Discrimination of recombinant and endogenous urinary erythropoietin by calculating relative mobility values from SDS gels.

Erythropoietin (EPO) promotes the production of red blood cells, the key factor in the regulation of the oxygen transport, and has been abused by athletes for performance enhancement in endurance sports. Current methods to detect EPO misuse are based on isoelectric focussing (IEF), double blotting, and chemiluminescence detection. A new approach utilizing SDS-PAGE mobilities of target analytes is presented. Employing two internal standards (novel erythropoiesis stimulating protein and recombinant rat EPO), the assay provides a tool which allows the calculation of relative mobility values for endogenous urinary EPO and recombinant epoetins (e.g., Dynepo) and, thus, the distinction of these analytes in doping control samples. A reference group of 53 healthy volunteers and samples originating from a Dynepo (epoetin delta) excretion study conducted with a single person were analyzed and led to a significant discrimination of endogenous urinary and recombinant EPO. A clear differentiation was accomplished over a period of four days post-administration of a single injection of 50 IU/kg body weight. Hence, the method may be useful as a screening procedure in doping control or as complementary confirmation tool to the established IEF assay.

Combined connectivity and a gray-level morphological filter in magnetic resonance coronary angiography.

A connectivity algorithm combined with a new gray-level morphological filter dramatically improves the segmentation of tortuous coronary arteries from 3D MRI. Small coronary arteries are segmented from the larger ventricles with a new filter. These blood vessels are segmented from the noise background with connectivity. Coronary angiograms were computed in nine datasets acquired on volunteers with 3D stack of spirals and contrast-enhanced navigator sequences by both a maximum intensity projection and surface rendering. Surface images provided depth information needed to distinguish branching arteries from crossing veins. Magn Reson Med 43:892-895, 2000.

3D MR coronary artery segmentation.

Coronary arteries are segmented from the blood pool using mathematical morphology operations from a 3D magnetic resonance spiral acquisition on a continuously breathing healthy volunteer. The segmented volume is maximal intensity projected at different views to yield coronary angiograms showing the left anterior descending artery (LAD), right coronary artery (RCA), and left circumflex artery (LCX). Magnetic resonance coronary angiography provides a retrospective rotating view of the coronary artery tree that complements oblique reformatted sections.

[Thrombocyte aggregation and fibrinolysis in healthy probands treated with molsidomine, isosorbide-5-mononitrate and placebo]. / Thrombozytenaggregation und Fibrinolyse bei gesunden Probanden unter Molsidomin, Isosorbid-5-mononitrat und Placebo.

Twelve healthy volunteers received either a single oral dose of molsidomine (4 mg), isosorbide-5-mononitrate (ISMN, 20 mg), or placebo in a randomized, double-blind fashion. Blood was drawn prior to, as well as 30 and 60 min after intake of the respective drug. Platelet aggregation and the plasma levels/activity of plasminogen activator (tPA) and its inhibitor (PAI-1) were determined. In contrast to ISMN and placebo, molsidomine provoked a significant reduction in platelet aggregability. No alteration in plasma tPA concentrations was observed independent of whether molsidomine, ISMN, or placebo was applied. However, plasma PAI-1 activity was considerably reduced following molsidomine, but not altered following ISMN or placebo. We conclude that a single oral dose of molsidomine, but not of ISMN inhibits platelet aggregation and increases the fibrinolytic potential in healthy volunteers.

Two algorithms for the three-dimensional reconstruction of tomograms.

Three-dimensional (3-D) surface reconstructions provide a method to view complex anatomy contained in a set of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or single photon emission computed tomography tomograms. Existing methods of 3-D display generate images based on the distance from an imaginary observation point to a patch on the surface and on the surface normal of the patch. We believe that the normalized gradient of the original values in the CT or MRI tomograms provides a better estimate for the surface normal and hence results in higher quality 3-D images. Then two algorithms that generate 3-D surface models are presented. The new methods use polygon and point primitives to interface with computer-aided design equipment. Finally, several 3-D images of both bony and soft tissue show the skull, spine, internal air cavities of the head and abdomen, and the abdominal aorta in detail.

3D reconstruction of the brain from magnetic resonance images using a connectivity algorithm.

We present high resolution three dimensional (3D) connectivity, surface construction and display algorithms that detect, extract, and display the surface of a brain from contiguous magnetic resonance (MR) images. The algorithms identify the external brain surface and create a 3D image, showing the fissures and surface convolutions of the cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum, and brain stem. Images produced by these algorithms also show the morphology of other soft tissue boundaries such as the cerebral ventricular system and the skin of the patient. For the purposes of 3D reconstruction, our experiments show that T1 weighted images give better contrast between the surface of the brain and the cerebral spinal fluid than T2 weighted images. 3D reconstruction of MR data provides a non-invasive procedure for examination of the brain surface and other anatomical features.