Can MRI measure myelin? Systematic review, qualitative assessment, and meta-analysis of studies validating microstructural imaging with myelin histology

Recent years have seen an increased understanding of the importance of myelination in healthy brain function and neuropsychiatric diseases. Non-invasive microstructural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) holds the potential to expand and translate these insights to basic and clinical human research, but the sensitivity and specificity of different MR markers to myelination is a subject of debate. To consolidate current knowledge on the topic, we perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that validate microstructural imaging by combining it with myelin histology. We find meta-analytic evidence for correlations between various myelin histology metrics and markers from different MRI modalities, including fractional anisotropy, radial diffusivity, macromolecular pool, magnetization transfer ratio, susceptibility and longitudinal relaxation rate, but not mean diffusivity. Meta-analytic correlation effect sizes range widely, between = 0.26 and = 0.82. However, formal comparisons between MRI-based myelin markers are limited by methodological variability, inconsistent reporting and potential for publication bias, thus preventing the establishment of a single most sensitive strategy to measure myelin with MRI. To facilitate further progress, we provide a detailed characterisation of the evaluated studies as an online resource. We also share a set of 12 recommendations for future studies validating putative MR-based myelin markers and deploying them in vivo in humans

Metodologia modificada para determinação de óxido de titânio como marcador em fezes de bovinos.

JIPE 2013

Finite element modelling of shear bands in porous media by means of non-local viscoplasticity

This work presents a consistent numerical approach in the framework of analyzing the localization process in a slope stability problem. An already existing model, embedded in Mechanics of multiphase porous media, is enhanced with local and non-local elasto-viscoplastic constitutive models to obtain regularized numerical solutions. The initiation and the propagation of the shear band are effectively described by means of FEM analysis, regardless of the mesh size adopted. The strain localization process realistically occurs within the shear band failure mode and its size is governed by the internal length variable, which can be directly estimated by experimental approaches

Análise e gerenciamento de resíduos do pH-SMP.

JIPE 2012

Eficacitatea tratamentului cu «Sumamed» a infecţiei sexual transmisibile la pacienţii cu uretroprostatită cronică

Summary To study the efficacy of Sumamed in patients presenting with chronic urethroprostatitis due to sexually transmitted infections. 78 patients with chronic urethroprostatitis were observed out of which 48 had infection with C. trachomatis and 19 had U. urealyticum while 11 patients had combined infections. Sumamed as single drug therapy was administered to 31 patients and as a combined therapy with Ofloxacin in 47 patients. Sumamed was found to be effective in 89,9% patients infected C. trachomatis and in 83,4% patients with U. urealyticum. The efficacy of Sumamed increased markedly on combined therapy with ofloxacin - showing 100% effect in those with U. urealyticum infections and 93,2% patients with C. Trachomatis. Clinical symtems were attenuated in all patients with effective treatment but only 47,3%patients treated with only Sumamed and 73,6 % patients treated with combined therapy were assymptomatic after complete treatment. While the normalization of expressed prostatic scretions were fou nd in 35.4% and in 60.8% patients respectively. Conclusion: Sumamed is quite effective in treatment of Sexually transmitted infections and the efficacy of the treatment increases on combined therapy with Ofloxacin .The pretreatment with usually not recommended antibiotics for sexually transmitted infection reduces the efficacy

Tratamentul litiazei renale prin litotriție extracorporeală cu unde de şoc (ESWL)

Summary We have analyzed a group of 731 patients with renal stones treated by ESWL The results were analyzed according with dimension and localization of renal stones. The analyzing criterions of results were the following: rate of success, number of failures, complications and their solving way. Rate of success was 91,8%. Rate of failures was 5,8%. Complications were noted in 9,5% of the cases. Conclusion: ESWL is a procedure of choice in the treatment of renal stones

In vitro Anticoccidial Study of Oregano and Garlic Essential Oils and Effects on Growth Performance, Fecal Oocyst Output, and Intestinal Microbiota in vivo

This study investigated the in vitro effects of Greek oregano and garlic essential oils on inhibition of Eimeria parasites and their in vivo effects on production performance, intestinal bacteria counts, and oocyst output. An inhibition assay was performed in vitro using Eimeria tenella Wisconsin strain sporozoites and Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells. Intracellular sporozoite invasion was quantified by detection of E. tenella DNA using qPCR from cell monolayers harvested at 2 and 24 h post-infection. Parasite invasion was inhibited by the oregano essential oil at the concentration of 100 μg/ml by 83 or 93% after 2 or 24 h, respectively. Garlic essential oil reached a maximum inhibition of 70% after 24 h with the 50 μg/ml concentration. Normal morphology was observed in MDBK cells exposed to concentrations of 100 μl/ml of garlic or oregano for over 24 h. In the in vivo trial, 180 male broiler chicks (45.3 ± 0.7 g) were allocated into two treatments (6 pens of 15 chicks per treatment). Control treatment was fed commercial diets without antibiotics or anticoccidials. The ORE–GAR treatment was fed the same control diets, further supplemented with a premix (1 g/kg feed) containing the oregano (50 g/kg premix) and garlic (5 g/kg premix) essential oils. At day 37, all birds were slaughtered under commercial conditions, and intestinal samples were collected. ORE-GAR treatment had improved final body weight (1833.9 vs. 1.685.9 g; p < 0.01), improved feed conversion ratio (1.489 vs. 1.569; p < 0.01), and reduced fecal oocyst excretion (day 28: 3.672 vs. 3.989 log oocysts/g, p < 0.01; day 37: 3.475 vs. 4.007 log oocysts/g, p < 0.001). In the caecal digesta, ORE-GAR treatment had lower total anaerobe counts (8.216 vs. 8.824 CFU/g; p < 0.01), whereas in the jejunum digesta the ORE-GAR treatment had higher counts of E. coli (5.030 vs. 3.530 CFU/g; p = 0.01) and Enterobacteriaceae (5.341 vs. 3.829 CFU/g; p < 0.01), and lower counts of Clostridium perfringens (2.555 vs. 2.882 CFU/g; p < 0.01). In conclusion, the combined supplementation of oregano and garlic essential oils had a potent anticoccidial effect in vitro and a growth-promoting effect in broilers reared in the absence of anticoccidial drugs