Study of Endogenous Paramagnetic Centers in Biological Systems from Different Areas

Plant leaves (Eldar pine (Pinus eldarica M.), fig (Ficus carica L.), and olive (Olea europaea L.)), collected in territories with different ecological conditions, of the Absheron Peninsula (Azerbaijan Republic) were studied by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR). The generation of nanophase iron oxide magnetic particles in biological systems under the influence of stress factors was revealed. It was found that the process of biomineralization plays a role in the formation of biogenic iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles in plants and the generation of magnetite crystals in biological tissues, and stress factors have a stimulating effect on this phenomenon.

Electromagnetic Simulation of Signal Distribution of Various RF Endoluminal Loop Geometries with Coil Orientation: Towards a Reconfigurable Design

With the objective of improving MR endoluminal imaging of the colonic wall, electromagnetic simulations of different configurations of single-layer and double-layer, and double-turn endoluminal coil geometries were run. Indeed, during colon navigation, variations in coil orientation with respect to B0 are bound to occur, leading to impaired image acquisition due to a loss of signal uniformity. In this work, three typical coil orientations encountered during navigation were chosen and the resulting signal uniformity of the different geometries was investigated through the simulated B 1 x , y / I R t values. Sampling this quantity over a circle of radius r enabled us to calculate the coefficient of variation (= standard deviation/mean) for this given distance. This procedure was repeated for r ∈ 5 ; 15 mm, which represents the region of interest in the colon. Our results show that single-loop and double-layer geometries could provide complementary solutions for improved signal uniformity. Finally, using four microelectromechanical system switches, we proposed the design of a reconfigurable endoluminal coil able to switch between those two geometries while also ensuring the active decoupling of the endoluminal coil during the RF transmission of an MR experiment.

Quasistatic Solutions versus Full-Wave Solutions of Single-Channel Circular RF Receive Coils on Phantoms of Varying Conductivities at 3 Tesla

Purpose. Although full-wave simulations could be used to aid in RF coil design, the algorithms may be too slow for an iterative optimization algorithm. If quasistatic simulations are accurate within the design tolerance, then their use could reduce simulation time by orders of magnitude compared to full-wave simulations. This paper examines the accuracy of quasistatic and full-wave simulations at 3 Tesla. Methods. Three sets of eight coils ranging from 3–10 cm (24 total) were used to measure SNR on three phantoms with conductivities of 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9 S/m. The phantom conductivities were chosen to represent those typically found in human tissues. The range of coil element sizes represents the sizes of coil elements seen in typical coil designs. SNR was determined using the magnetic and electric fields calculated by quasistatic and full-wave simulations. Each simulated SNR dataset was scaled to minimize the root mean squared error (RMSE) when compared against measured SNR data. In addition, the noise values calculated by each simulation were compared against benchtop measured noise values. Results. The RMSE was 0.285 and 0.087 for the quasistatic and full-wave simulations, respectively. The maximum and minimum quotient values, when taking the ratio of simulated to measured SNR values, were 1.69 and 0.20 for the quasistatic simulations and 1.29 and 0.75 for the full-wave simulations, respectively. The ratio ranges, for the calculated quasistatic and full-wave total noise values compared to benchtop measured noise values, were 0.83–1.06 and 0.27–3.02, respectively. Conclusions. Full-wave simulations were on average 3x more accurate than the quasistatic simulations. Full-wave simulations were more accurate in characterizing the wave effects within the sample, though they were not able to fully account for the skin effect when calculating coil noise.

Capacitive versus Overlap Decoupling of Adjacent Radio Frequency Phased Array Coil Elements: An Imaging Robustness Comparison When Sample Load Varies for 3 Tesla MRI

Phased array (PA) receive coils are built such that coil elements approximate independent antenna behavior. One method of achieving this goal is to use an available decoupling method to decouple adjacent coil elements. The purpose of this work was to compare the relative performance of two decoupling methods as a function of variation in sample load. Two PA receive coils with 5 channels (5-ch) each, equal outer dimensions, and formed on 12 cm diameter cylindrical phantoms of conductivities 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9 S/m were evaluated for relative signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and parallel imaging performance. They were only tuned and matched to the 0.6 S/m phantom. Simulated and measured axial, sagittal, and coronal 5-ch PA coil SNR ratios were compared by dividing the overlap by the capacitive decoupled coil SNR results. Issues related to the selection of capacitor values for the two decoupling methods were evaluated by taking the ratio of the match and tune capacitors for large and small 2 channel (2-ch) PA coils. The SNR ratios showed that the SNR of the two decoupling methods were very similar. The inverse geometry-factor maps showed similar but better overall parallel imaging performance for the capacitive decoupled method. The quotients for the 2-ch PA coils’ maximum and minimum capacitor value ratios are 3.28 and 1.38 for the large and 3.28 and 2.22 for the small PA. The results of this paper demonstrate that as the sample load varies, the capacitive and overlap decoupling methods are very similar in relative SNR and this similarity continues for parallel imaging performance. Although, for the 5-ch coils studied, the capacitive decoupling method has a slight SNR and parallel imaging advantage and it was noted that the capacitive decoupled coil is more likely to encounter unbuildable PA coil configurations.

SQUID-Based Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Ultra-Low Field Using the Backprojection Method

Ultra-low field magnetic resonance imaging (ULF MRI) is an effective imaging technique that applies the ultrasensitive detector of superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) sensor to detect the MR signal at a microtesla field range. In this work, we designed and developed a SQUID-based ULF MRI system with a frequency-adjustable measurement field, the performance of which was characterized via water phantoms. In order to enhance the MR signals, a 500 mT Halbach magnet was used to prepolarize the magnetization of the sample prior to excitation. The signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) of the spin-echo- (SE-) based pulse sequence can reach up to 70 in a single scan. The images were then reconstructed successfully by using the maximum likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM) algorithm based on the backprojection imaging method. It was demonstrated that an in-plane resolution of 1.8 × 1.8 mm2 can be achieved which indicated the feasibility of SQUID-based MRI at the ULF.

The “Loopole” Antenna: A Hybrid Coil Combining Loop and Electric Dipole Properties for Ultra-High-Field MRI

Purpose. To revisit the “loopole,” an unusual coil topology whose unbalanced current distribution captures both loop and electric dipole properties, which can be advantageous in ultra-high-field MRI. Methods. Loopole coils were built by deliberately breaking the capacitor symmetry of traditional loop coils. The corresponding current distribution, transmit efficiency, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were evaluated in simulation and experiments in comparison to those of loops and electric dipoles at 7 T (297 MHz). Results. The loopole coil exhibited a hybrid current pattern, comprising features of both loops and electric dipole current patterns. Depending on the orientation relative to B0, the loopole demonstrated significant performance boost in either the transmit efficiency or SNR at the center of a dielectric sample when compared to a traditional loop. Modest improvements were observed when compared to an electric dipole. Conclusion. The loopole can achieve high performance by supporting both divergence-free and curl-free current patterns, which are both significant contributors to the ultimate intrinsic performance at ultra-high field. While electric dipoles exhibit similar hybrid properties, loopoles maintain the engineering advantages of loops, such as geometric decoupling and reduced resonance frequency dependence on sample loading.

Thermal Effects Associated with RF Exposures in Diagnostic MRI: Overview of Existing and Emerging Concepts of Protection

Apart from magnetic attraction risks, the primary biophysical concern associated with MRI is radiofrequency heating of the human body and associated discomfort, health deterioration, or potential burns. This paper reviews experimental data and numerical modeling of systemic (core and brain) temperature and local thermal effects associated with diagnostic MRI exposures at 1.5T (64 MHz) and 3.0T (128 MHz). Allowable temperatures and duration of systemic exposure are established based on knowledge of (short-term) human thermobiology. Longer term effects related to DNA damage or altered cellular pathways are not covered in this review. Updated limits are proposed for core temperature increase (≤1.3°C) and for Specific Absorption (<4 kJ/kg). The potential use of thermal dose (CEM43) for local thermal protection is described, and previously proposed exposure limit values are evaluated against available data from current MRI practice. Gaps in knowledge are identified, and recommendations for additional research are provided.

Inherent Geometry Correction for Diffusion EPI Using the Reference Echoes as Navigators

Diffusion-weighted EPI has become an indispensable tool in body MRI. Geometric distortions due to field inhomogeneities are more prominent at large field–of–view and require correction for comparison with T2W TSE. Several known correction methods require acquisition of additional lengthy scans, which are difficult to apply in body imaging. We implement and evaluate a geometry correction method based on the already available non phase-encoded EPI reference data used for Nyquist ghost removal. The method is shown to provide accurate and robust global geometry correction in the absence of strong, local phase offsets. It does not require additional time for calibrations and is directly compatible with parallel imaging methods. The resulting images can serve as improved starting point for additional geometry correction methods relying on feature extraction and registration.