Comparison of fast field-cycling magnetic resonance imaging methods and future perspectives

ABSTRACT

Fast field-cycling (FFC) nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry is a well-established method to determine the relaxation rates as a function of magnetic field strength. This so-called nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion gives insight into the underlying molecular dynamics of a wide range of complex systems and has gained interest especially in the characterisation of biological tissues and diseases. The combination of FFC techniques with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a high potential for new types of image contrast more specific to pathological molecular dynamics. This article reviews the progress in FFC-MRI over the last decade and gives an overview of the hardware systems currently in operation. We discuss limitations and error correction strategies specific to FFC-MRI such as field stability and homogeneity, signal-to-noise ratio, eddy currents and acquisition time. We also report potential applications with impact in biology and medicine. Finally, we discuss the challenges and future applications in transferring the underlying molecular dynamics into novel types of image contrast by exploiting the dispersive properties of biological tissue or MRI contrast agents.     

An Activatable T1-Weighted MR Contrast Agent: A Noninvasive Tool for Tracking the Vicinal Thiol Motif of Thioredoxin in Live Cells

We have synthesized new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T₁ contrast agents (CA1 and CA2) that permit the activatable recognition of the cellular vicinal thiol motifs of the protein thioredoxin. The contrast agents showed MR relaxivities typical of gadolinium complexes with a single water molecule coordinated to a Gd³⁺ center (i.e., ~4.54 mM⁻¹s⁻¹) for both CA1 and CA2 at 60 MHz. The contrast agent CA1 showed a ~140% relaxivity enhancement in the presence of thioredoxin, a finding attributed to a reduction in the flexibility of the molecule after binding to thioredoxin. Support for this rationale, as opposed to one based on preferential binding, came from ¹H-¹⁵N-HSQC NMR spectral studies; these revealed that the binding affinities toward thioredoxin were almost the same for both CA1 and CA2. In the case of CA1, T₁-weighted phantom images of cancer cells (MCF-7, A549) could be generated based on the expression of thioredoxin. We further confirmed thioredoxin expression-dependent changes in the T₁-weighted contrast via knockdown of the expression of the thioredoxin using siRNA-transfected MCF-7 cells. The nontoxic nature of CA1, coupled with its relaxivity features, leads us to suggest that it constitutes a first-in-class MRI T₁ contrast agent that allows for the facile and noninvasive monitoring of vicinal thiol protein motif expression in live cells.     

A Direct NMR Method To Measure Self-Diffusion Coefficients in Liquids by Monitoring Diffusing Molecules through One-Dimensional Imaging

Diffusion processes can be followed directly by recording one-dimensional images of a selected slice at variable intervals after selective inversion of the magnetization. The resulting diffusion coefficients of H₂O and DMSO are consistent with earlier studies at different temperatures, obtained by monitoring the attenuation of NMR signals as a function of the gradient amplitude in gradient echo sequences.     

超导磁共振仪器设备国产化现状及挑战

磁共振在化学分析和医学影像等领域发挥着不可或缺的作用，而磁共振仪器设备是开展磁共振研究的必要前提.长期以来，国外仪器厂商在我国磁共振仪器市场居于垄断地位.近年来，随着我国在磁共振仪器研发和产业化方面不断取得进展，市场份额为外商垄断的局面已大为改观.本文调研综述了我国磁共振仪器设备研制的现状，以及面临的若干挑战.     

Perspectives of magnetic nature carbon dots in analytical chemistry: From separation to detection and bioimaging

Magnetic nature carbon dots (MNCDs) are fast growing materials with extremely unique physico-chemical properties and physiological ability to extend their applications from separation science to detection and bio-/magnetic resonance imaging applications. Recent studies have revealed that the MNCDs are significantly used as promising agents in analytical chemistry for the separation and identification of trace level target analytes. Further, the MNCDs have been used as probes for bioimaging of cells and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of tumors. Due to the lack of comprehensive reviews in this emerging field especially MNCDs applications in analytical chemistry, this review may provide quick guide and reference on the MNCDs-based analytical approaches for the separation and detection of trace level analytes, and bio- and MR- imaging of various cells. In this review article, we will summarize the synthetic approaches for the fabrication of MNCDs. The main part of this proposed review is devoted to the tremendous applications of MNCDs (Fe₃O₄@CDs, metal ion (Fe³⁺, Mn²⁺, Co²⁺ and Gd²⁺)-doped CDs, MnO₂@CDs) in analytical chemistry from separation science to detection and bio- and MR imaging. Finally, we will explore the challenges and future prospects of magneto fluorescent carbon dots in biomedical applications.     

脑胶质瘤磁共振弥散张量成像定量参数与VEGF、MMP-9表达的相关性

本研究旨在分析脑胶质瘤患者的磁共振弥散张量成像(DTI)参数与病变组织血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)和基质金属蛋白酶-9(MMP-9)表达的相关性,以及DTI参数对脑胶质瘤进行分级诊断的价值。根据病理分级将102例脑胶质瘤患者分为低级别组(47例)和高级别组(55例),均行MRI和DTI检查,定量测定表观弥散系数(ADC)、各向异性分数(FA)、相对ADC(rADC)、相对FA(rFA)值及相对轴向扩散系数(rAD)值;用免疫组化法检测VEGF和MMP-9表达情况。结果显示,高级别组患者的rADC、ADC、rAD、FA、rFA均低于低级别组(P<0.05);高级别组患者的VEGF和MMP-9阳性表达均高于低级别组(P<0.05)。rADC、ADC、rAD、FA、rFA与VEGF和MMP-9表达均呈负相关(P<0.05);rADC、ADC、rAD、FA、rFA对脑胶质瘤分级诊断的AUC均具有一定诊断价值(P<0.05)。本研究结果提示DTI定量参数与脑胶质瘤VEGF和MMP-9表达具有相关性,且有助于脑胶质瘤的分级诊断。     

Mach reflection of a plane shock wave passing a mountain of 45° inclination

The transition from regular reflection (RR) to Mach reflection (MR) as a plane shock wave diffracts around a triangular mountain of 45° inclination is analysed in this paper, both by optical measurement in a shock tube and by numerical simulation the numerical method developed by Li Yingfan^[1] is of the FLIC type with triangular mesh. The dependence of the critical transition point Lk ofRR→MR on shock Mach numberM _i is analyzed and the variations of the incidence angle ω _i of the impinging shock and the reflection angle ω _r with the distanceL ^* are investigated. Our experimental and numerical results agree well with the theoretical results of Iton and Italya.     

垂直冲击消振系统简谐激励响应及稳定性分析

运用迭代映射及其稳定性分析原理,研究了垂直冲击消振系统的简谐激励响应及其周期响应的稳定性．首先建立了稳定周期响应的参数区域边界方程,分析了稳定周期运动向混沌转变的一般规律．然后以典型的二阶主振系为例,得到了几个对消振效果影响较大的稳态周期响应区域的详细数值结果,讨论了稳态周期响应区域及附近的消振效果．     

挤压油膜阻尼器-滑动轴承-柔性转子系统的动力响应分析

建立了挤压油膜阻尼器-滑动轴承-柔性转子非线性系统的动力学模型,采用Runge-Kutta法进行求解,进而对系统的稳定性和分叉行为进行了研究。仿真计算结果表明,系统能够在一定范围内保持稳定,随着转速的变化系统将会出现倍周期、准周期及混沌响应,从而为有效地控制转子的稳定运行状态提供了理论依据。     

On aspects of damping for a vertical beam with a tuned mass damper at the top

In this paper, the wind-induced, horizontal vibrations of a vertical Euler–Bernoulli beam will be considered. At the top of the beam, a tuned mass damper (TMD) has been installed. The horizontal vibrations can be described by an initial-boundary value problem. Perturbation methods will be applied to construct approximations of the solutions of the initial-boundary value problem, and it will be shown that the TMD uniformly damps the oscillation modes of the beam. In the analysis, it will be assumed that damping, wind-force, and gravity effects are small but not negligible.