Articular cartilage mapping through novel advances in MRI techniques

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] has emerged as a useful tool for clinicians and scientists to assess the health of cartilage and other soft tissues. Conventional MRI provides sufficient tissue contrast to detect morphological changes in cartilage where radiography cannot. However, changes in cartilage physiology prior to morphological changes cannot be visualized or measured with conventional MRI. The recent advances in MR sequences together with the implementation of higher resolution MRI due to highfield MR systems as well as sophisticated coil technology have overcome existing limitations and led to promising in vivo approaches in morphological and biochemical MRI of cartilage. Recently, quantitative MRI techniques such as T2, T2*, dGEMRIC [delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage], sodium imaging [[23]Na], chemical exchange saturation transfer [CEST], diffusion weighted imaging [DWI] and T1rho mapping have been shown to be sensitive to biochemical changes in cartilage. Advanced magnetic resonance [MR] sequences for cartilage evaluation are focused on the assessment of articular cartilage biochemical composition, more specifically to the collagen and glycosaminoglycan content

Aim of the Study: The aim of this work is to emphasize the role of new advances of magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosis of cartilage disease

Conclusion: MRI provides a powerful solution for noninvasive imaging. Improvements have been made in morphologic imaging of cartilage in terms of contrast, resolution, and acquisition time. These improvements allow detailed maps of the cartilage surface to be developed that can be used to quantify both thickness and volume

Role of dynamic magnetic resonance imaging in assessment of female pelvic floor dysfunction

Introduction: Pelvic floor weakening is a major health problem in older women, with an 11.1% lifetime risk of women over 50 years old to undergo surgery for pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. Clinical examination is the main method of diagnosis, yet imaging is essential especially in patients with multicompartment defects. Pelvic Magnetic Resonance [MR] Imaging is expected to play a role in the preoperative planning for complex cases due to its high soft tissue resolution, which will help perform site-specific repair and so avoid recurrence

Aim of the work: The aim of this work is to evaluate the role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging as a non invasive method in the assessment of female pelvic floor dysfunction

Methods: The studied group included 40 female patients complaining of pelvic organ prolapse and / or stress urinary incontinence or fecal incontinence. All patients were subjected to full history taking, clinical examination and Dynamic Magnetic resonance Imaging using 1.5 Tesla Philips MR Scanner

Results: Good concordance was found between Dynamic MRI and clinical examination in all three compartments. The concordance was 82.5% in the anterior compartment, 80% in the posterior compartment, 85% in enteroceles and 65.0% in the middle compartment

Conclusion: Dynamic MRI is a promising method that can be used as an imaging tool in the preoperative planning of pelvic organ prolapse

Preclinical atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis

Cardiovascular disease is an increasingly recognized contributor to excess morbidity and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis [RA]. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors do not adequately account for the extent of cardiovascular disease in RA. To study the relative impact of traditional versus non-traditional cardiovascular risk factors on endothelial dysfunction, as an early essential step for atherosclerosis, in patients with RA. Twenty five consecutive outpatients with RA were collected and compared to 15 healthy, age and sex matched controls.Both groups undergone assessment of traditional cardiovascular risk factors [high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking] as well as other non- traditional cardiovascular risk factors [hs CRP, ESR, serum ICAM] along with bilateral measurement of intima media thickness IMT of common carotid artery [IMT-CCA]. There was highly significant difference in T-chol /HDL [cardiac risk ratio] between the two groups [RA patients and controls]. Also there was a highly significant difference between the two groups as regards inflammatory markers [non-traditional risk factors], IMT and s-ICAM. RA patients with increased IMT-CCA had higher T-chol/ HDL [cardiac risk ratio] [P < 0.05], as well as high DAS and ESR [P < 0.01] compared to RA patients with normal IMT-CCA. Patients with positive RF had increased IMT-CCA [P < 0.05] and higher serum levels ICAM-1[P < 0.01] than those with negative RF. We also found that IMT-CCA was significantly positively correlated to markers of disease activity, while serum levels ICAM-1 was significantly positively correlated to disease duration. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a high prevalence of preclinical atherosclerosis independent of traditional risk factors, suggesting that chronic inflammation and disease severity are atherogenic to this population. That is why proper and strict control of disease activity may play a preventive role in this setting

Effect of the organophosphate [curacron] on activity of acetylcholinesterase in different parts of rat brain [in vivo studies]

Curacron profenofos is 0-[4-Bromo-2 chlorophenyl]-O-ethyi-S-propyl phosphorothioate. Its chemical formula C11H15BrCIO3PS. It is a broad-spectrum organophosphorous insecticide for control of pests in cotton growing areas. Inhibition of acetyi and pseudocholinesterase by this compound results in signs and symptoms of toxicity signs and symptoms [cholinergic syndrome]: bradycardia, respiratory-circulatory arrest, vomiting and diam'iea in a variety of animals including man. In this work experiments were carried out in vivo to study its effect on the activity of AChE enzyme obtained from whole and five different parts of rat brain, namely basal ganglia, frontal cortex, medulla oblongata, pons, and cerebellum. This work was carried out by 2 experiments: Exp. A: Depending on the dose of intraperitoneal infusion of curacon. Exp. B: Depending on the time course post infusion of a constant dose of curacron 100 mg/kg BW [dose causing 50% inhibition] in vivo. The results showed that the inhibition occurred in all brain parts, but it was highly marked in the enzyme obtained from the cerebellum [the part responsible for balance and coordination of movements]. The results also indicated that the inhibition of AChE produced by i.p. injection with curacon was dose and time dependent