Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have two properties of interest for the development of cell therapies: self-renewal and the potential to differentiate into all major lineages of somatic cells in the human body. Widespread clinical application of hESC-derived cells will require culture methods that are low-cost, robust, scalable and use chemically defined raw materials. Here we describe synthetic peptide-acrylate surfaces (PAS) that support self-renewal of hESCs in chemically defined, xeno-free medium. H1 and H7 hESCs were successfully maintained on PAS for over ten passages. Cell morphology and phenotypic marker expression were similar for cells cultured on PAS or Matrigel. Cells on PAS retained normal karyotype and pluripotency and were able to differentiate to functional cardiomyocytes on PAS. Finally, PAS were scaled up to large culture-vessel formats. Synthetic, xeno-free, scalable surfaces that support the self-renewal and differentiation of hESCs will be useful for both research purposes and development of cell therapies.

Fast FLAIR images have noticeable T1 contrast making gadolinium-induced enhancement visible. Gadolinium enhancement in lesions that are hyperintense on precontrast FLAIR images, such as intraparenchymal tumors, may be better seen on T1-weighted images than on postcontrast fast FLAIR images. However, postcontrast fast FLAIR images may be useful for detecting superficial abnormalities, such as meningeal disease, because they do not demonstrate contrast enhancement of vessels with slow flow as do T1-weighted images.

Like CO(2), He used for pneumoperitoneum resulted in decreased UtBF and fetal hypertension because of increased intra-abdominal pressure. Unlike a CO(2), He used for pneumoperitoneum does not cause maternal or fetal acidosis, indicating that the metabolic effects seen with CO(2) are the result of the specific gas used. Therefore, He may be a safer gas than CO(2) to use for laparoscopic procedures in pregnant patients.

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Patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy who are discharged home 4 h postoperatively will experience the same satisfaction with no increase in complications as patients admitted overnight.

Generating flow-specific images (arteriograms, venograms) with optimal signal-to-noise ratios for time-resolved MR angiography is a conditional maximum problem, and its solutions are generalized matched filters. We have investigated six matched filters, corresponding to all possible combinations of three flow suppression conditions and two signal-to-noise ratio maximization procedures. Four of these matched filters correspond to previously described methods: the subtractive matched filter, the standard deviation, the global venous eigenimage and the global arterial eigenimage. The two others are referred to here as the local venous eigenimage and the local arterial eigenimage. These six matched filters have been applied to 2D time-resolved phase contrast angiographic data. The local arterial eigenimage is found to be the most effective in suppressing undesired venous flow and preserving desired arterial flow.

Functional MRI (fMRI) methods have been demonstrated to noninvasively identify motor-sensory, visual, and other areas of eloquent cortex for guiding surgical intervention. Typically, fMRI data are acquired preoperatively during a conventional surgical planning MRI examination. Unlike direct cortical stimulation at the time of surgery, however, preoperative fMRI methods do not account for the potential movement of tissues (relative to the time of functional imaging) that may occur in the surgical suite as a direct result of the intervention. Recently, an MRI device has been demonstrated for use in the surgical suite that has the potential to reduce the extent of cortical exposure required for the intervention. However, the invasive requirements of cortical mapping may supersede the invasive requirements of the surgical intervention itself. Consequently, we demonstrate here a modification to the intraoperative MRI device that facilitates a noninvasive, real-time, functional MR examination in the surgical suite.

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