I13-2-Diamond Manchester Imaging
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[19322]
Abstract: In-line phase contrast synchrotron tomography combined with in situ mechanical loading enables the characterisation of soft tissue micromechanics via digital volume correlation (DVC) within whole organs. Optimising scan time is important for reducing radiation dose from multiple scans and to limit sample movement during acquisition. Also, although contrasted edges provided by in-line phase contrast tomography of soft tissues are useful for DVC, the effect of phase contrast imaging on its accuracy has yet to be investigated. Due to limited time at synchrotron facilities, scan parameters are often decided during imaging and their effect on DVC accuracy is not fully understood. Here, we used previously published data of intervertebral disc phase contrast tomography to evaluate the influence of i) fibrous image texture, ii) number of projections, iii) tomographic reconstruction method, and iv) phase contrast propagation distance on DVC results. A greater understanding of how image texture influences optimal DVC tracking was obtained by visualising objective function mapping, enabling tracking inaccuracies to be identified. When reducing the number of projections, DVC was minimally affected by image high frequency noise but with a compromise in accuracy. Iterative reconstruction methods improved image signal-to-noise and consequently significantly lowered DVC displacement uncertainty. Propagation distance was shown to affect DVC accuracy. Consistent DVC results were achieved within a propagation distance range which provided contrast to the smallest scale features, where; too short a distance provided insufficient features to track, whereas too long led to edge effect inconsistencies, particularly at greater deformations. Although limited to a single sample type and image setup, this study provides general guidelines for future investigations when optimising image quality and scan times for in situ phase contrast x-ray tomography of fibrous connective tissues.
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Nov 2022
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I13-2-Diamond Manchester Imaging
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Maximilian
Ackermann
,
Jan C.
Kamp
,
Christopher
Werlein
,
Claire L.
Walsh
,
Helge
Stark
,
Verena
Prade
,
Rambabu
Surabattula
,
Willi
Wagner
,
Catherine
Disney
,
Andrew J.
Bodey
,
Thomas
Illig
,
Diana J.
Leeming
,
Morten A.
Karsdal
,
Alexandar
Tzankov
,
Peter
Boor
,
Mark P.
Kuhnel
,
Florian P.
Länger
,
Stijn E.
Verleden
,
Hans M.
Kvasnicka
,
Hans H.
Kreipe
,
Axel
Haverich
,
Stephen M.
Black
,
Axel
Walch
,
Paul
Tafforeau
,
Peter D.
Lee
,
Marius M.
Hoeper
,
Tobias
Welte
,
Benjamin
Seeliger
,
Sascha
David
,
Detlef
Schuppan
,
Steven J.
Mentzer
,
Danny D.
Jonigk
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[27025, 27094]
Open Access
Abstract: Background: COVID-19 is characterized by a heterogeneous clinical presentation, ranging from mild symptoms to severe courses of disease. 9–20% of hospitalized patients with severe lung disease die from COVID-19 and a substantial number of survivors develop long-COVID. Our objective was to provide comprehensive insights into the pathophysiology of severe COVID-19 and to identify liquid biomarkers for disease severity and therapy response. Methods: We studied a total of 85 lungs (n = 31 COVID autopsy samples; n = 7 influenza A autopsy samples; n = 18 interstitial lung disease explants; n = 24 healthy controls) using the highest resolution Synchrotron radiation-based hierarchical phase-contrast tomography, scanning electron microscopy of microvascular corrosion casts, immunohistochemistry, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging, and analysis of mRNA expression and biological pathways. Plasma samples from all disease groups were used for liquid biomarker determination using ELISA. The anatomic/molecular data were analyzed as a function of patients’ hospitalization time. Findings: The observed patchy/mosaic appearance of COVID-19 in conventional lung imaging resulted from microvascular occlusion and secondary lobular ischemia. The length of hospitalization was associated with increased intussusceptive angiogenesis. This was associated with enhanced angiogenic, and fibrotic gene expression demonstrated by molecular profiling and metabolomic analysis. Increased plasma fibrosis markers correlated with their pulmonary tissue transcript levels and predicted disease severity. Plasma analysis confirmed distinct fibrosis biomarkers (TSP2, GDF15, IGFBP7, Pro-C3) that predicted the fatal trajectory in COVID-19. Interpretation: Pulmonary severe COVID-19 is a consequence of secondary lobular microischemia and fibrotic remodelling, resulting in a distinctive form of fibrotic interstitial lung disease that contributes to long-COVID.
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Nov 2022
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I13-2-Diamond Manchester Imaging
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[13848]
Open Access
Abstract: Animals vary widely in body size within and across species. This has consequences for the function of organs and body parts in both large and small individuals. How these scale, in relation to body size, reveals evolutionary investment strategies, often resulting in trade-offs between functions. Eyes exemplify these trade-offs, as they are limited by their absolute size in two key performance features: sensitivity and spatial acuity. Due to their size polymorphism, insect compound eyes are ideal models for studying the allometric scaling of eye performance. Previous work on apposition compound eyes revealed that allometric scaling led to poorer spatial resolution and visual sensitivity in small individuals, across a range of insect species. Here, we used X-ray microtomography to investigate allometric scaling in superposition compound eyes—the second most common eye type in insects—for the first time. Our results reveal a novel strategy to cope with the trade-off between sensitivity and spatial acuity, as we show that the eyes of the hummingbird hawkmoth retain an optimal balance between these performance measures across all body sizes.
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Jul 2022
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I13-2-Diamond Manchester Imaging
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[10315, 16497, 22575]
Open Access
Abstract: Musculoskeletal tissues are complex hierarchical materials where mechanical response is linked to structural and material properties at different dimensional levels. Therefore, high-resolution three-dimensional tomography is very useful for assessing tissue properties at different scales. In particular, Synchrotron Radiation micro-Computed Tomography (SR-microCT) has been used in several applications to analyze the structure of bone and biomaterials. In the past decade the development of digital volume correlation (DVC) algorithms applied to SR-microCT images and its combination with in situ mechanical testing (four-dimensional imaging) have allowed researchers to visualise, for the first time, the deformation of bone tissue and its interaction with biomaterials under different loading scenarios. However, there are several experimental challenges that make these measurements difficult and at high risk of failure. Challenges relate to sample preparation, imaging parameters, loading setup, accumulated tissue damage for multiple tomographic acquisitions, reconstruction methods and data processing. Considering that access to SR-microCT facilities is usually associated with bidding processes and long waiting times, the failure of these experiments could notably slow down the advancement of this research area and reduce its impact. Many of the experimental failures can be avoided with increased experience in performing the tests and better guidelines for preparation and execution of these complex experiments; publication of negative results could help interested researchers to avoid recurring mistakes. Therefore, the goal of this article is to highlight the potential and pitfalls in the design and execution of in situ SR-microCT experiments, involving multiple scans, of musculoskeletal tissues for the assessment of their structural and/or mechanical properties. The advice and guidelines that follow should improve the success rate of this type of experiment, allowing the community to reach higher impact more efficiently.
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May 2022
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I13-2-Diamond Manchester Imaging
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Nicole
Sommer
,
Daniela
Hirzberger
,
Lisa
Paar
,
Leopold
Berger
,
Hanna
Cwieka
,
Uwe Y.
Schwarze
,
Valentin
Herber
,
Begum
Okutan
,
Andrew J.
Bodey
,
Regine
Willumeit-Römer
,
Berit
Zeller-Plumhoff
,
Jörg F.
Löffler
,
Annelie M.
Weinberg
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[25485]
Abstract: Implant removal is unnecessary for biodegradable magnesium (Mg)-based implants and, therefore, the related risk for implant-induced fractures is limited. Aging, on the other hand, is associated with low bone-turnover and decreased bone mass and density, and thus increased fracture risk. Osteoporosis is accompanied by Mg deficiency, therefore, we hypothesized that Mg-based implants may support bone formation by Mg2+ ion release in an ovariectomy-induced osteoporotic rat model. Hence, we investigated osseointegration and implant degradation of a low-alloyed, degrading Mg–Zn–Ca implant (ZX00) in ovariectomy-induced osteoporotic (Osteo), old healthy (OH), and juvenile healthy (JH) groups of female Sprague Dawley rats via in vivo micro-computed tomography (µCT). For the Osteo rats, we demonstrate diminished trabecular bone already after 8 weeks upon ovariectomy and significantly enhanced implant volume loss, with correspondingly pronounced gas formation, compared to the OH and JH groups. Sclerotic rim development was observed in about half of the osteoporotic rats, suggesting a prevention from foreign-body and osteonecrosis development. Synchrotron radiation-based µCT confirmed lower bone volume fractions in the Osteo group compared to the OH and JH groups. Qualitative histological analysis additionally visualized the enhanced implant degradation in the Osteo group. To date, ZX00 provides an interesting implant material for young and older healthy patients, but it may not be of advantage in pharmacologically untreated osteoporotic conditions.
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May 2022
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I13-2-Diamond Manchester Imaging
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Maximilian
Ackermann
,
Paul
Tafforeau
,
Willi
Wagner
,
Claire
Walsh
,
Christopher
Werlein
,
Mark P.
Kuhnel
,
Florian P.
Länger
,
Catherine
Disney
,
Andrew
Bodey
,
Alexandre
Bellier
,
Stijn E.
Verleden
,
Peter D.
Lee
,
Steven J
Mentzer
,
Danny D.
Jonigk
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[27025, 27094]
Open Access
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Nov 2021
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I13-2-Diamond Manchester Imaging
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[19322]
Open Access
Abstract: Many soft tissues, such as the intervertebral disc (IVD), have a hierarchical fibrous composite structure which suffers from regional damage. We hypothesise that these tissue regions have distinct, inherent fibre structure and structural response upon loading. Here we used synchrotron computed tomography (sCT) to resolve collagen fibre bundles (∼5μm width) in 3D throughout an intact native rat lumbar IVD under increasing compressive load. Using intact samples meant that tissue boundaries (such as endplate-disc or nucleus-annulus) and residual strain were preserved; this is vital for characterising both the inherent structure and structural changes upon loading in tissue regions functioning in a near-native environment. Nano-scale displacement measurements along >10,000 individual fibres were tracked, and fibre orientation, curvature and strain changes were compared between the posterior-lateral region and the anterior region. These methods can be widely applied to other soft tissues, to identify fibre structures which cause tissue regions to be more susceptible to injury and degeneration. Our results demonstrate for the first time that highly-localised changes in fibre orientation, curvature and strain indicate differences in regional strain transfer and mechanical function (e.g. tissue compliance). This included decreased fibre reorientation at higher loads, specific tissue morphology which reduced capacity for flexibility and high strain at the disc-endplate boundary.
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Oct 2021
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I13-1-Coherence
I13-2-Diamond Manchester Imaging
Data acquisition
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Christoph
Rau
,
Shashidhara
Marathe
,
Andrew J.
Bodey
,
Malte
Storm
,
Darren
Batey
,
Silvia
Cipiccia
,
Peng
Li
,
Ralf F.
Ziesche
,
Mohamed
Al-Hada
,
Sven L. M.
Schroeder
,
Gunjan
Das
,
Anjali
Goswami
Open Access
Abstract: We report about multiscale tomography with high throughput at the Diamond beamline I13L. The beamline has the purpose of multi-scale and operando imaging and consists of two independent branchlines operating in real and reciprocal space. The imaging branch -called Diamond-Manchester branchline- hosts micro-tomography, grating interferometry and a full-field microscope. For rapid recording a broad spectrum of the undulator radiation is used either with band-passing the light with a combination of a filter and a deflecting mirror or using a multilayer monochromator. For all the methods similar recording times can be achieved, with typical scanning times of some minutes and covering the resolution range from microns to the 100nm range. Most recently a robot arm has been installed to increase the throughput to 300 samples per day. The system is now implemented for user operation in remote operation mode for the micro-tomography setup and can be expanded to the two other experiments. The instrumental capabilities are applied on various topics such as the study of biodiversity of insects or the structural variations of electrode materials in batteries. Fast recording with dedicated sample environments (not using the sample changing robot) enables operando studies in many areas, the charging/discharging cycles on batteries, the degradation of teeth enamel under various conditions or loading brine sandstone mixtures with CO2, to name some examples. For imaging with highest spatial resolution we managed to improve significantly the recording speed of ptycho-tomography, which is now in the order of hours and will be reduced further. We demonstrated in the past 2-D recording with 10kHz and expand the instrumental capability with specific hardware dependent triggering and scanning schemes. We expand the research program for multi-scale imaging across both branchlines (imaging and coherence branchlines) with first studies such as batteries, brain research, concrete.
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Oct 2021
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I13-2-Diamond Manchester Imaging
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Aïcha
Ben Zemzem
,
Aline
Genevaux
,
Amandine
Wahart
,
Andrew J.
Bodey
,
Sébastien
Blaise
,
Béatrice
Romier-Crouzet
,
Jessica
Jonquet
,
Camille
Bour
,
Rémi
Cogranne
,
Pierre
Beauseroy
,
Manuel
Dauchez
,
Michael J.
Sherratt
,
Laurent
Debelle
,
Sébastien
Almagro
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[12776]
Open Access
Abstract: The arterial wall consists of three concentric layers: intima, media, and adventitia. Beyond their resident cells, these layers are characterized by an extracellular matrix (ECM), which provides both biochemical and mechanical support. Elastin, the major component of arterial ECM, is present in the medial layer and organized in concentric elastic lamellae that confer resilience to the wall. We explored the arterial wall structures from C57Bl6 (control), db/db (diabetic), and ApoE−/− (atherogenic) mice aged 3 months using synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography on fixed and unstained tissues with a large image field (8 mm3). This approach combined a good resolution (0.83 µm/voxel), large 3D imaging field. and an excellent signal to noise ratio conferred by phase-contrast imaging. We determined from 2D virtual slices that the thickness of intramural ECM structures was comparable between strains but automated image analysis of the 3D arterial volumes revealed a lattice-like network within concentric elastic lamellae. We hypothesize that this network could play a role in arterial mechanics. This work demonstrates that phase-contrast synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography is a powerful technique which to characterize unstained soft tissues.
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Oct 2021
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I13-2-Diamond Manchester Imaging
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[21081, 24233]
Abstract: Soft porous matter is commonly encountered in artificial tissue applications, pharmaceuticals delivery systems and in cosmetic and food products. These materials are typically opaque and tend to deform under very small levels of shear; this makes the characterization of their microstructure very challenging, particularly in the native state. Air-in-oil systems (oleofoams) are an emerging type of soft material with promising applications in cosmetics and foods, which contain air bubbles stabilized by Pickering fat crystals dispersed in a liquid oil phase. Synchrotron radiation X-ray computed tomography (SR - XCT) is a non-invasive, non-destructive technique increasingly used to investigate multiphasic, porous materials, owing to its high flux which enables sub-micron resolution and significant statistics at rapid acquisition speed. While the penetration of high energy X-rays can provide high resolution images and allows the reconstruction of the 3D structure of samples, the experimental setup and measuring parameters need to be carefully designed to avoid sample deformation or beam damage.
In this work, a robust methodology for investigating the 3D microstructure of soft, porous matter was developed. Sample preparation and experimental setup were chosen to allow synchrotron tomographic analysis of soft oleofoams with a low melting point (<30 °C). In particular, the use of cryogenic conditions (plunge-freeze in liquid nitrogen) provided stability against melting during the acquisition. Additionally, an image processing workflow was designed for analysing the 3D microstructure of the samples using ImageJ. Hence, the size and shape distribution of the air phase, as well as the thickness of the continuous gel phase could be determined for samples with significantly different microstructures (fresh vs. heated). Furthermore, the use of time-resolved X-ray radiography (XRR) allowed to study dynamic changes in the microstructure of the samples during thermal destabilization, visualizing bubble coalescence and growth in optically opaque foam samples with a sub-second timescale.
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Aug 2021
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