NEW PATENT!3 This Section contains abstracts and, where appropriate, illustrations of recently issued United States patents and published patent applications filed from over 30 countries under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. This information was obtained from recent additions to the Pergamon PATSEARCH@ online database in accordance with interest profiles developed by the Editors. Further information about Pergamon PATSEARCHB can be obtained from Pergamon Orbit InfoLine Inc., 8000 Westpark Drive, McLean, Virginia 22102, U.S.A. Copies of complete patents announced in this Section are available from Pergamon Orbit InfoLine Inc. for $8 per copy. Payment with order is required. Orders outside North America add $2 for air postage. Order by patent numbef for Pergamon Orbit InfoLine only.
4984573 METHOD OF ELECTRON SPIN RESONANCE ENHANCED MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING Ib Leunbach, Drag Denmara assigned to Hafslund Nycomed Innovation AB A method of generating a magnetic resonance image of a sample comprising introducing into the sample a contrast medium comprising a paramagnetic material having an electron spin resonance transition having a linewidth of 1 Gauss or less; exposing the sample to a first radiation of a frequency selected to excite nuclear spin transitions in selective nuclei in the sample and exposing the sample to a second radiation of a frequency which excites electron spin transitions coupled to nuclear spin transitions of at least some nuclei, the second radiation being of a frequency selected to excite an electron spin resonance transition of the paramagnetic material; detecting free induction decay signals from the sample; and generating therefrom a magnetic resonance image of the sample.
4984574 NONINVASIVE FETAL OXYGEN MONITOR USING NMR Set Goldberg, Jonothan
L Logan
A non-invasive method for continuously monitoring blood and tissue oxygenation of a human fetus prior to and during labor and delivery. A specialized NMR spectrometer, whose static-field magnet is large enough to admit the abdomen of a pregnant woman at term, obtains resonance signals from a spatial region within the mother that includes the fetus.
Resonance signals originating from the oxygentransport protein hemoglobin are continuously obtained and analyzed. Signals originating from the special form of hemoglobin found in the fetal circulation are distinguished from those from the adult form of hemoglobin found in the maternal circulation. By continuously comparing the amplitudes of specific fetal hemoglobin resonances that are characteristically shifted upon oxygen binding with the amplitudes of other fetal hemoglobin resonances that are not so shifted, the method yields a continuous measurement of fetal blood and tissue oxygenation. Further analysis of the resonance signals yields indications of fetal blood acidity, heartbeat and respiration and corresponding indications of maternal condition. The method is also applicable to newborn infants and to certain mammals other than humans.
4985677 MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING AND SPECTROSCOPY USING AN EXCITATION PULSE FOR MULTIPLE-DIMENSIONAL SELECTIVITY John M Pauly assigned to The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University A method of obtaining multi-dimensional spatially-selective magnetic resonance signals from a body includes applying a static magnetic field (Bo) to said body thereby aligning nuclear spins along an axis (z), and applying one or more time-varying magnetic gradients (Gx(t), Gy(t), Gz(t)) during a time period, T. During the time period, T, an RF excitation pulse (Bl) is applied to said body to tip said nuclear spins, said RF excitation pulse being related to said modulated magnetic gradients by a first spatial frequency weighting function (W(k)(t)) whereby magnetic