8 research outputs found
Utilization of volumetric magnetic resonance imaging for baseline and surveillance imaging in Neuro-oncology.
The acquisition of volumetric post-contrast MRI has clear advantages in the interpretation of neuro-oncology studies but has yet to find its way into routine clinical practice beyond planning scans for surgery and radiotherapy. This commentary briefly highlights the benefits of these techniques whilst dispelling some of the perceived disadvantages
Quantification of structural changes in the corpus callosumin children with profound hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury
Background Birth-related acute profound hypoxic–ischaemic
brain injury has specific patterns of damage including the
paracentral lobules.
Objective To test the hypothesis that there is anatomically coherent
regional volume loss of the corpus callosum as a result of
this hemispheric abnormality.
Materials and methods Study subjects included 13 children
with proven acute profound hypoxic–ischaemic brain injury
and 13 children with developmental delay but no brain abnormalities.
A computerised system divided the corpus callosum
into 100 segments, measuring each width. Principal component
analysis grouped the widths into contiguous anatomical regions.
We conducted analysis of variance of corpus callosum widths as
well as support vector machine stratification into patient groups.
Results There was statistically significant narrowing of the
mid–posterior body and genu of the corpus callosum in children
with hypoxic–ischaemic brain injury. Support vector machine
analysis yielded over 95% accuracy in patient group stratification
using the corpus callosum centile widths.
Conclusion Focal volume loss is seen in the corpus callosum
of children with hypoxic–ischaemic brain injury secondary to
loss of commissural fibres arising in the paracentral lobules.
Support vector machine stratification into the hypoxic–ischaemic
brain injury group or the control group on the basis of
corpus callosum width is highly accurate and points towards
rapid clinical translation of this technique as a potential biomarker
of hypoxic–ischaemic brain injur
Pooling birth cohorts in allergy and asthma: European union-funded initiatives-a MeDALL, CHICOS, ENRIECO, and GALEN joint paper: CHICOS study group ENRIECO study group GA2LEN study group
Long-term birth cohort studies are essential to understanding the life course and childhood predictors of allergy and the complex interplay between genes and the environment (including lifestyle and socioeconomic determinants). Over 100 cohorts focusing on asthma and allergy have been initiated in the world over the past 30 years. Since 2004, several research initiatives funded under the EU Framework Program for Research and Technological Development FP6-FP7 have attempted to identify, compare, and evaluate pooling data from existing European birth cohorts (GA2LEN: Global Allergy and European Network, FP6; ENRIECO: Environmental Health Risks in European Birth Cohorts, FP7; CHICOS: Developing a Child Cohort Research Strategy for Europe, FP7; MeDALL: Mechanisms of the Development of ALLergy, FP7). However, there is a general lack of knowledge about these initiatives and their potentials. The aim of this paper is to review current and past EU-funded projects in order to make a summary of their goals and achievements and to suggest future research needs of these European birth cohort networks. \ua9 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel