超极化Xenon对慢阻肺的可视化加权成像（英文）

超极化气体3He或者129Xe扩散加权成像已经被证明了能够有效检测慢性阻塞性肺部疾病(COPD)中肺部微结构的改变.相比于3He,129Xe更便宜而且更容易获得,但是129Xe成像中较低的信噪比致使129Xe的肺部表面扩散系数(ADC)的测量面临着许多困难.在该研究中,为了得到更高的图像信噪比,作者对气球模型,健康大鼠和COPD大鼠进行了单个b值(14 cm2/s)的扩散加权超极化129Xe磁共振成像(MRI).所有的COPD模型大鼠是通过烟熏和注射内毒素(LPS)进行诱导得到的.在7 T磁共振成像仪上面获得了大鼠肺实质的超极化129Xe ADC值分布图.COPD大鼠肺实质的129Xe ADC值是0.044 22±0.002 9和0.042 34±0.002 3 cm2/s(Δ=0.8/1.2 ms),远大于健康大鼠肺实质的129Xe ADC值0.037 7±0.002 3和0.036 7±0.001 3 cm2/s.而且COPD大鼠肺实质相关的129Xe ADC直方图也表现出了一定的展宽.这些结果说明了COPD大鼠肺泡空腔的增大能够通过129Xe在肺里面的ADC增长和相关直方图的拓宽反应出来,从而证明了单个b值的扩散加权MRI方法可以有效地对COPD大鼠进行检测.     

795 nm大功率外腔半导体激光器的研究

采用超极化惰性气体的磁共振成像技术可大大提高肺部影像成像质量，其中自旋交换光泵作为超极化惰性气体的关键，通常是对碱金属铷进行泵浦，为获得较好的泵浦效率，要求泵浦源具有窄光谱宽度和高功率的特点。针对这一需求，提出以体布拉格光栅（VBG）作为外腔反馈元件的795 nm窄谱宽外腔半导体激光器设计，并对VBG的外腔锁模稳定性进行了分析讨论，最终实现了功率为6.36 W，谱宽低至0.036 nm的795.245 nm单管外腔激光输出，为实现大功率的单管外腔半导体激光器奠定基础。     

超极化Xenon 对慢阻肺的可视化加权成像

超极化气体3He 或者¹²⁹Xe 扩散加权成像已经被证明了能够有效检测慢性阻塞性肺部疾病(COPD)中肺部微结构的改变．相比于³He,¹²⁹Xe 更便宜而且更容易获得,但是¹²⁹Xe 成像中较低的信噪比致使¹²⁹Xe 的肺部表面扩散系数(ADC)的测量面临着许多困难．在该研究中,为了得到更高的图像信噪比,作者对气球模型,健康大鼠和COPD大鼠进行了单个b 值(14 cm2/s)的扩散加权超极化¹²⁹Xe 磁共振成像(MRI)．所有的COPD模型大鼠是通过烟熏和注射内毒素(LPS)进行诱导得到的．在7 T 磁共振成像仪上面获得了大鼠肺实质的超极化¹²⁹Xe ADC 值分布图．COPD 大鼠肺实质的¹²⁹Xe ADC 值是0.044 22±0.002 9 和0.042 34±0.002 3 cm2/s (Δ = 0.8/1.2 ms),远大于健康大鼠肺实质的¹²⁹Xe ADC 值0.037 7±0.002 3 和0.036 7±0.001 3 cm2/s．而且COPD 大鼠肺实质相关的¹²⁹Xe ADC 直方图也表现出了一定的展宽．这些结果说明了COPD 大鼠肺泡空腔的增大能够通过129Xe 在肺里面的ADC 增长和相关直方图的拓宽反应出来,从而证明了单个b 值的扩散加权MRI 方法可以有效地对COPD 大鼠进行检测．     

超极化129Xe磁共振波谱和成像及在生物医学中的应用

文章简要介绍了磁共振波谱和成像的基本原理和对限制其灵敏度的挑战,详细阐述了为增强磁共振信号而制备超极化129Xe的物理机制,论述了129Xe在生物组织中的溶解性以及化学位移的特异性,综述了当前超极化129Xe在肺部、脑部成像领域的研究进展和在临床方面应用所取得的有代表性的研究成果,并讨论了基于超极化129Xe分子生物探针的超灵敏磁共振技术的研究前景,最后对超极化129Xe在生物医学领域的应用与发展作了展望.     

胶束型磁共振成像分子探针的设计与应用

飞速发展的分子影像学在肿瘤的早期诊断及检测中发挥着越来越重要的作用.磁共振成像(MRI)是分子影像学的重要分支,具有其他成像技术不可比拟的优越性和广阔的发展前景.它不需要放射性示踪剂,没有电离辐射,具有高的空间、时间分辨率和组织对比度.近年来,新型磁共振分子探针及成像序列取得了一系列进展,包括环境响应型分子探针、¹⁹F成像、¹²⁹Xe超极化成像以及化学交换饱和转移成像等,进一步拓展了MRI的应用范围.研究和开发靶向性好、弛豫效率高且安全性好的新型多模态MRI造影剂,进一步提高灵敏度是MRI领域的一项重要课题,例如将胶束的特性与一些MRI新方法结合,寻找合适的胶束体系,以提高MRI分子探针的灵敏度;或者引入多模态分子探针,弥补磁共振方法的不足.本文综述了胶束型MRI分子探针核心技术的研究进展与应用,并指出分子影像技术在生物医学工程研究和临床诊断中的重要性.     

超极化~(129)Xe磁共振波谱和成像及在生物医学中的应用

文章简要介绍了磁共振波谱和成像的基本原理和对限制其灵敏度的挑战,详细阐述了为增强磁共振信号而制备超极化129Xe的物理机制,论述了129Xe在生物组织中的溶解性以及化学位移的特异性,综述了当前超极化129Xe在肺部、脑部成像领域的研究进展和在临床方面应用所取得的有代表性的研究成果,并讨论了基于超极化129Xe分子生物探针的超灵敏磁共振技术的研究前景,最后对超极化129Xe在生物医学领域的应用与发展作了展望.     

超极化129Xe磁共振分子影像学

磁共振分子影像学发展的主要瓶颈之一在于灵敏度的限制,基于激光光泵和自旋交换技术能获得增强4~5个量级的超极化¹²⁹Xe磁共振信号,因此超极化¹²⁹Xe磁共振分子影像学相对于传统MRI在灵敏度上表现出巨大的优势. 围绕提高灵敏度这一核心MRI问题及其在科学研究中的应用,该文介绍了目前基于超极化¹²⁹Xe的生物分子探针的基本结构和原理,阐述了与之相关的分子影像学方法和技术,同时评述了当前的最新研究进展和发展方向.     

超极化129Xe自动收集-升华装置研究

因其较高的核自旋极化度所提供的探测灵敏度，超极化¹²⁹Xe气体已被成功应用于动物和人体磁共振成像（MRI）.但是，在超极化¹²⁹Xe的收集-升华过程中，多种因素会导致¹²⁹Xe核自旋弛豫，进而限制其应用范围.本文通过理论模型分析和实验测量，验证了温度、磁场、螺旋冷阱材质等对冷冻恢复过程中超极化¹²⁹Xe弛豫的影响；同时，测量了自动收集-升华装置的稳定性.研究结果表明，升华方式和冷阱材质对¹²⁹Xe极化度损耗的影响显著；自制收集-升华装置的自动化程度高、长时间稳定，¹²⁹Xe极化度的恢复率可达到85.6% ± 4.7%.本研究非常有助于提升超极化¹²⁹Xe在动物和人体MRI中的使用效率.     

肺超声伪影的产生机理、检测技术及临床应用

近年来,肺部超声技术越来越受到人们的关注.肺部超声可以对肺组织以及胸膜进行快速的视觉评估,用来诊断心源性肺水肿、急性呼吸窘迫综合征(ARDS)等肺部疾病.相较于CT、磁共振成像(MRI)而言,超声对人体无辐射危险,且超声技术简单、安全、成本相对较低.而肺超声伪影可以反映出诸多肺部组织病理信息,临床诊断中能观察到的肺部伪...     

MRI与MRS在肥胖症研究中的应用进展

肥胖症已经成为严重威胁人类健康的主要慢性疾病之一,磁共振成像(MRI)和磁共振波谱(MRS)技术的结合运用,对于评价脂肪组织分布和蓄积程度具有极大的优势.该文总结了近年来MRI与MRS技术在肥胖症研究中的应用进展,并讨论了MRI与MRS技术在肥胖症临床应用及科学研究中的价值.     

Optimal experiments for maximizing coherence transfer between coupled spins

Hyperpolarized noble gases (HNGs) provide exciting possibilities for MR imaging at ultra-low magnetic field strengths (<0.15 T) due to the extremely high polarizations available from optical pumping. The fringe field of many superconductive magnets used in clinical MR imaging can provide a stable magnetic field for this purpose. In addition to offering the benefit of HNG MR imaging alongside conventional high field proton MRI, this approach offers the other useful advantage of providing different field strengths at different distances from the magnet. However, the extremely strong field gradients associated with the fringe field present a major challenge for imaging since impractically high active shim currents would be required to achieve the necessary homogeneity. In this work, a simple passive shimming method based on the placement of a small number of ferromagnetic pieces is proposed to reduce the fringe field inhomogeneities to a level that can be corrected using standard active shims. The method explicitly takes into account the strong variations of the field over the volume of the ferromagnetic pieces used to shim. The method is used to obtain spectra in the fringe field of a high-field (1.89 T) superconducting magnet from hyperpolarized 129Xe gas samples at two different ultra-low field strengths (8.5 and 17 mT). The linewidths of spectra measured from imaging phantoms (30 Hz) indicate a homogeneity sufficient for MRI of the rat lung.     

Theoretical prediction and experimental measurement of the field dependence of the apparent transverse relaxation of hyperpolarized noble gases in lungs

In this work, computer modeling based on a finite element method is used to simulate the T2* relaxation of hyperpolarized noble gases (HNG) in the lungs. A physical model of lung airways consisting of a phantom constructed from micro-capillary fibers of diameters similar to the size of lung airways with semi-permeable walls is also presented. The fibers are surrounded by a liquid medium (water) of magnetic susceptibility similar to lung tissue. Theoretical predictions of the field strength dependence of T2* for 129Xe in the phantom and in vivo rat lung are presented. These predictions are in good agreement with experimental T2* values obtained from the phantoms and in vivo rat lungs (160, 19 and 8 ms) at three different field strengths (0.074, 1.89 and 3T, respectively) using hyperpolarized 129Xe. The strong dependence of T2* on field strength is consistent with the theoretical prediction that low fields may be optimal for HNG MR imaging of the lungs as the decreased T2* at high fields necessitates an increase in bandwidth for conventional MR imaging.     

Spectroscopic issues in optical polarization of 3He gas for Magnetic Resonance Imaging of human lungs

The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of human lungs for diagnostic purposes became possible by using nuclear spin hyperpolarized noble gases, such as ³He. One of the methods to polarize ³He is the Metastability Exchange Optical Pumping (MEOP), which up to now has been performed at low pressure of about 1 mbar and in low magnetic field below 0.1 T (standard conditions). The equilibrium nuclear polarization can reach up to 80%, but it is dramatically reduced during the subsequent gas compression to the atmospheric pressure that is necessary for the lungs examination. Further polarization losses occur during the transportation of the gas to the hospital scanner. It was shown recently that up to 50% polarization can be obtained at elevated pressure exceeding 20 mbar, by using magnetic field higher than 0.1 T (nonstandard conditions). Therefore, following the construction of the low-field MEOP polarizer located in the lab, a dedicated portable unit was developed, which uses the magnetic field of the 1.5 T MR medical scanner and works in the continuous-flow regime. The first in Poland MRI images of human lungs in vivo were obtained on the upgraded to ³He resonance frequency Siemens Sonata medical scanner. An evident improvement in the image quality was achieved when using the new technique. The paper shows how spectroscopic measurements of ³He carried out in various experimental conditions led both to useful practical results and to significant progress in understanding fundamental processes taking place during MEOP.     

MR-compatible ventilator for small animals: computer-controlled ventilation for proton and noble gas imaging

We describe an MR-compatible ventilator that is computer controlled to generate a variety of breathing patterns, to minimize image degrading effects of breathing motion, and to support delivery of gas anesthesia and experimental inhalational gases. A key feature of this ventilator is the breathing valve that attaches directly to the endotracheal tube to reduce dead volume and allows independent control of inspiratory and expiratory phases of ventilation. This ventilator has been used in a wide variety of MR and x-ray microscopy studies of small animals, especially for MR imaging the lungs with hyperpolarized gases ((3)He & (129)Xe).     

MRI of the lung gas-space at very low-field using hyperpolarized noble gases

In hyperpolarized (HP) noble-gas magnetic resonance imaging, large nuclear spin polarizations, about 100,000 times that ordinarily obtainable at thermal equilibrium, are created in 3He and 129Xe. The enhanced signal that results can be employed in high-resolution MRI studies of void spaces such as in the lungs. In HP gas MRI the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) depends only weakly on the static magnetic field (B(0)), making very low-field (VLF) MRI possible; indeed, it is possible to contemplate portable MRI using light-weight solenoids or permanent magnets. This article reports the first in vivo VLF MR images of the lungs in humans and in rats, obtained at a field of only 15 millitesla (150 Gauss).     

Magnetic resonance imaging of dissolved hyperpolarized Xe using a membrane-based continuous flow system

A technique for continuous production of solutions containing hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe is explored for MRI applications. The method is based on hollow fiber membranes which inhibit the formation of foams and bubbles. A systematic analysis of various carrier agents for hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe has been carried out, which are applicable as contrast agents for in vivo MRI. The image quality of different hyperpolarized Xe solutions is compared and MRI results obtained in a clinical as well as in a nonclinical MRI setting are provided. Moreover, we demonstrate the application of ¹²⁹Xe contrast agents produced with our dissolution method for lung MRI by imaging hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe that has been both dissolved in and outgassed from a carrier liquid in a lung phantom, illustrating its potential for the measurement of lung perfusion and ventilation.     

Spectrally narrowed external-cavity high-power stack of laser diode arrays

We describe an effective external cavity for narrowing the spectral linewidth of a multiarray stack of laser diode arrays. For a commercially available 279-W free-running five-array laser diode array operating at 60 A, we narrow the spectral linewidth to 0.40 nm at FWHM with 115 W of cw power output. This technique leads to the possibility of higher-efficiency, lower-cost production of hyperpolarized noble gases for magnetic resonance imaging.     

SNR phase order k-space encoding (SPOKE)

A method of determining the phase-encode order for MR Fourier-encoded imaging is described, which provides an additional option for optimizing images from samples with signals that change during data acquisition. Examples are in hyperpolarized helium gas imaging of the lungs where polarization is lost with each RF pulse or the signal changes observed in rapid dynamic studies with T₁ or T₂* contrast agents when mixing is taking place. The method uses a single frequency-encoded projection in the proposed phase-encoding direction. The projection is subsequently sorted into signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) order. The indices of the sorted array are then used to create the phase-encode table to be used for the scan. This phase table is sorted in descending SNR order for signals that decrease during data acquisition and in ascending order for signals that increase during data acquisition. Simulations suggest that this technique can produce higher resolution than centric-ordered phase encoding at the expense of increased modulation (ghosting) artifact for dynamically changing signals. Initial practical implementation of the technique has been carried out on a dedicated 0.2-T Niche MR system, and the test object results agree well with simulations. Hyperpolarized 3-He lung images have also been acquired and postprocessed using the SNR phase order k-space encoding (SPOKE) methodology and show potential for improved imaging with high flip angles where polarization is rapidly lost. Applications may also be found for 3D volumetric acquisitions where two dimensions can be SPOKE encoded.     

Low-field MRI of laser polarized noble gas.

NMR images of laser polarized 3He gas were obtained at 21 G using a simple, homebuilt instrument. At such low fields magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of thermally polarized samples (e.g., water) is not practical. Low-field noble gas MRI has novel scientific, engineering, and medical applications. Examples include portable systems for diagnosis of lung disease, as well as imaging of voids in porous media and within metallic systems.