We present an efficient method of introducing fluorophore labels at selected locations in a large RNA. The method is based on specific and highly efficient hybridization between a fluorophore-containing DNA oligonucleotide and a modular hairpin loop replacing a functionally unimportant hairpin loop in the RNA. We demonstrate its feasibility using a 255-nucleotide RNA derived from the catalytic ...

A colorimetric assay for convenient detection of miRNA and RNase H activity was established in a homogeneous and label-free manner based on conformational and colorimetric changes of a polythiophene derivative (PMNT) in the duplex of DNA/PMNT and triplex of DNA/miRNA/PMNT.

Tissue water transverse relaxation times (T2) are highly sensitive to fluid and lipid accumulations in skeletal muscles whereas the related T2* is sensitive to changes in tissue oxygenation in addition to factors affecting T2. Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects muscles of lower extremities progressively by impairing blood flow at the macrovascular and microvascular levels. This study is to investig...

Methods Twenty patients underwent CMR at 3T (Achieva TX system, Philips Healthcare, Best, The Netherlands) within 3 days following reperfused ST-elevation MI. Black blood, cine, T2w, T2-mapping, T2*-mapping and LGE imaging (0.1mmol/kg gadolinium DTPA) were performed in identical short axis locations using the ‘3 of 5’ approach. Data were evaluated offline using commercial software (cvi42 v4.1.5...

INTRODUCTION Quantitative T2 mapping may provide an objective biomarker for occult nervous tissue pathology in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). We applied a novel echo modulation curve (EMC) algorithm to identify T2 changes in normal-appearing brain regions of subjects with RRMS (N = 27) compared to age-matched controls (N = 38). METHODS The EMC algorithm uses Bloch simulations ...

INTRODUCTION The progesterone receptor (PR) gene plays an important role in reproduction-related events. Data on polymorphisms in the PR gene have revealed associations with cancer, particularly for the Alu insertion polymorphism, which has been suggested to affect progesterone receptor function and contribute to tumor promotion in the mammary gland. MATERIAL AND METHODS We examined the role ...

A new MRI sequence for the rapid simultaneous measurement of T2 and T2* is presented. The technique uses the multiple acquisition of spin and gradient echoes with interleaved echo planar imaging (MASAGE-IEPI). IEPI data sets are sampled during and between a pair of short and long echo time spin echoes, allowing the reconstruction of a set of images with different combinations of T2 and T2* weig...