White matter (WM) abnormalities have already been shown in presymptomatic (Pre-HD) and symptomatic HD subjects using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). In the present study, we examined the microstructure of the long-range large deep WM tracts by applying two different MRI approaches: Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) -based tractography, and T2*weighted (iron sensitive) imaging. We collected Pre-H...

BACKGROUND In haemodialysis (HD) patients, it is unclear whether increased apoptosis of neutrophils is due to uraemia or HD itself. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effect of uraemia and HD on the rate of apoptosis and apoptosis-related protein expression in whole blood neutrophils. METHODS We employed a whole-blood micromethod to test spontaneous apoptosis and expression of...

BACKGROUND Strain analysis is feasible using three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography. This approach provides various parameters based on speckle tracking analysis from one full-volume image of the left ventricle; however, evidence for its volume independence is still lacking. METHODS Fifty-eight subjects who were examined by transthoracic echocardiography immediately before and after hemodial...

The polysulfone-based membrane has been used in hemodialysis (HD) and it is continuously developed to maintain its sustainability on the subject of biocompatibility. During the polysulfone-based membrane development, several parameters should be considered to improve the membrane performances, such as excellent biocompatibility, appropriate ultrafiltration rate, and effective clearance of the t...

Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder typified by involuntary body movements, and psychiatric and cognitive abnormalities. Many HD patients also exhibit metabolic changes including progressive weight loss and appetite dysfunction. Here we have investigated metabolic function in pre-manifest and manifest HD subjects to establish an HD subject metabolic hormonal pla...

Understanding asymptotics of gradient components in relation to the symmetrized gradient is important for the analysis of buckling of slender structures. For circular cylindrical shells we obtain the exact scaling exponent of the Korn constant as a function of shell’s thickness. Equally sharp results are obtained for individual components of the gradient in cylindrical coordinates. We also deri...

Specific surface captures the combined effects of particle size and slenderness in a measurement that is independent and complementary to grain-size distribution. There are various methods to measure specific surface, including gas adsorption in dry conditions and selective molecular absorption in aqueous suspensions. The measurement procedure can have an important effect on measured values, ye...