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29


Probing muscle recovery following downhill running using precise mapping of MRI T2 relaxation times

Holodov, Maria; Markus, Irit; Solomon, Chen; Shahar, Shimon; Blumenfeld-Katzir, Tamar; Gepner, Yftach; Ben-Eliezer, Noam
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:Postexercise recovery rate is a vital component of designing personalized training protocols and rehabilitation plans. Tracking exercise-induced muscle damage and recovery requires sensitive tools that can probe the muscles' state and composition noninvasively. METHODS:was performed using the echo-modulation-curve algorithm before exercise, and at two time points: 1 h and 48 h after exercise. RESULTS:values was found following exercise for all tested muscles after 1 h (16%-21%), indicating a short-term decrease in the heterogeneity of the muscle tissue. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:elevation occurring in primary movers, followed by delayed elevation in both primary and antagonist muscle groups, presumably due to secondary damage caused by systemic processes.
PMID: 37345717
ISSN: 1522-2594
CID: 5542812

Estimation of subvoxel fat infiltration in neurodegenerative muscle disorders using quantitative multi-T2 analysis

Nassar, Jannette; Trabelsi, Amira; Amer, Rula; Le Fur, Yann; Attarian, Shahram; Radunsky, Dvir; Blumenfeld-Katzir, Tamar; Greenspan, Hayit; Bendahan, David; Ben-Eliezer, Noam
MRI's T2 relaxation time is a valuable biomarker for neuromuscular disorders and muscle dystrophies. One of the hallmarks of these pathologies is the infiltration of adipose tissue and a loss of muscle volume. This leads to a mixture of two signal components, from fat and from water, to appear in each imaged voxel, each having a specific T2 relaxation time. In this proof-of-concept work, we present a technique that can separate the signals from water and from fat within each voxel, measure their separate T2 values, and calculate their relative fractions. The echo modulation curve (EMC) algorithm is a dictionary-based technique that offers accurate and reproducible mapping of T2 relaxation times. We present an extension of the EMC algorithm for estimating subvoxel fat and water fractions, alongside the T2 and proton-density values of each component. To facilitate data processing, calf and thigh anatomy were automatically segmented using a fully convolutional neural network and FSLeyes software. The preprocessing included creating two signal dictionaries, for water and for fat, using Bloch simulations of the prospective protocol. Postprocessing included voxelwise fitting for two components, by matching the experimental decay curve to a linear combination of the two simulated dictionaries. Subvoxel fat and water fractions and relaxation times were generated and used to calculate a new quantitative biomarker, termed viable muscle index, and reflecting disease severity. This biomarker indicates the fraction of remaining muscle out of the entire muscle region. The results were compared with those using the conventional Dixon technique, showing high agreement (R = 0.98, p < 0.001). It was concluded that the new extension of the EMC algorithm can be used to quantify abnormal fat infiltration as well as identify early inflammatory processes corresponding to elevation in the T2 value of the water (muscle) component. This new ability may improve the diagnostic accuracy of neuromuscular diseases, help stratification of patients according to disease severity, and offer an efficient tool for tracking disease progression.
PMID: 37021657
ISSN: 1099-1492
CID: 5463842

Correcting for imaging gradients-related bias of T2 relaxation times at high-resolution MRI

Bnaiahu, Natalie; Omer, Noam; Wilczynski, Ella; Levy, Shir; Blumenfeld-Katzir, Tamar; Ben-Eliezer, Noam
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:values due to molecular diffusion. This affects both single-echo and multi-echo spin echo (SSE and MESE), on top of the well-known contamination of MESE signals by stimulated echoes, and especially on high-field and preclinical scanners in which high imaging gradients are used in comparison to clinical scanners. METHODS:-diffusion reconstruction algorithm. Validation was done on phantoms and in vivo mouse brain using a 9.4T and a 7T MRI scanner. RESULTS:values from -33.5 ± 20.5% to -0.1 ± 3.6%. CONCLUSIONS:values at high resolutions.
PMID: 35666831
ISSN: 1522-2594
CID: 5248212

Determining the internal orientation, degree of ordering, and volume of elongated nanocavities by NMR: Application to studies of plant stem

Furman, Gregory; Meerovich, Victor; Sokolovsky, Vladimir; Xia, Yang; Salem, Sarah; Shavit, Tamar; Blumenfeld-Katzir, Tamar; Ben-Eliezer, Noam
This study investigates the fibril nanostructure of fresh celery samples by modeling the anisotropic behavior of the transverse relaxation time (T2) in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Experimental results are interpreted within the framework of a previously developed theory, which was successfully used to model the nanostructures of several biological tissues as a set of water filled nanocavities, hence explaining the anisotropy the T2 relaxation time in vivo. An important feature of this theory is to determine the degree of orientational ordering of the nanocavities, their characteristic volume, and their average direction with respect to the macroscopic sample. Results exhibit good agreement between theory and experimental data, which are, moreover, supported by optical microscopic resolution. The quantitative NMR approach presented herein can be potentially used to determine the internal ordering of biological tissues noninvasively.
PMID: 35753185
ISSN: 1096-0856
CID: 5280952

Mapping of MRI's T2 relaxation time at low SNR using Bloch simulations and principal component analysis image denoising

Stern, Neta; Radunsky, Dvir; Blumenfeld-Katzir, Tamar; Chechik, Yigal; Solomon, Chen; Ben-Eliezer, Noam
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:relaxation maps. METHODS:values, along with gold standard SNR estimation of the phantom scans. RESULTS:maps' precision and SNR, while successfully preserving the morphological features of the tissue. CONCLUSIONS:maps produced by the EMC algorithm and thus increases their precision. The proposed method can be useful for a wide range of clinical applications by facilitating earlier detection of pathologies and improving the accuracy of patients' follow up.
PMID: 35899528
ISSN: 1099-1492
CID: 5276732

Quantification of Intra-Muscular Adipose Infiltration in Calf/Thigh MRI Using Fully and Weakly Supervised Semantic Segmentation

Amer, Rula; Nassar, Jannette; Trabelsi, Amira; Bendahan, David; Greenspan, Hayit; Ben-Eliezer, Noam
PMCID:9312115
PMID: 35877366
ISSN: 2306-5354
CID: 5276252

T2 Mapping Values in Postmeniscectomy Knee Articular Cartilage after Running: Early Signs of Osteoarthritis?

Lindner, Dror; Chechik, Yigal; Beer, Yiftah; Tal, Sigal; Lysyy, Oleg; Blumenfeld-Katzir, Tamar; Ben-Eliezer, Noam; Agar, Gabriel
Loading on the joints during running may have a deleterious effect on post-partial meniscectomy knee cartilage, leading to osteoarthritis. Utilizing T2-mapping measurements before and after running may enable the observation of changes in the articular cartilage of the postmeniscectomy knees compared with healthy knees. After medial partial meniscectomy, 12 volunteers underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the both knees, before and immediately after 30 minutes of running. Quantitative assessment of articular cartilage was performed using a T2-mapping technique. In the medial compartment of the operated knees, significantly lower T2 values were found in anterior tibial plateau (pre- vs. postrun: 33.85 vs. 30.45 ms; p = 0.003) and central tibial plateau (33.33 vs. 30.63 ms; p = 0.007). Similar differences were found in lateral regions of central femur (post- vs. prerun: 35.86 vs. 40.35 ms; p = 0.015), posterior femur (34.89 vs. 37.73 ms; p = 0.001), and anterior tibia (24.66 vs. 28.70 ms, p = 0.0004). In lateral compartment, postrun values were significantly lower in operated compared with healthy knees, in central femur (34.89 vs. 37.59 ms; p = 0.043), posterior femoral (36.88 vs. 39.36 ms; p = 0.017), anterior tibia (24.66 vs. 30.20 ms; p = 0.009), and posterior tibia (28.84 vs. 33.17 ms; p = 0.006). No statistical difference was found while comparing postrun to prerun healthy knees. Lower T2 values were found in operated knees after 30 minutes of running. These changes were seen in medial and lateral compartments. We suspect that running may subject the articular cartilage to excessive loads in the post-partial meniscectomy knee, loads that in healthy knee do not cause any changes.
PMID: 33111272
ISSN: 1938-2480
CID: 4663612

Data-driven algorithm for myelin water imaging: Probing subvoxel compartmentation based on identification of spatially global tissue features

Omer, Noam; Galun, Meirav; Stern, Neta; Blumenfeld-Katzir, Tamar; Ben-Eliezer, Noam
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:motifs in white matter segments before deconvolving the local signal at each voxel. METHODS:motifs without additional prior assumptions regarding the number of microscopic components. The end results of this process are voxel-wise myelin water fraction maps. RESULTS:phantoms, exhibiting excellent agreement between calculated myelin water fraction and ground truth. Proof-of-concept in vivo validation is done by calculating myelin water fraction maps for white matter segments of the human brain. Interscan stability of myelin water fraction values was also estimated, showing good correlation between scans. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:space. This new approach can improve myelin water imaging and the investigation of microstructural compartmentation in general.
PMID: 34958690
ISSN: 1522-2594
CID: 5108032

Age Differences in Recovery Rate Following an Aerobic-Based Exercise Protocol Inducing Muscle Damage Among Amateur, Male Athletes

Markus, Irit; Constantini, Keren; Goldstein, Nir; Amedi, Roee; Bornstein, Yael; Stolkovsky, Yael; Vidal, Merav; Lev-Ari, Shahar; Balaban, Roy; Leibou, Stav; Blumenfeld-Katzir, Tamar; Ben-Eliezer, Noam; Peled, David; Assaf, Yaniv; Jensen, Dennis; Constantini, Naama; Dubnov-Raz, Gal; Halperin, Israel; Gepner, Yftach
PMCID:9239318
PMID: 35774290
ISSN: 1664-042x
CID: 5281402

Accelerated reconstruction of dictionary-based T2 relaxation maps based on dictionary compression and gradient descent search algorithms

Shpringer, Guy; Bendahan, David; Ben-Eliezer, Noam
Background Quantitative T2-relaxation-based contrast maps have shown to be highly beneficial for clinical diagnosis and follow-up. The generation of quantitative maps, however, is impaired by long acquisition times, and time-consuming post-processing schemes. The EMC platform is a dictionary-based technique, which involves simulating theoretical signal curves for different physical and experimental values, followed by matching the experimentally acquired signals to the set simulated ones. Purpose Although the EMC technique has shown to produce accurate T2 maps, it involves computationally intensive post-processing procedures. In this work we present an approach for accelerating the reconstruction of T2 relaxation maps. Methods This work presents two alternative post-processing approaches for accelerating the reconstruction of EMC-based T2 relaxation maps. These are (a) Dictionary compression using principal component analysis (PCA) and (b) gradient-descent search algorithm. Additional acceleration was achieved by finding the optimal MATLAB C++ compiler. The utility of the two suggested approaches was examined by calculating the relative error, produced by each technique. Results Gradient descent method was in perfect agreement with the ground truth exhaustive search matching process. PCA based acceleration produced root mean square error (RMSE) of up to 4% compared to exhaustive matching process. Overall acceleration of x16 was achieved using gradient descent in addition to x7 acceleration by choosing the optimal MATLAB C++ compiler. Conclusions Postprocessing of EMC-based T2 relaxation maps can be accelerated without impairing the accuracy of the ensuing T2 values.
PMID: 34973389
ISSN: 1873-5894
CID: 5108422