones (mobile phones. This study performed to determine the thermal changes due to mobile phone radio frequency waves in gray and white brain tissue. Methods: This study is an empirical study, where the thermal changes of electromagnetic waves resulted from cell phones (900 MHZ, specific absorption rate for head 1.18 w/kg on the 15 brain tissue of a cow were analyzed in a compartment with three different thickness of 2 mm, 12 mm, and 22 mm, for 15 min. The Lutron thermometer (model: MT-917 with 0.01°C precision was used for measuring the tissue temperature. For each thickness was measured three times. Data analysis is done by Lutron and MATLAB software packages. Results: In confronting of the tissue with the cell phone, the temperature was increased by 0.53°C in the 2 mm thickness that is the gray matter of the brain, increased by 0.99°C in the 12 mm thickness, and also increased by 0.92°C in the 22 mm thickness. Brain temperature showed higher rates than the base temperature after 15 min of confrontation with cell phone waves in all the three thicknesses. Conclusions: Cell phone radiated radio frequency waves were effective on increasing brain tissue temperature, and this temperature increase has cumulative effect on the tissue, being higher, for some time after the confrontation than the time with no confrontation.

CORRECTING LABIAL THICK AND HIGH ATTACHED FRENUM (CLINICAL OBSERVATION.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvia Krusteva

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Labial thick and high attached maxillary frenum is commonly regarded as contributing etiology for maintaining midline diastema and upper jaw delayed development. The surgical modalities used to solve this problem are known to be quite stressful for children. Dental lasers have recently been increasingly used to treat wide variety of problems in medicine. AIM: Using a high energy diode laser to remove a short, high attached frenum of the upper lip and present the results of the procedure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed frenectomy in 10 randomly selected patients of both sexes aged 7-9 years with short, thick frena of the upper lip. A Picasso soft tissue diode laser, class IV, power output 7 W, λ-810 nm was used for the procedure. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The healing process was uneventful, painless and without edemas developing in the soft tissues. No inflammation was found in the treated tissues. The children undergoing the procedure showed no fear. This was the reason why we preferred to use lasers as a modern therapeutic modality for soft tissue correction in the mouth.CONCLUSION: Using lasers to remove short, high attached maxillary labial frenum has the benefit of inducing less stress in children than that they experience if anaesthesia and surgery are administered. Anaesthesia with topical anaesthetics is used in the procedure. The postoperative period is free of pain and far from severe. This makes this technique particularly useful for children.

Photon Entanglement Through Brain Tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Lingyan; Galvez, Enrique J; Alfano, Robert R

2016-12-20

Photon entanglement, the cornerstone of quantum correlations, provides a level of coherence that is not present in classical correlations. Harnessing it by study of its passage through organic matter may offer new possibilities for medical diagnosis technique. In this work, we study the preservation of photon entanglement in polarization, created by spontaneous parametric down-conversion, after one entangled photon propagates through multiphoton-scattering brain tissue slices with different thickness. The Tangle-Entropy (TS) plots show the strong preservation of entanglement of photons propagating in brain tissue. By spatially filtering the ballistic scattering of an entangled photon, we find that its polarization entanglement is preserved and non-locally correlated with its twin in the TS plots. The degree of entanglement correlates better with structure and water content than with sample thickness.

Synchrotron microCT imaging of soft tissue in juvenile zebrafish reveals retinotectal projections

Science.gov (United States)

Xin, Xuying; Clark, Darin; Ang, Khai Chung; van Rossum, Damian B.; Copper, Jean; Xiao, Xianghui; La Riviere, Patrick J.; Cheng, Keith C.

2017-02-01

Biomedical research and clinical diagnosis would benefit greatly from full volume determinations of anatomical phenotype. Comprehensive tools for morphological phenotyping are central for the emerging field of phenomics, which requires high-throughput, systematic, accurate, and reproducible data collection from organisms affected by genetic, disease, or environmental variables. Theoretically, complete anatomical phenotyping requires the assessment of every cell type in the whole organism, but this ideal is presently untenable due to the lack of an unbiased 3D imaging method that allows histopathological assessment of any cell type despite optical opacity. Histopathology, the current clinical standard for diagnostic phenotyping, involves the microscopic study of tissue sections to assess qualitative aspects of tissue architecture, disease mechanisms, and physiological state. However, quantitative features of tissue architecture such as cellular composition and cell counting in tissue volumes can only be approximated due to characteristics of tissue sectioning, including incomplete sampling and the constraints of 2D imaging of 5 micron thick tissue slabs. We have used a small, vertebrate organism, the zebrafish, to test the potential of microCT for systematic macroscopic and microscopic morphological phenotyping. While cell resolution is routinely achieved using methods such as light sheet fluorescence microscopy and optical tomography, these methods do not provide the pancellular perspective characteristic of histology, and are constrained by the limited penetration of visible light through pigmented and opaque specimens, as characterizes zebrafish juveniles. Here, we provide an example of neuroanatomy that can be studied by microCT of stained soft tissue at 1.43 micron isotropic voxel resolution. We conclude that synchrotron microCT is a form of 3D imaging that may potentially be adopted towards more reproducible, large-scale, morphological phenotyping of optically

Focused fluorescence excitation with time-reversed ultrasonically encoded light and imaging in thick scattering media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lai, Puxiang; Suzuki, Yuta; Xu, Xiao; Wang, Lihong V

2013-01-01

Scattering dominates light propagation in biological tissue, and therefore restricts both resolution and penetration depth in optical imaging within thick tissue. As photons travel into the diffusive regime, typically 1 mm beneath human skin, their trajectories transition from ballistic to diffusive due to the increased number of scattering events, which makes it impossible to focus, much less track, photon paths. Consequently, imaging methods that rely on controlled light illumination are ineffective in deep tissue. This problem has recently been addressed by a novel method capable of dynamically focusing light in thick scattering media via time reversal of ultrasonically encoded (TRUE) diffused light. Here, using photorefractive materials as phase conjugate mirrors, we show a direct visualization and dynamic control of optical focusing with this light delivery method, and demonstrate its application for focused fluorescence excitation and imaging in thick turbid media. These abilities are increasingly critical for understanding the dynamic interactions of light with biological matter and processes at different system levels, as well as their applications for biomedical diagnosis and therapy. (letter)

Frobenius splitting of thick flag manifolds of Kac-Moody algebras

OpenAIRE

Kato, Syu

2017-01-01

We explain that the Pl\\"ucker relations provide the defining equations of the thick flag manifold associated to a Kac-Moody algebra. This naturally transplant the result of Kumar-Mathieu-Schwede about the Frobenius splitting of thin flag manifolds to the thick case. As a consequence, we provide a description of the global sections of line bundles of a thick Schubert variety as conjectured in Kashiwara-Shimozono [Duke Math. J. 148 (2009)]. This also yields the existence of a compatible basis o...

Of mice, men and elephants: the relation between articular cartilage thickness and body mass.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jos Malda

Full Text Available Mammalian articular cartilage serves diverse functions, including shock absorption, force transmission and enabling low-friction joint motion. These challenging requirements are met by the tissue's thickness combined with its highly specific extracellular matrix, consisting of a glycosaminoglycan-interspersed collagen fiber network that provides a unique combination of resilience and high compressive and shear resistance. It is unknown how this critical tissue deals with the challenges posed by increases in body mass. For this study, osteochondral cores were harvested post-mortem from the central sites of both medial and lateral femoral condyles of 58 different mammalian species ranging from 25 g (mouse to 4000 kg (African elephant. Joint size and cartilage thickness were measured and biochemical composition (glycosaminoclycan, collagen and DNA content and collagen cross-links densities were analyzed. Here, we show that cartilage thickness at the femoral condyle in the mammalian species investigated varies between 90 µm and 3000 µm and bears a negative allometric relationship to body mass, unlike the isometric scaling of the skeleton. Cellular density (as determined by DNA content decreases with increasing body mass, but gross biochemical composition is remarkably constant. This however need not affect life-long performance of the tissue in heavier mammals, due to relatively constant static compressive stresses, the zonal organization of the tissue and additional compensation by joint congruence, posture and activity pattern of larger mammals. These findings provide insight in the scaling of articular cartilage thickness with body weight, as well as in cartilage biochemical composition and cellularity across mammalian species. They underscore the need for the use of appropriate in vivo models in translational research aiming at human applications.

Wall thickness of major coronary arteries in Pakistani population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ullah, Q.W.; Qamar, K.; Butt, S.A.; Butt, S.A.

2012-01-01

To measure the wall thickness of major coronary arteries in Pakistani population, through micrometry. Study design: An observational study. Place and duration of study: Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi, Khyber Medical College Peshawar and District Headquarter Hospital, Rawalpindi, in collaboration with Departments of Anatomy and Pathology, Army Medical College Rawalpindi. The duration of study was six months with effect from September 2009 to March 2010. Material and methods: After incising pericardium, 1 mm long segments of major coronary arteries i.e. right coronary artery (RCA), left anterior descending artery (LAD) and left circumflex artery (LCX) were taken 1cm distal to their origin, from adult male cadavers of up to 40 years age. After processing for paraffin embedding, 5 mu m thick sections were prepared, mounted on glass slides and subsequently stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H and E) for routine histological study. Verhoeff's elastic stain was used to make the elastic lamina more prominent. Wall thickness for each section was measured through micrometry, circumferentially at eight different places along the planes at 45 deg. to each other and then their mean taken as a reading for the respective artery. Results: The total wall thickness of major coronary arteries and of the individual tunicae was less in Pakistani population. The mean thickness of RCA was 0.61 +- 0.05 mm; LAD had mean thickness of 0.55 +- 0.06 mm whereas that of LCX was 0.66 +- 0.13 mm. The mean thickness of tunica intima of RCA was noted to be 0.230 +- 0.044 mm; tunica media measured 0.205 +- 0.031 mm whereas tunica adventitia was 0.172 +- 0.023 mm thick. The mean thickness of tunica intima of LAD measured 0.156 +- 0.032 mm; tunica media was observed to be 0.224 +- 0.026 mm thick whereas the tunica adventitia was 0.170 +- 0.032 mm thick. The mean thickness of tunica intima of LCX was observed to be 0.203 +- 0.059 mm; tunica media to be 0.282 +- 0.097 mm whereas that of tunica

Tissue/blood partition coefficients for xenon in various adipose tissue depots in man

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bülow, J; Jelnes, Rolf; Astrup, A

1987-01-01

Tissue/blood partition coefficients (lambda) for xenon were calculated for subcutaneous adipose tissue from the abdominal wall and the thigh, and for the perirenal adipose tissue after chemical analysis of the tissues for lipid, water and protein content. The lambda in the perirenal tissue...... was found to correlate linearly to the relative body weight (RBW) in per cent with the regression equation lambda = 0.045 . RBW + 0.99. The subcutaneous lambda on the abdomen correlated linearly to the local skinfold thickness (SFT) with the equation lambda = 0.22 SFT + 2.99. Similarly lambda on the thigh...... correlated to SFT with the equation lambda = 0.20 . SFT + 4.63. It is concluded that the previously accepted lambda value of 10 is generally too high in perirenal as well as in subcutaneous tissue. Thus, by application of the present regression equations, it is possible to obtain more exact estimates...

Accuracy and reliability of facial soft tissue depth measurements using cone beam computer tomography

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fourie, Zacharias; Damstra, Janalt; Gerrits, Pieter; Ren, Yijin

2010-01-01

It is important to have accurate and reliable measurements of soft tissue thickness for specific landmarks of the face and scalp when producing a facial reconstruction. In the past several methods have been created to measure facial soft tissue thickness (FSTT) in cadavers and in the living. The

Repair of full-thickness tendon injury using connective tissue progenitors efficiently derived from human embryonic stem cells and fetal tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Shahar; Leshansky, Lucy; Zussman, Eyal; Burman, Michael; Srouji, Samer; Livne, Erella; Abramov, Natalie; Itskovitz-Eldor, Joseph

2010-10-01

The use of stem cells for tissue engineering (TE) encourages scientists to design new platforms in the field of regenerative and reconstructive medicine. Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) have been proposed to be an important cell source for cell-based TE applications as well as an exciting tool for investigating the fundamentals of human development. Here, we describe the efficient derivation of connective tissue progenitors (CTPs) from hESC lines and fetal tissues. The CTPs were significantly expanded and induced to generate tendon tissues in vitro, with ultrastructural characteristics and biomechanical properties typical of mature tendons. We describe a simple method for engineering tendon grafts that can successfully repair injured Achilles tendons and restore the ankle joint extension movement in mice. We also show the CTP's ability to differentiate into bone, cartilage, and fat both in vitro and in vivo. This study offers evidence for the possibility of using stem cell-derived engineered grafts to replace missing tissues, and sets a basic platform for future cell-based TE applications in the fields of orthopedics and reconstructive surgery.

Laser tissue welding mediated with a protein solder

Science.gov (United States)

Small, Ward, IV; Heredia, Nicholas J.; Celliers, Peter M.; Da Silva, Luiz B.; Eder, David C.; Glinsky, Michael E.; London, Richard A.; Maitland, Duncan J.; Matthews, Dennis L.; Soltz, Barbara A.

1996-05-01

A study of laser tissue welding mediated with an indocyanine green dye-enhanced protein solder was performed. Freshly obtained sections of porcine artery were used for the experiments. Sample arterial wall thickness ranged from two to three millimeters. Incisions approximately four millimeters in length were treated using an 805 nanometer continuous- wave diode laser coupled to a one millimeter diameter fiber. Controlled parameters included the power delivered by the laser, the duration of the welding process, and the concentration of dye in the solder. A two-color infrared detection system was constructed to monitor the surface temperatures achieved at the weld site. Burst pressure measurements were made to quantify the strengths of the welds immediately following completion of the welding procedure.

Antecedent thermal injury worsens split-thickness skin graft quality: A clinically relevant porcine model of full-thickness burn, excision and grafting.

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Carlsson, Anders H; Rose, Lloyd F; Fletcher, John L; Wu, Jesse C; Leung, Kai P; Chan, Rodney K

2017-02-01

Current standard of care for full-thickness burn is excision followed by autologous split-thickness skin graft placement. Skin grafts are also frequently used to cover surgical wounds not amenable to linear closure. While all grafts have potential to contract, clinical observation suggests that antecedent thermal injury worsens contraction and impairs functional and aesthetic outcomes. This study evaluates the impact of antecedent full-thickness burn on split-thickness skin graft scar outcomes and the potential mediating factors. Full-thickness contact burns (100°C, 30s) were created on the backs of anesthetized female Yorkshire Pigs. After seven days, burn eschar was tangentially excised and covered with 12/1000th inch (300μm) split-thickness skin graft. For comparison, unburned wounds were created by sharp excision to fat before graft application. From 7 to 120days post-grafting, planimetric measurements, digital imaging and biopsies for histology, immunohistochemistry and gene expression were obtained. At 120days post-grafting, the Observer Scar Assessment Scale, colorimetry, contour analysis and optical graft height assessments were performed. Twenty-nine porcine wounds were analyzed. All measured metrics of clinical skin quality were significantly worse (pskin graft quality, likely by multiple mechanisms including burn-related inflammation, microscopically inadequate excision, and dysregulation of tissue remodeling. A valid, reliable, clinically relevant model of full-thickness burn, excision and skin replacement therapy has been demonstrated. Future research to enhance quality of skin replacement therapies should be directed toward modulation of inflammation and assessments for complete excision. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of various hot mix asphalt pavement thicknesses over rubblized concrete pavement.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-01

In 1999, the Wisconsin DOT constructed two test sections as part of a rubblized PCC pavement project on I-39 to evaluate whether : increased HMA thickness could extend the pavement system's service life. Design thicknesses of the control and test sec...

Accuracy of Visual Estimation of LASIK Flap Thickness.

Science.gov (United States)

Brenner, Jason E; Fadlallah, Ali; Hatch, Kathryn M; Choi, Catherine; Sayegh, Rony R; Kouyoumjian, Paul; Wu, Simon; Frangieh, George T; Melki, Samir A

2017-11-01

To assess the accuracy of surgeons' visual estimation of LASIK flap thickness when created by a femtosecond laser by comparing it to ultrasound measurements. Surgeons were asked to visually estimate the thickness of a femtosecond flap during the procedure. Total corneal thickness was measured by ultrasound pachymetry prior to the procedure and the stromal bed was similarly measured after flap lifting. The estimates from three experienced surgeons (cornea fellowship trained and more than 5 years in practice) were compared to those of three cornea fellows, with each surgeon evaluating 20 eyes (120 total). Surgeons were not told the thickness of the flaps unless required for safety reasons. The average difference between visual and ultrasonic estimation of LASIK flap thickness was 15.20 μm. The flap was 10 μm thicker than estimated in 37% of eyes, 20 μm thicker in 17% of eyes, and 30 μm thicker in 10% of eyes. The largest deviation was 53 μm. There was no statistically significant difference between the accuracy of experienced surgeons and fellows (P = .51). There are significant differences between surgeons' visual estimates and ultrasonic measurements of LASIK flap thickness. Relying on these visual estimates may lead to deeper excimer laser ablation than intended. This could lead to thinner residual stromal beds and higher percent tissue altered than planned. The authors recommend that surgeons measure flaps intraoperatively to maximize accuracy and safety. [J Refract Surg. 2017;33(11):765-767.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Self-heating forecasting for thick laminate specimens in fatigue

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Lahuerta, F.; Westphal, T.; Nijssen, R. P. L.

2014-12-01

Thick laminate sections can be found from the tip to the root in most common wind turbine blade designs. Obtaining accurate and reliable design data for thick laminates is subject of investigations, which include experiments on thick laminate coupons. Due to the poor thermal conductivity properties of composites and the material self-heating that occurs during the fatigue loading, high temperature gradients may appear through the laminate thickness. In the case of thick laminates in high load regimes, the core temperature might influence the mechanical properties, leading to premature failures. In the present work a method to forecast the self-heating of thick laminates in fatigue loading is presented. The mechanical loading is related with the laminate self-heating, via the cyclic strain energy and the energy loss ratio. Based on this internal volumetric heat load a thermal model is built and solved to obtain the temperature distribution in the transient state. Based on experimental measurements of the energy loss factor for 10mm thick coupons, the method is described and the resulting predictions are compared with experimental surface temperature measurements on 10 and 30mm UD thick laminate specimens.

Studies on the quantitative autoradiography. III. Quantitative comparison of a novel tissue-mold measurement technique "paste-mold method," to the semiquantitative whole body autoradiography (WBA), using the same animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Motoji, N; Hamai, Y; Niikura, Y; Shigematsu, A

1995-01-01

A novel preparation technique, so called "Paste Mold," was devised for organ and tissue distribution studies. This is the most powerful by joining with autoradioluminography (ARLG), which was established and validated recently in the working group of Forum '93 of Japanese Society for study of xenobiotics. A small piece (10-50 mg) of each organ or tissue was available for measuring its radioactive concentration and it was sampled from the remains of frozen carcass used for macroautoradiography (MARG). The solubilization of the frozen pieces was performed with mixing a suitable volume of gelatine and strong alkaline solution prior to mild heating kept at 40 degrees C for a few hours. After that, the tissue paste was molded in template pattern to form the small plates. The molded plates were contacted with Imaging plate (IP) for recording their radioactive concentration. The recorded IP was processed by BAS2000. The molded plate was formed in thickness of 200 microns, so called infinit thickness against soft beta rays, and therefore the resulting relative intensities, represented by (PSL-BG)/S values, indicated practically responsible ratio of the radioactive concentration in organs and tissues, without any calibulation for beta-self absorption coefficiency. On the other hand, the left half body of the frozen carcass was used for making whole body autoradiography (WBA) before the Paste-Mold preparation. Comparison was performed for difference in (PSL-BG)/S values of organs and tissues between frozen and dried sections. A good concordance in relative intensities, (PSL-BG)/S by the Paste-Mold preparation was given with those by the frozen sections rather than dried sections.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Degloved foot sole successfully reconstructed with split thickness skin grafts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssens, Loes; Holtslag, Herman R.; Schellekens, Pascal P A; Leenen, Luke P H

2015-01-01

Introduction The current opinion is that split thickness skin grafts are not suitable to reconstruct a degloved foot sole. The tissue is too fragile to carry full bodyweight; and therefore, stress lesions frequently occur. The treatment of choice is the reuse of the avulsed skin whenever possible,

Effect of MELT method on thoracolumbar connective tissue: The full study.

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Sanjana, Faria; Chaudhry, Hans; Findley, Thomas

2017-01-01

Altered connective tissue structure has been identified in adults with chronic low back pain (LBP). A self-care treatment for managing LBP is the MELT method. The MELT method is a hands-off, self-treatment that is said to alleviate chronic pain, release tension and restore mobility, utilizing specialized soft treatments balls, soft body roller and techniques mimicking manual therapy. The objective of this study was to determine whether thickness of thoracolumbar connective tissue and biomechanical and viscoelastic properties of myofascial tissue in the low back region change in subjects with chronic LBP as a result of MELT. This study was designed using a quasi experimental pre-post- design that analyzed data from subjects who performed MELT. Using ultrasound imaging and an algorithm developed in MATLAB, thickness of thoracolumbar connective tissue was analyzed in 22 subjects. A hand-held digital palpation device, called the MyotonPRO, was used to assess biomechanical properties such as stiffness, elasticity, tone and mechanical stress relaxation time of the thoracolumbar myofascial tissue. A forward bending test assessing flexibility and pain scale was added to see if MELT affected subjects with chronic LBP. A significant decrease in connective tissue thickness and pain was observed in participants. Significant increase in flexibility was also recorded. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of cross sections of 56Fe up to 3 GeV and integral benchmark calculation for thick target yield

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshizawa, Nobuaki; Meigo, Shin-ichiro

2001-01-01

The neutron and proton cross sections of 56 Fe were evaluated up to 3 GeV. JENDL High Energy File of 56 Fe were developed for use in transport calculation. For neutrons, the high-energy data are merged with JENDL3.3-file. Integral benchmark calculations for thick target neutron yields (TTY) for 113 MeV and 256 MeV proton bombardment of Fe targets were performed using the evaluated libraries. Calculated TTY neutron spectra were compared with experimental data. For 113 MeV, calculated TTY at 7.5 degree underestimated in the emitted neutron energy range above 10 MeV. For 256 MeV, calculated TTY well agree with experimental data except below 10 MeV. (author)

A comparison between destructive and non-destructive techniques in determining coating thickness

Science.gov (United States)

Haider, F. I.; Suryanto; Ani, M. H.; Mahmood, M. H.

2018-01-01

Measuring coating thickness is an important part in research works related to coating applications. In general, techniques for measuring coating thickness may be divided into destructive and non-destructive methods which are commonly used depending on the applications. The objective of this study is to compare two methods measuring the coating thickness of electroplating copper coating on the austenitic stainless-steel substrate. The electroplating was carried out in a solution containing 200 g/L CuSO4, 100 g/L H2SO4 at room temperature and current of 40mA/cm2 during 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mins as coating periods. And the coating thickness was measured by two methods, cross sectional analysis as a destructive technique and weight gain as a non-destructive technique. The results show that at 20 mins coating time interval, the thickness measured by cross sectional method was 16.67 μm and by weight gain method was 17.37 μm, with difference of 0.7 μm and percentage error of 4.11%. This error increased to 5.27% at 100mins time interval, where the values of the thickness measured by cross sectional and weight gain were 86.33 μm and 81.9 μm respectively, and the difference was 4.43 μm. Moreover, though the weight gain method is fast and gives the indication for the termination of a coating process, information regarding the uniformity, porosity and the presence of cracks cannot be obtained. On the other hand, determining the coating thickness using destructive method will damage the sample.

Tumescent Anethesia : A Useful Technique For Harvesting Split- Thickness Skin Graft

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saraf Sanjay

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Tumescent anesthesia is a now an established technique for regional anesthesia of the skin and the subcutaneous fatty tissue. The unsurpassed simplicity and safely of this procedure have opened up the gates for newer indications. We have employed this technique for harvesting split-thickness grafts in various conditions. We have found that this technique is extremely simple in which large areas can be anesthetized for harvesting split-thickness skin grafts safely. The good passive resistance achieved facilitates easy harvesting of split-thickness grafts along with minimal bleeding and long lasting pain relief. We found this to be an inexpensive, safe and simple technique with elimination of risks and expenses of general anesthesia.

Study on fluidity of squeeze cast AZ91D magnesium alloy with different wall thicknesses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen Yun

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Rectangular cross-section specimens with different section thicknesses were prepared to study the influences of pouring temperature, mould temperature and squeeze velocity on the fluidity of squeeze cast AZ91D magnesium alloy by means of orthogonal test design method. The results show that pouring temperature, mould temperature and squeeze velocity can significantly affect the fluidity of magnesium alloy specimens with wall thickness no more than 4 mm, and the pouring temperature is the most influential factor on the fluidity of specimens with wall thickness of 1, 2 and 3 mm, while mould temperature is the one for specimens with wall thickness of 4 mm. Increasing pouring temperature between 700 °C and 750 °C is beneficial to the fluidity of AZ91D magnesium alloy, and increasing mould temperature significantly enhances the filling ability of thick (3 and 4 mm section castings. The fluidity of squeeze cast magnesium alloy increases with the increase of wall thickness. It is not recommended to produce magnesium alloy casting with wall thickness of smaller than 3 mm by squeeze cast process due to the poor fluidity. The software DPS was used to generate the regression model, and linear regression equations of the fluidity of squeeze cast AZ91D with different wall thicknesses are obtained using the test results.

Association of epicardial adipose tissue thickness and inflammation parameters with CHA2DS2-VASc score in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akdag S

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Serkan Akdag, Hakki Simsek, Musa Sahin, Aytac Akyol, Ramazan Duz, Naci Babat Department of Cardiology, Yuzuncu Yil University Medical Faculty, Van, Turkey Background: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT, mean platelet volume (MPV, platelet-to- lymphocyte ratio (PLR, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR have been shown to be helpful in predicting adverse cardiovascular events. However, to date, in the literature, there have been no studies demonstrating the relationship between EAT, MPV, PLR, NLR, and thromboembolism risk in atrial fibrillation (AF. Therefore, we examined the relationship between EAT, MPV, PLR, NLR, and CHA2DS2-VASc score used for the evaluation of thromboembolism risk in patients with AF.Methods: The study included 96 consecutive patients with AF and 52 age- and sex-matched control subjects. We calculated CHA2DS2-VASc risk score for each patient and measured baseline EAT thickness, MPV, PLR, NLR, left atrial volume index, and left ventricular ejection fraction.Results: The group with high CHA2DS2-VASc score had higher EAT (7.2±1.5 vs 5.9±1.2 mm, P<0.001, MPV (9.1±1.1 vs 8.4±1.0 fL, P=0.004, PLR (152.3±28.4 vs 126.7±25.4, P=0.001, and NLR (4.0±1.6 vs 3.2±1.3, P<0.001 compared to group with low-intermediate CHA2DS2-VASc score. Moreover, CHA2DS2-VASc score was found to be positively correlated with EAT (r=0.623, P<0.001, MPV (r=0.350, P=0.004, PLR (r=0.398, P=0.001, and NLR (r=0.518, P<0.001.Conclusion: Our study results demonstrated that EAT thickness, MPV, PLR, and NLR were associated with the thromboembolic risk exhibited by CHA2DS2-VASc score in patients with nonvalvular AF. Keywords: atrial fibrillation, epicardial adipose tissue, platelet, neutrophil, mean platelet volume

CT measurement of normal pericardial thickness in adults on computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Young Woo; Park, Chan Sup; Jeon, Yong Sun; Bae, In Young; Choi, Sung Gyu; Koo, Jin Hoe; Chung, Won Kyun

1998-01-01

The purpose of this study was to establish, using computed tomography, the normal thickness of the pericardium in adults. Materials and Methods: CT scans of 50 patients, including sections through the level of the heart, were reviewed. Patients were excluded if there were any suspicions of pericardial abnormality such as infectious or neoplastic diseases. Twenty-four of the 50 were men and 26 were women; their mean age was 47.0(range,18-76) years. We measured pericardial thickness at the level of the right ventricle, interventricular septum and left ventricle, and also compared pericardial thickness in terms of age and sex. Results: In all patients, the pericardium was observed in the right ventricular region; in 41 (82%) at the interventricular septum; and in 41 (82%) along the left ventricle. The mean thickness of normal pericardium at the level of the right ventricle, interventricular septum, and left ventricle was 1.8 mm ± 0.5 mm, 1.8 mm ± 0.4 mm, and 1.7 mm ± 0.5 mm, respectively. No statistically significant correlation was apparent between pericardial thickness and age group (p > 0.63, ANOVA test). Mean pericardial thickness was 1.9 mm ± 0.6 mm in males and 1.7 mm ± 0.4 mm in females; thus, no statistically significant correlation was apparent between pericardial thickness and sex (p >0.29, Student's t-test). Conclusion: The pericardium was best visualized in sections through the right ventricle.The mean thickness of normal pericardium was 1.8 mm ± 0.5 mm and pericardial thickness did not differ according to age or sex

Endoscopic full-thickness resection: Current status.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Arthur; Meier, Benjamin; Caca, Karel

2015-08-21

Conventional endoscopic resection techniques such as endoscopic mucosal resection or endoscopic submucosal dissection are powerful tools for treatment of gastrointestinal neoplasms. However, those techniques are restricted to superficial layers of the gastrointestinal wall. Endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) is an evolving technique, which is just about to enter clinical routine. It is not only a powerful tool for diagnostic tissue acquisition but also has the potential to spare surgical therapy in selected patients. This review will give an overview about current EFTR techniques and devices.

The ecological and genetic basis of convergent thick-lipped phenotypes in cichlid fishes.

Science.gov (United States)

Colombo, Marco; Diepeveen, Eveline T; Muschick, Moritz; Santos, M Emilia; Indermaur, Adrian; Boileau, Nicolas; Barluenga, Marta; Salzburger, Walter

2013-02-01

The evolution of convergent phenotypes is one of the most interesting outcomes of replicate adaptive radiations. Remarkable cases of convergence involve the thick-lipped phenotype found across cichlid species flocks in the East African Great Lakes. Unlike most other convergent forms in cichlids, which are restricted to East Africa, the thick-lipped phenotype also occurs elsewhere, for example in the Central American Midas Cichlid assemblage. Here, we use an ecological genomic approach to study the function, the evolution and the genetic basis of this phenotype in two independent cichlid adaptive radiations on two continents. We applied phylogenetic, demographic, geometric morphometric and stomach content analyses to an African (Lobochilotes labiatus) and a Central American (Amphilophus labiatus) thick-lipped species. We found that similar morphological adaptations occur in both thick-lipped species and that the 'fleshy' lips are associated with hard-shelled prey in the form of molluscs and invertebrates. We then used comparative Illumina RNA sequencing of thick vs. normal lip tissue in East African cichlids and identified a set of 141 candidate genes that appear to be involved in the morphogenesis of this trait. A more detailed analysis of six of these genes led to three strong candidates: Actb, Cldn7 and Copb. The function of these genes can be linked to the loose connective tissue constituting the fleshy lips. Similar trends in gene expression between African and Central American thick-lipped species appear to indicate that an overlapping set of genes was independently recruited to build this particular phenotype in both lineages. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Full reflector thickness and isolation thickness on neutron transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakai, Tomohiro; Naito, Yoshitaka; Komuro, Yuichi.

1988-08-01

A method to determine ''full reflector thickness'' and ''isolation thickness'', which is utilized for criticality safety evaluation on nuclear fuel facilities, was proposed in this paper. Firstly, a calculation was tryed to obtain the two kinds of thicknesses from the result of criticality calculations for a specific case. Then, two simple equations which calculates the two kinds of thicknesses were made from the relation between reflector (or isolator) thickness and k eff , and one-group diffusion theory. Finally, we proposed a new method to determine the thicknesses. From the method we proposed, ''full reflector thickness'' and ''isolation thickness'' can be obtain using the equations and migration length of the reflector (or isolator) and infinite and effective multiplication factor of the fuel. (author)

Effectiveness of Acellular Dermal Matrix on Autologous Split-Thickness Skin Graft in Treatment of Deep Tissue Defect: Esthetic Subjective and Objective Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yoo Jung; Park, Myong Chul; Park, Dong Ha; Hahn, Hyung Min; Kim, Sue Min; Lee, Il Jae

2017-10-01

A split-thickness skin graft (STSG) is performed to cover a large full-thickness skin defect. Esthetic and functional deficits can result, and many studies have sought to overcome them. This study compared the effectiveness of the acellular dermal matrix (ADM) graft and STSG concerning esthetic and functional effectiveness of ADM on scar quality. Of the patients who underwent anterolateral thigh free flap from 2011 to 2015, patients who received skin graft only (n = 10) or skin graft with ADM (n = 20) for coverage of the donor site were enrolled. In all cases, autologous STSG was performed with 1:1.5 meshed 0.008-0.010-inch-thick skin. In the skin graft with ADM group, 0.008-0.013-inch-thick meshed ADM (CGderm ® ; CGBio, Inc., Seungnam, Korea) was co-grafted. Negative-pressure wound therapy (CuraVAC ® ; CGBio, Inc., Seungnam, Korea) was applied to both groups in continuous mode at -120 mmHg. We investigate early outcomes (skin loss rate, duration of negative-pressure wound therapy, days to removal of stitches, days to achieve complete healing, and complications) and late outcomes in terms of scar quality (vascularity, pigmentation, pliability and height) and graft-related symptoms (itching sensation and pain). Assessments used the Vancouver Scar Scale and the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale. Skin fold was measured to evaluate the elasticity of scar tissue. In the Vancouver Scar Scale, vascularity subscore (p = 0.003) and total score (p = 0.016) were significantly lower in the skin graft with ADM group. In Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale, the pain (p = 0.037) and stiffness subscores (p = 0.002), and total score (p = 0.017) were significantly lower in the skin graft with ADM group. Skin graft with ADM results in better scar quality in objective and subjective aspects. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to

Technical Note: Cortical thickness and density estimation from clinical CT using a prior thickness-density relationship

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Humbert, Ludovic, E-mail: ludohumberto@gmail.com [Galgo Medical, Barcelona 08036 (Spain); Hazrati Marangalou, Javad; Rietbergen, Bert van [Orthopaedic Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven 5600 MB (Netherlands); Río Barquero, Luis Miguel del [CETIR Centre Medic, Barcelona 08029 (Spain); Lenthe, G. Harry van [Biomechanics Section, KU Leuven–University of Leuven, Leuven 3001 (Belgium)

2016-04-15

Purpose: Cortical thickness and density are critical components in determining the strength of bony structures. Computed tomography (CT) is one possible modality for analyzing the cortex in 3D. In this paper, a model-based approach for measuring the cortical bone thickness and density from clinical CT images is proposed. Methods: Density variations across the cortex were modeled as a function of the cortical thickness and density, location of the cortex, density of surrounding tissues, and imaging blur. High resolution micro-CT data of cadaver proximal femurs were analyzed to determine a relationship between cortical thickness and density. This thickness-density relationship was used as prior information to be incorporated in the model to obtain accurate measurements of cortical thickness and density from clinical CT volumes. The method was validated using micro-CT scans of 23 cadaver proximal femurs. Simulated clinical CT images with different voxel sizes were generated from the micro-CT data. Cortical thickness and density were estimated from the simulated images using the proposed method and compared with measurements obtained using the micro-CT images to evaluate the effect of voxel size on the accuracy of the method. Then, 19 of the 23 specimens were imaged using a clinical CT scanner. Cortical thickness and density were estimated from the clinical CT images using the proposed method and compared with the micro-CT measurements. Finally, a case-control study including 20 patients with osteoporosis and 20 age-matched controls with normal bone density was performed to evaluate the proposed method in a clinical context. Results: Cortical thickness (density) estimation errors were 0.07 ± 0.19 mm (−18 ± 92 mg/cm{sup 3}) using the simulated clinical CT volumes with the smallest voxel size (0.33 × 0.33 × 0.5 mm{sup 3}), and 0.10 ± 0.24 mm (−10 ± 115 mg/cm{sup 3}) using the volumes with the largest voxel size (1.0 × 1.0 × 3.0 mm{sup 3}). A trend for the

Technical Note: Cortical thickness and density estimation from clinical CT using a prior thickness-density relationship

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Humbert, Ludovic; Hazrati Marangalou, Javad; Rietbergen, Bert van; Río Barquero, Luis Miguel del; Lenthe, G. Harry van

2016-01-01

Purpose: Cortical thickness and density are critical components in determining the strength of bony structures. Computed tomography (CT) is one possible modality for analyzing the cortex in 3D. In this paper, a model-based approach for measuring the cortical bone thickness and density from clinical CT images is proposed. Methods: Density variations across the cortex were modeled as a function of the cortical thickness and density, location of the cortex, density of surrounding tissues, and imaging blur. High resolution micro-CT data of cadaver proximal femurs were analyzed to determine a relationship between cortical thickness and density. This thickness-density relationship was used as prior information to be incorporated in the model to obtain accurate measurements of cortical thickness and density from clinical CT volumes. The method was validated using micro-CT scans of 23 cadaver proximal femurs. Simulated clinical CT images with different voxel sizes were generated from the micro-CT data. Cortical thickness and density were estimated from the simulated images using the proposed method and compared with measurements obtained using the micro-CT images to evaluate the effect of voxel size on the accuracy of the method. Then, 19 of the 23 specimens were imaged using a clinical CT scanner. Cortical thickness and density were estimated from the clinical CT images using the proposed method and compared with the micro-CT measurements. Finally, a case-control study including 20 patients with osteoporosis and 20 age-matched controls with normal bone density was performed to evaluate the proposed method in a clinical context. Results: Cortical thickness (density) estimation errors were 0.07 ± 0.19 mm (−18 ± 92 mg/cm"3) using the simulated clinical CT volumes with the smallest voxel size (0.33 × 0.33 × 0.5 mm"3), and 0.10 ± 0.24 mm (−10 ± 115 mg/cm"3) using the volumes with the largest voxel size (1.0 × 1.0 × 3.0 mm"3). A trend for the cortical thickness and

Production of tissue microarrays, immunohistochemistry staining and digitalization within the human protein atlas.

Science.gov (United States)

Kampf, Caroline; Olsson, Ingmarie; Ryberg, Urban; Sjöstedt, Evelina; Pontén, Fredrik

2012-05-31

The tissue microarray (TMA) technology provides the means for high-throughput analysis of multiple tissues and cells. The technique is used within the Human Protein Atlas project for global analysis of protein expression patterns in normal human tissues, cancer and cell lines. Here we present the assembly of 1 mm cores, retrieved from microscopically selected representative tissues, into a single recipient TMA block. The number and size of cores in a TMA block can be varied from approximately forty 2 mm cores to hundreds of 0.6 mm cores. The advantage of using TMA technology is that large amount of data can rapidly be obtained using a single immunostaining protocol to avoid experimental variability. Importantly, only limited amount of scarce tissue is needed, which allows for the analysis of large patient cohorts (1 2). Approximately 250 consecutive sections (4 μm thick) can be cut from a TMA block and used for immunohistochemical staining to determine specific protein expression patterns for 250 different antibodies. In the Human Protein Atlas project, antibodies are generated towards all human proteins and used to acquire corresponding protein profiles in both normal human tissues from 144 individuals and cancer tissues from 216 different patients, representing the 20 most common forms of human cancer. Immunohistochemically stained TMA sections on glass slides are scanned to create high-resolution images from which pathologists can interpret and annotate the outcome of immunohistochemistry. Images together with corresponding pathology-based annotation data are made publically available for the research community through the Human Protein Atlas portal (www.proteinatlas.org) (Figure 1) (3 4). The Human Protein Atlas provides a map showing the distribution and relative abundance of proteins in the human body. The current version contains over 11 million images with protein expression data for 12.238 unique proteins, corresponding to more than 61% of all proteins

Comparison of Lateral Abdominal Muscle Thickness and Cross Sectional Area of Multifidus in Adolescent Soccer Players with and without Low Back Pain: A Case Control Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Noormohammadpour, Pardis; Hosseini Khezri, Alireza; Linek, Paweł; Mansournia, Mohammad Ali; Hassannejad, Alireza; Younesian, Ali; Farahbakhsh, Farzin; Kordi, Ramin

2016-12-01

Low back pain (LBP) is a common complaint amongst adolescent athletes. While different studies have shown association between LBP and trunk muscle thickness in the general population, few articles have studied it in adolescent athletes. The aim of this study is to compare lateral abdominal muscle thickness and function, and cross sectional area (CSA) of lumbar multifidus (LM) in adolescent soccer players with and without LBP. In total, 28 adolescent soccer players with and without LBP, from the premier league participated in this study. The thickness of external oblique, internal oblique and transversus abdominis and the CSA of the LM muscles at L4 level on both sides were measured at rest and contraction via ultrasound imaging (USI). In addition, leg length discrepancy, hamstring flexibility, active lumbar forward flexion, and isometric muscle endurance of trunk extensors were measured in both groups. (study design/setting: case control study). The mean (SD) age in LBP group and non-LBP group were 14.0 (1.1) and 14.1 (0.9) years, respectively. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics of participants between groups. Findings showed no significant difference between LBP and non-LBP groups comparing all measured variables. The data obtained support that there is not a correlation between abdominal muscle thickness and CSA of the lumbar multifidi and LBP in adolescent soccer players. These findings suggest that other factors rather than the thickness of deep trunk muscles may play a more significant role in the etiology of LBP in adolescent soccer players.

Effect of noise pollution on testicular tissue and hormonal assessment in rat.

Science.gov (United States)

Farzadinia, P; Bigdeli, M; Akbarzadeh, S; Mohammadi, M; Daneshi, A; Bargahi, A

2016-11-01

Many studies have focused on the effect of noise stress on the health. So far, few studies have been conducted on the effect of noise on reproductive system. The aim of study was to investigate the effect of noise pollution on morphometric parameters of testicular tissue and hormonal assessment (ACTH, cortisol and testosterone). In this study, 40 male rats were exposed to control, 95, 105 and 115 dB noise intensity for sixty days. At the end of study, blood sampling was performed and ACTH, cortisol and testosterone concentrations were assessed. The results showed that noise stress decreased testosterone levels in the 115 dB-treated group, while it increased the ACTH and cortisol levels. Histological sections of testis showed that the mean diameter of the seminiferous tubules and thickness of the germinal epithelium reduced compared to the control group. Also the ratio of the interstitial tissue area to the total testicular tissue area was increased significantly. Our study shows that noise stress may have negative influences on male fertility. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Clinical Factors Associated with Lamina Cribrosa Thickness in Patients with Glaucoma, as Measured with Swept Source Optical Coherence Tomography.

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Kazuko Omodaka

Full Text Available To investigate the influence of various risk factors on thinning of the lamina cribrosa (LC, as measured with swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT; Topcon.This retrospective study comprised 150 eyes of 150 patients: 22 normal subjects, 28 preperimetric glaucoma (PPG patients, and 100 open-angle glaucoma patients. Average LC thickness was determined in a 3 x 3 mm cube scan of the optic disc, over which a 4 x 4 grid of 16 points was superimposed (interpoint distance: 175 μm, centered on the circular Bruch's membrane opening. The borders of the LC were defined as the visible limits of the LC pores. The correlation of LC thickness with Humphrey field analyzer-measured mean deviation (MD; SITA standard 24-2, circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (cpRNFLT, the vertical cup-to-disc (C/D ratio, and tissue mean blur rate (MBR was determined with Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The relationship of LC thickness with age, axial length, intraocular pressure (IOP, MD, the vertical C/D ratio, central corneal thickness (CCT, and tissue MBR was determined with multiple regression analysis. Average LC thickness and the correlation between LC thickness and MD were compared in patients with the glaucomatous enlargement (GE optic disc type and those with non-GE disc types, as classified with Nicolela's method.We found that average LC thickness in the 16 grid points was significantly associated with overall LC thickness (r = 0.77, P < 0.001. The measurement time for this area was 12.4 ± 2.4 minutes. Average LC thickness in this area had a correlation coefficient of 0.57 with cpRNFLT (P < 0.001 and 0.46 (P < 0.001 with MD. Average LC thickness differed significantly between the groups (normal: 268 ± 23 μm, PPG: 248 ± 13 μm, OAG: 233 ± 20 μm. Multiple regression analysis showed that MD (β = 0.29, P = 0.013, vertical C/D ratio (β = -0.25, P = 0.020 and tissue MBR (β = 0.20, P = 0.034 were independent variables significantly

Can plantar soft tissue mechanics enhance prognosis of diabetic foot ulcer?

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Naemi, R; Chatzistergos, P; Suresh, S; Sundar, L; Chockalingam, N; Ramachandran, A

2017-04-01

To investigate if the assessment of the mechanical properties of plantar soft tissue can increase the accuracy of predicting Diabetic Foot Ulceration (DFU). 40 patients with diabetic neuropathy and no DFU were recruited. Commonly assessed clinical parameters along with plantar soft tissue stiffness and thickness were measured at baseline using ultrasound elastography technique. 7 patients developed foot ulceration during a 12months follow-up. Logistic regression was used to identify parameters that contribute to predicting the DFU incidence. The effect of using parameters related to the mechanical behaviour of plantar soft tissue on the specificity, sensitivity, prediction strength and accuracy of the predicting models for DFU was assessed. Patients with higher plantar soft tissue thickness and lower stiffness at the 1st Metatarsal head area showed an increased risk of DFU. Adding plantar soft tissue stiffness and thickness to the model improved its specificity (by 3%), sensitivity (by 14%), prediction accuracy (by 5%) and prognosis strength (by 1%). The model containing all predictors was able to effectively (χ 2 (8, N=40)=17.55, P<0.05) distinguish between the patients with and without DFU incidence. The mechanical properties of plantar soft tissue can be used to improve the predictability of DFU in moderate/high risk patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of unilateral partial edentulism to muscle thickness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koca-Ceylan, Golzem; Guler, Ahmet U.; Taskay-Yelmir, Nergiz; Lutfi, Incesu; Aksoz, Tolga

2003-01-01

Teeth and muscle play a very important role for occlusal equilibrium and function.when tooth loss begins ,it may also effect the function of muscle tissues. The thickness of masseter and anterior temporalis muscles were measured bilaterally in 30 healthy fully dentate adults and in 30 unilateral edentulous patients by using ultrasonographic imaging. All scans were carried out by the same radiologist to eliminate the inter-observer difference, using a real time scanner (Toshiba SSA -270A,Japan). A 7.5 MHz linear transducer was used. The effect of age, sex, duration of partial edentulism, unilateral chewing habits of the individuals to the muscle thickness were also evaluated. In all subjects,facial proportion index was also determined. Main purpose of this study was to compare and establish the differences of muscle thickness between dentate and edentulous side in unilateral partial edentulous patients with ultrasonography and to test whether the variation in the thickness of the muscle is related to the variation in the facial and morphology. Ultrasonography revealed a large variation in the thickness of the masseter and temporolis muscles in experimental and controlled groups ,both relaxed and contracted conditions.The thickness of muscles in females was less in both conditions.In experimental group, a high negative correlation was found between the thickness of the masseter muscle and Facial Proportion Index ( FPI) in the females ,however, the statistical analysis showed no significant difference in the males. Also a high negative correlation was found in female control group. There was no statistically significant relationship between unilateral chewing habits and muscle thickness .In this study the duration of partial edentulism did not affect the thickness of the muscle.Further research is required to study muscular atrophy for comparison with total edentulism. (author)

Histopathological pattern of soft tissues tumors and tumour like lesions in the pathology department of lady reading hospital peshawar, pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sajjad, M.; Ahmad, F.

2016-01-01

Soft tissues tumours are tumours of mesenchymal origin excluding epithelial, skeletal tissue, reticuloendothelial system, brain coverings and solid viscera of the body. The objective of this study was to know the histopathological pattern of soft tissues tumours in the Pathology Department of Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on retrospective data from January 2009 to December 2013. All the soft tissues biopsy specimens were received in 10% formalin, labelled, gross performed, sections processed in alcohol, xylene, wax, block prepared, frozen, microtome sections taken and processed for H and E staining, mounted and reported by a Histopathologist. The inclusion criteria was any sufficient soft tissue tumour biopsy specimen of any age, sex, location in body whereas the exclusion criteria was autolysed biopsy specimen. A minimum of four and maximum of eight sections and 5 micron thick were taken from each specimen. Results: A total of 267 soft tissues tumours biopsy specimens were received in the pathology laboratory with age range of 01 to 75 years, with mean age of 30.68+-17.71 years. Male to female ratio was 1.13:1. Amongst the total, benign tumours were 176 (65.91%). Haemangioma, 73 (27.3%) was the commonest tumours followed by lipomas 41 (15.4%) cases. Amongst the total malignant tumours, i.e., 91 (34.08%), rhabdomyosarcoma, 35 (13.1%) was the commonest tumour followed by angiosarcoma 14 (5.2%) cases. Conclusion: Haemangioma is the commonest benign tumour and rhabdomyosarcoma is the commonest malignant tumour in this study. (author)

Laser cutting of bone tissue under bulk water with a pulsed ps-laser at 532 nm.

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Tulea, Cristian-Alexander; Caron, Jan; Gehlich, Nils; Lenenbach, Achim; Noll, Reinhard; Loosen, Peter

2015-10-01

Hard-tissue ablation was already investigated for a broad variety of pulsed laser systems, which cover almost the entire range of available wavelengths and pulse parameters. Most effective in hard-tissue ablation are Er:YAG and CO2 lasers, both utilizing the effect of absorption of infrared wavelengths by water and so-called explosive vaporization, when a thin water film or water–air spray is supplied. The typical flow rates and the water layer thicknesses are too low for surgical applications where bleeding occurs and wound flushing is necessary. We studied a 20 W ps-laser with 532 nm wavelength and a pulse energy of 1 mJ to effectively ablate bones that are submerged 14 mm under water. For these laser parameters, the plasma-mediated ablation mechanism is dominant. Simulations based on the blow-off model predict the cut depth and cross-sectional shape of the incision. The model is modified considering the cross section of the Gaussian beam, the incident angle, and reflections. The ablation rate amounts to 0.2  mm3/s, corresponding to an increase by at least 50% of the highest values published so far for ultrashort laser ablation of hard tissue.

Interocular Symmetry in Macular Choroidal Thickness in Children

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Christiane Al-Haddad

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. To report interocular differences in choroidal thickness in children using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT and correlate findings with biometric data. Methods. This observational cross-sectional study included 91 (182 eyes healthy children aged 6 to 17 years with no ocular abnormality except refractive error. After a comprehensive eye exam and axial length measurement, high definition macular scans were performed using SD-OCT. Two observers manually measured the choroidal thickness at the foveal center and at 1500 µm nasally, temporally, inferiorly, and superiorly. Interocular differences were computed; correlations with age, gender, refractive error, and axial length were performed. Results. Mean age was 10.40 ± 3.17 years; mean axial length and refractive error values were similar between fellow eyes. There was excellent correlation between the two observers’ measurements. No significant interocular differences were observed at any location. There was only a trend for right eyes to have higher values in all thicknesses, except the superior thickness. Most of the choroidal thickness measurements correlated positively with spherical equivalent but not with axial length, age, or gender. Conclusion. Choroidal thickness measurements in children as performed using SD-OCT revealed a high level of interobserver agreement and consistent interocular symmetry. Values correlated positively with spherical equivalent refraction.

Interocular symmetry in macular choroidal thickness in children.

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Al-Haddad, Christiane; El Chaar, Lama; Antonios, Rafic; El-Dairi, Mays; Noureddin, Baha'

2014-01-01

Objective. To report interocular differences in choroidal thickness in children using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and correlate findings with biometric data. Methods. This observational cross-sectional study included 91 (182 eyes) healthy children aged 6 to 17 years with no ocular abnormality except refractive error. After a comprehensive eye exam and axial length measurement, high definition macular scans were performed using SD-OCT. Two observers manually measured the choroidal thickness at the foveal center and at 1500 µm nasally, temporally, inferiorly, and superiorly. Interocular differences were computed; correlations with age, gender, refractive error, and axial length were performed. Results. Mean age was 10.40 ± 3.17 years; mean axial length and refractive error values were similar between fellow eyes. There was excellent correlation between the two observers' measurements. No significant interocular differences were observed at any location. There was only a trend for right eyes to have higher values in all thicknesses, except the superior thickness. Most of the choroidal thickness measurements correlated positively with spherical equivalent but not with axial length, age, or gender. Conclusion. Choroidal thickness measurements in children as performed using SD-OCT revealed a high level of interobserver agreement and consistent interocular symmetry. Values correlated positively with spherical equivalent refraction.

Effective radiation attenuation calibration for breast density: compression thickness influences and correction

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Thomas Jerry A

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Calibrating mammograms to produce a standardized breast density measurement for breast cancer risk analysis requires an accurate spatial measure of the compressed breast thickness. Thickness inaccuracies due to the nominal system readout value and compression paddle orientation induce unacceptable errors in the calibration. Method A thickness correction was developed and evaluated using a fully specified two-component surrogate breast model. A previously developed calibration approach based on effective radiation attenuation coefficient measurements was used in the analysis. Water and oil were used to construct phantoms to replicate the deformable properties of the breast. Phantoms consisting of measured proportions of water and oil were used to estimate calibration errors without correction, evaluate the thickness correction, and investigate the reproducibility of the various calibration representations under compression thickness variations. Results The average thickness uncertainty due to compression paddle warp was characterized to within 0.5 mm. The relative calibration error was reduced to 7% from 48-68% with the correction. The normalized effective radiation attenuation coefficient (planar representation was reproducible under intra-sample compression thickness variations compared with calibrated volume measures. Conclusion Incorporating this thickness correction into the rigid breast tissue equivalent calibration method should improve the calibration accuracy of mammograms for risk assessments using the reproducible planar calibration measure.

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Histone Deacetylases in Kidney Tissue Sections.

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Ververis, Katherine; Marzully, Selly; Samuel, Chrishan S; Hewitson, Tim D; Karagiannis, Tom C

2016-01-01

Fluorescent microscope imaging technologies are increasing in their applications and are being used on a wide scale. However methods used to quantify the level of fluorescence intensity are often not utilized-perhaps given the result may be immediately seen, quantification of the data may not seem necessary. However there are a number of reasons given to quantify fluorescent images including the importance of removing potential bias in the data upon observation as well as quantification of large numbers of images gives statistical power to detect subtle changes in experiments. In addition discreet localization of a protein could be detected without selection bias that may not be detectable by eye. Such data will be deemed useful when detecting the levels of HDAC enzymes within cells in order to develop more effective HDAC inhibitor compounds for use against multiple diseased states. Hence, we discuss a methodology devised to analyze fluorescent images using Image J to detect the mean fluorescence intensity of the 11 metal-dependent HDAC enzymes using murine kidney tissue sections as an example.

Qualitative and quantitative observations of bone tissue reactions to anodised implants.

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Sul, Young-Taeg; Johansson, Carina B; Röser, Kerstin; Albrektsson, Tomas

2002-04-01

Research projects focusing on biomaterials related factors; the bulk implant material, the macro-design of the implant and the microsurface roughness are routinely being conducted at our laboratories. In this study, we have investigated the bone tissue reactions to turned commercially pure (c.p.) titanium implants with various thicknesses of the oxide films after 6 weeks of insertion in rabbit bone. The control c.p. titanium implants had an oxide thickness of 17-200 nm while the test implants revealed an oxide thickness between 600 and 1000 nm. Routine histological investigations of the tissue reactions around the implants and enzyme histochemical detections of alkaline and acid phosphatase activities demonstrated similar findings around both the control and test implants. In general, the histomorphometrical parameters (bone to implant contact and newly formed bone) revealed significant quantitative differences between the control and test implants. The test implants demonstrated a greater bone response histomorphometrically than control implants and the osteoconductivity was more pronounced around the test implant surfaces. The parameters that differed between the implant surfaces, i.e. the oxide thickness, the pore size distribution, the porosity and the crystallinity of the surface oxides may represent factors that have an influence on the histomorphometrical results indicated by a stronger bone tissue response to the test implant surfaces, with an oxide thickness of more than 600 nm.

Versatile technique for assessing thickness of 2D layered materials by XPS

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Zemlyanov, Dmitry Y.; Jespersen, Michael; Zakharov, Dmitry N.; Hu, Jianjun; Paul, Rajib; Kumar, Anurag; Pacley, Shanee; Glavin, Nicholas; Saenz, David; Smith, Kyle C.; Fisher, Timothy S.; Voevodin, Andrey A.

2018-03-01

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been utilized as a versatile method for thickness characterization of various two-dimensional (2D) films. Accurate thickness can be measured simultaneously while acquiring XPS data for chemical characterization of 2D films having thickness up to approximately 10 nm. For validating the developed technique, thicknesses of few-layer graphene (FLG), MoS2 and amorphous boron nitride (a-BN) layer, produced by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), and pulsed laser deposition (PLD) respectively, were accurately measured. The intensity ratio between photoemission peaks recorded for the films (C 1s, Mo 3d, B 1s) and the substrates (Cu 2p, Al 2p, Si 2p) is the primary input parameter for thickness calculation, in addition to the atomic densities of the substrate and the film, and the corresponding electron attenuation length (EAL). The XPS data was used with a proposed model for thickness calculations, which was verified by cross-sectional transmission electron microscope (TEM) measurement of thickness for all the films. The XPS method determines thickness values averaged over an analysis area which is orders of magnitude larger than the typical area in cross-sectional TEM imaging, hence provides an advanced approach for thickness measurement over large areas of 2D materials. The study confirms that the versatile XPS method allows rapid and reliable assessment of the 2D material thickness and this method can facilitate in tailoring growth conditions for producing very thin 2D materials effectively over a large area. Furthermore, the XPS measurement for a typical 2D material is non-destructive and does not require special sample preparation. Therefore, after XPS analysis, exactly the same sample can undergo further processing or utilization.

Relative merits and limiting factors for x-ray and electron microscopy of thick, hydrated organic materials.

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Du, Ming; Jacobsen, Chris

2018-01-01

Electron and x-ray microscopes allow one to image the entire, unlabeled structure of hydrated materials at a resolution well beyond what visible light microscopes can achieve. However, both approaches involve ionizing radiation, so that radiation damage must be considered as one of the limits to imaging. Drawing upon earlier work, we describe here a unified approach to estimating the image contrast (and thus the required exposure and corresponding radiation dose) in both x-ray and electron microscopy. This approach accounts for factors such as plural and inelastic scattering, and (in electron microscopy) the use of energy filters to obtain so-called "zero loss" images. As expected, it shows that electron microscopy offers lower dose for specimens thinner than about 1 µm (such as for studies of macromolecules, viruses, bacteria and archaebacteria, and thin sectioned material), while x-ray microscopy offers superior characteristics for imaging thicker specimen such as whole eukaryotic cells, thick-sectioned tissues, and organs. The required radiation dose scales strongly as a function of the desired spatial resolution, allowing one to understand the limits of live and frozen hydrated specimen imaging. Finally, we consider the factors limiting x-ray microscopy of thicker materials, suggesting that specimens as thick as a whole mouse brain can be imaged with x-ray microscopes without significant image degradation should appropriate image reconstruction methods be identified. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Tissue Density in Hounsfield Units in Computed Tomography and Cone Beam Computed Tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Varshowsaz, Masoud; Goorang, Sepideh; Ehsani, Sara; Azizi, Zeynab; Rahimian, Sepideh

2016-03-01

Bone quality and quantity assessment is one of the most important steps in implant treatment planning. Different methods such as computed tomography (CT) and recently suggested cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) with lower radiation dose and less time and cost are used for bone density assessment. This in vitro study aimed to compare the tissue density values in Hounsfield units (HUs) in CBCT and CT scans of different tissue phantoms with two different thicknesses, two different image acquisition settings and in three locations in the phantoms. Four different tissue phantoms namely hard tissue, soft tissue, air and water were scanned by three different CBCT and a CT system in two thicknesses (full and half) and two image acquisition settings (high and low kVp and mA). The images were analyzed at three sites (middle, periphery and intermediate) using eFilm software. The difference in density values was analyzed by ANOVA and correction coefficient test (P<0.05). There was a significant difference between density values in CBCT and CT scans in most situations, and CBCT values were not similar to CT values in any of the phantoms in different thicknesses and acquisition parameters or the three different sites. The correction coefficients confirmed the results. CBCT is not reliable for tissue density assessment. The results were not affected by changes in thickness, acquisition parameters or locations.

Quantifying Local Thickness and Composition in Thin Films of Organic Photovoltaic Blends by Raman Scattering

KAUST Repository

Rodríguez-Martínez, Xabier

2017-07-06

We report a methodology based on Raman spectroscopy that enables the non-invasive and fast quantitative determination of local thickness and composition in thin films (from few monolayers to hundreds of nm) of one or more components. We apply our methodology to blends of organic conjugated materials relevant in the field of organic photovoltaics. As a first step, we exploit the transfer-matrix formalism to describe the Raman process in thin films including reabsorption and interference effects of the incoming and scattered electric fields. This allows determining the effective solid-state Raman cross-section of each material by studying the dependence of the Raman intensity on film thickness. These effective cross sections are then used to estimate the local thickness and composition in a series of polymer:fullerene blends. We find that the model is accurate within ±10 nm in thickness and ±5 vol% in composition provided that (i) the film thickness is kept below the thickness corresponding to the first maximum of the calculated Raman intensity oscillation; (ii) the materials making up the blend show close enough effective Raman cross-sections; and (iii) the degree of order attained by the conjugated polymer in the blend is similar to that achieved when cast alone. Our methodology opens the possibility to make quantitative maps of composition and thickness over large areas (from microns to centimetres squared) with diffraction-limited resolution and in any multi-component system based thin film technology.

Quantitative Time-Resolved Fluorescence Imaging of Androgen Receptor and Prostate-Specific Antigen in Prostate Tissue Sections.

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Krzyzanowska, Agnieszka; Lippolis, Giuseppe; Helczynski, Leszek; Anand, Aseem; Peltola, Mari; Pettersson, Kim; Lilja, Hans; Bjartell, Anders

2016-05-01

Androgen receptor (AR) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) are expressed in the prostate and are involved in prostate cancer (PCa). The aim of this study was to develop reliable protocols for reproducible quantification of AR and PSA in benign and malignant prostate tissue using time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) imaging techniques. AR and PSA were detected with TRF in tissue microarrays from 91 PCa patients. p63/ alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase (AMACR) staining on consecutive sections was used to categorize tissue areas as benign or cancerous. Automated image analysis was used to quantify staining intensity. AR intensity was significantly higher in AMACR+ and lower in AMACR- cancer areas as compared with benign epithelium. The PSA intensity was significantly lower in cancer areas, particularly in AMACR- glands. The AR/PSA ratio varied significantly in the AMACR+ tumor cells as compared with benign glands. There was a trend of more rapid disease progression in patients with higher AR/PSA ratios in the AMACR- areas. This study demonstrates the feasibility of developing reproducible protocols for TRF imaging and automated image analysis to study the expression of AR and PSA in benign and malignant prostate. It also highlighted the differences in AR and PSA protein expression within AMACR- and AMACR+ cancer regions. © 2016 The Histochemical Society.

Dynamic culture induces a cell type-dependent response impacting on the thickness of engineered connective tissues.

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Fortier, Guillaume Marceau; Gauvin, Robert; Proulx, Maryse; Vallée, Maud; Fradette, Julie

2013-04-01

Mesenchymal cells are central to connective tissue homeostasis and are widely used for tissue-engineering applications. Dermal fibroblasts and adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) allow successful tissue reconstruction by the self-assembly approach of tissue engineering. This method leads to the production of multilayered tissues, devoid of exogenous biomaterials, that can be used as stromal compartments for skin or vesical reconstruction. These tissues are formed by combining cell sheets, generated through cell stimulation with ascorbic acid, which favours the cell-derived production/organization of matrix components. Since media motion can impact on cell behaviour, we investigated the effect of dynamic culture on mesenchymal cells during tissue reconstruction, using the self-assembly method. Tissues produced using ASCs in the presence of a wave-like movement were nearly twice thicker than under standard conditions, while no difference was observed for tissues produced from dermal fibroblasts. The increased matrix deposition was not correlated with an increased proliferation of ASCs, or by higher transcript levels of fibronectin or collagens I and III. A 30% increase of type V collagen mRNA was observed. Interestingly, tissues engineered from dermal fibroblasts featured a four-fold higher level of MMP-1 transcripts under dynamic conditions. Mechanical properties were similar for tissues reconstructed using dynamic or static conditions. Finally, cell sheets produced using ASCs under dynamic conditions could readily be manipulated, resulting in a 2 week reduction of the production time (from 5 to 3 weeks). Our results describe a distinctive property of ASCs' response to media motion, indicating that their culture under dynamic conditions leads to optimized tissue engineering. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

INSITU BLOTTING - A NOVEL METHOD FOR DIRECT TRANSFER OF NATIVE PROTEINS FROM SECTIONED TISSUE TO BLOTTING MEMBRANE - PROCEDURE AND SOME APPLICATIONS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

OKABE, M; NYAKAS, C; BUWALDA, B; LUITEN, PGM

We describe a novel technique for direct transfer of native proteins from unfixed frozen tissue sections to an immobilizing matrix, e.g., nitrocellulose, polyvinyliden difluoride, or positively charged nylon membranes. Proteins are directly blotted onto the membrane, providing optimal accessibility

Optimization of specimen preparation of thin cell section for AFM observation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Xinhui [Nanobiology Laboratory, Bio-X Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai 200240 (China); Ji Tong [Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, Affiliated Ninth People' s Hospital, Medical School, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200011 (China); Hu Jun [Nanobiology Laboratory, Bio-X Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai 200240 (China); Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800 (China); Sun Jielin [Nanobiology Laboratory, Bio-X Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai 200240 (China)], E-mail: jlsun@sjtu.edu.cn

2008-08-15

High resolution imaging of intracellular structures of ultrathin cell section samples is critical to the performance of precise manipulation by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Here, we test the effect of multiple factors during section sample preparation on the quality of the AFM image. These factors include the embedding materials, the annealing process of the specimen block, section thickness, and section side. We found that neither the embedding materials nor the temperature and speed of the annealing process has any effect on AFM image resolution. However, the section thickness and section side significantly affect the surface topography and AFM image resolution. By systematically testing the image quality of both sides of cell sections over a wide range of thickness (40-1000 nm), we found that the best resolution was obtained with upper-side sections approximately 50-100 nm thick. With these samples, we could observe precise structure details of the cell, including its membrane, nucleoli, and other organelles. Similar results were obtained for other cell types, including Tca8113, C6, and ECV-304. In brief, by optimizing the condition of ultrathin cell section preparation, we were able to obtain high resolution intracellular AFM images, which provide an essential basis for further AFM manipulation.

Connective tissue grafts for thickening peri-implant tissues at implant placement. One-year results from an explanatory split-mouth randomised controlled clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiesner, Günter; Esposito, Marco; Worthington, Helen; Schlee, Markus

2010-01-01

Nothing to declare. To evaluate whether connective tissue grafts performed at implant placement could be effective in augmenting peri-implant soft tissues. Ten partially edentulous patients requiring at least one single implant in the premolar or molar areas of both sides of the mandible were randomised to have one side augmented at implant placement with a connective soft tissue graft harvested from the palate or no augmentation. After 3 months of submerged healing, abutments were placed and within 1 month definitive crowns were permanently cemented. Outcome measures were implant success, any complications, peri-implant marginal bone level changes, patient satisfaction and preference, thickness of the soft tissues and aesthetics (pink aesthetic score) evaluated by an independent and blinded assessor 1 year after loading. One year after loading, no patients dropped out, no implants failed and no complications occurred. Both groups lost statistically significant amounts of peri-implant bone 1 year after loading (0.8 mm in the grafted group and 0.6 mm in the non-grafted group), but there was no statistically significant difference between groups. Soft tissues at augmented sites were 1.3 mm thicker (P Connective tissue grafts are effective in increasing soft tissue thickness, thus improving aesthetics. Longer follow-ups are needed to evaluate the stability of peri-implant tissues over time.

Development of a one-step approach for the reconstruction of full thickness skin defects using minced split thickness skin grafts and biodegradable synthetic scaffolds as a dermal substitute.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Kavita; Bullock, Anthony; Ralston, David; MacNeil, Sheila

2014-08-01

Tissue engineering has progressed in delivering laboratory-expanded keratinocytes to the clinic; however the production of a suitable alternative to a skin graft, containing both epidermis and dermis still remains a challenge. To develop a one-step approach to wound reconstruction using finely minced split thickness skin and a biodegradable synthetic dermal substitute. This was explored in vitro using scalpel diced pieces of split thickness human skin combined with synthetic electrospun polylactide (PLA) scaffolds. To aid the spreading of tissue, 1% methylcellulose was used and platelet releasate was examined for its effect on cellular outgrowth from tissue explants. The outcome parameters included the metabolic activity of the migrating cells and their ability to produce collagen. Cell presence and migration on the scaffolds were assessed using fluorescence microscopy and SEM. Cells were identified as keratinocytes by immunostaining for pan-cytokeratin. Collagen deposition was quantified by using Sirius red. Skin cells migrated along the fibers of the scaffold and formed new collagen. 1% methylcellulose improved the tissue handling properties of the minced skin. Platelet releasate did not stimulate the migration of skin cells along scaffold fibers. Immunohistochemistry and SEM confirmed the presence of both epithelial and stromal cells in the new tissue. We describe the first key steps in the production of a skin substitute to be assembled in theatre eliminating the need for cell culture. Whilst further experiments are needed to develop this technique it can be a useful addition to armamentarium of the reconstructive surgeon. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Morphometric measurement of submucosal thickness in areas of fat deposition in the terminal ileum and colonic sections, with correlation with body mass index, weight and age: a male autopsy study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mesa, Hector; Drawz, Sarah; Dykoski, Richard; Manivel, Juan Carlos

2015-10-01

An increased amount of submucosal (SM) fat in the colon on imaging is considered to be characteristic of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, a recent study in patients without IBD reported a correlation between colonic SM fat deposition and body weight (BW). The aim of this study was to perform a morphometric investigation of SM thickness in areas of fat deposition in the terminal ileum (TI), ileocaecal valve (ICV), and colonic sections, to determine whether there are variations by site, and whether it shows a correlation with BW, body mass index (BMI), or age. Representative samples of TI, ICV and colonic sections were collected prospectively from 115 autopsy cases without IBD. All of the study subjects were male (Veterans Hospital). SM thickness was measured in areas of fat deposition. Correlation analysis was performed between SM thickness and BW, BMI, and age. Fat deposition was common; however, with the exception of the ICV, it was neither consistent nor prominent, and it did not show a statistical correlation with BW, BMI, or age. SM fat deposition is common but not uniform or conspicuous in the TI or colon. In contrast to extravisceral intra-abdominal fat, it does not show a correlation with BW or BMI, and is not associated with ageing. As all study subjects were male, gender-dependent variability cannot be excluded. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Histopathological Analysis of PEEK Wear Particle Effects on the Synovial Tissue of Patients

Science.gov (United States)

Jansson, V.; Giurea, A.

2016-01-01

Introduction. Increasing interest developed in the use of carbon-fiber-reinforced-poly-ether-ether-ketones (CFR-PEEK) as an alternative bearing material in knee arthroplasty. The effects of CFR-PEEK wear in in vitro and animal studies are controversially discussed, as there are no data available concerning human tissue. The aim of this study was to analyze human tissue containing CFR-PEEK as well as UHMWPE wear debris. The authors hypothesized no difference between the used biomaterials. Methods and Materials. In 10 patients during knee revision surgery of a rotating-hinge-knee-implant-design, synovial tissue samples were achieved (tibial inserts: UHMWPE; bushings and flanges: CFR-PEEK). One additional patient received revision surgery without any PEEK components as a control. The tissue was paraffin-embedded, sliced into 2 μm thick sections, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin in a standard process. A modified panoptical staining was also done. Results. A “wear-type” reaction was seen in the testing and the control group. In all samples, the UHMWPE particles were scattered in the tissue or incorporated in giant cells. CFR-PEEK particles were seen as conglomerates and only could be found next to vessels. CFR-PEEK particles showed no giant-cell reactions. In conclusion, the hypothesis has to be rejected. UHMWPE and PEEK showed a different scatter-behavior in human synovial tissue. PMID:27766256

Platelet-rich plasma with keratinocytes and fibroblasts enhance healing of full-thickness wounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Law, Jia Xian; Chowdhury, Shiplu Roy; Saim, Aminuddin Bin; Idrus, Ruszymah Bt Hj

2017-08-01

Advances in tissue engineering led to the development of various tissue-engineered skin substitutes (TESS) for the treatment of skin injuries. The majority of the autologous TESS required lengthy and costly cell expansion process to fabricate. In this study, we determine the possibility of using a low density of human skin cells suspended in platelet-rich plasma (PRP)-enriched medium to promote the healing of full-thickness skin wounds. To achieve this, full-thickness wounds of size 1.767 cm 2 were created at the dorsum part of nude mice and treated with keratinocytes (2 × 10 4  cells/cm 2 ) and fibroblasts (3 × 10 4  cells/cm 2 ) suspended in 10% PRP-enriched medium. Wound examination was conducted weekly and the animals were euthanized after 2 weeks. Gross examination showed that re-epithelialization was fastest in the PRP+cells group at both day 7 and 14, followed by the PRP group and NT group receiving no treatment. Only the PRP+cells group achieved complete wound closure by 2 weeks. Epidermal layer was presence in the central region of the wound of the PRP+cells and PRP groups but absence in the NT group. Comparison between the PRP+cells and PRP groups showed that the PRP+cells-treated wound was more mature as indicated by the presence of thinner epidermis with single cell layer thick basal keratinocytes and less cellular dermis. In summary, the combination of low cell density and diluted PRP creates a synergistic effect which expedites the healing of full-thickness wounds. This combination has the potential to be developed as a rapid wound therapy via the direct application of freshly harvested skin cells in diluted PRP. Copyright © 2017 Tissue Viability Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cardiac tissue slices: preparation, handling, and successful optical mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ken; Lee, Peter; Mirams, Gary R; Sarathchandra, Padmini; Borg, Thomas K; Gavaghan, David J; Kohl, Peter; Bollensdorff, Christian

2015-05-01

Cardiac tissue slices are becoming increasingly popular as a model system for cardiac electrophysiology and pharmacology research and development. Here, we describe in detail the preparation, handling, and optical mapping of transmembrane potential and intracellular free calcium concentration transients (CaT) in ventricular tissue slices from guinea pigs and rabbits. Slices cut in the epicardium-tangential plane contained well-aligned in-slice myocardial cell strands ("fibers") in subepicardial and midmyocardial sections. Cut with a high-precision slow-advancing microtome at a thickness of 350 to 400 μm, tissue slices preserved essential action potential (AP) properties of the precutting Langendorff-perfused heart. We identified the need for a postcutting recovery period of 36 min (guinea pig) and 63 min (rabbit) to reach 97.5% of final steady-state values for AP duration (APD) (identified by exponential fitting). There was no significant difference between the postcutting recovery dynamics in slices obtained using 2,3-butanedione 2-monoxime or blebistatin as electromechanical uncouplers during the cutting process. A rapid increase in APD, seen after cutting, was caused by exposure to ice-cold solution during the slicing procedure, not by tissue injury, differences in uncouplers, or pH-buffers (bicarbonate; HEPES). To characterize intrinsic patterns of CaT, AP, and conduction, a combination of multipoint and field stimulation should be used to avoid misinterpretation based on source-sink effects. In summary, we describe in detail the preparation, mapping, and data analysis approaches for reproducible cardiac tissue slice-based investigations into AP and CaT dynamics. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Of Mice, Men and Elephants: The Relation between Articular Cartilage Thickness and Body Mass

Science.gov (United States)

Malda, Jos; de Grauw, Janny C.; Benders, Kim E. M.; Kik, Marja J. L.; van de Lest, Chris H. A.; Creemers, Laura B.; Dhert, Wouter J. A.; van Weeren, P. René

2013-01-01

Mammalian articular cartilage serves diverse functions, including shock absorption, force transmission and enabling low-friction joint motion. These challenging requirements are met by the tissue’s thickness combined with its highly specific extracellular matrix, consisting of a glycosaminoglycan-interspersed collagen fiber network that provides a unique combination of resilience and high compressive and shear resistance. It is unknown how this critical tissue deals with the challenges posed by increases in body mass. For this study, osteochondral cores were harvested post-mortem from the central sites of both medial and lateral femoral condyles of 58 different mammalian species ranging from 25 g (mouse) to 4000 kg (African elephant). Joint size and cartilage thickness were measured and biochemical composition (glycosaminoclycan, collagen and DNA content) and collagen cross-links densities were analyzed. Here, we show that cartilage thickness at the femoral condyle in the mammalian species investigated varies between 90 µm and 3000 µm and bears a negative allometric relationship to body mass, unlike the isometric scaling of the skeleton. Cellular density (as determined by DNA content) decreases with increasing body mass, but gross biochemical composition is remarkably constant. This however need not affect life-long performance of the tissue in heavier mammals, due to relatively constant static compressive stresses, the zonal organization of the tissue and additional compensation by joint congruence, posture and activity pattern of larger mammals. These findings provide insight in the scaling of articular cartilage thickness with body weight, as well as in cartilage biochemical composition and cellularity across mammalian species. They underscore the need for the use of appropriate in vivo models in translational research aiming at human applications. PMID:23437402

Anterior eye tissue morphology: Scleral and conjunctival thickness in children and young adults

OpenAIRE

Scott A. Read; David Alonso-Caneiro; Stephen J. Vincent; Alexander Bremner; Annabel Fothergill; Brittney Ismail; Rebecca McGraw; Charlotte J. Quirk; Elspeth Wrigley

2016-01-01

The sclera and conjunctiva form part of the eye?s tough, protective outer coat, and play important roles in the eye?s mechanical protection and immune defence, as well as in determining the size and shape of the eye globe. Advances in ocular imaging technology now allow these tissues in the anterior eye to be imaged non-invasively and with high resolution, however there is a paucity of data examining the dimensions of these tissues in paediatric populations. In this study, we have used optica...

Cross-sectional anatomy, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the head of common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) and striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba).

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso-Farré, J M; Gonzalo-Orden, M; Barreiro-Vázquez, J D; Barreiro-Lois, A; André, M; Morell, M; Llarena-Reino, M; Monreal-Pawlowsky, T; Degollada, E

2015-02-01

Computed tomography (CT) and low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were used to scan seven by-caught dolphin cadavers, belonging to two species: four common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and three striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). CT and MRI were obtained with the animals in ventral recumbency. After the imaging procedures, six dolphins were frozen at -20°C and sliced in the same position they were examined. Not only CT and MRI scans, but also cross sections of the heads were obtained in three body planes: transverse (slices of 1 cm thickness) in three dolphins, sagittal (5 cm thickness) in two dolphins and dorsal (5 cm thickness) in two dolphins. Relevant anatomical structures were identified and labelled on each cross section, obtaining a comprehensive bi-dimensional topographical anatomy guide of the main features of the common and the striped dolphin head. Furthermore, the anatomical cross sections were compared with their corresponding CT and MRI images, allowing an imaging identification of most of the anatomical features. CT scans produced an excellent definition of the bony and air-filled structures, while MRI allowed us to successfully identify most of the soft tissue structures in the dolphin's head. This paper provides a detailed anatomical description of the head structures of common and striped dolphins and compares anatomical cross sections with CT and MRI scans, becoming a reference guide for the interpretation of imaging studies. © 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Tissue engineering

CERN Document Server

Fisher, John P; Bronzino, Joseph D

2007-01-01

Increasingly viewed as the future of medicine, the field of tissue engineering is still in its infancy. As evidenced in both the scientific and popular press, there exists considerable excitement surrounding the strategy of regenerative medicine. To achieve its highest potential, a series of technological advances must be made. Putting the numerous breakthroughs made in this field into a broad context, Tissue Engineering disseminates current thinking on the development of engineered tissues. Divided into three sections, the book covers the fundamentals of tissue engineering, enabling technologies, and tissue engineering applications. It examines the properties of stem cells, primary cells, growth factors, and extracellular matrix as well as their impact on the development of tissue engineered devices. Contributions focus on those strategies typically incorporated into tissue engineered devices or utilized in their development, including scaffolds, nanocomposites, bioreactors, drug delivery systems, and gene t...

Evaluation of the x-ray fluorescence method of precious metal plating thickness measurements. Technological spinoff report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carson, J.S.; Hearn, N.K.; Pettie, C.B.

1975-09-01

It is shown that gold and silver plating thickness measurements made using an x-ray spectrograph could be closely correlated with thicknesses measured from sectional samples. Good correlations were also shown for single overlays of gold over silver when each layer was less than 0.0003 inch thick

Sensory Innervation of the Nonspecialized Connective Tissues in the Low Back of the Rat

Science.gov (United States)

Corey, Sarah M.; Vizzard, Margaret A.; Badger, Gary J.; Langevin, Helene M.

2011-01-01

Chronic musculoskeletal pain, including low back pain, is a worldwide debilitating condition; however, the mechanisms that underlie its development remain poorly understood. Pathological neuroplastic changes in the sensory innervation of connective tissue may contribute to the development of nonspecific chronic low back pain. Progress in understanding such potentially important abnormalities is hampered by limited knowledge of connective tissue's normal sensory innervation. The goal of this study was to evaluate and quantify the sensory nerve fibers terminating within the nonspecialized connective tissues in the low back of the rat. With 3-dimensional reconstructions of thick (30–80 μm) tissue sections we have for the first time conclusively identified sensory nerve fiber terminations within the collagen matrix of connective tissue in the low back. Using dye labeling techniques with Fast Blue, presumptive dorsal root ganglia cells that innervate the low back were identified. Of the Fast Blue-labeled cells, 60–88% also expressed calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) immunoreactivity. Based on the immunolabeling with CGRP and the approximate size of these nerve fibers (≤2 μm) we hypothesize that they are Aδ or C fibers and thus may play a role in the development of chronic pain. PMID:21411968

Tissue refractometry using Hilbert phase microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lue, Niyom; Bewersdorf, Joerg; Lessard, Mark D; Badizadegan, Kamran; Dasari, Ramachandra R; Feld, Michael S; Popescu, Gabriel

2007-12-15

We present, for the first time to our knowledge, quantitative phase images associated with unstained 5 mum thick tissue slices of mouse brain, spleen, and liver. The refractive properties of the tissue are retrieved in terms of the average refractive index and its spatial variation. We find that the average refractive index varies significantly with tissue type, such that the brain is characterized by the lowest value and the liver by the highest. The spatial power spectra of the phase images reveal power law behavior with different exponents for each tissue type. This approach opens a new possibility for stain-free characterization of tissues, where the diagnostic power is provided by the intrinsic refractive properties of the biological structure. We present results obtained for liver tissue affected by a lysosomal storage disease and show that our technique can quantify structural changes during this disease development.

Detection of Chlamydia in postmortal formalin-fixed tissue

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lundemose, AG; Lundemose, JB; Birkelund, Svend

1989-01-01

A procedure to detect Chlamydia in postmortal formalin-fixed tissue is described. Monoclonal antibodies against a genus specific chlamydia epitope were used in immunofluorescence to detect chlamydia inclusions in formalin-fixed tissue sections. Lung sections from chlamydia-infected mice were....... Background and non-specific fluorescence were reduced by treating the tissue sections with trypsin, rabbit serum and Evans blue counterstain. Besides giving an exact diagnosis at autopsy, the method provides the possibility of determining the occurrence of chlamydia infections in various tissues, based...

Increased Cortical Thickness in Professional On-Line Gamers

Science.gov (United States)

Hyun, Gi Jung; Shin, Yong Wook; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Cheong, Jae Hoon; Jin, Seong Nam

2013-01-01

Objective The bulk of recent studies have tested whether video games change the brain in terms of activity and cortical volume. However, such studies are limited by several factors including cross-sectional comparisons, co-morbidity, and short-term follow-up periods. In the present study, we hypothesized that cognitive flexibility and the volume of brain cortex would be correlated with the career length of on-line pro-gamers. Methods High-resolution magnetic resonance scans were acquired in twenty-three pro-gamers recruited from StarCraft pro-game teams. We measured cortical thickness in each individual using FreeSurfer and the cortical thickness was correlated with the career length and the performance of the pro-gamers. Results Career length was positively correlated with cortical thickness in three brain regions: right superior frontal gyrus, right superior parietal gyrus, and right precentral gyrus. Additionally, increased cortical thickness in the prefrontal cortex was correlated with winning rates of the pro-game league. Increased cortical thickness in the prefrontal and parietal cortices was also associated with higher performance of Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Conclusion Our results suggest that in individuals without pathologic conditions, regular, long-term playing of on-line games is associated with volume changes in the prefrontal and parietal cortices, which are associated with cognitive flexibility. PMID:24474988

CpG Methylation Analysis of HPV16 in Laser Capture Microdissected Archival Tissue and Whole Tissue Sections from High Grade Anal Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions: A Potential Disease Biomarker.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monica Molano

Full Text Available Incidence and mortality rates of anal cancer are increasing globally. More than 90% of anal squamous cell carcinomas (ASCC are associated with human papillomavirus (HPV. Studies on HPV-related anogenital lesions have shown that patterns of methylation of viral and cellular DNA targets could potentially be developed as disease biomarkers. Lesion-specific DNA isolated from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE tissues from existing or prospective patient cohorts may constitute a valuable resource for methylation analysis. However, low concentrations of DNA make these samples technically challenging to analyse using existing methods. We therefore set out to develop a sensitive and reproducible nested PCR-pyrosequencing based method to accurately quantify methylation at 10 CpG sites within the E2BS1, E2BS2,3,4 and Sp1 binding sites in the viral upstream regulatory region of HPV16 genome. Methylation analyses using primary and nested PCR-pyrosequencing on 52 FFPE tissue [26 paired whole tissue sections (WTS and laser capture microdissected (LCM tissues] from patients with anal squamous intraepithelial lesions was performed. Using nested PCR, methylation results were obtained for the E2BS1, E2BS2,3,4 and Sp1 binding sites in 86.4% of the WTS and 81.8% of the LCM samples. Methylation patterns were strongly correlated within median values of matched pairs of WTS and LCM sections, but overall methylation was higher in LCM samples at different CpG sites. High grade lesions showed low methylation levels in the E2BS1 and E2BS2 regions, with increased methylation detected in the E2BS,3,4/Sp1 regions, showing the highest methylation at CpG site 37. The method developed is highly sensitive in samples with low amounts of DNA and demonstrated to be suitable for archival samples. Our data shows a possible role of specific methylation in the HPV16 URR for detection of HSIL.

Microstructure based hygromechanical modelling of deformation of fruit tissue

Science.gov (United States)

Abera, M. K.; Wang, Z.; Verboven, P.; Nicolai, B.

2017-10-01

Quality parameters such as firmness and susceptibility to mechanical damage are affected by the mechanical properties of fruit tissue. Fruit tissue is composed of turgid cells that keep cell walls under tension, and intercellular gas spaces where cell walls of neighboring cells have separated. How the structure and properties of these complex microstructures are affecting tissue mechanics is difficult to unravel experimentally. In this contribution, a modelling methodology is presented to calculate the deformation of apple fruit tissue affected by differences in structure and properties of cells and cell walls. The model can be used to perform compression experiments in silico using a hygromechanical model that computes the stress development and water loss during tissue deformation, much like in an actual compression test. The advantage of the model is that properties and structure can be changed to test the influence on the mechanical deformation process. The effect of microstructure, turgor pressure, cell membrane permeability, wall thickness and damping) on the compressibility of the tissue was simulated. Increasing the turgor pressure and thickness of the cell walls results in increased compression resistance of apple tissue increases, as do decreasing cell size and porosity. Geometric variability of the microstructure of tissues plays a major role, affecting results more than other model parameters. Different fruit cultivars were compared, and it was demonstrated, that microstructure variations within a cultivar are so large that interpretation of cultivar-specific effects is difficult.

Connective Tissue Characteristics around Healing Abutments of Different Geometries: New Methodological Technique under Circularly Polarized Light.

Science.gov (United States)

Delgado-Ruiz, Rafael Arcesio; Calvo-Guirado, Jose Luis; Abboud, Marcus; Ramirez-Fernandez, Maria Piedad; Maté-Sánchez de Val, José Eduardo; Negri, Bruno; Gomez-Moreno, Gerardo; Markovic, Aleksa

2015-08-01

To describe contact, thickness, density, and orientation of connective tissue fibers around healing abutments of different geometries by means of a new method using coordinates. Following the bilateral extraction of mandibular premolars (P2, P3, and P4) from six fox hound dogs and a 2-month healing period, 36 titanium implants were inserted, onto which two groups of healing abutments of different geometry were screwed: Group A (concave abutments) and Group B (wider healing abutment). After 3 months the animals were sacrificed and samples extracted containing each implant and surrounding soft and hard tissues. Histological analysis was performed without decalcifying the samples by means of circularly polarized light under optical microscope and a system of vertical and horizontal coordinates across all the connective tissue in an area delimited by the implant/abutment, epithelium, and bone tissue. In no case had the connective tissue formed a connection to the healing abutment/implant in the internal zone; a space of 35 ± 10 μm separated the connective tissue fibers from the healing abutment surface. The total thickness of connective tissue in the horizontal direction was significantly greater in the medial zone in Group B than in Group A (p connective tissue thickness. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Feasibility study of 2D thick-slice MR digital subtraction angiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishimori, Yoshiyuki; Takeuchi, Miho; Higashimura, Kyouji; Komuro, Hiroyuki

2000-01-01

Conditions required to perform contrast MR digital subtraction angiography using a two-dimensional thick-slice high-speed gradient echo were investigated. The conditions in the phantom experiment included: slice profile, flip angle, imaging matrix, fat suppression, duration of IR pulse and frequency selectivity, flip angle of IR pulse and inversion time. Based on the results of the experiment, 2D thick-slice MRDSA was performed in volunteers. Under TR/TE=5.3-9/1.3-1.8 ms conditions, the requirements were a slice thick enough to include the target region, a flip angle of 10 degrees, and a phase matrix of 96 or more. Fat suppression was required for adipose-tissue-rich regions, such as the abdomen. The optimal conditions for applying the IR preparation pulse of the IR prepped fast gradient recalled echo as spectrally selective inversion recovery appeared to be: duration of IR pulse =20 ms, flip angle =100 degrees, and inversion time =40 ms. The authors concluded that it was feasible to perform 2D thick-slice MRDSA with time resolution within 1 second. (K.H.)

The relationship between maternal body composition in early pregnancy and foetal mid-thigh soft-tissue thickness in the third trimester in a high-risk obstetric population.

Science.gov (United States)

Anglim, Breffini; Farah, Nadine; O'Connor, Clare; Daly, Niamh; Kennelly, Mairead M; Turner, Michael J

2017-07-01

Maternal obesity is an emerging challenge in contemporary obstetrics. To date there has been no study analysing the relationship between specific maternal body composition measurements and foetal soft-tissue measurements. The aim of this study was to determine whether measurement of maternal body composition at booking predicts foetal soft-tissue trajectories in the third trimester. We analysed the relationship between foetal thigh in the third trimester and both maternal BMI and body composition using the Tanita digital scales in the first trimester. Foetal subcutaneous thigh tissue measurements were obtained at intervals of 28, 32 and 36 weeks of gestation. A total of 160 women were identified. There was a direct correlation between MTST at 36 weeks and BMI (p = .002). There was a positive correlation between MTST at 36 weeks and leg fat mass (p = .13) and leg fat free mass (p = .013). There was a positive correlation between arm fat free mass and MTST at 36 weeks. We showed there is an association between maternal fat distribution and foetal subcutaneous thigh tissue measurements. MTST may be more useful in determining if a child is at risk of macrosomia. Impact statement Previous studies have suggested that maternal obesity programmes intrauterine foetal adiposity and growth. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship in a high-risk obstetric population between measurements of maternal body composition in early pregnancy and the assessment of foetal adiposity in the third trimester using serial ultrasound measurements of mid-thigh soft-tissue thickness. BMI is only a surrogate measurement of fat and does not measure fat distribution. Our study shows the distribution of both maternal fat and fat-free mass in early pregnancy may be positively associated with foetal soft-tissue measurements in the third trimester. Maternal arthropometric measurements other than BMI may help predict babies at risk of macrosomia and neonatal adiposity.

Pathological changes in the subsynovial connective tissue increase with self-reported carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Tat, Jimmy; Wilson, Katherine E; Keir, Peter J

2015-05-01

Fibrosis and thickening of the subysnovial connective tissue are the most common pathological findings in carpal tunnel syndrome. The relationship between subsynovial connective tissue characteristics and self-reported carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms was assessed. Symptoms were characterized using the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire and Katz hand diagram in twenty-two participants (11 with symptoms, 11 with no symptoms). Using ultrasound, the thickness of the subsynovial connective tissue was measured using a thickness ratio (subsynovial thickness/tendon thickness) and gliding function was assessed using a shear strain index ((Displacement(tendon)-Displacement(subsynovial))/Displacement(tendon)x 100). For gliding function, participants performed 10 repeated flexion-extension cycles of the middle finger at a rate of one cycle per second. Participants with symptoms had a 38.5% greater thickness ratio and 39.2% greater shear strain index compared to participants without symptoms (p<0.05). Ultrasound detected differences the SSCT in symptomatic group that was characterized by low self-reported symptom severity scores. This study found ultrasound useful for measuring structural and functional changes in the SSCT that could provide insight in the early pathophysiology associated with carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

One-sheet spiraling full thickness skin graft for penile resurfacing after paraffinoma excision

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Theddeus O.H. Prasetyono

2011-08-01

Full Text Available In the midst of on-going non-illicit practice of silicone or paraffin injection to enlarge penis, the author reported 3 cases of surgical treatment to resurface the body of the penis after excision of the destructed penile skin using full thickness skin graft. The skin excision was performed technically through penile body degloving procedure. Full thickness skin graft was then applied as a single sheet donor tissue to cover the denuded penile body spirally. The full thickness graft, which is relatively easy to be performed, is no doubt much thinner than a skin flap, while it also bears a smaller degree of secondary contraction than split skin graft. The color of the skin is considerably matched as it comes from the groin, which is a nearby area of penis. The size and skin sensitization of the penis looks to be natural. The only disadvantage is the common possibility of either spiral or circular junctional scar in between graft edges and between the graft and the penile mucosa and skin to develop hypertrophic scar. However, this possible scar problem applies also to any other surgical scar with any donor tissue. Fortunately, the 3 cases posed no scar problem and normal appearance. All the patients have also regained their normal sexual function. (Med J Indones 2011; 20:222-5Keywords: full thickness skin graft, paraffinoma, siliconoma, sexual function

Propagation characteristics of laser-induced stress wave in deep tissue for gene transfer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ando, Takahiro; Sato, Shunichi; Takano, Shinta; Ashida, Hiroshi; Obara, Minoru

2009-01-01

Propagation characteristics of laser-induced stress waves (LISWs) in tissue and their correlation with properties of gene transfection were investigated for targeted deep-tissue gene therapy. LISWs were generated by irradiating a laser-absorbing material with 532-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser pulses; a transparent plastic sheet was attached on the absorbing material for plasma confinement. Temporal pressure profiles of LISWs that were propagated through different thickness tissues were measured with a needle-type hydrophone and propagation of LISWs in water was visualized by shadowgraph technique. The measurements showed that at a laser fluence of 1.2 J/cm 2 with a laser spot diameter of 3 mm, flat wavefront was maintained for up to 5 mm in depth and peak pressure P decreased with increasing tissue thickness d; P was proportional to d -0.54 . Rat dorsal skin was injected with plasmid DNA coding for reporter gene, on which different numbers of excised skin(s) was/were placed, and LISWs were applied from the top of the skins. Efficient gene expression was observed in the skin under the 3 mm thick stacked skins, suggesting that deep-located tissue such as muscle can be transfected by transcutaneous application of LISWs.

Smoking influences on the thickness of marginal gingival epithelium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Villar Cristina Cunha

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Smoking patients show reduction of inflammatory clinical signs that might be associated with local vasoconstriction and an increased gingival epithelial thickness. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the thickness of the marginal gingival oral epithelium in smokers and non-smokers, with clinically healthy gingivae or with gingivitis. Twenty biopsies were obtained from four different groups. Group I: non-smokers with clinically healthy gingivae (n = 5. Group II: non-smokers with gingivitis (n = 5. Group III: smokers with clinically healthy gingivae (n = 5. Group IV: smokers with gingivitis (n = 5. These biopsies were histologically processed, serially sectioned at 5 mm, stained with H. E., and examined by image analysis software (KS400, which was used to perform the morphometric evaluation and the quantification of the major epithelial thickness, the epithelial base thickness and the external and internal epithelial perimeters. Differences between the four groups were analyzed using ANOVA test and Tukey's test. The criteria for statistical significance were accepted at the probability level p < 0.05. A greater epithelial thickness was observed in smokers independent of the gingival health situation.

Adipose tissue content and distribution in children and adolescents with bronchial asthma.

Science.gov (United States)

Umławska, Wioleta

2015-02-01

The excess of adipose tissue and the pattern of adipose tissue distribution in the body seem to play an important role in the complicated dependencies between obesity and risk of developing asthma. The aim of the present study was to determine nutritional status in children and adolescents with bronchial asthma with special emphasis on adipose tissue distribution evaluated on the basis of skin-fold thicknesses, and to determine the relationships between patterns of adipose tissue distribution and the course of the disease. Anthropometric data on height, weight, circumferences and skin-fold thicknesses were extracted from the medical histories of 261 children diagnosed with asthma bronchitis. Values for children with asthma were compared to Polish national growth reference charts. Distribution of subcutaneous adipose tissue was evaluated using principal components analysis (PCA). Multivariate linear regression analyses tested the effect of three factors on subcutaneous adipose tissue distribution: type of asthma, the severity of the disease and the duration of the disease. Mean body height in the children examined in this study was lower than in their healthy peers. Mean BMI and skin-fold thicknesses were significantly higher and lean body mass was lower in the study group. Excess body fat was noted, especially in girls. Adipose tissue was preferentially deposited in the trunk in girls with severe asthma, as well as in those who had been suffering from asthma for a longer time. The type of asthma, atopic or non-atopic, had no observable effect on subcutaneous adipose tissue distribution in children examined. The data suggest that long-treated subjects and those with severe bronchial asthma accumulate more adipose tissue on the trunk. It is important to regularly monitor nutritional status in children with asthma, especially in those receiving high doses of systemic or inhaled glucocorticosteroids, and long-term treatment as well. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All

[Application of Immunohistochemistry and Immunofluorescence Staining in Detection of Phospholipase A2 Receptor on Paraffin Section of Renal Biopsy Tissue].

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Hong-rui; Wang, Yan-yan; Wang, Guo-qin; Sun, Li-jun; Cheng, Hong; Chen, Yi-pu

2015-10-01

To evaluate the application of immunohistochemistry and fluorescence staining method in the detection of phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) on paraffin section of renal biopsy tissue,and to find an accurate and fast method for the detection of PLA2R in renal tissue. The PLA2R of 193 cases were detected by immunohistochemical staining,and the antigen was repaired by the method of high pressure cooker (HPC) hot repair plus trypsin repair. The 193 samples including 139 cases of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN), 15 cases of membranous lupus nephritis, 8 cases of hepatitis B virus associated membranous nephropathy, 18 cases of IgA nephropathy, and 13 cases of minimal change diseases. To compare the dyeing effects, 22 paraffin sections of renal biopsy tissue of IMN cases with positive PLA2R were stained by using 4 different. of antigen repairing,which included HPC hot repair, HPC hot repair plus trypsin repair, water bath heat repair, and water bath heat repair plus trypsin repair. To compare the dyeing effects, 15 paraffin sections of renal biopsy tissue of IMN cases with positive PLA2R were stained by using 3 different. of antigen repairing,which included water bath heat repair plus trypsin repair, protease K digestion repair, and pepsin digestion repair. In 193 cases, the positive rate of PLA2R in IMN cases was 90.6% (126/139), and the other 54 patients without IMN were negative. Twenty-two IMN patients were positive for PLA2R by using the HPC heat repair plus trypsin repaire or the water bath heat repair plus trypsin repair;while only a few cases of 22 IMN cases were positive by using the HPC hot repair alone or water bath heat repair alone. Fifteen IMN patients were positive for PLA2R by using water bath heat repair plus trypsin repair,protease K digestion repair,and pepsin digestion repair, but the distribution of positive deposits and the background were different. PLA2R immunohistochemical staining can effectively identify IMN and secondary MN. For

Analyses of the eustachian tube and its surrounding tissues with cross sectional images by high-resolution computed tomography (HR-CT)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Haruo; Kobayashi, Toshimitsu; Takasaki, Kenji; Kanda, Yukihiko; Nakao, Yoshiaki; Morikawa, Minoru; Ishimaru, Hideki; Hayashi, Kuniaki

2000-01-01

We attempted to image the eustachian tube (ET) and its surrounding tissues by high-resolution computed tomography (HR-CT). Twenty-two normal subjects (44 ears) without middle ear problems were studied, and a patient with severe patulous ET was also studied as an abnormal case. In our device of multiplanar reconstruction technique, we were able to obtain the clear reconstructed images of the ET lumen as well as of its surrounding tissues (bone, ET cartilage, tensor veli palatini muscle, levator veli palatini muscle, Ostmann's fat tissue, tensor tympani muscle, internal carotid artery) at any desired portion, either parallel or perpendicular to the long axis of the ET. However, the exact borders between the ET cartilage and the muscles, Ostmann's fat tissue and the tubal gland were not clearly identified. In the severe case of patulous ET, the ET lumen was widely opened at each cross-sectional image from the pharyngeal orifice to the tympanic orifice, in contrast with its being closed at the cartilaginous portion in the normal cases. In addition, the fat tissue and glands around the ET lumen were not clearly identified in this case. We suggest that this method will lead to better understanding of the ET-related diseases such as patulous ET. (author)

Analyses of the eustachian tube and its surrounding tissues with cross sectional images by high-resolution computed tomography (HR-CT)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshida, Haruo; Kobayashi, Toshimitsu; Takasaki, Kenji; Kanda, Yukihiko; Nakao, Yoshiaki; Morikawa, Minoru; Ishimaru, Hideki; Hayashi, Kuniaki [Nagasaki Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine

2000-07-01

We attempted to image the eustachian tube (ET) and its surrounding tissues by high-resolution computed tomography (HR-CT). Twenty-two normal subjects (44 ears) without middle ear problems were studied, and a patient with severe patulous ET was also studied as an abnormal case. In our device of multiplanar reconstruction technique, we were able to obtain the clear reconstructed images of the ET lumen as well as of its surrounding tissues (bone, ET cartilage, tensor veli palatini muscle, levator veli palatini muscle, Ostmann's fat tissue, tensor tympani muscle, internal carotid artery) at any desired portion, either parallel or perpendicular to the long axis of the ET. However, the exact borders between the ET cartilage and the muscles, Ostmann's fat tissue and the tubal gland were not clearly identified. In the severe case of patulous ET, the ET lumen was widely opened at each cross-sectional image from the pharyngeal orifice to the tympanic orifice, in contrast with its being closed at the cartilaginous portion in the normal cases. In addition, the fat tissue and glands around the ET lumen were not clearly identified in this case. We suggest that this method will lead to better understanding of the ET-related diseases such as patulous ET. (author)

3D bioprinting for vascularized tissue fabrication

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Dylan; Jia, Jia; Yost, Michael; Markwald, Roger; Mei, Ying

2016-01-01

3D bioprinting holds remarkable promise for rapid fabrication of 3D tissue engineering constructs. Given its scalability, reproducibility, and precise multi-dimensional control that traditional fabrication methods do not provide, 3D bioprinting provides a powerful means to address one of the major challenges in tissue engineering: vascularization. Moderate success of current tissue engineering strategies have been attributed to the current inability to fabricate thick tissue engineering constructs that contain endogenous, engineered vasculature or nutrient channels that can integrate with the host tissue. Successful fabrication of a vascularized tissue construct requires synergy between high throughput, high-resolution bioprinting of larger perfusable channels and instructive bioink that promotes angiogenic sprouting and neovascularization. This review aims to cover the recent progress in the field of 3D bioprinting of vascularized tissues. It will cover the methods of bioprinting vascularized constructs, bioink for vascularization, and perspectives on recent innovations in 3D printing and biomaterials for the next generation of 3D bioprinting for vascularized tissue fabrication. PMID:27230253

Llama VHH antibody fragments against GFAP: better diffusion in fixed tissues than classical monoclonal antibodies.

Science.gov (United States)

Perruchini, Claire; Pecorari, Frederic; Bourgeois, Jean-Pierre; Duyckaerts, Charles; Rougeon, François; Lafaye, Pierre

2009-11-01

Camelids produce antibodies made of homodimeric heavy chains, and the antigen-binding region being composed of a single domain called VHH. These VHHs are much smaller than complete IgG. They are also more thermostable and more soluble in water; they should, therefore, diffuse more readily in the tissues. VHHs, expressed in bacteria, are easier to produce than conventional monoclonal antibodies. Because of these special characteristics, these antibody fragments could have interesting developments in immunohistochemistry and in the development of biomarkers. To test the possibility of their use in immunohistochemistry (IHC), we selected the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a well-known marker of astrocytes. One alpaca (Lama pacos) was immunized against GFAP. Lymphocytes were isolated; the DNA was extracted; the VHH-coding sequences were selectively amplified. Three VHHs with a high affinity for GFAP and their corresponding mRNA were selected by ribosome display. Large quantities of the recombinant VHHs coupled with different tags were harvested from transfected bacteria. One of them was shown to immunolabel strongly and specifically to GFAP of human astrocytes in tissue sections. The quality of the IHC was comparable or, in some aspects, superior to the quality obtained with conventional IgG. The VHH was shown to diffuse on a longer distance than conventional monoclonal antibodies in fixed cortical tissue: a property that may be useful in immunolabeling of thick sections.

Sediment Thickness and a WEST-EAST Geologic Cross Section in the Caracas Valley

OpenAIRE

KANTAK, PETER; SCHMITZ, MICHAEL; AUDEMARD, FRANCK

2005-01-01

Caracas is located at the Caribbean - South America plate boundary zone, with an associated strike slip fault system, which accommodates the relative movement of both plates and is responsible for the seismic hazard in the region. The damage pattern of the 1967 Caracas earthquake emphasized the existence of important site effects due to the sedimentary basin fill of the Caracas valley. A revised map of the sedimentary thickness was developed during this study, based on drill holes (mostly fro...

Hexaferrite multiferroics: from bulk to thick films

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Koutzarova, T.; Ghelev, Ch; Peneva, P.; Georgieva, B.; Kolev, S.; Vertruyen, B.; Closset, R.

2018-03-01

We report studies of the structural and microstructural properties of Sr3Co2Fe24O41 in bulk form and as thick films. The precursor powders for the bulk form were prepared following the sol-gel auto-combustion method. The prepared pellets were synthesized at 1200 °C to produce Sr3Co2Fe24O41. The XRD spectra of the bulks showed the characteristic peaks corresponding to the Z-type hexaferrite structure as a main phase and second phases of CoFe2O4 and Sr3Fe2O7-x. The microstructure analysis of the cross-section of the bulk pellets revealed a hexagonal sheet structure. Large areas were observed of packages of hexagonal sheets where the separate hexagonal particles were ordered along the c axis. Sr3Co2Fe24O41 thick films were deposited from a suspension containing the Sr3Co2Fe24O41 powder. The microstructural analysis of the thick films showed that the particles had the perfect hexagonal shape typical for hexaferrites.

3D imaging of hematoxylin and eosin stained thick tissues with a sub-femtoliter resolution by using Cr:forsterite-laser-based nonlinear microscopy (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Kao, Chien-Ting; Wei, Ming-Liang; Liao, Yi-Hua; Sun, Chi-Kuang

2017-02-01

Intraoperative assessment of excision tissues during cancer surgery is clinically important. The assessment is used to be guided by the examination for residual tumor with frozen pathology, while it is time consuming for preparation and is with low accuracy for diagnosis. Recently, reflection confocal microscopy (RCM) and nonlinear microscopy (NLM) were demonstrated to be promising methods for surgical border assessment. Intraoperative RCM imaging may enable detection of residual tumor directly on skin cancers patients during Mohs surgery. The assessment of benign and malignant breast pathologies in fresh surgical specimens was demonstrated by NLM. Without using hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) that are common dyes for histopathological diagnosis, RCM was proposed to image in vivo by using aluminum chloride for nuclear contrast on surgical wounds directly, while NLM was proposed to detect two photon fluorescence nuclear contrast from acrdine orange staining. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate 3D imaging of H and E stained thick tissues with a sub-femtoliter resolution by using Cr:forsterite-laser-based NLM. With a 1260 nm femtosecond Cr:forsterite laser as the excitation source, the hematoxylin will strongly enhance the third-harmonic generation (THG) signals, while eosin will illuminate strong fluorescence under three photon absorption. Compared with previous works, the 1260 nm excitation light provide high penetration and low photodamage to the exercised tissues so that the possibility to perform other follow-up examination will be preserved. The THG and three-photon process provides high nonlinearity so that the super resolution in 3D is now possible. The staining and the contrast of the imaging is also fully compatible with the current clinical standard on frozen pathology thus facilitate the rapid intraoperative assessment of excision tissues. This work is sponsored by National Health Research Institutes and supported by National Taiwan University

Determination of accurate metal silicide layer thickness by RBS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirchhoff, J.F.; Baumann, S.M.; Evans, C.; Ward, I.; Coveney, P.

1995-01-01

Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) is a proven useful analytical tool for determining compositional information of a wide variety of materials. One of the most widely utilized applications of RBS is the study of the composition of metal silicides (MSi x ), also referred to as polycides. A key quantity obtained from an analysis of a metal silicide is the ratio of silicon to metal (Si/M). Although compositional information is very reliable in these applications, determination of metal silicide layer thickness by RBS techniques can differ from true layer thicknesses by more than 40%. The cause of these differences lies in how the densities utilized in the RBS analysis are calculated. The standard RBS analysis software packages calculate layer densities by assuming each element's bulk densities weighted by the fractional atomic presence. This calculation causes large thickness discrepancies in metal silicide thicknesses because most films form into crystal structures with distinct densities. Assuming a constant layer density for a full spectrum of Si/M values for metal silicide samples improves layer thickness determination but ignores the underlying physics of the films. We will present results of RBS determination of the thickness various metal silicide films with a range of Si/M values using a physically accurate model for the calculation of layer densities. The thicknesses are compared to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) cross-section micrographs. We have also developed supporting software that incorporates these calculations into routine analyses. (orig.)

Development of acute hydrocephalus does not change brain tissue mechanical properties in adult rats, but in juvenile rats.

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Pong, Alice C; Jugé, Lauriane; Bilston, Lynne E; Cheng, Shaokoon

2017-01-01

Regional changes in brain stiffness were previously demonstrated in an experimental obstructive hydrocephalus juvenile rat model. The open cranial sutures in the juvenile rats have influenced brain compression and mechanical properties during hydrocephalus development and the extent by which closed cranial sutures in adult hydrocephalic rat models affect brain stiffness in-vivo remains unclear. The aims of this study were to determine changes in brain tissue mechanical properties and brain structure size during hydrocephalus development in adult rat with fixed cranial volume and how these changes were related to brain tissue deformation. Hydrocephalus was induced in 9 female ten weeks old Sprague-Dawley rats by injecting 60 μL of a kaolin suspension (25%) into the cisterna magna under anaesthesia. 6 sham-injected age-matched female SD rats were used as controls. MR imaging (9.4T, Bruker) was performed 1 day before and then at 3 days post injection. T2-weighted anatomical MR images were collected to quantify ventricle and brain tissue cross-sectional areas. MR elastography (800 Hz) was used to measure the brain stiffness (G*, shear modulus). Brain tissue in the adult hydrocephalic rats was more compressed than the juvenile hydrocephalic rats because the skulls of the adult hydrocephalic rats were unable to expand like the juvenile rats. In the adult hydrocephalic rats, the cortical gray matter thickness and the caudate-putamen cross-sectional area decreased (Spearman, P hydrocephalus is complex and is not solely dependent on brain tissue deformation. Further studies on the interactions between brain tissue stiffness, deformation, tissue oedema and neural damage are necessary before MRE can be used as a tool to track changes in brain biomechanics in hydrocephalus.

Research on the Cross Section Precision of High-strength Steel Tube with Rectangular Section in Rotary Draw Bending

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Yang, Hongliang; Zhao, Hao; Xing, Zhongwen

2017-11-01

For the demand of energy conservation and security improvement, high-strength steel (HSS) is increasingly being used to produce safety related automotive components. However, cross-section distortion occurs easily in bending of HSS tube with rectangular section (RS), affecting the forming precision. HSS BR1500HS tube by rotary draw bending is taken as the study object and a description method of cross-section distortion is proposed in this paper. The influence on cross-section precision of geometric parameters including cross-section position, thickness of tube, bend radius etc. are studied by experiment. Besides, simulation of the rotary draw bending of HSS tube with rectangular section by ABAQUS are carried out and compared to the experiment. The results by simulation agree well with the experiment and show that the cross-section is approximately trapezoidal after distortion; the maximum of distortion exists at 45 ∼ 60° of the bending direction; and the absolute and relative distortion values increase with the decreasing of tube thickness or bending radius. Therefore, the results can provide a reference for the design of geometric parameters of HSS tube with rectangular section in rotary draw bending.

Diffusion tensor microscopy data (15.6 μm in-plane of white matter tracts in the human, pig, and rat spinal cord with corresponding tissue histology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeremy J. Flint

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The following article contains nine diffusion tensor imaging (DTI datasets acquired with magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM, 15.6 μm in-plane. All data was collected in the region bordering the ventral horn and white matter of cross sections from the spinal cord enlargements along with each sample׳s corresponding tissue histology. These data are collected in fixed spinal cord sections of varying thicknesses taken from rat (2×21 direction DTI datasets, pig (1×21 direction DTI dataset, and human (5×21 direction DTI datasets + 1×6 direction DTI dataset tissue sources. Following MRM acquisition, the sections were histologically processed using Nissl or Black-Gold II (Histo-Chem Inc., 1BGII myelin stain and imaged again using light microscopy techniques. Methodological procedures are an amalgamation of protocol components described previously (doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.04.031 [1], doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.04.052 [2].

Nanoscale X-Ray Microscopic Imaging of Mammalian Mineralized Tissue

OpenAIRE

Andrews, Joy C.; Almeida, Eduardo; van der Meulen, Marjolein C.H.; Alwood, Joshua S.; Lee, Chialing; Liu, Yijin; Chen, Jie; Meirer, Florian; Feser, Michael; Gelb, Jeff; Rudati, Juana; Tkachuk, Andrei; Yun, Wenbing; Pianetta, Piero

2010-01-01

A novel hard transmission X-ray microscope (TXM) at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light-source operating from 5 to 15 keV X-ray energy with 14 to 30 µm2 field of view has been used for high-resolution (30–40 nm) imaging and density quantification of mineralized tissue. TXM is uniquely suited for imaging of internal cellular structures and networks in mammalian mineralized tissues using relatively thick (50 µm), untreated samples that preserve tissue micro- and nanostructure. To test this...

The impact of thickness of resorbable membrane of human origin on the ossification of bone defects: A pathohistologic study

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Bubalo Marija

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background/Aim. A wide range of resorbable and nonresorbable membranes have been investigated over the last two decades. The barrier membrane protects the defect from ingrowth of soft tissue cells and allows bone progenitor cells to develop bone within a blood clot that is formed beneath the barrier membrane. The membranes are applied to reconstruct small bony defect prior to implantation, to cover dehiscences and fenestrations around dental implants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of human resorbable demineralized membrane (RHDM thickness on bone regeneration. Methods. The experiment, approved by Ethical Committee, was performed on 6 dogs and conducted into three phases. Bone defects were created in all the 6 dogs on the left side of the mandible, 8 weeks after extraction of second, third and fourth premolars. One defect was covered with RHDM 100 μ thick, one with RHDM 200 μ thick, and the third defect left empty (control defect. The histopathological analysis was done 2, 4 and 6 months after the surgery. In the third phase samples of bone tissue were taken and subjected to histopathological analysis. Results. In all the 6 dogs the defects treated with RHDM 200 μ thick showed higher level of bone regeneration in comparison with the defect treated with RHDM 100 μ thick and especially with empty defect. Conclusion. Our results demonstrated that the thicker membrane showed the least soft tissue ingrowths and promoted better bone formation at 6 months compared with a thinner one.

Electrophoretic Detection and Confocal Microscopic Imaging of Tyrosine Nitrated Proteins in Plant Tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Arora, Dhara; Singh, Neha; Bhatla, Satish C

2018-01-01

Tyrosine nitrated proteins can be detected in plant cells electrophoretically and their distribution can be monitored by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) imaging. One-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (1D PAGE) followed by Western blotting using polyclonal antibody against 3-nitrotyrosine residues enables detection of tyrosine nitrated proteins in plant cells. Here we describe detection of tyrosine nitrated proteins in the homogenates derived from sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seedling cotyledons. Total soluble proteins obtained from tissue homogenates are resolved using vertical gel electrophoresis followed by their electrophoretic transfer on to a microporous membrane support for immunodetection. Spatial distribution of tyrosine nitrated proteins can be visualized using an antibody against 3-nitrotyrosine residues. Immunofluorescent localization is performed by cutting 7 μm thick wax sections of tissue followed by incubation in primary anti-nitrotyrosine antibody (dilution 1:200) and secondary Cy-3 labeled anti-rabbit IgG antibody (dilution 1:1500). Confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis is undertaken using argon lasers (ex: 530-550 nm and em: 570 nm) at pinhole 1. Modulation in the abundance and spatial localization of tyrosine nitrated proteins in plant tissues can be monitored using these techniques.

Lead Thickness Measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rucinski, R.

1998-01-01

The preshower lead thickness applied to the outside of D-Zero's superconducting solenoid vacuum shell was measured at the time of application. This engineering documents those thickness measurements. The lead was ordered in sheets 0.09375-inch and 0.0625-inch thick. The tolerance on thickness was specified to be +/- 0.003-inch. The sheets all were within that thickness tolerance. The nomenclature for each sheet was designated 1T, 1B, 2T, 2B where the numeral designates it's location in the wrap and 'T' or 'B' is short for 'top' or 'bottom' half of the solenoid. Micrometer measurements were taken at six locations around the perimeter of each sheet. The width,length, and weight of each piece was then measured. Using an assumed pure lead density of 0.40974 lb/in 3 , an average sheet thickness was calculated and compared to the perimeter thickness measurements. In every case, the calculated average thickness was a few mils thinner than the perimeter measurements. The ratio was constant, 0.98. This discrepancy is likely due to the assumed pure lead density. It is not felt that the perimeter is thicker than the center regions. The data suggests that the physical thickness of the sheets is uniform to +/- 0.0015-inch.

Soft tissue engineering with micronized-gingival connective tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Noda, Sawako; Sumita, Yoshinori; Ohba, Seigo; Yamamoto, Hideyuki; Asahina, Izumi

2018-01-01

The free gingival graft (FGG) and connective tissue graft (CTG) are currently considered to be the gold standards for keratinized gingival tissue reconstruction and augmentation. However, these procedures have some disadvantages in harvesting large grafts, such as donor-site morbidity as well as insufficient gingival width and thickness at the recipient site post-treatment. To solve these problems, we focused on an alternative strategy using micronized tissue transplantation (micro-graft). In this study, we first investigated whether transplantation of micronized gingival connective tissues (MGCTs) promotes skin wound healing. MGCTs (≤100 µm) were obtained by mincing a small piece (8 mm 3 ) of porcine keratinized gingiva using the RIGENERA system. The MGCTs were then transplanted to a full skin defect (5 mm in diameter) on the dorsal surface of immunodeficient mice after seeding to an atelocollagen matrix. Transplantations of atelocollagen matrixes with and without micronized dermis were employed as experimental controls. The results indicated that MGCTs markedly promote the vascularization and epithelialization of the defect area 14 days after transplantation compared to the experimental controls. After 21 days, complete wound closure with low contraction was obtained only in the MGCT grafts. Tracking analysis of transplanted MGCTs revealed that some mesenchymal cells derived from MGCTs can survive during healing and may function to assist in wound healing. We propose here that micro-grafting with MGCTs represents an alternative strategy for keratinized tissue reconstruction that is characterized by low morbidity and ready availability. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Overweight is not associated with cortical thickness alterations in children

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Rachel Jane Sharkey

2015-02-01

Full Text Available IntroductionSeveral studies report an association between body mass index (BMI and cortical thickness in adults. Some studies demonstrate diffuse cortical thinning in obesity, while others report effects in areas that are associated with self-regulation, such as lateral prefrontal cortex. MethodsThis study used multilevel modelling of data from the NIH Pediatric MRI Data Repository, a mixed longitudinal and cross-sectional database, to examine the relationship between cortical thickness and body weight in children. Cortical thickness was computed at 81,942 vertices of 716 MRI scans from 378 children aged between 4 and 18 years. Body mass index Z score for age was computed for each participant. We preformed vertex-wise statistical analysis of the relationship between cortical thickness and BMI, accounting for age and gender. In addition, cortical thickness was extracted from regions of interest in prefrontal cortex and insula.ResultsNo significant association between cortical thickness and BMI was found, either by statistical parametric mapping or by region of interest analysis. Results remained negative when the analysis was restricted to children aged 12-18.ConclusionsThe correlation between BMI and cortical thickness was not found in this large pediatric sample. The association between BMI and cortical thinning develops after adolescence. This has implications for the nature of the relationship between brain anatomy and weight gain.

Bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) lymphoma of the lung showing mosaic pattern of inhomogeneous attenuation on thin-section CT: a case report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, In Jae; Kim, Sung Hwan; Koo, Soo Hyun; Kim, Hyun Beom; Hwang, Dae Hyun; Lee, Kwan Seop; Lee, Yul; Jang, Kee Taek; Kim, Duck Hwan

2000-01-01

The authors present a case of histologically proven bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) lymphoma of the lung in a patient with primary Sjogren's syndrome that manifested on thin-section CT scan as a mosaic pattern of inhomogeneous attenuation due to mixed small airway and infiltrative abnormalities

Heat generation caused by ablation of dental hard tissues with an ultrashort pulse laser (USPL) system.

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Braun, Andreas; Krillke, Raphael Franz; Frentzen, Matthias; Bourauel, Christoph; Stark, Helmut; Schelle, Florian

2015-02-01

Heat generation during the removal of dental hard tissues may lead to a temperature increase and cause painful sensations or damage dental tissues. The aim of this study was to assess heat generation in dental hard tissues following laser ablation using an ultrashort pulse laser (USPL) system. A total of 85 specimens of dental hard tissues were used, comprising 45 specimens of human dentine evaluating a thickness of 1, 2, and 3 mm (15 samples each) and 40 specimens of human enamel with a thickness of 1 and 2 mm (20 samples each). Ablation was performed with an Nd:YVO4 laser at 1,064 nm, a pulse duration of 9 ps, and a repetition rate of 500 kHz with an average output power of 6 W. Specimens were irradiated for 0.8 s. Employing a scanner system, rectangular cavities of 1-mm edge length were generated. A temperature sensor was placed at the back of the specimens, recording the temperature during the ablation process. All measurements were made employing a heat-conductive paste without any additional cooling or spray. Heat generation during laser ablation depended on the dental hard tissue (enamel or dentine) and the thickness of the respective tissue (p dental hard tissues, heat generation has to be considered. Especially during laser ablation next to pulpal tissues, painful sensations and potential thermal injury of pulp tissue might occur.

Synovial fluid white cell count and histopathological examination of periprosthetic tissue samples (frozen and permanent sections in the diagnosis of prosthetic knee infection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Obada B.

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to determine prospectively the importance of synovial fluid white cell count and intraoperative frozen and permanent sections analysis (number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes per high-power field in the diagnosis of septic total knee arthroplasty. There were studied prospectively 72 patients who needed a revision total knee arthroplasty between 2013-2015. 30 patients were diagnosed with prosthetic joint infection due to high rates of ESR (93% and CRP (90% and preoperative positive culture from aspirated synovial fluid and 42 patients were considered to have aseptic failure according to negative preoperative culture from joint aspirate. For all the patients was analysed synovial fluid white cell count and histopathological aspect of intraoperative frozen and permanent sections of periprosthetic tissue. The results showed a median value of 13800 of sinovial white cells count for infected knee and 92 for noninfected knee. 90% of the patients with joint infection had more than 5 polymorphonuclear leukocytes per high power field on intraoperative frozen sections and 83% on permanent sections. None of the patients from aseptic group had more than 5 polymorphonuclear leukocytes per field on permanent sections. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein level can be supplemented with cultures of aspirated joint fluid and fluid white cell count to confirm the diagnosis of periprosthetic infection. When the preoperative diagnosis remain unclear, the histological examination of frozen or permanent sections of periprosthetic tissue with at least 5 polymorphonuclear leukocytes per high power field, is predictive for the presence of infection.

Turbine airfoil having outboard and inboard sections

Science.gov (United States)

Mazzola, Stefan; Marra, John J

2015-03-17

A turbine airfoil usable in a turbine engine and formed from at least an outboard section and an inboard section such that an inner end of the outboard section is attached to an outer end of the inboard section. The outboard section may be configured to provide a tip having adequate thickness and may extend radially inward from the tip with a generally constant cross-sectional area. The inboard section may be configured with a tapered cross-sectional area to support the outboard section.

Experimental investigation and theoretical modelling of the nonlinear acoustical behaviour of a liver tissue and comparison with a tissue mimicking hydrogel.

Science.gov (United States)

Casciaro, Sergio; Demitri, Christian; Conversano, Francesco; Casciaro, Ernesto; Distante, Alessandro

2008-02-01

Native harmonics generated by nonlinear distortion of ultrasound during propagation in a medium may cause misinterpretations in spectral analysis when studying contrast agents. The aim of this paper is to quantitatively evaluate nonlinear propagation effects of diagnostic ultrasound pulses in biological tissues and to assess whether a cellulose-based hydrogel can be a suitable material for tissue mimicking purposes. Hydrogel and pig liver tissue samples of various thicknesses were insonified in a through-transmission set-up, employing 2.25-MHz pulses with different mechanical index (MI) values (range 0.06-0.60). Second harmonic and first harmonic amplitudes were extracted from spectra of received signals and their ratio was then used to compare hydrogel and liver behaviours. Resulting trends are very similar for sample thicknesses up to 8 cm and highlight a significant increase in nonlinearity for MI > 0.3, for both liver and hydrogel. A numerical procedure was also employed to calculate pressure distribution along the beam axis: these theoretical results showed a very good agreement with experimental data in the low pressure range, though failed in predicting the MI threshold. In conclusion, the hydrogel resulted to be a suitable material for manufacturing tissue mimicking phantoms, in particular to study contrast agent behaviour with a "low power approach".

Thickness of the Buccal Plate in Posterior Teeth: A Prospective Cone Beam Computed Tomography Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Temple, Kayleigh Eaves; Schoolfield, John; Noujeim, Marcel E; Huynh-Ba, Guy; Lasho, David J; Mealey, Brian L

Buccal plate thickness is an important clinical parameter for postextraction implant treatment planning. The purpose of this study was to assess buccal plate thickness of the posterior maxilla and mandible using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). A total of 265 patients and 934 teeth met the inclusion criteria for this study. CBCT volumes were taken and aligned for measurement at the ideal midsagittal cross-section. Buccal plate thickness was measured at 1, 3, and 5 mm apical to the alveolar crest. The frequency of thick (≥ 1 mm), thin (teeth.

Evaluation of Human Corneal Lenticule Quality After SMILE With Different Cap Thicknesses Using Scanning Electron Microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Weng, Shengbei; Liu, Manli; Yang, Xiaonan; Liu, Fang; Zhou, Yugui; Lin, Haiqin; Liu, Quan

2018-01-01

To evaluate the surface characteristics of lenticules created by small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) with different cap thicknesses. This prospective study included 20 consecutive patients who underwent bilateral SMILE. Surface regularity of the extracted corneal lenticule was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with 2 methods: qualitative and quantitative regularity. Qualitative regularity of SEM images was graded by masked observers using an established scoring system. Quantitative regularity of SEM images was assessed by counting the total number and areas of tissue bridges using Image-Pro Plus software. Four different cap thickness of 120, 130, 140, and 150 μm were compared. Refractive outcomes of patients were measured at baseline and 1 month after surgery. As 10 specimens were not analyzable, only 30 eyes were included. Postoperatively, all eyes had postoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity of 20/20 or better; 43% had an unchanged corrected distance visual acuity; 43% gained 1 line; 10% lost 1 line. Ultrastructurally, surface irregularity was primarily caused by tissue bridges. The average surface regularity score obtained was 10.87 ± 2.40 for 120 μm, 10.78 ± 2.60 for 130 μm, 8.76 ± 2.16 for 140 μm, and 8.70 ± 2.66 for 150 μm (P < 0.001). The total number and areas of tissue bridges of 120 to 130 μm were significantly less than 140 to 150 μm (P < 0.05). Surface regularity decreased as cap thickness increased (P < 0.05). There is smoother appearance of the lenticular surface as seen through SEM when a thin cap is created compared with a thick cap qualitatively and quantitatively.

Use of apparent thickness for preprocessing of low-frequency electromagnetic data in inversion-based multibarrier evaluation workflow

Science.gov (United States)

Omar, Saad; Omeragic, Dzevat

2018-04-01

The concept of apparent thicknesses is introduced for the inversion-based, multicasing evaluation interpretation workflow using multifrequency and multispacing electromagnetic measurements. A thickness value is assigned to each measurement, enabling the development of two new preprocessing algorithms to remove casing collar artifacts. First, long-spacing apparent thicknesses are used to remove, from the pipe sections, artifacts ("ghosts") caused by the transmitter crossing a casing collar or corrosion. Second, a collar identification, localization, and assignment algorithm is developed to enable robust inversion in collar sections. Last, casing eccentering can also be identified on the basis of opposite deviation of short-spacing phase and magnitude apparent thicknesses from the nominal value. The proposed workflow can handle an arbitrary number of nested casings and has been validated on synthetic and field data.

Influence of abutment material on peri-implant soft tissues in anterior areas with thin gingival biotype: a multicentric prospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lops, Diego; Stellini, Edoardo; Sbricoli, Luca; Cea, Niccolò; Romeo, Eugenio; Bressan, Eriberto

2017-10-01

The aim of the present clinical trial was to analyze, through spectrophotometric digital technology, the influence of the abutment material on the color of the peri-implant soft tissue in patients with thin gingival biotype. Thirty-seven patients received an endosseous dental implant in the anterior maxilla. At time of each definitive prosthesis delivery, an all-ceramic crown has been tried on gold, titanium and zirconia abutment. Peri-implant soft-tissue color has been measured through a spectrophotometer after the insertion of each single abutment. Also facial peri-implant soft-tissue thickness was measured at the level of the implant neck through a caliper. A specific software has been utilized to identify a standardized tissue area and to collect the data before the statistical analysis in Lab* color space. ΔE parameters of the selected abutments were tested for correlation with mucosal thickness. Pearson correlation test was used. Only 15 patients met the study inclusion criteria on peri-implant soft-tissue thickness. Peri-implant soft-tissue color was different from that around natural teeth, no matter which type of restorative material was selected. Measurements regarding all the abutments were above the critical threshold of ΔE 8.74 for intraoral color distinction by the naked eye. The ΔE mean values of gold and zirconium abutments were similar (11.43 and 11.37, respectively) and significantly lower (P = 0.03 and P = 0.04, respectively) than the titanium abutment (13.55). In patients with a facial soft-tissue thickness ≤2 mm, the ΔE mean value of gold and zirconia abutments was significantly lower than that of titanium abutments (P = 0.03 and P = 0.04, respectively) and much more close to the reference threshold of 8.74. For peri-implant soft tissue of ≤2 mm, gold or zirconia abutments could be selected in anterior areas treatment. Moreover, the thickness of the peri-implant soft tissue seemed to be a crucial factor in the abutment impact

Anatomical characterization of central, apical and minimal corneal thickness

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Federico Saenz-Frances

2014-08-01

Full Text Available AIM: To anatomically locate the points of minimum corneal thickness and central corneal thickness (pupil center in relation to the corneal apex.METHODS: Observational, cross-sectional study, 299 healthy volunteers. Thickness at the corneal apex (AT, minimum corneal thickness (MT and corneal thickness at the pupil center (PT were determined using the pentacam. Distances from the corneal apex to MT (MD and PT (PD were calculated and their quadrant position (taking the corneal apex as the reference determined:point of minimum thickness (MC and point of central thickness (PC depending on the quadrant position. Two multivariate linear regression models were constructed to examine the influence of age, gender, power of the flattest and steepest corneal axes, position of the flattest axis, corneal volume (determined using the Pentacam and PT on MD and PD. The effects of these variables on MC and PC were also determined in two multinomial regression models.RESULTS: MT was located at a mean distance of 0.909 mm from the apex (79.4% in the inferior-temporal quadrant. PT was located at a mean distance of 0.156 mm from the apex. The linear regression model for MD indicated it was significantly influenced by corneal volume (B=-0.024; 95%CI:-0.043 to -0.004. No significant relations were identified in the linear regression model for PD or the multinomial logistic regressions for MC and PC.CONCLUSION: MT was typically located at the inferior-temporal quadrant of the cornea and its distance to the corneal apex tended to decrease with the increment of corneal volume.

Bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) lymphoma of the lung showing mosaic pattern of inhomogeneous attenuation on thin-section CT: a case report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, In Jae; Kim, Sung Hwan; Koo, Soo Hyun; Kim, Hyun Beom; Hwang, Dae Hyun; Lee, Kwan Seop; Lee, Yul; Jang, Kee Taek; Kim, Duck Hwan [Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang (Korea, Republic of)

2000-09-01

The authors present a case of histologically proven bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) lymphoma of the lung in a patient with primary Sjogren's syndrome that manifested on thin-section CT scan as a mosaic pattern of inhomogeneous attenuation due to mixed small airway and infiltrative abnormalities.

Histomorphometric Analysis of Periodontal Tissue Regeneration by the Use of High Density Polytetrafluoroethylen Membrane in Grade II Furcation Defects of Dogs

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Raoofi S

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Statement of Problem: There are limited histomorphometric studies on biologic efficacy of high density tetrafluoroethylen (d-PTFE membrane. Objectives: To investigate the healing of surgically induced grade II furcation defects in dogs following the use of dense polytetrafluoroethylene as the barrier membrane and to compare the results with the contra lateral control teeth without the application of any membrane. Materials andMethods: Mandibular and maxillary 3rd premolar teeth of 18 young adult male mongrel dogs were used for the experiment. The furcation defects were created during the surgery. 5 weeks later, regenerative surgery was performed. The third premolar teeth were assigned randomly to control and test groups. In the test group, after a full thickness flap reflection, the d-PTFE membrane was placed over furcation defects. In the control group, no membrane was placed over the defect. 37 tissue blocks containing the teeth and surrounding hard and soft tissues were obtained three months post-regenerative surgery. The specimens were demineralized, serially sectioned, mounted and stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin staining technique. From each tissue block, 35-45 sections of 10 μm thickness within 60μm interval captured the entire surgically created defect. The histological images were transferred to computer and then the linear measurement ranges of the defects area, interadicular alveolar bone, epithelial attachment and coronal extension of the new cementum were done. Then, the volume and area of aforementioned parameters were calculated considering the thickness and interval of the sections. To compare the parameters between the control and test teeth, we calculated the amount of each one proportionally to the original amount of defects. Results: The mean interradicular root surface areas of original defects covered with new cementum was 74.46% and 29.59% for the membrane and control defects, respectively (p < 0.0001. Corresponding

High Definition Confocal Imaging Modalities for the Characterization of Tissue-Engineered Substitutes.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayrand, Dominique; Fradette, Julie

2018-01-01

Optimal imaging methods are necessary in order to perform a detailed characterization of thick tissue samples from either native or engineered tissues. Tissue-engineered substitutes are featuring increasing complexity including multiple cell types and capillary-like networks. Therefore, technical approaches allowing the visualization of the inner structural organization and cellular composition of tissues are needed. This chapter describes an optical clearing technique which facilitates the detailed characterization of whole-mount samples from skin and adipose tissues (ex vivo tissues and in vitro tissue-engineered substitutes) when combined with spectral confocal microscopy and quantitative analysis on image renderings.

Tissue Cancellation in Dual Energy Mammography Using a Calibration Phantom Customized for Direct Mapping.

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Han, Seokmin; Kang, Dong-Goo

2014-01-01

An easily implementable tissue cancellation method for dual energy mammography is proposed to reduce anatomical noise and enhance lesion visibility. For dual energy calibration, the images of an imaging object are directly mapped onto the images of a customized calibration phantom. Each pixel pair of the low and high energy images of the imaging object was compared to pixel pairs of the low and high energy images of the calibration phantom. The correspondence was measured by absolute difference between the pixel values of imaged object and those of the calibration phantom. Then the closest pixel pair of the calibration phantom images is marked and selected. After the calibration using direct mapping, the regions with lesion yielded different thickness from the background tissues. Taking advantage of the different thickness, the visibility of cancerous lesions was enhanced with increased contrast-to-noise ratio, depending on the size of lesion and breast thickness. However, some tissues near the edge of imaged object still remained after tissue cancellation. These remaining residuals seem to occur due to the heel effect, scattering, nonparallel X-ray beam geometry and Poisson distribution of photons. To improve its performance further, scattering and the heel effect should be compensated.

Increased supraspinatus tendon thickness following fatigue loading in rotator cuff tendinopathy: potential implications for exercise therapy

OpenAIRE

McCreesh, Karen M; Purtill, Helen; Donnelly, Alan E; Lewis, Jeremy S

2017-01-01

Background/aim Exercise imparts a load on tendon tissue that leads to changes in tendon properties. Studies suggest that loading immediately reduces tendon thickness, with a loss of this response in symptomatic tendinopathy. No studies investigating the response of tendon dimensions to load for the rotator cuff tendons exist. This study aimed to examine the short-term effect of loading on the thickness of the supraspinatus tendon and acromiohumeral distance those with and without rotator cuff...

Effect of a Finite Trailing Edge Thickness on the Drag of Rectangular and Delta Wings at Supersonic Speeds

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Klunker, E

1952-01-01

The effect of a finite trailing-edge thickness on the pressure drag of rectangular and delta wings with truncated diamond-shaped airfoil sections with a given thickness ratio is studied for supersonic...

Extended methods using thick-targets for nuclear reaction data of radioactive isotopes

Science.gov (United States)

Ebata, Shuichiro; Aikawa, Masayuki; Imai, Shotaro

2017-09-01

The nuclear transmutation is a technology to dispose of radioactive wastes. However, we do not have enough basic data for its developments, such as thick-target yields (TTY) and the interaction cross sections for radioactive material. We suggest two methods to estimate the TTY using inverse kinematics and to obtain the excitation function of the interaction cross sections which is named the thick-target transmission (T3) method. We deduce the energy-dependent conversion relation between the TTYs of the original system and its inverse kinematics, which can be replaced to a constant coefficient in the high energy region. Furthermore we show the usefulness of the T3 method to investigate the excitation function of the 12C + 27Al reaction in the simulation.

Thickness determination of large-area films of yttria-stabilized zirconia produced by pulsed laser deposition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pryds, N.; Christensen, Bo Toftmann; Bilde-Sørensen, Jørgen

2006-01-01

of the attenuation for various values of film thickness with the program CASINO. These results have been compared with direct measurements in the SEM of the film thickness on a cross-section on one of the wafers. The results of these measurements demonstrate the ability of this technique to accurately determine...

Effect of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Treatment on Deep Partial-Thickness Burn Injury in Rats: A Pilot Study

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Gabriel Djedovic

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT enhances tissue vascularization and neoangiogenesis. Recent animal studies showed improved soft tissue regeneration using ESWT. In most cases, deep partial-thickness burns require skin grafting; the outcome is often unsatisfactory in function and aesthetic appearance. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effect of ESWT on skin regeneration after deep partial-thickness burns. Under general anesthesia, two standardized deep partial-thickness burns were induced on the back of 30 male Wistar rats. Immediately after the burn, ESWT was given to rats of group 1 (N=15, but not to group 2 (N=15. On days 5, 10, and 15, five rats of each group were analyzed. Reepithelialization rate was defined, perfusion units were measured, and histological analysis was performed. Digital photography was used for visual documentation. A wound score system was used. ESWT enhanced the percentage of wound closure in group 1 as compared to group 2 (P<0.05. The reepithelialization rate was improved significantly on day 15 (P<0.05. The wound score showed a significant increase in the ESWT group. ESWT improves skin regeneration of deep partial-thickness burns in rats. It may be a suitable and cost effective treatment alternative in this type of burn wounds in the future.

An optimised protocol for isolation of RNA from small sections of laser-capture microdissected FFPE tissue amenable for next-generation sequencing.

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Amini, Parisa; Ettlin, Julia; Opitz, Lennart; Clementi, Elena; Malbon, Alexandra; Markkanen, Enni

2017-08-23

Formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue constitutes a vast treasury of samples for biomedical research. Thus far however, extraction of RNA from FFPE tissue has proved challenging due to chemical RNA-protein crosslinking and RNA fragmentation, both of which heavily impact on RNA quantity and quality for downstream analysis. With very small sample sizes, e.g. when performing Laser-capture microdissection (LCM) to isolate specific subpopulations of cells, recovery of sufficient RNA for analysis with reverse-transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) or next-generation sequencing (NGS) becomes very cumbersome and difficult. We excised matched cancer-associated stroma (CAS) and normal stroma from clinical specimen of FFPE canine mammary tumours using LCM, and compared the commonly used protease-based RNA isolation procedure with an adapted novel technique that additionally incorporates a focused ultrasonication step. We successfully adapted a protocol that uses focused ultrasonication to isolate RNA from small amounts of deparaffinised, stained, clinical LCM samples. Using this approach, we found that total RNA yields could be increased by 8- to 12-fold compared to a commonly used protease-based extraction technique. Surprisingly, RNA extracted using this new approach was qualitatively at least equal if not superior compared to the old approach, as Cq values in RT-qPCR were on average 2.3-fold lower using the new method. Finally, we demonstrate that RNA extracted using the new method performs comparably in NGS as well. We present a successful isolation protocol for extraction of RNA from difficult and limiting FFPE tissue samples that enables successful analysis of small sections of clinically relevant specimen. The possibility to study gene expression signatures in specific small sections of archival FFPE tissue, which often entail large amounts of highly relevant clinical follow-up data, unlocks a new dimension of hitherto difficult-to-analyse samples which now

21 CFR 876.5885 - Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture processing applications.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture processing applications. 876.5885 Section 876.5885 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG... DEVICES Therapeutic Devices § 876.5885 Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture...

Mediterranean diet, micronutrients and macronutrients, and MRI measures of cortical thickness.

Science.gov (United States)

Staubo, Sara C; Aakre, Jeremiah A; Vemuri, Prashanthi; Syrjanen, Jeremy A; Mielke, Michelle M; Geda, Yonas E; Kremers, Walter K; Machulda, Mary M; Knopman, David S; Petersen, Ronald C; Jack, Clifford R; Roberts, Rosebud O

2017-02-01

The Mediterranean diet (MeDi) is associated with reduced risk of cognitive impairment, but it is unclear whether it is associated with better brain imaging biomarkers. Among 672 cognitively normal participants (mean age, 79.8 years, 52.5% men), we investigated associations of MeDi score and MeDi components with magnetic resonance imaging measures of cortical thickness for the four lobes separately and averaged (average lobar). Higher MeDi score was associated with larger frontal, parietal, occipital, and average lobar cortical thickness. Higher legume and fish intakes were associated with larger cortical thickness: legumes with larger superior parietal, inferior parietal, precuneus, parietal, occipital, lingual, and fish with larger precuneus, superior parietal, posterior cingulate, parietal, and inferior parietal. Higher carbohydrate and sugar intakes were associated with lower entorhinal cortical thickness. In this sample of elderly persons, higher adherence to MeDi was associated with larger cortical thickness. These cross-sectional findings require validation in prospective studies. Copyright © 2016 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Facilitated assessment of tissue loss following traumatic brain injury

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Anders eHånell

2012-03-01

Full Text Available All experimental models of traumatic brain injury (TBI result in a progressive loss of brain tissue. The extent of tissue loss reflects the injury severity and can be measured to evaluate the potential neuroprotective effect of experimental treatments. Quantitation of tissue volumes is commonly performed using evenly spaced brain sections stained using routine histochemical methods and digitally captured. The brain tissue areas are then measured and the corresponding volumes are calculated using the distance between the sections. Measurements of areas are usually performed using a general purpose image analysis software and the results are then transferred to another program for volume calculations. To facilitate the measurement of brain tissue loss we developed novel algorithms which automatically separate the areas of brain tissue from the surrounding image background and identify the ventricles. We implemented these new algorithms by creating a new computer program (SectionToVolume which also has functions for image organization, image adjustments and volume calculations. We analyzed brain sections from mice subjected to severe focal TBI using both SectionToVolume and ImageJ, a commonly used image analysis program. The volume measurements made by the two programs were highly correlated and analysis using SectionToVolume required considerably less time. The inter-rater reliability was high. Given the extensive use of brain tissue loss measurements in TBI research, SectionToVolume will likely be a useful tool for TBI research. We therefore provide both the source code and the program as attachments to this article.

Mechanisms of lymphatic regeneration after tissue transfer.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan Yan

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Lymphedema is the chronic swelling of an extremity that occurs commonly after lymph node resection for cancer treatment. Recent studies have demonstrated that transfer of healthy tissues can be used as a means of bypassing damaged lymphatics and ameliorating lymphedema. The purpose of these studies was to investigate the mechanisms that regulate lymphatic regeneration after tissue transfer.Nude mice (recipients underwent 2-mm tail skin excisions that were either left open or repaired with full-thickness skin grafts harvested from donor transgenic mice that expressed green fluorescent protein in all tissues or from LYVE-1 knockout mice. Lymphatic regeneration, expression of VEGF-C, macrophage infiltration, and potential for skin grafting to bypass damaged lymphatics were assessed.Skin grafts healed rapidly and restored lymphatic flow. Lymphatic regeneration occurred beginning at the peripheral edges of the graft, primarily from ingrowth of new lymphatic vessels originating from the recipient mouse. In addition, donor lymphatic vessels appeared to spontaneously re-anastomose with recipient vessels. Patterns of VEGF-C expression and macrophage infiltration were temporally and spatially associated with lymphatic regeneration. When compared to mice treated with excision only, there was a 4-fold decrease in tail volumes, 2.5-fold increase in lymphatic transport by lymphoscintigraphy, 40% decrease in dermal thickness, and 54% decrease in scar index in skin-grafted animals, indicating that tissue transfer could bypass damaged lymphatics and promote rapid lymphatic regeneration.Our studies suggest that lymphatic regeneration after tissue transfer occurs by ingrowth of lymphatic vessels and spontaneous re-connection of existing lymphatics. This process is temporally and spatially associated with VEGF-C expression and macrophage infiltration. Finally, tissue transfer can be used to bypass damaged lymphatics and promote rapid lymphatic regeneration.

Monte Carlo simulation studies for the determination of microcalcification thickness and glandular ratio through dual-energy mammography

Science.gov (United States)

Del Lama, L. S.; Godeli, J.; Poletti, M. E.

2017-08-01

The majority of breast carcinomas can be associated to the presence of calcifications before the development of a mass. However, the overlapping tissues can obscure the visualization of microcalcification clusters due to the reduced contrast-noise ratio (CNR). In order to overcome this complication, one potential solution is the use of the dual-energy (DE) technique, in which two different images are acquired at low (LE) and high (HE) energies or kVp to highlight specific lesions or cancel out tissue background. In this work, the DE features were computationally studied considering simulated acquisitions from a modified PENELOPE Monte Carlo code. The employed irradiation geometry considered typical distances used in digital mammography, a CsI detection system and an updated breast model composed of skin, microcalcifications and glandular and adipose tissues. The breast thickness ranged from 2 to 6 cm with glandularities of 25%, 50% and 75%, where microcalcifications with dimensions from 100 up to 600 μm were positioned. In general, results pointed an efficiency index better than 87% for the microcalcification thicknesses and better than 95% for the glandular ratio. The simulations evaluated in this work can be used to optimize the elements from the DE imaging chain, in order to become a complementary tool for the conventional single-exposure images, especially for the visualization and estimation of calcification thicknesses and glandular ratios.

Detection of fission fragments using thick samples in contact with solid state nuclear track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima, D.A. de; Martins, J.B.; Tavares, O.A.P.

1987-01-01

Whenever use is made of thick samples in contact with solid state nuclear track detectors for determining fission yields, one of the fundamental problems is the evaluation of the effective number of target nuclei which contributes to the fraction of the number of fission events that will be recorded. The evaluation of the effective number of target nuclei which contributes to recorded events is based on the effective thickness of the sample. A method for evaluating effective thickness of thick samples for binary fission modes, is presented. A cross section equation which takes into account all the necessary corrections due to fragment attenuation effects by a thick target for calculation induced fission yields, was obtained. (Author) [pt

Preliminary Evaluation of Platelet Rich Fibrin-Mediated Tissue Repair in Immature Canine Pulpless Teeth.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qi Lin; Yang, Pan Pan; Ge, Li Hong; Liu, He

2016-03-01

To evaluate the use of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) in the regenerative therapy of immature canine permanent teeth. Eight immature premolars of beagle dogs were pulp extracted and cleaned with irrigation, then divided into two groups of empty root canals and those filled with a PRF clot. All of the eight premolars were sealed with mineral trioxide aggregate and glass ionomer cement. Two premolars were left naturally grown as a positive control. The root development was assessed radiographically and histologically after 12 weeks. The radiological findings showed greater increases in the thickness of lateral dentinal wall in the PRF group than in the vacant group. Histologically, dental-associated mineral tissue, connective tissue, and bone-like mineral tissue grew into the root canals independent of PRF clot use. The PRF was able to increase the thickness of dental-associated mineral tissue. However, the vital tissue differed from the pulp dentin complex. Our study demonstrated the feasibility of using PRF-mediated regenerative therapy in pulpless immature teeth for improving tissue repair.

Elemental composition of skin tissue by PIXE and INAA analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollands, R.; Spyrou, N.M.

1997-01-01

Hypertrophic scars are a particular type of scar that can form after any type of dermal injury. They are unsightly, red, elevated above normal skin level, itchy and painful. At present no-one knows why these scars form. Due to the differences between scar tissue and normal skin it was decided to analyse skin tissue which at a later date would be compared to scar tissue. Spit skin graft (epidermis) samples as well as full thickness skin (epidermis to dermis) tissue were analysed using PIXE and RBS with a 2 MeV proton beam. The epidermis was compared to the dermis to see if there were any variations between the two. In all the samples P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Fe, and Cd were detected and in a majority of the samples Zn and Ba were found, using PIXE. It was found that, between the epidermis and dermis, there was an significant increase in P in the epidermis in both full thickness and split skin graft samples. Complementary elemental analysis was also performed using neutron activation, and Br, Na and Zn were detected. (author)

Study of distribution of /sup 169/Yb, /sup 67/Ga and /sup 111/In in tumor tissue by macroautoradiography. Comparison between viable tumor tissue and necrotic tumor tissue

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ando, A; Sanada, S; Hiraki, T [Kanazawa Univ. (Japan). School of Paramedicine; Doishita, K; Ando, I

1977-01-01

The localization of /sup 169/Yb, /sup 67/Ga and /sup 111/In in tumor tissues was determined macroautoradiographically. /sup 169/Yb-citrate, /sup 67/Ga-citrate and /sup 111/In-citrate were injected intravenously into rats which had received subcutaneously transplantations of Yoshida sarcoma, and were injected intraperitoneally to the mice which had received subcutaneous transplantations of Ehrlich tumor. These animals were sacrificed 3, 24 and 48 hours after injection. The tumor tissues were frozen in n-hexane (-70/sup 0/C) cooled with dry ice-acetone. After this, the frozen tumor tissues were cut into thin serial sections (10 ..mu..m) in a cryostat (-20/sup 0/C). One of these sections was then placed on x-ray film, and this film was developed after exposure of several days. The next slice of each of these sections were stained using the hematoxylin and eosin. From the observations of these autoradiogram and H-E stained slice, the following results were obtained. Concentration of /sup 169/Yb, /sup 67/Ga and /sup 111/In was predominant in viable tumor tissue rather than in necrotic tumor tissue, regardless of time after administration. /sup 67/Ga and /sup 111/In were distributed uniformly in viable tumor tissue, but there was greater deposition of /sup 169/Yb in viable tumor tissue neighboring the necrotic tumor.

Epicardial adipose tissue in endocrine and metabolic diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Iacobellis, Gianluca

2014-05-01

Epicardial adipose tissue has recently emerged as new risk factor and active player in metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Albeit its physiological and pathological roles are not completely understood, a body of evidence indicates that epicardial adipose tissue is a fat depot with peculiar and unique features. Epicardial fat is able to synthesize, produce, and secrete bioactive molecules which are then transported into the adjacent myocardium through vasocrine and/or paracrine pathways. Based on these evidences, epicardial adipose tissue can be considered an endocrine organ. Epicardial fat is also thought to provide direct heating to the myocardium and protect the heart during unfavorable hemodynamic conditions, such as ischemia or hypoxia. Epicardial fat has been suggested to play an independent role in the development and progression of obesity- and diabetes-related cardiac abnormalities. Clinically, the thickness of epicardial fat can be easily and accurately measured. Epicardial fat thickness can serve as marker of visceral adiposity and visceral fat changes during weight loss interventions and treatments with drugs targeting the fat. The potential of modulating the epicardial fat with targeted pharmacological agents can open new avenues in the pharmacotherapy of endocrine and metabolic diseases. This review article will provide Endocrine's reader with a focus on epicardial adipose tissue in endocrinology. Novel, established, but also speculative findings on epicardial fat will be discussed from the unexplored perspective of both clinical and basic Endocrinologist.

Macular thickness and macular volume measurements using spectral domain optical coherence tomography in normal Nepalese eyes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pokharel A

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Amrit Pokharel,1 Gauri Shankar Shrestha,2 Jyoti Baba Shrestha2 1Department of Ophthalmology, Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital, 2B P Koirala Lions Centre for Ophthalmic Studies, Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal Purpose: To record the normative values for macular thickness and macular volume in normal Nepalese eyes. Methods: In all, 126 eyes of 63 emmetropic subjects (mean age: 21.17±6.76 years; range: 10–37 years were assessed for macular thickness and macular volume, using spectral domain-optical coherence tomography over 6×6 mm2 in the posterior pole. A fast macular thickness protocol was employed. Statistics such as the mean, median, standard deviation, percentiles, and range were used, while a P-value was set at 0.05 to test significance. Results: Average macular thickness and total macular volume were larger in males compared to females. With each year of increasing age, these variables decreased by 0.556 µm and 0.0156 mm3 for average macular thickness and total macular volume, respectively. The macular thickness was greatest in the inner superior section and lowest at the center of the fovea. The volume was greatest in the outer nasal section and thinnest in the fovea. The central subfield thickness (r=-0.243, P=0.055 and foveal volume (r=0.216, P=0.09 did not correlate with age. Conclusion: Males and females differ significantly with regard to macular thickness and macular volume measurements. Reports by other studies that the increase in axial length reduced thickness and volume, were negated by this study which found a positive correlation among axial length, thickness, and volume. Keywords: macular thickness, macular volume, optical coherence tomography, Nepal

Influence of soft tissue in the assessment of the primary fixation of acetabular cup implants using impact analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

Bosc, Romain; Tijou, Antoine; Rosi, Giuseppe; Nguyen, Vu-Hieu; Meningaud, Jean-Paul; Hernigou, Philippe; Flouzat-Lachaniette, Charles-Henri; Haiat, Guillaume

2018-06-01

The acetabular cup (AC) implant primary stability is an important determinant for the success of cementless hip surgery but it remains difficult to assess the AC implant fixation in the clinic. A method based on the analysis of the impact produced by an instrumented hammer on the ancillary has been developed by our group (Michel et al., 2016a). However, the soft tissue thickness present around the acetabulum may affect the impact response, which may hamper the robustness of the method. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of the soft tissue thickness (STT) on the acetabular cup implant primary fixation evaluation using impact analyses. To do so, different AC implants were inserted in five bovine bone samples. For each sample, different stability conditions were obtained by changing the cavity diameter. For each configuration, the AC implant was impacted 25 times with 10 and 30 mm of soft tissues positioned underneath the sample. The averaged indicator I m was determined based on the amplitude of the signal for each configuration and each STT and the pull-out force was measured. The results show that the resonance frequency of the system increases when the value of the soft tissue thickness decreases. Moreover, an ANOVA analysis shows that there was no significant effect of the value of soft tissue thickness on the values of the indicator I m (F = 2.33; p-value = 0.13). This study shows that soft tissue thickness does not appear to alter the prediction of the acetabular cup implant primary fixation obtained using the impact analysis approach, opening the path towards future clinical trials. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oral mucosa tissue response to titanium cover screws.

Science.gov (United States)

Olmedo, Daniel G; Paparella, María L; Spielberg, Martín; Brandizzi, Daniel; Guglielmotti, María B; Cabrini, Rómulo L

2012-08-01

Titanium is the most widely used metal in dental implantology. The release of particles from metal structures into the biologic milieu may be the result of electrochemical processes (corrosion) and/or mechanical disruption during insertion, abutment connection, or removal of failing implants. The aim of the present study is to evaluate tissue response of human oral mucosa adjacent to titanium cover screws. One hundred fifty-three biopsies of the supra-implant oral mucosa adjacent to the cover screw of submerged dental implants were analyzed. Histologic studies were performed to analyze epithelial and connective tissue as well as the presence of metal particles, which were identified using microchemical analysis. Langerhans cells, macrophages, and T lymphocytes were studied using immunohistochemical techniques. The surface of the cover screws was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Forty-one percent of mucosa biopsies exhibited metal particles in different layers of the section thickness. Particle number and size varied greatly among specimens. Immunohistochemical study confirmed the presence of macrophages and T lymphocytes associated with the metal particles. Microchemical analysis revealed the presence of titanium in the particles. On SEM analysis, the surface of the screws exhibited depressions and irregularities. The biologic effects seen in the mucosa in contact with the cover screws might be associated with the presence of titanium or other elements, such as aluminum or vanadium. The potential long-term biologic effects of particles on soft tissues adjacent to metallic devices should be further investigated because these effects might affect the clinical outcome of the implant.

Effect of boundary layer thickness on the flow characteristics around a rectangular prism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji, Ho Seong; Kim, Kyung Chun

2001-01-01

Effect of boundary layer thickness on the flow characteristics around a rectangular prism has been investigated by using a PIV(Particle Image Velocimetry) technique. Three different boundary layers (thick, medium and thin) were generated in the atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel at Pusan National University. The thick boundary layer having 670mm thickness was generated by using spires and roughness elements. The medium thickness of boundary layer(δ=270mm) was the natural turbulent boundary layer at the test section with fully long developing length(18m). The thin boundary layer with 36.5mm thickness was generated by on a smooth panel elevated 70cm from the wind tunnel floor. The Reynolds number based on the free stream velocity and the height of the model was 7.9X10 3 . The mean velocity vector fields and turbulent kinetic energy distribution were measured and compared. The effect of boundary layer thickness is clearly observed not only in the length of separation bubble but also in the reattachment points. The thinner boundary layer thickness, the higher turbulent kinetic energy peak around the model roof. It is strongly recommended that the height ratio between model and approaching boundary layer thickness should be a major parameter

Does cortical bone thickness in the last sacral vertebra differ among tail types in primates?

Science.gov (United States)

Nishimura, Abigail C; Russo, Gabrielle A

2017-04-01

The external morphology of the sacrum is demonstrably informative regarding tail type (i.e., tail presence/absence, length, and prehensility) in living and extinct primates. However, little research has focused on the relationship between tail type and internal sacral morphology, a potentially important source of functional information when fossil sacra are incomplete. Here, we determine if cortical bone cross-sectional thickness of the last sacral vertebral body differs among tail types in extant primates and can be used to reconstruct tail types in extinct primates. Cortical bone cross-sectional thickness in the last sacral vertebral body was measured from high-resolution CT scans belonging to 20 extant primate species (N = 72) assigned to tail type categories ("tailless," "nonprehensile short-tailed," "nonprehensile long-tailed," and "prehensile-tailed"). The extant dataset was then used to reconstruct the tail types for four extinct primate species. Tailless primates had significantly thinner cortical bone than tail-bearing primates. Nonprehensile short-tailed primates had significantly thinner cortical bone than nonprehensile long-tailed primates. Cortical bone cross-sectional thickness did not distinguish between prehensile-tailed and nonprehensile long-tailed taxa. Results are strongly influenced by phylogeny. Corroborating previous studies, Epipliopithecus vindobonensis was reconstructed as tailless, Archaeolemur edwardsi as long-tailed, Megaladapis grandidieri as nonprehensile short-tailed, and Palaeopropithecus kelyus as nonprehensile short-tailed or tailless. Results indicate that, in the context of phylogenetic clade, measures of cortical bone cross-sectional thickness can be used to allocate extinct primate species to tail type categories. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Intrinsic flux pinning mechanisms in different thickness MgB2 films

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C. Yang

2017-03-01

Full Text Available MgB2 films in four thickness (60 nm, 200nm, 600nm and 1μm have been fabricated by hybrid physical–chemical vapor deposition technique (HPCVD. By measuring the magnetization hysteresis loops and the resistivity, we have obtained the transport and magnetic properties of the four films. After that, the pinning mechanisms in them were discussed. Comparing the pinning behaviors in these ultrathin films, thin films and thick films, it was found that there exist different pinning types in MgB2 films of different thickness. In combination with the study of the surface morphology, cross-section and XRD results, we concluded that MgB2 films had different growth modes in different growth stages. For thin films, films grew along c axis, and grain boundaries acted as surface pinning. While for thick films, films grew along c axis at first, and then changed to a-b axis growth. As a result, the a-b axis grains acted as strong volume pinning.

Detection of EGFR and COX-2 Expression by Immunohistochemical Method on a Tissue Microarray Section in Lung Cancer and Biological Significance

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Xinyun WANG

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Background and objective Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2, which can regulate growth, invasion and metastasis of tumor through relevant signaling pathway, have been detected in a variety of solid tumors. The aim of this study is to investigate the biological significance of EGFR and COX-2 expression in lung cancer and the relationship between them. Methods The expression of EGFR and COX-2 was detected in 89 primary lung cancer tissues, 12 premaliganant lesions, 12 lymph node metastases, and 10 normal lung tissues as the control by immunohistochemical method on a tissue microarray section. Results EGFR protein was detectable in 59.6%, 41.7%, and 66.7% of primary lung cancer tissues, premalignant lesions and lymph node metastases, respectively; COX-2 protein was detectable in 52.8%, 41.7%, and 66.7% of primary lung cancer tissues, premalignant lesions and lymph node metastases, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of the control (P 0.05. COX-2 expression was related to gross type (P < 0.05. A highly positive correlation was observed between EGFR and COX-2 expression (P < 0.01. Conclusion Overexpression of EGFR and COX-2 may play an important role in the tumorgenesis, progression and malignancy of lung cancer. Detection of EGFR and COX-2 expression might be helpful to diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer.

Single x-ray absorptiometry method for the quantitative mammographic measure of fibroglandular tissue volume

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malkov, Serghei; Wang, Jeff; Kerlikowske, Karla; Cummings, Steven R.; Shepherd, John A.

2009-01-01

Purpose: This study describes the design and characteristics of a highly accurate, precise, and automated single-energy method to quantify percent fibroglandular tissue volume (%FGV) and fibroglandular tissue volume (FGV) using digital screening mammography. Methods: The method uses a breast tissue-equivalent phantom in the unused portion of the mammogram as a reference to estimate breast composition. The phantom is used to calculate breast thickness and composition for each image regardless of x-ray technique or the presence of paddle tilt. The phantom adheres to the top of the mammographic compression paddle and stays in place for both craniocaudal and mediolateral oblique screening views. We describe the automated method to identify the phantom and paddle orientation with a three-dimensional reconstruction least-squares technique. A series of test phantoms, with a breast thickness range of 0.5-8 cm and a %FGV of 0%-100%, were made to test the accuracy and precision of the technique. Results: Using test phantoms, the estimated repeatability standard deviation equaled 2%, with a ±2% accuracy for the entire thickness and density ranges. Without correction, paddle tilt was found to create large errors in the measured density values of up to 7%/mm difference from actual breast thickness. This new density measurement is stable over time, with no significant drifts in calibration noted during a four-month period. Comparisons of %FGV to mammographic percent density and left to right breast %FGV were highly correlated (r=0.83 and 0.94, respectively). Conclusions: An automated method for quantifying fibroglandular tissue volume has been developed. It exhibited good accuracy and precision for a broad range of breast thicknesses, paddle tilt angles, and %FGV values. Clinical testing showed high correlation to mammographic density and between left and right breasts.

Free muscle transfer with split thickness skin graft coverage in head and neck reconstructive surgery

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos, K. E.; Balm, A. J.; Schouwenburg, P. F.; Hilgers, F. J.; de Boer, J. B.

1991-01-01

Sixteen patients (eight females and eight males) who underwent microsurgical free tissue transfers for head and neck reconstruction are reviewed. In this series, the flap reconstruction was completed on eleven patients with extra-oral defects and five with intra-oral defects. Split thickness skin

Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and choroidal thickness in cirrhosis patients

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M.Orcun Akdemir

2015-12-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate the effect of cirrhosis on peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and choroidal thickness with enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. Methods: This cross sectional, single center study was undertaken at Bulent Ecevit University Ophthalmology department with the participation of internal medicine, Gastroenterology department. Patients who were treated with the diagnosis of cirrhosis (n=75 were examined in the ophthalmology clinic. Age and sex matched patients (n=50 who were healthy and met the inclusion, exclusion criteria were included in the study. Complete ophthalmological examination included visual acuity with Snellen chart, intraocular pressure measurement with applanation tonometry, biomicroscopy of anterior and posterior segments, gonioscopy, axial length measurement, visual field examination, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer, central macular and subfoveal choroidal thickness measurements. Results: The difference between intraocular pressure values was not statistically significant between cirrhosis and control group (p=0.843. However, mean peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness was significantly thinner in cirrhosis group in all regions (p<0.001 and subfoveal choroidal thickness was significantly thinner in cirrhosis group also (p<0.001. Moreover, central macular thickness of cirrhosis group was significantly thicker than the control group (p=0.001. Conclusion: Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and subfoveal choroidal thickness was significantly thinner in cirrhosis patients.

Detection of microRNAs in frozen tissue sections by fluorescence in situ hybridization using locked nucleic acid probes and tyramide signal amplification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Silahtaroglu, Asli; Nolting, Dorrit; Andersen, Lars Dyrskjøt

2007-01-01

been shown to increase detection sensitivity in FISH, combining these techniques into one protocol significantly decreases the time needed for miRNA detection in cryosections, while simultaneously retaining high detection sensitivity. Starting with fixation of the tissue sections, this miRNA FISH...

Effects of trochanteric soft tissue thickness and hip impact velocity on hip fracture in sideways fall through 3D finite element simulations.

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Majumder, Santanu; Roychowdhury, Amit; Pal, Subrata

2008-09-18

A major worldwide health problem is hip fracture due to sideways fall among the elderly population. The effects of sideways fall on the hip are required to be investigated thoroughly. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the responses to trochanteric soft tissue thickness (T) variations and hip impact velocity (V) variations during sideways fall based on a previously developed CT scan derived 3D non-linear and non-homogeneous finite element model of pelvis-femur-soft tissue complex with simplified biomechanical representation of the whole body. This study is also aimed at quantifying the effects [peak impact force (F(max)), time to F(max), acceleration and peak principal compressive strain (epsilon(max))] of these variations (T,V) on hip fracture. It was found that under constant impact energy, for 81% decrease in T (26-5mm), F(max) and epsilon(max) increased by 38% and 97%, respectively. Hence, decrease in T (as in slimmer persons) strongly correlated to risk for hip fracture (phi) and strain ratio (SR) by 0.972 and 0.988, respectively. Also under same T and body weight, for 75% decrease in V (4.79-1.2m/s), F(max) and epsilon(max) decreased by 70% and 86%, respectively. Hence, increase in V (as in taller persons) strongly correlated to phi and SR by 0.995 and 0.984, respectively. For both variations in T and V, inter-trochanteric fracture situations were well demonstrated by phi as well as by SR and strain contours, similar to clinically observed fractures. These quantifications would be helpful for effective design of person-specific hip protective devices.

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) does not reduce subcutaneous adipose tissue by local adipocyte injury but rather by modulation of systemic lipid metabolism.

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Jankowski, Marek; Gawrych, Mariusz; Adamska, Urszula; Ciescinski, Jakub; Serafin, Zbigniew; Czajkowski, Rafal

2017-02-01

Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) has been applied recently to body contouring. However the mechanism of LLLT-induced reduction of subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness has not been elucidated and proposed hypotheses are highly controversial. Non-obese volunteers were subject to 650nm LLLT therapy. Each patient received 6 treatments 2-3 days apart to one side of the abdomen. The contralateral side was left untreated and served as control. Subjects' abdominal adipose tissue thickness was measured by ultrasound imaging at baseline and 2 weeks post-treatment. Our study is to the best of our knowledge, the largest split-abdomen study employing subcutaneous abdominal fat imaging. We could not show a statistically significant reduction of abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue by LLLT therapy. Paradoxically when the measurements of the loss of fat thickness on treated side was corrected for change in thickness on non treated side, we have observed that in 8 out of 17 patients LLLT increased adipose tissue thickness. In two patients severe side effect occurred as a result of treatment: one patient developed ulceration within appendectomy scar, the other over the posterior superior iliac spine. The paradoxical net increase in subcutaneous fat thickness observed in some of our patients is a rationale against liquefactive and transitory pore models of LLLT-induced adipose tissue reduction. LLLT devices with laser diode panels applied directly on the skin are not as safe as devices with treatment panels separated from the patient's skin.

Calculated /alpha/-induced thick target neutron yields and spectra, with comparison to measured data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, W.B.; Bozoian, M.; Perry, R.T.

1988-01-01

One component of the neutron source associated with the decay of actinide nuclides in many environments is due to the interaction of decay /alpha/ particles in (/alpha/,n) reactions on low Z nuclides. Measurements of (/alpha/,n) thick target neutron yields and associated neutron spectra have been made for only a few combinations of /alpha/ energy and target nuclide or mixtures of actinide and target nuclides. Calculations of thick target neutron yields and spectra with the SOURCES code require /alpha/-energy-dependent cross sections for (/alpha/,n) reactions, as well as branching fractions leading to the energetically possible levels of the product nuclides. A library of these data has been accumulated for target nuclides of Z /le/ 15 using that available from measurements and from recent GNASH code calculations. SOURCES, assuming neutrons to be emitted isotopically in the center-of-mass system, uses libraries of /alpha/ stopping cross sections, (/alpha/,n) reaction cross reactions, product nuclide level branching fractions, and actinide decay /alpha/ spectra to calculate thick target (/alpha/,n) yields and neutron spectra for homogeneous combinations of nuclides. The code also calculates the thick target yield and angle intergrated neutron spectrum produced by /alpha/-particle beams on targets of homogeneous mixtures of nuclides. Illustrative calculated results are given and comparisons are made with measured thick target yields and spectra. 50 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs

Local tissue distribution of fissile nuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, J.M.

1981-01-01

Conventional tissue-section autoradiography of alpha-emitting actinide elements may require prohibitively long exposure times. Neutron-induced or fission-track autoradiography can be used for fissile nuclides such as 233 U, 235 U, and 239 Pu to circumvent this difficulty. The detection limit for these nuclides is about 4 x 10 -13 (weight fraction). This paper describes a specific technique for determining their microdistribution with histologically stained tissue sections

Comparing electron tomography and HRTEM slicing methods as tools to measure the thickness of nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alloyeau, D., E-mail: alloyeau.damien@gmail.com [Laboratoire Materiaux et Phenomenes Quantiques, Universite Paris 7/CNRS, UMR 7162, 2 Place Jussieu, 75251 Paris (France); Laboratoire d' Etude des Microstructures - ONERA/CNRS, UMR 104, B.P. 72, 92322 Chatillon (France); Ricolleau, C. [Laboratoire Materiaux et Phenomenes Quantiques, Universite Paris 7/CNRS, UMR 7162, 2 Place Jussieu, 75251 Paris (France); Oikawa, T. [Laboratoire Materiaux et Phenomenes Quantiques, Universite Paris 7/CNRS, UMR 7162, 2 Place Jussieu, 75251 Paris (France); JEOL (Europe) SAS, Espace Claude Monet, 1 Allee de Giverny, 78290 Croissy-sur-Seine (France); Langlois, C. [Laboratoire Materiaux et Phenomenes Quantiques, Universite Paris 7/CNRS, UMR 7162, 2 Place Jussieu, 75251 Paris (France); Le Bouar, Y.; Loiseau, A. [Laboratoire d' Etude des Microstructures - ONERA/CNRS, UMR 104, B.P. 72, 92322 Chatillon (France)

2009-06-15

Nanoparticles' morphology is a key parameter in the understanding of their thermodynamical, optical, magnetic and catalytic properties. In general, nanoparticles, observed in transmission electron microscopy (TEM), are viewed in projection so that the determination of their thickness (along the projection direction) with respect to their projected lateral size is highly questionable. To date, the widely used methods to measure nanoparticles thickness in a transmission electron microscope are to use cross-section images or focal series in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging (HRTEM 'slicing'). In this paper, we compare the focal series method with the electron tomography method to show that both techniques yield similar particle thickness in a range of size from 1 to 5 nm, but the electron tomography method provides better statistics since more particles can be analyzed at one time. For this purpose, we have compared, on the same samples, the nanoparticles thickness measurements obtained from focal series with the ones determined from cross-section profiles of tomograms (tomogram slicing) perpendicular to the plane of the substrate supporting the nanoparticles. The methodology is finally applied to the comparison of CoPt nanoparticles annealed ex situ at two different temperatures to illustrate the accuracy of the techniques in detecting small particle thickness changes.

Superior temporal gyrus thickness correlates with cognitive performance in multiple sclerosis.

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Achiron, Asaf; Chapman, Joab; Tal, Sigal; Bercovich, Eran; Gil, Hararai; Achiron, Anat

2013-07-01

Decreased cortical thickness that signifies gray matter pathology and its impact on cognitive performance is a research field with growing interest in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and needs to be further elucidated. Using high-field 3.0 T MRI, three-dimensional T1-FSPGR (voxel size 1 × 1 × 1 mm) cortical thickness was measured in 82 regions in the left hemisphere (LH) and right hemisphere (RH) in 20 RRMS patients with low disease activity and in 20 age-matched healthy subjects that in parallel underwent comprehensive cognitive evaluation. The correlation between local cortical atrophy and cognitive performance was examined. We identified seven regions with cortical tissue loss that differed between RRMS and age-matched healthy controls. These regions were mainly located in the frontal and temporal lobes, specifically within the gyrus rectus, inferior frontal sulcus, orbital gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, and superior temporal gyrus, with preferential left asymmetry. Increased cortical thickness was identified in two visual sensory regions, the LH inferior occipital gyrus, and the RH cuneus, implicating adaptive plasticity. Correlation analysis demonstrated that only the LH superior temporal gyrus thickness was associated with cognitive performance and its thickness correlated with motor skills (r = 0.65, p = 0.003), attention (r = 0.45, p = 0.042), and information processing speed (r = 0.50, p = 0.025). Our findings show that restricted cortical thinning occurs in RRMS patients with mild disease and that LH superior temporal gyrus atrophy is associated with cognitive dysfunction.

Human normal tissue reactions in radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taniike, Keiko

1990-01-01

Acute and late normal tissue reactions in radiotherapy have not been considered to be major problems with conventional fractionation. But they may cause certain problems when newer schedules such as hyperfractionation or accelerated fractionation are used. In opposing parallel radiotherapy, the dose fractionation of skin or subcutaneous connective tissue are different between in one portal and two portals daily. So we examined acute skin erythema and late connective tissue fibrosis in the two groups (one and two portals) of the patients with uterus cancer. Acute skin erythema and late connective tissue fibrosis were slightly stronger in case of one portal daily. In relation to the anatomical site of skin, acute skin erythema was stronger at the buttocks than the lower abdomen, but late fibrosis was reverse to that. So the degree of acute skin erythema did not predict the degree of late connective tissue fibrosis. The number of Time Dose Fractionation Factor could roughly estimate the degree of erythema and fibrosis. Late fibrosis in 36 fractions increased with an increase of abdominal thickness, but acute erythema did not. (author)

Horizontal stability of connective tissue grafts at the buccal aspect of single implants: a 1-year prospective case series.

Science.gov (United States)

De Bruyckere, Thomas; Eghbali, Aryan; Younes, Faris; De Bruyn, Hugo; Cosyn, Jan

2015-09-01

To clinically evaluate the horizontal stability of a connective tissue graft (CTG) at the buccal aspect of single implants (1); to compare actual gingival thickness between thin and thick gingival biotype (2). Periodontally healthy non-smoking patients with a single implant in the anterior maxilla (15-25) were selected for a prospective case series. All demonstrated a horizontal alveolar defect and were in need of contour augmentation by means of CTG for aesthetic reasons. Patients were enrolled 3 months after implant surgery and had been provided with a provisional screw-retained crown. CTG was inserted in the buccal mucosa via the envelope technique using one intrasulcular incision. An ultrasonic device was used to evaluate mucosal thickness (MT) at the buccal aspect. MT was assessed at t0 (before CTG), t1 (immediately after CTG), t2 (2 weeks after CTG = suture removal), t3 (3 months after CTG = permanent crown installation) and t4 (1 year after implant placement). The gingival biotype was categorized as thin or thick based on the transparency of a periodontal probe through the soft tissues while probing the buccal sulcus of the contra-lateral tooth. Gingival thickness (GT) was measured at the contra-lateral tooth using the same ultrasonic device. Thirty-seven patients (19 men, 18 women; mean age 38) met the selection criteria and consented to the treatment. Mean soft tissue gain immediately after CTG was on average 1.07 mm (SD 0.49). What remained of this tissue gain after 1 year was on average 0.97 mm (SD 0.48; 90.5%). Hence, mean soft tissue loss amounted to 0.10 mm (SD 0.23; 9.5%; p = 0.015) with no significant difference between patients with a thin or thick biotype (p ≥ 0.290). Patients with a thin biotype had a mean GT of 1.02 mm (SD 0.21), whereas GT was on average 1.32 mm (SD 0.31) in subjects with a thick biotype (p = 0.004). Connective tissue graft substantially thickens the peri-implant mucosa with acceptable stability over a 1-year period. © 2015

Longitudinal changes in cortical thickness in autism and typical development.

Science.gov (United States)

Zielinski, Brandon A; Prigge, Molly B D; Nielsen, Jared A; Froehlich, Alyson L; Abildskov, Tracy J; Anderson, Jeffrey S; Fletcher, P Thomas; Zygmunt, Kristen M; Travers, Brittany G; Lange, Nicholas; Alexander, Andrew L; Bigler, Erin D; Lainhart, Janet E

2014-06-01

The natural history of brain growth in autism spectrum disorders remains unclear. Cross-sectional studies have identified regional abnormalities in brain volume and cortical thickness in autism, although substantial discrepancies have been reported. Preliminary longitudinal studies using two time points and small samples have identified specific regional differences in cortical thickness in the disorder. To clarify age-related trajectories of cortical development, we examined longitudinal changes in cortical thickness within a large mixed cross-sectional and longitudinal sample of autistic subjects and age- and gender-matched typically developing controls. Three hundred and forty-five magnetic resonance imaging scans were examined from 97 males with autism (mean age = 16.8 years; range 3-36 years) and 60 males with typical development (mean age = 18 years; range 4-39 years), with an average interscan interval of 2.6 years. FreeSurfer image analysis software was used to parcellate the cortex into 34 regions of interest per hemisphere and to calculate mean cortical thickness for each region. Longitudinal linear mixed effects models were used to further characterize these findings and identify regions with between-group differences in longitudinal age-related trajectories. Using mean age at time of first scan as a reference (15 years), differences were observed in bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, pars opercularis and pars triangularis, right caudal middle frontal and left rostral middle frontal regions, and left frontal pole. However, group differences in cortical thickness varied by developmental stage, and were influenced by IQ. Differences in age-related trajectories emerged in bilateral parietal and occipital regions (postcentral gyrus, cuneus, lingual gyrus, pericalcarine cortex), left frontal regions (pars opercularis, rostral middle frontal and frontal pole), left supramarginal gyrus, and right transverse temporal gyrus, superior parietal lobule, and

Morphology and epidermal thickness of normal skin imaged by optical coherence tomography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mogensen, Mette; Morsy, Hanan A.; Thrane, Lars

2008-01-01

colour. Methods: OCT imaging is based on infrared light reflection/backscatter from tissue. PS-OCT detects birefringence of tissue. Imaging was performed in 12 skin regions. ET was calculated from the OCT images. Results: Normal skin has a layered structure. Layering is less pronounced in adults......Background: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an optical imaging technology with a potential in the non-invasive diagnosis of skin cancer. To identify skin pathologies using OCT, it is of prime importance to establish baseline morphological features of normal skin. Aims: The aim of this study...... is to describe normal skin morphology using OCT and polarization-sensitive OCT (PS-OCT), which is a way of representing birefringent tissue such as collagen in OCT images. Anatomical locations in 20 healthy volunteers were imaged, and epidermal thickness (ET) was measured and compared to age, gender and skin...

Enamel thickness after preparation of tooth for porcelain laminate.

Science.gov (United States)

Pahlevan, Ayoub; Mirzaee, Mansoreh; Yassine, Esmaeil; Ranjbar Omrany, Ladan; Hasani Tabatabaee, Masumeh; Kermanshah, Hamid; Arami, Sakineh; Abbasi, Mehdy

2014-07-01

In this investigation the thickness of enamel in the gingival, middle, and incisal thirds of the labial surface of the anterior teeth were measured regarding preparation of the teeth for porcelain laminate veneers. Part one, 20 extracted intact human maxillary central and lateral incisors ten of each were selected. The teeth were imbedded in autopolimerize acrylic resin. Cross section was preformed through the midline of the incisal, middle and cervical one-third of the labial surface of the teeth. The samples were observed under reflected stereomicroscope and the thickness of enamel was recorded. Part II, the effect of different types of preparation on dentin exposure was evaluated. Thirty maxillary central incisor teeth were randomly divided into two groups: A: Knife-edge preparation. B: Chamfer preparation. All samples were embedded in autopolimerize acrylic resin using a silicon mold. The samples were cut through the midline of the teeth. The surface of the samples were polished and enamel and dentin were observed under the stereomicroscope. Data were analyzed by ANOVA-one way test. The results of this study showed that the least enamel thickness in the central incisor was 345 and in lateral incisor is 235 μ this thickness is related to the one-third labial cervical area. Maximum thickness in maxillary central and lateral incisors in the one-third labial incisal surface was 1260 μ and 1220μ, respectively. In the second part of the study, the tendency of dentinal exposure was shown with the chamfer preparation, but no dentinal exposure was found in the knife-edge preparation. The differences between groups were significant (p<0.05). The knowledge of enamel thickness in different part of labial surface is very important. The thickness of enamel in the gingival area does not permit a chamfer preparation. The knife edge preparation is preferable in gingival area.

Enamel thickness after preparation of tooth for porcelain laminate.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayoub Pahlevan

2014-08-01

Full Text Available In this investigation the thickness of enamel in the gingival, middle, and incisal thirds of the labial surface of the anterior teeth were measured regarding preparation of the teeth for porcelain laminate veneers.Part one, 20 extracted intact human maxillary central and lateral incisors ten of each were selected. The teeth were imbedded in autopolimerize acrylic resin. Cross section was preformed through the midline of the incisal, middle and cervical one-third of the labial surface of the teeth. The samples were observed under reflected stereomicroscope and the thickness of enamel was recorded. Part II, the effect of different types of preparation on dentin exposure was evaluated. Thirty maxillary central incisor teeth were randomly divided into two groups: A: Knife-edge preparation. B: Chamfer preparation. All samples were embedded in autopolimerize acrylic resin using a silicon mold. The samples were cut through the midline of the teeth. The surface of the samples were polished and enamel and dentin were observed under the stereomicroscope.Data were analyzed by ANOVA-one way test. The results of this study showed that the least enamel thickness in the central incisor was 345 and in lateral incisor is 235 μ this thickness is related to the one-third labial cervical area. Maximum thickness in maxillary central and lateral incisors in the one-third labial incisal surface was 1260 μ and 1220μ, respectively. In the second part of the study, the tendency of dentinal exposure was shown with the chamfer preparation, but no dentinal exposure was found in the knife-edge preparation. The differences between groups were significant (p<0.05.The knowledge of enamel thickness in different part of labial surface is very important. The thickness of enamel in the gingival area does not permit a chamfer preparation. The knife edge preparation is preferable in gingival area.

Inadequate thickness of the weight-bearing surface of claws in ruminants : clinical review

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A.S. Shakespeare

2009-05-01

Full Text Available The term 'thin soles' refers to the suboptimal thickness of the weight-bearing surface of claws in ruminants. These palmar / plantar surfaces of the claws support the weight of the animal and consist of the distal wall horn, the sole proper, the heel and the minute white line area. The sole should normally only bear weight on uneven or undulating surfaces. A decrease in the thickness of the weight-bearing claw surface will decrease the protective function of this structure and may alter the proportion of weight-bearing by each section with possible detrimental effects on hoof function. Horn tissue readily absorbs water and becomes softer which can lead to increased wear rates. Growth rates normally match wear rates but, unlike the latter, time is needed for the growth rate response to adapt to changes in wear rate. Concrete surfaces can be abrasive and dairy cows that spend their lactation cycle on these floors should be let out to pasture in the dry period so that their claws can recoup lost horn. Frictional coefficient is a measure of the 'slipperiness' of hooves on various surfaces. Newly laid or fresh concrete is not only abrasive but the thin surface suspension of calcium hydroxide that forms has a very alkaline pH which causes keratin degradation and is mostly responsible for the excessive claw wear that occurs. Four case studies are used to illustrate the importance of the distal wall horn, the dangers of over-trimming and the effects of disease and concrete on horn growth and wear rates.

Free and Forced Vibrations of Thick-Walled Anisotropic Cylindrical Shells

Science.gov (United States)

Marchuk, A. V.; Gnedash, S. V.; Levkovskii, S. A.

2017-03-01

Two approaches to studying the free and forced axisymmetric vibrations of cylindrical shell are proposed. They are based on the three-dimensional theory of elasticity and division of the original cylindrical shell with concentric cross-sectional circles into several coaxial cylindrical shells. One approach uses linear polynomials to approximate functions defined in plan and across the thickness. The other approach also uses linear polynomials to approximate functions defined in plan, but their variation with thickness is described by the analytical solution of a system of differential equations. Both approaches have approximation and arithmetic errors. When determining the natural frequencies by the semi-analytical finite-element method in combination with the divide and conqure method, it is convenient to find the initial frequencies by the finite-element method. The behavior of the shell during free and forced vibrations is analyzed in the case where the loading area is half the shell thickness

COMPARISON OF RNFL THICKNESS AND VISUAL FIELD CHANGES BETWEEN DIABETIC WITHOUT RETINOPATHY AND NONDIABETIC CONTROLS- A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

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Soumya Swarup Chattopadhyay

2017-10-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Diabetes mellitus is one of the major component of metabolic syndrome and a leading cause of ocular morbidity in modern era and India will be considered to be the diabetes capital of the world. Before the onset of diabetic retinopathy, other structural and functional changes may predict the visual diminution of the individual. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this cross-sectional study in a tertiary care hospital, after inclusion and exclusion, the age-gender matched groups (diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients without diabetic retinopathy and controls without diabetes were thoroughly examined clinically and by noninvasive and invasive examination (after proper counselling of the patient and informed consent. Then, they are tested for functional loss of retina by Humphrey FDT, GDx VCC. Comparison done between cases and controls as well as poorly-controlled and well-controlled diabetic groups. RESULTS It was found that the average RNFL thickness was significantly reduced in diabetics (mean 53.48, SD 2.69 compared to controls (mean 60.21, SD 1.87 (p7%, the RNFL thickness was significantly reduced (mean 52.23, SD 1.31 compared to diabetics with good metabolic control (mean 56.38, SD 2.92 (p<0.05. In retinal functional testing, it was found that the Humphrey FDT mean deviation (FDT MD and pattern standard deviation (FDT PSD were significantly worse in diabetics (FDT MD- 1.478, SD 0.386, (FDT PSD- 3.485, SD 0.403 compared to normal controls (FDT MD- 0.442, SD 0.536, (FDT PSD- 1.438, SD 0.404. The parameters were also found to be significantly worse in uncontrolled diabetics (p<0.05. CONCLUSION To conclude, without diabetic retinopathy, functional and structural loss in retina in diabetes patients compared to age-sex matched individual and especially in poorly-controlled diabetes should be of concern as there are no detectable vasculopathy. So, early diagnosis and control of diabetes is advocated to control this functional loss

Texture Adaption in Dysphagia: Acceptability Differences Between Thickened and Naturally Thick Beverages.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerschke, Marco; Seehafer, Peggy

The aim of the study was to investigate differences in the acceptability between thickened and naturally viscous beverages. This was an exploratory, cross-sectional study. One hundred twenty-eight healthy volunteers rated overall liking/disliking of a selection of each of three thickened drinks and three beverages of natural viscosity pre- and postconsumption. Mean ratings were subjected to statistical analysis done with t tests. Although all naturally thick beverages evoked good expectations, there were significant differences in expected acceptance of thickened fluids concerning the kind of beverage. Postconsumption of naturally thick beverages were rated significantly better than thickened. The findings suggest an alternative offer of naturally thick drinks and waiver of thickening water when viscosity adaption is needed. The sufficient and safe oral fluid intake in dysphagia requires compliance to dietetic recommendations. Naturally thick beverages can contribute to increase the appeal of texture-modified diet.

Fluorescent layers for characterization of sectioning microscopy with coverslipuncorrected and water immersion objectives

KAUST Repository

Antonini, Andrea; Liberale, Carlo; Fellin, Tommaso

2014-01-01

We describe a new method to generate thin (thickness > 200 nm) and ultrathin (thickness < 200 nm) fluorescent layers to be used for microscope optical characterization. These layers are obtained by ultramicrotomy sectioning of fluorescent acrylic slides. This technique generates sub-resolution sheets with high fluorescence emission and uniform thickness, permitting to determine the z-response of different optical sectioning systems. Compared to the state of the art, the here proposed technique allows shorter and easier manufacturing procedure. Moreover, these fluorescent layers can be employed without protective coverslips, allowing the use of the Sectioned Imaging Property (SIP)-chart characterization method with coverslip-uncorrected objectives, water immersion objectives and micro-endoscopes. © 2014 Optical Society of America.

Quantifying the refractive index dispersion of a pigmented biological tissue using Jamin-Lebedeff interference microscopy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stavenga, Doekele G.; Leertouwer, Hein L.; Wilts, Bodo D.

Jamin-Lebedeff polarizing interference microscopy is a classical method for determining the refractive index and thickness of transparent tissues. Here, we extend the application of this method to pigmented, absorbing biological tissues, based on a theoretical derivation using Jones calculus. This

Finite plate thickness effects on the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in elastic-plastic materials

Science.gov (United States)

Polavarapu, Rinosh; Banerjee, Arindam

2017-11-01

The majority of theoretical studies have tackled the Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) problem in solids using an infinitely thick plate. Recent theoretical studies by Piriz et al. (PRE 95, 053108, 2017) have explored finite thickness effects. We seek to validate this recent theoretical estimate experimentally using our rotating wheel RTI experiment in an accelerated elastic-plastic material. The test section consists of a container filled with air and mayonnaise (a non-Newtonian emulsion) with an initial perturbation between two materials. The plate thickness effects are studied by varying the depth of the soft-solid. A set of experiments is run by employing different initial conditions with different container dimensions. Additionally, the effect of acceleration rate (driving pressure rise time) on the instability threshold with reference to the finite thickness will also be inspected. Furthermore, the experimental results are compared to the analytical strength models related to finite thickness effects on RTI. Authors acknowledge financial support from DOE-SSAA Grant # DE-NA0003195 and LANL subcontract #370333.