Handheld magnetic probe with permanent magnet and Hall sensor for identifying sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer patients

Abstract The newly developed radioisotope-free technique based on magnetic nanoparticle detection using a magnetic probe is a promising method for sentinel lymph node biopsy. In this study, a novel handheld magnetic probe with a permanent magnet and magnetic sensor is developed to detect the sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer patients. An outstanding feature of the probe is the precise positioning of the sensor at the magnetic null point of the magnet, leading to highly sensitive measurements unaffected by the strong ambient magnetic fields of the magnet. Numerical and experimental results show that the longitudinal detection length is approximately 10 mm, for 140 μg of iron. Clinical tests were performed, for the first time, using magnetic and blue dye tracers—without radioisotopes—in breast cancer patients to demonstrate the performance of the probe. The nodes were identified through transcutaneous and ex-vivo measurements, and the iron accumulation in the nodes was quantitatively revealed. These results show that the handheld magnetic probe is useful in sentinel lymph node biopsy and that magnetic techniques are widely being accepted as future standard methods in medical institutions lacking nuclear medicine facilities

Ferromagnetic resonance-based heat dissipation in dumbbell-like Au–Fe3O4 nanoparticles

Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) holds promise for heating magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in cancer therapy, especially for rapidly heating MNPs. This study aims to enhance the FMR-based heating efficiency of multifunctional hybrid gold and iron oxide nanoparticles (Au-Fe3O4 NPs) as theranostic agents. We experimentally investigate the FMR-based heating properties of newly developed dumbbell-like Au-Fe3O4 NPs, which feature ∼5 nm gold and 15 nm iron oxide components, in comparison to our previously developed Au-coated Fe3O4 NPs (Fe3O4 core ∼5.2 nm, Au shell thickness ∼0.5 nm). For comparison, we also synthesize pure Fe3O4 NPs (∼11 nm) under the same experimental conditions as the dumbbell-like Au-Fe3O4 NPs but without 5 nm Au seeds. Temperature measurements are taken at various DC fields (HDC = 0‒1600 Oe) under a radiofrequency (RF) field (fAC = 4 GHz, HAC = 1.265 Oe) for ∼13s. The results reveal a rapid temperature rise during RF field ON, followed by a decline upon RF field OFF. Remarkably, dumbbell-like Au-Fe3O4 NPs achieve a peak temperature increase of 23.4 °C, corresponding to a heating rate of 1.73 °C/s at HDC = 400 Oe, surpassing the combined values of ∼11 nm Fe3O4 NPs (11.0 °C, i.e., 0.83 °C/s at HDC = 1000 Oe) and ∼5 nm Au NPs (3.5 °C). Comparing these results to our previously developed Au-coated Fe3O4 NPs, which achieved a heating rate of 1.29 °C/s (temperature rise 16.9 °C) under HDC = 1200 Oe with an RF field at fAC = 4 GHz and a significantly higher HAC = 4 Oe (i.e. for HAC = 1.265 Oe, the estimated heating rate was 0.129 °C/s with a temperature rise of 1.69 °C), the dumbbell-shaped Au-Fe3O4 NPs demonstrate a substantially higher temperature increase by 13.4 times. These findings highlight the exceptional potential of dumbbell-shaped Au-Fe3O4 NPs for application in magnetic hyperthermia

Enhancing heating efficiency of magnetic hyperthermia using pulsed magnetic fields

We investigated the magnetization response and heat generation of magnetic particles exposed to high-speed pulsed magnetic fields (PMF) during magnetic hyperthermia cancer treatment. The magnetization measurements exhibited an asymmetric change in the shape of the hysteresis loop, attributable to the rapid and substantial changes in the short-duration PMF (75 mT/μs). We propose a novel parameter to evaluate heat efficiency. The parameter considered disparities in waveforms and served as a valuable metric for evaluating the effectiveness of heat production. Our findings affirmed a substantial enhancement in heat efficiency with the application of PMF. Furthermore, the heat generation stemming from the magnetic energy dissipation within the PMF exhibited direct proportionality to the square of the field amplitude. The heat efficiency is fourfold higher than that generated by conventional waveform

Optimizing transcranial magnetic stimulator coils for minimal influence of individual variability in head geometry

In prior studies focused on transcranial magnetic stimulator (TMS) coils, optimization of coil windings typically occurred on generic curved surfaces, such as planes or cylindrical shapes. However, these surfaces do not consider the challenge of coil misalignment, which arises due to variations in individual head geometries. This misalignment can significantly diminish the coil's effectiveness. To address this issue, we propose a novel coil design approach that identifies the 'best-fit' curved surface, minimizing the likelihood of mismatch with diverse skull geometries. We further enhance the coil winding pattern using the stream function applied to this custom curved surface. Numerical simulations using a hemisphere brain model demonstrate that the coil designed on this 'best-fit' curved surface exhibits a remarkable 22% increase in efficiency and a 41% expansion in stimulation area compared to the conventional butterfly coil. These findings underscore the advantages of our method in crafting high-efficiency and wide-ranging therapeutic TMS coil

Development of device for quantifying magnetic nanoparticle tracers accumulating in sentinel lymph nodes

The developed device with electromagnetic coils and small permanent magnets quantifies the iron contents of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy. To remove diamagnetic and paramagnetic components and detect only superparamagnetic components, a 2nd harmonics signal is detected by a gradiometer under a moderate AC magnetic field (1–2 mT) with the fundamental frequency (2.944 kHz) of the coils and DC magnetic field (1–2 mT) of the magnets. The detection limit with a signal-to-noise ratio of 5 is approximately 0.28 μg of iron, and the device has a wide dynamic range of 104, 0.28 μg–2.8 mg. Additional coils and permanent magnets play an important role producing the optimum distribution of AC/DC magnetic fields for an iron distribution-independent and SLN size-independent quantification. We demonstrated the quantification of the iron in phantoms, which have a size of 3–20 mm with varied iron distributions and contain magnetic nanoparticles numerically. These results indicate that the developed device is useful for quantifying the magnetic nanoparticles accumulating in SLNs

Feasibility study on on-board magnetoencephalography with optically pumped magnetometers

In this study, the theoretical feasibility of utilizing optically pumped magnetometers for on-board magnetoencephalography measurements was explored. Simulations were conducted to generate steady-state visually evoked response (SSVER) signals that incorporate vehicle noise, and a noise reduction strategy specifically designed for on-board applications is proposed. Upon engine activation, the magnetic field vibration of a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle measured in an urban environment was found to be approximately seven times greater in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction. The maximum signal-to-noise ratio of the SSVER in an automotive environment was simulated to be −110 dB. A 350-mm side-length, 20-turn active compensation coil can achieve an attenuation rate of approximately 28 dB at a target frequency of 24 Hz for measurements inside the vehicle cabin. Therefore, an increase in the number of coil turns would result in a higher attenuation rate. Further noise attenuation to the level inside a magnetically shielded room requires approximately 80 dB

Surface receive coil dedicated for rat kidney with high sensitivity magnetic resonance imaging

We propose a novel method based on an inverse problem to design a single channel radio frequency (RF) receive coil for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with an optimized signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for imaging the rat kidney. We identified a dedicated curved-surface coil design for use on the rat body surface utilizing inverse problem analysis using direct current calculation and quantitatively evaluated the indicators of coil performance using alternating current calculation. The proposed coil achieved increased SNR and signal intensity responses that were respectively 1.05- and 2-fold higher than those of conventional surface coils. In the future, we will fabricate a prototype coil and perform the MRI of the rat kidney to diagnose kidney diseases

Brain Response to Interferential Current Compared with Alternating Current Stimulation

Temporal interference (TI) stimulation, which utilizes multiple external electric fields with amplitude modulation for neural modulation, has emerged as a potential noninvasive brain stimulation methodology. However, the clinical application of TI stimulation is inhibited by its uncertain fundamental mechanisms, and research has previously been restricted to numerical simulations and immunohistology without considering the acute in vivo response of the neural circuit. To address the characterization and understanding of the mechanisms underlying the approach, we investigated instantaneous brainwide activation patterns in response to invasive interferential current (IFC) stimulation compared with low-frequency alternative current stimulation (ACS). Results demonstrated that IFC stimulation is capable of inducing regional neural responses and modulating brain networks; however, the activation threshold for significantly recruiting a neural response using IFC was higher (at least twofold) than stimulation via alternating current, and the spatial distribution of the activation signal was restricted. A distinct blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) response pattern was observed, which could be accounted for by the activation of distinct types of cells, such as inhibitory cells, by IFC. These results suggest that IFC stimulation might not be as efficient as conventional brain modulation methods, especially when considering TI stimulation as a potential alternative for stimulating subcortical brain areas. Therefore, we argue that a future transcranial application of TI on human subjects should take these implications into account and consider other stimulation effects using this technique

Estimating the location of the hook-wire used in breast-conserving surgery using a magnetometer

In the surgical treatment of nonpalpable breast lesions, such as in early-stage cancer, a hook-wire is inserted into the lesion as a marker to enable surgeons to excise the tissue, along with the hook-wire, with a good margin. However, a benchmark technique for intraoperatively determining whether the excised tissue has an appropriate margin around the lesion has not yet been established. In this study, a method for locating a ferromagnetic stainless steel hook-wire inside the excised tissue using a magnetometer is proposed. The magnetometer is placed around a phantom along with the hook-wire at varied locations to map the magnetic field distribution. The three-dimensional coordinates of hook-wire are obtained by executing an optimization algorithm. The experimental results indicate that the location of the hook-wire is successfully obtained. Based on the information regarding the margin around the hook-wire, the surgeon can immediately evaluate the risk of whether some cancer cells still remain in the body