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Biomedical subjects

T W Chan

Publications and source records attributed to T W Chan.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

Magnetic resonance imaging of abscesses using lipid-coated iron oxide particles.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The authors investigated whether iron oxide particles can be used as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent to image abscesses in a two-stage experimental design. METHODS: Human buffy coat was incubated with iron oxide particles of different sizes and coatings. Smears of the incubation mixture were made on a glass slide and stained for iron. The percentage of iron oxide uptake was determined by counting 100 neutrophils and monocytes and scoring the number of cells that contain iron. Subcutaneous abscesses were created in the flanks of 18 Sprague-Dawley rats by injecting them with 0.1 mL of turpentine. Iron oxide was given intravenously, and the animals were imaged by MRI (1.5 T) 12 to 24 hours later. Different iron oxide coatings and doses were compared. RESULTS: The four different types of coating (constant fragment [Fc] of IgG, bovine serum albumin [BSA], lipid [Ferrosome], and dextran) had an uptake of 72% +/- 5.3%, 61% +/- 6.2%, 30.5% +/- 6.8%, and 5% +/- 2.5%, respectively. Comparison of two particle sizes (mean, 90 versus 35 nm) showed the large particles to have higher uptake (61% +/- 6.2%) compared with the small particles (6% +/- 1.8%) (P less than .001). Post-contrast imaging of the rats showed a hypointense ring around the abscess only in the animals injected with the lipid-coated agent. The effect was discernible within 12 hours after contrast injection and at a dose of 25 mumols iron/kg. Histologic sections showed phagocytic cells with iron granules in the periphery of the abscess. No hypointense ring on MRI or iron granules on histologic sections was seen around the abscess of the control animals or those injected with BSA-iron oxide or Fc-iron oxide. CONCLUSIONS: Lipid-coated iron oxide particles can be used to image abscesses by virtue of their phagocytosis into surrounding inflammatory cells. Positive uptake of these particles by human phagocytes in vitro suggests that similar results may be applicable in humans.

Abscess

MRI appearance of femoral head osteonecrosis following core decompression and bone grafting.

We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate retrospectively 32 hips with avascular necrosis of the femoral head before and after core decompression and bone grafting. At a median follow-up time of 15 months, 4 of 9 large lesions had undergone femoral head collapse; 2 small lesions had decreased in size; and 14 small, 6 moderate, and 5 large lesions were unchanged. One hip with biopsy-proven avascular necrosis had diffuse marrow edema which resolved after surgery. The signal pattern within the lesions was analyzed in 17 hips. Fifteen lesions were unchanged, while one fat-like lesion became fibrous-like and one edema-like lesion resolved. Analysis of the femoral neck marrow signal in one patient revealed that premature fatty marrow conversion had reverted to hemopoietic marrow 2 years after surgery. Most lesions that appeared stable on MRI were clinically stable or improved. MRI can demonstrated changes in size and signal characteristics as well as femoral head collapse after core decompression and bone grafting. Changes in the surrounding marrow signal, including resolution of marrow edema and reconversion from fatty to hemopoietic marrow, can also be detected.

Adult

Biceps tendon dislocation: evaluation with MR imaging.

The magnetic resonance (MR) images from six patients with biceps tendon dislocation--two in whom it was surgically proved and four in whom it was suspected--were retrospectively evaluated. The dislocated tendon can be identified medial to the bicipital groove, best seen on the axial and oblique coronal and sagittal images. Associated abnormalities of the biceps tendon include thickening (n = 3), high signal intensity (n = 3), and surrounding fluid (n = 4). The factors thought to contribute to dislocation can also be well seen on MR images. These include abnormal shape of the bicipital groove (n = 2), disruption of the coracohumeral ligament (n = 6), disruption (n = 4) and thinning (n = 1) of the subscapularis tendon, and supraspinatus tendon tear (n = 4). Since MR imaging is becoming the modality of choice for the evaluation of shoulder derangements, familiarity with the appearance of biceps tendon dislocation on MR images is important.

Adult

Combined chemical-shift and phase-selective imaging for fat suppression: theory and initial clinical experience.

Incomplete fat suppression with a chemical-shift-selective (CHESS) or phase-selective (Dixon) technique is partially due to the olefinic fat component, which precesses at the same frequency as water. The authors developed a new method of fat suppression--the opposed-fat saturation (OP-ES) sequence--that combines both techniques to obtain superior fat saturation. Fat suppression was verified in phantom studies, which showed that the CHESS portion can eliminate most of the aliphatic fat signal except for a small residual component because of steady state effects and magnetic field imperfections. This residual component is cancelled by the olefinic fat with the phase-selective opposed portion of the sequence. Furthermore, this sequence was superior to another hybrid technique, chopper Dixon in combination with CHESS. When used in 10 healthy volunteers, the OP-FS sequence showed consistently better suppression of the subcutaneous and retroperitoneal fat compared with CHESS alone. Additional advantages for clinical abdominal imaging include its compatibility with respiratory compensation, use of a single excitation, and ease of implementation with gradient-echo imaging. Preliminary application in 10 patients illustrated other potential advantages, including clarification of fat-containing diseases and increasing conspicuity of some lesions.

Adipose Tissue

Rectal carcinoma: staging at MR imaging with endorectal surface coil. Work in progress.

To increase the accuracy of local staging of rectal carcinomas at magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, the authors placed on endorectal coil mounted on a balloon in a position adjacent to the lesion. Use of such a local coil resulted in increased signal-to-noise ratio compared with use of a body coil; higher-resolution images were obtained because the field of view was decreased. The depth of wall invasion by rectal carcinoma was correctly staged with endorectal MR imaging in 11 of 12 patients. In the detection of perirectal adenopathy, use of MR enabled correct identification of positive perirectal nodes in four of seven patients (57%). There were no false-positive diagnoses of perirectal adenopathy at MR. Endorectal MR imaging is an evolving and promising technique for the local staging of rectal carcinomas, but further studies are needed to demonstrate its efficacy.

Female

Differential diagnosis of hepatic neoplasms: spin echo versus gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetate-enhanced gradient echo imaging.

Early results are reported of hepatic neoplasms studied with dynamic gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetate (Gd-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of the Gd enhancement pattern for characterizing these neoplasms and to compare the performance of spin-echo (SE) to SE plus dynamic Gd-enhanced gradient-echo (GRE) pulse sequences. Forty-two patients with hepatic neoplasms were examined at 1.5 T field strength. In each patient, short and long repetition time/echo time (TR/TE) SE images were obtained, followed by pre- and post-Gd-DTPA (0.1 mmol/kg body wt), single-slice, breath-hold (13 s/scan) GRE images, which were serially acquired less than or equal to 12 min postinjection. The patterns of contrast enhancement of the various hepatic lesions were documented and analyzed. The time to peak Gd signal enhancement-to-noise ratio (SE/N), contrast-to-noise ratio (C/N), contrast (defined as the signal intensity ratio [SIR]), as well as the peak values of these quantities, were determined. The C/N and SIR values on the short and long TR/TE SE and pre-Gd GRE images for all hepatic neoplasms were also obtained. The discriminating abilities (hemangiomas vs. malignant neoplasms) of these quantities were analyzed statistically. In addition, the impact of lesion characterization on the SE versus the SE plus the Gd-enhanced GRE scans was assessed by means of a blinded reader study. Malignant hepatic neoplasms could be differentiated from hemangiomas by visual inspection of their enhancement patterns (p = 0.0009), by the time to peak C/N on Gd-enhanced images (p = 0.0002), and by the magnitude of such peak (p = 0.02). Combined SE + Gd-enhanced GRE scans afforded minor, though statistically significant (p less than 0.01), improvement of the accuracy in differentiating benign from malignant hepatic neoplasms. Late scans (12 min post-Gd) may be particularly useful in identifying hemangiomas that, unlike other neoplasms, have a significant high signal of their enhancing portions on such images.

Adult

Importance of C4a- and N5-covalent adducts in the flavin oxidation of carbanions.

The reaction of nitroalkanes, furoin, and phenacyl alcohol with 7- and 8-cyano-3,10-dimethylisoalloxazine (7-CNFlox, 8-CNFlox), 5-ethyl-3-methyllumiflavinium ion (Flox+Et), and 2.6-dichloroindophenol (DCI) have been studied. Nitromethane anion forms an adduct on reaction with Flox +Et. The condensation reaction has been shown (nuclear magnetic resonance) to occur through addition of the methylene carbon of the nitromethane anion to the 4a position of Flox+Et. This adduct undergoes spontaneous dissociation to its components in acid. It does not undergo conversion in base to reduced flavin (1,5-F1EtH), NO2-, and CH2O. For this reason one may conclude that nitroalkane anion oxidation by flavin does not involve the intermediacy of a 4a-covalent intermediate. Oxidation of nitroalkane anion through formation of an N5-flavin adduct is discussed in terms of the peculiar requirements of the substrate when compared with carbanions derived from normal flavoenzyme substrates. It is concluded that the mechanism of nitroalkane oxidation by flavin must bear no relationship to the flavin oxidation of normal substrates. Furoin and phenacyl alcohol (compounds containing the-CH(OH)--CO-functionality) are oxidized by 8-CNFlOX, 7-CNFlOX, DCI and by the N5-blocked flavin Flox+Et. These reactions are found to be zero order in oxidant at the concentrations of oxidants (approximately 1.0 X 10(-5) M) and reductant (approximately 10(-3) to 10(-4) M) employed. This finding, and that of an 1H/2H kinetic isotope effect of 3.5, as well as certain equalities of the determined rate constants establish the rate-determining step in all these oxidations to be carbanion formation. That the N5-blocked flavin (Flox+Et) serves just as well as an oxidant as do substituted and unsubstituted isoalloxazines provides evidence that the flavin oxidation of carbanions of general structure (-C-(OH)--CO-) does not require the formation of an intermediate N5-flavin adduct. This conclusion when taken with the fact that the N5-flavin adduct formed on reaction of dihydroflavin with -C(=O)--CO-is not an intermediate in the reduction of -C(=O)--CO-to -CH(OH)--CO- by dihydroflavin shows that N5 adducts do not arise as intermediates in these oxidations. Remaining mechanisms (4a addition and radical pair formation) are discussed. 4a addition of carbanions to Flox+Et is shown to be subject to considerable steric strain by the instability of the nitroethane adduct and the inability to observe the formation of the 2-nitropropane adduct.

Anions

Chemiluminescent reactions and electrophilic oxygen donating ability of 4a-hydroperoxyflavins: general synthetic method for the preparation of N5-alkyl-1,5-dihydroflavins.

The synthesis of N5-methyl- and N5-ethyl-1,5-dihydroflavin mononucleotides is reported. These compounds show no bioluminescence activity with bacterial luciferase. This feature is interpreted in terms of steric hindrance between the N5-alkyl group and a hydrogen bonding group at the active site of the luciferase. The chemiluminescence observed on reaction of N5-alkyl-1,5-dihydroflavins with oxygen and aldehydes has been shown to occur via formation of a mixed peroxide of flavin and aldehyde and to be associated with a primary deuterium isotope effect when [1-2H]aldehyde is substituted for aldehyde. The time course for light emission has been compared for aldehyde and ketone substrates. The suggestion is entertained that the peroxide bond of 4a-hydroperoxyflavin is sufficiently polarized to allow this species to act as the oxidant per se at the active site of mixed function oxidases. The second-order rate constants for reaction of hydroperoxides with thioxane and I- are compared. 4a-Hydroperoxy-3,5-dimethyllumiflavin is shown to convert thioxane to its sulfoxide 1.8 X 10(5) times faster than t-butyl hydroperoxide.

Chemical Phenomena

Prostate and seminal vesicles after irradiation: MR appearance.

Familiarity with the morphologic changes in the prostate and seminal vesicles (SV) after pelvic irradiation is important to the correct interpretation of follow-up magnetic resonance (MR) studies. A retrospective study of 38 patients with prostatic or other pelvic tumors treated with radiation showed that 31.6% had a normal prostatic zonal pattern (peripheral zone hyperintense to central gland) on T2-weighted images, and 7.9% showed reversal of the zonal pattern; among the rest, the entire gland was diffusely isointense to fat in 42.1%, hypointense to fat in 10.5%, and hyperintense to fat in 7.9%. Sixty-three percent of the SV had a normal appearance, 21% had fewer tubules but normal signal intensity (SI), 8% had diffuse loss of SI (hypointense to fat), and 8% were hypointense to muscle. Quantitative measurements of SI of the prostate and SV demonstrated a statistically significant lower mean value for the irradiated patients relative to 10 control patients. A decrease in the size of both the prostate and SV was observed in 33% of patients with baseline studies. Use of additional treatment modalities in patients with prostatic carcinoma appeared to correlate with increased likelihood of developing abnormal changes. The authors conclude that in the irradiated patient, the prostate and SV can develop several patterns of SI abnormalities; in particular, diffuse low SI in the prostate and SV should establish radiation fibrosis as an important differential diagnosis to consider.

Adult