Potential of minimally invasive procedures in the treatment of uterine fibroids: a focus on magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound therapy

Minimally invasive treatment options are an important part of the uterine fibroid-treatment arsenal, especially among younger patients and in those who plan future pregnancies. This article provides an overview of the currently available minimally invasive therapy options, with a special emphasis on a completely noninvasive option: magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS). In this review, we describe the background of MRgFUS, the patient-selection criteria for MRgFUS, and how the procedure is performed. We summarize the published clinical trial results, and review the literature on pregnancy post-MRgFUS and on the cost-effectiveness of MRgFUS

Focused ultrasound-mediated suppression of chemically-induced acute epileptic EEG activity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder, which is attributed to uncontrollable abnormal hyper-excitability of neurons. We investigated the feasibility of using low-intensity, pulsed radiation of focused ultrasound (FUS) to non-invasively suppress epileptic activity in an animal model (rat), which was induced by the intraperitonial injection of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After the onset of induced seizures, FUS was transcranially administered to the brain twice for three minutes each while undergoing electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring. An air-backed, spherical segment ultrasound transducer (diameter: 6 cm; radius-of-curvature: 7 cm) operating at a fundamental frequency of 690 KHz was used to deliver a train of 0.5 msec-long pulses of sonication at a repetitive rate of 100 Hz to the thalamic areas of the brain. The acoustic intensity (130 mW/cm²) used in the experiment was sufficiently within the range of safety guidelines for the clinical ultrasound imaging. The occurrence of epileptic EEG bursts from epilepsy-induced rats significantly decreased after sonication when it was compared to the pre-sonication epileptic state. The PTZ-induced control group that did not receive any sonication showed a sustained number of epileptic EEG signal bursts. The animals that underwent sonication also showed less severe epileptic behavior, as assessed by the Racine score. Histological analysis confirmed that the sonication did not cause any damage to the brain tissue.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results revealed that low-intensity, pulsed FUS sonication suppressed the number of epileptic signal bursts using acute epilepsy model in animal. Due to its non-invasiveness and spatial selectivity, FUS may offer new perspectives for a possible non-invasive treatment of epilepsy.</p

Direct and indirect effects of climatic variations on the interannual variability in net ecosystem exchange across terrestrial ecosystems

Climatic variables not only directly affect the interannual variability (IAV) in net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) but also indirectly drive it by changing the physiological parameters. Identifying these direct and indirect paths can reveal the underlying mechanisms of carbon (C) dynamics. In this study, we applied a path analysis using flux data from 65 sites to quantify the direct and indirect climatic effects on IAV in NEE and to evaluate the potential relationships among the climatic variables and physiological parameters that represent physiology and phenology of ecosystems. We found that the maximum photosynthetic rate was the most important factor for the IAV in gross primary productivity (GPP), which was mainly induced by the variation in vapour pressure deficit. For ecosystem respiration (RE), the most important drivers were GPP and the reference respiratory rate. The biome type regulated the direct and indirect paths, with distinctive differences between forests and non-forests, evergreen needleleaf forests and deciduous broadleaf forests, and between grasslands and croplands. Different paths were also found among wet, moist and dry ecosystems. However, the climatic variables can only partly explain the IAV in physiological parameters, suggesting that the latter may also result from other biotic and disturbance factors. In addition, the climatic variables related to NEE were not necessarily the same as those related to GPP and RE, indicating the emerging difficulty encountered when studying the IAV in NEE. Overall, our results highlight the contribution of certain physiological parameters to the IAV in C fluxes and the importance of biome type and multi-year water conditions, which should receive more attention in future experimental and modelling research

MISpheroID: a knowledgebase and transparency tool for minimum information in spheroid identity

Spheroids are three-dimensional cellular models with widespread basic and translational application across academia and industry. However, methodological transparency and guidelines for spheroid research have not yet been established. The MISpheroID Consortium developed a crowdsourcing knowledgebase that assembles the experimental parameters of 3,058 published spheroid-related experiments. Interrogation of this knowledgebase identified heterogeneity in the methodological setup of spheroids. Empirical evaluation and interlaboratory validation of selected variations in spheroid methodology revealed diverse impacts on spheroid metrics. To facilitate interpretation, stimulate transparency and increase awareness, the Consortium defines the MISpheroID string, a minimum set of experimental parameters required to report spheroid research. Thus, MISpheroID combines a valuable resource and a tool for three-dimensional cellular models to mine experimental parameters and to improve reproducibility. © 2021, The Author(s)

Abstracts from the 20th International Symposium on Signal Transduction at the Blood-Brain Barriers

https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138963/1/12987_2017_Article_71.pd

Miscellaneous. Folyóirat-referátumok. Beszámoló. Könyvismertetések

Folyóirat-referátumok. Gasztroenterológia Spontán bakteriális peritonitis kórházi halálozásának kórjelző tényezői (Prognostic factors associated with in-hospital mortality in patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis) Musskopf, M. I., Fonseca, F. P., Gass, J., et al. (Gastroenterology and Hepatology Residency Program, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre [UFCSPA], Porto Alegre, RS, Brazília): Ann. Hepatol. , 2012, 11, 915–920. | Kardiológia A statin-előkezelés klinikai előnye percutan coronariaintervencióban részesülő betegeknél (Clinical benefit of statin pretreatment in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: a collaborative patient-level meta-analysis of 13 randomized studies) Patti, G., Cannon, C. P., Murphy, S. A., et al. ([Dr. Patti] Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Olaszország; e-mail: [email protected]): Circulation, 2011, 123, 1622–1632. | Pulmonológia Ismétlődő légzéses félrenyelés és üregképződés a felső tüdőlebenyben (Recurrent aspiration and upper lobe cavitation) Czapran A., et al. (Coronary Care Unit, Russells Hall Hosp., Pensnett Road, Dudley, West Midlands DY1 2HQ, Egyesült Királyság; e-mail: adamczapran@nhs. net): Lancet, 2012, 379, 92. | Beszámoló. Beszámoló az Uppsalai Egyetem Neuroendokrin Tumor Centrumában tartott továbbképző tanfolyamról (2012. november 26–28.) | Könyvismertetések. Dr. Czeizel Endre A magyar költőgéniuszok sorsa Galenus Kiadó, 2012 | Centenáriumi emlékalbum Az egyetemváros orvoskari telepének százéves története képekben Szerkesztette: Batár István és Tóth Csaba Debreceni Egyetem, Orvos- és Egészségtudományi Centrum, 201

Miscellaneous. Folyóirat-referátumok. Beszámoló. KVÍZ

Folyóirat-referátumok. Gasztroenterológia Gyomorsav-elválasztást csökkentő kezelés és a Clostridium difficile - fertőzés kimenetele (Gastric acid suppression and outcomes in Clostridium difficile infection: a population-based study) Khanna, S., Aronson, S. L., Kammer, P. P., et al.: (Levelező szerző: D. S. Pardi, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Mayo Clinic, 200 Frst St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, Amerikai Egyesült Államok.) Mayo Clin. Proc., 2012, 87, 636–642. | Hypertonia A β -1-szelektív β - blokkoló bisoprolol első terápiás lépésként való alkalmazásának hatásossága és biztonságossága indiai magas vérnyomásos betegek körében (BRIGHT) (Efficacy and tolerability of a β -1 selective β blocker, bisoprolol, as a first-line antihypertensive in Indian patients diagnosed with essential hypertension (BRIGHT): an open-label, multicentric, observational study) Channaraya, V., Marya, R. K., Somasundaram, M., et al. on the behalf of BRIGHT Investigations ([Dr. Channaraya] KIMS Hospital, Bengaluru, India; e-mail: [email protected]): BMJ Open, 2012, 2 (3), e000683. | Kardiológia Postprandialis hypertriglyceridaemia és a cardiovascularis megbetegedés: jelenlegi és a jövőbeli terápiák (Postprandial hypertriglyceridemia and cardiovascular diasease: current and future therapies) Chan, D. C., Pang, J., Romic, G., et al. (D. C. Chan, School of Medicine and Pharmacology, Medical Research Foundation, Royal Perth Hospital, GPO Box X2213, Perth, WA 6847, Ausztrália; e-mail: dick.chan@uwa. edu.au): Curr. Atheroscler. Rep., 2013, 15, 309. | Pulmonológia Az izomműködés zavara COPD- ben (Pathophysiology of muscle dysfunction in COPD) Gea, J., Agusti, A., Roca, J.: (J. Gea, Pneumo- logia, Hospital del Mar IMIM, Pg Marítim 27, E-08003 Barcelona, Spanyolország; e-mail: jgea@ parcdesalumar.cat): J. Appl. Physiol., 2013, 114 (9) , 1222–1234. | Beszámoló. „Beszéljünk az inkontinenciáról!” – tények és tabuk | Williams-szindrómával élők nemzetközi tábora Balatonfüred, 2013. július 7–14

Effects on P-Glycoprotein Expression after Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption Using Focused Ultrasound and Microbubbles

Many blood-borne substances attempting to pass through the luminal membrane of brain endothelial cells are acted upon by a variety of metabolizing enzymes or are actively expelled back into the capillary lumen by embedded efflux transporters, such as Permeability-glycoprotein (Pgp). Overexpression of this protein has also been linked to multidrug resistance in cancer cells. Previous studies have shown that focused ultrasound (FUS), when combined with a microbubble agent, has ability to temporarily disrupt blood-brain barrier (BBBD). In this work, we investigated whether modulation of Pgp expression is part of the FUS-induced effects. We found that ultrasound can temporarily suppress Pgp expression. When BBBD was produced at 0.55 MPa, Pgp was suppressed up to 48 hours and restored by 72 hours. At 0.81 MPa, suppression can last 72 hours or longer. These findings support the idea that microbubble-enhanced FUS disrupts the functional components of the BBB through suppression of drug efflux