Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful clinical imaging technique for the non-invasive diagnosis and posttherapy assessment of a variety of diseases. MRI contrast can be enhanced by the use of positive or negative contrast agents resulting in brighter (T1-weighted) or darker (T2-weighted) images, respectively. Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles are T2 contrast agents that...

Introduction: The MRI detection of superparamagnetic iron-oxide particles (SPIO) -labeled cells is important in cell-replacement therapies, which can help monitoring the migration/proliferation of cells following the transplantation. Cells loaded with SPIOs cause signal reduction (negative contrast) associated with dephasing due to the magnetic field inhomogeneity near the cells, therefore the ...

-Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) develops against a background of cirrhosis by a multi-step dedifferentiation process from regenerative nodules to dysplastic nodules to HCC. Liver transplantation provides the most effective treatment for HCC providing the diagnosis is made at an early stage, but because the liver is structurally abnormal, HCC is often difficult to detect and distin...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)-enhanced MRI for the detection of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with dynamic helical CT. METHODS SPIO-enhanced MR and dynamic helical CT images obtained from 41 patients with 52 hypervascular HCCs (5-130 mm; mean, 27 mm) were retrospectively analyzed. MRI were obta...

Advances of nanotechnology have led to the development of nanomaterials with both potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Among them, superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles have received particular attention. Over the past decade, various SPIOs with unique physicochemical and biological properties have been designed by modifying the particle structure, size and coating. Th...

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to evaluate in vivo MR imaging for the depiction of intraarterially injected superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)-labeled mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in an experimental rat model of renal ischemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS Left renal ischemia was induced in 12 male Sprague-Dawley rats by use of the catheter lodging method. In vivo MR signal intensity variations...

BACKGROUND Nanoparticulate drug delivery systems have attracted significant attention in the field of cancer nanotechnology. This study determines the effect of folate-based Fe2O3 nanoparticles. This study aimed to decorate nanoparticles with folate (FA), a molecular ligand for 'active' targeting of cancerous cells and the application of modified-nanoparticles in cancer treatment. MATERIALS A...

Alginate microspheres loaded with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIO NPs) have been fabricated by a T-junction microfluidic device combined with an external ionic crosslinking. The obtained microspheres possess excellent visuality under magnetic resonance due to the presence of only 0.6 mg/mL SPIO NPs. The microspheres also show uniform size with narrow distribution and regular sp...

Dual-modality imaging, using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) simultaneously, is a powerful tool to gain valuable information correlating structure with function in biomedicine. The advantage of this dual approach is that the strengths of one modality can balance the weaknesses of the other. However, success of this technique requires developing imaging pr...

In order to delineate the location of the tumor both before and during operation, we developed targeted bi-functional polymeric micelles for magnetic resonance (MR) and fluorescence imaging in liver tumors. Hydrophobic superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) were loaded into the polymeric micelles through self-assembly of an amphiphilic block copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ϵ-c...