Obesity is associated with hypothalamic inflammation (HI) in animal models. In the current study, we examined the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) of 57 obese human subjects and 54 age- and sex- matched nonobese control subjects by MRI and analyzed the T2 hyperintensity as a measure of HI. Obese subjects exhibited T2 hyperintensity in the left but not the right MBH, which was strongly associated with systemic low-grade inflammation. MRS revealed the number of neurons in the left hypothalamic region to be similar in obese versus control subjects, suggesting functional but not structural impairment due to the inflammatory process. To gain mechanistic insights, we performed nutritional analysis and 16S rDNA microbiome sequencing, which showed that high-fat diet induces reduction of in the gut, which is significantly correlated with MBH T2 hyperintensity. In addition to these environmental factors, we found subjects carrying common polymorphisms in the or the gene to be more susceptible to HI. Finally, in a subgroup analysis, bariatric surgery had no effect on MBH T2 hyperintensity despite inducing significant weight loss and improvement of peripheral insulin sensitivity. In conclusion, obesity in humans is associated with HI and disturbances in the gut-brain axis, which are influenced by both environmental and genetic factors.

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Susceptibility-weighted images are an additional tool in clinical practice for determining the correct diagnosis. The differentiation between glioblastomas and lymphomas and the certainty of the determined diagnosis are better. Therefore, we recommend adding susceptibility-weighted imaging to the clinical MR tumor protocol.

The long-term outcome of SCLC was not improved by raising the dose intensity of ICE chemotherapy by threefold.

Background and Purpose Non contrast-enhanced (CE) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) techniques have experienced a renaissance due to the known correlation between the use of gadolinium-based contrast agents and the development of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, and also the deposition of gadolinium in some brain regions. The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance of ungated non-CE radial quiescent-interval slice-selective (QISS)-MRA of extracranial supra-aortic arteries in comparison with the conventional CE-MRA in patients with clinical suspicion of carotid stenosis. Material and Methods In this prospective study, both MRA-pulse sequences were performed in thirty-one consecutive patients (median 68.8 years, 19 males). For the evaluation, the cervical arterial system was divided into 35 segments (right and left side). Three blinded reviewers separately evaluated these segments. An ordinal scoring system was used to assess the image quality of arterial segments and the stenosis grading of carotids. Results Overall venous contamination in QISS-MRA was rated as “none” by all readers in 84.9% and in CE-MRA in 8.1% of cases (p<0.0001). The visualization quality of arterial segments was considered good to excellent in 40.2% for the QISS-MRA and in 52.2% for the CE-MRA (p<0.0001). The diagnostic accuracy of ungated QISS-MRA concerning the stenosis grading showed a total sensitivity and specificity of 85.7% and 90.0%, respectively. Conclusion Ungated QISS-MRA can be used clinically as an alternative to CE-MRA without a significantly different image quality or diagnostic accuracy for detection of carotid stenosis at 1.5 Tesla.