One diagnostic criterion for metabolic syndrome is obesity from the accumulation of visceral fat; others include abdominal circumference and area of visceral fat as measured by computed tomography (CT) at the umbilical level. We evaluated visceral fat using frequency-selective excitation magnetic resonance (MR) imaging SPAIR (spectral attenuation with inversion recovery) water suppression THRIVE (3D T1-high resolution isotropic volume examination). Fifty of 70 slices with 2-mm interval were used to render and measure volume of visceral fat ranging within 10 cm of the umbilicus; the area of visceral fat at the umbilical level was also measured. Imaging was completed using breath hold within 14 s. Image processing was easier than using CT.

Here, we investigated the presence of ST398 livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) in nasal swabs of 420 slaughtered pigs from 84 farms at three abattoirs in Tohoku, Japan. MRSA were isolated from 13 (3.1%) samples from 9 (10.7%) farms at two abattoirs. All isolates were classified as ST398 and were resistant to ampicillin and tetracycline. Ten and three isolates were classified as Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec (SCC mec ) types V and IVa, respectively. All type V isolates possessed czrC. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of zinc chloride against types IVa and V were 1 and 4 mM, respectively. This study shows the presence of ST398 MRSA in pigs in this region. Antimicrobials and zinc compounds in feed and drugs might select SCC mec type V ST398 MRSA.

Monitoring the prevalence of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) in pigs could be useful for managing transmission risk to humans. To optimize sampling for LA-MRSA monitoring, we compared the sensitivity of MRSA isolation from skin swabs taken behind the ear and nasal swabs collected from 276 pigs and investigated the prevalence of MRSA in their carcasses. MRSA was isolated from 40 behind the ear skin swabs (14.5%), which was statistically higher than the number isolated from nasal swabs (23 samples, 8.3%). MRSA prevalence in the carcasses was 0.4%. All MRSA isolates were sequence type 398 lineage. Sampling of both the skin behind the ear and nasal mucosa in a pig is recommended to investigate the prevalence of LA-MRSA in pigs.

Purpose: We investigated the ability to detect the articular disk and joint eŠusion of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of a method of dual echo volumetric isotropic turbo spin echo acquisition (DE-VISTA) additional fusion images (AFI).Methods: DE-VISTA was performed in the 26 TMJ of 13 volunteers and 26 TMJ of 13 patients. Two-dimensional (2D) dual echo turbo spin echo was performed in the 26 TMJ of 13 volunteers. On a workstation, we added proton density-weighted images (PDWI) and T 2 weighted images (T 2 WI) of the DE-VISTA per voxel to reconstruct DE-VISTA-AFI. Two radiologists reviewed these images visually and quantitatively.Results: Visual evaluation of the articular disk was equivalent between DE-VISTA-AFI and 2D-PDWI. The sliding thin-slab multiplanar reformation (MPR) method of DE-VISTA-AFI could detect all articular disks. The ratio of contrast (CR) of adipose tissue by the articular disk to that of the articular disk itself was signiˆcantly higher in DE-VISTA-AFI than DE-VISTA-PDWI (Pº0.05) in patients and volunteers with closed or open mouth. In volunteers, the CR between adipose tissue and the disk on DE-VISTA-AFI was marginally signiˆcant to that on 2D-PDWI at opened mouth (P＝0.071) and not signiˆcantly diŠerent (P＝0.18) from that at closed mouth. Joint eŠusion could be identiˆed in DE-VISTA-AFI in all 8 joints that had joint eŠusion in DE-VISTA-T 2 WI but in only 3 of those joints in 2D-T 2 WI. The CR of joint eŠusion to adipose tissue on DE-VISTA-AFI did not diŠer signiˆcantly from that on DE-VISTA-PDWI. However, using DE-VISTA-T 2 WI in addition to DE-VISTA-PDWI, we could visually identify joint eŠusion on DE-VISTA-AFI that could not be identiˆed on DE-VISTA-PDWI alone.Conclusion: DE-VISTA-AFI can depict the articular disk and a small amount of joint eŠusion by the required plane of MPR using the sliding thin-slab MPR method.

We attempted to measure the area and volume of visceral fat using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to avoid radiation exposure. We used water suppression-spectral attenuation with inversion recovery (WS-SPAIR) as prepulses and conducted T 1 high-resolution isotropic volume examination (THRIVE). 1 Image processing software can be used to estimate the area and volume of fat and separate the fat and water signals at a visually optimal threshold in the MR image, which requires contrast enhancement between intestinal contents and visceral fat. In 14 volunteers, we evaluated WS-SPAIR and water suppressionspectral presaturation with inversion recovery (WS-SPIR) with respect to the relationship between the ‰ip angle of THRIVE and signal contrast. We used ‰ip angles of 59 , 109 , and 209 . The minimum threshold that allowed exclusion of intestinal contents from the masked region was determined for each technique. The volume and area of the masked region, which included subcutaneous fat, were measured at the umbilicus level. Both volume and area increased with a smaller ‰ip angle. The masked region was larger with WS-SPIR-THRIVE (‰ip angle 59 ). The size of the masked region was determined according to the minimum threshold that allowed exclusion of the intestinal contents from the masked region, expressing the contrast between the intestinal contents and fat in a relative manner. It was speculated that by separating the signals at the threshold, WS-SPIR-THRIVE (‰ip angle 59 ) was a more suitable technique for measuring the area and volume of visceral fat.