Multiple energy synchrotron biomedical imaging system.

A multiple energy imaging system that can extract multiple endogenous or induced contrast materials as well as water and bone images would be ideal for imaging of biological subjects. The continuous spectrum available from synchrotron light facilities provides a nearly perfect source for multiple energy x-ray imaging. A novel multiple energy x-ray imaging system, which prepares a horizontally focused polychromatic x-ray beam, has been developed at the BioMedical Imaging and Therapy bend magnet beamline at the Canadian Light Source. The imaging system is made up of a cylindrically bent Laue single silicon (5,1,1) crystal monochromator, scanning and positioning stages for the subjects, flat panel (area) detector, and a data acquisition and control system. Depending on the crystal's bent radius, reflection type, and the horizontal beam width of the filtered synchrotron radiation (20-50 keV) used, the size and spectral energy range of the focused beam prepared varied. For example, with a bent radius of 95 cm, a (1,1,1) type reflection and a 50 mm wide beam, a 0.5 mm wide focused beam of spectral energy range 27 keV-43 keV was obtained. This spectral energy range covers the K-edges of iodine (33.17 keV), xenon (34.56 keV), cesium (35.99 keV), and barium (37.44 keV); some of these elements are used as biomedical and clinical contrast agents. Using the developed imaging system, a test subject composed of iodine, xenon, cesium, and barium along with water and bone were imaged and their projected concentrations successfully extracted. The estimated dose rate to test subjects imaged at a ring current of 200 mA is 8.7 mGy s-1, corresponding to a cumulative dose of 1.3 Gy and a dose of 26.1 mGy per image. Potential biomedical applications of the imaging system will include projection imaging that requires any of the extracted elements as a contrast agent and multi-contrast K-edge imaging.

Quantitative performance measurements of bent crystal Laue analyzers for X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy.

Third-generation synchrotron radiation sources pose difficult challenges for energy-dispersive detectors for XAFS because of their count rate limitations. One solution to this problem is the bent crystal Laue analyzer (BCLA), which removes most of the undesired scatter and fluorescence before it reaches the detector, effectively eliminating detector saturation due to background. In this paper experimental measurements of BCLA performance in conjunction with a 13-element germanium detector, and a quantitative analysis of the signal-to-noise improvement of BCLAs are presented. The performance of BCLAs are compared with filters and slits.

High resolution short focal distance Bent Crystal Laue Analyzer for copper K edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy.

We have developed a compact short focal distance Bent Crystal Laue Analyzer (BCLA) for Cu speciation studies of biological systems with specific applications to cancer biology. The system provides high energy resolution and high background rejection. The system is composed of an aluminum block serving as a log spiral bender for a 15 micron thick Silicon 111 crystal and a set of soller slits. The energy resolution of the BCLA-about 14 eV at the Cu Kα line- allows resolution of the Cu Kα(1) and CuKα(2) lines. The system is easily aligned by using a set of motorized XYZ linear stages. Two operation modes are available: incident energy scans (IES) and emission energy scans (EES). IES allows scanning of the incident energy while the BCLA system is maintained at a preselected fixed position--typically CuKα(1) line. EES is used when the incident energy is fixed and the analyzer is scanned to provide the peak profile of the emission lines of Cu.

Fast-scanning high-flux microprobe for biological X-ray fluorescence microscopy and microXAS.

There is a growing interest in the biomedical community in obtaining information concerning the distribution and local chemical environment of metals in tissues and cells. Recently, biological X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) has emerged as the tool of choice to address these questions. A fast-scanning high-flux X-ray microprobe, built around a recently commissioned pair of 200 mm-long Rh-coated silicon Kirkpatrick-Baez mirrors, has been constructed at BioCAT beamline 18ID at the Advanced Photon Source. The new optical system delivers a flux of 1.3 x 10(12) photons s(-1) into a minimum focal spot size of approximately 3-5 microm FWHM. A set of Si drift detectors and bent Laue crystal analyzers may be used in combination with standard ionization chambers for X-ray fluorescence measurements. BioCAT's scanning software allows fast continuous scans to be performed while acquiring and storing full multichannel analyzer spectra per pixel on-the-fly with minimal overhead time (<20 ms per pixel). Together, the high-flux X-ray microbeam and the rapid-scanning capabilities of the BioCAT beamline allow the collection of XFM and micro X-ray absorption spectroscopy (microXAS) measurements from as many as 48 tissue sections per day. This paper reports the commissioning results of the new instrument with representative XFM and microXAS results from tissue samples.

[The effect of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate on cervical maturation during pregnancy]. / L'effet du sulfate de déhydroépiandrostérone (S-DHEA) sur la maturation du col utérin pendant la grossesse.

Steroid hormones would have an effect on the duration of pregnancy. Venous blood was drawn in 90 patients who were scheduled for provoked delivery for assay of serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (S-DHEA), oestrogen, progesterone and cortisol. Serum concentration of S-DHEA was significantly higher (p<0.005) in women with a favourable Bishop score (>6) compared with those with an unfavourable score. These findings suggest that a rise in S-DHEA level occurs before modifications in the cervix.