Co-Registration of Optically Sensed Images and Correlation (COSI-Corr): an Operational Methodology for Ground Deformation Measurements

Recent methodological progress, Co-Registration of Optically Sensed Images and Correlation, outlined here, makes it possible to measure horizontal ground deformation from optical images on an operational basis, using the COSI-Corr software package. In particular, its sub-pixel capabilities allow for accurate mapping of surface ruptures and measurement of co-seismic offsets. We retrieved the fault rupture of the 2005 Mw 7.6 Kashmir earthquake from ASTER images, and we also present a dense mapping of the 1992 Mw 7.3 Landers earthquake of California, from the mosaicking of 30 pairs of aerial images

Combined Laplacian-equivolumic model for studying cortical lamination with ultra high field MRI (7 T)

International audienceThe fine spatial resolution and novel contrasts offered by high-field magnetic resonance allow in vivo detection of histological layers in the cerebral cortex. This opens the way to in vivo analysis of cortical lamination, but the comparison of lamination profiles has proved challenging because the layers’ geometry is strongly influenced by cortical curvature. This paper introduces a model of the micro-structural organization of the cortex, which can compensate for the effect of cortical curvature. Layers are modelled by an equivolumic principle, while the vertical structure of the cortex is represented with a Laplacian model. In this framework, lamination profiles can be represented in a way that preserves the original voxel sampling of the acquisition. This model is validated on a magnetic resonance image of a post-mortem human brain acquired on a human 7 T scanner at 0.35 mm resolution

Optimization of sample preparation for MRI of formaldehyde-fixed brains

International audienceMagnetic resonance imaging of post-mortem brains allows long acquisition times up to several days and can be used to obtain high-resolution images at high field (7 T) which can be readily correlated with histological examination of the tissue. However, death and formaldehyde fixation are known to modify severely the relaxivity and diffusion properties of brain tissue. In particular, formaldehyde is known to shorten T2, which drastically reduces SNR.In order to counteract this effect and recover better SNR, free fixative can be washed out by soaking the sample in isotonic saline solution. This has been demonstrated in small biopsy-sized tissue samples, but little data is available concerning whole brain specimens.This study was designed to describe the kinetics of the change of relaxivity and diffusion properties of whole brain specimen at 7 T, during fixation, and during soaking in saline solution, in order to determine optimal soaking times.In the ewe brain, the fixation was found to stabilize after approximately 8 weeks, and the optimal duration of saline soaking is found to be around 3 weeks. These durations can be expected to be longer for larger specimen, such as human brains, which require longer penetration times

Neurones à kisspeptine et oestrogènes. Etude chez le poisson zèbre et le loup de mer. Kisspeptin neurones and their relationships with estrogens. Study in two fish species the zebrafish and the sea bass.

Supported by EU Project LIFECYCLE (FP7-222719-1) to OK and SZ, NEMO project to OK and ACOM/2010/086-GV. SE was supported by a JAE-Predoc (CSIC, Spain).Peer Reviewe

0165: Outcome after drug-eluting stents for cardiac allograft vasculopathy

PurposeCardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) constitues a primary cause of death after heart transplantation. Bare metal stents (BMS) have been used for revascularization, but they are associated with a high-risk of restenosis.Abstract 0474 – Figure: Kaplan-Meier estimates of one-year mortalityLimited data have shown favourable results with percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) using drug-eluting stents (DES) in this specific population. Our study focuses on intra-stent restenosis (ISR) for DES in CAV, on new revascularisation and mortality.Methods97 consecutive heart transplant recipients with successful PCI were treated with DES (n=106) and BMS (n=25). They were prospectively followed-up at one year after PCI. An angiographic lesion-based analysis at 12-month follow-up and a patient-based survival analysis were performed.ResultsThe lesion-based analysis within 12 months after PCI showed an ISR rate with BMS of 12% and an ISR rate with DES of 3.8%. The target lesion revascularization (TLR) was 8% for BMS and 2.8% for DES. However, the target vessel revascularization was higher (16.5%) and the remote lesion revascularization was 8.7%, indicating the rapid occurrence of new significant lesions. Cardiac mortality at one year was 9.7% and extra- cardiac mortality was 2.9%.ConclusionsDES are associated with a low rate of TLR and can safely be used in heart transplant recipients with coronary artery disease. However, new significant lesions occurred at one year indicating a progression of CAV

À la recherche des particularités du cerveau d’Homo neanderthalensis et d’Homo sapiens

Étudier le cerveau des humains préhistoriques est complexe du fait de la non fossilisation de cet organe. Des empreintes sur la surface interne du crâne permettent la reconstruction de ce que nous nommons l’endocrâne (le moulage de cette surface). Sur cette base, nous ne disposons que d’un reflet partiel de la morphologie et des dimensions du cerveau, puisque le détail de la correspondance entre cerveau et endocrâne demeure faiblement documenté. C’est l’objectif principal du projet PaleoBrai..

What do brain endocasts tell us? A comparative analysis of the accuracy of sulcal identification by experts and perspectives in palaeoanthropology

Palaeoneurology is a complex field as the object of study, the brain, does not fossilize. Studies rely therefore on the (brain) endocranial cast (often named endocast), the only available and reliable proxy for brain shape, size and details of surface. However, researchers debate whether or not specific marks found on endocasts correspond reliably to particular sulci and/or gyri of the brain that were imprinted in the braincase. The aim of this study is to measure the accuracy of sulcal identification through an experiment that reproduces the conditions that palaeoneurologists face when working with hominin endocasts. We asked 14 experts to manually identify well-known foldings in a proxy endocast that was obtained from an MRI of an actual in vivo Homo sapiens head. We observe clear differences in the results when comparing the non-corrected labels (the original labels proposed by each expert) with the corrected labels. This result illustrates that trying to reconstruct a sulcus following the very general known shape/position in the literature or from a mean specimen may induce a bias when looking at an endocast and trying to follow the marks observed there. We also observe that the identification of sulci appears to be better in the lower part of the endocast compared to the upper part. The results concerning specific anatomical traits have implications for highly debated topics in palaeoanthropology. Endocranial description of fossil specimens should in the future consider the variation in position and shape of sulci in addition to using models of mean brain shape. Moreover, it is clear from this study that researchers can perceive sulcal imprints with reasonably high accuracy, but their correct identification and labelling remains a challenge, particularly when dealing with extinct species for which we lack direct knowledge of the brain

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Imaging cortical layers with magnetic resonance at 7 teslas

Cette thèse présente le développement d’une méthodologie qui permet d’analyser la structure en couches du cortex cérébral, en utilisant l’imagerie par résonance magnétique en champ intense (IRM à 7 teslas). Alors que l’architecture corticale est traditionnellement étudiée par imagerie microscopique de coupes de tissu post-mortem, l’utilisation d’une technique non invasive telle que l’IRM permet d’envisager d’étudier la lamination corticale in vivo, et ainsi de dépasser les atlas architecturaux classiques comme celui de Brodmann.Deux approches ont été utilisées pour l’acquisition d’images à haute résolution. La première, développée pour l’imagerie in vivo, utilise une reconstruction super-résolue à partir de coupes épaisses acquises dans différentes géométries. La seconde, basée sur une séquence tridimensionnelle optimisée pour l’imagerie post-mortem, a permis l’acquisition d’images de pièces anatomiques.La contribution principale de cette thèse réside dans le développement d’un couple de méthodes permettant d’extraire automatiquement, en chaque point du cortex, un profil caractérisant son architecture en couches. Pour permettre l’extraction robuste de ces profils, un modèle original de l’influence de la courbure corticale a été développé et implémenté.Ces méthodes ont été testées et validées sur plusieurs pièces anatomiques. Ce travail permet d’envisager la caractérisation de l’architecture des aires corticales, voire leur délimitation automatique, en utilisant l’IRM en champ intense.This thesis presents the development of a methodology for the analysis of the layered structure of the cerebral cortex, using high-field magnetic resonance imaging (7-tesla MRI). While cortical layers are traditionally studied using microscopic imaging of post-mortem tissue slices, the use a non-invasive technique such as MRI will enable in vivo studies, and thus allow new approaches beyond the use of classical architectural atlases such as Brodmann's.Two imaging methodologies have been used to acquire high-resolution images. First, a method based on super-resolution reconstruction from thick slices acquired in different geometries was developed for in vivo imaging. Second, a three-dimensional imaging sequence optimized for post-mortem tissue allowed imaging excised brain specimen.The main contribution of this thesis consists of a pair of methods that perform an automatic extraction of cortical profiles, which characterize the laminar architecture at any cortical location. In order to allow robust extraction of these profiles, an original model of the influence of cortical curvature was developed and implemented.These methods were tested and validated on multiple brain specimen. This work allows envisaging an automatic microarchitectural characterization of cortical areas, and even architectural parcellation, using high-field MRI

Imagerie des couches corticales par résonance magnétique à 7 teslas

This thesis presents the development of a methodology for the analysis of the layered structure of the cerebral cortex, using high-field magnetic resonance imaging (7-tesla MRI). While cortical layers are traditionally studied using microscopic imaging of post-mortem tissue slices, the use a non-invasive technique such as MRI will enable in vivo studies, and thus allow new approaches beyond the use of classical architectural atlases such as Brodmann's.Two imaging methodologies have been used to acquire high-resolution images. First, a method based on super-resolution reconstruction from thick slices acquired in different geometries was developed for in vivo imaging. Second, a three-dimensional imaging sequence optimized for post-mortem tissue allowed imaging excised brain specimen.The main contribution of this thesis consists of a pair of methods that perform an automatic extraction of cortical profiles, which characterize the laminar architecture at any cortical location. In order to allow robust extraction of these profiles, an original model of the influence of cortical curvature was developed and implemented.These methods were tested and validated on multiple brain specimen. This work allows envisaging an automatic microarchitectural characterization of cortical areas, and even architectural parcellation, using high-field MRI.Cette thèse présente le développement d’une méthodologie qui permet d’analyser la structure en couches du cortex cérébral, en utilisant l’imagerie par résonance magnétique en champ intense (IRM à 7 teslas). Alors que l’architecture corticale est traditionnellement étudiée par imagerie microscopique de coupes de tissu post-mortem, l’utilisation d’une technique non invasive telle que l’IRM permet d’envisager d’étudier la lamination corticale in vivo, et ainsi de dépasser les atlas architecturaux classiques comme celui de Brodmann.Deux approches ont été utilisées pour l’acquisition d’images à haute résolution. La première, développée pour l’imagerie in vivo, utilise une reconstruction super-résolue à partir de coupes épaisses acquises dans différentes géométries. La seconde, basée sur une séquence tridimensionnelle optimisée pour l’imagerie post-mortem, a permis l’acquisition d’images de pièces anatomiques.La contribution principale de cette thèse réside dans le développement d’un couple de méthodes permettant d’extraire automatiquement, en chaque point du cortex, un profil caractérisant son architecture en couches. Pour permettre l’extraction robuste de ces profils, un modèle original de l’influence de la courbure corticale a été développé et implémenté.Ces méthodes ont été testées et validées sur plusieurs pièces anatomiques. Ce travail permet d’envisager la caractérisation de l’architecture des aires corticales, voire leur délimitation automatique, en utilisant l’IRM en champ intense