NMR characterization of animals’ follicular fluids

Follicular Fluid (FF) provides a special environment to the oocyte during its maturation in vivo. The FF is derived from the sanguineous plasma and secretions, synthesised in the follicle wall that contain a large variety of metabolites (1). These metabolites are probably involved in the physiology of the oocytes (1). The chemical composition of follicular fluids is important because it is an indicator of the secretory activities and metabolism of follicular cells and thus could be related to the follicular quality. It could also provide a useful indication of the oocyte growth and maturation (2). High Resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy provides a unique tool for studying metabolites. Initially, NMR spectroscopy was used mainly in biomedicine but it is found now in many physiological applications (3). As the NMR spectroscopy provides opportunities for obtaining qualitative and quantitative data from body fluids, it was hypothesized that this technique could provide information on mammals’ follicular fluid and on intrafollicular changes that occur during follicular growth and ovulation. As some of these changes are probably of crucial importance for oocyte developmental competence, a better knowledge of the mammals’ follicular fluid composition by 1H NMR analysis should help to resolve some of the problems encountered during in vitro procedures in the mammals. The characterization of the chemical composition of mammals follicular fluids, namely sheep, cattle, mare and pork, and the study of the changes observed during follicular growth and maturation using NMR spectroscopy will be presented. FF samples were collected from antral follicle of different dimensions. One-dimensional (1D) 1H experiments (CPMG, DOSY) were obtained for all the FF samples. In addition, several two dimensional (2D) (homo and heteronuclear) experiments (DQF-COSY, TOCSY, JRES, 1H-13C HSQC) were performed to aid in the assignment of the signals and in the identification of the metabolites in FF. A direct evaluation of the lipids, carbohydrates and metabolites were obtained from the combination of the 1D and 2D NMR experiments

Peripheral dose measurement in high-energy photon radiotherapy with the implementation of MOSFET

AIM: To study the peripheral dose (PD) from high-energy photon beams in radiotherapy using the metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) dose verification system

Reduction of motion, truncation and flow artifacts using BLADE sequences in cervical spine MR imaging

Purpose To assess the efficacy of the BLADE technique (MR imaging with ‘rotating blade-like k-space covering’) to significantly reduce motion, truncation, flow and other artifacts in cervical spine compared to the conventional technique. Materials and methods In eighty consecutive subjects, who had been routinely scanned for cervical spine examination, the following pairs of sequences were compared: a) T2 TSE SAG vs. T2 TSE SAG BLADE and b) T2 TIRM SAG vs. T2 TIRM SAG BLADE. A quantitative analysis was performed using the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) measures. A qualitative analysis was also performed by two radiologists, who graded seven image characteristics on a 5-point scale (0: non-visualization; 1: poor; 2: average; 3: good; 4: excellent). The observers also evaluated the presence of image artifacts (motion, truncation, flow, indentation). Results In quantitative analysis, the CNR values of the CSF/SC between TIRM SAG and TIRM SAG BLADE were found to present statistically significant differences (p < 0.001). Regarding motion and truncation artifacts, the T2 TSE BLADE SAG was superior compared to the T2 TSE SAG, and the T2 TIRM BLADE SAG was superior compared to the T2 TIRM SAG. Regarding flow artifacts, T2 TIRM BLADE SAG eliminated more artifacts than T2 TIRM SAG. Conclusions In cervical spine MRI, BLADE sequences appear to significantly reduce motion, truncation and flow artifacts and improve image quality. BLADE sequences are proposed to be used for uncooperative subjects. Nevertheless, more research needs to be done by testing additional specific pathologies

Clinical Significance of Major Angiogenesis-Related Effectors in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer Treated with Trastuzumab-based Regimens.

PURPOSE: Angiogenesis is a crucial phenomenon in the development and progression of breast cancer (BC), but the clinical significance of angiogenesis-related proteins in metastatic BC remains unknown. This study investigates the prognostic value of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1, 2, 3 (VEGFR1, VEGFR2, VEGFR3) as well as vascular endothelial growth factors A and C (VEGFA and VEGFC) in metastatic BC patients treated with trastuzumab-based regimens. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Two hundred female patients were included. Protein and mRNA expression of the studied angiogenesis-related factors were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR), respectively. RESULTS: High expression of VEGFA, VEGFC, VEGFR1, VEGFR2 and VEGFR3 in the tumor cells was observed in 43.5%, 24.2%, 36%, 29.5% and 43%, respectively. Stromal elements expressed high levels of VEGFA, VEGFC, VEGFR1, VEGFR2, VEGFR3 in 78.9%, 93.3%, 90.7%, 90.2 %,74.8% of tumors with available data. High tumor cell expression of VEGFR1 was a favorable prognosticator for survival among patients with HER2-positive tumors (HR=0.55, p=0.013). A trend towards longer progression free survival (PFS) was detected univariately for patients with HER2-negative tumors and high expression of VEGFR2, (HR=0.60, p=0.059). CONCLUSION: VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 seem to have significant prognostic value in BC patients with metastatic disease treated with trastuzumab-based regimens