bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determining the conditions for robust acidoCEST MRI to measure extracellular pH in tumors in vivo
Authors: Virgincar Rohan , Barck Kai , Go Mary Ann , Rosario Geoffrey Del , Yu Shang-Fan , Choy ManKin , Gogineni Alvin , Elstrott Justin , Gill Herman , Marik Jan , Lee Genee , Pagel Mark , de Crespigny Alex , Junttila Teemu , Spiess Christoph , Weimer Robby , Xie Luke
Published: August 2023

AcidoCEST MRI is a promising technique to directly measure extracellular pH in vivo and is well-suited to imaging tumors, which can exhibit acidosis. However, few studies have demonstrated the conditions and the minimum contrast agent concentrations needed for robust acidoCEST MRI. In this study, we employed micro-CT to determine the uptake of iopamidol in tumors with intratumoral and intravenous delivery of isovue-370, estimated the accuracy of pH measured by MRI vs. a pH meter, demonstrated the minimum iopamidol concentration required for acidoCEST MRI, and reported pH measurements in different tumor xenograft models.
Predicting tumor recurrence in patients with gliomas via deep learning-based analysis of structural and amide proton transfer weighted MRI
Authors: Guo Pengfei , Unberath Mathias , Zhou Jinyuan , Heo Hye-Young , Eberhart Charles , Lim Michael , Blakeley Jaishri , van Zijl Peter , Jiang Shanshan
Published: August 2023

Amide protein transfer weighted (APTw) MRI has been validated to accurately detect recurrent malignant gliomas across different studies. However, APTw image interpretation is time consuming and requires professional knowledge. Therefore, reliable, automated imaging diagnostic tools to assess malignant glioma response to therapies are urgently needed. Here, we develop and verify a CNN-based deep-learning algorithm to identify tumor progression versus response by adding APTw MRI data to structural MR images as the proposed model input. Our results suggest that the use of APTw images can increase the diagnostic accuracy to structural MRI for the treatment response assessment.
Multi-parametric imaging on cerebral infarction using MULTIPLEX
Authors: Zhong Jiali , Ye Yongquan , Yang Hongyu , Zhang Zhongqi , Lyu Jingyuan , Zhang Weijun , Xu Jian , Peng Ruchen
Published: August 2023

A state-of-the-art multi-parametric imaging method, namely MULTIPLEX, was evaluated for its potential for cerebral infarction. The MULTIPLEX method offered single-scan multi-contrast information with 3D high resolution images, not only showing the capacity to supplement or replace routine protocols for anatomical and edema imaging, but also offered additional information on bleedings and penumbra, showing the potential as an one-click solution for daily cerebral infarction imaging.
Study on Plasma BDNF Concentration and Rs-fMRI Characteristics Related to Motor Function
Authors: Lu Yujie , Li Wenmei , Zhang Huiting
Published: August 2023

Results of our study showed that the level of plasma brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was positively correlated with cognitive function, and negatively correlated the changes in local brain network related to the destruction of motor and non-motor cortical areas in the hemispheres using rs-fMRI in capsular stroke (CS) group. Follow-up results demonstrated the mechanism of local dynamic network remodeling and its correlation with plasma BDNF concentration and clinical outcomes. It provides temporal and spatial information for the dynamic separation of brain networks in different stage of CS, and reflects the potential biological mechanism of proportional recovery.
Improved Myelin Water Fraction Estimation Integrating Learned Probabilistic Subspaces and Low-Dimensional Manifolds
Authors: Li Yudu , Guo Rong , Zhao Yibo , Li Yao , Liang Zhi-Pei
Published: August 2023

Multi-echo gradient-echo (mGRE)-based myelin water fraction (MWF) mapping is increasingly used for studying myelin integrity. The basic multi-exponential fitting method often suffers from severe ill-conditionedness of the exponential model. To address this problem, a number of more advanced estimation methods have been proposed, incorporating a priori constraints and machine learning. This work presents a new learning-based method to further improve MWF estimation. The proposed method represents different water components as low-rank subspaces through which both pre-learned subspace and manifold structures are synergistically integrated. Both simulation and experimental results demonstrate significantly improved performance over existing MWF estimation methods.
A multinuclear 4-channel 2H loop and 4-channel 1H microstrip array coil for human head MRS/MRI at 7T
Authors: Li Xin , Waks Matt , Wiesner Hannes , Soon Soo Han , Zhu Xiao-Hong , Chen Wei
Published: August 2023

A 4-channel 2H loop and 4-channel 1H microstrip head array coil with improved MRS/MRI sensitivity and imaging coverage for a human-head-like lightbulb phantom at 7T is reported. Each of the 4 2H coils is a 22cmx14cm loop, providing excellent penetration of 2H MRS signal. The 2H loops are decoupled by multiple techniques including inductive decoupling circuits and geometric overlapping, providing S12~-20dB between any pair of 2H loop coils. The majority of measured signal-to-noise ratio of the water signal originating from the natural abundance HDO content are above 100 for the voxel size of 1.7 cc.
Periventricular tissue damage in multiple sclerosis assessed by quantitative magnetization transfer
Authors: Pirpamer Lukas , Vovk Andrej , Damulina Anna , Khalil Michael , Schmidt Reinhold , Enzinger Christian , Ropele Stefan
Published: August 2023

Periventricular tissue damage in multiple sclerosis has been suggested to be mediated by toxic soluble factors in the cerebrospinal-fluid. Magnetization transfer imaging has shown great potential to reveal microstructural tissue changes and has been used to study the association of periventricular normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) changes to the distance from the ventricle. We assessed high-resolution magnetization transfer saturation imaging (MTsat) in equidistant bands around the ventricle of MS patients and compared the resulting MTsat gradient of the thalamus and NAWM. While PV-MTsat values in NAWM are consistent to the literature, MTsat values in the outer thalamic bands were higher than controls, likely caused by increased iron levels.
Disentangling characteristics of subpial lesions in multiple sclerosis using multiparametric postmortem MRI
Authors: Galbusera Riccardo , Bahn Erik , Weigel Matthias , Lu Po-Jui , Franz Jonas , Barakovic Muhamed , Schaedelin Sabine , Melie-Garcia Lester , Rahmanzadeh Reza , Dechent Peter , Lutti Antoine , Bhagavatheeshwaran Govind , Brück Wolfgang , Kappos Ludwig , Stadelmann Christine , Granziera Cristina
Published: August 2023

We have characterized the imaging correlates of subpial demyelination in the cerebral cortex of MS patients by exploiting multiparametric postmortem qMRI and histopathology. MTsat, qT1 and AD were the measures that best captured subpial lesions pathology. Additionally, we found that some subpial lesions exhibit a juxta-cortical rim of increased susceptibility and show lower MWF than the ones without rim.
Hippocampal glutathione-glutamate couplings predict cognitive impairment in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
Authors: Li Fuyan , Zong Wei , Ren Fuxin , Li Ning , Li Xiao , Dai Zongrui , Chen Weibo , Li Muwei , Gao Fei
Published: August 2023

Cognitive impairment is a common symptom of MS. GSH and Glu, keeping a homeostasis in the stable stage, were considered as key players in oxidative stress defending and synaptic plasticity, respectively. We aim to explore the changes of GSH and Glu levels and GSH-Glu couplings in RRMS and their association with cognitive impairment. Our findings indicate that oxidative stress and glutamatergic dysfunction may contribute to cognitive impairment of MS in a regional specificity manner. Hippocampal GSH-Glu decoupling may offer a crucial noninvasive measure of early cognitive impairment and provide a new strategy for the treatment of MS patients.
Feasibility of inhomogeneous magnetization transfer for the peripheral nerve of the brachial plexus
Authors: Sada Takayuki , Yokota Hajime , Kurosawa Ryuna , Yoda Takafumi , Matsumoto Koji , Namiki Takashi , Yoneyama Masami , Gilbert Guillaume , Masuda Yoshitada , Uno Takashi
Published: August 2023

Magnetization transfer (MT) has been conventionally used for the determination of myelin. However, the problem with the MT is that it reflects bound water that is not related to myelin. Inhomogeneous Magnetization Transfer (ihMT) can act specifically on myelin, it has been reported to be a useful method for quantifying myelin in brain and spinal cord regions. In this study, we compared conventional MT and ihMT for the brachial plexus, and ihMT might be able to reflect more accurate information about myelin than MT.
The evaluation of brachial plexus injury by using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
Authors: Lian* Jianxiu , Zhao* Liyang , Shen Zhiwei , Xu Xiaofang , Peng Zhigang , Li Xiaona
Published: August 2023

Quantifying the functional parameters of brachial plexus injury can provide more valuable information for clinic. This article aims to apply diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)to brachial plexus injury and reveal the pathological causes of the disease from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Our study revealed that patients with brachial plexus injury had higher FA and lower ADC values when compared with the healthy control, and FA showed the better diagnostic efficiency (AUC:0.763; sensitivity: 94.1%; specificity: 44.1%).
Demonstrating the Facial Nerve in the Parotid Gland using 3 Dimension Fast Field Echo imaging: a Pilot Study
Authors: Wang Yihua , Wang Lijun , Zhang Xiaoxiao , Liu Ailian
Published: August 2023

Facial nerve MRI is a clinical challenge that it is difficult to differentiate parotid gland tumors from facial nerve on conventional imaging. It is great demand to develop new diagnostic technology to accurately display peripheral nerve and tumor for avoiding intraoperative injury. In this study, 3 dimension fast field echo imaging(T2WI-3D-FFE) is potentially a valuable sequence in displaying the intraparotid facial nerve and localizing the tumor.
Reference value of ascending aorta global longitudinal strain by cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking
Authors: Zhang HongZhou , Leng Shuang , Tan Ru-San , Chai Ping , Bryant Jennifer , Teo Lynette , Ong Ching Ching , Koh Angela S. , Ruan Wen , Yip James W. , Le Tan Ju , Zhong Liang
Published: August 2023

This study aimed to introduce a novel parameter—aorta (AO) global longitudinal strain (GLS)—for AO stiffness assessment by semi-automated feature tracking approach with standard cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). The data demonstrated excellent intra and inter-observer variability of AO GLS of 4.4% and 5.0%, respectively. AO GLS was significantly negatively associated with age. The mean AO GLS was greater in females (10.1±3.5% versus 8.1±2.7%, P<0.001). The AO GLS decreased by 1.68% in females and 1.32% in males per decade respectively. Age was an independent predictor of the AO GLS in both males and females.
Dynamic MRI Reconstruction Combining Tensor Nuclear Norm and Casorati Matrix Nuclear Norm
Authors: Zhang Yinghao , Hu Yue , Lu Xin
Published: August 2023

Low-rank tensor models have been applied in accelerating dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI). Recently, a new tensor nuclear norm based on t-SVD has been proposed and applied to tensor completion. Inspired by the different properties of the tensor nuclear norm (TNN) and the Casorati matrix nuclear norm (MNN), we introduce a novel dMRI reconstruction method combining TNN and Casorati MNN, which we term as TMNN. Moreover, we convert the the TMNN dMRI reconstruction problem into a simple tensor completion problem, which can be efficiently solved by the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM).
Improvement of distortion-free cardiac IVIM-DWI using motion-compensated single-shot turbo spin echo DWI with fast elastic image registration
Authors: Goto Yasuhiro , Michinobu Nagao , Yoneyama Masami , Peeters Johannes , Shiina Isao , Kodaira Kazuo , Hamatani Yutaka , Ogawa Takumi , Kato Mana , Sakai Shuji
Published: August 2023

We evaluated the feasibility of the combined use of MoSE CINE imaging (to determine exact TD as a preparation procedure), MoCo-TSE-DWI acquisition and FEIR post-processing (to register the respective diffusion images) for improving the robustness of quantitative cardiac IVIM mapping. Combined use of the MoSe-CINE procedure for determining the exact cardiac trigger delay, MoCo-TSE-DWI acquisition, and FEIR post-processing to register among all source images, could be useful to increase the robustness of image quality and improve the quantitative accuracy in myocardial IVIM mapping.
Non-linear Association Between NT-proBNP and Septal Native T1 in Non-ischaemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Gao Yujie , Zhou Xiaoyue , Liao Shengen , Xu Yi
Published: August 2023

This study investigated the relationship between cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) T1 mapping parameters and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients. The results showed that, in DCM, a non-linear relationship existed between NT-proBNP and septal native T1, indicating a complex relationship between the secretion of NT-proBNP and myocardial diffuse fibrosis. When NT-proBNP is greater than the inflection point(1105 pg/ml), NT-proBNP may provide additional value for the judgment of myocardial diffuse fibrosis.
Prediction of the changes in myocardial of patients with cardiomyopathy using T1rho mapping
Authors: Wang Fang , Zhang Zhen , Yue Xiuzheng , Ruan Xiaowei , Zhu Rongrong , Ha Ruoshui , Yang Yanbin
Published: August 2023

The study is to determine clinical utility of T1rho to detect patients with cardiomyopathy. In the LGE positive group, the T1 mapping values and ECV values in the lesion area were significantly higher than those in the LGE negative group and the normal control group, while the T1rho values in the lesion area were significantly lower than those in the LGE negative and normal groups, and the display range of lesions was in good consistency with LGE and ECV. It can be used as an endogenous diagnostic index when myocardial structure changes.
Multi-delay arterial spin labeling perfusion map may predict cerebral hyperperfusion after carotid endarterectomy
Authors: Fan Xiaoyuan , Lin Tianye , Wei Juan , Qu Jianxun , Zuo Zhentao , Feng Feng
Published: August 2023

Preoperative measurement of cerebrovascular reactivity using acetazolamide or CO2 induced SPECT is the gold standard for predicting cerebral hyperperfusion (CH) after carotid endarterectomy (CEA). However, it is often impractical to perform SPECT examinations on all patients.

Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is a non-invasive technique to image the brain perfusion. Based on multi-delay ASL perfusion map, we extracted two hemodynamic parameters (cerebral blood flow and arterial transit time) and established a five-scale scoring system for the prediction of CH.

We found in patients with carotid stenosis, multi-delay ASL is a practical and reliable tool for the prediction of CH after CEA.
Does arterial spin labeling provide insights into long-term effects of radiation therapy in the healthy brain?
Authors: Kronfeld Andrea , Russo Alexandra , Henninger Nicole , Wingerter Arthur , Brunk Moritz , Khawaja Kaml , Tropine Andrei , Pacha Abdulghani Moussa , Dimova Violeta , Marini Federico , Leithner Doris , Nospes Sabine , Kloeckner Roman , Hahn Felix , Stockinger Marcus , Schmidberger Heinz , Brockmann Marc , Neu Marie , Faber Joerg , Tanyildizi Yasemin
Published: August 2023

28 patients after earlier (1-45 years) whole brain radiation and 22 healthy controls were examined by arterial spin labeling to discover insights ASL could give in long-term effects of radiation therapy in the healthy brain. Relative cerebral blood flow and relative bolus arrival time showed increased values compared to the healthy control, which could be a sign for increased permeability and thickening of the vessels, two well described effects of radiation therapy ASL gives insight into.
A study on MRI arterial spin labeling in predicting early response to chemoradiotherapy in patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: sun zongqiong , Dou Weiqiang
Published: August 2023

This study mainly investigated the feasibility of 3D pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (3D-pCASL) imaging in predicting the treatment response to chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (ANPC) patients. 3D-pCASL derived blood flow (BF)s in tumors were respectively obtained for patients in response group (RG) and no-response group (NRG). The resultant pre-treatment BF showed significantly different values between RG and NRG patients. Combining with clinical information, BF also showed robust prediction between RG and NRG patients. Therefore, 3D-pCASL could be considered an effective method in tumor response prediction to CRT for ANPC patients before clinical treatment.
A 72-channel coil system for MR vessel wall imaging of intracranial and carotid arteries at 3 T
Authors: Tan Yingchao , Chen Qiaoyan , Zou Qian , Chen Yanling , Chen Junyu , Liu Xin , Zheng Hairong , Li Ye
Published: August 2023

MR vessel wall imaging of intracranial and carotid arteries is still challenging because of the small cross-sectional size of the vessel wall and the cord, and susceptibility effects, especially in the carotid and the spinal cord. In this study, a 72-channel coil system that consists of a 64-channel head coil combined with an 8-channel carotid coil was proposed and characterized in its performance by comparison with a 40-channel coil system. As a result, the proposed 72-channel coil system provides improved performance in SNR, parallel imaging capability, and image quality.
Using fMRI to compare physiotherapy and yoga-induced changes in post-stroke rehabilitation
Authors: Kumar Dushyant , Mishra Rajesh , Kumar Chahat , Bhagat Priyanka , Srivastava Padma , Jayasundar Rama
Published: August 2023

This study has compared using fMRI, the changes effected by physiotherapy and yoga in post-stroke recovery. Ischemic stroke patients (n=20) with motor deficits were divided into two groups - yoga and physiotherapy. Each group practiced yoga or physiotherapy for one hour daily for six months, under the supervision of certified yoga trainers and physiotherapists, respectively. Pre- and post- (6 months) intervention evaluations were carried out using fMRI at 3T and NIHSS scores. Results show significant improvement in the NIHSS scores and BOLD activity in the affected sensory motor region of the stroke patients in the yoga group compared to physiotherapy.
Reduced Blood Brain Barrier Water Exchange and Cerebral Blood Flow in CARASIL Patients Revealed by Perfusion MRI: a pilot study
Authors: Pan Huiru , Li Yingying , Liang Huilou , Yao Tingyan , Shao Xingfeng , Jia Xuejia , Zhang Zihao , Zuo Zhentao , An Jing , Wang Danny JJ , Xue Rong , Yang Qi
Published: August 2023

We applied 3D diffusion-prepared pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (DP-pCASL) to evaluate water exchange rate (kw) of blood brain barrier (BBB) and its association with clinical characteristics of cerebral autosomal recessive arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CARASIL) patients. The CARASIL group showed significantly decreased kw and cerebral blood flow (CBF) compared with healthy controls. The association between kw with age, CBF and white matter hyperintensity volumes (WMH) found in CARASIL patients suggest that kw could be a potential non-contrast imaging biomarker for BBB dysfunction in cerebral small vessel disease.
A Hybrid-Two-Compartmental-Model for the Blood-Brain-Barrier Assessment of Glioma Patients
Authors: S Dinil Sasi , Gupta Rakesh Kumar , Patir Rana , Ahlawat Suneeta , Singh Anup
Published: August 2023

Dynamic-contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI has shown wide potential in characterizing brain tumor. Conventionally, generalized-tracer-kinetic-model (GTKM) and Patlak-model (PM) have been widely used in clinics to characterize the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) integrity of the tumor. However, PM is recommended for DCE-MRI data with shorter duration (less than 1 minute) and GTKM may overfit in non-enhancing and normal tissues causing erroneous estimation of extra-vascular volume fraction (ve). So, the current study proposes a hybrid tissue depended model with maximum 2 model fitting parameters by combining GTKM and PM depending on underlying tissue. Proposed model has outperformed GTKM in all tissue regions.
Towards clinical perfusion imaging at 5T using 3D ASL
Authors: Tong Yan , Wei Qing , Xie Jun
Published: August 2023

Arterial spin labeling (ASL) benefits from both increased intrinsic SNR and reduced T1 relaxation time at higher field strength. However, the implementation of ASL at 7T is challenging, primarily due to increased SAR, and B1+/B0 inhomogeneity. Recently, United Imaging Healthcare introduced a 5T whole-body scanner. 5T might be a superior field strength for ASL due to the improved SNR compared to 3T, and less severe B1+/B0 inhomogeneity and reduced SAR compared to 7T. This study demonstrated the feasibility of high-resolution ASL at 5T, and the results showed superior SNR compared to 3T.
Improved Dynamic contrast in Motion Corrected Dynamic Contrast Enhancement MRI Using Low Rank with Soft Weighting and Joint sparsity
Authors: Zhang Jichang , Wang Xinpei , Najeeb Faisal , Xu Pengfei , Omer Hammad , Gowland Penny , Francis Sue , Glover Paul , Bowtell Richard , Wang Chengbo
Published: August 2023

This work presents a motion corrected free breathing Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) with improved dynamic contrast reconstruction method called L+S with soft weighting and joint sparsity. Soft weighting achieves accurate motion correction at expense of dynamic contrast. An additional temporal Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) constraint is used to recover the dynamic contrast. A simulated phantom dataset was created with ground truth in this work, enabling quantification of the motion correction and dynamic contrast performance. The proposed method achieved improved dynamic contrast, better motion correction and high reconstruction efficiency simultaneously.
Feasibility of synthetic PD-weighted images on degenerative OA in comparison to structural ZTE-MRI
Authors: Wang Huizheng , Liu Weiyin , Yu Xingyao , Chen Wen , Sang Ling , Wang Kejun
Published: August 2023

Image follow-up for intervention effectiveness of osteoarthritis is necessary to avoid or slow down the development of joint space stenosis, bone sclerosis and osteophyte formation. Compared to ZTE-MRI with the feature of nominal zero echo time, MAGIC, synthetic MRI, offers not only anatomical structure images but also T1, T2, and PD maps. We found a significant correlation between joint space value and meniscus volume in reflection of antagonism effect of joint space and surrounding tissues. Proton density weighted synthetic MR images (PD-MAGIC) offered as good as ZTE-MR structure images and might supplement quantitative information clinically to improve follow-up diagnostic performance.
Knee Osteoarthritis: Automatic Grading with Deep Learning
Authors: Zhong Junru , Yao Yongcheng , Khan Sheheryar , Xiao Fan , Cahill Dόnal , Griffith James , Chen Weitian
Published: August 2023

We present a deep learning-based knee osteoarthritis grading system that automatically provides a binary classification for cartilage degeneration. The system was trained on MRI data sets applying MOAKS grading from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI). The proposed method achieved an accuracy of 0.75 to 0.83, despite being conducted on highly imbalanced data sets. Significant improvement in accuracy is expected with more balanced data sets.
Application of Multi-echo DIXON and HISTO to evaluate bone marrow fat/iron content in lumbar osteoporosis patients
Authors: Wang Yang , Sun Fengyu , Zhang Chen , Sun Haoran , Li Dong , Cai Yuezeng
Published: August 2023

Our study investigated the feasibility of LiverLab technique, consisted of multi-echo DIXON and HISTO, to evaluate the vertebral BMFF and iron content for the diagnosis of osteoporosis. BMFF measured by multi-echo DIXON and HISTO was significantly increased in osteoporosis patients and strong negative correlation with BMD. Vertebral iron content had no difference in osteoporosis patients and no correlation with BMD. LiverLab technique, composed of multi-echo DIXON and HISTO, can quantitatively evaluate the changes in bone marrow fat content, and can be used as a potential biomarker for evaluating abnormal bone density and severity of osteoporosis.
Evaluation of condylar osseous changes using wireless detector combined with PDWI sequence
Authors: Tian Chong , Cheng Xinge , Wang Rongpin , Qian Chunqi , Zeng Xianchun , Nie Lisha
Published: August 2023

MRI is considered to be the reference method for the imaging and understanding of temporomandibular disease (TMD) , but it provides little or no detectable signal from cortical bone. A disc-shaped wireless detector (WD), which is more suitable for body superficial tissue or organ examination, is used to overcome the sensitivity limitation of conventional MRI in condyle imaging. This study aims to observe the capability of WD in showing the bone changes of TMD condyle on PDWI. Compared with the traditional MRI, WD is suitable for imaging the condyle bone changes of TMD patients, and significantly improves the image quality.
Detection of cranial nerve degeneration in a transgenic Parkinson’s disease model marmoset using multi-contrast mechanism MRI
Authors: Hata Junichi , Kobayashi Reona , Haga Yawara , Mizumura Mai , Oshiro Hinako , Muta Kanako , Hayashi Naoya , Yoshimaru Daisuke , Hagiya Kei , Okano Hirotaka , Okano Hideyuki
Published: August 2023

In this study, we evaluated the characteristics of the brain in a genetically modified marmoset model of Parkinson’s disease. Various contrast mechanism images were acquired using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the whole brain underwent explorative investigation with each contrast. This study was evaluated for Parkinson’s disease marmoset by anatomical MRI, neural fiber tractography and awakening state functional MRI. Malti-contrast MRI showed diseases characteristics in the thalamus, the nigral striatum, motor circuit and anymore. The findings suggest that the marmoset is useful as a model animal to study human diseases.
Detection of early metastatic lymph nodes using inflow-based vascular-space-occupancy (iVASO) MR imaging
Authors: Wu Yuankui , Guo Liuji , Hua Jun , Liu Xiaomin , Xu Yikai , Deng Kan
Published: August 2023

Accurate preoperative evaluation of lymph nodes (LNs) involvement is of vital importance for clinical decisions and optimizing individual treatment regimens. Related studies showed elevated perfusion at the level of capillary in metastatic LNs. Inflow-based vascular space occupancy (iVASO) is a novel and noninvasive perfusion technology that can provide absolute blood volume of precapillary arterioles (arteriolar blood volume, BVa). In this study, the potential value of BVa in detecting metastatic LNs was investigated. The results showed that the BVa might have the potential to detect early metastases within lymph nodes.
Correlation analysis between quantitative parameters of mDIXON-Quant sequence and liver function in patients with liver cirrhosis
Authors: Nan Wang , Chen Lihua , Song Qingwei , Wang Jiazheng , Wu Zhigang , Ailian Liu
Published: August 2023

Evaluation of liver reserve function is crucial for patients with cirrhosis and is helpful for the determination of the surgical plan formulation, the evaluation of treatment process and prognosis, and the operation of cirrhosis. However, there is still lacking a clinically useable non-invasive technique to measure the abnormality of liver function. The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential correlation between Fat Fraction (FF), R2* and liver function indexes in patients with cirrhosis using mDIXON-Quant sequence. We found that there was a moderate correlation between R2* value and liver function assay indexes in liver cirrhosis.
Predict MGMT promoter methylation and P53 gene status of glioma based on ADC Histogram Analysis
Authors: Zhao Huan , Bai Yan , Zhang Xianchang , Wang Meiyun
Published: August 2023

Conventional MRI is limited in reflecting tumor genetic status. This study used the parameters derived from histogram analysis of apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC) maps in glioma lesion to predict the MGMT and P53 gene status. We found the ADC histogram derived parameters are significantly higher in MGHT-methylated and P53 wild group. ROC analysis revealed these parameters have high sensitivity to differentiate the MGHT-methylated/-unmethylated or P53 wild/ mutant gliomas. These findings suggest ADC histogram could be a good candidate for predicting MGMT promoter methylation and P53 gene status in gliomas.
Investigation of Pulmonary Physiological Compensatory Mechanism with Hyperpolarized 129Xe MR
Authors: Liu Xiaoling , Li Haidong , Li Hongchuang , Zhang Ming , Zhao Xiuchao , Zheng Yu , Luo Ming , Li Yecheng , Sun Xianping , Han Yeqing , Ye Chaohui , Zhou Xin
Published: August 2023

In this study, we tried to use hyperpolarized (HP) 129Xe MR to explore pulmonary physiological compensatory mechanisms. With the increased Xe washout times, obvious changes of chemical shift, FWHM, RBC oscillation amplitude and the parameters extracted from MOXE model could be found. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of HP 129Xe MR for assessing pulmonary compensatory capacity, which would be helpful for understanding lung function changes caused by pulmonary diseases and early diagnosis.
Optogenetic fMRI investigation of the anterior cingulate cortex in pain processing
Authors: You Taeyi , Lee Jeong-Yun , Lee Choong-Hee , Im Geun Ho , Seo Heewon , Woo Choong-Wan , Kim Seong-Gi
Published: August 2023

Pain involves a multidimension network of brain circuits related to both somatosensation and cognitive-motivational dimension. Mouse fMRI allows for the in-vivo brain-wide functional mapping that can help explore the pain circuits at a systems level. We utilized transgenic mice in which we suppressed the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) with optogenetics to better understand its role in pain. Our behavior and fMRI results show that the ACC is involved in the cognitive-motivational dimension of pain, but not in the sensation of pain. In addition, we detected other brain regions as potential targets related to pain hypersensitivity with fMRI.
Longitudinal dynamic changes in DTI metrics after repetitive mild traumatic brain injury with different intervals
Authors: Cheng Ching , Lu Chia-Feng , Hsieh Bao-Yu , Kao Yu-Chieh Jill
Published: August 2023

Long-term effects of repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (rmTBI) with the short versus long interinjury interval were explored using quantitative DTI and immunohistological staining. Significant changes in DTI metrics under the impact site and the lateral part of white matter in the ipsilesional brain after rmTBI may suggest the exacerbated microstructural damage induced by repetitive injury with the short interval.
Regularized SUPER-CAIPIRINHA: accelerating 3D variable-flip-angle T1 mapping up to 16-fold with fast reconstruction
Authors: Yang Fan , Zhang Jian , Li Guobin , Zhu Jiayu , Tang Xin , Hu Chenxi
Published: August 2023

Three-dimensional variable-flip-angle (VFA) T1 mapping is an accurate T1 quantification method suffering from long scan time. SUPER is a contrast-domain acceleration technique with strength in noise suppression and fast reconstruction. Here, we develop regularized SUPER-CAIPIRINHA to accelerate 3D VFA T1 mapping up to 16-fold with 10 flip angles, and perform fast reconstruction with the proposed proximal-Levenberg Marquardt algorithm. The novel method is validated with both retrospective and prospective experiments, compared to Locally Low Rank and Compressed Sensing. The results show that rSUPER-CAIPIRINHA is an accurate and computationally efficient technique, reducing the 3D scan time from 14:10 minutes to 0:59 minutes.
Cascaded hybrid k-space and image generative adversarial network for fast MRI reconstruction
Authors: Liu Yuxuan , Pan Yongsheng , Meng Mancheng , Qi Haikun
Published: August 2023

A cascaded hybrid domain generative adversarial network is proposed for accelerated MRI reconstruction. A novel multi-scale feature fusion sampling layer is proposed to replace the pooling layers and upsampling layers in the U-Net k-space generator to better recover the missing samplings. The proposed method is extensively validated with low and high acceleration factors against several state-of-the-art reconstruction methods, and achieves competitive reconstruction performance.
Comparison of integrated slice-speciﬁc dynamic shimming (ishim) and single shot EPI techniques in patients with Crohn’s disease
Authors: Hu Junjiao , Zhang Huiting , Guo Hu , Benkert Thomas , Jiang Shan , Situ Weijun , Liu Jun
Published: August 2023

In this study, image quality and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of conventional single-shot spin-echo echo-planar imaging (SS-EPI) and prototype integrated slice-speciﬁc dynamic shimming EPI (ishim_EPI) diffusion-weighted imaging in patients with Crohn’s disease were compared. Results showed that ishim_EPI had better image quality, including fewer distortion artifacts and clearer edges of the lesions. High correlation and good agreement of ADC value were found between the two techniques. Ishim_EPI DWI technique is recommended to replace conventional SS_EPI for the detection of lesions in patients with Crohn’s disease and further in routine intestinal examination.
MGMT Promoter Methylation Prediction by End-to-end Evidential-Efficient Net
Authors: Feng Yingjie , Zhao Junbo , Chen Huai , Xu Xiaoyin , Zhang Min
Published: August 2023

Malignant brain tumor affects a large number of patients and often have poor prognosis and low response to therapeutics. An indicator of the progress of brain tumor and its response to treatment is the DNA repair protein, O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT). As such, accurate assessment of MGMT is of great clinical significance. Biospy is not only invasive but also has the risk of undersampling the tumorous tissue. We presented a novel deep learning model that uses multi-MRI modalities to assess the expression of MGMT in glioblastoma (GBM) patients. Results showed that the model can achieve good performance.
The Effect of Sliding Window Reconstruction with Multiplexed-Sensitivity Encoding on Multi-shot Resting-State fMRI Data
Authors: Chen Shihui , Lee Chia-Wei , Chang Hing-Chiu
Published: August 2023

High-resolution 4-shot multi-echo resting-state fMRI (RS-fMRI) can be achieved by acquiring data in a sliding window manner, and thus the composite full k-space for MUSE reconstruction can be obtained by combining the segments from the consecutive time points. However, the sliding window operation may smooth the time courses and lead to a similar effect as applying a moving average filter. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of k-space data sharing from consecutive time points acquired with different TRs, and to determine a feasible TR for the acquisition and reconstruction scheme for high-resolution 4-shot multi-echo RS-fMRI with MUSE.
An improved asymmetric susceptibility tensor imaging model with frequency offset correction
Authors: Feng Ruimin , Cao Steven , Liu Chunlei , Wei Hongjiang
Published: August 2023

The existing reconstruction methods for susceptibility tensor imaging assume that frequency shifts are purely from magnetic susceptibility effects, which may result in noise and error propagation in the calculated susceptibility quantities. In this study, we proposed an extended asymmetric susceptibility tensor model that introduced the non-susceptibility-induced frequency shift, i.e. offset term. Simulation, ex vivo, and in vivo data were reconstructed using the proposed model and compared models. Experimental results show that the proposed method leads to more discernable fiber structures and more accurate fiber orientation estimation. This study inspires STI reconstruction from the perspective of better modeling frequency sources.
Time-dependent Diffusion in Extra-Axial Brain Tumors Investigated with Oscillating-gradient Spin-echo.
Authors: Maekawa Tomoko , Hori Masaaki , Murata Katsutoshi , Feiweier Thorsten , Kamiya Kouhei , Andica Christina , Hagiwara Akifumi , Fujita Shohei , Kamagata Koji , Wada Akihiko , Aoki Shigeki
Published: August 2023

The purpose of our study was to investigate the utility of changes in diffusivity between short and long effective diffusion times (Δeff) in distinguishing extra-axial brain tumors. Patients with 12 meningiomas, 13 acoustic neuromas, and 11 pituitary adenomas were undergoing diffusion-weighted imaging with Δeff of 6.5 ms and 35.2 ms. The dependence of λ1, λ2, λ3, and MD values on Δeff was stronger in pituitary adenomas than in meningiomas and acoustic neuroma, suggesting differences in internal tissue structure. Our results showed that the use of DTI with shorter Δeff provides additional information about the microstructure of brain tumors.
Assessment of renal injury in patients with IgA nephropathy using mono-exponential DWI vs IVIM derived from advanced zoomed-FOV DWI
Authors: Mao Wei , Ding Xiaoqiang , Fu Caixia , Ding Yuqin , Benkert Thomas , Grimm Robert , Zeng Mengsu , Zhou Jianjun
Published: August 2023

The use of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has increased for renal function and fibrosis assessments. However, debates have continued about which method is best. In this study, we used IVIM to assess the pathologic injury associated with IgA nephropathy and compared the results with the mono-exponential model of DWI. Both diffusion models were derived from advanced zoomed field of view (FOV) DWI acquisitions. IVIM had better diagnostic performance than the mono-exponential model in assessing the renal pathologic injury in patients with IgA nephropathy.
The Development of Hollow Gd2O3 Nanospheres for T1 Contrast Agent
Authors: Li Hongyun , Wang Zhenxiong , Zhang Zhongping , Fang Jie
Published: August 2023

Gd2O3 hollow nanospheres (HNS) with tuneable size and shell thickness was prepared. The thinnest shell of 30 nm Gd2O3 HNS achieved is 2.9 nm. This ultra-thin Gd2O3 HNS show effective T1 relaxivity in MRI with the highest r1 value of 3.77 mM-1s-1. Furthermore, the Gd2O3 HNS indicate strong chemical and physical stability which will minimize the toxicity caused by released free Gd3+ ions. The monodispersed and tuneable particle size will also facilitate the particle surface modification and blood circulation time design in bio-applications.
Improved MR Temperature Imaging at 0.5T with Multi-echo Thermometry
Authors: Pan Ziyi , Hu Jianxiong , Luo Hai , Liu Simin , Li Sisi , Wu Ziyue , Guo Hua
Published: August 2023

Low field MR-guided thermotherapy can provide some key advantages over the high-field alternative, including reduced cost, decreased susceptibility artifacts, and improved safety of interventional devices. However, both the accuracy and the speed of PRF temperature measurement suffer at the low field due to the reduced SNR, limited receive channels, and declined temperature-induced phase changes, making it unreliable for clinical MRgLITT treatments. In this study, we demonstrate that the multi-echo thermometry together with the view-sharing acceleration can be utilized to achieve high-quality PRF thermometry at 0.5T with satisfactory temperature measurement precision and temporal resolution.
Metallic Artifact Suppression in DWI Using Efficient 2D Imaging
Authors: Li Sisi , Wang Yishi , Zhang Yajing , Guo Hua
Published: August 2023

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) near metal remains a technical challenge although several 3D multispectral imaging methods have achieved effective metallic artifacts correction in anatomical MRI. Additionally, considering scan time and scan flexibility, 2D multi-slice acquisition approaches are typically used in DWI. In this study, we adopted 2D Point-Spread-Function Encoded EPI to generate a series of echo-shifted in-plane distortion-corrected images and introduced an off-resonance frequency-informed reconstruction framework to further reduce metallic artifacts in DWI by through-slice signal registration. The efficacy of this method was validated in phantom experiments, in-vivo brain DTI and spinal cord DWI.
Exploiting slice-by-slice B1 adjusted adiabatic refocusing RF pulses to improve diffusion weighted imaging at 7T
Authors: Blunck Yasmin , Staeb Daniel , Glarin Rebecca , Johnston Leigh , Jin Jin , O'Brien Kieran
Published: August 2023

The application of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) at ultra-high field is hampered by severe B1 inhomogeneities leading to signal dropouts in certain parts of the brain. Utilising TR-FOCI pulses in a twice-refocussed spin echo DWI sequence can effectively recover signal in these areas, albeit at the cost of increased SAR. Maintaining this enhanced B1 homogeneity, this work demonstrates a ~30% reduction in SAR based on a slice-by-slice RF amplitude optimization.
Investigating the dot-compartment using diffusion MRI line scanning
Authors: Vegh Viktor , Barrick Thomas , Yang Qianqian , Yu Qiang , Cloos Martijn
Published: August 2023

Diffusion MRI provides opportunities in probing tissue microstructure based on mm-scale measurements. Generally, an MRI diffusion model is used to infer biologically meaningful information from diffusion MRI measurements. Recently, there has been increasing interest in mapping the so-called dot-compartment in the human brain. The dot-compartment has been ascribed to a tissue compartment which has highly restricted diffusion. Using a custom diffusion MRI line scan we investigated the ability to obtain high b-value signals using 3T MRI equipped with 80mT/m gradients. It appears that the dot-compartment is elusive when probed using clinical standard scanners even when b-values of 15000s/mm2 are achieved.
Deep-Learning-regularized Single-step Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) Quantification
Authors: Wang Zuojun , Mak Henry , Cao Peng
Published: August 2023

We develop a deep-learning-regularized single-step QSM quantification to generate QSM directly from the total phase map. A deep-learning-regularized dipole inversion network, named POCSnet, was deployed to a single-step QSM (SS-POCSnet) network, which combined a variable-SHARP (VSHARP) and the POCSnet. Meanwhile, SS-POCSnet showed improved accuracy compared with conventional single-step QSM methods. We also demonstrated the generalizability of SS-POCSnet on different datasets in vivo.
Quantitative anisotropy-based fiber tractography reveals tracts moderating age-related decline in functional fitness
Authors: Camacho Paul , Bhamidipati Nishant , Erlenbach Emily , Garcia Veronica , McAuley Edward , Burd Nicholas , Damoiseaux Jessica , Sutton Brad , Gothe Neha
Published: August 2023

We present a moderation analysis of the effects of edge strengths from generalized q-sampling imaging-based tractography on the relationship between age and decline in functional fitness in older adults (n = 105, ages 55-79 years old, right-handed). The results of these moderation analyses suggest that the strengths of white matter structural connections involving the cerebellum, cingulum, and other areas involved in motor, sensory, and environmental perception may play a significant role in preserving functional fitness in older adults.
Functional connectome of hypothalamus, nucleus accumbens and hippocampus in living humans from 7 Tesla resting-state fMRI
Authors: Cauzzo Simone , Gomar Maria Guadalupe Garcia , Singh Kavita , Bianciardi Marta
Published: August 2023

The hypothalamus and nucleus accumbens promote respectively wakeful arousal and sleep, producing a stable cycle between states. The hippocampus is inherently connected to this cycle, which modulates memory encoding during wakefulness and sleep. While their connectivity to cortical regions is detailed in literature, their connectivity with brainstem nuclei is understudied in living humans.

By using high spatial resolution 7 Tesla resting state fMRI and an in-vivo brainstem nuclei atlas, we provided a functional connectome of hypothalamus, nucleus accumbens and hippocampus with the rest of the brain, including 58 brainstem nuclei along with 148 cortical and 25 subcortical structures.
Brain Mapping of Mindfulness Meditation, Slow Paced Breathing and Spontaneous Breathing
Authors: Chan Suk-tak , Kwong Kenneth Kwong
Published: August 2023

A preliminary comparison of physiological and fMRI data from an experienced meditator during mindfulness, paced breathing at 6 breaths/min, and spontaneous breathing provided several characteristic findings related to the brain-body mechanisms of mindfulness: 1) a reduction of breathing rate together with indicators of improved respiratory gas exchange (RGE); 2) a significant correlation between the temporal oscillation of RGE metrics and cerebral hemodynamic fluctuations (CHF) in regions within the salience and default mode networks; 3) a difference in the coherence of CHF with RGE and with heart cycle duration (NN).
CMR Risk Stratification for Dilated Cardiomyopathy with LVEF≥35%: Cohort Study with a Midterm Follow-up
Authors: Li Shuang , Yang Wenjing , Zhou Di , Wang Yining , Fan Xiaohan , Sirajuddin Arlene , Arai Andrew E. , Zhao Shihua , Lu Minjie
Published: August 2023

This study aims to identify the risk factors for adverse events in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients with LVEF≥35% and establish a scoring model to predict adverse event risk. 269 consecutive DCM patients with LVEF ≥35% who underwent gadolinium-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging were enrolled in this study. The primary endpoint was a composite of SCD or aborted SCD. Secondary endpoints were all-cause mortality, heart transplantation and hospitalization for heart failure. The nomogram we created using these parameters provides a novel way to clinically assess and risk stratify this patient population.
Auto-calibrated Multiband Retrospective GRE Cine at 5T with Improved Reconstruction
Authors: Zheng Yuan , Zhao Lele , Zhang Zhongqi , Hu Junpu , Ding Yu , Xu Jian
Published: August 2023

GRE sequences benefit from increased SNR at high field and do not suffer from banding artifacts / SAR issues as bSSFP sequences. We have implemented an autocalibrated multiband retrospective GRE Cine sequence at 5 T. The autocalibrated multiband acquisition increases the efficiency of the sequence by reducing the scan time and simplifying the multiband imaging workflow. A compressed sensing reconstruction with implicit phase interpolation and temporal TV periodic boundary condition were implemented to further improve image quality. We have evaluated this application on volunteers and achieved high quality GRE Cine images.
Hypergraph learning-based convolutional neural network for classification of brain functional connectome
Authors: Wang Junqi , Li Hailong , Qu Gang , Dillman Jonathan , Parikh Nehal , He Lili
Published: August 2023

The human brain is a highly interconnected network where local activation patterns are organized to cope with diverse environmental demands. We developed a hypergraph learning based convolutional neural network model to capture higher order relationships between brain regions and learn representative features for brain connectome classification. The model was applied to a large scale resting state fMRI cohort, containing hundreds of healthy developing adolescents, age 8 to 22. The proposed model is able to classify different age groups with a balanced accuracy of 86.8%.