Mapping murine diabetic kidney disease using chemical exchange saturation transfer MRI.

PURPOSE: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of renal failure; however, current clinical tests are insufficient for assessing this disease. DN is associated with changes in renal metabolites, so we evaluated the utility of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging to detect changes characteristic of this disease. METHODS: Sensitivity of CEST imaging at 7 Tesla to DN was evaluated by imaging diabetic mice [db/db, db/db endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)-/-] that show different levels of nephropathy as well as by longitudinal imaging (8 to 24 weeks). Nondiabetic (db/m) mice were used as controls. RESULTS: Compared with nondiabetic mice, the CEST contrasts of hydroxyl metabolites that correspond to glucose and glycogen were significantly increased in papilla (P), inner medulla (IM), and outer medulla (OM) in db/db and db/db eNOS-/- kidneys at 16 weeks. The db/db eNOS-/- mice that showed advanced nephropathy exhibited greater CEST effects in OM and significant CEST contrasts were also observed in cortex. Longitudinally, db/db mice exhibited progressive increases in hydroxyl signals in IM+P and OM from 12 to 24 weeks and an increase was also observed in cortex at 24 weeks. CONCLUSION: CEST MRI can be used to measure changes of hydroxyl metabolites in kidney during progression of DN. Magn Reson Med 76:1531-1541, 2016. © 2015 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Abdominal CT Scan Findings of Decompression Sickness: A Case Report.

This case report depicts the radiologic findings of a 51-year-old male presenting with Decompression Sickness. Decompression Sickness is diagnosed clinically, therefore radiologic imaging of this disease entity is limited. Our patient's history includes a scuba dive to depth of 110 feet with a descending time of 24 minutes and an ascending time of 8 minutes. The patient subsequently presented to the Emergency Room with symptoms of shortness of breath and abdominal pain. The abdominal pain prompted physicians to explore further, and hence computed tomography (CT) imaging of the abdomen and pelvis was performed. This case report demonstrates a striking and unique gas pattern in both the systemic and portal venous system of our patient and provides an excellent example of the imaging findings of Decompression Sickness in the literature.

The Association Between Bathing Habits and Severity of Atopic Dermatitis in Children.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory skin disease that frequently affects children. The current recommendations on management using lifestyle modification are highly variable, leading to confusion and uncertainty among patients. AIM: To determine current bathing behaviors and the subsequent impact on disease severity. METHODS: This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted at an urban pediatric emergency department. Parents were asked to fill out a questionnaire concerning the patient's bathing habits. The results were correlated with the atopic dermatitis severity determined by the SCORAD (SCORing Atopic Dermatitis) tool. RESULTS: No difference between variables was found to be significant for bathing frequency, time spent bathing, or use of moisturizers. Multivariate analysis showed that atopic dermatitis severity increased with age greater than 2 years (P = .0004) and with greater bathing duration (P = .001). CONCLUSION: Atopic dermatitis severity may be associated with a longer duration of bathing. The frequency of bathing does not appear to affect atopic dermatitis severity.