Hydroxy double salts intercalated with Mn(II) complexes as potential contrast agents

A series of Mn(II) aminophosphonate complexes were successfully synthesized and intercalated into the hydroxy double salt [Zn₅(OH)₈]Cl₂·yH₂O. Complex incorporation led to an increase in the interlayer spacing from 7.8 to 10–12 Å. Infrared spectroscopy showed the presence of the characteristic vibration peaks of the Mn(II) complexes in the intercalates' spectra, indicating successful incorporation. The complex-loaded composites had somewhat lower proton relaxivities than the pure complexes. Nevertheless, these intercalates may have use as MRI contrast agents for patients with poor kidney function, where traditional Gd(III)-based contrast agents cause severe renal failure.     

基于Retinex理论与概率非局部均值的红外图像增强方法

针对传统红外图像增强算法中细节模糊及过度增强的问题,提出了一种基于Retinex理论与概率非局部均值相结合的红外图像增强方法.首先通过单尺度Retinex方法调整图像中过暗与过亮部分的灰度级;然后利用概率非局部均值对图像进行分解处理得到基本层与细节层,对基本层采用直方图均衡化拉伸对比度,对细节层采用非线性函数进行增强;最后,将不同层次的结果融合得到对比度与细节增强的红外图像.用该方法对多组不同场景的红外图像进行仿真实验,并将其与多种增强方法进行主、客观对比分析,结果表明所提方法在红外图像的细节及对比度增强方面都获得了更好的效果.     

Cyclotriphosphazene,a scaffold for 19F MRI contrast agents

A cyclotriphosphazene substituted with six 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl) benzyloxy units was designed as a novel ¹⁹F MRI contrast agent. The resulting molecule has 36 magnetically equivalent fluorine atoms and exhibited suitable MRI properties with high imaging sensitivity, confirming the proof-of-concept as a convenient scaffold for the production of new ¹⁹F MRI contrasts agents.     

实时三维超声联合右心声学造影评价肺源性心脏病患者右心室收缩功能的价值

目的应用实时三维超声心动图探讨肺源性心脏病患者右心室收缩功能的价值，比较右心造影对测值的影响。方法选择肺源性心脏病代偿组、失代偿组、正常对照组各20例分别进行造影前、后实时三维超声的采集成像，计算右心室舒张末容积（RVEDV）、右心室每博输出量（RVSV）和右心室射血分数（RVEF），并根据心内膜是否清晰可辨分为心内膜边界清晰者、心内膜边界欠清晰者，比较两者三维超声参数的组间差异。结果代偿组、失代偿组RVEDV较对照组均明显增加，RVEF值减低（均P＜0.01），代偿组与对照组RVSV差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05），但失代偿组RVSV与代偿组、对照组差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）；失代偿组RVEDV较代偿组明显增大，RVEF明显减低（均P＜0.01）。心内膜边界欠清晰者造影后较造影前RVEDV、RVEF差异均有统计学意义（均P＜0.05）。结论实时三维超声能够客观地反映肺源性心脏病代偿期与失代偿期右心室收缩功能的变化，右心声学造影改善了心内膜边界的可识别性，提高了右心室收缩功能测值的可靠性。     

Facile synthesis of metal-polyphenol-formaldehyde coordination polymer colloidal nanoparticles with sub-50 nm for T_1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging

Plant polyphenol-based coordination polymers(CPs) with ultra-small particle size and tailorable compositions are highly desired in biomedical applicatio ns,but their synthesis is still challenging due to the sophisticated coordination assembly process and unavoidable self-oxidation polymerization of polyphenol. He rein,a general ligand covalent-modification mediated coordination assembly strategy is proposed for the synthesis of water-dispersible CPs with tunable metal species(e.g., Gd,Cu,Ni,Zn,Fe)and ultra-small diameter(8.6-37.8 nm) using nontoxic plant polyphenol(e.g..tannic acid,gallic acid) as a polymerizable ligand.Polyphenol molecules react with formaldehyde firstly,which can effectively retard the oxidation induced self-polymerization of polyphenol and lead to the formation of metal ions containing CPs colloidal nanoparticles.These ultrafine nanoparticles with stably chelated metal io ns are highly water dispersible and thus advantageous for bioimaging.As an example,ultra-small Gd contained CPs exhibit higher longitudinal relaxivity(r_1=25.5 L mmol ~1 s ~1) value with low r_2/r_1(1.19) than clinically used Magnevist(Gd-DTPA,r_1=3.7 L mmol ~1 s ~1).Due to the enhanced permeability and retention effect,they can be further used as a positive contrast agent for T_1-weighted MR imaging of tumour.     

Gd complexes of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid conjugates of low-molecular-weight chitosan oligosaccharide as a new liver-specific MRI contrast agent

This study was to describe the synthesis of complexes of gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid conjugates of low-molecular-weight chitosan oligosaccharide Gd-DTPA-CSn (n = 6, 8, 11) as a new class of contrast agent as well as its magnetic property in a pilot magnetic resonance imaging. The efficacy of the contrast agent was assessed by measuring the longitudinal relaxivity (r₁), FLASH imaging in phantoms in vitro and signal intensity in vivo of the rat abdominal axial imaging. The r₁ of Gd-DTPA-CS₁₁ was up to 11.65 mM^− 1·s^− 1, which was 3 times higher than that of the analogous MRI contrast agent Gd-DTPA in commercial use. In vivo MR images of rat obtained with Gd-DTPA-CS₁₁ showed strong signal enhancement in liver and the vessels of the liver parenchyma during the extended period of time. The present study suggests that the new synthesized gadolinium complexes can be used as a new class of practical liver-specific MRI contrast agent because of its superior performance compared with Gd-DTPA.     

Temporal contrast improvement in chirped pulse amplification systems by a four-grating compressor and by spectral modifications

The quest for higher peak focused intensities and better temporal contrast drives one to improve the design of all possible stages of the chirped pulse amplification (CPA) system. In this paper, we have analyzed the role of dispersion and spectral profile on the temporal shape and contrast ratio of the output pulse of a CPA system. The simulations indicate that an initial sech² or a Gaussian pulse in the CPA system is best for a good contrast ratio. Incorporating a four-grating based pulse compressor in the CPA system improves the contrast as well as provides the flexibility to compensate the dispersion upto the fourth order. The simulations also detail the effect of spectral profile tailoring on the contrast ratio and peak power.     

In vitro contrast-enhanced ultrasound measurements of capillary microcirculation: Comparison between polymer- and phospholipid-shelled microbubbles

The focus of contrast-enhanced ultrasound research has developed beyond visualizing the blood pool and its flow to new areas such as perfusion imaging, drug and gene therapy, and targeted imaging. In this work comparison between the application of polymer- and phospholipid-shelled ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) for characterization of the capillary microcirculation is reported. All experiments are carried out using a microtube as a vessel phantom. The first set of experiments evaluates the optimal concentration level where backscattered signal from microbubbles depends on concentration linearly. For the polymer-shelled UCAs the optimal concentration level is reached at a value of about 2 × 10⁴ MB/ml, whereas for the phospholipid-shelled UCAs the optimal level is found at about 1 × 10⁵ MB/ml.Despite the fact that the polymer shell occupies 30% of the radius of microbubble, compared to 0.2% of the phospholipid-shelled bubble, approximately 5-fold lower concentration of the polymer UCA is needed for investigation compared to phospholipid-shelled analogues. In the second set of experiments, destruction/replenishment method with varied time intervals ranging from 2 ms to 3 s between destructive and monitoring pulses is employed. The dependence of the peak-to-peak amplitude of backscattered wave versus pulse interval is fitted with an exponential function of the time γ = A(1 − exp(−βt)) where A represents capillary volume and the time constant β represents velocity of the flow. Taking into account that backscattered signal is linearly proportional to the microbubble concentration, for both types of the UCAs it is observed that capillary volume is linearly proportional to the concentration of the microbubbles, but the estimation of the flow velocity is not affected by the change of the concentration. Using the single capillary model, for the phospholipid-shelled UCA a delay of about 0.2-0.3 s in evaluation of the perfusion characteristics is found while polymer-shelled UCA provide response immediately. The latter at the concentration lower than 3.6 × 10⁵ MB/ml have no statistically significant delay (p < 0.01), do not cause any attenuation of the backscattered signal or saturation of the receiving part of the system. In conclusion, these results suggest that the novel polymer-shelled microbubbles have a potential to be used for perfusion evaluation.     

Synthesis of bifunctional chelating agents based on mono and diphosphonic derivatives of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid

Bifunctional chelating agents (BFCAs) are small molecules containing a chelating unit, able to strongly coordinate a metal ion, and a reactive functional group, devised to form a stable covalent bond with another molecule. BFCAs are widely employed since their conjugation to a suitable biomolecule (e.g., a peptide or an antibody) allows the synthesis of diagnostic or therapeutic agents that specifically target diseased tissue with metals or radiometals. For this reason, BFCAs find application in diagnostic imaging, molecular imaging, and radiotherapy of cancer. The synthesis of new BFCAs based on a diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) structure in which one or two carboxylic groups are replaced with phosphonic units is described. The phosphonic group, aside from being a classical isostere of the carboxylic acid in coordination chemistry, allows to modulate the physico-chemical properties of the ligands and of the corresponding complexes.     

The synthesis and evaluation of unsymmetrical dimeric X-ray contrast agents

Novel dimeric iodinated contrast agents with low osmolality have been prepared and evaluated with the aim of improving the already good safety profile of such agents. The aim of low osmolality was achieved, and the viscosity of these dimeric agents was also found to be beneficially lower than current dimeric agents in clinical use.