MRI and Blood-based Biomarkers Are Associated With Surgery in Children and Adults With Ileal Crohn's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Despite advances in medical therapy, many children and adults with ileal Crohn's disease (CD) progress to fibrostenosis requiring surgery. We aimed to identify MRI and circulating biomarkers associated with the need for surgical management. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter study included pediatric and adult CD cases undergoing ileal resection and CD controls receiving medical therapy. Noncontrast research MRI examinations measured bowel wall 3-dimensional magnetization transfer ratio normalized to skeletal muscle (normalized 3D MTR), modified Look-Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) T1 relaxation, intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) diffusion-weighted imaging metrics, and the simplified magnetic resonance index of activity (sMaRIA). Circulating biomarkers were measured on the same day as the research MRI and included CD64, extracellular matrix protein 1 (ECM1), and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) autoantibodies (Ab). Associations between MRI and circulating biomarkers and need for ileal resection were tested using univariate and multivariable LASSO regression. RESULTS: Our study sample included 50 patients with CD undergoing ileal resection and 83 patients with CD receiving medical therapy; mean participant age was 23.9 ±â€…13.1 years. Disease duration and treatment exposures did not vary between the groups. Univariate biomarker associations with ileal resection included log GM-CSF Ab (odds ratio [OR], 2.87; P = .0009), normalized 3D MTR (OR, 1.05; P = .002), log MOLLI T1 (OR, 0.01; P = .02), log IVIM perfusion fraction (f; OR, 0.38; P = .04), and IVIM apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC; OR, 0.3; P = .001). The multivariable model for surgery based upon corrected Akaike information criterion included age (OR, 1.03; P = .29), BMI (OR, 0.91; P = .09), log GM-CSF Ab (OR, 3.37; P = .01), normalized 3D MTR (OR, 1.07; P = .007), sMaRIA (OR, 1.14; P = .61), luminal narrowing (OR, 10.19; P = .003), log C-reactive protein (normalized; OR, 2.75; P = .10), and hematocrit (OR, 0.90; P = .13). CONCLUSION: After accounting for clinical and MRI measures of severity, normalized 3D MTR and GM-CSF Ab are associated with the need for surgery in ileal CD.

Despite advances in medical therapy, many patients with ileal Crohn's disease progress to fibrostenosis requiring surgery. Our study has shown that GM-CSF autoantibodies and MRI biomarker sequences are associated with the need for ileal resection and may help guide management decisions.

Body-Mounted MR-Conditional Robot for Minimally Invasive Liver Intervention.

MR-guided microwave ablation (MWA) has proven effective in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with small-sized tumors, but the state-of-the-art technique suffers from sub-optimal workflow due to the limited accuracy provided by the manual needle insertions. This paper presents a compact body-mounted MR-conditional robot that can operate in closed-bore MR scanners for accurate needle guidance. The robotic platform consists of two stacked Cartesian XY stages, each with two degrees of freedom, that facilitate needle insertion pose control. The robot is actuated using 3D-printed pneumatic turbines with MR-conditional bevel gear transmission systems. Pneumatic valves and control mechatronics are located inside the MRI control room and are connected to the robot with pneumatic transmission lines and optical fibers. Free-space experiments indicated robot-assisted needle insertion error of 2.6 ± 1.3 mm at an insertion depth of 80 mm. The MR-guided phantom studies were conducted to verify the MR-conditionality and targeting performance of the robot. Future work will focus on the system optimization and validations in animal trials.

MR Lymphangiography in Lymphatic Disorders: Clinical Applications, Institutional Experience, and Practice Development.

Lymphatic flow and anatomy can be challenging to study, owing to variable lymphatic anatomy in patients with diverse primary or secondary lymphatic pathologic conditions and the fact that lymphatic imaging is rarely performed in healthy individuals. The primary components of the lymphatic system outside the head and neck are the peripheral, retroperitoneal, mesenteric, hepatic, and pulmonary lymphatic systems and the thoracic duct. Multiple techniques have been developed for imaging components of the lymphatic system over the past century, with trade-offs in spatial, temporal, and contrast resolution; invasiveness; exposure to ionizing radiation; and the ability to obtain information on dynamic lymphatic flow. More recently, dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MR lymphangiography (MRL) has emerged as a valuable tool for imaging both lymphatic flow and anatomy in a variety of congenital and acquired primary or secondary lymphatic disorders. The authors provide a brief overview of lymphatic physiology, anatomy, and imaging techniques. Next, an overview of DCE MRL and the development of an MRL practice and workflow in a hybrid interventional MRI suite incorporating cart-based in-room US is provided, with an emphasis on multidisciplinary collaboration. The spectrum of congenital and acquired lymphatic disorders encountered early in an MRL practice is provided, with emphasis on the diversity of imaging findings and how DCE MRL can aid in diagnosis and treatment of these patients. Methods such as DCE MRL for assessing the hepatic and mesenteric lymphatic systems and emerging technologies that may further expand DCE MRL use such as three-dimensional printing are introduced. ©RSNA, 2024 Test Your Knowledge questions for this article are available in the supplemental material.

MRI-guided focused ultrasound ablation of painful lumbar facet joints: a retrospective assessment of safety and tolerability in human subjects.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and tolerability of MRI-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) for the treatment of facet joint-mediated pain in human subjects for whom conventional treatment had failed. Secondarily, to evaluate effectiveness of the procedure. METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent MRgFUS at our institution were retrospectively identified. Chart review was performed to obtain relevant clinical and technical data. All patients had chronic low back pain and positive comparative medial branch blocks. RESULTS: Twenty-six MRgFUS treatments in 20 patients were included. Mean sonication energy was 1436.6 Joules. The procedure was technically successful in all patients. Of the treated patients, 29.6% experienced short-term worsening of low back pain immediately after the procedure, all by 1-4 points on a 0-10 scale. One patient (3.8%) reported temporary worsening of preexisting radicular symptoms after the procedure. Of 21 treatments with clinical follow-up of at least 3 months available, 12 (57.1%) had >3 months' pain relief, 2 (10%) had <3 months' benefit, 6 (30%) reported no benefit, and 1 (5%) patient was lost to follow-up. In patients who reported at least some benefit with prior conventional radiofrequency ablation, 8/10 (80%) benefited from the MRgFUS procedure. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that MRgFUS ablation of the lumbar facet joints is a safe and tolerable procedure in human subjects and could provide another option for patients for whom radiofrequency ablation had failed. More than half of all patients received significant durable pain relief, which jumped to 80% for patients who had experienced at least some benefit from prior radiofrequency ablations.

Purification identification and function analysis of ACE inhibitory peptide from Ulva prolifera protein.

In the present study, Ulva prolifera, an edible alga, was used to prepare angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptide. The algae protein was isolated and later hydrolyzed by five commercial enzymes (alcalase, papain, pepsin, trypsin, neutral protease), either individually or in combination. Hydrolysate, with the highest in vitro ACE inhibitory activity, was processed using the Sephadex-G100, ultrafiltration, HPLC-Q-TOF-MS, ADMET screening and molecular docking, respectively. The ACE inhibitory peptide DIGGL with a IC50 value of 10.32 ± 0.96 µM was then identified. The peptide against ACE by a non-competitive mode and mainly attributable to the three Conventional Hydrogen Bonds. It could activate Endothelial nitric oxide synthase activity in NO generation and reduce Endothelin-1 secretion induced by Angiotensin II in Human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Meanwhile, DIGGL could promote mice splenocytes proliferation, which was also effective when co-incubated with Con A or LPS, respectively. Besides, the anti-ACE peptide could remain active during the digestion of gastrointestinal proteases (pepsin-trypsin) in vitro.

Dual-Applicator MR Imaging-Guided Microwave Ablation with Real-Time MR Thermometry: Phantom and Porcine Tissue Model Experiments.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of simultaneous use of dual applicators on the image quality of real-time magnetic resonance (MR) thermometry and to characterize the dual-applicator treatment zone pattern during MR imaging-guided microwave ablation (MWA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: MWA experiments were performed on a 1.5-T MR scanner with 2 commercial microwave systems (902-928 MHz). Phantom experiments were first performed to evaluate the effect of dual-applicator MWA on the image quality of MR. Then, porcine tissue model experiments were conducted with real-time MR thermometry using either a single applicator or dual applicators inserted 2.6, 3.6, and 4.6 cm apart. Fiberoptic thermal probes were used to measure the temperature changes at the tissue surface. RESULTS: Simultaneous use of dual applicators resulted in a decrease in the relative signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the MR thermometry images to 55% ± 2.9% when compared with that of a single applicator (86.2% ± 2.0%). Despite the lower SNR, the temperature and ablation zone maps were of adequate quality to allow visualization of the ablation zone(s). The extents of increase in the temperature at the tissue surface using dual applicators (19.7 °C ± 2.6 °C) and a single applicator (18.2 °C ± 3.3 °C) were not significantly different (P = .40). Treatment zones were significantly larger (P < .05) in dual-applicator ablations (29.4 ± 0.4, 39.9 ± 0.6, and 42.6 ± 0.9 cm2 with 2.6-, 3.6-, and 4.6-cm spacing, respectively) at the end of the ablation procedure than in the single-applicator MWA (18.6 ± 0.9 cm2). CONCLUSIONS: MR imaging-guided dual-applicator MWA produced larger ablation zones while allowing adequate real-time MR thermometry image quality for monitoring the evolution of the treatment zone.

Magnetic resonance radiomic feature performance in pulmonary nodule classification and impact of segmentation variability on radiomics.

OBJECTIVE: Investigate the performance of multiparametric MRI radiomic features, alone or combined with current standard-of-care methods, for pulmonary nodule classification. Assess the impact of segmentation variability on feature reproducibility and reliability. METHODS: Radiomic features were extracted from 74 pulmonary nodules of 68 patients who underwent nodule resection or biopsy after MRI exam. The MRI features were compared with histopathology and conventional quantitative imaging values (maximum standardized uptake value [SUVmax] and mean Hounsfield unit [HU]) to determine whether MRI radiomic features can differentiate types of nodules and associate with SUVmax and HU using Wilcoxon rank sum test and linear regression. Diagnostic performance of features and four machine learning (ML) models were evaluated with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) assessed the segmentation variation impact on feature reproducibility and reliability. RESULTS: Elevn diffusion-weighted features distinguished malignant from benign nodules (adjusted p < 0.05, AUC: 0.73-0.81). No features differentiated cancer types. Sixty-seven multiparametric features associated with mean CT HU and 14 correlated with SUVmax. All significant MRI features outperformed traditional imaging parameters (SUVmax, mean HU, apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC], T1, T2, dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging values) in distinguishing malignant from benign nodules with some achieving statistical significance (p < 0.05). Adding ADC and smoking history improved feature performance. Machine learning models demonstrated strong performance in nodule classification, with extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) having the highest discrimination (AUC = 0.83, CI=[0.727, 0.932]). We found good to excellent inter- and intrareader feature reproducibility and reliability (CCC≥0.80). CONCLUSION: Eleven MRI radiomic features differentiated malignant from benign lung nodules, outperforming traditional quantitative methods. MRI radiomic ML models demonstrated good nodule classification performances with XGBoost superior to three others. There was good to excellent inter- and intrareader feature reproducibility and reliability. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Our study identified MRI radiomic features that successfully differentiated malignant from benign lung nodules and demonstrated high performance of our MR radiomic feature-based ML models for nodule classification. These new findings could help further establish thoracic MRI as a non-invasive and radiation-free alternative to standard practice for pulmonary nodule assessment.

Novel Focal Therapeutic Hypothermia Device for Treatment of Acute Neurologic Injury: Large Animal Safety and Efficacy Trial.

Objective Therapeutic hypothermia is a potentially powerful and controversial clinical tool for neuroprotection following acute neurologic pathology, particularly vascular injury. Indeed, therapeutic hypothermia remains a standard of care for postcardiac arrest ischemia and acute neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, improving both survival and outcomes. Although therapeutic hypothermia remains promising for cellular and systems-based neuronal protection in other neurologic injury states, the systemic side effects have limited clinical utility, confounded analysis of potential neurologic benefits, and precluded the completion of meaningful clinical trials. Methods To address such limitations, we developed and tested a novel, minimally invasive, neurocritical care device that employs continuous circulation of cold saline through the pharyngeal region to deliver focal cerebrovascular cooling. We conducted a preclinical safety and efficacy trial in six adult porcine animals to assess the validity and functionality of the NeuroSave device, and assess cooling potential following middle cerebral artery occlusion ( n = 2). Results NeuroSave consistently lowered brain parenchymal temperature by a median of 9°C relative to core temperature within 60 minutes of initiation, including in ischemic cerebral parenchyma. The core body temperature experienced a maximal reduction of 2°C, or 5% of body temperature, with no associated adverse effects identified. Conclusion The present study uses a large animal preclinical model to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of a novel, noninvasive device for the induction of robust and systemically safe hypothermia within the brain.

Body Interventional MRI for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiologists: Current Practice and Future Prospects.

Clinical use of MRI for guidance during interventional procedures emerged shortly after the introduction of clinical diagnostic MRI in the late 1980s. However, early applications of interventional MRI (iMRI) were limited owing to the lack of dedicated iMRI magnets, pulse sequences, and equipment. During the 3 decades that followed, technologic advancements in iMRI magnets that balance bore access and field strength, combined with the development of rapid MRI pulse sequences, surface coils, and commercially available MR-conditional devices, led to the rapid expansion of clinical iMRI applications, particularly in the field of body iMRI. iMRI offers several advantages, including superior soft-tissue resolution, ease of multiplanar imaging, lack of ionizing radiation, and capability to re-image the same section. Disadvantages include longer examination times, lack of MR-conditional equipment, less operator familiarity, and increased cost. Nonetheless, MRI guidance is particularly advantageous when the disease is best visualized with MRI and/or when superior soft-tissue contrast is needed for treatment monitoring. Safety in the iMRI environment is paramount and requires close collaboration among interventional radiologists, MR physicists, and all other iMRI team members. The implementation of risk-limiting measures for personnel and equipment in MR zones III and IV is key. Various commercially available MR-conditional needles, wires, and biopsy and ablation devices are now available throughout the world, depending on the local regulatory status. As such, there has been tremendous growth in the clinical applications of body iMRI, including localization of difficult lesions, biopsy, sclerotherapy, and cryoablation and thermal ablation of malignant and nonmalignant soft-tissue neoplasms. Online supplemental material is available for this article. ©RSNA, 2021.

Using Black Bone Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Fibula Free Flap Surgical Planning: A Means to Reduce Radiation Exposure with Accurate Surgical Outcomes.

SUMMARY: Advances in virtual surgical planning and three-dimensionally-printed guides have enabled increased precision in vascularized free fibula flap reconstruction of the mandible and valuable preoperative planning. However, virtual surgical planning currently requires high-resolution computed tomographic scans, exposing patients to ionizing radiation. The aim of this study was to determine whether black bone magnetic resonance imaging can be used for accurate surgical planning and three-dimensionally-printed guide creation, thus reducing patient radiation exposure. This study included 10 cadaver heads and 10 cadaver lower extremities. A mock fibula free flap for mandible reconstruction was performed. Five operations were planned with guides created using black bone magnetic resonance imaging, whereas the other five were planned and performed using guides created with computed tomographic scan data. All specimens underwent a postoperative computed tomographic scan, and three-dimensional reconstruction of scans was performed and surgical accuracy to the planned surgery was assessed. Guides created from black bone magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated high accuracy to the surgical plan. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative deviation from the plan when black bone magnetic resonance imaging versus computed tomographic scanning was used for virtual surgical planning and guide creation. Both modalities led to a postoperative positive or negative deviation from the virtual plan within 0.8 mm. This study demonstrates that virtual surgical planning and three-dimensionally-printed guide creation for free fibula flaps for mandible reconstruction can be performed using black bone magnetic resonance imaging with comparable accuracy to computed tomographic scanning. This could reduce radiation exposure for patients and enable a more streamlined imaging process for head and neck cancer patients.

Whole-brain 3D MR fingerprinting brain imaging: clinical validation and feasibility to patients with meningioma.

PURPOSE: MR fingerprinting (MRF) is a MR technique that allows assessment of tissue relaxation times. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical application of this technique in patients with meningioma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A whole-brain 3D isotropic 1mm3 acquisition under a 3.0T field strength was used to obtain MRF T1 and T2-based relaxometry values in 4:38 s. The accuracy of values was quantified by scanning a quantitative MR relaxometry phantom. In vivo evaluation was performed by applying the sequence to 20 subjects with 25 meningiomas. Regions of interest included the meningioma, caudate head, centrum semiovale, contralateral white matter and thalamus. For both phantom and subjects, mean values of both T1 and T2 estimates were obtained. Statistical significance of differences in mean values between the meningioma and other brain structures was tested using a Friedman's ANOVA test. RESULTS: MR fingerprinting phantom data demonstrated a linear relationship between measured and reference relaxometry estimates for both T1 (r2 = 0.99) and T2 (r2 = 0.97). MRF T1 relaxation times were longer in meningioma (mean ± SD 1429 ± 202 ms) compared to thalamus (mean ± SD 1054 ± 58 ms; p = 0.004), centrum semiovale (mean ± SD 825 ± 42 ms; p < 0.001) and contralateral white matter (mean ± SD 799 ± 40 ms; p < 0.001). MRF T2 relaxation times were longer for meningioma (mean ± SD 69 ± 27 ms) as compared to thalamus (mean ± SD 27 ± 3 ms; p < 0.001), caudate head (mean ± SD 39 ± 5 ms; p < 0.001) and contralateral white matter (mean ± SD 35 ± 4 ms; p < 0.001) CONCLUSIONS: Phantom measurements indicate that the proposed 3D-MRF sequence relaxometry estimations are valid and reproducible. For in vivo, entire brain coverage was obtained in clinically feasible time and allows quantitative assessment of meningioma in clinical practice.

Whole brain 3D MR fingerprinting in multiple sclerosis: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: MR fingerprinting (MRF) is a novel imaging method proposed for the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This study aims to determine if MR Fingerprinting (MRF) relaxometry can differentiate frontal normal appearing white matter (F-NAWM) and splenium in patients diagnosed with MS as compared to controls and to characterize the relaxometry of demyelinating plaques relative to the time of diagnosis. METHODS: Three-dimensional (3D) MRF data were acquired on a 3.0T MRI system resulting in isotropic voxels (1 × 1 × 1 mm3) and a total acquisition time of 4 min 38 s. Data were collected on 18 subjects paired with 18 controls. Regions of interest were drawn over MRF-derived T1 relaxometry maps encompassing selected MS lesions, F-NAWM and splenium. T1 and T2 relaxometry features from those segmented areas were used to classify MS lesions from F-NAWM and splenium with T-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding algorithms. Partial least squares discriminant analysis was performed to discriminate NAWM and Splenium in MS compared with controls. RESULTS: Mean out-of-fold machine learning prediction accuracy for discriminant results between MS patients and controls for F-NAWM was 65 % (p = 0.21) and approached 90 % (p < 0.01) for the splenium. There was significant positive correlation between time since diagnosis and MS lesions mean T2 (p = 0.015), minimum T1 (p = 0.03) and negative correlation with splenium uniformity (p = 0.04). Perfect discrimination (AUC = 1) was achieved between selected features from MS lesions and F-NAWM. CONCLUSIONS: 3D-MRF has the ability to differentiate between MS and controls based on relaxometry properties from the F-NAWM and splenium. Whole brain coverage allows the assessment of quantitative properties within lesions that provide chronological assessment of the time from MS diagnosis.

Experimental Investigation of Cryoneedle Heating during MR-Guided Cryoablation in Ex Vivo Tissue Samples at 1.5-Tesla.

PURPOSE: To investigate cryoneedle heating risks during magnetic resonance (MR)-guided cryoablation and potential strategies to mitigate these risks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ex vivo experiments were performed on a 1.5-Tesla (T) MR scanner using an MR conditional cryoablation system on porcine tissue phantoms. Cryoneedles were placed inside the tissue phantom either with or without an angiocatheter. Typical cryoneedle geometric configurations (including gas supply line) encountered in clinical procedures with low to high expected heating risks were investigated. Up to 4 fiber optic temperature sensors were attached to the cryoneedle/angiocatheter to measure the MR-induced cryoneedle heating at different locations during MR with different estimated specific absorption rates (SARs). The impact of cryoneedle heating on cryoablation treatment was studied by comparing temperature changes during 10-min freeze-thaw cycles with and without MR. RESULTS: Rapid temperature increases of >100 °C in < 2 minutes were observed during MR with a SAR of 2.1 W/kg. The temperature changes during a typical freeze-thaw cycle were also affected by cryoneedle heating when MR was used to monitor the ice-ball evolution. The observed cryoneedle heating was affected by multiple factors; including cryoneedle geometric configurations, sequence SAR, whether an angiocatheter was used, and whether the cryoneedle was connected to the rest of the cryoablation system. CONCLUSIONS: The ex vivo experiments demonstrated that MR could induce significant cryoneedle heating risks. Furthermore, MR-induced cryoneedle heating can affect temperatures in the ice-ball evolution during the freeze-thaw cycle. Several practical strategies to reduce the cryoneedle heating have been proposed.

Improved MR-thermometry during hepatic microwave ablation by correcting for intermittent electromagnetic interference artifacts.

MRI-guided microwave ablation (MWA) is a minimally invasive treatment for localized cancer. MR thermometry has been shown to be able to provide vital information for monitoring the procedure in real-time. However, MRI during active MWA can suffer from image quality degradation due to intermittent electromagnetic interference (EMI). A novel approach to correct for EMI-contaminated images is presented here to improve MR thermometry during clinical hepatic MWA. The method was applied to MR-thermometry images acquired during four MR-guided hepatic MWA treatments using a commercially available MRI-configured microwave generator system. During the treatments MR thermometry data acquisition was synchronized to respiratory cycle to minimize the impact of motion. EMI was detected and corrected using uncontaminated k-space data from nearby frames in k-space. Substantially improved temperature and thermal damage maps have been obtained and the treatment zone can be better visualized. Our ex vivo tissue sample study shows the correction introduced minimal errors to the temperature maps and thermal damage maps.

Rectal wall saline displacement for improved margin during MRI-guided cryoablation of primary and recurrent prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: To describe safety, efficacy, and added oncologic margin of saline displacement of the rectal wall during MRI-guided cryoablation of primary and recurrent prostate cancer. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted for patients who underwent MRI-guided cryoablation with saline displacement of the rectal wall for treatment of primary and recurrent prostate cancer over a 2-year period. Saline displacement was used when the distance from the edge of the ablation area to the rectal wall was insufficient to provide at least a 5-mm treatment margin. Pre- and post-ablation rectal wall displacement distances as well as ablative zone margins were assessed with MRI. Saline displacement distance was measured from the rectal wall to the edge of the lesion for focal lesion ablation and from the edge of the prostate for hemi-gland ablation. Immediate and intermediate-term complications were assessed. RESULTS: Saline displacement was used in 25 patients undergoing MRI-guided cryoablation. Twenty-one patients underwent salvage cryoablation, while four patients had it as primary treatment for prostate cancer. Median pre- and post- saline displacement rectal wall displacement distances were 6.0 and 11.2 mm, respectively (P < 0.0001). Median-added oncologic margin achieved by saline displacement was 4.6 mm (range 0.6-26.5). Median follow-up was 14 months (range 5-29). There were no intra-procedural complications and 3 patients experienced minor (Clavien-Dindo grade I) complications. One rectal complication occurred in a patient undergoing salvage cryotherapy with a history of extensive pelvic surgery and radiation. CONCLUSIONS: Saline infusion at the time of MRI- guided cryoablation for prostate cancer resulted in increased distances between the target lesion and rectum. This is a useful technique in providing an added oncologic margin when treating lesions close to the rectal wall.

Motion reduction for quantitative brain sodium MR imaging with a navigated flexible twisted projection imaging sequence at 9.4 T.

Quantitative measurement of the tissue sodium concentration (TSC) provides a metric for tissue cell volume fraction for monitoring tumor responses to therapy and neurodegeneration in the brain as well as applications outside the central nervous system such as the fixed charge density in cartilage. Despite the low detection sensitivity of the sodium MR signal compared to the proton signal and the requirement for a long repetition time to minimize longitudinal magnetization saturation, acquisition time has been reduced to less than 10 min for a nominal isotropic voxel size of 3.3 mm with the improved acquisition efficiency of twisted projection imaging (TPI) at 9.4 T. However, patient motion can degrade the accuracy of the quantification even within these acquisition times. Our goal has been to improve the robustness of quantitative sodium MR imaging by minimizing the impact of motion that may occur even in cooperative patients. We present a method to spatially encode a lower resolution navigator echo after encoding the free induction decay signal for the quantitative image at no time penalty. Both the imaging and navigator data are sampled with flexTPI readout trajectories. Navigator images are generated at a higher temporal resolution (∼1 min) albeit at lower spatial resolution (8 mm) than the quantitative high-resolution images. The multiple volumes of navigator echo images are then aligned to extract the translational and rotational motion parameters assuming rigid-body motion. These parameters are used to align the k-space data during the acquisition of each volume of the quantitative images. Our results show significantly reduced image blurring with this method when the subject's head moved randomly by up to 7° between the navigator acquisitions.

Residual Tumor Volume, Cell Volume Fraction, and Tumor Cell Kill During Fractionated Chemoradiation Therapy of Human Glioblastoma using Quantitative Sodium MR Imaging.

PURPOSE: Spatial and temporal patterns of response of human glioblastoma to fractionated chemoradiation are described by changes in the bioscales of residual tumor volume (RTV), tumor cell volume fraction (CVF), and tumor cell kill (TCK), as derived from tissue sodium concentration (TSC) measured by quantitative sodium MRI at 3 Tesla. These near real-time patterns during treatment are compared with overall survival. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Bioscales were mapped during fractionated chemoradiation therapy in patients with glioblastomas (n = 20) using TSC obtained from serial quantitative sodium MRI at 3 Tesla and a two-compartment model of tissue sodium distribution. The responses of these parameters in newly diagnosed human glioblastomas undergoing treatment were compared with time-to-disease progression and survival. RESULTS: RTV following tumor resection showed decreased CVF due to disruption of normal cell packing by edema and infiltrating tumor cells. CVF showed either increases back toward normal as infiltrating tumor cells were killed, or decreases as cancer cells continued to infiltrate and extend tumor margins. These highly variable tumor responses showed no correlation with time-to-progression or overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: These bioscales indicate that fractionated chemoradiotherapy of glioblastomas produces variable responses with low cell killing efficiency. These parameters are sensitive to real-time changes within the treatment volume while remaining stable elsewhere, highlighting the potential to individualize therapy earlier in management, should alternative strategies be available.

Can MRI contribute to pulmonary nodule analysis?

BACKGROUND: There is no accurate method distinguishing different types of pulmonary nodules. PURPOSE: To investigate whether multiparametric 3T MRI biomarkers can distinguish malignant from benign pulmonary nodules, differentiate different types of neoplasms, and compare MRI-derived measurements with values from commonly used noninvasive imaging modalities. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. SUBJECTS: Sixty-eight adults with pulmonary nodules undergoing resection. SEQUENCES: Respiratory triggered diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER) fat saturated T2 -weighted imaging, T1 -weighted 3D volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) using CAIPIRINHA (controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in a higher acceleration). ASSESSMENT/STATISTICS: Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), T1 , T2 , T1 and T2 normalized to muscle (T1 /M and T2 /M), and dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE) values were compared with histology to determine whether they could distinguish malignant from benign nodules and discern primary from secondary malignancies using logistic regression. Predictability of primary neoplasm types was assessed using two-sample t-tests. MRI values were compared with positron emission tomography / computed tomography (PET/CT) to examine if they correlated with standardized uptake value (SUV) or CT Hounsfield unit (HU). Intra- and interreader agreements were assessed using intraclass correlations. RESULTS: Forty-nine of 74 nodules were malignant. There was a significant association between ADC and malignancy (odds ratio 4.47, P < 0.05). ADC ≥1.3 µm2 /ms predicted malignancy. ADC, T1 , and T2 together predicted malignancy (P = 0.003). No MRI parameter distinguished primary from metastatic neoplasms. T2 predicted PET positivity (P = 0.016). T2 and T1 /M correlated with SUV (P < 0.05). Of 18 PET-negative malignant nodules, 12 (67%) had an ADC ≥1.3 µm2 /ms. With the exception of T2 , all noncontrast MRI parameters distinguished adenocarcinomas from carcinoid tumors (P < 0.05). T1 , T2 , T1 /M, and T2 /M correlated with HU and therefore can predict nodule density. Combined with ADC, washout enhancement, arrival time (AT), peak enhancement intensity (PEI), Ktrans , Kep , Ve collectively were predictive of malignancy (P = 0.012). Combined washin, washout, time to peak (TTP), AT, and PEI values predicted malignancy (P = 0.043). There was good observer agreement for most noncontrast MRI biomarkers. DATA CONCLUSION: MRI can contribute to pulmonary nodule analysis. Multiparametric MRI might be better than individual MRI biomarkers in pulmonary nodule risk stratification. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018.

Design and synthesis of novel 3-(thiophen-2-yl)-1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-one derivatives bearing a hydrazone moiety as potential fungicides.

BACKGROUND: Tetramic acid, thiophene and hydrazone derivatives were found to exhibit favorable antifungal activity. Aiming to discover novel template molecules with potent antifungal activity, a series of novel 3-(thiophen-2-yl)-1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-one derivatives containing a hydrazone group were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their antifungal activity. RESULTS: The structures of 3-(thiophen-2-yl)-1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-one derivatives bearing a hydrazone group were confirmed by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 1H-1H NOESY, EI-MS and elemental analysis. Antifungal assays indicated that some title compounds exhibited antifungal activity against Fusarium graminearum (Fg), Rhizoctorzia solani (Rs), Botrytis cinerea (Bc) and Colletotrichum capsici (Cc) in vitro. Strikingly, the EC50 value of 5e against Rs was 1.26 µg/mL, which is better than that of drazoxolon (1.77 µg/mL). Meanwhile, title compounds 5b, 5d, 5e-5g, 5n-5q and 5t exhibited remarkable anti-Cc activity, with corresponding EC50 values of 7.65, 9.97, 6.04, 6.66, 7.84, 7.59, 9.47, 5.52, 6.41 and 7.53 µg/mL, respectively, which are better than that of drazoxolon (19.46 µg/mL). CONCLUSIONS: A series of 3-(thiophen-2-yl)-1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-one derivatives bearing a hydrazone group were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their antifungal activity against Fg, Rs, Bc and Cc. Bioassays indicated that some target compounds exhibited obvious antifungal activity against the above tested fungi. These results provide a significant basis for the further structural optimization of tetramic acid derivatives as potential fungicides.