Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging: infarct size is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with coronary artery disease

Background

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) can accurately determine infarct size. Prior studies using indirect methods to assess infarct size have shown that patients with larger myocardial infarctions have a worse prognosis than those with smaller myocardial infarctions.

Objectives

This study assessed the prognostic significance of infarct size determined by CMR.

Methods

Cine and contrast CMR were performed in 100 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing routine cardiac evaluation. Infarct size was determined by planimetry. We used Cox proportional hazards regression analyses (stepwise forward selection approach) to evaluate the risk of all-cause death associated with traditional cardiovascular risk factors, symptoms of heart failure, medication use, left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular mass, angiographic severity of CAD and extent of infarct size determined by CMR.

Results

Ninety-one patients had evidence of myocardial infarction by CMR. Mean follow-up was 4.8±1.6 years after CMR, during which time 30 patients died. The significant multivariable predictors of all-cause mortality were extent of myocardial infarction by CMR, extent of left ventricular systolic dysfunction, symptoms of heart failure, and diabetes mellitus (P<.05). The presence of infarct greater than or equal to 24% of left ventricular mass and left ventricular ejection fraction less than or equal to 30% were the most optimal cut-off points for the prediction of death with bivariate adjusted hazard ratios of 2.11 (95% confidence interval 1.02-4.38) and 4.06 (95% confidence interval 1.73-9.54), respectively.

Conclusions

The extent of myocardial infarction determined by CMR is an independent predictor of death in patients with CAD.     

Noninvasive estimation of the ocular elastic modulus for age-related macular degeneration in the human eye using sequential ultrasound imaging

Introduction

Elastic modulus estimation may be an important clinical criterion, as it seems to affect such eye parameters as intraocular pressure, ocular pulsation, blood flow, effect of topical medications, and post-refractive surgery complications. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in elasticity in the ocular axial length, posterior wall thickness (posterior pole), and retina-choroid thickness under normal and aged-related macular degeneration (AMD) conditions in the human eye by directly estimating the elastic modulus with sequential and noninvasive ultrasound image processing.

Materials and Methods

In this study, 25 healthy subjects and 20 patients with non-neovascular AMD participated in the experiment. The deformation of the ocular axial length, posterior wall thickness and retina-choroid complex thickness was captured using high-resolution ultrasonography before and after loading. The B-mode (20 MHz) and A-mode (8 MHz) frames were obtained and processed with an echo tracking technique. The elastic modulus was estimated using changes in ocular axial length, posterior wall thickness and retina-choroid complex thickness and with applied stress measurements.

Results

There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the ocular axial length elastic modulus between the AMD and healthy subjects (AMD patients: 95.165 ± 26.431 kPa, vs. healthy subjects: 49.539 ± 25.867 kPa). Moreover, there was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in the posterior wall thickness elastic modulus between AMD patients and healthy subjects (AMD patients: 50.519 ± 12.295 kPa, vs. healthy subjects: 20.519 ± 11.827 kPa). However, no statistically significant difference (p-value > 0.05) was found in the retina-choroid complex elastic modulus between the two groups (AMD patients: 20.134 ± 3.898 kPa, vs. healthy subjects: 15.630 ± 4.250 kPa).

Conclusion

Although the results were obtained examining a relatively low number of patients, it would appear that noninvasive ultrasound estimation of the local elastic moduli of ocular axial length and posterior wall thickness is suited to aid in detection of the non-exudative AMD thus manifesting its potential as a screening tool in symptom-free individuals.     

Development of a 0.014-in., anti-solenoid loop MR imaging guidewire for intravascular 3.0-T MR imaging

Purpose

This study aimed to develop a 0.014-in., anti-solenoid loop (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging guidewire (MRIG) for intravascular 3.0-T MR imaging.

Materials and Methods

We first designed the ASL MRIG, which was made of a coaxial cable with its extended inner conductor and outer conductor connected to two micro-anti-solenoids. We then evaluated in vitro the functionality of the ASL MRIG by imaging a “vessel” in a phantom and achieving signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and SNR contour map of the new 0.014-in. ASL MRIG. Subsequently, we validated in vivo the feasibility of using the ASL MRIG to generate intravenous 3.0-T MR images of parallel iliofemoral arteries of near-human-sized living pigs.

Results

In vitro evaluation showed that the 0.014-in. ASL MRIG functioned well as a receiver coil with the 3.0-T MR scanner, clearly displaying the vessel wall with even distribution of MR signals and SNR contours from the ASL MRIG. Of the in vivo studies, the new ASL MRIG enabled us to successfully generate intravenous 3.0-T MR imaging of the iliofemoral arteries.

Conclusion

This study confirms that it is possible to build such small-looped MRIG at 0.014 in. for intravascular 3.0-T MR imaging.     

Hypocrellin B-mediated sonodynamic action induces apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Objective

The present study aims to investigate apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells induced by hypocrellin B-mediated sonodynamic action.

Methods

The hypocrellin B concentration was kept constant at 2.5 μM and cells from the hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cell line were exposed to ultrasound with an intensity of 0.46 W/cm² for 8 s. Cell cytotoxicity was quantified using an MTT assay 24 h after sonodynamic therapy (SDT) of hypocrellin B. Apoptosis was investigated using a flow cytometry with Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodine staining. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were detected using a flow cytometry with 2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorecein diacetate (DCFH-DA) staining.

Results

The cytotoxicity of hypocrellin B-mediated sonodynamic action on HepG2 cells was significantly higher than those of other treatments including ultrasound alone, hypocrellin B alone and sham treatment. Flow cytometry showed that hypocrellin B-induced sonodynamic action markedly enhanced the apoptotic rate of HepG2 cells. Increased ROS was observed in HepG2 cells after being treated with hypocrellin B-mediated sonodynamic action.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrated that hypocrellin B-mediated sonodynamic action remarkably induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells, suggesting that apoptosis is an important mechanism of cell death induced by hypocrellin B-mediated SDT.     

Volume reconstruction of freehand three-dimensional ultrasound using median filters

Objectives

This paper aims to apply median filters for reducing interpolation error and improving the quality of 3D images in a freehand 3D ultrasound (US) system.

Background and motivation

Freehand 3D US imaging has been playing an important role in obtaining the entire 3D impression of tissues and organs. Reconstructing a sequence of irregularly located 2D US images (B-scans) into a 3D data set is one of the key procedures for visualization and data analysis.

Methods

In this study, we investigated the feasibility of using median filters for the reconstruction of 3D images in a freehand 3D US system. The B-scans were collected using a 7.5 MHz ultrasound probe. Four algorithms including the standard median (SM), Gaussian weighted median (GWM) and two types of distance-weighted median (DWM) filters were proposed to filter noises and compute voxel intensities. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons were made among the results of different methods based on the image set captured in freehand from the forearm of a healthy subject. A leave-one-out approach was used to demonstrate the performance of the median filters for predicting the removed B-scan pixels.

Results

Compared with the voxel nearest-neighbourhood (VNN) and distance-weighted (DW) interpolation methods, the four median filters reduced the interpolation error by 8.0-24.0% and 1.2-21.8%, respectively, when 1/4 to 5 B-scans was removed from the raw B-scan sequence.

Conclusions

In summary, the median filters can improve the quality of volume reconstruction by reducing the interpolation errors and facilitate the following image analyses in clinical applications.     

Evaluation of time-intensity curves in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and mastopathy obtained using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

Purpose

The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the ability of dynamic, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) to differentiate between ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and mastopathy by analyzing their signal intensities (SIs).

Methods

After the pre-contrast MRI was performed using a 1.5-T MRI system, DCE-MRI was performed four times following intravenous administration of contrast medium. We set the volumes of interest (VOIs) on the tumor and normal mammary gland and obtained the SIs in these VOIs. We calculated the entropy (EPY) in the pre-contrast (EPY0) and four post-contrast scans (EPY1, EPY2, EPY3, and EPY4 for the first, second, third and fourth scans, respectively) using the volume histogram method, and the wash-in (WR_in) and washout rates (WR_out) according to the Breast-Imaging Reporting and Data System developed by the American College of Radiology. We also calculated the early slope (Slope_early) from the pre- and post-contrast SIs in the tumor and normal gland. We evaluated the usefulness of the above parameters for differentiating between DCIS and mastopathy using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (Az).

Results

There were significant differences in EPY2 (P=.009), EPY3 (P=.017), EPY4 (P=.034), WR_in (P=.036), WR_out (P=.019), and Slope_early (P=.002) between DCIS and mastopathy. The average Az values were 0.67, 0.52, 0.64, 0.63, 0.67 and 0.70 for EPY2, EPY3, EPY4, WR_in, WR_out and Slope_early, respectively.

Conclusion

We evaluated the usefulness of various parameters calculated from SIs obtained by DCE-MRI for differentiating between DCIS and mastopathy. Our results suggested that Slope_early is more useful than EPYs, WR_in and WR_out.     

Effects of therapeutic pulsed ultrasound and dimethylsulfoxide phonophoresis on oxidative stress parameters after injury induced by eccentric exercise

Introduction

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of TPU together with DMSO on oxidative stress parameters after eccentric exercise.

Methods

Thirty and six animals were divided in control; eccentric exercise (EE); EE + saline gel 0.9%; EE + TPU 0.8 W/cm²; EE + DMSO gel; EE + TPU + DMSO gel and submitted to one 90-min downhill run (1.0 km h⁻¹). TPU was used 2, 12, 24, 46 h after exercise session and 48 h after the animals were killed and the gastrocnemius muscles were surgically removed. Production of superoxide anion, creatine kinase (CK) levels, lipoperoxidation, carbonylation, and antioxidants enzymes were analyzed.

Results

Showed that TPU and gel-DMSO improved muscle healing. Moreover, superoxide anion production, TBARS level and protein carbonyls levels, superoxide dismutase and catalase activity were all decreased in the group TPU plus gel-DMSO.

Discussion

Our results show that DMSO is effective in the reduction of the muscular lesion and in the oxidative stress after eccentric exercise only when used with TPU.     

Fractal dimension of 40 MHz intravascular ultrasound radio frequency signals

Objective

Fully automatic tissue characterization in intravascular ultrasound systems is still a challenge for the researchers. The present work aims to evaluate the feasibility of using the Higuchi fractal dimension of intravascular ultrasound radio frequency signals as a feature for tissue characterization.

Methods

Fractal dimension images are generated based on the radio frequency signals obtained using mechanically rotating 40 MHz intravascular ultrasound catheter (Atlantis SR Plus, Boston Scientific, USA) and compared with the corresponding correlation images.

Conclusion

An inverse relation between the fractal dimension images and the correlation images was revealed indicating that the hard or slow moving tissues in the correlation image usually have low fractal dimension and vice-versa. Thus, the present study suggests that fractal dimension images may be used as a feature for intravascular ultrasound tissue characterization and present better resolution then the correlation images.     

Sonodynamically induced anti-tumor effect with protoporphyrin IX on hepatoma-22 solid tumor

Objective

The purpose of this study was to evaluate sonodynamically induced anti-tumor effect of protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) in mice bearing hepatoma-22 (H-22) solid tumors, and the possible in vivo cell damage mechanism was also investigated.

Methods

The pharmacokinetics of PPIX was analyzed in plasma, skin, muscle and tumor of H-22 bearing mice. Tumors were irradiated with ultrasound (1.43 MHz, I_SATA 3 W/cm², 3 min) for three times at 8, 12 and 24 h after 5.0 mg/kg PPIX administration, respectively. The anti-tumor effects of sonodynamic therapy (SDT) were estimated by the tumor inhibition ratio (volume and weight). The bio-effects of SDT were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation, lipid peroxidation (LPO) measurement and anti-oxidative enzymes (glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)) assay.

Results

A significant anti-tumor effect was obtained by PPIX-mediated sonodynamic therapy (PPIX-SDT). At the fifteenth day after PPIX-SDT, the tumor growth and tumor weight inhibition ratios were 53.84% and 45.86%, respectively. In addition, the structure of tumor tissues and the anti-oxidative enzymes were obviously destroyed after SDT treatment.

Conclusions

A biochemical mechanism was involved in PPIX-SDT in vivo, and the free radicals produced by the synergistic treatment destroying the anti-oxidative system of tumor cells in vivo may play an important role in this action. Also, the thermal effect could not be excluded in inducing damage of cellular structures, like membrane disruption and chromatin condensation under current evaluation in this paper.     

A robust graph-based segmentation method for breast tumors in ultrasound images

Objectives

This paper introduces a new graph-based method for segmenting breast tumors in US images.

Background and motivation

Segmentation for breast tumors in ultrasound (US) images is crucial for computer-aided diagnosis system, but it has always been a difficult task due to the defects inherent in the US images, such as speckles and low contrast.

Methods

The proposed segmentation algorithm constructed a graph using improved neighborhood models. In addition, taking advantages of local statistics, a new pair-wise region comparison predicate that was insensitive to noises was proposed to determine the mergence of any two of adjacent subregions.

Results and conclusion

Experimental results have shown that the proposed method could improve the segmentation accuracy by 1.5-5.6% in comparison with three often used segmentation methods, and should be capable of segmenting breast tumors in US images.     

Continuous-wave ultrasound reflectometry for surface roughness imaging applications

Background

Measurement of surface roughness irregularities that result from various sources such as manufacturing processes, surface damage, and corrosion, is an important indicator of product quality for many nondestructive testing (NDT) industries. Many techniques exist, however because of their qualitative, time-consuming and direct-contact modes, it is of some importance to work out new experimental methods and efficient tools for quantitative estimation of surface roughness.

Objective and method

Here we present continuous-wave ultrasound reflectometry (CWUR) as a novel nondestructive modality for imaging and measuring surface roughness in a non-contact mode. In CWUR, voltage variations due to phase shifts in the reflected ultrasound waves are recorded and processed to form an image of surface roughness.

Results

An acrylic test block with surface irregularities ranging from 4.22 μm to 19.05 μm as measured by a coordinate measuring machine (CMM), is scanned by an ultrasound transducer having a diameter of 45 mm, a focal distance of 70 mm, and a central frequency of 3 MHz. It is shown that CWUR technique gives very good agreement with the results obtained through CMM inasmuch as the maximum average percent error is around 11.5%.

Conclusion

Images obtained here demonstrate that CWUR may be used as a powerful non-contact and quantitative tool for nondestructive inspection and imaging of surface irregularities at the micron-size level with an average error of less than 11.5%.     

Micrometer-sized iron oxide particle labeling of mesenchymal stem cells for magnetic resonance imaging-based monitoring of cartilage tissue engineering

Purpose

To examine mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) labeling with micrometer-sized iron oxide particles (MPIOs) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based tracking and its application to monitoring articular cartilage regeneration.

Methods

Rabbit MSCs were labeled using commercial MPIOs. In vitro MRI was performed with gradient echo (GRE) and spin echo (SE) sequences at 3T and quantitatively characterized using line profile and region of interest analysis. Ex vivo MRI of hydrogel-encapsulated labeled MSCs implanted within a bovine knee was performed with spoiled GRE (SPGR) and T_1ρ sequences. Fluorescence microscopy, labeling efficiency, and chondrogenesis of MPIO-labeled cells were also examined.

Results

MPIO labeling results in efficient contrast uptake and signal loss that can be visualized and quantitatively characterized via MRI. SPGR imaging of implanted cells results in ex vivo detection within native tissue, and T_1ρ imaging is unaffected by the presence of labeled cells immediately following implantation. MPIO labeling does not affect quantitative glycosaminoglycan production during chondrogenesis, but iron aggregation hinders extracellular matrix visualization. This aggregation may result from excess unincorporated particles following labeling and is an issue that necessitates further investigation.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates the promise of MPIO labeling for monitoring cartilage regeneration and highlights its potential in the development of cell-based tissue engineering strategies.     

Detection of small intrahepatic metastases of hepatocellular carcinomas using diffusion-weighted imaging: comparison with conventional dynamic MRI

Purpose

The purpose of our study was to compare diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) with conventional dynamic MRI in terms of the assessment of small intrahepatic metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials and Methods

In 24 patients with multifocal, small (≤2 cm) intrahepatic metastatic foci of advanced HCC, a total of 134 lesions (≤1 cm, n=81; >1 cm, n=53) were subjected to a comparative analysis of hepatic MRI including static and gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced dynamic imaging, and DWI using a single-shot spin-echo echo-planar MRI (b values=50, 400 and 800 s/mm²), by two independent reviewers.

Results

A larger number of the lesions were detected and diagnosed as intrahepatic metastases on DWI [Reviewer 1, 121 (90%); Reviewer 2, 117 (87%)] than on dynamic imaging [Reviewer 1, 107 (80%); Reviewer 2, 105 (78%)] (P<.05). For the 81 smaller lesions (≤1 cm), DWI was able to detect more lesions than dynamic imaging [Reviewer 1, 68 (84%) vs. 56 (69%), P=.008; Reviewer 2, 65 (80%) vs. 55 (68%), P=.031], but there was no statistically significant difference between the two image sets for larger (>1 cm) lesions.

Conclusion

Due to its higher detection rate of subcentimeter lesions, DWI could be considered complementary to dynamic MRI in the diagnosis of intrahepatic metastases of HCCs.     

Gas challenge-blood oxygen level-dependent (GC-BOLD) MRI in the rat Novikoff hepatoma model

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between gas challenge-blood oxygen level-dependent (GC-BOLD) response angiogenesis and tumor size in rat Novikoff hepatoma model.

Materials and Methods

Twenty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (weighting 301-325 g) were used for our Animal Care and Use Committee-approved experiments. N1-S1 Novikoff hepatomas were grown in 14 rats with sizes ranging from 0.42 to 2.81 cm. All experiments were performed at 3.0 T using a custom-built rodent receiver coil. A multiple gradient-echo sequence was used for R2^? measurements, first during room air (78% N₂/20% O₂) breathing and then after 10 min of carbogen (95% O₂/5% CO₂) breathing. After image acquisition, rats were euthanized, and the tumors were harvested for histological evaluation.

Results

The R2^? change between air and carbogen breathing for small hepatomas was positive; R2^? changes changed to negative values for larger hepatomas. We found a significant positive correlation between tumor R2^? change and tumor microvessel density (MVD) (r=0.798, P=.001) and a significant inverse correlation between tumor R2^? change and tumor size (r=−0.840, P<.0001).

Conclusions

GC-BOLD magnetic resonance imaging measurements are well correlated to MVD levels and tumor size in the N1-S1 Novikoff hepatoma model; GC-BOLD measurements may serve as noninvasive biomarkers for evaluating angiogenesis and disease progression and/or therapy response.     

Ultrasound induces cellular destruction of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in the presence of curcumin

Objectives

Curcumin, a natural pigment from the traditional Chinese herb, has shown promise as an efficient enhancer of ultrasound. The present study aims to investigate ultrasound-induced cellular destruction of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in the presence of curcumin in vitro.

Methods

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line CNE2 cells were incubated by 10 μm curcumin and then were treated by ultrasound for 8 s at the intensity of 0.46 W/cm². Cytotoxicity was evaluated using MTT assay and light microscopy. Mitochondrial damage was analyzed using a confocal laser scanning microcopy with Rhodamine 123 and ultrastructural changes were observed using a transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Results

MTT assay showed that cytotoxicity induced by ultrasound treatment alone and curcumin treatment alone was 18.16 ± 2.37% and 24.93 ± 8.30%, respectively. The cytotoxicity induced by the combined treatment of ultrasound and curcumin significantly increased up to 86.67 ± 7.78%. TEM showed that microvillin disappearance, membrane blebbing, chromatin condensation, swollen mitochondria, and mitochondrial myelin-like body were observed in the cells treated by ultrasound and curcumin together. The significant collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was markedly observed in the CNE2 cells after the combined treatment of curcumin and ultrasound.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrated that ultrasound sonication in the presence of curcumin significantly killed the CNE2 cells and induced ultrastructural damage and the dysfunction of mitochondria, suggesting that ultrasound treatment remarkably induced cellular destruction of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in the presence of curcumin.     

Direct laser light enhancement of susceptibility of bacteria to gentamicin antibiotic

Objectives

To test the effect of pulsed (Q-switched) and continuous wave (CW) laser light at wavelength of 532 nm on the viability of free-living stationary phase bacteria with and without gentamicin (an antibiotic) treatment.

Methods

Free living stationary phase gram negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1) was immersed in Luria Broth (LB) solution and exposed to Q-switched and CW lasers with and without the addition of the antibiotic gentamicin. Cell viability was determined at different time points.

Results

Laser treatment alone did not reduce cell viability compared to untreated control and the gentamicin treatment alone only resulted in a 0.5 log reduction in the viable count for P. aeruginosa. The combined laser and gentamicin treatment, however, resulted in a synergistic effect and viability was reduced by 8 logs for P. aeruginosa PAO1.

Conclusions

Combination of laser light with gentamicin shows an improved efficacy against P. aeruginosa.     

A method for the making and utility of gadolinium-labeled albumin microbubbles

Objective

Perfluorocarbon-exposed sonicated dextrose albumin microbubbles (PESDA) binds scavenger receptors and can be noninvasively imaged. To enhance imaging, gadolinium (Gd)-labeled PESDA was developed and tested in a model of vascular inflammation by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods and Results

Purified human serum albumin (HSA) (5%) was labeled with Gd via the covalent binding of diethylenetriaminepentacetic acid. Abdominal aortic tissues in Sprague-Dawley rats (n=5 per group) were analyzed by 7-T MRI and scanning electron microscopy to evaluate PESDA binding. Labeling-purified 5% human albumin resulted in an average of 16.1 Gd atoms per albumin molecule as determined by atomic absorption. Forty-eight hours after balloon angioplasty, aortic tissue was enhanced with Gd-PESDA as compared to control tissue. 7-T MRI of explanted tissues was sensitive to the detection of retained PESDA. Enhancement of aortic tissue in vivo was present albeit to a lesser extent than explanted tissue from the same animals.

Conclusions

HSA was successfully labeled, and an albumin-based microbubble with Gd was synthesized. This contrast agent, Gd-PESDA, may serve as an additional agent for the MRI evaluation of innate inflammation and used to noninvasively image early vascular pathophysiologic processes.

Condensed Abstract

In this study, Gd-PESDA microbubbles and were synthesized and shown to detect the binding of these microbubbles using MRI in injured aortic tissue. The method for synthesizing Gd-PESDA is detailed, and the proposed utility of this new contrast agent is discussed.     

Application of multivariate analysis of TOF-SIMS spectra for studying the effect of high glucose intake on aortic lipid profile

Aim

To study the effect of long-term glucose feeding on aortic lipid composition by using the time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS).

Method

Rats were divided into two groups, drinking water with or without 10% glucose from birth to 6 months of age. The aortic wall was dissected out, high-pressure frozen, freeze-fractured, freeze-dried and analyzed by TOF-SIMS using a Bismuth cluster ion source. Surface spectra were taken from standardized regions of the vessel wall.

Results

Different peaks, such as cholesterol, fatty acids (FAs) and diacylglycerols (DAGs), were identified by the principal component analysis as carries of variance between two groups. These peaks were then compared by conventional t-test. Our data showed that the intensity of cholesterol, but not FAs and DAGs, was significantly decreased in the glucose-drinking rat. Moreover, the long-term glucose intake changed ratios between different FAs in the aorta.

Conclusion

The long-term glucose intake led to decreased cholesterol intensity in the aortic wall and this effect was revealed through a global analytical approach with objective selection of significant variables.     

An automatic cerebellum extraction method in T1-weighted brain MR images using an active contour model with a shape prior

Purpose

The objective of this paper was to automatically segment the cerebellum from T1-weighted human brain magnetic resonance (MR) images.

Materials and Methods

The proposed method constructs a cerebellum template using five sets of 3-T MR imaging (MRI) data, which are used to determine the initial position and the shape prior of the cerebellum for the active contour model. Our formulation includes the active contour model with shape prior, which thereby maintains the shape of the template. The proposed active contour model is sequentially applied to sagittal-, coronal- and transverse-view images. To evaluate the proposed method, it is applied to BrainWeb data and a 3-T MRI data set and compared with FreeSurfer with respect to performance assessment metrics.

Results

The segmented cerebellum was compared with the results from FreeSurfer. Using the manually segmented cerebellum as reference, we measured the average Jaccard coefficients of the proposed method, which were 0.882 and 0.885 for the BrainWeb data and 3-T MRI data set, respectively.

Conclusion

We presented the active contour model with shape prior for extracting the cerebellum from T1-weighted brain MR images. The proposed method yielded a robust and accurate segmentation result.