Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-destructive technique that is capable of localizing pathologies and assessing other anatomical features (e.g., tissue volume, microstructure, and white matter connectivity) in postmortem, ex vivo human brains. However, when brains are removed from the skull and cerebrospinal fluid (i.e., their normal in vivo magnetic environment), air bubbles and air-ti...

Hepatic malignancies have historically been treated with surgical resection. Due to the shortcomings of this technique, there is interest in other, less invasive, treatment modalities, such as microwave hepatic ablation. Crucial to the development of this technique is the accurate knowledge of the dielectric properties of human liver tissue at microwave frequencies. To this end, we characterize...

The use of high-resolution MRI for the evaluation of structural changes in the mouse brain is rapidly gaining favor with researchers. The decision to use either in vivo or ex vivo imaging is often a practical one. For example, technical limitations, such as the availability of appropriate equipment to image in vivo, may force an investigator to use ex vivo imaging. Conversely, animal availabili...

We have investigated the leukocyte-repopulating-predictive value of granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming unit (CFU-GM) analyses in ex vivo-expanded versus fresh murine bone marrow (BM) grafts. After the transplantation of graded numbers of normal BM cells (from 15 to 5 x 10(3) CFU-GMs/mice), a dose-dependent increase in the recipient leukocytes was observed between the first and third weeks po...

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) play a significant role in the disposition and elimination of drugs. The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanism underlying the interaction between sitagliptin (substrate of P-gp and CYP3A4) and verapamil (known modulator of P-gp and CYP3A4) using in vivo, ex vivo and in situ models. Rats were treated with sitagliptin (10 m...

BACKGROUND Endothelial function in hypercholesterolemic rabbits is usually evaluated ex vivo on isolated aortic rings. In vivo evaluation requires invasive imaging procedures that cannot be repeated serially. AIM We evaluated a non-invasive ultrasound technique to assess early endothelial function in rabbits and compare data with ex vivo measurements. METHODS Twenty-four rabbits (fed with a...

Accurate characterization of soft tissue material properties is required to enable new computer-aided medical technologies such as surgical training and planning. The current means of acquiring these properties in the in vivo and ex vivo states is fraught with problems, including limited accessibility and unknown boundary conditions in the former, and unnatural behavior in the latter. This pape...

Expressions of various neurotrophic factors or their receptors fluctuate after stroke, which in part prompted investigations into the efficacy of neurotrophic factors as treatment modality for stroke. The methods to deliver neurotrophic factors into the brain can be categorized into: 1) the surgical route of administration, such as intracerebral, intraventricular, intra-arterial, or intravenous...