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Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in Biomedicine

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A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomedical Engineering and Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 12588

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dennis Hwang

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Guest Editor

1. Biomedical Translation Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
2. Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
Interests: MRI method development

Prof. Dr. William Price

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Guest Editor

Nanoscale Organisation and Dynamics Group, School of Science and Health Campbelltown Campus, Building CA 21.G.45, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
Interests: enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals in 1945, scientists have devoted themselves to the related fields of NMR, helping this technology become a powerful tool in research fields such as physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and medicine. Using the NMR theory, through the frequency differences caused by the gradient field over the space, the position and type of the nuclei constituting the object can be detected. As a result, the internal structure image of the object can be drawn accordingly, this theory having contributed to the revolutionary clinical diagnostic tool, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

In the decades that followed, from the discovery of NMR phenomena to the maturity of MRI technology, the NMR research field has won six Nobel Prizes in three fields (physics, chemistry, physiology, or medicine), showing its far-reaching impact and importance. In addition to the applications in structure, NMR and MRI have also developed many applications in the field of biomedicine, areas also of interest in this Special Issue, “NMR and MRI in Biomedicine”, aiming to also included topics encompassing the following:

NMR metabolome;
NMR in drug discovery;
MRI in basic biomedicine applications;
MRI in clinical application.

The applications cover different disease models and new method developments.

Dr. Dennis Hwang
Prof. Dr. William Price
Guest Editors

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Keywords

NMR
MRI
metabolome
contrast agent
drug
AI

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2281 KiB

Open AccessArticle

MRI Detection of Hepatic N-Acetylcysteine Uptake in Mice

by Johnny Chen, Dennis W. Hwang, Yu-Wen Chen, Tsai-Chen Chen, Nirbhay N. Yadav, Timothy Stait-Gardner, William S. Price and Gang Zheng

Biomedicines 2022, 10(9), 2138; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10092138 - 31 Aug 2022

Viewed by 2135

Abstract

This proof-of-concept study looked at the feasibility of using a thiol–water proton exchange (i.e., CEST) MRI contrast to detect in vivo hepatic N-acetylcysteine (NAC) uptake. The feasibility of detecting NAC-induced glutathione (GSH) biosynthesis using CEST MRI was also investigated. The detectability of the GSH amide and NAC thiol CEST effect at B₀ = 7 T was determined in phantom experiments and simulations. C57BL/6 mice were injected intravenously (IV) with 50 g L⁻¹ NAC in PBS (pH 7) during MRI acquisition. The dynamic magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR) and partial Z-spectral data were generated from the acquisition of measurements of the upfield NAC thiol and downfield GSH amide CEST effects in the liver. The ¹H-NMR spectroscopy on aqueous mouse liver extracts, post-NAC-injection, was performed to verify hepatic NAC uptake. The dynamic MTR and partial Z-spectral data revealed a significant attenuation of the mouse liver MR signal when a saturation pulse was applied at −2.7 ppm (i.e., NAC thiol proton resonance) after the IV injection of the NAC solution. The ¹H-NMR data revealed the presence of hepatic NAC, which coincided strongly with the increased upfield MTR in the dynamic CEST data, providing strong evidence that hepatic NAC uptake was detected. However, this MTR enhancement was attributed to a combination of NAC thiol CEST and some other upfield MT-generating mechanism(s) to be identified in future studies. The detection of hepatic GSH via its amide CEST MRI contrast was inconclusive based on the current results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in Biomedicine)

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15 pages, 4169 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Challenges and Practical Solutions to MRI and Histology Matching and Measurements Using Available ImageJ Software Tools

by Marina Y. Khodanovich, Tatyana V. Anan’ina, Elena P. Krutenkova, Andrey E. Akulov, Marina S. Kudabaeva, Mikhail V. Svetlik, Yana A. Tumentceva, Maria M. Shadrina and Anna V. Naumova

Biomedicines 2022, 10(7), 1556; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10071556 - 30 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2221

Abstract

Traditionally histology is the gold standard for the validation of imaging experiments. Matching imaging slices and histological sections and the precise outlining of corresponding tissue structures are difficult. Challenges are based on differences in imaging and histological slice thickness as well as tissue shrinkage and alterations after processing. Here we describe step-by-step instructions that might be used as a universal pathway to overlay MRI and histological images and for a correlation of measurements between imaging modalities. The free available (Fiji is just) ImageJ software tools were used for regions of interest transformation (ROIT) and alignment using a rat brain MRI as an example. The developed ROIT procedure was compared to a manual delineation of rat brain structures. The ROIT plugin was developed for ImageJ to enable an automatization of the image processing and structural analysis of the rodent brain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in Biomedicine)

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17 pages, 3476 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Anatomo-Morphometric Characteristics of Infrapatellar, Suprapatellar Fat Pad, and Knee Ligaments in Osteoarthritis Compared to Post-Traumatic Lesions

by Chiara Giulia Fontanella, Elisa Belluzzi, Assunta Pozzuoli, Manuela Scioni, Eleonora Olivotto, Davide Reale, Pietro Ruggieri, Raffaele De Caro, Roberta Ramonda, Emanuele Luigi Carniel, Marta Favero and Veronica Macchi

Biomedicines 2022, 10(6), 1369; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10061369 - 9 Jun 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2292

Abstract

Several studies have investigated cartilage degeneration and inflammatory subchondral bone and synovial membrane changes using magnetic resonance (MR) in osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Conversely, there is a paucity of data exploring the role of knee ligaments, infrapatellar fat pad (IFP), and suprapatellar fat pad (SFP) in knee OA compared to post-traumatic cohorts of patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the volumetric and morphometric characteristics of the following joint tissues: IFP (volume, surface, depth, femoral and tibial arch lengths), SFP (volume, surface, oblique, antero–posterior, and cranio–caudal lengths), anterior (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) (volume, surface, and length), and patellar ligament (PL) (volume, surface, arc, depth, and length). Eighty-nine MR images were collected in the following three groups: (a) 32 patients with meniscal tears, (b) 29 patients with ACL rupture (ACLR), and (c) 28 patients affected by end-stage OA. Volume, surface, and length of both ACL and PCL were determined in groups a and c. A statistical decrease of IFP volume, surface, depth, femoral and tibial arch lengths was found in end-stage OA compared to patients with meniscal tear (p = 0.002, p = 0.008, p < 0.0001, p = 0.028 and p < 0.001, respectively) and patients with ACLR (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p = 0.008 and p = 0.011, respectively). An increment of volume and surface SFP was observed in group b compared to both groups a and c, while no differences were found in oblique, antero–posterior, and cranio–caudal lengths of SFP among the groups. No statistical differences were highlighted comparing volume, surface, arc, and length of PL between the groups, while PL depth was observed to be decreased in end-OA patients compared with meniscal tear patients (p = 0.023). No statistical differences were observed comparing ACL and PCL lengths between patients undergoing meniscectomy and TKR. Our study confirms that IFP MR morphometric characteristics are different between controls and OA, supporting an important role of IFP in OA pathology and progression in accordance with previously published studies. In addition, PL depth changes seem to be associated with OA pathology. Multivariate analysis confirmed that OA patients had a smaller IFP compared to patients with meniscal tears, confirming its involvement in OA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in Biomedicine)

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16 pages, 3865 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) Signal at −1.6 ppm and Its Application for Imaging a C6 Glioma Model

by Qi-Xuan Wu, Hong-Qing Liu, Yi-Jiun Wang, Tsai-Chen Chen, Zi-Ying Wei, Jung-Hsuan Chang, Ting-Hao Chen, Jaya Seema and Eugene C. Lin

Biomedicines 2022, 10(6), 1220; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10061220 - 24 May 2022

Viewed by 2036

Abstract

The chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) signal at −1.6 ppm is attributed to the choline methyl on phosphatidylcholines and results from the relayed nuclear Overhauser effect (rNOE), that is, rNOE(−1.6). The formation of rNOE(−1.6) involving the cholesterol hydroxyl is shown in liposome models. We aimed to confirm the correlation between cholesterol content and rNOE(−1.6) in cell cultures, tissues, and animals. C57BL/6 mice (N = 9) bearing the C6 glioma tumor were imaged in a 7 T MRI scanner, and their rNOE(−1.6) images were cross-validated through cholesterol staining with filipin. Cholesterol quantification was obtained using an 18.8-T NMR spectrometer from the lipid extracts of the brain tissues from another group of mice (N = 3). The cholesterol content in the cultured cells was manipulated using methyl-β-cyclodextrin and a complex of cholesterol and methyl-β-cyclodextrin. The rNOE(−1.6) of the cell homogenates and their cholesterol levels were measured using a 9.4-T NMR spectrometer. The rNOE(−1.6) signal is hypointense in the C6 tumors of mice, which matches the filipin staining results, suggesting that their tumor region is cholesterol deficient. The tissue extracts also indicate less cholesterol and phosphatidylcholine contents in tumors than in normal brain tissues. The amplitude of rNOE(−1.6) is positively correlated with the cholesterol concentration in the cholesterol-manipulated cell cultures. Our results indicate that the cholesterol dependence of rNOE(−1.6) occurs in cell cultures and solid tumors of C6 glioma. Furthermore, when the concentration of phosphatidylcholine is carefully considered, rNOE(−1.6) can be developed as a cholesterol-weighted imaging technique. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in Biomedicine)

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9 pages, 1605 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Relationship between Lung and Brain Injury in COVID-19 Patients: A Hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe-MRI-based 8-Month Follow-Up

by Shizhen Chen, Yina Lan, Haidong Li, Liming Xia, Chaohui Ye, Xin Lou and Xin Zhou

Biomedicines 2022, 10(4), 781; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10040781 - 27 Mar 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2468

Abstract

Although the lungs are the primary organ involved, increasing evidence supports the neuroinvasive potential of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study investigates the potential relationship between coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-related deterioration of brain structure and the degree of damage to lung function. Nine COVID-19 patients were recruited in critical condition from Jin Yin-tan Hospital (Wuhan, China) who had been discharged between 4 February and 27 February 2020. The demographic, clinical, treatment, and laboratory data were extracted from the electronic medical records. All patients underwent chest CT imaging, ¹²⁹Xe gas lung MRI, and ¹H brain MRI. Four of the patients were followed up for 8 months. After nearly 12 months of recovery, we found no significant difference in lung ventilation defect percentage (VDP) between the COVID-19 group and the healthy group (3.8 ± 2.1% versus 3.7 ± 2.2%) using ¹²⁹Xe MRI, and several lung-function-related parameters—such as gas–blood exchange time (T)—showed improvement (42.2 ms versus 32.5 ms). Combined with ¹H brain MRI, we found that the change in gray matter volume (GMV) was strongly related to the degree of pulmonary function recovery—the greater the increase in GMV, the higher degree of pulmonary function damage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in Biomedicine)

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