Combined prostate diffusion tensor imaging and dynamic contrast enhanced MRI at 3T — quantitative correlation with biopsy

The purpose of this work was to compare diagnostic accuracy of Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE MRI) and their combination in diagnosing prostate cancer. Twenty-five patients with clinical suspicion of prostate cancer underwent MRI, prior to transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsies. MRI data were correlated to biopsy results. Logistic regression models were constructed for the DTI parameters, DCE MRI parameters, and their combination. The areas under the receiver operator characteristic curves (AUC) were compared between the models. The nonparametric Wilcoxon signed rank test was used for statistical analysis. The sensitivity and specificity values were respectively 81% (74–87%) and 85% (79–90%) for DTI and 63% (55–70%) and 90% (85–94%) for DCE. The combination “DTI or DCE MRI” had 100% (97–100%) sensitivity and 77% (69–83%) specificity, while “DTI and DCE MRI” had 44% (37–52%) sensitivity and 98% (94–100%) specificity. The AUC for DTI+DCE parameters was significantly higher than that for either DTI (0.96 vs. 0.92, P=.0143) or DCE MRI parameters (0.96 vs. 0.87, P=.00187) alone. In conclusion, the combination of DTI and DCE MRI has significantly better accuracy in prostate cancer diagnosis than either technique alone.     

High-Frequency EPR Instrumentation

An overview of the most recent developments in high-frequency high-field electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) instrumentation is given. In particular, the practical choices concerning sources, detectors, resonators, propagation systems as well as magnet technology are discussed in the light of various possible applications. Examples of particular homodyne and heterodyne quasi-optic EPR systems illustrate the potential for future developments in EPR technology.     

Efficient implementation of the analytic second derivatives of Hartree–Fock and hybrid DFT energies: a detailed analysis of different approximations

In this paper, various implementations of the analytic Hartree–Fock and hybrid density functional energy second derivatives are studied. An approximation-free four-centre implementation is presented, and its accuracy is rigorously analysed in terms of self-consistent field (SCF), coupled-perturbed SCF (CP-SCF) convergence and prescreening criteria. The CP-SCF residual norm convergence threshold turns out to be the most important of these. Final choices of convergence thresholds are made such that an accuracy of the vibrational frequencies of better than 5 cm^?1 compared to the numerical noise-free results is obtained, even for the highly sensitive low frequencies (<100–200 cm^?1). The effects of the choice of numerical grid for density functional exchange–correlation integrations are studied and various weight derivative schemes are analysed in detail. In the second step of the work, approximations are introduced in order to speed up the computation without compromising its accuracy. To this end, the accuracy and efficiency of the resolution of identity approximation for the Coulomb terms and the semi-numerical chain of spheres approximation to the exchange terms are carefully analysed. It is shown that the largest performance improvements are realised if either Hartree–Fock exchange is absent (pure density functionals) and otherwise, if the exchange terms in the CP-SCF step of the calculation are approximated by the COSX method in conjunction with a small integration grid. Default values for all the involved truncation parameters are suggested. For vancomycine (176 atoms and 3593 basis functions), the RIJCOSX Hessian calculation with the B3LYP functional and the def2-TZVP basis set takes ～3 days using 16 Intel® Xeon® 2.60GHz processors with the COSX algorithm having a net parallelisation scaling of 11.9 which is at least ～20 times faster than the calculation without the RIJCOSX approximation.     

REACTIONS OF TELLURIUM TETRAHALIDES WITH GLYCOLS

Abstract

Tellurium tetrahalides undergo reaction with glycols to yield three different products: O,O'-dioxotrihalotellurates; bis(alkoxy)dihalotellurium (IV) compounds and hexahalotellurates. The course of the reaction appears to be determined primarily by the nature of the glycol. The structure of dichlorobis(cis- 2-hydroxycyclohexyloxy)tellurium(IV) has been determined crystallographically     

THE CRYSTAL STRUCTURES OF 10,10′-BIS(PHENOXARSINE) OXIDE AND SELENIDE

Abstract

The reaction between 10,10′-bis(phenoxarsine) oxide (I) and HI gives 10-iodophenoxarsine. The latter, on treatment with H₂Se give 10,10′-bis(phenoxarsine) selenide (II). The crystal structures of I and II have been determined from single crystal X-ray data. The unit cell for I is monoclinic, P2₁/c (No. 14) with a = 15.976(3) Å, b = 10.582(2) Å, c = 12.581(2) Å, β = 111.70(1)° V = 2018.6 ų; d(calc.) = 1.65Mg/m³ at 23°C for four molecules per unit cell. From 3279 reflections for which I>0.5σ(I), F>σ(F), R = 0.041 with anisotropic thermal parameters for all non-hydrogen atoms and with fixed positions and thermal parameters for hydrogens. One of the phenoxarsina rings deviates from planarity by approximately 5° while the other deviates by more than 24°. The (As[sbnd]O) distances are 1.810(3) and 1.821(3) Å for the flat and bent ring and the (As[sbnd]O[sbnd]As) angle is 122.3(1)°. The bond distances to As and O from C are nearly the same for both rings, but the bond angles with As and the ring O as the apex are systematically larger for the flat ring. For II the unit cell is triclinic, P1 (No. 2) with a = 9.368(1) Å, b = 14.089 Å, c = 9.269(2) Å, α = 111.37(2), β = 113.11(2), γ = 74.76(1); V = 1037.5 ų, d(calc) = 1.81 Mg/m³ for two molecules per unit cell at 23°C. From 2945 reflections for which I > 0.5σ(I), F > σ(F), R = 0.055 with anisotropic thermal parameters for all non-hydrogen atoms and with fixed positions and thermal parameters for hydrogen. One of the phenoxarsina rings deviates by 3° from planarity and the other by 8°. The (As[sbnd]Se) bond distances are 2.416(1) and 2.406(1) Å. The (As[sbnd]Se[sbnd]As) bond angle is 96.66(4)° and the corresponding (As[sbnd]C) and (C[sbnd]C) distances in the two rings are nearly the same. In comparison with I, the angles with As or O as the central atoms are about the same in both rings of II.     

Monocyclic and Fused 4-Imino(4-Oxo)-1,3,2-Diazaphospholanes and - Phosphorinanes. Synthesis and Some Properties

Abstract

In contrast to the great variety of well known phosphorus heterocycles with exocyclic C=O double bond the number of ones containing exocyclic C=N bond is unusually modest. We elaborated the convenient method of preparation of various N,P,N-heterocycles with exocyclic C=N bond (1–4) from the readily available corresponding amino acid amidines and appropriated dichlorides or diamides of phosphorus (III) acids. Rings' 1–3 with P(III) are easily converted into (thio)phosphoryl derivatives, while the direct phosphorylation of amino amidines by RP(Y)Cl₂ is unusually ineffective. Tricycles 4 - derivatives of 2-(2-amino pheny1)imidazoline - mainly exist in the more conjugated hydrophosphazo tautomeric form 4b (>90 %).     

ELEMENTAL SULFUR REACTIONS WITH 2-PICOLINE

Abstract

A study of the reaction of the elemental sulfur with 2-picoline is reported. The process was carried out at the boiling point of the 2-picoline under argon. After removing unreacted solids, the reaction products were identified by means of LC. GC and GC-MS. The following products have been identified by mass spectrometry: 1,2-di/2-pyridyl/-ethane. 1,2-di/2-pyridyl/-ethene. 2-methyl-x-[/2-pyridyl/methyl]pyridines, 2-mercapto-methyl-[x/2-pyridyl/methyl]-pyridines, l-mercapto-1,2-di/2-pyridyl/-ethane, 5,6-di/2-pyridyl/-5H-cyclopenta-[b]pyridine, 5,6-di/2-pyridyl/-7H-cyclopenta[b]pyridine, 1,2,3-tri/2-pyridyl/-propane. 1,2-di/2-pyridyl/-1-[x-/2-methyl/-pyridyl]-ethane, 5,6-di/2-pyridyl/-7-[/2-pyridyl/methyl]-7H-cyclopenta[b]pyridine, 5,6-di/2-pyridyl/-5-[/2-pyridyl/-methyl]-5H-cyclopenta-[b]pyridine. Di{7-[5,6-di/2-pyridyl/-7H-cyclopenta[b]pyridyl]} sulfide and di(7-[5,6-di/2-pyridyl/-7H-cyclopentalblpyridyl]} disulfide.