Quantitative estimation of brain white matter abnormalities in elderly subjects using magnetic resonance imaging

Twenty-five elderly subjects were examined with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The subjects were divided into two groups: those with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores above 25, and those subjects with MMSE scores between 18 and 24. The degree of white matter abnormalities (WMA) (expressed as relative volumes) as well as the presence of cerebrovascular risk factors were evaluated in the two groups. We found that a) subjects with low MMSE scores had significantly larger relative volumes of WMA than the subjects with higher scores, b) a significant correlation (r_s = 0.53, p < 0.009) between MMSE scores and the relative volume of WMA was also established, and c) a weak significant correlation (r_s = −0.51, p < 0.05) between arterial blood pressure and WMA was found in the subjects with high MMSE scores. Besides these findings no other correlations between the presence of cerebrovascular risk factors and WMA were found in any of the groups.     

Frequency of voice problems among teachers and other occupations

This study describes the frequency of reporting vocal problems among a random sample of elementary and high school teachers (n = 554) compared to individuals working in other occupations (n = 220). Teachers were more likely to define themselves as ever having a voice problem (32% versus. 1 %, p < .05); having a tired, weak, or effortful voice (p < .05 each); and having a higher frequency of symptoms of physical discomfort with speaking (p < .05). They also were more likely to perceive that their voice problem negatively affected current job performance (p < .05) and limited options regarding change in work (p < .05). About 20% of teachers but only 4% of nonteachers had missed work due to their voice. These findings suggest that teachers are at highrisk for disability from voice disorders and that this health problem may have significant work-related and economic effects.     

On- and off-resonance spin-lock MR imaging of normal human brain at 0.1 T: possibilities to modify image contrast

The aim of the present investigation was to determine spin lock (SL) relaxation parameters for the normal brain tissues and thus, to provide basis for optimizing the imaging contrast at 0.1 T. 68 healthy volunteers were included. On-resonance spin lock relaxation time (T_1ρ) and off-resonance spin lock relaxation parameters (T_1ρ^off, M_e/M_o), MT parameters (T_1sat, M_s/M_o), and T₁, T₂ were determined for the cortical gray matter, and for the frontal and parietal white matters. The T_1ρ for the frontal and parietal white matters ranged from 110 to 133 ms and from 122 to 155 ms with locking field strengths from 50 μT to 250 μT, respectively. Accordingly, the values for the gray matter ranged from 127 to 155 ms. With a locking field strength of 50 μT, T_1ρ^off for the frontal and parietal white matters were from 114 to 217 ms and from 126 to 219 ms, and for the gray matter from 136 to 267 ms with the angle between the effective magnetic field (B_eff) and the z-axis (θ) ranging from 60° to 15°, respectively. The T_1ρ of the white and gray matters increased significantly with increasing locking field amplitude (p < 0.001). The T_1ρ^off decreased significantly with increasing θ (p < 0.001). T_1ρ and T_1ρ^off with θ ≥ 30° were statistically significantly shorter in the frontal than in the parietal white matters (p < 0.05). The duration, amplitude and θ of the locking pulse provide additional parameters to optimize contrast in brain SL imaging.     

Distance functions and statistics

This paper proves that the Riemannian distance function is maximal in the class of distance functions associated with the Riemannian metric tensor.

Secondly, it is proven that there exists a unique minimum of

on a complete Riemannian surface (M,g) with small curvature, small curvature change and injectivity radius +∞. Here p_iM and γ_v is the maximal geodesic with initial velocity v and 0<t₁<<t_m.     

Establishing norms for age-related changes in proton T1 of human brain tissue in vivo

The goal of this study was to determine the expected normal range of variation in spin-lattice relaxation time (T₁) of brain tissue in vivo, as a function of age. A previously validated precise and accurate inversion recovery method was used to map T₁ transversely, at the level of the basal ganglia, in a study population of 115 healthy subjects (ages 4 to 72; 57 male and 58 female). Least-squares regression analysis shows that T₁ varied as a function of age in pulvinar nucleus (R² = 56%), anterior thalamus (R² = 51%), caudate (R² = 50%), frontal white matter (R² = 47%), optic radiation (R² = 39%), putamen (R² = 36%), genu (R² = 22%), occipital white matter (R² = 20%) (all p < 0.0001), and cortical gray matter (R² = 53%) (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in T₁ between men and women. T₁ declines throughout adolescence and early adulthood, to achieve a minimum value in the fourth to sixth decade of life, then T₁ begins to increase. Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging provides evidence that brain tissue continues to change throughout the lifespan among healthy subjects with no neurologic deficits. Age-related changes follow a strikingly different schedule in different brain tissues; white matter tracts tend to reach a minimum T₁ value, and to increase again, sooner than do gray matter tracts. Such normative data may prove useful for the early detection of brain pathology in patients.     

Evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of voice therapy using transnasal flexible laryngoscopy: a randomized controlled trial

Transnasal flexible laryngoscopy (TFL) is an examination of laryngeal anatomy and physiology using continuous light. TFL is being used increasingly by voice pathologists in treatment but with little scientific evidence to support it. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of TFL as a therapeutic tool. The study used a prospective randomized controlled trial. Fifty dysphonic subjects were recruited and randomly assigned to either a traditional treatment group or a TFL-assisted treatment group. The effectiveness of voice therapy in both treatment groups was measured with a package of voice outcome measures. Subjects in both treatment groups demonstrated statistically significant improvements after voice therapy (perceptual auditory rating of voice quality measurement p < 0.01; instrumental electroglottographic measurement p < 0.01; patient questionnaire measurement p < 0.01). The time taken to complete treatment in both groups was recorded. The average (median) time taken to complete voice therapy in the TFL-assisted treatment group was 2 hours less than in the traditional treatment group (p < 0.01). Voice therapy with TFL as a therapy tool was effective and more efficient than traditional voice therapy.     

Assessing outcomes for dysphonic patients

This study was designed to evaluate a disease-specific outcome measure for patients with selected voice disorders and to relate this instrument to a standardized quality of life measurement. In addition, the study attempts to document the degree of handicap for dysphonia patients globally, between different vocal pathologies, and in comparison to other chronic diseases. In this prospective, observational study, 260 adult patients evaluated for alterations of voice completed a general quality of life measure (the Medical Outcomes Trust Short Form 36-Item[SF-36]) and a voice-specific instrument (Voice Handicap Index [VHI]) pretreatment.

The highest correlation was between the social functioning score of the SF-36and the total score of the VHI and the physical, emotional, and functional subscales (p < 0.001) of the VHI. Significant correlation was also obtained for the SF-36 domains mental health (p < 0.01), general health (p < 0.01), and role functioning emotional (p < 0.017) with the three VHI domains and the total VHI score. Patients had significantly lower scores than the general U.S. population in five of the eight domains of SF-36. Patients with vocal fold paralysis had the highest level of pretreatment disability as measured on both the VHI and SF-36 among voice patients. The patients with dysphonia had a lower level of physical functioning than the patients with chronic sinusitis (p < 0.01), reflecting a greater handicap. In addition, the dysphonia group had lower levels of social functioning than the angina (p < 0.01) and sciatica (p < 0.01) groups and a lower score for mental health than the angina group (p < 0.01).

The SF-36 correlates with the VHI in the domains of social functioning,mental health, and role functioning emotional. The baseline handicap for voice disorders represents a significant disability even in comparison to conditions such as angina pectoris, sciatica, and chronic sinusitis.     

Incommensurability in an exactly-soluble quantal and classical model for a kicked rotator

The Hamiltonian H = 2πp + V(θ) Σ^∞_−∞ δ(t − n)(0 θ < 2π) is solved exactly, classically and quantally; the so lutions depend strongly on . There is no classical chaos and the phase cylinder p, θ is filled with invariant curves, which are finite loops around the cylinder if is sufficiently irrational and are translates of the infinitely long p axis if is rational. Quantal quasi-energy states correspond exactly to these invariant curves: localized in p and extended in θ if is sufficiently irrational, and extended in p and localized in θ if is rational. For a classical or quantal initial pure-momentum state, the energy at time t = n grows as n² if is rational (resonance) and remains bounded if is sufficiently irrational (non-resonance). If is very nearly rational (marginal resonance), the energy may grow as n^λ where λ is expressed in terms of exponents describing the irrationality of and the continuity class of V(θ). If the value of is uncertain, ensemble-averaging over shows that the energy grows ultimately as n, i.e. diffusively, as though under random impulses.     

π-electroproduction on hydrogen near threshold at four-momentum transfers of 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 GeV

The reaction e + p → e + π⁰ + p was measured near the one pion threshold, detecting the final electron and proton in coincidence for values of q² = 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 GeV². The slope of the cross section at threshold is determined. The data are compared with those of the e + p → e + π⁺ + n reaction, measured simultaneously, and with the results of pseudovector Born approximation and with dispersion theoretical calculations.     

A method for determining venous contribution to BOLD contrast sensory activation

While BOLD contrast reflects hemodynamic changes within capillaries serving neural tissue, it also has a venous component. Studies that have determined the relation of large blood vessels to the activation map indicate that veins are the source of the largest response, and the most delayed in time. It would be informative if the location of these large veins could be extracted from the properties of the functional responses, since vessels are not visible in BOLD contrast images. The present study describes a method for investigating whether measures taken from the functional response can reliably predict vein location, or at least be useful in down-weighting the venous contribution to the activation response, and illustrates this method using data from one subject. We combined fMRI at 3 Tesla with high-resolution anatomic imaging and MR venography to test whether the intrinsic properties of activation time courses corresponded to tissue type. Measures were taken from a gamma fit to the functional response. Mean magnitude showed a significant effect of tissue type (p < 0.001) where CSF > veins ≈ gray matter > white matter. Mean delays displayed the same ranking across tissue types (p < 0.001), except that veins > gray matter. However, measures for all tissue types were distributed across an overlapping range. A logistic regression model correctly discriminated 72% of the veins from gray matter in the absence of independent information of macroscopic vessels (ROC = 0.72). While tissue classification was not perfect for this subject, weighting the T contrast by the predicted probabilities materially reduced the venous component to the activation map.     

Experimental observation of a copious yield of electrons with small transverse momenta in pp collisions at high energies

Inclusive electron and positron emission have been observed for θ_cm = 30° and S = 2800 GeV² at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings (ISR). Over the transverse momentum interval 0.2 GeV/c < p_T < 1.5 GeV/c, electrons and positrons, which are equal in number within the experimental accuracies, appear to grow with respect to other particles (pions) approximately like 1/p_T. We are unable to explain their number and p_T-dependence in terms of “conventional” mechanisms.     

Effects of meson exchange currents on pion absorption

The effect of the π exchange current on the pion absorption process π⁺ + d → p + p has been investigated. The absorption cross section is significantly enhanced particularly in the energy region above the 33 resonance.     

Search for up-down quark mass differences via isospin symmetry breaking

We performed a series of experiments employing the two pion production reactions p + d → ³He + π⁰ and p + d → ³H + π⁺. The two isopin related reactions differ by a Clebsch Gordan coefficient of 2. We searched for deviations in this ratio in complete angular distributions in the range of the Δ excitation as well as in the vicinity of the η production threshold.     

Assessment of mitral regurgitation by magnetic resonance imaging

To evaluate the potential of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detection and quantification of mitral regurgitation, 26 pts. with echocardiographically or angiographically documented mitral regurgitation were examined using a 0.5 Tesla superconducting magnet. In each patient a multislice-multiphase study in a sagittal-coronal double angulated projection (four-chamber view equivalent) was performed to assess left and right ventricular volumes, ejection fraction and regurgitant fraction. Additionally a blood flow sensitive cine-study (fast field echo: FFE) was done to visualize direction and area of regurgitant jet. MRI data were compared with quantitative and qualitative assessment of mitral regurgitation by angiography, 2D echocardiography, Doppler sonography and color flow mapping. Using the FFE mode MRI was able to detect the regurgitant jet as a typical signal loss within the left atrium in all patients. The ratio of regurgitant jet area/left atrium area as determined by MRI showed a correlation with a comparable ratio from color Doppler sonography of R = 0.87 (p < 0.001). There was also good agreement in semiquantitative grading of mitral regurgitation between MRI and angiography (R = 0.77, p < 0.001). The determination of left and right ventricular stroke volume allowed the calculation of the regurgitant fraction, which showed a correlation with invasively determined regurgitation fraction of R = 0.84 (p < 0.001). These data provide additional information that MRI may be useful as a noninvasive technique to detect and quantify mitral regurgitation.     

Doppler-shifted cyclotron resonance in thin metal films

The velocities of electrons contained in a thin slab are quantized because the component of momentum transverse to the slab faces is quantized. For a free electron gas the transverse velocity is given by |v_H| = l(/m) (π/d) where l = 1, 2, 3, …. If a magnetic field is applied normal to the slab, the wave number and frequency dependent conductivity consists of a series of resonant terms. The resonances occur at the Doppler-shifted cyclotron resonance frequencies |ω_c| = ω ± p(/m) (π/d)² where l = 1, 2, 3, …. It is shown that these resonances in the conductivity result in an absorption in pure thin films at low temperatures which is periodic in magnetic field. The semi-classical expression for the absorption is in substantial agreement with the corresponding quantum calculation, and has the virtue that it may be readily extended to non-spherical Fermi surfaces.     

Magnetic moment of the Δ (1232) resonance

The reaction γp → π^°γ′p has been measured with the TAPS BaF₂ calorimeter at the Mainz Microtron accelerator facility MAMI for energies between √2 = 1221–1331 MeV. Cross sections differential in angle and energy have been determined for the photon γ′ in three bins of the excitation energy. This reaction channel provides access to the magnetic dipole moment of the Δ⁺(1232) resonance and, for the first time, a value of μ_Δ+ = (2.7^+1.0_−1.3(stat) ± 1.5(syst) ± (theor)) π_N has been extracted.     

Uniaxial incommensurate phases at the Au(111) electrode

The structure of the Au(111) electrode has been investigated using surface X-ray scattering (SXS) in a variety of electrolytes. Although the underlying gold layers have hexagonal symmetry, the top most gold layer forms a rectangular, uniaxial incommensurate (p x √3) structure in the absence of specific adsorption. The (p x √3) structure is also observed for bismuth and iodine adlayers, where p continuously changes with potential (electrocompressibility).     

Absorption cross sections for antiprotons on carbon, aluminum and copper at 485 and 597 MeV/c

Absorption cross sections for antiprotons on C, Al and Cu have been measured by a transmission method at 485 and 597 MeV/c. Nuclei are shown to be black to antiprotons at these momenta. Using the available data up to 280 GeV/c, the momentum dependence of the absorption cross sections is investigated. Empirically, a simple expression σ_abs = γ(p/p₀)^−β, with β and γ constants and p₀ = 1 GeV/c, gives a good account of the data in a remarkably wide momentum range, 0.5–280 GeV/c.     

Scaling limit of deeply virtual compton scattering

I outline a perturbative QCD approach to the analysis of the deeply virtual Compton scattering process γ^*p → γp′ in the limit of vanishing momentum transfer t = (p′ − p)². The DVCS amplitude in this limit exhibits a scaling behavior described by two-argument distributions F(x,y) which specify the fractions of the initial momentum p and the momentum transfer r ≡ p′ − p carried by the constituents of the nucleon. The kernel R(x,y;ξ,η) governing the evolution of the non-forward distributions F(x,y) has a remarkable property: it produces the GLAPD evolution kernel P(x/ξ) when integrated over y and reduces to the Brodsky-Lepage evolution kernel V(y,η) after the x-integration. This property is used to construct the solution of the one-loop evolution equation for the flavor non-singlet part of the non-forward quark distribution.     

In vivo NMR T2 relaxation of experimental brain tumors in the cat: a multiparameter tissue characterization.

Experimental gliomas (F98) were inoculated in cat brain for the systematic study of their in vivo T₂ relaxation time behavior. With a CPMG multi-echo imaging sequence, a train of 16 echoes was evaluated to obtain the transverse relaxation time and the magnetization M(0) at time T = 0. The magnetization decay curves were analyzed for biexponentiality. All tissues showed monoexponential T₂, only that of the ventricular fluid and part of the vital tumor tissue were biexponential. Based on these NMR relaxation parameters the tissues were characterized, their correct assignment being assured by comparison with histological slices. T₂ of normal grey and white matter was 74 ± 6 and 72 ± 6 msec, respectively. These two tissue types were distinguished through M(0) which for white matter was only 0.88 of the intensity of grey matter in full agreement with water content, determined from tissue specimens. At the time of maximal tumor growth and edema spread a tissue differentiation was possible in NMR relaxation parameter images. Separation of the three tissue groups of normal tissue, tumor and edema was based on T₂ with T_2(normal) < T_2(tumor) < T_2(edema). Using M(0) as a second parameter the differentiation was supported, in particular between white matter and tumor or edema. Animals were studied at 1–4 wk after tumor implantation to study tumor development. The magnetization M(0) of both tumor and peritumoral edema went through a maximum between the second and third week of tumor growth. T₂ of edema was maximal at the same time with 133 ± 4 msec, while the relaxation time of tumor continued to increase during the whole growth period, reaching values of 114 ± 12 msec at the fourth week. Thus, a complete characterization of pathological tissues with NMR relaxometry must include a detailed study of the developmental changes of these tissues to assure correct experimental conditions for the goal of optimal contrast between normal and pathological regions in the NMR images.