ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We evaluated the usefulness of an agent for contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (galactose parmitine acid: Levovist) in visualizing brain perfusion in rabbits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six rabbits were involved in this study. A hole in the skull bone was made under anesthesia and used as an acoustic window. An ischemic model (3 of 6 rabbits) was made by surgically occluding the M1 portion of the middle cerebral artery. Power Doppler images (PDI) and B-mode Harmonic images (HI) before and after intravenous injections of the contrast medium (150 mg/body) were obtained using the HDI5000 (ATL) equipped with a linear-type 5-12 Mhz probe. RESULTS: Smaller arteries were clearly visualized by contrast-enhanced PDI. However, enhancement of brain parenchyma was not clear on PDI. Enhancement of brain parenchyma was observed clearly on contrast-enhanced HI. Enhancement was strong during the first pass and then diminished quickly. In ischemic models, hypoperfusion in the right cerebral hemisphere (the occluded side) were clearly observed on contrast-enhanced HI. CONCLUSION: Brain perfusion in rabbits can be observed on contrast-enhanced Harmonic ultrasonographic imaging. It is suggested to be useful for human clinical cases, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury in infants.
Subject(s)
Brain Ischemia/diagnostic imaging , Cerebrovascular Circulation , Contrast Media , Echoencephalography , Polysaccharides , Animals , Brain/blood supply , Female , Image Enhancement , Injections, Intravenous , Male , Perfusion , Rabbits , Ultrasonography, DopplerABSTRACT
Brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 1 (BAI1) is a p53-target gene specifically expressed in the brain. We examined the distribution of the endogenous BAI1 protein in normal human brain tissue using a polyclonal antibody against the extracellular region of BAI1. Immunohistochemical study demonstrated that BAI1 was expressed in neuronal cells of the cerebral cortex but not in astrocytes. BAI1 protein was localized in the cellular cytoplasm and membrane. It was predominantly localized in the cellular membrane when expressed in cultured cells by means of gene transfection. BAI1 protein may play an important role in neuronal functions such as synapse formation and signal transduction.
