Microscopic Tissue Research Articles

Multimodal Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Therapeutic Intervention With Yi-nao-jie-yu Decoction in a Rat Model of Post-stroke Depression.

Post-stroke depression (PSD) is the most common neuropsychiatric complication after a stroke, though its neuropathological characteristics have not been fully elucidated. Comprehensive and non-invasive magnetic resonance (MR) assessment techniques are urgently needed for current research, as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), arterial spin labeling (ASL), and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) can allow for a comprehensive assessment of neuropathological changes in the brain. These techniques can provide information about microscopic tissue integrity, cerebral perfusion, and cerebral metabolism, and can serve as powerful tools for investigating neurophysiological changes associated with PSD. Yi-nao-jie-yu decoction (YNJYD) is a Chinese herbal formulation based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, with demonstrated clinical efficacy in the treatment of PSD. The aim of this study was to use these MR techniques to evaluate changes in PSD and YNJYD-treated rats. This is the first experimental study in animals to investigate neuropathological changes associated with PSD using a combination of multiple MR techniques, including DTI, ASL, and MRS. In addition, we investigated the effect of YNJYD in a rat model of PSD by assessing changes in brain tissue microstructure, brain metabolism, and cerebral perfusion. First, depressive-like behaviors of PSD rats were assessed by the open field test (OFT), sucrose preference test (SPT), and Morris water maze (MWM) test, and then the integrity of the rats' microstructure was assessed by DTI, the levels of regional cerebral perfusion were assessed by ASL, and changes in the relative concentrations of brain metabolites were determined by MRS. The results showed that OFT and SPT scores were significantly reduced in PSD rats, as was performance in the MWM; these PSD-associated changes were attenuated in rats administered YNJYD, with improved depressive-like behaviors evidenced by increased OFT and SPT scores and improved performance in the MWM task. Furthermore, we found that PSD rats had lower perfusion levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HP), microstructural damage, and abnormal changes in the concentrations of brain metabolites; YNJYD exerted therapeutic effects on PSD rats by improving microcirculation in the PFC and HP, regulating glutamatergic systems and membrane phospholipid metabolism, and repairing microstructural damage.

Low-frequency dominant electrical conductivity imaging of in vivo human brain using high-frequency conductivity at Larmor-frequency and spherical mean diffusivity without external injection current

Diffusion weighted imaging based on random Brownian motion of water molecules within a voxel provides information on the micro-structure of biological tissues through water molecule diffusivity. As the electrical conductivity is primarily determined by the concentration and mobility of ionic charge carriers, the macroscopic electrical conductivity of biological tissues is also related to the diffusion of electrical ions. This paper aims to investigate the low-frequency electrical conductivity by relying on a pre-defined biological model that separates the brain into the intracellular (restricted) and extracellular (hindered) compartments. The proposed method uses B1 mapping technique, which provides a high-frequency conductivity distribution at Larmor frequency, and the spherical mean technique, which directly estimates the microscopic tissue structure based on the water molecule diffusivity and neurite orientation distribution. The total extracellular ion concentration, which is separated from the high-frequency conductivity, is recovered using the estimated diffusivity parameters and volume fraction in each compartment. We propose a method to reconstruct the low-frequency dominant conductivity tensor by taking into consideration the extracted extracellular diffusion tensor map and the reconstructed electrical parameters. To demonstrate the reliability of the proposed method, we conducted two phantom experiments. The first one used a cylindrical acrylic cage filled with an agar in the background region and four anomalies for the effect of ion concentration on the electrical conductivity. The other experiment, in which the effect of ion mobility on the conductivity was verified, used cell-like materials with thin insulating membranes suspended in an electrolyte. Animal and human brain experiments were conducted to visualize the low-frequency dominant conductivity tensor images. The proposed method using a conventional MRI scanner can predict the internal current density map in the brain without directly injected external currents.

Efficient quality enhancement of gastrointestinal endoscopic video by a novel method of color salient bilateral filtering

The recent advancements in bio-photonics enabled physicians to combine techniques such as narrow-band imaging, fluorescence spectroscopy, optical coherence tomography, with visible spectrum endoscopy video to provide in vivo microscopic tissue characterization in online optical biopsy (Ye et al. 2015); (Wang and Van Dam 2004). Despite the aforementioned advantages, it is challenging for gastroenterologists to retarget the optical biopsy sites during endoscopic examinations because of the degraded quality of endoscopic video which gets corrupted by haze, noise, oversaturated illumination, etc. Enhancement of video frames by considering color channels independently gives birth to unintended phantom color due to its ignorance of the psycho-visual correspondence. To address the aforementioned, we have proposed a novel algorithm to enhance video with faster performance. The proposed C2D2A (Cross Color Dominant Deep Autoencoder) uses the strength of (a) bilateral filtering both in spatial neighborhood domain and psycho-visual range; (b) deep autoencoder which learns salient patterns. The domain-based color sparseness has further improved the performance, modulating classical deep autoencoder to color dominant deep autoencoder. The work has shown promise towards not only a generic framework of quality enhancement of video streams but also addressing performance. The current work in turn improves the image and video analytics like segmentation, detection, and tracking the objects or regions of interest.

Pulse-wave Doppler pulsatility and resistive indexes of the testicular artery increase in canine testis with abnormal spermatogenesis

Pulse-wave Doppler (PWD) ultrasonography of the testicular artery was recently used to compare parameters in fertile and infertile males, or males with normal and abnormal semen quality, while no studies verified the concomitant histological feature of the testis. The experimental hypothesis of the present study was that the blood flow parameters measured by PWD at different levels of the testicular artery reflect sperm attributes evaluated on spermatozoa collected from the tail of the epididymis and testicular histological characteristics. Pulse-wave Doppler parameters were recorded on both testes from 16 dogs of unknown fertility. After routine castration, epididymal spermatozoa were collected and evaluated for sperm total and progressive motility, membrane integrity, and sperm morphology. Testes were submitted to histological and immunohistochemical evaluations to quantify microscopic attributes and connective tissue and vascular area extent, respectively. The findings showed that the increased PWD indexes were suggestive of testicular histological alteration since negative correlations were found between pulsatility index and resistive index, measured in the marginal testicular artery, and histological attributes such as the seminiferous epithelial thickness (R = −0.528, P = 0.016 and R = −0.554, P = 0.005, respectively) and the tubular area/total area ratio (R = −0.494, P = 0.024 and R = −0.563, P = 0.004, respectively). Some histological characteristics, such as tubular diameter, seminiferous epithelium thickness, and the tubular area/total area ratio of the testis are correlated with the percentage of primary abnormalities (R = −0.874, P = 0.001, and R = −0.847, P = 0.001, and R = - 0.865, P = 0.001, respectively). In testes with increased sperm primary abnormalities, higher pulsatility index was found compared with testes with normal spermatogenesis in supratesticular artery (1.07 ± 0.06 vs 0.82 ± 0.23, P < 0.05), marginal artery (0.73 ± 0.04 vs 0.61 ± 0.07, P < 0.05), and intratesticular artery (0.67 ± 0.03 vs 0.43 ± 0.1, P < 0.05). Similarly, the resistive index was found significantly higher in the same vessel tracts in testes with abnormal and normal spermatogenesis (0.62 ± 0.02, 0.53 ± 0.02, and 0.46 ± 0.02 vs 0.51 ± 0.06, 0.44 ± 0.04, and 0.32 ± 0.06, respectively; P < 0.05). Our data demonstrated for the first time the relationship between PWD indexes and the contextual testicular architecture, suggesting that the pulsatility and resistive indexes could be an effective tool in andrology. In light of different histological alterations in the testis, caution is warranted in the definition of thresholds for normal and abnormal testicular blood flow indexes.

Pathologic changes in pig organs, infected with the Aujeszkys disease

The data on histological studies of organs of suckling piglets that died from Aujeszky's disease presented in the article. To study of the microscopic changes, organ and tissue samples were taken from 5 suckling pigs (aged 4 to 6 days old). In all piglets, the diagnosis was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction. For histological studies, tissue samples were taken from the following organs: lungs, stomach, intestines, liver, pancreas, kidneys, thymus, lymph nodes, spleen, brain and spinal cord. The studies established that as a result of the Aujeszky’s disease virus impact on various organs and tissues, in dead pigs, significant pathomorphological changes are observed in most parenchymal organs. As a result of the histological studies of the internal organs of the pigs, died due to Aujeszky's disease the presence of significant microscopic changes in all morphological formations of these organs were found. It was described a number of micromorphological signs of piglets pathological changes and a set of criteria that can be used to substantiate a postmortem diagnosis of this disease was identified.

SPETTROSCOPIA E IMAGING IN OTTICA DIFFUSA: FOCUS SUL TUMORE DELLA MAMMELLA

Through the measurement of the optical properties (absorption and scattering), diffuse optical spectroscopy allows one to estimate non-invasively the composition of biological tissues (water, lipid and collagen content) and functional blood parameters. Further, it provides information on the microscopic tissue structure. It can therefore be effectively used in vivo as an absolutely non-invasive diagnostic tool. The Department of Physics of the Politecnico di Milano has designed and built an optical mammograph that exploits diffused optics, operating with pulsed light at 7 wavelengths in the red and near infrared spectral range (635-1060 nm). The instrument was used in a clinical study on 200 subjects, in collaboration with the European Institute of Oncology: optically derived tissue composition and in particular collagen content in tissues proved to be effective both to discriminate between malignant and benign breast lesions, and to estimate the risk of breast cancer related to the density of breast tissue, which is recognized among the most important independent risk factors. Partly based on those results, “SOLUS - Smart optical and ultrasound diagnostics of breast cancer”, a European project in the H2020 Framework Program, is now working to improve the specificity of non-invasive breast cancer diagnosis by combining diffuse optics with ultrasound imaging.

Hepatoprotective Activities of Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schottin Mice Model with Liver Injury Induced by Paracetamol

This paper uses the model of experimental mouse liver damage with paracetamol to evaluate the liver protective effects of the methanol extract (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) (MCE). After 8 days, the hepatoprotective activities of MCE in mice (damaged by paracetamol) at doses of 500, 1,000 and 2,000 mg/kg/day proved effective as the AST enzyme content decreased by 6.98, 22.84 and 26.59%, respectively; and ALT decreased by 53.17, 56.46 and 57.93%, respectively. MCE at a dose of 1,000 mg/kg/day had a protective effect equivalent to that of silymarin (used in liver treatment) at a dose of 50 mg/kg/day and MCE at a dose of 2,000 mg/kg/day had better effect. Observation of the microscopic liver tissue cross section also revealed that the mice treated with MCE of C. esculenta at doses of 1,000 and 2,000 mg/kg/day showed significantly improvement in their liver tissues compared to the non-treated control group.&#x0D; Keywords:&#x0D; Colocasia esculenta, hepatoprotective, paracetamol.&#x0D; References&#x0D; [1] S. Shahani. Evaluation of hepatoprotective efficacy of APCL-A poly herbal formulation in vivo in rats, Indian Drugs. 36(1999) 628-631.[2] Y. Cui, X. Yang, X. Lu, J. Chen, Y. Zhao. Protective effects of polyphenols-enriched extract from Huangshan Maofeng green tea against CCl4-induced liver injury in mice, Chemico- Biological Interactions 220 (5) (2014) 75-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbi.2014.06.018 [3] K.C. Choi, W.T. Chung, J.K. Kwon, J.Y. Yu, Y.S. Jang, S.M. Park, S.Y. Lee, J.C. Lee. Inhibitory effects of quercetin on aflatoxin B1 induced hepatic damage in mice, Food Chemical Toxicology, 48 (10) (2010) 2747-2753 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2010.07.001[4] E.S. Sabina, J. Samue, S.R. Ramya, S. Patel, N. Mandal, P. Preety, P.P. Mishra, M.K. Rasool. Hepatoprotective and antioxidant potential of Spirulina fusiformis on acetaminophen induced hepatotoxicity in mice, International Journal of Integrative Biology 6 (1) (2009) 1-5. http://ijib.classicrus.com/.../1501.pdf[5] Pham Hoang Ho. Vietnamese plants, episode III. Young Publishing House, (1999), pp. 353 (in Vietnamese).[6] C.O. Eleazu, M. Iroaganachi, K.C. Eleazu. Ameliorative potentials of cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta L.) and unripe plantain (Musa paradisiaca L.) on the relative tissue weights ofstreptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Journal of Diabetes Research, 197 (2013), https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/160964.[7] R.C. Cambie, L.R. Ferguson. Potential functional foods in the traditional Maori diet. Mutation Research Letters 523–524 (2003) 109-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0027-5107(02)00344-5[8] C.L. Abraham, K. Yoshinori, T. Masakuni, I. Hironori, O. Hirosuke, T. Hajime. Flavonoid glycosides in the shoot system of Okinawa Taumu (Colocasia esculenta S). Food Chemistry 119 (2010) 630- 635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.07.004[9] P.J. Bouic, D. Etsebeth, R.W. Liebenberg, C.F. Albrecht, K. Pegel, J.P.P. Van. Beta sitosterol and beta sitosterol glycoside stimulate human peripheral blood lymphocyte proliferation: Implications for their use as an immunomodulatory vitamin combination. International Journal of Immuno-pharmacology 18 (12) (1996) 693-700. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0192-0561(97)85551-8.[10] Vo Van Chi. Dictionary of Vietnamese medicinal plants. Medical Publishing House (1997), pp. 871-873 (in Vietnamese).[11] Do Trung Dam. Method of determining drug toxicity. Medical Publishing House, Hanoi (2014), pp. 11-137 (in Vietnamese). [12] J.T. Litchfield, F. Wilcoxon. A simplified method of evaluating dose-effect experiments, Journal of Pharmcology and Experimental Therapeutics, 96 (2) (1949) 99-113. PMID: 18152921 [13] Doan Thi Nhu, Do Trung Dam, Pham Duy Mai. Method research of the pharmacological effect of drugs from medicinal herbs, Science and Technics Publishing House, Hanoi (2006), pp. 142 (in Vietnamese).[14] A. Godwin. Histochemical uses of haematoxylin - A Review. JPCS 1 (2011) 24-34. [15] Ho Thi Thanh Huyen, Thai Nguyen Hung Thu, Nguyen Thai An. Some results of plan microscopic studies and chemical composition of Bombax malabaricum DC., Bombacaceae, Proceeding Pharma Indochina VII, 10/2011, The 7th Indochina Conference on Pharmaceutical science, Bangkok, Thai Lan (2011) 270-274.[16] A.N. Chinonyelum, A.P. Uwadiegwu, O.C. Nwachukwu, O. Emmanuel. Evaluation of hepatoprotective activity of Colocasia esculenta (L. Schott) leaves on thioacetamide-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Pakistan Journal Pharmaceutical Sciences, 28 (6S) (2015) 2237-2241. [17] O.F. Dayo, B.C. Eluke, E.O. Ukaejiofo, O.L. Olayinka, C.I. Johnpaul, O.A.K .Tajudeen, I. Chinwe, L.S. Adetona. Hepatoproactive and haematopoietic modulatory efficacy of leaf extract of Colocasia esculenta in Albino wistar rats. International Journal of Tropical Medicine 12 (3-6) (2017) 35-41. https://doi.org/3923/ijtmed.2017.35.41.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Do we still need CRS and HIPEC in colorectal cancer in times of modern chemotherapy and immunotherapy?

SummaryPeritoneal carcinomatosis from colorectal cancer is associated with a poor prognosis and is usually treated with systemic chemotherapy and immunotherapy alone. In patients with isolated peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) without nonperitoneal metastases, however, cytoreductive surgery (CRS) has been shown to significantly improve outcome and to achieve even cure in selected patients in combination with systemic therapy. The additional use of a hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is primarily indicated to control microscopical residual tumor tissue in the peritoneal cavity after successful CRS. Another more recent option is the application of an adjuvant HIPEC to prevent peritoneal carcinomatosis in high risk patients with pT4 cancer or perforated cancer at the time of or after primary surgery. The aim of this short review is to highlight the corresponding available literature and assess the role of CRS and HIPEC in the context of modern chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Super-Resolution of Intravoxel Incoherent Motion Imaging Based on Multisimilarity

Intravoxel incoherent motion imaging (IVIM) is a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that can detect both diffusion and pseudo perfusion microscopic tissue information. However, it requires to acquire the diffusion-weighted (DW) images with multiple b-values, which leads to long acquisition time. To reduce the time, the spatial resolution of IVIM is usually not high enough to reflect the image details. To solve this problem, in this study, a multi-similarity block-based super-resolution reconstruction (SRR) method for IVIM was proposed. The fact that the image block similarity of DW images occurs not only across or within the images at different scales, but also the adjacent slices with the same b-values. The intra-slice and inter-slice similarity at multi-scales is defined as multi-similarity in this work. To fully explore the multi-similarity patches to assist SRR, a chain of Gaussian pyramids of a given image slice and the corresponding adjacent slices with the same b-value are established first, and then a random search strategy is used to find and identify the most similar blocks in low resolution (LR) image pyramids. Next, the matched blocks are mapped to high resolution (HR) image pyramids and then unwrapped by inverse affine transformation to replace original LR blocks. Finally, the super-resolution images are obtained through an iterative back-projection algorithm. To evaluate the performance of proposed method, we compared the brain and liver IVIM reconstruction results with several state-of-art methods. The results indicate that the multi-similarity-based method can achieve the best reconstruction results in both DW images and the corresponding IVIM parameter maps.

Matrix Deformation with Ectopic Cells Induced by Rotational Motion in Bioengineered Neural Tissues.

The brain's extracellular matrix (ECM) is a dynamic protein-based scaffold within which neural networks can form, self-maintain, and re-model. When the brain incurs injuries, microscopic tissue tears and active ECM re-modelling give way to abnormal brain structure and function including the presence of ectopic cells. Post-mortem and neuroimaging data suggest that the brains of jet pilots and astronauts, who are exposed to rotational forces, accelerations, and microgravity, display brain anomalies which could be indicative of a mechanodisruptive pathology. Here we present a model of non-impact-based brain injury induced by matrix deformation following mechanical shaking. Using a bioengineered 3D neural tissue platform, we designed a repetitive shaking paradigm to simulate subtle rotational acceleration. Our results indicate shaking induced ectopic cell clustering that could be inhibited by physically restraining tissue movement. Imaging revealed that the collagen substrate surrounding cells was deformed following shaking. Applied to neonatal rat brains, shaking induced deformation of extracellular spaces within the cerebral cortices and reduced the number of cell bodies at higher accelerations. We hypothesize that ECM deformation may represent a more significant role in brain injury progression than previously assumed and that the present model system contributes to its understanding as a phenomenon.

Meibomian Glands or Not? Identification of In Vivo and Ex Vivo Confocal Microscopy Features and Histological Correlates in the Eyelid Margin.

Purpose In vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) is an emerging diagnostic tool allowing fast and easy microscopic tissue examination. For the diagnostics of pathological eyelid margin lesions, the knowledge of the normal eyelid margin is essential. Methods We examined 18 eyelid margins of healthy humans using the in vivo CLSM device and 10 samples of healthy eyelid margins from donor sites with ex vivo CLSM and compared the findings to the corresponding histological sections of donor sites. Cross-section images of different depths and depths of different skin appendages were measured. Results The depth observed by in vivo CLSM is less than 150 μm into the eyelid. Images of the epidermis and superficial dermis skin, appendages including hair follicle, and sebaceous catheters can be captured associated with histopathology and ex vivo confocal microscopy. In correlation with histopathology, we identified different layers of the eyelid margin, different layers of the epidermis, and skin appendages by ex vivo confocal microscopy. Conclusions The study offers an overview of the in vivo confocal microscopy human eyelid margin characteristics in comparison to the standard histological examination and confirms that in vivo CLSM could not observe the meibomian gland acini structure.

Prostate Microstructure in Prostate Cancer Using 3-T MRI with Diffusion-Relaxation Correlation Spectrum Imaging: Validation with Whole-Mount Digital Histopathology.

Background Microstructural MRI has the potential to improve diagnosis and characterization of prostate cancer (PCa), but validation with histopathology is lacking. Purpose To validate ex vivo diffusion-relaxation correlation spectrum imaging (DR-CSI) in the characterization of microstructural tissue compartments in prostate specimens from men with PCa by using registered whole-mount digital histopathology (WMHP) as the reference standard. Materials and Methods Men with PCa who underwent 3-T MRI and robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy between June 2018 and January 2019 were prospectively studied. After prostatectomy, the fresh whole prostate specimens were imaged in patient-specific three-dimensionally printed molds by using 3-T MRI with DR-CSI and were then sliced to create coregistered WMHP slides. The DR-CSI spectral signal component fractions (fA, fB, fC) were compared with epithelial, stromal, and luminal area fractions (fepithelium, fstroma, flumen) quantified in PCa and benign tissue regions. A linear mixed-effects model assessed the correlations between (fA, fB, fC) and (fepithelium, fstroma, flumen), and the strength of correlations was evaluated by using Spearman correlation coefficients. Differences between PCa and benign tissues in terms of DR-CSI signal components and microscopic tissue compartments were assessed using two-sided t tests. Results Prostate specimens from nine men (mean age, 65 years ± 7 [standard deviation]) were evaluated; 20 regions from 17 PCas, along with 20 benign tissue regions of interest, were analyzed. Three DR-CSI spectral signal components (spectral peaks) were consistently identified. The fA, fB, and fC were correlated with fepithelium, fstroma, and flumen (all P < .001), with Spearman correlation coefficients of 0.74 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.62, 0.83), 0.80 (95% CI: 0.66, 0.89), and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.51, 0.81), respectively. PCa exhibited differences compared with benign tissues in terms of increased fA (PCa vs benign, 0.37 ± 0.05 vs 0.27 ± 0.06; P < .001), decreased fC (PCa vs benign, 0.18 ± 0.06 vs 0.31 ± 0.13; P = .01), increased fepithelium (PCa vs benign, 0.44 ± 0.13 vs 0.26 ± 0.16; P < .001), and decreased flumen (PCa vs benign, 0.14 ± 0.08 vs 0.27 ± 0.18; P = .004). Conclusion Diffusion-relaxation correlation spectrum imaging signal components correlate with microscopic tissue compartments in the prostate and differ between cancer and benign tissue. © RSNA, 2020 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Lee and Hectors in this issue.

Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy for the diagnosis of pancreatic ductal structures.

The image-based diagnosis of pancreatic diseases can be difficult and requires pathological evaluation. Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) enables real-time observation of the microscopic tissue pattern of lesion and may be a useful assistance for the diagnosis. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and utility of pCLE for the diagnosis of pancreatic diseases. Thirty patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with pCLE for the evaluation of indeterminate pancreatic diseases from June 2015 to October 2018 were included in this study. The pCLE findings were interpreted according to the Miami Classification. Among a total of 30 patients, 12, 10, 4, and 4 patients received the definitive diagnoses of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), main duct intrapapillary mucinous neoplasm, autoimmune pancreatitis, and chronic pancreatitis, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of pCLE for PDAC and pancreatitis (96.7% and 93.3%, respectively) was higher than that of cytology (76.7% and 63.3%, respectively) (P=0.0227 and 0.0048, respectively). The sensitivity of pCLE for PDAC was significantly higher (91.7%) than that of cytology (41.7%) (P=0.0094). Moreover, the specificity of pCLE for pancreatitis was significantly higher than that of cytology (90.9% vs 50%; P=0.0029). However, the diagnostic accuracies of pCLE and cytology for main duct intrapapillary mucinous neoplasm did not differ significantly (96.7% and 86.7%, respectively). Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy may be effective for the diagnosis of pancreatic diseases as adjunct modality. It requires technical learning and further evaluation of its usefulness.

TÜP BEBEK MERKEZİNE BAŞVURAN AZOSPERMİK OLGULARDAN ALINAN SEMİNİFER TÜBÜL ÖRNEKLERİNİN ULTRASTRÜKTÜREL VE HİSTOPATOLOJİK OLARAK İNCELENMESİ

Objective: In this study we purposed to explore seminiferous tubules via histopathological and electron microscopic methods in testicular biopsy samples obtained TESE and the relationship between the findings and levels of serum FSH, LH, testosterone hormones. Methods: Azoospermia patients were divided into two groups, a positive testicular sperm extraction (TESE(+)) and a negative testicular sperm extraction (TESE(-)). Testicular tissue from biopsy samples were subjected to the light and electron microscopic tissue preparations. Serum hormone levels of patients were determined and analyzed statistically between the groups. Results: Compared the groups, more remarkable damages were detected in the seminiferous tubulus of no sperm group in the light and electron microscopic examinations. Although inflammation and partly tubule degeneration was observed, spermatogenesis and sperm cells were determined in the tubules of sperm pozitive group. In the light and ultrastructural analysis of negative sperm group, macrophages and mast cells in the interstitial tissue, vacuolization of seminiferous tubules, lipid inclusions and Sertoli cell only syndrome were the significant findings. When analyzed serum FSH, LH and testosterone hormones between the groups, FSH and LH hormones were statistically significant while Testosteron hormone was not significant. Conclusion: As a result in the seminiferous tubules of individuals histopathological results revealed that FSH and LH are important indicator of testicular function but Testosteron has not any effect. It was concluded that high levels of these hormones impair spermatogenesis and cause testicular failure.

Intralingual Thyroglossal Duct Cyst Excision.

Intralingual Thyroglossal Duct Cyst Excision.

Synchrotron radiation imaging analysis of neural damage in mouse soleus muscle

Damage to lower limb muscles requires accurate analysis of the muscular condition via objective microscopic diagnosis. However, microscopic tissue analysis may cause deformation of the tissue structure due to injury induced by external factors during tissue sectioning. To substantiate these muscle injuries, we used synchrotron X-ray imaging technology to project extremely small objects, provide three-dimensional microstructural analysis as extracted samples. In this study, we used mice as experimental animals to create soleus muscle models with various nerve injuries. We morphologically analyzed and quantified the damaged Section and Crush muscles, respectively, via three-dimensional visualization using synchrotron radiation X-ray imaging to diagnose muscle injury. Results of this study can also be used as basic data in the medical imaging field.

3D PHOVIS: 3D photoacoustic visualization studio

Photoacoustic (PA) imaging (or optoacoustic imaging) is a novel biomedical imaging method in biological and medical research. This modality performs morphological, functional, and molecular imaging with and without labels in both microscopic and deep tissue imaging domains. A variety of innovations have enhanced 3D PA imaging performance and thus has opened new opportunities in preclinical and clinical imaging. However, the 3D visualization tools for PA images remains a challenge. There are several commercially available software packages to visualize the generated 3D PA images. They are generally expensive, and their features are not optimized for 3D visualization of PA images. Here, we demonstrate a specialized 3D visualization software package, namely 3D Photoacoustic Visualization Studio (3D PHOVIS), specifically targeting photoacoustic data, image, and visualization processes. To support the research environment for visualization and fast processing, we incorporated 3D PHOVIS onto the MATLAB with graphical user interface and developed multi-core graphics processing unit modules for fast processing. The 3D PHOVIS includes following modules: (1) a mosaic volume generator, (2) a scan converter for optical scanning photoacoustic microscopy, (3) a skin profile estimator and depth encoder, (4) a multiplanar viewer with a navigation map, and (5) a volume renderer with a movie maker. This paper discusses the algorithms present in the software package and demonstrates their functions. In addition, the applicability of this software to ultrasound imaging and optical coherence tomography is also investigated. User manuals and application files for 3D PHOVIS are available for free on the website (www.boa-lab.com). Core functions of 3D PHOVIS are developed as a result of a summer class at POSTECH, “High-Performance Algorithm in CPU/GPU/DSP, and Computer Architecture.” We believe our 3D PHOVIS provides a unique tool to PA imaging researchers, expedites its growth, and attracts broad interests in a wide range of studies.

Transferring principles of solid-state and Laplace NMR to the field of in vivo brain MRI.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the primary method for noninvasive investigations of the human brain in health, disease, and development but yields data that are difficult to interpret whenever the millimeter-scale voxels contain multiple microscopic tissue environments with different chemical and structural properties. We propose a novel MRI framework to quantify the microscopic heterogeneity of the living human brain as spatially resolved five-dimensional relaxation-diffusion distributions by augmenting a conventional diffusion-weighted imaging sequence with signal encoding principles from multidimensional solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, relaxation-diffusion correlation methods from Laplace NMR of porous media, and Monte Carlo data inversion. The high dimensionality of the distribution space allows resolution of multiple microscopic environments within each heterogeneous voxel as well as their individual characterization with novel statistical measures that combine the chemical sensitivity of the relaxation rates with the link between microstructure and the anisotropic diffusivity of tissue water. The proposed framework is demonstrated on a healthy volunteer using both exhaustive and clinically viable acquisition protocols.

A118 GUT MICROBIOTA TRANSPLANTATION FROM A PATIENT WITH SEVERE CONSTIPATION INDUCED CHANGES IN COLONIC FUNCTION AND STRUCTUR OF GNOTOBIOTIC MICE

Abstract Background Increasing evidence suggests that gut microbiota play a key role in gastrointestinal (GI) tract function. We have previously shown that fecal microbiota transplantation diarrhea predominant IBS patients into germ-free mice induces faster GI transit, increased permeability and innate immune activation. However, it is unknown whether gut dysfunction is induced by microbiota from patients with chronic constipation. Aims Here, we investigated the role of the intestinal microbiota in the expression of severe slow transit constipation in a patient with previous C difficile infection and extensive antibiotic exposure. Methods Germ-free (GF) mice (14 weeks old) were gavaged with diluted fecal content from the patient with constipation (PA) or a sex and age-matched healthy control (HC). 12 weeks later, we assessed gut motility and GI transit using videofluoroscopy and a bead expulsion test.. We then investigated intestinal and colonic smooth muscle isometric contraction in vitro using electric field stimulation (EFS), and acetylcholine (Ach) release was assessed by superfusion using [3H] choline. Histological changes were evaluated by H&amp;E and immunohistochemistry. Results Mice with PA microbiota had faster whole GI transit (score 18.9 ± 0.9 (N=9) than mice with HC microbiota (15.4 ± 1.0, N=10, p=0.032), with markers located mainly in the distal small bowel and cecum. However, bead expulsion from the colon was significantly longer in PA mice (420.8 s ± 124.6 s, N=9) than in HC mice (82.6 s ± 20.0 s, N=10, p=0.026). This delayed colonic transit was likely due to colonic retroperistalsis visualized videofluoroscopically by retrograde flow of barium in the right colon of PA mice. There was no difference between the two groups in small intestinal or colonic tissues in Ach release or contractility induced by carbachol or KCl,. EFS caused transient biphasic relaxation and contraction in small intestine and colon, with the colonic contraction being stronger in the PA group. Microscopic tissue analysis showed disruption of the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) network and increased lymphocyte infiltration in colonic mucosa and submucosa in PA mice. Conclusions These results indicate that the microbiota is a driver of delayed colonic transit in a patient whose constipation started following extensive antibiotic exposure for C. difficile infection. The observed dysmotility pattern was not due to lower muscle contractility but likely caused by immune mediated changes in the ICC network. Funding Agencies CIHR

Trans-Mucosal Efficacy of Non-Thermal Plasma Treatment on Cervical Cancer Tissue and Human Cervix Uteri by a Next Generation Electrosurgical Argon Plasma Device.

Non-invasive physical plasma (NIPP) generated by non-thermally operated electrosurgical argon plasma sources is a promising treatment for local chronic inflammatory, precancerous and cancerous diseases. NIPP-enabling plasma sources are highly available and medically approved. The purpose of this study is the investigation of the effects of non-thermal NIPP on cancer cell proliferation, viability and apoptosis and the identification of the underlying biochemical and molecular modes of action. For this, cervical cancer (CC) single cells and healthy human cervical tissue were analyzed by cell counting, caspase activity assays, microscopic and flow-cytometric viability measurements and molecular tissue characterization using Raman imaging. NIPP treatment caused an immediate and persisting decrease in CC cell growth and cell viability associated with significant plasma-dependent effects on lipid structures. These effects could also be identified in primary cells from healthy cervical tissue and could be traced into the basal cell layer of superficially NIPP-treated cervical mucosa. This study shows that NIPP treatment with non-thermally operated electrosurgical argon plasma devices is a promising method for the treatment of human mucosa, inducing specific molecular changes in cells.