.... http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/landing.cda?type=Feature&chId=3 http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cma/download.cma?imageType=RssLogo&contentType=Feature&siteId=1&chId=3 http://www.spectroscopynow.com/ http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=23150&type=Feature&page=1 MRI proves to be a good diagnostic tool for testicular cancer and could spare some men unnecessary surgery. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=23050&type=Feature&page=1 Magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the molecular cousin of MRI could be used to pinpoint the exact location of prostate cancers and to determine the aggressiveness of a tumour, according to research published in the Science Translational Medicine. The approach could help guide treatment. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=22951&type=Feature&page=1 US scientists have used MRI to show that apparently the less you use your brain's frontal lobes, the more you perceive your behaviour through rose-tinted spectacles. They publish details in the February issue of the journal NeuroImage. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=22931&type=Feature&page=1 <I>In vivo</I> MRS from the cerebellar vermis and occipital cortex of cats with alpha mannosidosis (AMD) demonstrated a broad signal between 3.4 - 4.3 ppm (arrowed) from undigested oligosaccharides, which was not observed in normal cats. High-resolution NMR spectra of perchloric acid extracts confirmed the presence of accumulated oligosaccharides along with increased resonances from Glc-NAc and anomeric sugar protons in tissues from AMD cats. This characteristic MRS pattern may be used for diagnosis and treatment monitoring of AMD. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=22755&type=Feature&page=1 A single nanoparticle can be tracked using real-time MRI as it homes in on cancer cells. A fluorescent dye used to tag the nanoparticle couples with heat therapy to kill the targeted cells. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=22783&type=Feature&page=1 Diffusion tensor imaging can display diffusional anisotropy of tissue. Possibly, proton diffusivity within the highly ordered musculature will change with muscle length since the cross sectional area of the muscle increases with shortening. Results show that the fractional anisotropy significantly decreases and the mean diffusion increases with muscle shortening. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=22622&type=Feature&page=1 Body mass index, BMI, is not a reliable indicator of overall fitness for obese individuals as assessed by internal, or visceral, fat. An MRI and NMR study reveals that fat accumulation in different parts of the body, such as around the heart and the aorta and within the liver, is associated with decreased heart function, but BMI offers no correlation for this problem. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=22607&type=Feature&page=1 This personal account, taken from the current special 'coils' issue of <I>NMR in Biomedicine</I>, charts the development of the birdcage resonator, covering the historic context of early MRI development. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=22455&type=Feature&page=1 UK scientists have used magnetic resonance imaging to reveal that learning a complex task like juggling can causes changes in the white matter in the brain. The findings could have implications for developing new approaches to neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=22446&type=Feature&page=1 Collagen is the major constituent of the extracellular matrix and responsible for maintaining the structural integrity of organs and tissues, and in pathological processes such as atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. The diagnostics of the latter diseases using MRI could strongly benefit from the use of collagen-specific contrast agents. Read this outstanding paper selected by the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, <i>Contrast Media & Molecular Imaging</i>. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=22274&type=Feature&page=1 US researchers have demonstrated proof of principle that a short and simple assessment of eye movements in suspected stroke patients can distinguish new strokes from other less serious disorders better than magnetic resonance imaging. The technique demonstrated only in a small-scale study could help screen patients complaining of dizziness, nausea, and spinning sensations. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=22308&type=Feature&page=1 Metabolic profiling of urine provides a fingerprint of personalized endogenous metabolite markers that correlate to a number of factors such as gender, disease, diet, toxicity, medication, and age. In this study, age-related metabolic changes in children of age 12 years and below were analyzed by 1H NMR spectroscopy of urine. These results may be potentially useful in assessing the biological age (as opposed to chronological) of young humans as well as in providing a deeper understanding of the confounding factors in the application of metabolomics. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=22156&type=Feature&page=1 The sight of her baby's smile or even its tears cause the reward centres in a mother's brain to light up, according to an international functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, but only if the mother herself had a secure attachment to her own parent. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=22115&type=Feature&page=1 Though, the chick embryo has long been used as a model for cardiovascular research, MRI has not yet been used for in vivo cardiac studies. This study used retrospectively gated Cine MRI to image the cardiac function of chick embryos in ovo, thus eliminating the need for ECG and respiratory gating The images were then analysed to quantify left ventricular functional parameters and mass. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=22020&type=Feature&page=1 A study of children infected by H1N1 influenza, also known as swine flu, highlighted by the US Center for Disease Control used MRI and other scanning techniques to determine what brain complications may have occurred during the progression of the disease. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=22028&type=Feature&page=1 The purposes of this study was to determine age-related changes in MR properties as T2 and T2* relaxation times, fat content, and magnetization transfer in the human calf, and comparison of these effects in different muscle groups. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=21871&type=Feature&page=1 A new approach to brain surgery avoids the use of the surgeon's scalpel and instead exploits advances in magnetic resonance imaging to guide an ultrasound intervention. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=21860&type=Feature&page=1 The primary goal of this study was to determine if abnormalities of 1H MRSI derived metabolite concentrations were apparent in those brain regions that also showed microstructural abnormalities by diffusion tensor imaging in two similar cohorts of alcohol dependent individuals. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=21695&type=Feature&page=1 New software for the automated analysis of MRI brain scans could help specialists identify cases of mild cognitive impairment years before full-blown Alzheimer's disease is apparent, according to US researchers. http://www.spectroscopyNOW.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?chId=3&id=21692&type=Feature&page=1 A new technique is presented to create nosologic images of the brain using MRI and MRSI data. A nosologic image summarizes the presence of different tissues and lesions in a single image by color coding each voxel or pixel according to the histopathological class it is assigned to. The proposed technique applies advanced methods from image processing and pattern recognition to seqment and classify brain tumors, thereby representing tumor heterogeneity and class probabilities, which may help clinicians in decision making.