Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Examining Brain Connectivity And Reading Ability In Children, Alexandra M. Cross

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this thesis, I investigated the relationship between functional and structural connectivity and reading ability in children. Prior research has tended to use single word reading measures or composite measures, however this is problematic as reading is a complex skill relying on multiple subskills, such as decoding efficiency, sight word reading efficiency, reading comprehension, and rapid automatized naming. As a result, the multi-faceted relationship between brain connectivity and reading ability is not well understood. I aimed to address this issue by considering multiple reading subskills while examining the neural substrates of reading. In Chapter 2, I examined how individual differences …

The Development Of Bacterial Magnetic Resonance Imaging For Microbiota Analyses, Sarah C. Donnelly

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Current microbial analyses to assess either the commensal microbiota or microorganism infection and disease typically require ex vivo techniques that risk contamination and are not undertaken in real time. The possibilities for employing imaging techniques in the microbiology field is becoming more prominent as studies expand on the use of positron emission tomography, ultrasound and numerous microscopy techniques. However, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a non-invasive in vivo modality that can produce real-time results is falling behind. Here, we examined the feasibility of detecting bacteria using clinical field strength MRI. Commensal, probiotic and uropathogenic Escherichia coli were scanned by 3 Tesla …

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Diminishes The Effects Of Age On White Matter Hyperintensity Volume, Nathan F. Johnson, Ahmed A. Bahrani, David K. Powell, Gregory A. Jicha, Brian T. Gold

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are among the most commonly observed marker of cerebrovascular disease. Age is a key risk factor for WMH development. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with increased vessel compliance, but it remains unknown if high CRF affects WMH volume. This study explored the effects of CRF on WMH volume in community-dwelling older adults. We further tested the possibility of an interaction between CRF and age on WMH volume. Participants were 76 adults between the ages of 59 and 77 (mean age = 65.36 years, SD = 3.92) who underwent a maximal graded exercise test and structural brain …

Epstein Barr Virus-Immortalizedｂlymphocytes Exacerbate Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis In Xenograft Mice, Pascal Polepole, Alison Bartenslager, Yutong Liu, Thomas M. Petro, Samodha C. Fernando, Luwen Zhang

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common autoimmune disorder affecting the central nervous system. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a causative agent for infectious mononucleosis (IM) that is associated with MS pathogenesis. However, the exact mechanism by which EBV, specifically in IM, increases the risk for MS remains unknown. EBV immortalizes primary B lymphocytes in vitro and causes excessive B lymphocyte proliferation in IM in vivo. In asymptomatic carriers, EBV-infected B lymphocytes still proliferate to certain degrees, the process of which is tightly controlled by the host immune systems. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mimics key features of MS in humans …

Fev1 And Mri Ventilation Defect Reversibility In Asthma And Copd, Hana Serajeddini, Rachel L Eddy, Christopher Licskai, David G Mccormack, Grace Parraga

Medical Biophysics Publications

The underlying pathophysiological determinants of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are related in complex ways. Importantly however, post-bronchodilator FEV1- reversibility may occur in approximately 50% of COPD patients whilst epidemiological and magnetic-resonance-imaging (MRI) studies suggest that in asthmatics, FEV1-reversibility may diminish over time. As compared to patients with asthma or COPD alone, patients with coexisting asthma and COPD report worse clinical outcomes and increased healthcare costs and burden.

Pulmonary Xenon-129 Mri: New Opportunities To Unravel Enigmas In Respiratory Medicine, Rachel L Eddy, Grace Parraga

Medical Biophysics Publications

No abstract provided.

Non-Invasive Mri Quantification Of Cerebrospinal Fluid Dynamics In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients., Lucas R Sass, Mohammadreza Khani, Jacob Romm, Marianne Schmid Daners, Kyle Mccain, Tavara Freeman, Gregory T Carter, Douglas L Weeks, Brian Petersen, Jason Aldred, Dena Wingett, Bryn A Martin

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: Developing novel therapeutic agents to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been difficult due to multifactorial pathophysiologic processes at work. Intrathecal drug administration shows promise due to close proximity of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to affected tissues. Development of effective intrathecal pharmaceuticals will rely on accurate models of how drugs are dispersed in the CSF. Therefore, a method to quantify these dynamics and a characterization of differences across disease states is needed.

METHODS: Complete intrathecal 3D CSF geometry and CSF flow velocities at six axial locations in the spinal canal were collected by T2-weighted and phase-contrast MRI, respectively. Scans were …

Epstein Barr Virus-Immortalizedｂlymphocytes Exacerbate Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis In Xenograft Mice, Pascal Polepole, Alison Bartenslager, Yutong Liu, Thomas M. Petro, Samodha C. Fernando, Luwen Zhang

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common autoimmune disorder affecting the central nervous system. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a causative agent for infectious mononucleosis (IM) that is associated with MS pathogenesis. However, the exact mechanism by which EBV, specifically in IM, increases the risk for MS remains unknown. EBV immortalizes primary B lymphocytes in vitro and causes excessive B lymphocyte proliferation in IM in vivo. In asymptomatic carriers, EBV-infected B lymphocytes still proliferate to certain degrees, the process of which is tightly controlled by the host immune systems. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mimics key features of MS in humans and …

Predictive Factors For Treatment Success Of Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection In Lumbar Disc Herniation-Induced Sciatica, Savaş Şencan, Alp Eren Çelenli̇oğlu, Ruslan Asadov, Osman Hakan Gündüz

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: The aim of this study was to identify predictive factors for treatment success in transforaminal epidural steroid injection in patients with lumbar disc herniation-induced sciatica. Materials and methods: A total of 219 patients who were diagnosed with unilateral sciatica and underwent transforaminal epidural steroid injections at the level of L4-5, L5-S1, or S1 neural foramina between March 2016 and May 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The presence of transitional vertebrae and the grade of nerve root compression were evaluated by a radiologist. Data including age, sex, body mass index, duration of symptoms, injection levels, and pain scores were recorded. Pain …

The Efficacy Of The 3-Dimensional Vibe-Caipirinha-Dixon Technique In The Evaluation Of Pancreatic Steatosis, Ural Koç, Gökhan Ocakoğlu, Oktay Algin

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: CAIPIRINHA is a new technique in abdominal imaging. Pancreatic steatosis (PS) is a subject of increasing scientific interest. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of the isotropic 3D-VIBE- CAIPIRINHA -DIXON technique on a new generation 3-tesla MR unit in the evaluation of PS.Materials and methods: In this retrospective study, the imaging findings of 49 patients with PS and 41 control subjects were examined. The pancreas-to-spleen ratio (PSR), pancreas-to-muscle ratio (PMR), and pancreatic signal intensity index (PSII) were defined as 3 new parameters and these indexes were calculated from the in-phase/out of phase 3D-VIBE- CAIPIRINHA-DIXON images. …

Posterior Fossa Horns; A New Calvarial Finding Of Mucopolysaccharidoses With Well-Known Cranial Mri Features, Çağri Damar, Betül Emi̇ne Deri̇nkuyu, Muazzez Asburçe Bi̇ke Olgaç Kiliçkaya, Mehmet Öztürk, Çi̇ğdem Öztunali, Ayşe Gül Alimli, Öznur Leman Boyunaga, Murat Uçar, Fati̇h Süheyl Ezgü, Leyla Tümer, Alp Özgün Börcek, Ahmet Siğirci

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are a group of hereditary metabolic diseases. The aim of this study was to share the previously unreported calvarial finding of internal hypertrophy of the occipitomastoid sutures (IHOMS) together with some other well- known cranial MRI findings in this patient series. Materials and methods: A retrospective evaluation was conducted of 80 cranial MRIs of patients who had been diagnosed and followed up with MPS from 2008 to 2019 in our center. Of these patients, 11 had Hurler, 14 had Hunter, 24 had Sanfilippo, 15 had Morquio, 14 had Maroteaux-Lamy, and 2 had Sly disease. The cranial MRIs …

Silent Cerebral Infarct In Sickle Cell Anemia Patients Of Southern Turkey, Ezgi̇ Nafi̇le Sayman, Göksel Leblebi̇satan, Şeri̇fe Leblebi̇satan, Yunus Kenan Biçakci, Yurdanur Kilinç, Adnan Barutçu

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Silent cerebral infarct (SCI) is an ischemic lesion seen before clinical signs of brain infarct and ischemic changes in brain tissue. This study aimed to detect SCI with noninvasive methods and to determine related risk factors in patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA). Materials and methods: Fifty-four SCA patients who had no history of cerebral infarct and whose neurological examinations were normal were included in this study. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion MRI were taken and the acquired data was compared statistically. Results: SCI was detected in 11.1% (6/54) of the patients. No statistical differences in age, …