Emily M. Engelhardt¹, Andrew T. Trout^2,3, Rachel M. Sheridan⁴, Gruschen R. Veldtman⁵, Jonathan R. Dillman^2,3

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.3, pp. 380-388, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12730

Abstract Purpose: Patients who have undergone Fontan palliation of single ventricle physiol‐ ogy congenital heart disease are prone to developing focal liver lesions. In our experi‐ ence, the variety of lesions occurring in this population is greater than that described in the literature. The purpose of this study was to describe the breadth of biopsy‐ proven liver lesions in patients post–Fontan palliation of single ventricle physiology cared for at our institution.
Methods: We retrospectively identified patients who had previously undergone the Fontan operation and had a focal liver lesion biopsied between January 2000 and June 2018. Medical records were reviewed for… More >

Neil C. Zaki^1,2, Michael S. Kelleman¹, W. James Parks^1,3, Timothy C. Slesnick^1,3, Michael E. McConnell^1,3, Matthew E. Oster^1,3

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.2, pp. 140-146, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12692

Abstract Objective: Gated cardiac MRI offers the most detailed and accurate noninvasive method of assessing cardiac anatomy, particularly in patients with complex congenital heart disease. The proposed benefits of using cMRI as a routine screening tool in the Fontan population include early recognition of asymptomatic, postoperative anatomic and physiologic changes. In 2011, we therefore instituted at our center a recommended practice of cMRI screening in patients with Fontan physiology at 3 and 8 years postFontan operation. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of this standardized practice of cMRI screening on the clinical management of a Fontan population.
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Benjamin H. Goot, Sonali Patel, Brian Fonseca

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.12, No.1, pp. 84-90, 2017

Abstract Objective: When imaging the lower airway by MRI, the traditional technique turbo spin echo (TSE) results in high quality 2D images, however planning and acquisition times are lengthy. An alternative, delayed volume interpolated breath-holds examination (VIBE), is a 3D gradient echo technique that produces high spatial resolution imaging of the airway in one breath-hold. The objective of this study is to retrospectively evaluate the accuracy of lower airway measurements obtained by delayed VIBE when compared to TSE.
Design: Patients with congenital heart disease who underwent a cardiac MRI (CMR) that included a delayed VIBE sequence from 5/2008 to 9/2013 were… More >

Christoph Gräni, Dominik C. Benz, Mathias Possner, Olivier F. Clerc, Fran Mikulicic, Jan Vontobel, Julia Stehli, Tobias A. Fuchs, Aju P. Pazhenkottil, Oliver Gaemperli, Philipp A. Kaufmann, Ronny R. Buechel

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.12, No.1, pp. 49-57, 2017

Abstract Objective: To provide data on the value of fused cardiac hybrid imaging with coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (PET-MPI) in patients with complex coronary artery anomalies (CCAA).
Design/setting: This is a retrospective, single-center study.
Patients: Seven consecutive patients with CCAA (mean 57 ± 7 y, 86% were male) who underwent clinically indicated hybrid CCTA/PET-MPI between 2005 and 2015 in our clinic were included. The findings from both modalities and fused cardiac hybrid imaging were evaluated in these patients.
Results: Out of the seven patients with CCAA, two patients had Bland–White–Garland anomaly, two patients… More >

Hoi Lam She^*, Arno A.W. Roest^†, Emmeline E. Calkoen^†, Pieter J. van den Boogaard^‡, Rob J. van der Geest^‡, Mark G. Hazekamp^§, Albert de Roos^‡, Jos J.M. Westenberg^‡

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.12, No.1, pp. 40-48, 2017

Abstract Purpose. To evaluate the inflow pattern and flow quantification in patients with functional univentricular heart after Fontan’s operation using 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with streamline visualization when compared with the conventional 2D flow approach.
Method. Seven patients with functional univentricular heart after Fontan’s operation and twenty-three healthy controls underwent 4D flow MRI. In two orthogonal two-chamber planes, streamline visualization was applied, and inflow angles with peak inflow velocity (PIV) were measured. Transatrioventricular flow quantification was assessed using conventional 2D multiplanar reformation (MPR) and 4D MPR tracking the annulus and perpendicular to the streamline inflow at PIV, and they… More >

Wei Zhao^{1, 2}, Shuai Feng¹, Yadan Wang¹, Yuanguo Wang¹, Zhihui Han¹, Hu Peng^{1, *}

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.123, No.1, pp. 427-440, 2020, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2020.09387

Abstract Frame rate is an important metric for ultrasound imaging systems, and high frame rates (HFR) benefit moving-target imaging. One common way to obtain HFR imaging is to transmit a plane wave. Delay-and-sum (DAS) beamformer is a conventional beamforming algorithm, which is simple and has been widely implemented in clinical application. Fourier beamforming is an alternative method for HFR imaging and has high levels of imaging efficiency, imaging speed, and good temporal dynamic characteristics. Nevertheless, the resolution and contrast performance of HFR imaging based on DAS or Fourier beamforming are insufficient due to the single plane wave transmission. To address this… More >

Lulu Wang^1,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.17, No.1, pp. 33-40, 2020, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07165

Abstract CT and MRI are often used in the diagnosis and monitoring of stroke. However, they are expensive, time-consuming, produce ionizing radiation (CT), and not suitable for continuous monitoring stroke. Microwave imaging (MI) has been extensively investigated for identifying several types of human organs, including breast, brain, lung, liver, and gastric. The authors recently developed a holographic microwave imaging (HMI) algorithm for biological object detection. However, this method has difficulty in providing accurate information on embedded small inclusions. This paper describes the feasibility of the use of a multifrequency HMI algorithm for brain stroke detection. A numerical system, including HMI data… More >

Lulu Wang^1,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 125-125, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07101

Abstract Early diagnosis of stroke with timely treatment could reduce adult permanent disability significantly [1]. Conventional medical imaging tools such as X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) have been widely used for diagnosis of brain disease. However, each of these methods has some limitations. X-ray imaging produces harmful radiation to the human body and challenging to identify early-stage abnormal tissue due to the relatively small dielectric proprieties contrast between the healthy tissue and abnormal tissue at X-ray frequencies [2]. PET provides useful information about soft tissues, but it is expensive and produces poor… More >

Yongliang Wang¹, Dana N LeVine², Xuefeng Wang^1,3,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 105-105, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07872

Abstract Platelets are important blood cells mediating hemostasis and thrombosis. Integrin tension plays a critical role in most platelet functions, such as adhesion, activation, aggregation and contraction. Visualizing and measuring single platelet forces are desired in both research and diagnosis of platelet functions. Here we developed integrative tension sensor (ITS) which converts integrin molecular tension to fluorescent signal, therefore enabling cellular force mapping directly by fluorescence imaging. With the ITS, we mapped integrin-transmitted platelet force at 0.4 µm resolution during platelet adhesion and contraction. We found that platelet force distribution has strong polarization which is sensitive to treatment with anti-platelet drugs,… More >

Longwei Liu¹, Praopim Limsakul¹, Shaoying (Kathy) Lu¹, Peter Yingxiao Wang^1,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 82-82, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07360

Abstract Genetically-encoded biosensors based on Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET biosensors) have been widely used to dynamically track the activity of Protein Tyrosine Kinases (PTKs) in living cells because of their sensitive ratiometric fluorescence readout, high spatiotemporal resolution. However, the limitation in sensitivity, specificity, and dynamic range of these biosensors have hindered their broader applications, and there was a lack of efficient ways to optimize FRET biosensors. Here we established a rapid, systematic and universal approach for FRET biosensor optimization through directed evolution which involves generating genetic diversity and screening for protein variants with desired properties at the same time and… More >