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Dai F, Li Y, Zhu Y, Li B, Shi Q, Chen Y, Ta D. B-mode ultrasound to elastography synthesis using multiscale learning. ULTRASONICS 2024; 138:107268. [PMID: 38402836 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultras.2024.107268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Elastography is a promising diagnostic tool that measures the hardness of tissues, and it has been used in clinics for detecting lesion progress, such as benign and malignant tumors. However, due to the high cost of examination and limited availability of elastic ultrasound devices, elastography is not widely used in primary medical facilities in rural areas. To address this issue, a deep learning approach called the multiscale elastic image synthesis network (MEIS-Net) was proposed, which utilized the multiscale learning to synthesize elastic images from ultrasound data instead of traditional ultrasound elastography in virtue of elastic deformation. The method integrates multi-scale features of the prostate in an innovative way and enhances the elastic synthesis effect through a fusion module. The module obtains B-mode ultrasound and elastography feature maps, which are used to generate local and global elastic ultrasound images through their correspondence. Finally, the two-channel images are synthesized into output elastic images. To evaluate the approach, quantitative assessments and diagnostic tests were conducted, comparing the results of MEIS-Net with several deep learning-based methods. The experiments showed that MEIS-Net was effective in synthesizing elastic images from B-mode ultrasound data acquired from two different devices, with a structural similarity index of 0.74 ± 0.04. This outperformed other methods such as Pix2Pix (0.69 ± 0.09), CycleGAN (0.11 ± 0.27), and StarGANv2 (0.02 ± 0.01). Furthermore, the diagnostic tests demonstrated that the classification performance of the synthetic elastic image was comparable to that of real elastic images, with only a 3 % decrease in the area under the curve (AUC), indicating the clinical effectiveness of the proposed method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Dai
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Information Science and Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Yifang Li
- Academy for Engineering and Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Yunkai Zhu
- Department of Ultrasound, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Boyi Li
- Academy for Engineering and Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Qinzhen Shi
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Information Science and Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Yaqing Chen
- Department of Ultrasound, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China.
| | - Dean Ta
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Information Science and Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
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Kinard TC, Wrenn SP. Triglycerides Stabilize Water/Organic Interfaces of Changing Area via Conformational Flexibility. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:2500-2509. [PMID: 38284535 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
The role of triglycerides (TGs) in both natural and synthetic biological membranes has long been the subject of study, involving metabolism, disease, and colloidal synthesis. TGs have been found to be critical components for successful liposomal encapsulation via a water/oil/water double emulsion, which this work endeavors to explain. TGs can occupy multiple positions in biological membranes. The glycerol backbone can reside at the water/organic interface, adjacent to phospholipid headgroups ("m" conformation), typically with relatively low (<3%) solubility. The glycerol backbone can also occupy hydrophobic regions, where it is isolated from water ("h" or "oil" conformation). This can occur in either midmembrane positions or phospholipid-coated lipid droplets (LDs). These conformations can be distinguished using 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), which determines the degree of hydration of the TG backbone. Using this method, it was revealed that TGs transition from "m" to "h" conformation as the organic solvent is removed via evaporation. A new transitional TG backbone position has been identified with a level of hydration between "m" and "h". These results suggest that TGs can temporarily coat and stabilize the large water/organic interfaces present after emulsification. As the organic solvent is removed and interfaces shrink, the TGs recede into midmembrane spaces or bud off into LDs, which are confirmed via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and can be removed via centrifugation. Encapsulation efficiency is found to be inversely related to both the saturation and length of the TG acyl chains, indicating that membrane fluidization is a key property arising from the presence of TGs. Beyond clarification of a mechanism for high-efficiency liposomal encapsulation, these results implicate TGs as components that are able to stabilize biological membrane transitions involving a changing interfacial area and curvature. This role for TGs may be of use in the formulation of drug delivery systems as well as in the investigation of membrane transitions in life sciences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C Kinard
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, 635 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Steven P Wrenn
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, 635 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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Honari A, Sirsi SR. The Evolution and Recent Trends in Acoustic Targeting of Encapsulated Drugs to Solid Tumors: Strategies beyond Sonoporation. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:1705. [PMID: 37376152 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15061705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite recent advancements in ultrasound-mediated drug delivery and the remarkable success observed in pre-clinical studies, no delivery platform utilizing ultrasound contrast agents has yet received FDA approval. The sonoporation effect was a game-changing discovery with a promising future in clinical settings. Various clinical trials are underway to assess sonoporation's efficacy in treating solid tumors; however, there are disagreements on its applicability to the broader population due to long-term safety issues. In this review, we first discuss how acoustic targeting of drugs gained importance in cancer pharmaceutics. Then, we discuss ultrasound-targeting strategies that have been less explored yet hold a promising future. We aim to shed light on recent innovations in ultrasound-based drug delivery including newer designs of ultrasound-sensitive particles specifically tailored for pharmaceutical usage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arvin Honari
- Department of Bioengineering, Erik Johnson School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA
| | - Shashank R Sirsi
- Department of Bioengineering, Erik Johnson School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA
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Cimorelli M, Flynn MA, Angel B, Reimold E, Banka SS, Andrien B, Fafarman A, Huneke R, Kohut A, Wrenn S. Selective Enhancement of Swine Myocardium with a Novel Ultrasound Enhancing Agent During Transthoracic Echocardiography. J Cardiovasc Transl Res 2022; 15:722-729. [PMID: 35099715 DOI: 10.1007/s12265-022-10207-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Ultrasound enhancing agents are approved to delineate the endocardial border and opacify the left ventricle cavity (LVC). We present a nested phase change agent (NPCA) designed to enable selective myocardial enhancement without enhancing the LVC by employing a dual-activation mechanism dependent on sufficient ultrasound intensity and the microenvironment of the myocardium. Swine received bolus injections of NPCA while echocardiograms were collected and processed to determine background-subtracted acoustic intensities (AI) in the LVC and septal myocardium. At mechanical index (MI) ≥ 0.8, the NPCA enhanced the myocardium selectively (p < 0.001) while the LVC remained at baseline AI. A 5-mL bolus of NPCA enhanced swine myocardium and enhancement persisted for > 5 min at 1.4 MI, while hemodynamics and EKG remained normal. Our findings demonstrate that the NPCA enhances swine myocardium selectively without enhancing the LVC. The NPCA could have utility for functional and structural echocardiographic studies with clinical ultrasound using standard settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Cimorelli
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Michael A Flynn
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Brett Angel
- Cardiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Cardiology, Tower Health, Phoenixville, PA, USA
| | - Emily Reimold
- University Laboratory Animal Resources, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sahil S Banka
- Cardiology, Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Benjamin Andrien
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Aaron Fafarman
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Richard Huneke
- University Laboratory Animal Resources, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Andrew Kohut
- Cardiology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Steven Wrenn
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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Cimorelli M, Flynn MA, Angel B, Fafarman A, Kohut A, Wrenn S. An Ultrasound Enhancing Agent with Nonlinear Acoustic Activity that Depends on the Presence of an Electric Field. ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY 2020; 46:2370-2387. [PMID: 32616427 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2020.04.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The nonlinear acoustic properties of microbubble ultrasound enhancing agents have allowed for the development of subharmonic, second harmonic, and contrast-pulse sequence ultrasound imaging modes, which enhance the quality, reduce the noise, and improve the diagnostic capabilities of clinical ultrasound. This study details acoustic scattering responses of perfluorobutane (PFB) microbubbles, an un-nested perfluoropentane (PFP) nanoemulsion, and two nested PFP nanoemulsions-one comprising a negatively charged phospholipid bilayer and another comprising a zwitterionic phospholipid bilayer-when excited at 1 or 2.25 MHz over a peak negative pressure range of 200 kPa to 4 MPa in the absence and presence of a 1-Hz, 1-V/cm electric field. The only sample that exhibited an increase in nonlinear activity in the presence of an electric field at both excitation frequencies was the negatively charged nested PFP nanoemulsion; the most pronounced effect was observed at an excitation of 2.25 MHz. Interestingly, the application of an electric field not only increased the nonlinear acoustic activity of the negatively charged nested PFP nanoemulsion but increased it beyond that seen when the nanoemulsion is un-nested and on the same scale as PFB microbubbles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Cimorelli
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Michael A Flynn
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Brett Angel
- Cardiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Aaron Fafarman
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Andrew Kohut
- Cardiology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Steven Wrenn
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Bastarrachea LJ, Walsh M, Wrenn SP, Tikekar RV. Enhanced antimicrobial effect of ultrasound by the food colorant Erythrosin B. Food Res Int 2017; 100:344-351. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2017.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2017] [Revised: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 07/02/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Wallace N, Wrenn SP. Ultrasound triggered drug delivery with liposomal nested microbubbles. ULTRASONICS 2015; 63:31-38. [PMID: 26152887 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultras.2015.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Revised: 06/10/2015] [Accepted: 06/10/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
When ultrasound contrast agent microbubbles are nested within a liposome, damage to the liposome membrane caused by both stable and inertial cavitation of the microbubble allows for release of the aqueous core of the liposome. Triggered release was not accomplished unless microbubbles were present within the liposome. Leakage was tested using fluorescence assays developed specifically for this drug delivery vehicle and qualitative measurements using an optical microscope. These studies were done using a 1 MHz focused ultrasound transducer while varying parameters including peak negative ultrasound pressure, average liposome diameter, and microbubble concentration. Two regimes exist for membrane disruption caused by cavitating microbubbles. A faster release rate, as well as permanent membrane damage are seen for samples exposed to high pressure (2.1-3.7 MPa). A slower release rate and dilation/temporary poration are characteristic of stable cavitation for low pressure studies (0.54-1.7 MPa).
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Affiliation(s)
- N Wallace
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States.
| | - S P Wrenn
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States.
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Arena CB, Novell A, Sheeran PS, Puett C, Moyer LC, Dayton PA. Dual-frequency acoustic droplet vaporization detection for medical imaging. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ULTRASONICS, FERROELECTRICS, AND FREQUENCY CONTROL 2015; 62:1623-33. [PMID: 26415125 PMCID: PMC5507352 DOI: 10.1109/tuffc.2014.006883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-filled perfluorocarbon droplets emit a unique acoustic signature when vaporized into gas-filled microbubbles using ultrasound. Here, we conducted a pilot study in a tissue-mimicking flow phantom to explore the spatial aspects of droplet vaporization and investigate the effects of applied pressure and droplet concentration on image contrast and axial and lateral resolution. Control microbubble contrast agents were used for comparison. A confocal dual-frequency transducer was used to transmit at 8 MHz and passively receive at 1 MHz. Droplet signals were of significantly higher energy than microbubble signals. This resulted in improved signal separation and high contrast-to-tissue ratios (CTR). Specifically, with a peak negative pressure (PNP) of 450 kPa applied at the focus, the CTR of B-mode images was 18.3 dB for droplets and -0.4 for microbubbles. The lateral resolution was dictated by the size of the droplet activation area, with lower pressures resulting in smaller activation areas and improved lateral resolution (0.67 mm at 450 kPa). The axial resolution in droplet images was dictated by the size of the initial droplet and was independent of the properties of the transmit pulse (3.86 mm at 450 kPa). In post-processing, time-domain averaging (TDA) improved droplet and microbubble signal separation at high pressures (640 kPa and 700 kPa). Taken together, these results indicate that it is possible to generate high-sensitivity, high-contrast images of vaporization events. In the future, this has the potential to be applied in combination with droplet-mediated therapy to track treatment outcomes or as a standalone diagnostic system to monitor the physical properties of the surrounding environment.
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Wallace N, Dicker S, Lewin P, Wrenn SP. Inertial cavitation threshold of nested microbubbles. ULTRASONICS 2015; 58:67-74. [PMID: 25620709 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultras.2014.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2014] [Revised: 12/15/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Cavitation of ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) promotes both beneficial and detrimental bioeffects in vivo (Radhakrishnan et al., 2013) [1]. The ability to determine the inertial cavitation threshold of UCA microbubbles has potential application in contrast imaging, development of therapeutic agents, and evaluation of localized effects on the body (Ammi et al., 2006) [2]. This study evaluates a novel UCA and its inertial cavitation behavior as determined by a home built cavitation detection system. Two 2.25 MHz transducers are placed at a 90° angle to one another where one transducer is driven by a high voltage pulser and the other transducer receives the signal from the oscillating microbubble. The sample chamber is placed in the overlap of the focal region of the two transducers where the microbubbles are exposed to a pulser signal consisting of 600 pulse trains per experiment at a pulse repetition frequency of 5 Hz where each train has four pulses of four cycles. The formulation being analyzed is comprised of an SF6 microbubble coated by a DSPC PEG-3000 monolayer nested within a poly-lactic acid (PLA) spherical shell. The effect of varying shell diameters and microbubble concentration on cavitation threshold profile for peak negative pressures ranging from 50 kPa to 2 MPa are presented and discussed in this paper. The nesting shell decreases inertial cavitation events from 97.96% for an un-nested microbubble to 19.09% for the same microbubbles nested within a 2.53 μm shell. As shell diameter decreases, the percentage of inertially cavitating microbubbles also decreases. For nesting formulations with average outer capsule diameters of 20.52, 14.95, 9.95, 5.55, 2.53, and 1.95 μm, the percentage of sample destroyed at 1 MPa was 51.02, 38.94, 33.25, 25.27, 19.09, and 5.37% respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Wallace
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - S Dicker
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Peter Lewin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - S P Wrenn
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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