A Radiological Clip Design Using Ultrasound Identification to Improve Localization.

Objective: We demonstrate the use of ultrasound to receive an acoustic signal transmitted from a radiological clip designed from a custom circuit. This signal encodes an identification number and is localized and identified wirelessly by the ultrasound imaging system.

Methods: We designed and constructed the test platform with a Teensy 4.

Grating lobe mitigation on large-pitch arrays using null subtraction imaging.

Null Subtraction Imaging (NSI) is a novel beamforming technique that can produce B-mode images resulting in high spatial resolution and low computational cost compared to other beamforming techniques. Previous work has demonstrated that in addition to a beam pattern with a narrow main lobe and low side lobes, NSI can also reduce or mitigate grating lobes, which can appear when the array pitch is larger than one half the wavelength of the transmitted pulse. These grating lobes can result in imaging artifacts that produce clutter and lower contrast.

In Vivo Validation of an In Situ Calibration Bead as a Reference for Backscatter Coefficient Calculation.

Objective: The study described here was aimed at assessing the capability of quantitative ultrasound (QUS) based on the backscatter coefficient (BSC) for classifying disease states, such as breast cancer response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and quantification of fatty liver disease. We evaluated the effectiveness of an in situ titanium (Ti) bead as a reference target in calibrating the system and mitigating attenuation and transmission loss effects on BSC estimation.

Methods: Traditional BSC estimation methods require external references for calibration, which do not account for ultrasound attenuation or transmission losses through tissues.

validation of an calibration bead as a reference for backscatter coefficient calculation.

Objectives: The study aims to assess the capability of Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) based on the backscatter coefficient (BSC) for classifying disease states, such as breast cancer response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and quantifying fatty liver disease. We evaluate the effectiveness of an titanium (Ti) bead as a reference target in calibrating the system and mitigating attenuation and transmission loss effects on BSC estimation.

Methods: Traditional BSC estimation methods require external references for calibration, which do not account for ultrasound attenuation or transmission losses through tissues.

Detection of microcalcifications using nonlinear beamforming techniques.

Objective: Abundant research demonstrates that early detection of cancer leads to improved patient prognoses. By detecting cancer earlier, when tumors are in their primary stages, treatment can be applied before metastases have occurred. The presence of microcalcifications (MCs) is indicative of malignancy in the breast, i.

Grating Lobe Reduction in Plane-Wave Imaging With Angular Compounding Using Subtraction of Coherent Signals.

Plane-wave imaging (PWI) with angular compounding has gained in popularity over recent years, because it provides high frame rates and good image properties. However, most linear arrays used in clinical practice have a pitch that is equal to than the wavelength of ultrasound. Hence, the presence of grating lobes is a concern for PWI using multiple transmit angles.

Identifying and overcoming limitations with in situ calibration beads for quantitative ultrasound.

Ensuring the consistency of spectral-based quantitative ultrasound estimates in vivo necessitates accounting for diffraction, system effects, and propagation losses encountered in the tissue. Accounting for diffraction and system effects is typically achieved through planar reflector or reference phantom methods; however, neither of these is able to account for the tissue losses present in vivo between the ultrasound probe and the region of interest. In previous work, the feasibility of small titanium beads as in situ calibration targets (0.

A 10% Tomato Diet Selectively Reduces Radiation-Induced Damage in TRAMP Mice.

Background: Tomatoes contain carotenoids that have the potential to alter the effects of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT).

Objectives: We hypothesized that dietary lyophilized tomato paste (TP) would reduce apoptosis within carotenoid-containing nonneoplastic tissues in EBRT-treated TRansgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate (TRAMP) mice.

Methods: Male TRAMP mice (n = 73) were provided an AIN-93G diet or a modified AIN-93G diet containing 10% TP (wt:wt) at 4 wk of age.

Super-Resolution Ultrasound Localization Microscopy on a Rabbit Liver VX2 Tumor Model: An Initial Feasibility Study.

Ultrasound localization microscopy can image microvasculature in vivo without sacrificing imaging penetration depth. However, the reliance on super-resolution inference limits the applicability of the technique because subpixel tissue motion can corrupt microvascular reconstruction. Consequently, the majority of previous pre-clinical research on this super-resolution procedure has been restricted to low-motion experimental models with ample motion correction or data rejection, which precludes the imaging of organ sites that exhibit a high degree of respiratory and other motion.

High Data Rate Communications In Vivo Using Ultrasound.

The emergence of in-body medical devices has provided a means of capturing physiological or diagnostic information and streaming this information outside of the body. Currently, electromagnetic-based communications make up the bulk of in-body medical device communication protocols. Traditional electromagnetic-based solutions are limited in their data rates and available power.

Use of a convolutional neural network and quantitative ultrasound for diagnosis of fatty liver.

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) was used to classify rabbits that were induced to have liver disease by placing them on a fatty diet for a defined duration and/or periodically injecting them with CCl. The ground truth of the liver state was based on lipid liver percents estimated via the Folch assay and hydroxyproline concentration to quantify fibrosis. Rabbits were scanned ultrasonically in vivo using a SonixOne scanner and an L9-4/38 linear array.

Video-Capable Ultrasonic Wireless Communications Through Biological Tissues.

The use of wireless implanted medical devices (IMDs) is growing because they facilitate monitoring of patients at home and during normal activities, reduce the discomfort of patients, and reduce the likelihood of infection associated with trailing wires. Currently, radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic waves are the most commonly used method for communicating wirelessly with IMDs. However, due to the restrictions on the available bandwidth and the employable power, data rates of RF-based IMDs are limited to 267 kb/s.

Dietary Tomato or Lycopene Do Not Reduce Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Progression in a Murine Model.

Background: Dietary tomato products or lycopene protect against prostate carcinogenesis, but their impact on the emergence of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is unknown.

Objective: We hypothesized that tomato or lycopene products would reduce the emergence of CRPC.

Methods: Transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) mice were castrated at 12-13 wk and the emergence of CRPC was monitored by ultrasound in each study.

Characterizing Fatty Liver in vivo in Rabbits, Using Quantitative Ultrasound.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease and can often lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis, cancer and complete liver failure. Liver biopsy is the current standard of care to quantify hepatic steatosis, but it comes with increased patient risk and only samples a small portion of the liver. Imaging approaches to assess NAFLD include proton density fat fraction estimated via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and shear wave elastography.

Low fat but not soy protein isolate was an effective intervention to reduce nonalcoholic fatty liver disease progression in C57BL/6J mice: monitored by a novel quantitative ultrasound (QUS) method.

Untreated nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) lead to irreversible liver damage. We hypothesized that a low-fat diet (LFD) or a high-fat diet (HFD) with soy protein isolate (SPI) would be an effective intervention to halt or reverse NAFLD progression. To test these hypotheses, we conducted 2 studies.

Quantitative Ultrasound and the Pancreas: Demonstration of Early Detection Capability.

Objectives: To show that quantitative ultrasound biomarkers attenuation (AC) and backscatter (BSC) coefficients are effective tools to detect early changes in acute pancreatitis, using a cerulein-induced pancreatitis rat model.

Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 68) were divided into 8 groups: uninjected cage controls, saline-injected controls, and cerulein-injected rats euthanized at 2, 4, 15, 24, 48, and 60 hours after injection. Pancreatic AC and BSC (25-55 MHz) were estimated in vivo (Vevo 2100, VisualSonics, Toronto, CA) and ex vivo (40-MHz transducer).

Deletion of the Gene Results in a Vaccinia Virus That Is Less Pathogenic Due to Muted Innate Immune Responses, yet Still Elicits Protective Immunity.

All viruses strategically alter the antiviral immune response to their benefit. The vaccinia virus (VACV) K1 protein has multiple immunomodulatory effects in tissue culture models of infection, including NF-κB antagonism. However, the effect of K1 during animal infection is poorly understood.

Focused Ultrasound Treatment of Cervical Lymph Nodes in Rats with EAE: A Pilot Study.

In this pilot study, focused ultrasound (FUS) was used to produce hyperthermia in cervical lymph nodes of rats having experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) to alleviate symptoms associated with EAE. EAE was induced in dark agouti rats, and EAE scores were recorded over 21 d. At the onset of EAE symptoms, rats were treated with FUS to induce temperatures of 43-44°C for 20 min in the superficial cervical lymph nodes.

Targeted Ultrasound-Assisted Cancer-Selective Chemical Labeling and Subsequent Cancer Imaging using Click Chemistry.

Metabolic sugar labeling followed by the use of reagent-free click chemistry is an established technique for in vitro cell targeting. However, selective metabolic labeling of the target tissues in vivo remains a challenge to overcome, which has prohibited the use of this technique for targeted in vivo applications. Herein, we report the use of targeted ultrasound pulses to induce the release of tetraacetyl N-azidoacetylmannosamine (Ac4 ManAz) from microbubbles (MBs) and its metabolic expression in the cancer area.

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Quantitative Ultrasound for Monitoring High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Treatment In Vivo.

The success of any minimally invasive treatment procedure can be enhanced significantly if combined with a robust noninvasive imaging modality that can monitor therapy in real time. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) imaging has been widely investigated for monitoring various treatment responses such as chemotherapy, radiation, and thermal therapy. Previously, we demonstrated the feasibility of using spectral-based QUS parameters to monitor high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment of in situ tumors in euthanized rats [Ultrasonic Imaging 36(4), 239-255, 2014].

Quantitative Ultrasound Comparison of MAT and 4T1 Mammary Tumors in Mice and Rats Across Multiple Imaging Systems.

Objectives: Quantitative ultrasound estimates such as the frequency-dependent backscatter coefficient (BSC) have the potential to enhance noninvasive tissue characterization and to identify tumors better than traditional B-mode imaging. Thus, investigating system independence of BSC estimates from multiple imaging platforms is important for assessing their capabilities to detect tissue differences.

Methods: Mouse and rat mammary tumor models, 4T1 and MAT, respectively, were used in a comparative experiment using 3 imaging systems (Siemens, Ultrasonix, and VisualSonics) with 5 different transducers covering a range of ultrasonic frequencies.

Effects of Tomato and Soy Germ on Lipid Bioaccumulation and Atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- Mice.

Dietary patterns with cardiovascular benefits have been recommended, but the relative contributions of individual foods and food components, alone or in combination, remain undefined. Male ApoE(-/-) mice were fed either a purified AIN-93G control diet, a Western diet (WD), or a WD with 10% tomato powder (TP), 2% soy germ (SG), or the combination, for 4 wk (n = 10 per group). Plasma total cholesterol and triglycerides were measured with enzymatic colorimetric kits, and serum amyloid A (SAA) was measured by ELISA.

Contrast Ultrasound Imaging Does Not Affect Heat Shock Protein 70 Expression in Cholesterol-Fed Rabbit Aorta.

Objectives: Diagnostic ultrasound imaging is enhanced by the use of circulating microbubble contrast agents (UCAs), but the interactions between ultrasound, UCAs, and vascular tissue are not fully understood. We hypothesized that ultrasound with a UCA would stress the vascular tissue and increase levels of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), a cellular stress protein.

Methods: Male New Zealand White rabbits (n = 32) were fed a standard chow diet (n = 4) or a 1% cholesterol, 10% fat, and 0.

Contrast Ultrasound Imaging of the Aorta Does Not Affect Progression of Atherosclerosis or Cardiovascular Biomarkers in ApoE-/- Mice.

Objectives: Ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) enhance cardiovascular ultrasound imaging. Adverse biological effects have occurred after administration of UCAs, and more research is needed for a comprehensive understanding of the risks involved. We used the ApoE(-/-) mouse model of atherosclerosis to characterize the effects of ultrasound and UCAs on atherosclerosis and plasma biomarkers.