Article
Orthopedics
X. Zhang, Y. -J. Ma, Z. Wei, M. Wu, A. Ashir, S. Jerban, S. Li, E. Y. Chang, J. Du
Summary: The study evaluated a 3D UTE-Cones-MT sequence for quantification of macromolecular fraction and MT ratio in menisci of healthy volunteers and patients with different degrees of OA. Results showed decreased MMF and MTR in menisci of OA patients, which negatively correlated with meniscal WORMS scores.
OSTEOARTHRITIS AND CARTILAGE
(2021)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Hyungseok Jang, Yajun Ma, Michael Carl, Saeed Jerban, Eric Y. Chang, Jiang Du
Summary: This study aimed to develop a new technique, UTE-Cones-DESS, for efficient imaging of musculoskeletal tissues with short T2s, as well as proposing a novel fat suppression method using spDixon. Results showed that UTE-Cones-DESS sequence allows fast volumetric imaging with high contrast for musculoskeletal tissues, while spDixon achieves efficient fat suppression in the images.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biophysics
Dina Moazamian, Jiyo S. Athertya, Sophia Dwek, Alecio F. Lombardi, Hamidreza Shaterian Mohammadi, Sam Sedaghat, Hyungseok Jang, Yajun Ma, Christine B. Chung, Jiang Du, Saeed Jerban, Eric Y. Chang
Summary: The study investigates the use of ultrashort echo time (UTE) magnetic resonance imaging techniques for imaging of Achilles tendons and entheses in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The results suggest higher T1 and lower MMF in PsA patients compared with the asymptomatic group, highlighting the potential of UTE-T1 and UTE-MT modeling for quantitative evaluation of entheses and tendons in PsA patients.
NMR IN BIOMEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Sarah L. Pownder, Kei Hayashi, Bin Q. Lin, Kathleen N. Meyers, Brian G. Caserto, Ryan E. Breighner, Hollis G. Potter, Matthew F. Koff
Summary: The study demonstrated the utility of UTE T2(star) maps and qMRI in evaluating the healing process of tendons after mechanical strain. Changes in T2(star) values were observed in patellar tendons at 4 and 8 weeks post-operatively, along with histologic and biomechanical evaluations indicating tendon damage and healing.
QUANTITATIVE IMAGING IN MEDICINE AND SURGERY
(2021)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
C. J. Peniche Silva, S. A. Mueller, N. Quirk, R. E. De la Vega, M. J. Coenen, C. H. Evans, E. R. Balmayor, M. van Griensven
Summary: This study characterized the biomechanics, histology, and genetic expression of three relevant sites of enthesis injury in a rat model. The results showed differences in mechanical properties, histological characteristics, and marker expression among the patellar tendon, Achilles tendon, and supraspinatus enthesis. The findings provide valuable insights into the understanding of these entheses at specific anatomical sites.
EUROPEAN CELLS & MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jiyo S. Athertya, Yajun Ma, Amir Masoud Afsahi, Alecio F. Lombardi, Dina Moazamian, Saeed Jerban, Sam Sedaghat, Hyungseok Jang
Summary: In this study, the feasibility of accelerated quantitative Ultrashort Echo Time Cones imaging with compressed sensing reconstruction was investigated. The results showed that compressed sensing reconstruction dramatically reduced artifacts and improved image quality, making it a promising technique for fast clinical scans.
Article
Sport Sciences
Anne-Sofie Agergaard, Rene B. Svensson, Rikke Hoeffner, Philip Hansen, Christian Couppe, Michael Kjaer, S. Peter Magnusson
Summary: There was no statistically superior effect of exercising with high (90%) compared to moderate (55%) load magnitude on the mechanical, material or morphological properties, but both regimes resulted in significant strength gain.
SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE & SCIENCE IN SPORTS
(2021)
Review
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Wangwang Luo, Yang Wang, Qing Han, Zhonghan Wang, Jianhang Jiao, Xuqiang Gong, Yang Liu, Aobo Zhang, Han Zhang, Hao Chen, Jincheng Wang, Minfei Wu
Summary: This review discusses recent advances in enthesis tissue engineering, particularly the use of biological scaffolds, and provides perspectives on future directions in this field.
JOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Arul Subramanian, Lauren F. Kanzaki, Thomas F. Schilling
Summary: The force from tendons and ligaments is transmitted to the skeleton through entheseal cells, and the regional organization and expression of transcription factors play a vital role in force transmission. Muscle contraction force helps establish the specialized organization of extracellular matrix and regulate the expression level of transcription factors in entheseal cells.
Article
Cell Biology
Carlos J. Peniche Silva, Sebastian A. Muller, Nicholas Quirk, Patrina S. P. Poh, Carla Mayer, Antonella Motta, Claudio Migliaresi, Michael J. Coenen, Christopher H. Evans, Elizabeth R. Balmayor, Martijn van Griensven
Summary: The study investigates the use of biphasic silk fibroin scaffolds for treating injured tendon-to-bone entheses. The results suggest that the design of the transition zone plays a crucial role in promoting healing of the injured enthesis.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Behzad Shiroud Heidari, Emma Muinos Lopez, Peilin Chen, Rui Ruan, Ebrahim Vahabli, Seyed Mohammad Davachi, Froilan Granero-Molto, Elena M. De-Juan-Pardo, Minghao Zheng, Barry Doyle
Summary: This study aims to develop novel hybrid nanocomposites for tendon-bone interface repair. By adding different proportions of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles, the properties of the nanocomposites can be improved. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that increasing the nanoparticle content can affect cell activity and reduce the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
MATERIALS TODAY BIO
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elahe Ganji, Connor Leek, William Duncan, Debabrata Patra, David M. Ornitz, Megan L. Killian
Summary: This study investigates the role of Fgf9 in the development and function of the postnatal enthesis. By conditional knockout of Fgf9 in mouse tendons and entheses, the researchers found that Fgf9 is important for the structural and functional development of the enthesis. Mice with Fgf9 knockout showed thinner tendons, reduced bone mineralization, increased cellularity, and decreased mechanical properties in the entheses.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zheng Wang, Chi Ma, Diane Chen, Caitlin Haslett, Chunmei Xu, Changchun Dong, Xiaofang Wang, Minghao Zheng, Yan Jing, Jian Q. Feng
Summary: This study reveals that tendon cells directly form fibrocartilage through cell transdifferentiation, shedding light on the mechanisms underlying enthesopathy and sporting injuries.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Orthopedics
Li-Lan Wu, Li-Heng Liu, Sheng-Xiang Rao, Pu-Yeh Wu, Jian-Jun Zhou
Summary: This study compared the potential of ultrashort time-to-echo (UTE) T2* mapping and T2* values for assessing lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). The results showed that UTE-T2* relaxometry was more accurate than T2* mapping in detecting early stage IVDD.
BMC MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Jichuan Qiu, Jaewan Ahn, Dong Qin, Stavros Thomopoulos, Younan Xia
Summary: A facile method is described for generating a mineral gradient in a biodegradable polymer scaffold by swelling a composite film made of PCL and HAp nanoparticles. The gradient can be tuned in thickness to match the natural tendon-to-bone attachment length scale. Stem cells presented with spatial gradations in biochemical and mechanical cues on the mineral gradient scaffold can differentiate into a graded distribution of cell phenotypes, potentially facilitating the regeneration of the injured tendon-to-bone attachment.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2022)
Editorial Material
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Jiang Du, Graeme M. Bydder
Article
Orthopedics
Won C. Bae, Anthony S. Tadros, Tim Finkenstaedt, Jiang Du, Sheronda Statum, Christine B. Chung
Summary: The study found that UTE T2* values can effectively differentiate normal, degenerated, and torn menisci, and are significantly correlated with histopathology.
SKELETAL RADIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Amir Masoud Afsahi, Yajun Ma, Hyungseok Jang, Saeed Jerban, Christine B. Chung, Eric Y. Chang, Jiang Du
Summary: This review article summarizes recent technical developments in ultrashort echo time (UTE) magnetic resonance imaging of musculoskeletal (MSK) tissues with short-T2 relaxation times. It discusses contrast mechanisms for high-contrast morphological imaging of short-T2 MSK tissues and introduces quantitative UTE mapping techniques.
JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
(2022)
Article
Orthopedics
Saeed Jerban, Takehito Hananouchi, Yajun Ma, Behnam Namiranian, Erik W. Dorthe, Jonathan H. Wong, Niloofar Shojaeiadib, Mei Wu, Jiang Du, Darryl D'Lima, Christine B. Chung, Eric Y. Chang
Summary: The study investigated the correlations between the mechanical and microstructural properties of human ACL specimens and quantitative three-dimensional UTE Cones MRI measures. The results showed significant moderate correlations between UTE-MRI biomarkers and the elastic modulus of ACL, but nonsignificant correlations with histomorphometry measures.
JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Lidi Wan, Xin Cheng, Adam C. Searleman, Ya-Jun Ma, Jonathan H. Wong, R. Scott Meyer, Jiang Du, Guangyu Tang, Eric Y. Chang
Summary: The study aimed to investigate the feasibility of quantitative 3D ultrashort echo time (UTE)-based biomarkers in detecting proteoglycan (PG) loss and collagen degradation in human cartilage. The results showed that AdiabT(1 rho) and T-1 have the potential for detecting PG loss, while MMF and MTR are promising for the detection of collagen degradation in articular cartilage, facilitating earlier, noninvasive diagnosis of osteoarthritis.
NMR IN BIOMEDICINE
(2022)
Editorial Material
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Hyungseok Jang, Jiang Du
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Zhao Wei, Alecio F. Lombardi, Roland R. Lee, Mark Wallace, Koichi Masuda, Eric Y. Chang, Jiang Du, Graeme M. Bydder, Wenhui Yang, Ya-Jun Ma
Summary: This study used ultrashort echo time (UTE) scanning technique to evaluate intervertebral discs and found that T-1 rho values are associated with the degree of disc degeneration and age. In addition, there are differences in T-1 rho values between subjects with and without low back pain.
QUANTITATIVE IMAGING IN MEDICINE AND SURGERY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alecio F. Lombardi, Yajun Ma, Hyungseok Jang, Saeed Jerban, Qingbo Tang, Adam C. Searleman, Robert Scott Meyer, Jiang Du, Eric Y. Chang
Summary: This study compared the pH measured in knee joints of individuals without osteoarthritis (OA) and patients with severe OA using acidoCEST-UTE MRI. The results showed that patients with OA had lower pH values in their cartilage, meniscus, and fluid compared to individuals without OA. Moreover, lower pH measurements were associated with worse symptoms and knee-joint function.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Saeed Jerban, Salem Alenezi, Amir Masoud Afsahi, Yajun Ma, Jiang Du, Christine B. B. Chung, Eric Y. Y. Chang
Summary: This review article describes the potential of using MRI-based micro-FEA as a non-invasive method to predict bone mechanical competence and assess fracture risk, and discusses its applications and future potential.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
(2022)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Hongda Shao, Jiawei Yang, Yajun Ma, Xiaolian Su, Guangyu Tang, Junjie Jiang, Jiang Du, Jianjun Liu
Summary: The study aimed to investigate the diagnostic efficacy of multi-parametric quantitative UTE-based MRI for evaluating human cartilage degeneration. Among the quantitative MRI biomarkers, UTE-MTR had the strongest correlation with OA grade and collagen organization score. UTE-MTR showed the highest diagnostic efficacy for mild cartilage degeneration, while UTE-AdiabT1 rho and CubeQuant-T2 had lower efficacy.
QUANTITATIVE IMAGING IN MEDICINE AND SURGERY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Saeed Jerban, Yajun Ma, Amir Masoud Afsahi, Alecio Lombardi, Zhao Wei, Meghan Shen, Mei Wu, Nicole Le, Douglas G. Chang, Christine B. Chung, Jiang Du, Eric Y. Chang
Summary: This study utilized UTE-MT modeling and MRI techniques to detect the correlation between tendon quality deterioration in osteoporosis patients and bone health, highlighting the importance of UTE-MT MRI techniques in evaluating tendon quality.
Review
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Ya-Jun Ma, Dina Moazamian, Daniel M. Cornfeld, Paul Condron, Samantha J. Holdsworth, Mark Bydder, Jiang Du, Graeme M. Bydder
Summary: This paper updates and extends previous studies on TP-filters, MASTIR pulse sequences, and scMRI by introducing the central contrast theorem and division. These concepts are used to improve tissue boundaries contrast, detect small changes in the brain, and quantify T1. The paper also explains the basis for high contrast boundaries and provides examples.
QUANTITATIVE IMAGING IN MEDICINE AND SURGERY
(2022)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Mei Wu, Ya-Jun Ma, Mouyuan Liu, Yanping Xue, Lillian Gong, Zhao Wei, Saeed Jerban, Hyungseok Jang, Douglas G. Chang, Eric Y. Chang, Liheng Ma, Jiang Du
Summary: The study evaluated the quantitative assessment of articular cartilage degeneration using 3D UTE-Cones-AdiabT(1 rho) imaging technique. Significant differences in UTE-Cones-AdiabT(1 rho) values were observed among different extents and depths of cartilage lesions, indicating its potential for early diagnosis of cartilage degeneration.
EUROPEAN RADIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Takehito Hananouchi, Tomoyuki Suzuki, Erik W. Dorthe, Jiang Du, Darryl D. D'Lima
Summary: Using a probing device, the resistance force of dissected ACLs was measured, and its correlation with the mechanical properties of the ligaments was investigated. The results showed a moderate correlation, suggesting that the tension of the reconstructed ACL after fixation can be derived from the value of the probing device.
BIOENGINEERING-BASEL
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Y. Wu, Y. Ma, N. Kovalchuk, J. Du, L. Xing
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Slimane Tounekti, Mahdi Alizadeh, Devon Middleton, James S. Harrop, Bassem Hiba, Laura Krisa, Choukri Mekkaoui, Feroze B. Mohamed
Summary: This study proposes and demonstrates a new method combining reduced field-of-view strategy with phase segmented EPI to address geometric distortion in post-operative DTI scans of patients with metal implants. The results show that the new method outperforms traditional techniques in reducing distortion.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
(2024)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Silvia Minosse, Eliseo Picchi, Valentina Ferrazzoli, Noemi Pucci, Valerio Da Ros, Raffaella Giocondo, Roberto Floris, Francesco Garaci, Francesca Di Giuliano
Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the variation of DCE-MRI-derived kinetic parameters in brain tumors as a function of acquisition time. The results showed that K-ep and V-e were time-dependent and required longer scan times to obtain reliable parameter values, while K-trans was time-independent and remained the same in all acquisition times, making it a reliable parameter for short acquisition times.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
(2024)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Xingmin Guan, Xinheng Zhang, Hsin-Jung Yang, Rohan Dharmakumar
Summary: This study aims to investigate why DIR-prepared dark-blood T2* weighted images have lower SNR, CNR, and diagnostic accuracy for intramyocardial hemorrhage (IMH) detection compared to non-DIR-prepared bright-blood T2* images. Through phantom and animal studies, it was confirmed that the signal loss on DIR-prepared T2* images mainly originates from spin-relaxation during the DIR preparation. Therefore, when used for IMH detection, extra attention should be paid to the SNR of DIR-prepared dark-blood T2* imaging protocols.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
(2024)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Beatriz Laureano, Hassna Irzan, Helen OReilly, Sebastian Ourselin, Neil Marlow, Andrew Melbourne
Summary: Prematurity and preterm stressors have significant effects on the development of infants, especially at earlier gestations. While neonatal care advances have reduced preterm mortality rates, disability rates continue to grow in middle-income settings. Imaging the preterm brain using MR technology has improved our understanding of its development and the affected regions and networks. This research aims to support interventions, improve neurodevelopment, and provide accurate prognoses for preterm infants. This study focuses on the fully developed brain of extremely preterm subjects and examines myelin-related biomarkers to assess long-term effects. The findings suggest altered connectivity and cognitive outcomes in the adult preterm brain.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
(2024)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Julian Rauch, Frederik B. Laun, Peter Bachert, Mark E. Ladd, Tristan A. Kuder
Summary: This study presents a method for reducing concomitant field effects in double diffusion encoding (DDE) sequences by adding oscillating gradient pulses. The modified sequences successfully reduced accumulated concomitant phase without significant changes in the original sequence characteristics. The proposed method led to an increase in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for phantom and in vivo experiments, supported by simulations.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
(2024)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Marlon Bran Lorenzana, Shekhar S. Chandra, Feng Liu
Summary: Sparse reconstruction is important in MRI for reducing acquisition time and improving spatial-temporal resolution. This paper introduces two decoupling techniques for explicit 1D regularization and a combined 1D + 2D reconstruction technique that improves image quality.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
(2024)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Yifan Gou, W. Christopher Golden, Zixuan Lin, Jennifer Shepard, Aylin Tekes, Zhiyi Hu, Xin Li, Kumiko Oishi, Marilyn Albert, Hanzhang Lu, Peiying Liu, Dengrong Jiang
Summary: ARTS algorithm improves the reliability of Y-v estimation in noncompliant subjects, enhancing the utility of Y-v as a biomarker for brain diseases.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
(2024)
