First assessment of root biomass and root carbon and nitrogen stocks in Turkish floodplain forests.

Estimation of whole root biomass including coarse and larger roots and root balls can provide better understanding of carbon and nitrogen stocks in floodplain forests. Whole root systems of nine ash trees (Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl.) and six alder trees (Alnus glutinosa L.) trees ranging in diameter breast height (dbh) from 29.1 to 72.0 cm for ash and from 29.1 to 44.3 cm for alder were excavated, and their small < 1 cm, medium 1-4 cm, larger > 4 cm and root-ball biomass, and root carbon and nitrogen stocks were determined in Karacabey floodplain forest in Bursa, Turkey. In addition, for the method comparison, small root biomass (< 1 cm) was also determined using soil-core method. The whole root biomass of ash trees varied from 167.7 to 186.8 Mg ha-1. Alder trees had lower whole root biomass than ash trees ranging from 49.0 to 63.6 Mg ha-1. The determination of small root biomass by soil excavation method was nearly two-fold higher than by soil core method. Both root carbon and nitrogen stocks showed an increase with increasing root diameter. Among the tree characteristics (dbh, age, height, and volume), the dbh showed the highest correlation with whole root biomass and root carbon and nitrogen stocks for both tree species. It is concluded that young trees can have higher small, medium, and large root biomass and store more C and N in those roots, whereas older trees can have higher root-ball biomass and root-ball carbon and nitrogen stocks in Karacabey floodplain forests.

Synthetic MRI in Neurofibromatosis Type 1.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Synthetic MRI enables the generation of various contrast-weighted images and quantitative data in a reasonable scanning time. We aimed to use synthetic MRI to assess the detection and underlying tissue characteristics of focal areas of signal intensity and normal-appearing brain parenchyma and morphometric alterations in the brains of patients with neurofibromatosis type 1. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Conventional MR imaging and synthetic MRI were prospectively obtained from 19 patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 and 18 healthy controls. Two neuroradiologists independently evaluated focal areas of signal intensity on both conventional MR imaging and synthetic MRI. Additionally, automatically segmented volume calculations of the brain in both groups and quantitative analysis of myelin, including the focal areas of signal intensity and normal-appearing brain parenchyma, of patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 were performed using synthetic MRI. RESULTS: The comparison of conventional MR imaging and synthetic MRI showed good correlation in the supratentorial region of the brain (κ = 0.82-1). Automatically segmented brain parenchymal volume, intracranial volume, and GM volumes were significantly increased in the patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (P < .05). The myelin-correlated compound, myelin fraction volume, WM fraction volume, transverse relaxation rate, and longitudinal relaxation rate values were significantly decreased in focal areas of signal intensity on myelin and WM maps (P < .001); however, GM, GM fraction volume, and proton density values were significantly increased on the GM map (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Synthetic MRI is a potential tool for the assessment of morphometric and tissue alterations as well as the detection of focal areas of signal intensity in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 in a reasonable scan time.

Peripheral atherosclerosis in patients with arterial erectile dysfunction.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) develops owing to psychogenic, organic or/and both of these two factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between penile cavernosal arterial flow and peripheral atherosclerosis in men with ED. This study was conducted on 102 patients who had presented to Radiology Clinic with a prediagnosis of ED. Diabetes, hypertension (HT) and smoking were recorded. Blood were taken from all patients for analysis of fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein level. All the patients underwent high-resolution penile colour Doppler ultrasound (CDUS). The peak-systolic velocity and the end-diastolic velocity values in the bilateral cavernosal arteries were recorded. At the same session, all the patients underwent evaluation for bilateral common carotid artery and femoral artery intima media thickness and for the presence of atherosclerotic plaque. Patients were classified as ED of arterial origin and non-arterial origin according to penile CDUS findings. Of the total 102 patients, 43 (42.2%) had arterial ED and the remaining 59 (57.8%) were contained in non-arterial ED. There was a significant difference between groups for diabetes mellitus (DM), HT, atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ACVD) and total cholesterol level (P<0.05). There was also a significant difference between groups for the presence of plaque in the carotid and the femoral artery (P<0.05). The relationship between smoking and arterial ED was not found to be statistically significant (P>0.05). Non-diagnosed or silent DM, HT and ACVD can have roles in the etiology of arterial ED. Patients who are diagnosed as having arterial ED with Doppler Ultrasound should also be evaluated with B-mode ultrasonography for other peripheral vascular atherosclerotic processes. In this way, subclinical cases can be detected and further possible complications can be avoided.