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Biomedical subjects

I E Dimitrov

Publications and source records attributed to I E Dimitrov.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Functionalized xenon as a biosensor.

The detection of biological molecules and their interactions is a significant component of modern biomedical research. In current biosensor technologies, simultaneous detection is limited to a small number of analytes by the spectral overlap of their signals. We have developed an NMR-based xenon biosensor that capitalizes on the enhanced signal-to-noise, spectral simplicity, and chemical-shift sensitivity of laser-polarized xenon to detect specific biomolecules at the level of tens of nanomoles. We present results using xenon "functionalized" by a biotin-modified supramolecular cage to detect biotin-avidin binding. This biosensor methodology can be extended to a multiplexing assay for multiple analytes.

Avidin↗

Demonstration of a compact compressor for application of metastability-exchange optical pumping of 3He to human lung imaging.

Hyperpolarized gas magnetic resonance imaging has recently emerged as a method to image lungs, sinuses, and the brain. The best lung images to date have been produced using hyperpolarized 3He, which is produced by either spin-exchange or metastability-exchange optical pumping. For hyperpolarized gas MRI, the metastable method has demonstrated higher polarization levels and higher polarizing rates, but it requires compression of the hyperpolarized gas. Prior to this work, compression of hyperpolarized gas had only been accomplished using a large, complex and expensive apparatus. Here, human lung ventilation images are presented that were obtained using a compact compressor that is relatively simple and inexpensive. For this test, 1.1 bar-L of 15% hyperpolarized 3He gas was produced at the National Institute of Standards and Technology using a modified commercial diaphragm pump. The hyperpolarized gas was transported to the University of Pennsylvania in a holding field provided by a portable solenoid.

Adult↗

Intermolecular dipole-dipole relaxation of (129)Xe dissolved in water.

Intermolecular (129)Xe-(1)H nuclear Overhauser effects and (129)Xe longitudinal relaxation time measurements were used to demonstrate that the dipole-dipole coupling is the dominant relaxation mechanism for (129)Xe in water, at room temperature. (129)Xe-(1)H cross-relaxation rates were derived to be sigma(XeH) approximately 3.2 +/- 0.3 x 10(-3) s(-1), independent of xenon pressure (in the range of 1-10 bar) and of the presence of oxygen. Corresponding xenon-proton internuclear distances were calculated to be 2.69 +/- 0.12 A. Using the magnitude of the dipole-dipole coupling and the spin density ratio between dissolved xenon and bulk water, it is estimated that (129)Xe-(1)H spin polarization-induced nuclear Overhauser effects would yield little net proton signal enhancement in water.

Algorithms↗

An MR imaging method for simultaneous measurement of gaseous diffusion constant and longitudinal relaxation time.

A magnetic resonance imaging method for simultaneous and accurate determination of gaseous diffusion constant and longitudinal relaxation time is presented. The method is based on direct observation of diffusive motion. Initially, a slice-selective saturation of helium-3 (3He) spins was performed on a 3He/O2 phantom (9 atm/2 atm). A time-delay interval was introduced after saturation, allowing spins to diffuse in and out of the labeled slice. Following the delay interval a one-dimensional (1-D) projection image of the phantom was acquired. A series of 21 images was collected, each subsequent image having been acquired with an increased delay interval. Gradual spreading of the slice boundaries due to diffusion was thus observed. The projection profiles were fit to a solution of the Bloch equation corrected for diffusive motion. The fitting procedure yielded a value of D3He = 0.1562+/-0.0013 cm2/s, in good agreement with a measurement obtained with a modified version of the standard pulsed-field gradient technique. The method also enabled us to accurately measure the longitudinal relaxation of 3He spins by fitting the change of the total area under the projection profiles to an exponential. A value of T1 = 1.67 s (2 T field) was recorded, in excellent agreement with an inversion recovery measurement.

Diffusion↗

MRI of hyperpolarized 3He gas in human paranasal sinuses.

In this study, MRI of hyperpolarized 3He gas in human paranasal sinuses is presented. Helium images were obtained at 1.5 T, using a surface coil and a 2D, fast gradient-echo sequence with a nominal constant flip angle of 12 degrees. Coronal images of 20-mm thick slices were generated and compared with proton images of the corresponding sections. The images enable visualization of the paranasal sinuses and the nasal cavity, suggesting a potential use of this method not only in identifying the anatomical configuration of these pneumatic spaces, but also in assessing sinus ventilation.

Adult↗