A holistic NMR framework to understand environmental impact: Examining the impacts of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) in Daphnia magna via imaging, spectroscopy, and metabolomics.

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are a contaminant of emerging interest, often used in the medical field as an imaging contrast agent, with additional uses in wastewater treatment and as food additives. Although the use of SPIONs is increasing, little research has been conducted on the toxic impacts to living organisms beyond traditional lethal concentration endpoints. Daphnia magna are model organisms for aquatic toxicity testing with a well understood metabolome and high sensitivity to SPIONs.

Comparing the Potential of Helmholtz and Planar NMR Microcoils for Analysis of Intact Biological Samples.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has played an integral role in medical and environmental metabolic research. However, smaller biological entities, such as eggs and small tissue samples, are becoming increasingly important to better understand toxicity, biological growth/development, and diseases. Unfortunately, their small sizes make them difficult to study using conventional 5 mm NMR probes due to limited sensitivity.

DREAMTIME NMR Spectroscopy: Targeted Multi-Compound Selection with Improved Detection Limits.

NMR/MRI are critical tools for studying molecular structure and interactions but suffer from relatively low sensitivity and spectral overlap. Here, a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) approach, termed DREAMTIME, is introduced that provides "a molecular window" inside complex systems, capable of showing only what the user desires, with complete molecular specificity. The user chooses a list of molecules of interest, and the approach detects only those targets while all other molecules are invisible.

Improved method for MR microscopy of brain tissue cultured with the interface method combined with Lenz lenses.

MR in microscopy can non-invasively image the morphology of living tissue, which is of particular interest in studying the mammalian brain. Many studies use live animals for basic research on brain functions, disease pathogenesis, and drug development. However, in vitro systems are on the rise, due to advantages such as the absence of a blood-brain barrier, predictable pharmacokinetics, and reduced ethical restrictions.

A comparison of Lenz lenses and LC resonators for NMR signal enhancement.

High signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the NMR signal has always been a key target that drives massive research effort in many fields. Among several parameters, a high filling factor of the MR coil has proven to boost the SNR. In case of small-volume samples, a high filling factor and thus a high SNR can be achieved through miniaturizing the MR coil.