Reduced cortical thickness, surface area in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a surface-based morphometry and neuropsychological study.

Neural impairments accompanying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have received growing research attention. Previous neuroimaging studies exclusively used volumetric methods to measure cortical volume as a whole rather than focusing on anatomical and neuropathological distinct indices. Here we decomposed the cortical architecture into cortical thickness (CTh), surface area (SA), and gyrification, for the first time, to provide a more integrative profile of brain damage in COPD. Clinical T1-weighted MRI scans were acquired in 25 stable COPD patients (mean age 69) and 25 age-matched controls. Images were processed using surface-based morphometry to obtain cortical parameters enabling more accurate measurement in deep sulci and localized regional mapping. Demographic, physiological, and cognitive assessments were made and correlated with cortical indices. Compared to controls, COPD patients showed significantly reduced CTh broadly distributed in motor, parietal, and prefrontal cortices, together with more circumscribed SA reduction in dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and Broca's area (cluster-level P < 0.05 corrected). No abnormal gyrification was detected. Decreased CTh in parietofrontal networks strongly correlated with visuospatial construction impairment in COPD patients. Furthermore, thinner dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) best predicted poorer performance (r (2) = 0.315, P = 0.004), and was associated with lower arterial oxygen saturation. These data indicate that cortical thinning is a key morphologic feature associated with COPD that could be partly attributed to oxygen desaturation and contributes to COPD visual memory and drawing deficits. Surface-based morphometry provides valuable information concerning COPD, and could ultimately help us to characterize the neurodegenerative pattern and to clarify neurologic mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction in COPD patients.

Comparisons between the 35 mm quadrature surface resonator at 300 K and the 40 mm high-temperature superconducting surface resonator at 77 K in a 3T MRI imager.

This study attempts to compare the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the 40 mm High-Temperature Superconducting (HTS) surface resonator at 77 K and the 35 mm commercial quadrature (QD) surface resonator at 300 K in a 3 Tesla (T) MRI imager. To aquire images for the comparison, we implemented a phantom experiment using the 40 mm diameter Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox (Bi-2223) HTS surface resonator, the 35 mm commercial QD surface resonator and the 40 mm professionally-made copper surface resonator. The HTS surface resonator at 77 K provided a 1.43-fold SNR gain over the QD surface resonator at 300 K and provided a 3.84-fold SNR gain over the professionally-made copper surface resonator at 300 K on phantom images. The results agree with the predictions, and the difference between the predicted SNR gains and measured SNR gains is 1%. Although the geometry of the HTS surface resonator is different from the QD surface resonator, its SNR is still higher. The results demonstrate that a higher image quality can be obtained with the HTS surface resonator at 77 K. With the HTS surface resonator, the SNR can be improved, suggesting that the HTS surface resonator is a potentially helpful diagnostic tool for MRI imaging in various applications.

A temperature-stable cryo-system for high-temperature superconducting MR in-vivo imaging.

To perform a rat experiment using a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) surface resonator, a cryostat is essential to maintain the rat's temperature. In this work, a compact temperature-stable HTS cryo-system, keeping animal rectal temperature at 37.4°C for more than 3 hours, was successfully developed. With this HTS cryo-system, a 40-mm-diameter Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox (Bi-2223) surface resonator at 77 K was demonstrated in a 3-Tesla MRI system. The proton resonant frequency (PRF) method was employed to monitor the rat's temperature. Moreover, the capacity of MR thermometry in the HTS experiments was evaluated by correlating with data from independent fiber-optic sensor temperature measurements. The PRF thermal coefficient was derived as 0.03 rad/°C and the temperature-monitoring architecture can be implemented to upgrade the quality and safety in HTS experiments. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the HTS surface resonator at 77 K was higher than that of a professionally made copper surface resonator at 300 K, which has the same geometry, by a 3.79-fold SNR gain. Furthermore, the temperature-stable HTS cryo-system we developed can obtain stable SNR gain in every scan. A temperature-stable HTS cryo-system with an external air-blowing circulation system is demonstrated.

Anti-CEA-functionalized superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for examining colorectal tumors in vivo.

Although the biomarker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is expressed in colorectal tumors, the utility of an anti-CEA-functionalized image medium is powerful for in vivo positioning of colorectal tumors. With a risk of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONPs) that is lower for animals than other material carriers, anti-CEA-functionalized SPIONPs were synthesized in this study for labeling colorectal tumors by conducting different preoperatively and intraoperatively in vivo examinations. In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the image variation of colorectal tumors reached the maximum at approximately 24 h. However, because MRI requires a nonmetal environment, it was limited to preoperative imaging. With the potentiality of in vivo screening and intraoperative positioning during surgery, the scanning superconducting-quantum-interference-device biosusceptometry (SSB) was adopted, showing the favorable agreement of time-varied intensity with MRI. Furthermore, biological methodologies of different tissue staining methods and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) yielded consistent results, proving that the obtained in vivo results occurred because of targeted anti-CEA SPIONPs. This indicates that developed anti-CEA SPIONPs owe the utilities as an image medium of these in vivo methodologies.

Enlargement of the field of view and maintenance of a high signal-to-noise ratio using a two-element high-Tc superconducting array in a 3T MRI.

This study examines the enlargement of the field of view (FOV) and the maintenance of a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) through the use of two high-temperature superconducting (HTS) resonators in a 3T MRI. Two Bi(2)Sr(2)Ca(2)Cu(3)O(x) (Bi-2223) surface resonators, each of 4-cm diameter, were used in a 3T MRI. Professionally made copper resonators operate at 300 K, but each Bi-2223 resonator, operated at 77 K and demonstrated a 3.75 fold increase in SNR gain. For the same scanning time, the SNR of the images of a rat's brain and back, obtained using two small Bi-2223 surface resonators, was higher than that obtained using a single 8-cm surface resonator.

Whole body screening using high-temperature superconducting MR volume resonators: mice studies.

High temperature superconducting (HTS) surface resonators have been used as a low loss RF receiver resonator for improving magnetic resonance imaging image quality. However, the application of HTS surface resonators is significantly limited by their filling factor. To maximize the filling factor, it is desirable to have the RF resonator wrapped around the sample so that more nuclear magnetic dipoles can contribute to the signal. In this study, a whole new Bi(2)Sr(2)Ca(2)Cu(2)O(3) (Bi-2223) superconducting saddle resonator (width of 5 cm and length of 8 cm) was designed for the magnetic resonance image of a mouse's whole body in Bruker 3 T MRI system. The experiment was conducted with a professionally-made copper saddle resonator and a Bi-2223 saddle resonator to show the difference. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) with the HTS saddle resonator at 77 K was 2.1 and 2 folds higher than that of the copper saddle resonator at 300 K for a phantom and an in-vivo mice whole body imaging. Testing results were in accordance with predicted ones, and the difference between the predicted SNR gains and measured SNR gains were 2.4%∼2.7%. In summary, with this HTS saddle system, a mouse's whole body can be imaged in one scan and could reach a high SNR due to a 2 folds SNR gain over the professionally-made prototype of copper saddle resonator at 300 K. The use of HTS saddle resonator not only improves SNR but also enables a mouse's whole body screen in one scan.

Implementation of High-Temperature Superconducting tapes RF coils for 3T MRI system.

One way to reduce receiving coil noise in MRI scans is using non-resistive high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coils [1]. They show advantages of much lower cost and easier fabrication over HTS thin iilm coils. In this work, we built a 200mm in diameter Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox(Bi-2223) tape HTS RF coil and demonstrated that the SNR of using the HTS tape coil was 2.22 folds higher than that of the traditional copper coil for a phantom MR study. Test results were in agreement with predictions, and the error of predicted SNR gains and measured SNR gains is about 0.9%. The HTS coil can be expected to generate higher SNR gain after optimization. In the future, in-vivo experiments will be conducted to farther test the capability of the HTS tape coil. Further applications functional MRI is under investigation to test the power of this HTSC system in our 3T system.

Non-invasive Fiber Tracking on Diffusion Tensor MRI Using High-Temperature Superconducting Tape RF coil.

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) coil is one of the best ways to increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox (Bi-2223) tapes were suitable to use because of the easier fabrications and lower cost. In this study, we built HTS Bi-2223 tape coils and demonstrated that the SNR of using the HTS tape coil was 3 or 4 folds higher than that of the traditional copper coil for a rat brain MR study. Acquisition time of MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can be reduced by factor of 9 for the same signal-to-noise. Accuracy of fiber tracking using DTI is also significantly improved by a factor of 2.5 or so using HTS coil. In summary, with this HTSC system, a 3T MR system could reach the high signal-to-noise of 12 T MR system with the advantage of less T2 shortening effects at high field. Currents researches are focused on brain connectivity and fMRI studies.