54 research outputs found
Magnetic resonance imaging of the erector spinae muscles in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: implication for scoliotic deformities
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the muscular degeneration often leads to the development of scoliosis. Our objective was to investigate how anatomical changes in back muscles can lead to scoliosis. Muscular volume and the level of fat infiltration in those muscles were thus evaluated, in non-scoliotic, pre-scoliotic and scoliotic patients. The overlying skin thickness over the apex level of scoliotic deformations was also measured to facilitate the interpretation of electromyographic signals when recorded on the skin surface.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 8 DMD patients and two healthy controls with no known muscular deficiencies, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure continuously at 3 mm intervals the distribution of the erector spinae (ES) muscle in the T8-L4 region as well as fat infiltration in the muscle and overlying skin thickness: four patients were non-scoliotic (NS), two were pre-scoliotic (PS, Cobb angle < 15°) and two were scoliotic (S, Cobb angle ≥ 15°). For each subject, 63 images 3 mm thick of the ES muscle were obtained in the T8-L4 region on both sides of the spine. The pixel dimension was 0.39 × 0.39 mm. With a commercial software, on each 12 bits image, the ES contour on the left and on the right sides of the spine were manually determined as well as those of its constituents i.e., the iliocostalis (IL), the longissimus (LO) and the spinalis (SP) muscles. Following this segmentation, the surfaces within the contours were determined, the muscles volume were obtained, the amount of fat infiltration inside each muscle was evaluated and the overlying skin thickness measured.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>The volume of the ES muscle of our S and PS patients was found smaller on the convex side relative to the concave one by 5.3 ± 0.7% and 2.8 ± 0.2% respectively. For the 4 NS patients, the volume difference of this muscle between right and left sides was 2.1 ± 1.5% and for the 2 controls, it was 1.4 ± 1.2%. Fat infiltration for the S and the PS patients was larger on the convex side than on the concave one (4.4 ± 1.6% and 4.5 ± 0.7% respectively) and the difference was more important near the apex. Infiltration was more important in the lateral IL muscle than in the medial SP and it was always larger near L2 than at any other spinal level. Fat infiltration was much more important in the ES for the DMD patients (49.9% ± 1.6%) than for the two controls (2.6 ± 0.8%). As for the overlying skin thickness measured near the deformity of the patients, it was larger on the concave than on the convex side: 14.8 ± 6.1 vs 13.5 ± 5.7 mm for the S and 10.3 ± 6.3 vs 9.8 ± 5.6 mm for the PS.</p> <p>Interpretation</p> <p>In DMD patients, our results indicate that a larger replacement of muscles fibers by fat infiltration on one side of the spine is a factor that can lead to the development of scoliosis. Efforts to slow such an infiltration on the most affected side of the spine could thus be beneficial to those patients by delaying the apparition of the scoliotic deformation. In addition to anatomical considerations, results obtained from the same patients but in experiments dealing with electromyography recordings, point to differences in the muscular contraction mechanisms and/or of the neural input to back muscles. This is similar to the adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) where a role of the nervous system in the development of the deformation has also been suggested.</p
A Survey of Methods for Volumetric Scene Reconstruction from Photographs
Scene reconstruction, the task of generating a 3D model of a scene given multiple 2D photographs taken of the scene, is an old and difficult problem in computer vision. Since its introduction, scene reconstruction has found application in many fields, including robotics, virtual reality, and entertainment. Volumetric models are a natural choice for scene reconstruction. Three broad classes of volumetric reconstruction techniques have been developed based on geometric intersections, color consistency, and pair-wise matching. Some of these techniques have spawned a number of variations and undergone considerable refinement. This paper is a survey of techniques for volumetric scene reconstruction
Transoral incisionless fundoplication for Jehovah’s Witnesses: A case report discussing safety and durability
Jehovah’s Witness patients pose a unique surgical challenge due to their refusal of transfusion of whole blood or major blood products. One of the surgical strategies is to offer the least invasive approach with the least likelihood of losing blood. In the context of surgical treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, endoluminal approaches such as transoral incisionless fundoplication represent an appropriate approach for Jehovah’s Witness patients. This patient is a devout Jehovah’s Witness who was troubled with gastroesophageal reflux disease for many years which was refractory to proton pump inhibitor therapy. Her standard preoperative workup showed that she was a candidate for transoral incisionless fundoplication. Surgery was performed by a transoral incisionless fundoplication certified surgeon and this patient was his second case. Patient had no immediate or long-term complications. She was successfully weaned off proton pump inhibitors. Transoral incisionless fundoplication is an appropriate option for Jehovah’s Witness patients with refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease. This case report shows that the procedure is safe and durable, even in the early stage of the physician’s learning curve
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Enzyme-linked oligonucleotide hybridization assay for direct oligo measurement in blood.
Small oligonucleotides (oligos) are increasingly being utilized as diagnostics or treatments for disease. An impediment to broader use is the ability to readily measure oligos in biological fluids. Here, we describe a very straightforward assay with detection in the sub-picomole range that does not require extraction from serum/plasma or polymerization chain reaction amplification. As a result, there are no losses or errors due to sample handling, and the assay can be used to measure oligos modified in a variety of ways that increase therapeutic efficacy. The enzyme-linked oligonucleotide hybridization assay (ELOHA) is based on competition with a detection oligo for hybridization to a capture oligo covalently linked to a solid substrate. The versatility of ELOHAs is demonstrated by application to the measurement of three oligos, including two morpholino-oligos with 3'-octaguanidine derivatization for efficient cell uptake. The third oligo is unmodified and has a DNA sequence equivalent to miR93. The assays have sensitivity as low as 0.28 pmol/sample reaction at 50% hybridization. Adding to clinical utility is the need for only a simple 96-well absorbance plate reader and the finding that neither EDTA nor heparin interferes with detection
Impact of Participation of Surgeons in Diagnostic Studies of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease on Completion of Workup and Utilization of Antireflux Surgery
Intragranular prolactin phosphorylation and kallikrein cleavage are regulated by zinc and other divalent cations
Different Biological Effects of Unmodified Prolactin and a Molecular Mimic of Phosphorylated Prolactin Involve Different Signaling Pathways â€
A Molecular Mimic of Phosphorylated Prolactin (S179D PRL) Secreted by Eukaryotic Cells Has a Conformation with an Increased Positive Surface Charge Compared to That of Unmodified Prolactin
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Use of a novel camelid-inspired human antibody demonstrates the importance of MMP-14 to cancer stem cell function in the metastatic process.
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are considered excellent targets for cancer therapy because of their important roles in multiple aspects of tumor growth and metastatic spread. However, not all MMPs, or even all activities of specific MMPs, promote cancer. Therefore, there is a need for highly specific inhibitors. Monoclonal antibodies provide the potential for the degree of specificity required, but the isolation of antibodies able to inhibit a specific protease with high selectivity is challenging. Proteolysis specificity lies in recognition of the substrate in or around the active site, which generally forms a concave cleft inaccessible by human IgGs. Inspired by camelid antibodies, which have convex paratopes, we have produced a recombinant human IgG, designated 3A2, which binds in the substrate cleft of MMP-14, inhibiting its activity, but not the activity of highly homologous MMPs. In the 4T1 highly metastatic, syngeneic, orthotopic model of breast cancer, IgG 3A2 markedly inhibited growth of the primary tumor, but more importantly reduced metastatic spread to the lungs and liver by 94%. Stem cells in the tumor population expressed twice as much MMP-14 mRNA as bulk tumor cells. In addition to reducing dissemination of tumor stem cells, as would be expected from inhibition of MMP-14's ability to degrade components of the extracellular matrix, IgG 3A2 also inhibited the ability of individual stem cells to proliferate and produce colonies. We conclude that it is possible to produce antibodies with sufficient specificity for development as therapeutics and that IgG 3A2 has therapeutic potential
Correction to A Molecular Mimic of Phosphorylated Prolactin (S179D PRL) Secreted by Eukaryotic Cells Has a Conformation with an Increased Positive Surface Charge Compared to That of Unmodified Prolactin
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