Clinical and imaging features in surgically verified patients over 11 years and literature review

Background: Controversy continues in the treatment decisions despite advanced imaging techniques. Though specific diagnosis by imaging is not precise. Diffusion weighted imaging is useful in a small proportion of patients. We evaluated the features of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with histopathological findings in patients with lesions of the cavernous sinus (CS). Materials and methods: Retrospective analysis of clinical, imaging and histopathological findings of lesions involving cavernous sinus (CS) in 27 consecutive patients was done. Results: The average age of the study population was 41.12 ± 14.49 (13-63) years; with 16 (59.2%) males. Visual disturbances were the most common complaints, reported in 62.0% and cranial nerve involvement was observed in 55 % of the patients. Complete excision was done in nine (33.3%) patients. Post-operative histopathology revealed meningiomas and hemangiomas in six (22.2%) patients each. While, five (18.5%) patients had schwannoma; fungal granuloma was observed in three (11.1%). Imaging based diagnosis showed concordance with histopathology in five (85.0%) patients with hemangioma. Among fungal granuloma, schwannoma and meningiomas, the concordance was 66.6%, 40.0% and 33.3% respectively. In the entire study population, concordance was 44.4%. Conclusions: MR signal intensities are similar in neoplasms, infections, vascular lesions and inflammatory lesions. Cavernous hemangiomas are most often mistaken for other lesions but may be characterized by intense contrast enhancement and absence of restriction of DWI and blooming on GRE sequence. In lesions of cavernous sinus, accuracy of diagnosis on MRI is less than 50%. Diagnosis on MRI is more accurate in hemangiomas and fungal granulomas. Non-invasive diagnosis of granulomatous lesions may help plan appropriate management strategy. Keywords: cavernous sinus; magnetic resonance imaging; diffusion weighted imaging</jats:p

Quantifying forces mediated by integral tight junction proteins in cell-cell adhesion

10.1007/s11340-007-9113-1Experimental Mechanics4913-9EXMC

Active superelasticity in three-dimensional epithelia of controlled shape

International audienc

Imaging of cell migration

Cell migration is an essential process during many phases of development and adult life. Cells can either migrate as individuals or move in the context of tissues. Movement is controlled by internal and external signals, which activate complex signal transduction cascades resulting in highly dynamic and localised remodelling of the cytoskeleton, cell–cell and cell–substrate interactions. To understand these processes, it will be necessary to identify the critical structural cytoskeletal components, their spatio-temporal dynamics as well as those of the signalling pathways that control them. Imaging plays an increasingly important and powerful role in the analysis of these spatio-temporal dynamics. We will highlight a variety of imaging techniques and their use in the investigation of various aspects of cell motility, and illustrate their role in the characterisation of chemotaxis in Dictyostelium and cell movement during gastrulation in chick embryos in more detail

Physical principles of membrane remodelling during cell mechanoadaptation

Biological processes in any physiological environment involve changes in cell shape, which must be accommodated by their physical envelope—the bilayer membrane. However, the fundamental biophysical principles by which the cell membrane allows for and responds to shape changes remain unclear. Here we show that the 3D remodelling of the membrane in response to a broad diversity of physiological perturbations can be explained by a purely mechanical process. This process is passive, local, almost instantaneous, before any active remodelling and generates different types of membrane invaginations that can repeatedly store and release large fractions of the cell membrane. We further demonstrate that the shape of those invaginations is determined by the minimum elastic and adhesive energy required to store both membrane area and liquid volume at the cell–substrate interface. Once formed, cells reabsorb the invaginations through an active process with duration of the order of minutes