Changes of brain parenchyma free water fraction reflect tissue damage and impaired processing speed in multiple sclerosis.

Free water fraction (FWF) represents the amount of water per unit volume of brain parenchyma, which is not bound to macromolecules. Its excess in multiple sclerosis (MS) is related to increased tissue loss. The use of mcDESPOT (multicomponent driven single pulse observation of T1 and T2), a 3D imaging method which exploits both the T1 and T2 contrasts, allows FWF to be derived in clinically feasible times.

MRI-based clinical-radiomics model predicts tumor response before treatment in locally advanced rectal cancer.

Neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) followed by total mesorectal excision (TME) represents the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced (≥ T3 or N+) rectal cancer (LARC). Approximately 15% of patients with LARC shows a complete response after CRT. The use of pre-treatment MRI as predictive biomarker could help to increase the chance of organ preservation by tailoring the neoadjuvant treatment.