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Biomedical subjects

S Leeman

Publications and source records attributed to S Leeman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Assessment of hybrid speckle reduction algorithms.

A consequence of employing coherent detection methods in medical ultrasound imaging systems is the occurrence of interference effects in the received echo field, which produce the speckle artefact. Speckle can severely degrade the information content of the image, and its efficient removal from ultrasound pulse-echo images is the focus of a number of research projects. Traditionally, the approach towards speckle reduction in pulse-echo images has been based on two classes of technique, either employing some form of spatial/frequency compounding or a data (image) filter. Both approaches have inherent shortcomings, and two alternative techniques are suggested here: 'local frequency diversity' and 'frequency differencing'. These algorithms deterministically identify where speckle occurs, and correct for speckle only within short, localized, corrupted segments of the A-line. This provides the potential for real-time implementation. Simulated and clinical in vivo images have been obtained, and the capabilities of the alternative speckle reduction algorithms are assessed against the more conventional approaches.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1991

[Lipedema].

An overall view of the clinical findings in lipedema is given and of its treatment. Lipedema is shown to be a distinct illness, and not just a disturbance of the distribution pattern of subcutaneous fatty tissue. The diagnosis is based on an accurate history and specific criteria on clinical examination and palpation.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1989

Substance P and neurokinin A in the cat carotid body: localization, exogenous effects and changes in content in response to arterial pO2.

In the present work we studied the occurrence of substance P (SP) and neurokinin A (NKA) in the carotid bodies of cats by means of immunocytochemistry and radioimmunoassay (RIA). We also compared the exogenous effects of SP and NKA on carotid body sensory discharge. SP- and NKA-like immunoreactivities (SP-LI; NKA-LI) were seen in many glomus cells and in a sparse plexus of fine fibers. The SP-LI containing glomus cells and fibers also exhibited NKA-LI, suggesting that both these tachykinins coexist in the carotid body. Chemoreceptor discharge increased both by SP and NKA in a dose-dependent manner. The peak excitation produced by SP and NKA was the same when the effects were compared on an equimolar basis. The tachykinin content of the carotid bodies varied with changes in arterial pO2. During normoxia, SP and NKA levels were 57 +/- 8 and 85 +/- 14 fmol/mg, respectively. When the animals were exposed for 1 h to 100% O2, SP content was unchanged (51 +/- 4 fmol/mg), whereas NKA levels were significantly lower than during normoxia (29 +/- 3 fmol/mg, P less than 0.01). Following 1 h of hypoxia, SP content of the carotid body was 146 +/- 20 fmol/mg, a value higher than that obtained during normoxia and hyperoxia. NKA levels, on the other hand, were not significantly different from normoxic values. These results indicate that the cat carotid body (1) contains both SP and NKA, (2) both peptides augment neural discharge of the carotid body and (3) their levels in the carotid body are substantially altered by arterial oxygen, the natural stimulus to the chemoreceptors.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1989

Reflections on tissue characterisation.

Theoretical predictions that absorption and velocity dispersion, in addition to characteristic acoustic impedance mismatch, mediate the reflectivity of a planar interface are explored. A technique to measure the frequency dependence of the reflectivity is described: a special hydrophone, purpose-built to this end, is utilised in order to show that perspex/water and neoprene/water reflectivities are not inconsistent with the general predictions of the theory. An approach towards displaying, simultaneously, both the temporal and spectral properties of ultrasound pulses is described, and its potential utility in both reflectivity measurement and investigation of non-linear propagation is proposed.

Acoustics↗
PubMed1989

Phasing out speckle.

It is demonstrated that the instantaneous frequency of a backscattered echo sequence can be used to pinpoint the location of destructive interference effects. These interference artefacts, which are generally interpreted as speckle in the image, are generally removed by stochastic averaging or filtering methods applied to the acquired image. The method proposed here can detect such artefacts within individual A-lines, and thus differs from conventional techniques. Where speckle is recognised within each A-line, the artefact can be corrected on a local basis by the application of the frequency diversity technique. Because it relies only on A-line processing, the approach points the way towards a speckle reduction technique which can realistically be implemented on a real-time basis. In this paper, the principles of the technique are illustrated using a simple two-reflector model.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed1989

Quantitative sonography of muscle.

Ultrasound imaging allows detection of pathologic change in muscle on the basis of increased strength of echoes. With current commercial equipment, however, there is no method of quantitation of the echoes representing muscle, and there is lack of uniformity in scanning methodology. We describe a specially constructed scanning system, designed to access the raw echo data directly from the ultrasound transducer, and allow display and measurement of the echo signals on a computer. In a study of 38 boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, aged 1 to 11 years, who had an ultrasound scan of the thigh muscle, 32 (84%) had abnormality on quantitation of the ultrasound echoes. The quantitative techniques we describe could easily be incorporated into the design of ultrasound scanners.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Acute reduction of brain substance P induced by nicotine.

Ten minutes after a single injection of 0.8 mg/kg nicotine SC (free base) the level of substance P-like immunoreactivity (SPLI) was reduced by 61-73% in rat caudate-putamen, nucleus accumbens, and olfactory tubercle, with smaller and not significant reductions in the frontal cortex, substantia nigra, and ventral tegmental area. The nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine (1.0 mg/kg IP) prevented the reductions in SPLI. The rapidity and the degree of the changes in SPLI after nicotine exceed those previously reported for other agents and implicate substance P neurotransmission as a major component of nicotinic action.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Noninvasive evaluation of hepatic fibrosis using frequency demodulation of ultrasound signals.

A new ultrasound image can be produced by frequency demodulation (FM) of the conventional ultrasound signal. This new FM image appeared to produce a more accurate representation of the fine structure of the liver. The individual features of the FM image were correlated with hepatic portal fibrosis and cirrhosis on liver biopsy in 34 patients with minimal hepatic fat and sinusoidal collagen. An overall ultrasound score correlated with portal fibrosis (r = 0.788; P less than 0.001). We conclude that the FM image may be helpful in measuring and following the progression of hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1986

Frequency-demodulated US: evaluation in the liver. Work in progress.

Frequency modulated (FM) imaging is a new ultrasound (US) modality that uses pulse-echo signal instantaneous frequency in addition to the conventional envelope information. Eight features of the FM image in nondiseased livers are described. The technique is evaluated in a study of 34 patients with biopsy-proved diffuse liver disease. Visual grading of FM US image features shows good correlation with levels of biopsy-graded hepatic fibrosis. Patients with diffuse parenchymal liver disease often exhibit evidence of the abnormality when FM liver imaging is used, while such evidence is not as well demonstrated with conventional envelope (AM) imaging.

Humans↗
PubMed1986

The instantaneous frequency of a sinewave squelched bandlimited signal.

We study the instantaneous frequency of a signal which is formed by the summation of a sinewave and a bandlimited signal. We refer to the composite signal as a sinewave squelched or simply a squelched signal. We study the behavior of the squelched signal at its real zeros and extrema. In particular when the sinewave frequency is equal to the largest frequency in the signal's spectrum and its amplitude is greater than the signal's maximum amplitude, the analytic signal corresponding to this resultant signal (hereafter abbreviated as RZ signal) has only real zeros which contain all of the bandlimited signal's information. FM systems often use zero crossing techniques in the demodulation process. For a process with a normal amplitude distribution, we derive a relationship between the zero crossing density of an RZ converted signal and that of the original signal. One application of these analyses is in ultrasonic FM imaging. We give an explanation for the behavior of the FM imaging system as a function of amplitude and frequency of the added cosine.

Image Processing, Computer-Assisted↗
PubMed1979

1.5 MHz ultrasound irradiation of human lymphocytes.

Human lymphocyte cultures are exposed to 1.5 MHz continuous wave ultrasound, and it is demonstrated that cell death, as monitored by pyknosis, follows immediately on sonication at intensities within the usual therapeutic range (less than 1.7 W/cm2,spatial average). The number of cells affected is determined by the ultrasound intensity only, but the rate at which they proceed through their pyknosis cycle is modified by both the intensity and the duration of exposure. There is a clear indication of an intensity threshold for the effect approximately 1.1 W/cm2. Pulsed 1.5 MHz ultrasound (70 mus, 1 :1 pulses, 1.7 W/cm2 space-time average) results in a 15-20 hour delay in the measurable response to sonication. It is shown that the intracellular presence of a lysosomal-enzyme inhibitor strongly modifies the course of the ultrasound action. Evidence is presented to suggest that the basic interaction mechanism is via a cavitation process, but there are some difficulties with this interpretation, which are also discussed.

Cell Nucleus↗
PubMed1979

Transfer functions for describing ultrasound system performance.

A practical method of assessing ultrasonic A-scan pulse-echo scanner performance is described, which relies upon the identification and quantitation of an overall system transfer function. The mapping of reflecting elements into an image is then described by this transfer function, and indices of system performance, and particularly resolution and range accuracy, are developed in terms of the shape of the transfer function. Some advantages of this method compared to more conventional methods of assessing scanner performance are discussed.

Mathematics↗
PubMed1978

The intestine as source of immunoreactive substance P in plasma of the cat.

1. Substance P (SP) was measured in acid acetone extracted plasma of cats using a sensitive radioimmunoassay. The immunoreactive material was submitted to ion exchange chromatography and at least 90% of immunoreactivity co-chromatographed with synthetic SP. 2. The level of immunoreactive SP (I-SP) in extracted plasma of the cat was 69.3 +/- 9.8 fmol/ml with values ranging from 2.5 to 165 fmol/ml. Evisceration of the cats caused a decrease of I-SP levels from 70.8 +/- 30.8 fmol/ml to 20.8 +/- 9.9 15 min and to 26.8 +/- 19.7 fmol/ml 60 min after the operation. 3. Ligation of intestinal blood vessels led to a fall in I-SP levels from 58.7 +/- 11.5 to 25.9 +/- 4.1 fmol/ml within 15 min. 4. No difference between I-SP values in portal (71.8 +/- 11.2 fmol/ml) and peripheral plasma (68.3 +/- 12.1 fmol/ml) was found under the conditions in which these experiments were performed. 5. It is concluded that a major part of circulating immunoreactive SP originates from the intestine.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Neurotensin: specific binding to synaptic membranes from rat brain.

The binding of neurotensin to synaptic membranes from rat brain was studied at 24 degrees with the use of [3H]neurotensin. The binding was found to be highly specific, saturable, and reversible. Values for KD of 2 nM and 0.9 nM were derived from equilibrium and kinetic experiments, respectively. Virtually no degradation of neurotensin was observed in the incubation medium after exposure to synaptic membranes under the conditions of the binding studies. Competitive inhibition of [3H]neurotensin binding by partial sequences of neurotensin revealed that the addition of the residue arginine-8 to the neurotensin-(9-13)-pentapeptide increases about 500-fold the relative binding potency, whereas the remaining portion of the NH2-terminal region is mainly responsible for full pharmacological potency; the COOH-terminal leucyl residue is essential for binding.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Ultrasonic backscattering from human tissue: a realistic model.

The propagation of ultrasound pulses in inhomogeneous media is described, and it is shown that they are scattered by fluctuations in density and compressibility. It is proposed that some of the echoes recorded by diagnostic pulse echo equipment are produced in this way. The precise form of the acoustic field backscattered from tissues is calculated using realistic approximations about the nature of tissue inhomogeneitics and the form of the pulses used. It is shown that only limited information about tissue structure is contained in these signals, and the restrictions imposed by the use of typical pulses are indicated. The implications of this analysis for methods of tissue characterization and clinical imaging are discussed.

Humans↗