TY - JOUR A1 - Möckel, J. A1 - Brangsch, J. A1 - Reimann, C. A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Sack, I. A1 - Mangarova, D. B. A1 - Kader, A. A1 - Taupitz, M. A1 - Adams, L. C. A1 - Keller, S. A1 - Ludwig, A. A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Botnar, R. M. A1 - Makowski, M. R. T1 - Assessment of Albumin ECM Accumulation and Inflammation as Novel In Vivo Diagnostic Targets for Multi-Target MR Imaging N2 - Atherosclerosis is a progressive inflammatory vascular disease characterized by endothelial dysfunction and plaque burden. Extracellular matrix (ECM)-associated plasma proteins play an important role in disease development. Our magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study investigates the feasibility of using two different molecular MRI probes for the simultaneous assessment of ECM-associated intraplaque albumin deposits caused by endothelial damage and progressive inflammation in atherosclerosis. Male apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-)-mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 2 or 4 months. Another ApoE-/--group was treated with pravastatin and received a HFD for 4 months. T1- and T2*-weighted MRI was performed before and after albumin-specific MRI probe (gadofosveset) administration and a macrophage-specific contrast agent (ferumoxytol). Thereafter, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and histology were performed. With advancing atherosclerosis, albumin-based MRI signal enhancement and ferumoxytol-induced signal loss areas in T2*-weighted MRI increased. Significant correlations between contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR) post-gadofosveset and albumin stain (R2 = 0.78, p < 0.05), and signal loss areas in T2*-weighted MRI with Perls’ Prussian blue stain (R2 = 0.83, p < 0.05) were observed. No interference of ferumoxytol with gadofosveset enhancement was detectable. Pravastatin led to decreased inflammation and intraplaque albumin. Multi-target MRI combining ferumoxytol and gadofosveset is a promising method to improve diagnosis and treatment monitoring in atherosclerosis. KW - Magnetic resonance imaging KW - MRI KW - Imaging KW - Human serum albumin KW - Extracellular matrix KW - Macrophages KW - Contrast agent KW - Atherosclerotic plaques KW - Gadofosveset KW - Aneurysm PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-536725 VL - 10 IS - 10 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-53672 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cakir, Cafer Tufan A1 - Piotrowiak, T. A1 - Reinholz, Uwe A1 - Ludwig, A. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Streli, C. A1 - de Oliveira Guilherme Buzanich, Ana A1 - Radtke, Martin T1 - Exploring the Depths of Corrosion: A Novel GE-XANES Technique for Investigating Compositionally Complex Alloys N2 - In this study, we propose the use of nondestructive, depth-resolved, element-specific characterization using grazing exit X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy (GE-XANES) to investigate the corrosion process in compositionally complex alloys (CCAs). By combining grazing exit X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (GE-XRF) geometry and a pnCCD detector, we provide a scanning-free, nondestructive, depth-resolved analysis in a sub-micrometer depth range, which is especially relevant for layered materials, such as corroded CCAs. Our setup allows for spatial and energy-resolved measurements and directly extracts the desired fluorescence line, free from scattering events and other overlapping lines. We demonstrate the potential of our approach on a compositionally complex CrCoNi alloy and a layered reference sample with known composition and specific layer thickness. Our findings indicate that this new GE-XANES approach has exciting opportunities for studying surface catalysis and corrosion processes in real-world materials. KW - Degradation mechanisms KW - Grazin exit XANES KW - Depth resolved XANES KW - Compositional complex alloys KW - Corrosion PY - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.3c00404 VL - 95 SP - 4810 EP - 4818 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-57823 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Smekhova, A. A1 - Kuzmin, A. A1 - Siemensmeyer, K. A1 - Luo, C. A1 - Taylor, J. A1 - Thakur, S. A1 - Radu, F. A1 - Weschke, E. A1 - de Oliveira Guilherme Buzanich, Ana A1 - Xiao, B. A1 - Savan, A. A1 - Yusenko, Kirill A1 - Ludwig, A. T1 - Local structure and magnetic properties of a nanocrystalline Mn-rich Cantor alloy thin film down to the atomic scale N2 - The huge atomic heterogeneity of high-entropy materials along with a possibility to unravel the behavior of individual components at the atomic scale suggests a great promise in designing new compositionally complex systems with the desired multi-functionality. Herein, we apply multi-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD)) to probe the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of all individual constituents in the single-phase face-centered cubic (fcc)-structured nanocrystalline thin film of Cr20Mn26Fe18Co19Ni17 (at.%) high-entropy alloy on the local scale. The local crystallographic ordering and component-dependent lattice displacements were explored within the reverse Monte Carlo approach applied to EXAFS spectra collected at the K absorption edges of several constituents at room temperature. A homogeneous short-range fcc atomic environment around the absorbers of each type with very similar statistically averaged interatomic distances (2.54–2.55 Å) to their nearest-neighbors and enlarged structural relaxations of Cr atoms were revealed. XANES and XMCD spectra collected at the L2,3 absorption edges of all principal components at low temperature from the oxidized and in situ cleaned surfaces were used to probe the oxidation states, the changes in the electronic structure, and magnetic behavior of all constituents at the surface and in the sub-surface volume of the film. The spin and orbital magnetic moments of Fe, Co, and Ni components were quantitatively evaluated. The presence of magnetic phase transitions and the co-existence of different magnetic phases were uncovered by conventional magnetometry in a broad temperature range. KW - Magnetism KW - High-entropy alloys KW - Reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) KW - Element-specific spectroscopy KW - Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), KW - X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), PY - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-578254 SN - 1998-0124 SP - 5626 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-57825 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -