Barium Injection Research Articles

Generation of spherical laser-plasma clouds for modelling three-dimensional dynamic effects of artificial plasma injections in circumterrestrial space

For the first time to solve the problems of laboratory modelling of cosmophysical phenomena of an explosive nature (active experiments of the AMPTE type, with barium injections into the magnetosphere), spherical laser plasma clouds (LPCs) were produced and applied (in experiments at the KI-1 test facility of the ILP SB RAS). Use was made of the classical four-beam scheme of irradiation (regular tetrahedron) of a polyethylene target ball (∅1 cm) by CO2 laser radiation with an energy of up to 500 J. A high degree of symmetry of the expansion of a near-spherical LPC with a moderate velocity of ∼100 km s−1 and an energy of up to 30 J has been achieved. The regimes of deceleration and formation of the spherical-LPC diamagnetic cavity were modelled for the first time, as well as the development of flute instability during the expansion of barium clouds across the geomagnetic field and the dynamics of these clouds along the field.

Direction and location of the nutrient artery to the fifth metatarsal at risk in osteotomy for bunionette

BackgroundThe aims of this study were to identify the artery feeding the fifth metatarsal and determine how bunionette osteotomy could injure this vessel. MethodsThe nutrient artery entering the fifth metatarsal was investigated in 10 adult cadaveric lower limbs by barium injection and enhanced computed tomography. ResultsThe nutrient artery entered the medial aspect of the fifth metatarsal around the junction of the middle and proximal thirds obliquely from a distal direction (mean angle 36°) in the coronal plane in all cases; in the axial plane, the point of entry and direction of the artery was medial-plantar (mean angle 49°). ConclusionsThis report revealed direction and location of the nutrient artery entering the fifth metatarsal.

Defecographic Findings in Patients with Severe Idiopathic Chronic Constipation.

Chronic constipation is a common gastrointestinal disorder diagnosed using Rome III criteria. Defecography is a radiographic method used to identify anatomic abnormalities of anorectum. The present study aimed to evaluate the defecographic findings in patients with severe idiopathic chronic constipation. One hundred patients, who complained of severe idiopathic chronic constipation with abnormal balloon expulsion test, underwent defecography after injection of barium. An analysis of radiographs was performed by an expert radiologist for the diagnosis of descending perineum syndrome, rectocele, enterocele, rectal ulcer, rectal prolapse, fecal residue of post defecation, and etc. Then, they were compared between the two sexes. Normal defecography was only observed in two participants. Descending perineum syndrome was the most common abnormality (73.3%). The results showed that rectocele (80.8%) and descending perineum syndrome (69.2%) were most frequent in women. In males, descending perineum syndrome and rectal prolapse were more prevalent (87% and 43.5%, respectively). Compared with men, rectocele and rectal ulcer were more frequently observed in women (p<0.001, and p=0.04, respectively), while men were more affected by descending perineum syndrome (p=0.04). In total, women had a greater incidence of abnormal defecographic findings compared with men (p=0.02). Defecography can be performed to detect anatomic abnormalities in patients with severe idiopathic chronic constipation and abnormal balloon expulsion test. This technique can assist physicians in making the most suitable decision for surgical procedure.

Magnetosphere‐ionosphere coupling and scale breaking of a plasma cloud in the magnetosphere

The goal of this paper is to deliver a long‐missing interpretation of a central issue of the NASA‐MPE barium injection experiment performed in September 1971. It pertains to the interaction with the ionosphere. Observations of the cloud's motion revealed no obvious sign of such interaction. The barium vapor was released from a Scout rocket at an altitude of 31,000 km above South America during late evening hours and was observed for more than 4000 s. The barium plasma split into several field‐parallel streaks which moved for a long time as if subject to constant acceleration as viewed from the inertial frame of the rocket at release. This means that no reflection of energy due to a mismatch of ionospheric conductivity and the characteristic impedance of an impinging Alfvén wave was observed. It is this finding that has never been properly interpreted. Furthermore, after a careful assessment of the barium cloud properties and environmental parameters, we find a theoretical coupling time to the ambient flow which turns out to be substantially longer than observed. Although this appears to indicate that some interaction with the ionosphere occurred, we can rule out multiple wave reflections during the observed acceleration phase. Discarding other possibilities, we interpret the observed motions as sign of perfect matching of the momentum and energy flux into the ionosphere with the rate of dissipation. This is achieved during the initial phase by scale breaking of the cloud into streaks with narrow widths which allow parallel potential drops along the Alfvén wings because of the waves' inertial nature and inside the lower ionosphere owing to the finite parallel resistivity, thereby greatly reducing the effective Pedersen conductivity. The significance of this finding goes beyond understanding the barium injection experiment. It sheds light on how magnetospheric plasma irregularities can share momentum and energy with the ionosphere in an optimized fashion.

Severe bilateral panlobular emphysema and pulmonary arterial hypoplasia: Unusual manifestations of Menkes disease

Menkes disease is an X-linked recessive disorder of copper transport characterized by neurological deterioration, connective tissue, and vascular defects, abnormal hair, and death in early childhood. We report on a patient with Menkes disease in whom severe diffuse emphysema caused respiratory failure and death at 14 months of age. He had severe growth and developmental delays and other typical clinical manifestations of Menkes disease. He developed respiratory problems requiring continuous supplemental oxygen and a progressively enlarging soft tissue mass appeared on the neck. Imaging studies revealed cystic spaces in multiple lobes of the lung consistent with bullous emphysema. The neck mass was determined to be an internal jugular venous aneurysm. At autopsy, extensive emphysematous change was evident. Post-mortem barium injections of the pulmonary arterial system revealed marked dilatation and tortuosity of the preacinar pulmonary arteries and reduced numbers of intra-acinar arteries. Severe emphysema, presumably caused by abnormal elastin due to deficiency of the copper-dependent enzyme lysyl oxidase, may represent an underestimated clinical complication of Menkes disease and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chronic respiratory disease in these patients.

Astrocytes contribute to regulation of extracellular calcium and potassium in the rat cerebral cortex during spreading depression

This study used spreading depression (SD), which is characterized by redistribution of ions, to examine the role of astrocytes in the regulation of extracellular potassium ([K + ] o ) and calcium ([Ca 2+ ] o ) levels. Recurrent spreading depression episodes were induced by application of 3 M potassium chloride to the cortex of adult anesthetized rats while monitoring the extracellular direct current (DC) potential shifts and changes in [K + ] o or [Ca 2+ ] o 6–7 mm away. The reversible glial toxins, fluorocitrate (FC) and fluoroacetate (FA), were injected locally into the cortex at doses that are selective for reducing glial function. The peak changes and area under the curve for [K + ] o and [Ca 2+ ] o , recovery rate for [K + ] o , and interval between spreading depression episodes were measured before and at various times after administration of the toxins. Both fluorocitrate and fluroacetate slowed the recovery of the [K + ] o and altered the recovery of the [Ca 2+ ] o . Local injection of glutamate uptake inhibitors or barium had no effect on the peak changes in [K + ] o or the rate of recovery of the [K + ] o . The slowing of the recovery rate is consistent with the hypothesis that glial cells play a role in the return of [K + ] o to baseline after spreading depression in the cortex in vivo. The change in movement of calcium after administration of FC suggests that astrocytes normally extrude calcium during spreading depression, resulting in rapid recovery of the levels of [Ca 2+ ] o with an overshoot. These findings demonstrate that astrocytes contribute to the regulation of both potassium and calcium during and after a stress to the ionic homeostatic mechanisms.

Astrocytes contribute to regulation of extracellular calcium and potassium in the rat cerebral cortex during spreading depression

This study used spreading depression (SD), which is characterized by redistribution of ions, to examine the role of astrocytes in the regulation of extracellular potassium ([K +] o) and calcium ([Ca 2+] o) levels. Recurrent spreading depression episodes were induced by application of 3 M potassium chloride to the cortex of adult anesthetized rats while monitoring the extracellular direct current (DC) potential shifts and changes in [K +] o or [Ca 2+] o 6–7 mm away. The reversible glial toxins, fluorocitrate (FC) and fluoroacetate (FA), were injected locally into the cortex at doses that are selective for reducing glial function. The peak changes and area under the curve for [K +] o and [Ca 2+] o, recovery rate for [K +] o, and interval between spreading depression episodes were measured before and at various times after administration of the toxins. Both fluorocitrate and fluroacetate slowed the recovery of the [K +] o and altered the recovery of the [Ca 2+] o. Local injection of glutamate uptake inhibitors or barium had no effect on the peak changes in [K +] o or the rate of recovery of the [K +] o. The slowing of the recovery rate is consistent with the hypothesis that glial cells play a role in the return of [K +] o to baseline after spreading depression in the cortex in vivo. The change in movement of calcium after administration of FC suggests that astrocytes normally extrude calcium during spreading depression, resulting in rapid recovery of the levels of [Ca 2+] o with an overshoot. These findings demonstrate that astrocytes contribute to the regulation of both potassium and calcium during and after a stress to the ionic homeostatic mechanisms.

Activation of pig oocytes by intracytoplasmic injection of strontium and barium.

Ovulated mouse oocytes are activated by exposure to culture medium containing Sr2+ or Ba2+ or by intracytoplasmic injection of the divalent cations. It is known that in vitro matured pig oocytes are activated by the intracytoplasmic injection of Ca2+. In this study, we examined the effect of exposure and of intracytoplasmic injection of Sr2+ or Ba2+ on in vitro matured pig oocytes (MII-oocytes). When MII-oocytes were exposed to the medium containing divalent cations, no oocytes were activated. However, in the case of oocytes that were injected with Sr2+, Ba2+ and Ca2+, at 6 h after injection, 64%, 71% and 86% of the oocytes had been released from MII-arrest, and 51%, 67% and 84% formed female pronuclei, respectively. The initial transient in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was measured by the Ca2+ indicator dye fluo-4 dextran. Microinjection of Sr2+, Ba2+ or Ca2+ induced a rapid elevation of [Ca2+]i. The exocytosis of cortical granules was examined by staining with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labelled peanut agglutinin. After an injection of divalent cations, a release of cortical granules was observed in the oocytes. Maturation promoting factor (MPF) activity declined to a low level after 6 h in all the oocytes injected with divalent cations. To test their developmental ability, injected oocytes were treated with cytochalasin B and then cultured for 168 h in NCSU23 medium. After 168 h, 29% (Sr2+), 29% (Ba2+) and 51% (Ca2+) of the oocytes had developed to the blastocyst stage. These results indicate that intracytoplasmic injection of Sr2+ and Ba2+, like that of Ca2+, induces in vitro matured pig oocytes to be released from MII-arrest and leads them into a series of events related to oocyte activation.

Microvasculature of the human cerebral white matter: arteries of the deep white matter.

The vascular architecture of the human cerebral deep white matter was studied using soft X-ray and diaphanized specimens, achieved by intra-arterial injection of barium and vascular stain respectively, and also by electron microscopic examination of the corrosion cast of arteries in normal adult brains. The deep white matter arteries passed through the cerebral cortex with a few branches to the cortex and ran straight through the white matter. The arteries concentrated ventriculopetally to the white matter around the lateral ventricle. Anastomoses were noted around the ventricular wall at the terminals of the deep white matter arteries. No centrifugal branches irrigating the periventricular white matter from the lenticulo-striate arteries were observed in the present study. The presence of anastomoses among the terminal branches of deep white matter arteries protects against ischemic change or infarction in this area from an occlusion of a single deep white matter artery. This may lead to development of terminal zone infarction from ischemia or vascular diseases, affecting multiple deep white matter arteries. The subcortical and deep white matter arteries had thick adventitial sheaths and large adventitial spaces in the white matter but not in the cortex. The presence or absence of the adventitial space is regarded as another characteristic difference between the arteries in the white matter and cortex. This difference may influence pathological changes in vascular lesions in these respective areas.

Left Atrial–Inferior Vena Cava Bypass Achieves Retroperfusion of the Porcine Spinal Cord: Morphologic and Preliminary Physiologic Studies

Background. Spinal cord injury remains a devastating complication after procedures on the descending thoracic aorta. A new model for retrograde perfusion of the spinal cord during aortic cross-clamping was evaluated for its potential role in preventing spinal cord injury after thoraco-abdominal aortic surgery. Methods. Retrograde perfusion of the spinal cord was established in juvenile pigs using partial bypass from the left atrium to the isolated inferior vena cava. Flow was maintained for a 60-min period of aortic occlusion. Morphologic studies of spinal cord blood flow were obtained using injection of a dilute barium–gelatin–chromatin dye solution. Physiologic cooling of the spinal cord was achieved using varying degrees of hypothermic retroperfusion. Results. Five animals underwent a 30-min period of retroperfusion followed by dye injection. Dye was identified in spinal cord venules and capillaries, most heavily concentrated in the lumbar and lower thoracic cord. Thirteen animals underwent a 60-min period of normothermic (37°C), mild hypothermic (27°C), moderate hypothermic (17°C), or deep hypothermic (7°C) retroperfusion; mean spinal cord temperatures were 35.2, 32.2, 28.0, and 24.4°C, respectively. Conclusions. Retrograde perfusion of the porcine spinal cord using a left atrial to inferior vena cava partial bypass circuit can be accomplished and can be used with hypothermic perfusate to produce cooling of the spinal cord. This new technique warrants further investigation into spinal cord protection and potential application for operations on the descending thoracic aorta.

Reduction of momentum transfer rates by parallel electric fields: A two-fluid demonstration

Momentum transfer between an ionized gas cloud moving relative to an ambient magnetized plasma is a general problem in space plasma physics. Obvious examples include the Io–Jupiter interaction, comets, and coronal mass ejections. Active plasma experiments have demonstrated that momentum transfer rates associated with Alfvén wave propagation are poorly understood. Barium injection experiments from the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) have shown that dense ionized clouds are capable of E×B drifting over large distances perpendicular to the magnetic field. The CRRES “skidding” distances were much larger than predicted by magnetohydrodynamic theory and it has been proposed that parallel electric fields were a key component in the skidding phenomenon. A two-fluid code was used to demonstrate the role of parallel electric fields in reducing momentum transfer between two distinct plasma populations. In this study, a dense plasma was initialized moving relative to an ambient plasma and perpendicular to B. Parallel electric fields were introduced via a friction term in the electron momentum equation and the collision frequency was scaled in proportion to the field-aligned current density. The simulation results showed that parallel electric fields decreased the decelerating magnetic tension force on the plasma cloud through a magnetic diffusion/reconnection process.

Evidence for apical K conductance and Na-K-2Cl cotransport in the endolymphatic sac of guinea pig

The transepithelial potential in the endolymphatic sac (ESP) was recorded up to 60 min after apical injection of ouabain, bumetanide, quinine, barium, tetraethylammonium, and 4-aminopyridine. After control injection, ESP decreased by 74% and completely recovered at 30 min. After ouabain, barium, or quinine injection, the ESP time course was similar to that in the control group. After bumetanide, tetraethylammonium, or 4-aminopyridine injection, complete recovery was only observed at 60 min. These results suggest that apical K + conductance and Na-K-2Cl cotransporter could be involved in the genesis of ESP.

Computerized morphometry of the pulmonary vasculature over a range of intravascular pressures.

Recent availability of computerized image analysis has fostered hope that barium injection and landmarking of pulmonary arteries would be unnecessary for morphometric assessment when using this technique. We reasoned that if barium injection altered morphometric variables, it would do so in a linear fashion correlating with incremental increases in injection pressure of the barium. The two goals of the present study were to determine whether barium injection into arteries affected morphometric measurements and to determine whether incremental increases in injection pressure correlated with alterations in morphometric measurements in a linear fashion. Computerized image analysis was used to measure the internal elastic lamina (IEL) and external elastic lamina (EEL). Medial area (MA), luminal area (LA), percentage of medial thickness, IEL square root of MA, and idealized LA were calculated. Barium injection did not alter morphometric variables in a linear fashion correlating with incremental increases in injection pressure of the barium except the percentage of arteries that filled with barium. Maximum recruitment for pre-acinar arteries occurred at 40 mmHg pressure and 60 mmHg distending pressure for intra-acinar arteries. Incremental increases in injection pressure did not affect IEL, EEL, or calculated morphometric variables. However, IEL, medial thickness, and MA were all smaller in injected vessels than in uninjected vessels. IEL square root of MA and the ratio of measured vs. idealized LA were both increased in injected lungs. We suspect that vascular injection selects for evaluation, a population of smaller, thin-walled vessels, which in the uninjected lungs are collapsed and hence excluded from analysis.

Twins, placentas, and genetics: Acardiac twinning in a dichorionic, diamniotic, monozygotic twin gestation

We describe a human acardiac twin with associated vascular anastomoses in a dichorionic diamniotic fused twin placenta. A 22-year-old woman delivered a healthy 3,554 g male infant and a fused diamniotic dichorionic twin placenta with a 230g umbilical cord-attached, skin-covered, ovoid mass, consistent with acardiac amorphus. By gross and histological examination, the placental dividing membranes comprised four leaves, one amnion from each placenta, and two centrally fused chorions, diagnostic of dichorionicity. Placental barium injection of the normal twin's umbilical vein showed an anastomosis with the acardiac twin which traversed the dividing membranes, then supplied major vessels of the acardiac mass via its 5.5 cm umbilical cord. DNA-typing studies of the normal twin's placenta and of the acardiac twin's tissues revealed identical alleles at 11 distinct genetic polymorphic loci, consistent with monozygosity. Our findings demonstrate that vascular anastomoses can occur in dichorionic twin placentas, and that human acardiac twinning is not, as heretofore believed, restricted to monochorionic placentas.

The fundamental architecture of the microvasculature of the basal ganglia and changes in senility

The microvascular architecture of the basal ganglia of human brains was studied on diaphanized specimens after intravascular barium injection and vascular stains. Observation by scanning electron microscope was also performed. The putamen and caudate nucieus showed dense capillary networks. Less dense capillary networks were noted in the capsula interna. The capillary network in the globus pallidus was less dense than that in the striatum but denser than that in the capsula interna. The lenticulostriate arteries ran through the putamen, across the internal capsule and reached the caudate nucleus. Though the arterial branches running within the putamen had many small branches, branching was minimal while crossing the capsula interna and began showing rich ramification again when they reached the caudate nucleus. There were retrograde ramifications in the putamen and caudate nucleus. They appeared to play a significant role in the regulation of blood pressure and are considered to play some role in the occurrence of circulatory disturbances which are prone to involve these structures. The fountain‐like ramifications were seen in the putamen and caudate nucleus, but their function is not clear. In the brains of senile patients, intertwining of the arterial blood vessels was noted in the fountain‐like rami. This structure began to appear in the patients over the age of 50. While the etiology of the intertwining of the arteries remains unknown, its increasing frequency with age supports a hypothesis that this represents a phenomenon correlated with aging or concomitant brain atrophy.

Prolonged Intraocular Pressure Reduction Following Intravitreal Barium Injection in Rabbits

The isolated ciliary epithelium contains barium-inhibitable potassium channels. The present study was aimed at testing the in vivo effects of barium on aqueous humor dynamics in rabbits. BaCl 2was administered to one eye by topical delivery or intravitreal injection. Dynamic measurements included intraocular pressure, outflow facility, episcleral venous pressure and aqueous flow (fluorophotometry). Barium dynamics were studied using 133Ba. Intraocular pressure was not altered after topical administration of BaCl 2. 133Ba was not detected in the aqueous after delivery of eyedrops containing the radiochemical. Intraocular pressure decreased following intravitreal injection of BaCl 2(0.15μg). The onset of this pressure reduction was 12 to 16hr, the maximum decrease (−11.3mmHg) occurred at 2 days, and the effect persisted (−4.2mmHg) for approximately 12 days after the injection. Outflow facility and episcleral venous pressure were not altered. However, aqueous humor flow 5 to 6 days after the injection was decreased by 42% to 63% as determined by fluorophotometry or calculated tonographic data. The injection was not associated with findings of intraocular inflammation. Radioactivity was detected in the vitreous within the first 3 days after the injection; however, activity was present in the ciliary body, equally distributed between the cell membrane and soluble fractions, seven days after the injection. Intravitreally injected BaCl 2results in a prolonged intraocular pressure decrease relating to reduced aqueous formation. While the mechanism(s) for the BaCl 2-induced increase in pressure are not clear, possibilities include a Ba 2+interaction with ciliary epithelial K +or N-type Ca 2+channels.

A simple device for prostate and rectal localization in radiation therapy

A simple device for prostate and rectum localization in radiation therapy may be constructed as follows: first, dental wax is used to make up a shape of the rectal probe. Second, dental stone is used to make a two-piece mold by molding the dental wax probe. Third, using the mold, the rectal probe is made from a mixture of silicone and barium. The final step involves the attachment of the “plug”, which is made of aluminum. From the simulation films for the prostate setup, the location of the anterior wall of the rectum, anal sphincter, and anal verge can easily be identified, such that the appropriate regions are shielded accordingly. A CT scan with the probe in the rectum did not give too much artifacts from the barium/silicone mixture. The rectal probe with the plug is useful for localizing the prostate more accurately, compared with using the other rectal localization techniques such as barium injection or some rectal markers.

The generation of DC and AC electric fields, and electron fluxes in a rocket experiment with barium injection in the auroral ionosphere

The results of an active rocket experiment with barium injection in the auroral ionosphere designed to check possible scenario of the initial phase of substorm are presented and discussed.

Orbital barium CRRES injection — Effective source of ionospheric wavelike disturbances

Spectral analysis of artificial wavelike disturbances (WD) in ionospheric parameters is presented. The sources of WD are barium clouds injections in CRRES perigee experiments. Plasma concentration pulsations are found in the ionospheric F2 layer maximum over Havana (Cuba) at distances 1500–2500 km from the barium injection. It was found that for the spectral component with 10 min period, the delay (relative to injection moment) corresponded to WD propagation velocity in 323–390 m/s band and depended on the specific injection conditions. It was shown that in every experiment the WD effective propagation velocity in the terminator region correlated with the sunlit part of the trajectory from the injection point to Havana. When comparing this WD type with WD's of other origins (from earthquakes, high-altitude explosions and solar terminator), it was shown that purposeful injection in the ionosphere of even a small barium quantity with orbital velocity in terminator region might be the effective means for generation or amplification of natural WD.

Percutaneous localization of small pulmonary metastases, enabling limited resection

An adolescent patient with Ewing's sarcoma, who had undergone three previous thoracotomies for pulmonary metastases, presented with two further left-sided pulmonary metastases, measuring 5 mm and 10 mm in diameter. Chemotherapeutic options were limited, and pulmonary irradiation was inadvisable because of compromised respiratory function. Surgical resection was the favored therapeutic option. A method of accurately localizing the small lesions was devised, using a percutaneous needling technique under computed tomography guidance and the injection of barium and methylene blue. This localization enabled resection of the lesions, with minimal excision and manipulation of the surrounding normal parenchyma. This technique is useful for removal of small impalpable metastases when other modalities of therapy are not appropriate.