T2*-based fiber orientation mapping
Recent MRI studies at high field have observed that, in certain white matter fiber bundles, the signal in T(2)*-weighted MRI (i.e. MRI sensitized to apparent transverse relaxivity) is dependent on fiber orientation θ relative to B(0). In this study, the characteristics of this dependency are quantitatively investigated at 7 T using ex-vivo brain specimens, which allowed a large range of rotation angles to be measured. The data confirm the previously suggested variation of R(2)* (=1/T(2)*) with θ and also indicate that this dependency takes the shape of a combination of sin2θ and sin4θ functions, with modulation amplitudes (=ΔR(2)*) reaching 6.44±0.15 Hz (or ΔT(2)*=2.91±0.33 ms) in the major fiber bundles of the corpus callosum. This particular dependency can be explained by a model of local, sub-voxel scale magnetic field changes resulting from magnetic susceptibility sources that are anisotropic. As an illustration of a potential use of the orientation dependence of R(2)*, the feasibility of generating fiber orientation maps from R(2)* data is investigated.

title: Complex data analysis in high-resolution SSFP fMRI.
abstract: In transition-band steady-state free precession (SSFP) functional MRI (fMRI), functional contrast originates from a bulk frequency shift induced by a deoxygenated hemoglobin concentration change in the activated brain regions. This frequency shift causes a magnitude and/or phase-signal change depending on the off-resonance distribution of a voxel in the balanced-SSFP (bSSFP) profile. However, in early low-resolution studies, only the magnitude signal activations were shown. In this paper the task-correlated phase-signal change is presented in a high-resolution (1 x 1 x 1 mm3) study. To include this phase activation in a functional analysis, a new complex domain data analysis method is proposed. The results show statistically significant phase-signal changes in a large number of voxels comparable to that of the magnitude-activated voxels. The complex-data analysis method successfully includes these phase activations in the activation map and thus provides wider coverage compared to magnitude-data analysis results.

title: Sensitivity of MRI resonance frequency to the orientation of brain tissue microstructure
abstract: Recent advances in high-field (≥7 T) MRI have made it possible to study the fine structure of the human brain at the level of fiber bundles and cortical layers. In particular, techniques aimed at detecting MRI resonance frequency shifts originating from local variation in magnetic susceptibility and other sources have greatly improved the visualization of these structures. A recent theoretical study [He X, Yablonskiy DA (2009) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 106:13558–13563] suggests that MRI resonance frequency may report not only on tissue composition, but also on microscopic compartmentalization of susceptibility inclusions and their orientation relative to the magnetic field. The proposed sensitivity to tissue structure may greatly expand the information available with conventional MRI techniques. To investigate this possibility, we studied postmortem tissue samples from human corpus callosum with an experimental design that allowed separation of microstructural effects from confounding macrostructural effects. The results show that MRI resonance frequency does depend on microstructural orientation. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of the resonance frequency shift suggests an origin related to anisotropic susceptibility effects rather than microscopic compartmentalization. This anisotropy, which has been shown to depend on molecular ordering, may provide valuable information about tissue molecular structure.

title: The contribution of myelin to magnetic susceptibility-weighted contrasts in high-field MRI of the brain
abstract: T(2)*-weighted gradient-echo MRI images at high field (≥ 7T) have shown rich image contrast within and between brain regions. The source for these contrast variations has been primarily attributed to tissue magnetic susceptibility differences. In this study, the contribution of myelin to both T(2)* and frequency contrasts is investigated using a mouse model of demyelination based on a cuprizone diet. The demyelinated brains showed significantly increased T(2)* in white matter and a substantial reduction in gray-white matter frequency contrast, suggesting that myelin is a primary source for these contrasts. Comparison of in-vivo and in-vitro data showed that, although tissue T(2)* values were reduced by formalin fixation, gray-white matter frequency contrast was relatively unaffected and fixation had a negligible effect on cuprizone-induced changes in T(2)* and frequency contrasts.

title: On the contribution of deoxy-hemoglobin to MRI gray–white matter phase contrast at high field
abstract: High field (> or =7 T) MRI studies based on signal phase have been used to improve visualization of the fine structure of the brain, most notably the major white matter fiber bundles, the gray-white matter subdivision, and the laminar cortical architecture. The observed contrast has been attributed in part to local variations in magnetic susceptibility arising from iron in storage proteins and tissue lipid. Another contribution could come from the paramagnetic blood constituent deoxy-hemoglobin, the tissue concentration of which may vary through local variations in vascular density. To investigate this possibility, we examined phase contrast between gray and white matter in rats after intravenous administration of a superparamagnetic contrast agent at various dosages. At the maximum dosage (3 mg Fe/kg), which resulted in an estimated paramagnetic susceptibility shift 4-8 times larger than deoxy-hemoglobin, we observed a negligible increase in phase contrast between gray and white matter. This result suggests that endogenous deoxy-hemoglobin has no significant contribution to phase contrast between gray and white matter.

title: Rational design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of progesterone-modified MRI contrast agents.
abstract: A series of contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) aimed at noninvasively determining the hormone receptor status of cancer in vitro was developed. These MRI contrast agents were prepared by conjugating progesterone to clinically used Gd(III) chelates. These agents exhibited higher progesterone receptor binding affinities in the nanomolar range and intracellular accumulation. High logP values of the modified compounds suggested that the lipophilicity of the steroid conjugates may have contributed to membrane permeability. Synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence microscopy and magnetic resonance images revealed that the synthesized conjugates showed the greatest cellular accumulation and significant increase in relaxivity in vitro compared to the previously developed steroid-modified agent. Transcriptional assays using the progesterone response element linked to luciferase indicated that the contrast agents entered the cell, interacted with the biological target, and drove specific progesterone-mediated transcription.

title: Rapid determination of bacteria in pools.
abstract: If a method for rapid determination of bacterial levels in swimming pools and whirlpools were available, bacterial health risks could be avoided before exposure occurred. Such a method would enable public-health authorities to make timely decisions about closing or reopening pools and to adjust disinfectant doses. The purpose of this study was to determine if a rapid adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence method would serve this purpose. Bacteriological analyses were completed on samples from swimming pools and whirlpools in Washtenaw County, Michigan. The results from the ATP assay were compared with those from the conventional plate count method and were found to be highly correlated (r = .92). To assess whether a prefiltration step was necessary to delete nonbacterial ATP--which might originate from bathers' skin cells or other debris--two procedures were tested: one with prefiltration and one without prefiltration. The results for prefiltered samples were not statistically different from the results for non-prefiltered samples (p > .05), for both the heterotrophic plate counts and the ATP bioluminescence method. This study indicates that the ATP assay can estimate bacterial levels in pools within minutes and without prefiltration.

title: Genetic diversity and fitness of Fusarium graminearum populations from rice in Korea.
abstract: Fusarium graminearum is an important fungal pathogen of cereal crops and produces mycotoxins, such as the trichothecenes nivalenol and deoxynivalenol. This species may be subdivided into a series of genetic lineages or phylogenetic species. We identified strains of F. graminearum from the Republic of Korea to lineage, tested their ability to produce nivalenol and deoxynivalenol, and determined the genetic composition and structure of the populations from which they were recovered. Based on amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), PCR genotyping, and chemical analyses of trichothecenes, all 249 isolates from southern provinces belonged to lineage 6, with 241 having the nivalenol genotype and 8 having the deoxynivalenol genotype. In the eastern Korea province, we recovered 84 lineage 6 isolates with the nivalenol genotype and 23 lineage 7 isolates with the deoxynivalenol genotype. Among 333 lineage 6 isolates, 36% of the AFLP bands were polymorphic, and there were 270 multilocus haplotypes. Genetic identity among populations was high (>0.972), and genotype diversity was low (30 to 58%). To test the adaptation of lineage 6 to rice, conidial mixtures of strains from lineages 3, 6, and 7 were inoculated onto rice plants and then recovered from the rice grains produced. Strains representing lineages 6 and 7 were recovered from inoculated spikelets at similar frequencies that were much higher than those for the strain representing lineage 3. Abundant perithecia were produced on rice straw, and 247 single-ascospore isolates were recovered from 247 perithecia. Perithecia representing lineage 6 (87%) were the most common, followed by those representing lineage 7 (13%), with perithecia representing lineage 3 not detected. These results suggest that F. graminearum lineage 6 may have a host preference for rice and that it may be more fit in a rice agroecosystem than are the other lineages present in Korea.

title: Numerical investigation of quasi-coplanar plasmonic waveguide-based photonic components.
abstract: Using 3-dimensional numerical simulations, we investigated the characteristics and performance of essential photonic components based on the recently proposed quasi-coplanar waveguide (QCPW) including bends, couplers, and splitters. The results confirmed the QCPW's potential in high density photonic integration. We also explored the application of various RF-originated concepts and techniques to QCPW-based photonic components to enhance and enrich their functionalities.

title: Delayed sternotomy wound infection due to Paecilomyces variotii in a lung transplant recipient.
abstract: We report a case of sternotomy wound infection caused by Paecilomyces variotii in a previously bronchiectatic patient, occurring 10 months after bilateral sequential lung transplantation. The use of prophylactic antifungal therapy, the persistent colonization with Paecilomyces, and sternal instability after clamshell incision may have contributed to the development of delayed deep sternal wound infection. Besides antifungal therapy, vigorous surgical debridement is vital for treatment success. With the more liberal use of early post-transplant fungal prophylaxis, potentially drug-resistant fungi, such as the Paecilomyces species, may be emerging as important opportunistic pathogens after lung transplantation.