ORACLE: An analytical approach for T, T, proton density, and off-resonance mapping with phase-cycled balanced steady-state free precession.

Purpose: To develop and validate a novel analytical approach simplifying , , proton density (PD), and off-resonance quantifications from phase-cycled balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) data. Additionally, to introduce a method to correct aliasing effects in undersampled bSSFP profiles.

Theory And Methods: Off-resonant-encoded analytical parameter quantification using complex linearized equations (ORACLE) provides analytical solutions for bSSFP profiles.

A flexible framework for the design and optimization of water-excitation RF pulses using B-spline interpolation.

Purpose: To implement a flexible framework, named HydrOptiFrame, for the design and optimization of time-efficient water-excitation (WE) RF pulses using B-spline interpolation, and to characterize their lipid suppression performance.

Methods: An evolutionary optimization algorithm was used to design WE RF pulses. The algorithm minimizes a composite loss function that quantifies the fat-water contrast using Bloch equation simulations.

Fat-free noncontrast whole-heart cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging with fast and power-optimized off-resonant water-excitation pulses.

Background: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) faces challenges due to the interference of bright fat signals in visualizing structures, such as coronary arteries. Effective fat suppression is crucial, especially when using whole-heart CMR techniques. Conventional methods often fall short due to rapid fat signal recovery, leading to residual fat content hindering visualization.

Trajectory correction enables free-running chemical shift encoded imaging for accurate cardiac proton-density fat fraction quantification at 3T.

Background: Metabolic diseases can negatively alter epicardial fat accumulation and composition, which can be probed using quantitative cardiac chemical shift encoded (CSE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) by mapping proton-density fat fraction (PDFF). To obtain motion-resolved high-resolution PDFF maps, we proposed a free-running cardiac CSE-CMR framework at 3T. To employ faster bipolar readout gradients, a correction for gradient imperfections was added using the gradient impulse response function (GIRF) and evaluated on intermediate images and PDFF quantification.

Towards precision in the diagnostic profiling of patients: leveraging symptom dynamics as a clinical characterisation dimension in the assessment of major depressive disorder.

Background: International guidelines present overall symptom severity as the key dimension for clinical characterisation of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, differences may reside within severity levels related to how symptoms interact in an individual patient, called symptom dynamics.

Aims: To investigate these individual differences by estimating the proportion of patients that display differences in their symptom dynamics while sharing the same overall symptom severity.

Landscape genomics reveals regions associated with adaptive phenotypic and genetic variation in Ethiopian indigenous chickens.

Climate change is a threat to sustainable livestock production and livelihoods in the tropics. It has adverse impacts on feed and water availability, disease prevalence, production, environmental temperature, and biodiversity. Unravelling the drivers of local adaptation and understanding the underlying genetic variation in random mating indigenous livestock populations informs the design of genetic improvement programmes that aim to increase productivity and resilience.

Prognostic value of visual and quantitative CMR regional myocardial function in patients with suspected myocarditis.

According to updated Lake-Louise Criteria, impaired regional myocardial function serves as a supportive criterion in diagnosing myocarditis. This study aimed to assess visual regional wall motional abnormalities (RWMA) and novel quantitative regional longitudinal peak strain (RLS) for risk stratification in the clinical setting of myocarditis. In patients undergoing CMR and meeting clinical criteria for suspected myocarditis global longitudinal strain (GLS), late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), RWMA and RLS were assessed in the anterior, septal, inferior, and lateral regions and correlated to the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including heart failure hospitalization, sustained ventricular tachycardia, recurrent myocarditis, and all-cause death.

Getting the phase consistent: The importance of phase description in balanced steady-state free precession MRI of multi-compartment systems.

Purpose: Determine the correct mathematical phase description for balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) signals in multi-compartment systems.

Theory And Methods: Based on published bSSFP signal models, different phase descriptions can be formulated: one predicting the presence and the other predicting the absence of destructive interference effects in multi-compartment systems. Numerical simulations of bSSFP signals of water and acetone were performed to evaluate the predictions of these different phase descriptions.

Combined free-running four-dimensional anatomical and flow magnetic resonance imaging with native contrast using Synchronization of Neighboring Acquisitions by Physiological Signals.

Background: Four-dimensional (4D) flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) often relies on the injection of gadolinium- or iron-oxide-based contrast agents to improve vessel delineation. In this work, a novel technique is developed to acquire and reconstruct 4D flow data with excellent dynamic visualization of blood vessels but without the need for contrast injection. Synchronization of Neighboring Acquisitions by Physiological Signals (SyNAPS) uses pilot tone (PT) navigation to retrospectively synchronize the reconstruction of two free-running three-dimensional radial acquisitions, to create co-registered anatomy and flow images.

Comparison between diaphragmatic-navigated and self-navigated coronary magnetic resonance angiography at 3T in pediatric patients with congenital coronary artery anomalies.

Background: Coronary magnetic resonance angiography (CMRA) is being increasingly used in pediatric patients with congenital coronary artery anomalies (CAAs). However, the data on the free-breathing self-navigation technique, which has the potential to simplify the acquisition plan with a high success rate at 3T, remain scarce. This study investigated the clinical application value of self-navigated (sNAV) CMRA at 3T in pediatric patients with suspected CAAs and compared it to conventional diaphragmatic-navigated (dNAV) CMRA.

Self-navigated coronary MR angiography for coronary aneurysm detection in Kawasaki disease at 3T: comparison with conventional diaphragm-navigated coronary MR angiography.

Objectives: To assess the scan time, image quality, and diagnostic performance of self-navigated coronary MR angiography (SN-CMRA) for coronary aneurysm (CAA) detection in Kawasaki disease (KD) patients and compare it with diaphragm-navigated CMRA (DN-CMRA).

Materials And Methods: SN-CMRA and DN-CMRA were performed on 76 pediatric patients with KD (48 males, 6.75 ± 3.

Genotype by Environment Interactions (G*E) of Chickens Tested in Ethiopia Using Body Weight as a Performance Trait.

Ethiopia is a developing nation that could highly benefit from securing food via improved smallholder poultry farming. To support farmer and breeding decisions regarding which chicken strain to use in which Ethiopian environment, G*E analyses for body weight (BW) of growing male and female chickens were conducted. Research questions were (1) if a G*E is present for BW and (2) which strain performs best in which environment in terms of predicted BW.

Effect of Daily Life Reward Loop Functioning on the Course of Depression.

Engagement in activities increases positive affect (Reward Path 1), which subsequently reinforces motivation (Reward Path 2), and hence future engagement in activities (Reward Path 3). Strong connections between these three reward loop components are considered adaptive, and might be disturbed in depression. Although some ecological nomentary assessment (EMA) studies have investigated the cross-sectional association between separate reward paths and individuals' level of depression, no EMA study has looked into the association between individuals' reward loop strength and depressive symptom course.

Predictive value of cardiac magnetic resonance right ventricular longitudinal strain in patients with suspected myocarditis.

Background: Recent evidence underlined the importance of right (RV) involvement in suspected myocarditis. We aim to analyze the possible incremental prognostic value from RV global longitudinal strain (GLS) by CMR.

Methods: Patients referred for CMR, meeting clinical criteria for suspected myocarditis and no other cardiomyopathy were enrolled in a dual-center register cohort study.

SPARCQ: A new approach for fat fraction mapping using asymmetries in the phase-cycled balanced SSFP signal profile.

Purpose: To develop SPARCQ (Signal Profile Asymmetries for Rapid Compartment Quantification), a novel approach to quantify fat fraction (FF) using asymmetries in the phase-cycled balanced SSFP (bSSFP) profile.

Methods: SPARCQ uses phase-cycling to obtain bSSFP frequency profiles, which display asymmetries in the presence of fat and water at certain TRs. For each voxel, the measured signal profile is decomposed into a weighted sum of simulated profiles via multi-compartment dictionary matching.

Mitral valve regurgitation assessed by intraventricular CMR 4D-flow: a systematic review on the technological aspects and potential clinical applications.

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) four-dimensional (4D) flow is a novel method for flow quantification potentially helpful in management of mitral valve regurgitation (MVR). In this systematic review, we aimed to depict the clinical role of intraventricular 4D-flow in MVR. The reproducibility, technical aspects, and comparison against conventional techniques were evaluated.

Improved accuracy and precision of fat-suppressed isotropic 3D T2 mapping MRI of the knee with dictionary fitting and patch-based denoising.

Purpose: To develop an isotropic three-dimensional (3D) T2 mapping technique for the quantitative assessment of the composition of knee cartilage with high accuracy and precision.

Methods: A T2-prepared water-selective isotropic 3D gradient-echo pulse sequence was used to generate four images at 3 T. These were used for three T2 map reconstructions: standard images with an analytical T2 fit (AnT2Fit); standard images with a dictionary-based T2 fit (DictT2Fit); and patch-based-denoised images with a dictionary-based T2 fit (DenDictT2Fit).

Motion-resolved fat-fraction mapping with whole-heart free-running multiecho GRE and pilot tone.

Purpose: To develop a free-running 3D radial whole-heart multiecho gradient echo (ME-GRE) framework for cardiac- and respiratory-motion-resolved fat fraction (FF) quantification.

Methods: (N  = 8) readouts optimized for water-fat separation and quantification were integrated within a continuous non-electrocardiogram-triggered free-breathing 3D radial GRE acquisition. Motion resolution was achieved with pilot tone (PT) navigation, and the extracted cardiac and respiratory signals were compared to those obtained with self-gating (SG).

Optimal Protocol for Contrast-enhanced Free-running 5D Whole-heart Coronary MR Angiography at 3T.

Free-running 5D whole-heart coronary MR angiography (MRA) is gaining in popularity because it reduces scanning complexity by removing the need for specific slice orientations, respiratory gating, or cardiac triggering. At 3T, a gradient echo (GRE) sequence is preferred in combination with contrast injection. However, neither the injection scheme of the gadolinium (Gd) contrast medium, the choice of the RF excitation angle, nor the dedicated image reconstruction parameters have been established for 3T GRE free-running 5D whole-heart coronary MRA.

Advances in machine learning applications for cardiovascular 4D flow MRI.

Four-dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has evolved as a non-invasive imaging technique to visualize and quantify blood flow in the heart and vessels. Hemodynamic parameters derived from 4D flow MRI, such as net flow and peak velocities, but also kinetic energy, turbulent kinetic energy, viscous energy loss, and wall shear stress have shown to be of diagnostic relevance for cardiovascular diseases. 4D flow MRI, however, has several limitations.

Experiences of Siblings of Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Comparing Qualitative Analysis and Machine Learning to Study Narratives.

Introduction: Relatively few studies have focused on the wellbeing, experiences and needs of the siblings of children with a psychiatric diagnosis. However, the studies that have been conducted suggest that the impact of such circumstances on these siblings is significant. Studying narratives of diagnosed children or relatives has proven to be a successful approach to gain insights that could help improve care.