All Outputs (122)

The Impact of Uncertainty Estimation on Radiomic Segmentation Reproducibility and Scan-Rescan Repeatability in Kidney MRI (2025)
Journal Article
Damiano, R., Lanzarone, E., Lussana, F., Villa, G., Daniel, A. J., Francis, S., Caroli, A., & Scalco, E. (in press). The Impact of Uncertainty Estimation on Radiomic Segmentation Reproducibility and Scan-Rescan Repeatability in Kidney MRI. Medical Physics,

Background: Radiomics holds great potential but is hindered by segmentation and scan-rescan variability, which affect the reproducibility and repeatability of radiomic analysis, respectively. Recently, deep learning (DL) has shown promise in improv-... Read More about The Impact of Uncertainty Estimation on Radiomic Segmentation Reproducibility and Scan-Rescan Repeatability in Kidney MRI.

The NExpo Study: A protocol of behavioural, physiological, and neuroimaging measures to assess the effects of noise exposure on the auditory pathway (2025)
Journal Article
Dewey, R. S., Guest, H., Millman, R. E., Prendergast, G., Plack, C. J., & Francis, S. T. (2025). The NExpo Study: A protocol of behavioural, physiological, and neuroimaging measures to assess the effects of noise exposure on the auditory pathway. Aperture Neuro, 5, https://doi.org/10.52294/001c.140461

Background: Noise exposure is the main cause of preventable hearing loss worldwide. Findings from animal studies suggest that even moderate noise exposure can cause substantial damage to the cochlear nerve without any noticeable hair cell damage. Cru... Read More about The NExpo Study: A protocol of behavioural, physiological, and neuroimaging measures to assess the effects of noise exposure on the auditory pathway.

Effect of haemodialysis on the brain and heart assessed using multiparametric MRI (2025)
Journal Article
Cox, E., Gullapudi, V., Buchanan, C., White, K., Nicholas, R., Canaud, B., Taal, M., Selby, N., & Francis, S. (in press). Effect of haemodialysis on the brain and heart assessed using multiparametric MRI. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation,

Background and hypothesis
Haemodialysis (HD) patients often develop cognitive impairment, negatively impacting health-related quality of life. We use brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures to study the acute changes in cerebral water conte... Read More about Effect of haemodialysis on the brain and heart assessed using multiparametric MRI.

Deconditioning in quiescent Crohn’s Disease patients with heightened fatigue perception (2025)
Journal Article
McGing, J. J., Serres, S., Nicholas, R., Gupta, A., Radford, S. J., Nixon, A. V., Mallinson, J., Bradley, C., Bawden, S., Francis, S. T., Greenhaff, P. L., & Moran, G. W. (2025). Deconditioning in quiescent Crohn’s Disease patients with heightened fatigue perception. Journal of Crohn's and Colitis, 19(1), Article jjae194. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecco-jcc/

Background & Objective

IBD fatigue aetiology is poorly understood. This study quantified body composition and physical function alongside proton magnetic resonance imaging (1H MRI) and spectroscopy (31P MRS) measures of organ structure and functio... Read More about Deconditioning in quiescent Crohn’s Disease patients with heightened fatigue perception.

High-resolution and highly accelerated MRI T2 mapping as a tool to characterise renal tumour subtypes and grades (2024)
Journal Article
Horvat-Menih, I., Li, H., Priest, A. N., Li, S., Gill, A. B., Mendichovszky, I. A., Francis, S. T., Warren, A. Y., O’Carrigan, B., Welsh, S. J., Jones, J. O., Riddick, A. C. P., Armitage, J. N., Mitchell, T. J., Stewart, G. D., & Gallagher, F. A. (2024). High-resolution and highly accelerated MRI T2 mapping as a tool to characterise renal tumour subtypes and grades. European Radiology Experimental, 8(1), Article 76. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41747-024-00476-8

Background: Clinical imaging tools to probe aggressiveness of renal masses are lacking, and T2-weighted imaging as an integral part of magnetic resonance imaging protocol only provides qualitative information. We developed high-resolution and acceler... Read More about High-resolution and highly accelerated MRI T2 mapping as a tool to characterise renal tumour subtypes and grades.

DYNamic Assessment of Multi‐Organ level dysfunction in patients recovering from COVID‐19: DYNAMO COVID‐19 (2024)
Journal Article
Gupta, A., Nicholas, R., McGing, J. J., Nixon, A. V., Mallinson, J. E., McKeever, T. M., Bradley, C. R., Piasecki, M., Cox, E. F., Bonnington, J., Lord, J. M., Brightling, C. E., Evans, R. A., Hall, I. P., Francis, S. T., Greenhaff, P. L., & Bolton, C. E. (2024). DYNamic Assessment of Multi‐Organ level dysfunction in patients recovering from COVID‐19: DYNAMO COVID‐19. Experimental Physiology, 109(8), 1274-1291. https://doi.org/10.1113/ep091590

We evaluated the impacts of COVID-19 on multi-organ and metabolic function in patients following severe hospitalised infection compared to controls. Patients (n = 21) without previous diabetes, cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease were recruited... Read More about DYNamic Assessment of Multi‐Organ level dysfunction in patients recovering from COVID‐19: DYNAMO COVID‐19.

Free-breathing Functional Pulmonary Proton MRI: A Novel Approach Using Voxel-wise Lung Ventilation (VOLVE) Assessment in Healthy Volunteers and Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (2024)
Journal Article
Peggs, Z. J., Brooke, J. P., Bolton, C. E., Hall, I. P., Francis, S. T., & Gowland, P. A. (2024). Free-breathing Functional Pulmonary Proton MRI: A Novel Approach Using Voxel-wise Lung Ventilation (VOLVE) Assessment in Healthy Volunteers and Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 61(2), 663-675. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmri.29444

Background: In respiratory medicine, there is a need for sensitive measures of regional lung function that can be performed using standard imaging technology, without the need for inhaled or intravenous contrast agents. Purpose: To describe VOxel‐wis... Read More about Free-breathing Functional Pulmonary Proton MRI: A Novel Approach Using Voxel-wise Lung Ventilation (VOLVE) Assessment in Healthy Volunteers and Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Fast and High‐Resolution T2 Mapping Based on Echo Merging Plus k‐t Undersampling with Reduced Refocusing Flip Angles (TEMPURA) as Methods for Human Renal MRI (2024)
Journal Article
Li, H., Priest, A. N., Horvat‐Menih, I., Huang, Y., Li, S., Stewart, G. D., Mendichovszky, I. A., Francis, S. T., & Gallagher, F. A. (2024). Fast and High‐Resolution T2 Mapping Based on Echo Merging Plus k‐t Undersampling with Reduced Refocusing Flip Angles (TEMPURA) as Methods for Human Renal MRI. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 92(3), 1138-1148. https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.30115

Purpose: To develop a highly accelerated multi‐echo spin‐echo method, TEMPURA, for reducing the acquisition time and/or increasing spatial resolution for kidney T2 mapping. Methods: TEMPURA merges several adjacent echoes into one k‐space by either co... Read More about Fast and High‐Resolution T2 Mapping Based on Echo Merging Plus k‐t Undersampling with Reduced Refocusing Flip Angles (TEMPURA) as Methods for Human Renal MRI.

Improvements in Between-Vendor MRI Harmonization of Renal T2 Mapping using Stimulated Echo Compensation (2024)
Journal Article
Li, H., Daniel, A. J., Buchanan, C. E., Nery, F., Morris, D. M., Li, S., Huang, Y., Sousa, J. A., Sourbron, S., Mendichovszky, I. A., Thomas, D. L., Priest, A. N., & Francis, S. T. (2024). Improvements in Between-Vendor MRI Harmonization of Renal T2 Mapping using Stimulated Echo Compensation. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 60(5), 2144-2155. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmri.29282

Background: T2 mapping is valuable to evaluate pathophysiology in kidney disease. However, variations in T2 relaxation time measurements across MR scanners and vendors may occur requiring additional correction. Purpose: To harmonize renal T2 measurem... Read More about Improvements in Between-Vendor MRI Harmonization of Renal T2 Mapping using Stimulated Echo Compensation.

Assessment of Acute Kidney Injury using MRI (2024)
Journal Article
Selby, N. M., & Francis, S. T. (2025). Assessment of Acute Kidney Injury using MRI. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 61(1), 25-41. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmri.29281

There has been growing interest in using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to describe and understand the pathophysiology of acute kidney injury (AKI). The ability to assess kidney blood flow, perfusion, oxygenation, and changes in tissue... Read More about Assessment of Acute Kidney Injury using MRI.

An examination of resting-state functional connectivity in patients with active Crohn's disease (2023)
Journal Article
Francis, S. T., Moran, G. W., Eldeghaidy, S., Radford, S., & Thapaliya, G. (2023). An examination of resting-state functional connectivity in patients with active Crohn's disease. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 17, Article 1265815. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1265815

Background: Alterations in resting state functional connectivity (rs-FC) in Crohn’s Disease (CD) have been documented in default mode network (DMN) and frontal parietal network (FPN) areas, visual, cerebellar, salience and attention resting-state-net... Read More about An examination of resting-state functional connectivity in patients with active Crohn's disease.

An examination of resting-state functional connectivity in patients with active Crohn’s disease (2023)
Journal Article
Thapaliya, G., Eldeghaidy, S., Radford, S. J., Francis, S. T., & Moran, G. W. (in press). An examination of resting-state functional connectivity in patients with active Crohn’s disease. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 17, Article 1265815. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1265815

Background: Alterations in resting state functional connectivity (rs-FC) in Crohn’s Disease (CD) have been documented in default mode network (DMN) and frontal parietal network (FPN) areas, visual, cerebellar, salience and attention resting-state-net... Read More about An examination of resting-state functional connectivity in patients with active Crohn’s disease.

Multiparametric Renal Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Prediction and Annual Monitoring of the Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease over Two Years (2023)
Journal Article
Buchanan, C. E., Mahmoud, H., Cox, E. F., Prestwich, B. L., Noble, R. A., Selby, N. M., Taal, M. W., & Francis, S. T. (2023). Multiparametric Renal Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Prediction and Annual Monitoring of the Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease over Two Years. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12(23), Article 7282. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12237282

Background: Multiparametric renal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides a non-invasive method to assess kidney structure and function, but longitudinal studies are limited. Methods: A total of 22 patients with CKD category G3-4 (estimated glomeru... Read More about Multiparametric Renal Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Prediction and Annual Monitoring of the Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease over Two Years.

Liver investigation: Testing marker utility in steatohepatitis (LITMUS): Assessment & validation of imaging modality performance across the NAFLD spectrum in a prospectively recruited cohort study (the LITMUS imaging study): Study protocol (2023)
Journal Article
Pavlides, M., Mózes, F. E., Akhtar, S., Wonders, K., Cobbold, J., Tunnicliffe, E. M., Allison, M., Godfrey, E. M., Aithal, G. P., Francis, S., Romero-Gomez, M., Castell, J., Fernandez-Lizaranzu, I., Aller, R., Sigüenza González, R., Agustin, S., Pericàs, J. M., Boursier, J., Aube, C., Ratziu, V., …Harrison, S. (2023). Liver investigation: Testing marker utility in steatohepatitis (LITMUS): Assessment & validation of imaging modality performance across the NAFLD spectrum in a prospectively recruited cohort study (the LITMUS imaging study): Study protocol. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 134, Article 107352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2023.107352

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the liver manifestation of the metabolic syndrome with global prevalence reaching epidemic levels. Despite the high disease burden in the population only a small proportion of those with NAFLD will develop... Read More about Liver investigation: Testing marker utility in steatohepatitis (LITMUS): Assessment & validation of imaging modality performance across the NAFLD spectrum in a prospectively recruited cohort study (the LITMUS imaging study): Study protocol.

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study (2023)
Journal Article
C-MORE/PHOSP-COVID Collaborative Group, Raman, B., McCracken, C., Cassar, M. P., Moss, A. J., Finnigan, L., Samat, A. A., Ogbole, G., Tunnicliffe, E. M., Alfaro-Almagro, F., Menke, R., Xie, C., Gleeson, F., Lukaschuk, E., Lamlum, H., McGlynn, K., Cox, E., & Francis, S. (2023). Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study. Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 11(11), 1003-1019. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600%2823%2900262-X

Introduction
The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate thei... Read More about Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study.

Two-Dimensional Population Receptive Field Mapping of Human Primary Somatosensory Cortex (2023)
Journal Article
Asghar, M., Sanchez-Panchuelo, R., Schluppeck, D., & Francis, S. (2023). Two-Dimensional Population Receptive Field Mapping of Human Primary Somatosensory Cortex. Brain Topography, 36, 816-834. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-023-01000-8

Functional magnetic resonance imaging can provide detailed maps of how sensory space is mapped in the human brain. Here, we use a novel 16 stimulator setup (a 4 × 4 grid) to measure two-dimensional sensory maps of between and within-digit (D2–D4) spa... Read More about Two-Dimensional Population Receptive Field Mapping of Human Primary Somatosensory Cortex.

Randomised trial comparing standard versus thermocontrolled haemodialysis using intradialytic cardiac, brain and renal magnetic resonance imaging (2023)
Journal Article
Gullapudi, V. R. L., Cox, E. F., Buchanan, C. E., Canaud, B., White, K., Taal, M. W., Selby, N. M., & Francis, S. T. (2024). Randomised trial comparing standard versus thermocontrolled haemodialysis using intradialytic cardiac, brain and renal magnetic resonance imaging. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 39(2), 233–241. https://doi.org/10.1093/ndt/gfad150

Background
Ischaemic end-organ damage during haemodialysis (HD) is a significant problem that may be ameliorated by intradialytic cooling. A randomised trial was performed to compare standard HD (SHD; dialysate temperature 37°C) and programmed cooli... Read More about Randomised trial comparing standard versus thermocontrolled haemodialysis using intradialytic cardiac, brain and renal magnetic resonance imaging.

Performance of non-invasive tests and histology for the prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: an individual participant data meta-analysis (2023)
Journal Article
Mózes, F. E., Lee, J. A., Vali, Y., Alzoubi, O., Staufer, K., Trauner, M., Paternostro, R., Stauber, R. E., Holleboom, A. G., van Dijk, A.-M., Mak, A. L., Boursier, J., de Saint Loup, M., Shima, T., Bugianesi, E., Gaia, S., Armandi, A., Shalimar, Lupșor-Platon, M., Wong, V. W.-S., …Hytiroglou, P. (2023). Performance of non-invasive tests and histology for the prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: an individual participant data meta-analysis. The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 8(8), 704-713. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-1253%2823%2900141-3

Background
Histologically assessed liver fibrosis stage has prognostic significance in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and is accepted as a surrogate endpoint in clinical trials for non-cirrhotic NAFLD. Our aim was to compare... Read More about Performance of non-invasive tests and histology for the prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: an individual participant data meta-analysis.

Renal MRI: From Nephron to NMR Signal (2023)
Journal Article
Bane, O., Seeliger, E., Cox, E., Stabinska, J., Bechler, E., Lewis, S., Hickson, L. J., Francis, S., Sigmund, E., & Niendorf, T. (2023). Renal MRI: From Nephron to NMR Signal. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, https://doi.org/10.1002/jmri.28828

Renal diseases pose a significant socio-economic burden on healthcare systems. The development of better diagnostics and prognostics is well-recognized as a key strategy to resolve these challenges. Central to these developments are MRI biomarkers, d... Read More about Renal MRI: From Nephron to NMR Signal.

Steps on the Path to Clinical Translation: A workshop by the British and Irish Chapter of the ISMRM (2023)
Journal Article
Hubbard Cristinacce, P. L., Markus, J. E., Punwani, S., Mills, R., Lopez, M. Y., Grech-Sollars, M., Fasano, F., Waterton, J. C., Thrippleton, M. J., Hall, M. G., O'Connor, J. P. B., Francis, S. T., Statton, B., Murphy, K., So, P., & Hyare, H. (2023). Steps on the Path to Clinical Translation: A workshop by the British and Irish Chapter of the ISMRM. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 90(3), 1130-1136. https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.29704

The British and Irish Chapter of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (BIC-ISMRM) held a workshop entitled “Steps on the path to clinical translation” in Cardiff, UK, on 7th September 2022. The aim of the workshop was to promo... Read More about Steps on the Path to Clinical Translation: A workshop by the British and Irish Chapter of the ISMRM.