Afshan Shirkavand; Zahra Razaghi; Sharam Akhlaghpoor; Azita Azarkeivan; Mehran Karimi
Abstract
Introduction: Multi-organ iron load is prevalent crucial side effect in thalassemic patients due to repeated transfusions, and high intestinal iron absorption. MRI T2* has demonstrated its potency as a non-invasive technique for the imaging of hemosiderosis in thalassemia. We aim to investigate the iron ...
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Introduction: Multi-organ iron load is prevalent crucial side effect in thalassemic patients due to repeated transfusions, and high intestinal iron absorption. MRI T2* has demonstrated its potency as a non-invasive technique for the imaging of hemosiderosis in thalassemia. We aim to investigate the iron load of adrenal glands and kidneys using MRI T2* in adult thalassemia patients and evaluate the serum ferritin correlation of with kidneys, heart, liver, and adrenal glands’ iron load.Methods: Thirty-five thalassemia major (TM) and thalassemia intermediate (TI) patients (age range 18-50 years) from Zafar thalassemia Clinic, were recruited in this survey from September 2019 to October 2020. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was used to map iron overload in several organs’ regions of interest (ROIs) using fast-gradient-echo multi echo T2*sequences protocol. T-test and chi-square analysis were done.Results: Nine (25.7%) patients had left Kidney T2* less than 36ms which could indicate abnormal renal iron load while this was 8 (22.9%) for the right kidney. In the left and right adrenal glands, these numbers were 31 (88.6%) and 29 (82.9%), respectively, below the normal threshold.Conclusion: Adrenal gland and renal iron overloads were detected in MRI images of thalassemic patients. Correlation for serum ferritin levels and kidney and adrenal glands T2* was found weakly negative. Non-invasive monitoring of the internal organs’ hemosiderosis using MRI T2* was found to be beneficial for iron-chelating optimization and preventing irreversible tissue damage.
Mehrnaz Zarrini; Farokh Seilanian Toosi; Behroz Davachi; Sirous Nekooei
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging is an exclusive imaging method which can distinguish injured tissues from the healthy tissues or organs without using ionizing radiation. Magnetic resonance imaging is able to provide quantitative data regarding the anatomical and physiological features of each specific organ. ...
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Magnetic resonance imaging is an exclusive imaging method which can distinguish injured tissues from the healthy tissues or organs without using ionizing radiation. Magnetic resonance imaging is able to provide quantitative data regarding the anatomical and physiological features of each specific organ. Magnetic resonance imaging is a non-invasive method, but contrast agents are necessary to enhance the visualization of inaccessible organs in some organs such as gastrointestinal (GI) imaging. Various types of contrast agents have been used in studies including intravascular administration and oral materials. Oral contrast agents can be the artificial materials or natural factors. Natural contrast agents consist of fruit juice or pulps. Some advantages have been reported regarding the natural types of contrast agents over the artificial agents including better taste and tolerability. We briefly reviewed the different types of contrast agents and focused on the studies in which natural oral contrast agents used to investigate their efficacy in increasing the gastrointestinal magnetic resonance imaging clarity.
Fariba Zemorshidi; Reza Boostani; Mohammad Mehdi Etemadi
Abstract
Introduction: Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis is a chronic progressive neurologic disease, which might be associated with brain and spinal cord atrophy and lesions. Here, we systematically reviewed the brain and spinal cord abnormalities ...
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Introduction: Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis is a chronic progressive neurologic disease, which might be associated with brain and spinal cord atrophy and lesions. Here, we systematically reviewed the brain and spinal cord abnormalities reported by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modality on HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis patients. Methods: PubMed was searched for all the relevant articles, which used MRI in patients with HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis. Included criteria were all the cohort and case series with at least 10 patients. We had no time limitation for searched articles, but only English language articles were included in our systematic review. Exclusion criteria were none-English articles, case reports, articles with less than 10 patients, spastic paraparesis patients with unknown etiology and patients with HTLV-II. Results: Total of 14 relevant articles were extracted after studying title, abstracts and full text of the irrelevant articles. Only 2/14 articles reported brain atrophy incidence. Five out of 14 articles studied the brain lesions prevalence. Spinal cord atrophy and lesions were studied in 6/14 articles.Discussion: According to the extracted data, brain atrophy does not seem to happen frequently in patients with HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis. None-specific brain lesions identified in articles are indicative of low specificity of MRI technique despite its high sensitivity. Conclusion: Prevalence of spinal cord lesions and atrophy in these patients might be due to the degenerative processes associated with aging phenomenon. Further and larger studies in endemic areas could more accurately reveal the specificity of MRI in these patients.
Masoud Pezeshki Rad; Mahdi Momennezhad; Shahrokh Naseri; Mahsa Nahidi; Abolfazl Mahmoudzadeh; Behzad Aminzadeh
Abstract
During the last decades there has been an increasing interest in studying the differences between males and females. These differences extend from behavioral to cognitive to micro- and macro- neuro-anatomical aspects of human biology. There have been many methods to evaluate these differences and explain ...
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During the last decades there has been an increasing interest in studying the differences between males and females. These differences extend from behavioral to cognitive to micro- and macro- neuro-anatomical aspects of human biology. There have been many methods to evaluate these differences and explain their determinants. The most studied cause of this dimorphism is the prenatal sex hormones and their organizational effect on brain and behavior. However, there have been new and recent attentions to hormone’s activational influences in puberty and also the effects of genomic imprinting. In this paper, we reviewed the sex differences of brain, the evidences for possible determinants of these differences and also the methods that have been used to discover them. We reviewed the most conspicuous findings with specific attention to macro-anatomical differences based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data. We finally reviewed the findings and the many opportunities for future studies.