Tilting structures in inverse perovskites, M3TtO (M = Ca, Sr, Ba, Eu; Tt = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb).

Single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments were performed for a series of inverse perovskites, M3TtO (M = Ca, Sr, Ba, Eu; Tt = tetrel element: Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) in the temperature range 500-50 K. For Tt = Sn, Pb, they crystallize as an 'ideal' perovskite-type structure (Pm3m, cP5); however, all of them show distinct anisotropies of the displacement ellipsoids of the M atoms at room temperature. This behavior vanishes on cooling for M = Ca, Sr, Eu, and the structures can be regarded as `ideal' cubic perovskites at 50 K. The anisotropies of the displacement ellipsoids are much more enhanced in the case of the Ba compounds. Finally, their structures undergo a phase transition at ∼ 150 K. They change from cubic to orthorhombic (Ibmm, oI20) upon cooling, with slightly tilted OBa6 octahedra, and bonding angles O-Ba-O ≃ 174° (100 K). For the larger Ba(2+) cations, the structural changes are in agreement with smaller tolerance factors (t) as defined by Goldschmidt. Similar structural behavior is observed for Ca3TtO. Smaller Tt(4-) anions (Si, Ge) introduce reduced tolerance factors. Both compounds Ca3SiO and Ca3GeO with cubic structures at 500 K, change into orthorhombic (Ibmm) at room temperature. Whereby, Ca3SiO is the only representative within the M3TtO family where three polymorphs can be found within the temperature range 500-50 K: Pm3m-Ibmm-Pbnm. They show tiny differences in the tilting of the OCa6 octahedra, expressed by O-Ca-O bond angles of 180° (500 K), ∼ 174° (295 K) and 170° (100 K). For larger M (Sr, Eu, Ba), together with smaller Tt (Si, Ge) atoms, pronounced tilting of the OM6 octahedra, and bonding angles of O-M-O ≃ 160° (295 K) are observed. They crystallize in the anti-GdFeO3 type of structure (Pbnm, oP20), and no phase transitions occur between 500 and 50 K. The observed phase transitions are all accompanied by multiple twinning, in terms of pseudo-merohedry or reticular pseudo-merohedry.

Diagnosis of ACL and meniscal injuries: MR imaging of knee flexion versus extension compared to arthroscopy.

The aim of the study was to evaluate whether MR Imaging of the knee at 30° and 55° of flexion can improve the diagnosis of anterior cruciate ligament and menisci injuries compared to arthroscopy and imaging during extension of the knee joint. Knee joints from 40 patients with clinical suspicion of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture were examined using MRI while the knee joint was either extended or flexed at 30° and 55° of knee flexion. A standard MR knee coil was used at extension, whereas at 30° and 55° of flexion a non-metallic positioning device and a flexible surface coil was placed ventral to the patella. Sagittal T2-weighted TSE sequences were acquired. In 29 of 40 patients, arthroscopy results were compared to the MRI examinations. Image quality of MRI examinations was evaluated using a three-point rating scale in a blinded fashion. Images were compared between groups and rated as better quality, same quality, or worse quality. Additionally, each angle MRI was compared to arthroscopy results. Partial ACL ruptures were diagnosed with 63% accuracy using MR imaging at 30° and 55° of knee flexion compared to 50% accuracy during knee extension. MRI imaging of complete ACL ruptures resulted in 83% accuracy of diagnosis when imaged at 30° flexion, 93% accuracy at 55° flexion, and 83% accuracy at extension. The accuracy of diagnosing medial meniscus lesions was 73% at extension, 64% at 30° flexion and 73% at 55° of flexion. MR imaging was only able to diagnose lateral meniscus tears with 55% accuracy in all three knee positions. The diagnosis of meniscal tears was more difficult due to small peripheral tears. The improved results in the diagnosis of ACL tears in response to 30° flexion and in particular in response to 55° flexion were based on the fact that the anterior cruciate ligament moved further away from the intercondylar roof with increased knee flexion. During flexion the ligament tension decreased, which causes the anterior cruciate ligament to have cylindrical shape and therefore made visualization of the injury easier. In conclusion, MR Imaging of the knee at 55° of flexion and less at 30° of flexion allows an improved diagnosis of injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament as compared to MRI examinations at extension. The diagnosis of meniscal injuries, however, was not superior at both flexion positions compared to commonly performed examinations at knee extension.

Challenge of magnetism in strongly correlated open-shell 2p systems.

We report on theoretical investigations of the exotic magnetism in rubidium sesquioxide Rb4O6, a model correlated system with an open 2p shell. Experimental investigations indicated that Rb4O6 is a magnetically frustrated insulator. The frustration is explained here by electronic structure calculations that incorporate the correlation between the oxygen 2p electrons and deal with the mixed-valent oxygen. This leads to a physical picture where the symmetry is reduced because one third of the oxygen in Rb4O6 is nonmagnetic while the remaining two thirds assemble in antiferromagnetic arrangements. A degenerate, insulating ground state with a large number of frustrated noncollinear magnetic configurations is confidently deduced from the theoretical point of view. These findings demonstrate in general the importance of electron-electron correlations in open-shell p-electron systems.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the femoral trochlea: evaluation of anatomical landmarks and grading articular cartilage in cadaveric knees.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to define magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings before and after contrast medium opacification of the knee joint in cadaveric specimens to demonstrate anatomical landmarks of the trochlear surface in relation to the neighboring structures, and to evaluate different MRI sequences in the detection of cartilage defects of the trochlear and patellar surface of the knee. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The morphology and relationship of the proximal trochlear surface to the prefemoral fat of the distal femur were investigated by use of different MR sequences before and after intra-articular gadolinium administration into the knee joint in ten cadaveric knees. Anatomic sections were subsequently obtained. In addition, evaluation of the articular surface of the trochlea was performed by two independent observers. The cartilage surfaces were graded using a 2-point system, and results were compared with macroscopic findings. RESULTS: Of 40 cartilage surfaces evaluated, histopathologic findings showed 9 normal surfaces, 20 containing partial-thickness defects, and 11 containing full-thickness defects. Compared with macroscopic data, sensitivity of MR sequences for the two reviewers was between 17 and 90%; specificity, 75 and 100%; positive predictive value, 75 and 100%; negative predictive value, 20 and 100%, depending on patellar or trochlea lesions. Interobserver variability for the presence of disease, which was measured using the kappa statistic, was dependent on the MR sequence used between 0.243 and 0.851. CONCLUSION: Magnetic resonance imaging sequences can be used to evaluate the cartilage of the trochlear surface with less accuracy when compared with the results of grading the articular cartilage of the patella.

Microscopic access to long-range diffusion parameters of the fast lithium ion conductor Li7BiO6 by solid state 7Li stimulated echo NMR.

Li self-diffusion in rhombohedral Li7BiO6, being a promising basic material for cathodes of rechargeable ion batteries, is studied by means of 7Li stimulated echo NMR. Using the pulse sequence introduced by Jeener and Broekaert, a spin-alignment echo is created whose amplitude decay is recorded as a function of mixing time. The so-obtained two-time correlation functions follow stretched exponential behavior and lead to decay rates which can be identified directly with microscopic Li motional correlation rates (tau(-1)). Using a jump distance of about 0.2 nm, this results in a diffusion coefficient (D) of about 0.5 x 10(-16) m(2) s(-1) at 294 K. The activation energy turned out to be 0.53(3) eV which is in very good agreement with recently obtained results by means of dc-conductivity measurements probing long-range diffusion parameters. This shows that stimulated echo NMR, due to its inherent time scale, gives microscopic access to long-range transport. The prefactor tau(0)(-1) of the corresponding Arrhenius law lies in the typical range of phonon frequencies, tau(0)(-1) = 3 x 10(12) s(-1).

Value of fat-suppressed PD-weighted TSE-sequences for detection of anterior and posterior cruciate ligament lesions--comparison to arthroscopy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate fat-suppressed (FS) proton-density-weighted (PDw) turbo spin-echo (TSE) magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of anterior and posterior cruciate ligament lesions in comparison to arthroscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a prospective study 31 knee joints were imaged on a 1.5T MR scanner (Vision, Siemens, Erlangen) prior to arthroscopy using following sequences: (a) sagittal FS-PDw/T2w TSE (TR/TE: 4009/15/105 ms); (b) sagittal PDw/T2w TSE (TR/TE:3800/15/105 ms). Further imaging parameters: slice thickness 3mm, FOV 160 mm, matrix 256 x 256. A total of 62 anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments (ACL/PCL) were evaluated, standard of reference was arthroscopy. Sensitivity, specificity, positive (ppv) and negative predictive value (npv) and accuracy were calculated. RESULTS: Twenty-one cruciate ligament ruptures were detected in arthroscopy, 19 ACL- and 2 PCL-ruptures (on MRI 34/124, 25/62 ACL, 9/62 PCL lesions). For all four sequences in the 31 patients with arthroscopic correlation sensitivity, specificity, ppv, npv and accuracy were 86%, 98%, 95%, 93% and 94% for detection of tears, and 84%, 100%, 100%, 80% and 90% for ACL-ruptures respectively. The two PCL-ruptures were true positive in all sequences, one intact PCL was diagnosed as torn (false positive). CONCLUSIONS: Fat-suppressed PDw/T2w TSE-MR sequences are comparable to PDw TSE sequences for the detection of ACL/PCL-lesions.

New insights into the structural and dynamical features of lithium hexaoxometalates Li7MO6 (M = Nb, Ta, Sb, Bi).

We present a (re)investigation of the hexaoxometalates Li(8)MO(6) (M = Sn, Pb, Zr, Hf) and Li(7)MO(6) (M = Nb, Ta, Sb, Bi). Lithium motion and ionic conductivity in the hexaoxometalates were studied using impedance spectroscopy (for Li(7)MO(6), M = Sb, Bi, Ta) and (6)Li and (7)Li solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (for Li(7)TaO(6)). The NMR data indicate a considerable exchange of Li among the tetrahedral and octahedral voids even at ambient temperature. In an investigation of the crystal structures using laboratory and synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction techniques, the structures of Li(7)TaO(6), Li(7)NbO(6), and Li(7)SbO(6) could be solved and refined. All three reveal a triclinic metric (Li(7)SbO(6), triclinic, P1, a = 5.38503(6) A, b = 5.89164(7) A, c = 5.43074(6) A, alpha = 117.2210(6) degrees, beta = 119.6311(6) degrees, gamma = 63.2520(7) degrees, V = 127.454(3) A(3), Z = 1; Li(7)NbO(6), triclinic, P1, a = 5.37932(9) A, b = 5.91942(11) A, c = 5.37922(9) A, alpha = 117.0033(9) degrees, beta = 119.6023(7) degrees, gamma = 63.2570(9) degrees, V = 126.938(4) A(3), Z = 1; Li(7)TaO(6), triclinic, P1, a = 5.38486(2) A, b = 5.92014(3) A, c = 5.38551(2) A, alpha = 117.0108(2) degrees, beta = 119.6132(2) degrees, gamma = 63.2492(2) degrees, V = 127.208(1) A(3), Z = 1.

CT-guided lymphoscintigraphy in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a feasibility study.

Accurate knowledge of lymphatic drainage facilitates planning of surgery for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a new injection technique for lymph node detection in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx and larynx, in whom simple peritumoural injection is hampered by the tumour localisation. Computed tomography (CT)-guided lymphoscintigraphy was performed in a total of 13 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx and larynx who could not be injected by simple visual inspection. In a first step, contrast medium-enhanced axial 5-mm-thick CT slices of the neck were obtained. After tumour localisation on these CT images, 1-2 ml contrast medium and, in the event of appropriate distribution, subsequently 50 MBq technetium-99m colloid were injected at one to three peritumoural sites under CT guidance. Peritumoural tracer distribution was controlled by thin-slice CT. Subsequently, planar scintigrams from anterior, right and left lateral views were obtained. In all patients, peritumoural colloid application was feasible, as shown on control CT scans. Post injection, neither severe nor minor complications were noted. The patients complained of only low pain sensations with an average score of 1.8 on a pain scale from 0 to 10. Lymphatic drainage was identified in nine of the 13 patients, with a total of 14 detected lymph nodes. In six patients, ipsilateral sentinel lymph nodes were visualised; bilateral sentinel lymph nodes were identified in one patient and contralateral lymphatic drainage was observed in two patients. CT-guided lymphoscintigraphy is a feasible and minimally invasive diagnostic tool for sentinel lymph node detection in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx and the larynx. In contrast to endoscopic colloid injection under general anaesthesia, this technique seems to be a well-tolerated method for lymphatic mapping prior to surgical procedures.

Adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder: diagnosis using magnetic resonance arthrography, with arthroscopic findings as the standard.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of magnetic resonance (MR) arthrography of the glenohumeral joint in the diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis. METHODS: MR arthrography of the glenohumeral joint was performed in 16 patients with arthroscopically proven adhesive capsulitis and 11 controls. Thickness of the joint capsule and synovium, filling ratio of the fluid-distended axillary recess to the posterior joint cavity, and a width of the rotator cuff interval were measured by 2 musculoskeletal radiologists. The measurements of those parameters for the patients with adhesive capsulitis and the controls were compared. Interobserver variability for the measurements of each parameter was calculated. RESULTS: The mean thickness of the joint capsule and synovium was 2.97 mm in patients with adhesive capsulitis and 1.86 mm in controls (P < 0.001). The mean filling ratio of the fluid-distended axillary to the posterior joint cavity was 0.51 in patients with adhesive capsulitis and 0.82 in controls (P = 0.004). The mean width of the rotator cuff interval was 7.45 mm in patients with adhesive capsulitis and 8.48 mm in controls (P > 0.05). Intraclass correlation coefficient for interobserver variability showed good agreement (95% CI; 0.72-0.95). CONCLUSIONS: On MR arthrography, thickening of the joint capsule and synovium and diminished filling ratio of the axillary recess to posterior joint cavity appeared to be useful diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder.

Influence of thrombus age on the mechanical thrombectomy efficacy of the amplatz thrombectomy device in vitro.

PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy of thrombectomy for the Amplatz Thrombectomy Device (ATD) according to the age of the thrombus. METHODS: Thrombectomy was performed with the 7 Fr or 8 Fr ATD. Five-day-old or 8-day-old thrombi were made from porcine blood by clotting within silicone tubes to be used in a flow model. Emboli sizes, weight, remaining thrombus and activation time were evaluated. RESULTS: The age of the thrombus had no influence on the activation time necessary for complete thrombolysis. A significant difference was found in the overall amount of embolization only with the 7 Fr device although a similar trend was shown with the 8 Fr device. The amount of embolized thrombotic material was higher for both devices if older thrombi (i.e., 8 days old) were processed. The overall impression was that the 8 Fr device showed slightly better results (less remaining thrombus and embolization). CONCLUSION: A tendency toward higher amounts of embolization was observed if older thrombi were used in the model. Therefore the interventional radiologist should be aware of the potentially higher risk of peripheral embolization when performing mechanical thrombectomy (with the ATD) in older thrombotic occlusions, especially since the higher rate of embolization was mainly due to an increased proportion of larger embolic particles (1 mm), which are clinically more significant.

Bone uptake studies in rabbits before and after high-dose treatment with 153Sm-EDTMP or 186Re-HEDP.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this animal study was to measure the bone uptake of (99m)Tc-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate (HDP) before and after high-dose treatment with (153)Sm-ethylenediaminetetramethylenephosphonate (EDTMP) or (186)Re-(tin)1,1-hydroxyethylidene diphosphonate (HEDP) to prove or disprove post-therapeutic alterations of bone uptake of radiolabeled bisphosphonates. METHODS: Quantitative bone scanning using 100 MBq (99m)Tc-HDP was performed on 12 rabbits before and 8 wk after radionuclide therapy with 1,000 MBq of either (153)Sm-EDTMP or (186)Re-HEDP. Whole-body images were acquired at 3 min, 3 h, and 24 h after injection, and the activities for the whole body, urinary bladder, and soft tissue were measured by region-of-interest technique. From these data, bone uptake was calculated as initial whole-body activity minus urinary excretion and remainder soft-tissue activity. RESULTS: In animals treated with (153)Sm-EDTMP (n = 6), no differences could be proven for the bone uptake of (99m)Tc-HDP at 24 h after injection before and after therapy (51.1% +/- 5.5% vs. 48.0% +/- 6.1%, P > 0.05). There were also no significant differences for the remainder soft-tissue activities and the urinary excretion rates before and after therapy. Similar results were obtained in rabbits treated with (186)Re-HEDP: Bone uptake (44.8% +/- 6.7% vs. 40.4% +/- 4.9%, P > 0.05) and urinary excretion revealed no significant differences before and after treatment. CONCLUSION: No significant impairment of bone uptake of (99m)Tc-HDP could be observed 8 wk after high-dose radionuclide bone therapy. Because both the biokinetic data obtained for (186)Re-HEDP and (153)Sm-EDTMP and the myelotoxic effects were quite similar in rabbits to those in patients, it seems justifiable to expect the same result (i.e., no significant alteration of bone uptake of radiolabeled bisphosphonates) in patients undergoing a second radionuclide therapy within 2-3 mo after standard treatment with (186)Re-HEDP or (153)Sm-EDTMP.

Myeloprotective effects of different amifostine regimens in rabbits undergoing high-dose treatment with 186rhenium-(tin)1,1- hydroxyethylidene diphosphonate (186Re-HEDP).

The aim of this study is to investigate the myeloprotective effects of different amifostine regimens in rabbits undergoing high-dose treatment with 186Rhenium-(tin)1,1-hydroxyethylidene diphosphonate (186Re-HEDP) and to analyze the impact of amifostine on the bone uptake of the radiopharmaceutical. All animals were treated with 1000 MBq 186Re-HEDP. Group ReA received 500 mg amifostine prior to radionuclide therapy, group ReA3 received 3 x 200 mg amifostine 24 hours and 30 minutes prior to and 24 hours after radionuclide therapy. Group ReC served as control receiving no amifostine. Scintigrams were acquired to quantify the skeletal uptake of 186Re-HEDP, and platelet and leucocyte counts were measured. The mean decrease in platelets was 36% +/- 2%, 37% +/- 3%, and 61% +/- 5% for ReA, ReA3, and ReC, respectively. The decrease in ReC was significantly higher than in amifostine-treated animals with no difference between ReA and ReA3. For the leucocytes the mean decrease was 75% +/- 12%, 82% +/- 5%, and 73% +/- 4%, with no significant differences between the respective groups. Bone uptake of 186Re-HEDP was significantly reduced by 50% in ReA and ReA3 compared to ReC. Thus, the 3-day amifostine regimen had no advantage over the single dose regimen, with both regimens reducing bone uptake and yielding a platelet-protective but no leucoprotective effect.

Fine-needle aspiration cytology of the sentinel lymph node in head and neck cancer.

UNLABELLED: In squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, staging of the neck cannot rule out occult metastatic disease. An improved staging is necessary to avoid elective neck dissection in patients staged as N0. The study was performed to determine the feasibility of the detection of occult metastatic disease by ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (USgFNAC) of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN). METHODS: Sixteen consecutive patients diagnosed with oral, oropharyngeal, or dermal squamous cell carcinoma who had been staged as N0 underwent lymphoscintigraphy in double tracer technique to localize SLNs. A USgFNAC was performed on SLNs before elective neck dissection. The results of USgFNAC were compared with pathohistologic findings, which were regarded as the gold standard. RESULTS: Seven of 16 patients were upstaged to N+ after histopathologic examination of the neck dissection specimen. In only 1 of these patients was metastatic disease detected by USgFNAC of the SLN. CONCLUSION: The combination of lymphoscintigraphy and USgFNAC of the SLN improves preselection of N+ patients and, thus, the staging procedures. However, based on present results this method does not seem reliable in deciding whether an elective neck dissection can be avoided. A biopsy of the SLN with close histopathologic work-up seems to be mandatory for the detection of occult metastatic disease, because the merely incidental aspiration of micrometastatic material within normal-sized lymph nodes results in a high number of false-negative results by USgFNAC.

MR imaging of the neural foramina of the cervical spine. Comparison of 3D-DESS and 3D-FISP sequences.

PURPOSE: To assess whether a single three-dimensional double-echo steady state (3D-DESS) sequence can produce equivalent results when compared to a 3D free induction with steady precession (3D-FISP) sequence for the evaluation of the neural foraminal diameter and structures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Five phantoms were imaged on CT with 3-mm axial slices followed by reformatted axial 3D-DESS and 3D-FISP sequences. In addition, 3D-DESS and 3D-FISP sequences of 20 healthy subjects were compared with regard to image quality, differentiation between vertebrae and discs, differentiation between discs and neural foramina, and differentiation between vertebrae and neural foramina. RESULTS: Compared with CT, 3D-DESS and 3D-FISP sequences consistently underestimated the diameters of the neural foramina. The mean difference values for the 3D-DESS was 12.8%, compared to 9.5% for the 3D-FISP sequence. Concerning the in vivo studies, the 3D-DESS sequence was superior but not statistical significant to the 3D-FISP sequence with regard to image quality, differentiation between vertebrae and discs, differentiation between discs and neural formina, and identification of the nerve roots. CONCLUSION: The 3D-DESS sequence is moderately accurate in the evaluation of the neural foraminal size. Compared to the 3D-FISP sequence, the 3D-DESS sequence is compatible concerning the image quality, differentiation between the cervical vertebrae and discs, and between the discs and neural foramina.