Multimodality cardiovascular imaging in pulmonary embolism

Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity andmortality. To select appropriate therapeutic strategy and/or to minimize the mortality and morbidity,rapid and correct identification of life-threatening APE is very important. Also, right ventricular (RV)failure usually precedes acute hemodynamic compromise or death, and thus the identification of RVfailure is another important step in risk stratification or treatment of APE. With advances in diagnosisand treatment, the prognosis of APE has been dramatically improving in most cases, but inadequatetherapy or recurrent episodes of pulmonary embolism (PE) may result in negative outcomes or, so called,chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). CTEPH is a condition characterized byremaining chronic thromboembolic material in the pulmonary vasculature and subsequent chronicpulmonary hypertension.Various imaging modalities include chest computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA),echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and nuclear imaging and each are used for the assessmentof varying status of PE. Assessment of thromboembolic burden by chest CTPA is the first step inthe diagnosis of PE. Hemodynamic assessment can be achieved by echocardiography and also by chestCTPA. Nuclear imaging is useful in discriminating CTEPH from APE.Better perspectives on diagnosis, risk stratification and decision making in PE can be provided bycombining multimodality CV imaging. Here, the advantages or pitfalls of each imaging modality indiagnosis, risk stratification, or management of PE will be discussed

Purification and characterization of angiotensin-1 converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory peptide from the jellyfish, Nemopilema nomurai

The Nemopilema nomurai hydrolysate was produced by the reaction of papain, and an angiotensin-Ι converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory peptide was purified by using the molecular cut-offs membrane filter, the gel filtration chromatography with Sephadex LH-20 and the reverse phase chromatographic method using C18 and C12 columns. Purification yield of the active peptide was estimated to be 0.2 ± 0.1%, starting from the lyophilized jellyfish. The infrared (IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) spectrometer analyses elucidated that the structure of the purified peptide is tyrosine-isoleucine (Tyr-Ile). The inhibitory concentration at 50% (IC50) and Ki values were calculated to be 2.0 ± 0.3 μg/ml and 3.3 ± 0.3 μM, respectively, which acts as a competitive inhibitor to ACE.Keywords: Angiotensin-Ι converting enzyme, Jellyfish, Nemopilema nomurai, Papain hydrolysate, Tyrosine-IsoleucineAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(15), pp. 1888-189

Transient splenial lesion of the corpus callosum in a case of benign convulsion associated with rotaviral gastroenteritis

Transient magnetic resonance (MR) signal changes in the splenium of the corpus callosum (SCC) arise from many different conditions, including encephalopathy or encephalitis caused by infection, seizures, metabolic derangements, and asphyxia. Few case reports exist on reversible SCC lesions associated with rotavirus infection. A benign convulsion with mild gastroenteritis (CwG) is frequently associated with rotaviral infections. This entity is characterized by normal laboratory findings, electroencephalogram, neuroimaging, and good prognosis. We report a case of a 2.5-year-old Korean girl with rotavirus-associated CwG demonstrating a reversible SCC lesion on diffusion-weighted MR images. She developed 2 episodes of brief generalized tonic-clonic seizure with mild acute gastroenteritis without any other neurologic abnormality. Stool test for rotavirus antigen was positive. Brain MRI done on the day of admission showed a linear high signal intensity and decreased apparent diffusion coefficient values on the SCC. The lesion completely disappeared on follow-up MRI 6 days later. The patient fully recovered without any sequelae

Transient asymptomatic white matter lesions following Epstein-Barr virus encephalitis

We present the case of a patient with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) encephalitis who developed abnormal white matter lesions during the chronic phases of the infection. A 2-year-old-boy was admitted for a 2 day history of decreased activity with ataxic gait. The results of the physical examination were unremarkable except for generalized lethargy and enlarged tonsils with exudates. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at admission showed multiple high signal intensities in both basal ganglia and thalami. The result of EBV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the cerebral spinal fluid was positive, and a serological test showed acute EBV infection. The patient was diagnosed with EBV encephalitis and recovered fully without any residual neurologic complications. Subsequently, follow-up MRI at 5 weeks revealed extensive periventricular white matter lesions. Since the patient remained clinically stable and asymptomatic during the follow-up period, no additional studies were performed and no additional treatments were provided. At the 1-year follow-up, cranial MRI showed complete disappearance of the abnormal high signal intensities previously seen in the white matter. The patient continued to remain healthy with no focal neurologic deficits on examination. This is the first case of asymptomatic self-limited white matter lesions seen in serial MRI studies in a Korean boy with EBV encephalitis

Two cases of female hydrocele of the canal of nuck

The processus vaginalis within the inguinal canal forms the canal of Nuck, which is a homolog of the processus vaginalis in women. Incomplete obliteration of the processus vaginalis causes indirect inguinal hernia or hydrocele of the canal of Nuck, a very rare condition in women. Here, we report 2 cases of hydrocele of the canal of Nuck that were diagnosed with ultrasonography in both cases and magnetic resonance imaging in 1 case to confirm the sonographic diagnosis. High ligation and hydrocelectomy were conducted in both patients. In 1 patient, 14 months later, the occurrence of contralateral inguinal hernia was suspected, but did not require surgery. The other patient had a history of surgery for left inguinal hernia 11 months before the occurrence of right hydrocele of the canal of Nuck. In both cases, the occurrence of an inguinal hernia on the contralateral side was noted

Generalized Phase Synchronization in unidirectionally coupled chaotic oscillators

We investigate phase synchronization between two identical or detuned response oscillators coupled to a slightly different drive oscillator. Our result is that phase synchronization can occur between response oscillators when they are driven by correlated (but not identical) inputs from the drive oscillator. We call this phenomenon Generalized Phase Synchronization (GPS) and clarify its characteristics using Lyapunov exponents and phase difference plots.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure