Editorial

Again, the first issue of CMIR in 2009 demonstrates an important role of advanced MRI and utrasonographic methods in visualizing Alzheimer's plaque, the artery of Adamkiewicz and Langerhans cell histiocytosis, in diagnosing ischemic stroke and soft tissue vascular malformation and tumors, as well as for the translational medical research as cellular imaging tools. The most common form of dementia among older people is Alzheimer's disease, and about 4.5 million Americans suffer from this condition, which usually begins after 60 years old. The formation of brain plaque may be the first step toward Alzheimer's disease, and it can happen within a day. The plaque did not go away but it stabilized within a week. Soon after the plaques appear, brain cells start to distort and specialized cells called microglias appear on the scene. N. Braakman et al. review some of the current developments in visualizing the plaques in mice and highlight the future impact on the drug discovery. They also discuss potential applications of these methods in human patients. In human anatomy, the artery of Adamkiewicz is the largest anterior segmental medullary artery. It typically arises from a left posterior intercostals artery, which branches from the aorta, and supplies the lower two thirds of the spinal cord via the anterior spinal artery. When damaged or obstructed, it can result in anterior spinal artery syndrome, with loss of urinary and fecal continence and impaired motor function of the legs. Therefore, it is very important to identify the location of this artery when treating an abdominal aortic aneurysm. H. Hyodoh et al. review the challenges surrounding the current imaging and clinical workup of the artery of Adamkiewicz and provide a framework for the potential role of MRI and CT to prevent the spinal complications. Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a rare disease involving clonal proliferation of langerhans cells, abnormal cells deriving from bone marrow and capable of migrating from skin to lymph nodes. Clinically, its manifestations range from isolated bone lesion to multisystemic disease. It is traditionally divided into three groups: unifocal (eosinophilic granuloma), multifocal unisystem (mostly in children) and multifocal multisystem (Letterer-Siwe disease). T.Y. Moon et al. classified this into three types histopathologically and correlated with MRI findings for the staging purposes. Personalized treatment using modified or genetically engineered stem cells is becoming a reality in the clinical medicine. Hematopoietic, stromal aand organ specific stem cells are under evaluation of cell-based therapies for cardiac, neurological, autoimmune and other disorders. It is important to track the temporal and spatial homing of these cells to target tissues by noninvasive methods. It is also necessary to determine the transplanted cell's engraftment efficiency and functional capability. A. S. Arbab et al. discuss the methods to transform cells into probes for in vivo imaging as well as clinical applicability of cellular imaging fro translational medical research.