Life course social mobility and risk of upper aerodigestive tract cancer in men.

The aim of this study was to explore associations between social mobility and tumours of the upper aero-digestive tract (UADT), focussing on life-course transitions in social prestige (SP) based on occupational history. 1,796 cases diagnosed between 1993 and 2005 in ten European countries were compared with 1585 controls. SP was classified by the Standard International Occupational Prestige Scale (SIOPS) based on job histories.

Depth-focused radio frequency coils for MR imaging.

Surface coils improve signal-to-noise ratios by the simple expedient of reducing field of view. The uniformity of response of these coils is poor, since signal reception is weighted toward the surface of the object, which generally is of least interest. Furthermore, whole-section transmitter coils excite the subject uniformly, so that weak signals are detected from far regions.

Surface coil assembly with switchable field of view.

The authors designed and built an overlapping surface coil assembly for magnetic resonance imaging of the spine. A small and a large coil are included, and use of one can be switched to the other without need for patient repositioning. The images are not degraded, and screening studies can immediately be followed by detailed studies.

A comparison of saddle-shaped and solenoidal coils for magnetic resonance imaging.

Differences in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging signal-to-noise (S/N) performance between saddle-shaped and solenoidal coils have been postulated. Each coil shape is tied to a particular magnetic field configuration, so that they are not typically interchangeable except in special situations. The solenoidal coil is predicted to have a two- to three-fold advantage over the saddle-shaped coil.

Magnetic resonance imaging: effects of magnetic field strength.

Magnetic resonance images of the head, abdomen, and pelvis of normal adult men were obtained using varying magnetic field strength, and measurements of T1 and T2 relaxations and of signal-to-noise (SN) ratios were determined. The T1 relaxation of gray matter, white matter, and muscle increases and T2 decreases with field strength, while T1 of fat remains relatively constant and T2 increases. As a consequence, for any one spin echo sequence, gray/white matter contrast decreases and muscle/fat contrast increases with field.