Asymmetry of medullary veins on multiphase CT-angiography in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: It was previously demonstrated that decreased cortical venous drainage is a predictive factor of poor clinical outcome in patients with an acute ischemic stroke. The aim of this investigation is to test the hypothesis that the decline in blood flow in medullary veins (MV) on CT angiogram (CTA) of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) can also be predictive of clinical outcome. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a database of patients with AIS who were evaluated by multiphase CTA and enrolled individuals with AIS and evidence of occlusion of the intracranial internal carotid artery, the M1 or M2 segment of the middle cerebral artery, or combination of two occlusions. To characterize asymmetry of MV we used similar principle that was previously established for MV on SWI MR-images; asymmetry was defined was presence of 5 or more contrast opacified MV in one hemisphere as compared to the contralateral side. Clinical outcomes were evaluated by mRS in 90 days. The Fisher Exact test was used to examine the significance of the MV asymmetry. Odds ratio and interrater variability were calculated. RESULTS: 66 patients with AIS were included. The presence of asymmetry in MV was associated with the higher frequency of poor clinical outcomes (84.6% vs 50.9%); the OR was 5.3. Interrater agreement in assessment on MV was moderate in our study (κ=0.55). CONCLUSION: This study shows that (a) medullary veins can be reliably assessed on multiphase CTA, (b) in patients with AIS, asymmetric appearance of MV is associated with poor clinical outcome.

MANAGEMENT OF PATIENT DOSES FROM DIGITAL X-RAY CHEST SCREENING EXAMINATIONS.

An anthropomorphic phantom study was carried out in 2013-14 in two hospitals, one located in Russia (Mariinsky Hospital, Saint Petersburg) and the other in Sweden (Skåne University Hospital, Malmö). The aim of the study was to investigate the possibilities to reduce the patient dose from digital X-ray chest screening examinations. The existing chest imaging protocols were adjusted by changing the tube voltage, total filtration and grid in order to determine the most dose-effective combination of the examination parameters. It was possible to achieve up to 50 % dose-area product (DAP) and 30 % effective dose reduction by raising the tube voltage from 100 to 125 or 150 kV, and simultaneously decrease the total filtration to the minimum allowed by the X-ray unit (3 mm Al). The absence of a grid allowed to further reduce the DAP and effective dose by up to 80 %. Comparison between Russian and Swedish X-ray units showed the same trend in DAP and effective dose reduction, but the absolute dose values were lower by almost a factor of 10 for the Swedish units due to different image receptors and automatic exposure control settings.

Synthesis of novel lanthanide acylpyrazolonato ligands with long aliphatic chains and immobilization of the Tb complex on the surface of silica pre-modified via hydrophobic interactions.

Five new complexes Ln(Q(C17))3(H2O)(Solv) (Ln = Y, Solv = H2O, Ln = Tb, Dy, Sm or Eu, Solv = EtOH) were synthesized with the acylpyrazolonato ligand Q(C17) bearing a long aliphatic C17H35 chain in the acyl moiety, and the crystal structure of Y(Q(C17))3(H2O)2 shows the three aliphatic chains from the coordinated ligands positioned in the same direction, affording plane layers built by Y(Q(C17))3(H2O)2 molecules connected through H-bonding interactions. The layers are stitched to each other like in "hook & loop" tapes. Luminescence of complexes was determined and the complex Tb(Q(C17))3(H2O)(EtOH) was immobilized on the surface of silica preprocessed using a C17H35CONH(CH2)3Si(OEt)3 reagent via hydrophobic interactions of long aliphatic chains. Luminescent properties and micromorphology of the obtained hybrid particles and hybrid films were investigated. Intensive green emission of the complex retains after grafting onto the silica surface. Inclusion of the complex on the surface of silica materials occurs as separate molecules, after the disruption of the H-bonding network present in the crystalline phase of the pure terbium sample.

[Role of cholinergic mechanisms in the regulation of ATPase activity and the intensity of glycolysis in the rat neocortex, hippocampus and brain stem]. / Rol' kholinergicheskikh mekhanizmov v reguliatsii ATF-aznoi aktivnosti i intensivnosti glikoliza v neokortekse, gippokampe i stvole mozga krys.

It was shown in experiments in rats that the increase in the level of endogenous acetylcholine induced by galanthamine entails a reduction in Na+, K+-ATPase of neocortical, hippocampal and truncus cerebri microsomes, and in the content of lactic acid in the brain structures in question. Blockage of M-cholinoreceptors with metamisyl is accompanied by the decreased activity of Na+, K+-ATPase in the neocortex and by its elevation in the truncus cerebri. At the same time the content of lactic acid in the cortex rises and that in the truncus cerebri diminishes. No substantial changes in both the biochemical indicators were recorded in the hippocamp. Inhibition of the central N-cholinoreceptors with eterofen reduces the glycolysis intensity in the truncus cerebri and hippocamp. Meanwhile Na+, K+-ATPase activity in the brain structures remains unchanged.