Different sodium concentrations of noncancerous and cancerous prostate tissue seen on MRI using an external coil.

Background: Sodium (Na) MRI of prostate cancer (PCa) is a novel but underdocumented technique conventionally acquired using an endorectal coil. These endorectal coils are associated with challenges (e.g.

Parameter optimization for proton density fat fraction quantification in skeletal muscle tissue at 7 T.

Objective: To establish an image acquisition and post-processing workflow for the determination of the proton density fat fraction (PDFF) in calf muscle tissue at 7 T.

Materials And Methods: Echo times (TEs) of the applied vendor-provided multi-echo gradient echo sequence were optimized based on simulations of the effective number of signal averages (NSA*). The resulting parameters were validated by measurements in phantom and in healthy calf muscle tissue (n = 12).

Sodium MRI of the Lumbar Intervertebral Discs of the Human Spine: An Ex Vivo Study.

Background: Lower back pain affects 75%-85% of people at some point in their lives. The detection of biochemical changes with sodium (Na) MRI has potential to enable an earlier and more accurate diagnosis.

Purpose: To measure Na relaxation times and apparent tissue sodium concentration (aTSC) in ex-vivo intervertebral discs (IVDs), and to investigate the relationship between aTSC and histological Thompson grade.

Accelerated mapping and robust parallel transmit pulse design for heart and prostate imaging at 7 T.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of reduced k-space sampling on mapping and the resulting impact on phase shimming and dynamic/universal parallel transmit (pTx) RF pulse design.

Methods: Channel-wise 3D maps were measured at 7 T in 35 and 23 healthy subjects for the heart and prostate region, respectively. With these maps, universal phase shims optimizing homogeneity and efficiency were designed for heart and prostate imaging.

Influence of Magnetic Field Strength on Intravoxel Incoherent Motion Parameters in Diffusion MRI of the Calf.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the dependence of Intravoxel Incoherent Motion (IVIM) parameters measured in the human calf on B. Diffusion-weighted image data of eight healthy volunteers were acquired using five -values (0-600 s/mm) at rest and after muscle activation at 0.55 and 7 T.

Sodium quantification in skeletal muscle: comparison between Cartesian gradient-echo and radial ultra-short echo time Na MRI techniques.

Background: Clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies often use Cartesian gradient-echo (GRE) sequences with ~2-ms echo times (TEs) to monitor apparent total sodium concentration (aTSC). We compared Cartesian GRE and ultra-short echo time three-dimensional (3D) radial-readout sequences for measuring skeletal muscle aTSC.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 211 datasets from 112 volunteers aged 62.

Modification of Dialysate Na Concentration but not Ultrafiltration or Dialysis Treatment Time Affects Tissue Na Deposition in Patients on Hemodialysis.

Introduction: Tissue Na overload is present in patients receiving hemodialysis (HD) and is associated with cardiovascular mortality. Strategies to actively modify tissue Na amount in these patients by adjusting the HD regimen have not been evaluated.

Methods: In several substudies, including cross-sectional analyses ( = 75 patients on HD), a cohort study and a cross-over interventional study ( = 10 patients each), we assessed the impact of ultrafiltration (UF) volume, prolongation of dialysis treatment time, and modification of dialysate Na concentration on tissue Na content using Na magnetic resonance imaging (Na-MRI).

Velocity-compensated intravoxel incoherent motion of the human calf muscle.

Purpose: To determine whether intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) describes the blood perfusion in muscles better, assuming pseudo diffusion (Bihan Model 1) or ballistic motion (Bihan Model 2).

Methods: IVIM parameters were measured in 18 healthy subjects with three different diffusion gradient time profiles (bipolar with two diffusion times and one with velocity compensation) and 17 b-values (0-600 s/mm) at rest and after muscle activation. The diffusion coefficient, perfusion fraction, and pseudo-diffusion coefficient were estimated with a segmented fit in the gastrocnemius medialis (GM) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles.

[Expert recommendations for magnetic resonance imaging of muscle disorders].

Background: Magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging of the skeletal muscles (muscle MRI for short) is increasingly being used in clinical routine for diagnosis and longitudinal assessment of muscle disorders. However, cross-centre standards for measurement protocol and radiological assessment are still lacking.

Objectives: The aim of this expert recommendation is to present standards for the application and interpretation of muscle MRI in hereditary and inflammatory muscle disorders.

[Expert recommendations for magnetic resonance imaging of muscle disorders].

Background: Magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging of the skeletal muscles (muscle MRI for short) is increasingly being used in clinical routine for diagnosis and longitudinal assessment of muscle disorders. However, cross-centre standards for measurement protocol and radiological assessment are still lacking.

Objectives: The aim of this expert recommendation is to present standards for the application and interpretation of muscle MRI in hereditary and inflammatory muscle disorders.

Comparison of 3T and 7T magnetic resonance imaging for direct visualization of finger flexor pulley rupture: an ex-vivo study.

Objective: To compare image quality and diagnostic performance of 3T and 7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for direct depiction of finger flexor pulleys A2, A3 and A4 before and after artificial pulley rupture in an ex-vivo model using anatomic preparation as reference.

Materials And Methods: 30 fingers from 10 human cadavers were examined at 3T and 7T before and after being subjected to iatrogenic pulley rupture. MRI protocols were comparable in duration, both lasting less than 22 min.

Water Conservation Overrides Osmotic Diuresis During SGLT2 Inhibition in Patients With Heart Failure.

Background: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors are believed to improve cardiac outcomes due to their osmotic diuretic potential.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that vasopressin-driven urine concentration overrides the osmotic diuretic effect of glucosuria induced by dapagliflozin treatment.

Methods: DAPA-Shuttle1 (Hepato-renal Regulation of Water Conservation in Heart Failure Patients With SGLT-2 Inhibitor Treatment) was a single-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, in which patients with chronic heart failure NYHA functional classes I/II and reduced ejection fraction were randomly assigned to receive dapagliflozin 10 mg daily or placebo (1:1) for 4 weeks.

Modern low-field MRI.

This narrative review explores recent advancements and applications of modern low-field (≤ 1 Tesla) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in musculoskeletal radiology. Historically, high-field MRI systems (1.5 T and 3 T) have been the standard in clinical practice due to superior image resolution and signal-to-noise ratio.

Fast online spectral-spatial pulse design for subject-specific fat saturation in cervical spine and foot imaging at 1.5 T.

Objective: To compensate subject-specific field inhomogeneities and enhance fat pre-saturation with a fast online individual spectral-spatial (SPSP) single-channel pulse design.

Methods: The RF shape is calculated online using subject-specific field maps and a predefined excitation k-space trajectory. Calculation acceleration options are explored to increase clinical viability.

Effects of high-intensity training on fatty infiltration in paraspinal muscles in elderly males with osteosarcopenia - the randomized controlled FrOST study.

Background: Osteosarcopenia is a common geriatric syndrome with an increasing prevalence with age, leading to secondary diseases and complex consequences such as falls and fractures, as well as higher mortality and frailty rates. There is a great need for prevention and treatment strategies.

Methods: In this analysis, we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from the randomised controlled FrOST trial, which enrolled community-dwelling osteosarcopenic men aged > 72 years randomly allocated to 16 months of twice-weekly high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) or a non-training control group.

Unsupervised deep learning with convolutional neural networks for static parallel transmit design: A retrospective study.

Purpose: To mitigate inhomogeneity at 7T for multi-channel transmit arrays using unsupervised deep learning with convolutional neural networks (CNNs).

Methods: Deep learning parallel transmit (pTx) pulse design has received attention, but such methods have relied on supervised training and did not use CNNs for multi-channel maps. In this work, we introduce an alternative approach that facilitates the use of CNNs with multi-channel maps while performing unsupervised training.

Toward accurate and fast velocity quantification with 3D ultrashort TE phase-contrast imaging.

Purpose: Traditional phase-contrast MRI is affected by displacement artifacts caused by non-synchronized spatial- and velocity-encoding time points. The resulting inaccurate velocity maps can affect the accuracy of derived hemodynamic parameters. This study proposes and characterizes a 3D radial phase-contrast UTE (PC-UTE) sequence to reduce displacement artifacts.

Variation in cartilage T2 and T2* mapping of the wrist: a comparison between 3- and 7-T MRI.

Background: To analyze regional variations in T2 and T2* relaxation times in wrist joint cartilage and the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) at 3 and 7 T and to compare values between field strengths.

Methods: Twenty-five healthy controls and 25 patients with chronic wrist pain were examined at 3 and 7 T on the same day using T2- and T2*-weighted sequences. Six different regions of interest (ROIs) were evaluated for cartilage and 3 ROIs were evaluated at the TFCC based on manual segmentation.

Recent technical developments and clinical research applications of sodium (Na) MRI.

Sodium is an essential ion that plays a central role in many physiological processes including the transmembrane electrochemical gradient and the maintenance of the body's homeostasis. Due to the crucial role of sodium in the human body, the sodium nucleus is a promising candidate for non-invasively assessing (patho-)physiological changes. Almost 10 years ago, Madelin et al.

Changes in tissue sodium concentration and sodium relaxation times during the maturation of human knee cartilage: Ex vivo Na MRI study at 10.5 T.

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of skeletal maturation on sodium ( Na) MRI relaxation parameters and the accuracy of tissue sodium concentration (TSC) quantification in human knee cartilage.

Methods: Twelve pediatric knee specimens were imaged with whole-body 10.5 T MRI using a density-adapted 3D radial projection sequence to evaluate Na parameters: B , T , biexponential , and TSC.

Early functional and morphological changes of calf muscles in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) assessed with 7T MRI.

Background: To assess morphological and functional alterations of the skeletal muscle in exercise-induced delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) using 7 Tesla (T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: DOMS was induced in 16 volunteers performing an eccentric exercise protocol of the calf muscles of one randomized leg. 7 T MRI including T1w- (0.

Evaluation of finger cartilage composition in recreational climbers with 7 Tesla T2 mapping magnetic resonance imaging.

Purpose: Sport climbing may lead to tissue adaptation including finger cartilage before apparent surface damage is detectable. The main aim was to assess finger cartilage composition with T2 mapping in young, active climbers and to compare the results to a non-climbers' collective. A secondary aim was to compare whether differences in cartilage T2 times are observed between older vs.

Multi-echo-based fat artifact correction for CEST MRI at 7 T.

Purpose: CEST MRI is influenced by fat signal, which can reduce the apparent CEST contrast or lead to pseudo-CEST effects. Our goal was to develop a fat artifact correction based on multi-echo fat-water separation that functions stably for 7 T knee MRI data.

Methods: Our proposed algorithm utilizes the full complex data and a phase demodulation with an off-resonance map estimation based on the Z-spectra prior to fat-water separation to achieve stable fat artifact correction.