Abstract
Technicians often receive chronic magnetic exposures from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices, mainly due to static magnetic fields (SMFs). Here, we ascertain the biological effects of chronic exposure to SMFs from MRI devices on the bone quality using rats exposed to SMFs in MRI examining rooms. Eighteen Wistar albino male rats were randomly assigned to SMF exposure (A), sham (B), and control (C) groups. Group A rats were positioned within 50 centimeters of the bore of the magnet of 1.5 T MRI machine during the nighttime for 8 weeks. We collected blood samples for biochemical analysis, and bone tissue samples for electron microscopic and histological analysis. The mean vitamin D level in Group A was lower than in the other groups (p = 0.002). The mean cortical thickness, the mean trabecular wall thickness, and number of trabeculae per 1 mm2 were significantly lower in Group A (p = 0.003). TUNEL assay revealed that apoptosis of osteocytes were significantly greater in Group A than the other groups (p = 0.005). The effect of SMFs in chronic exposure is related to movement within the magnetic field that induces low-frequency fields within the tissues. These fields can exceed the exposure limits necessary to deteriorate bone microstructure and vitamin D metabolism.
Highlights
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices produce three types of magnetic fields during image acquisition, including static magnetic fields (SMFs) that produce magnetization vectors in the body, a gradient magnetic field for aligning protons inside the body, and radio-frequency electromagnetic waves for detecting magnetization vectors by the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner [1,2,3,4,5]
There have been many studies focusing on the biological effects of chronic exposure to SMFs but research related to the health effects of chronic exposure to SMFs on bone is scarce
In specimens from Group A rats, there were irregularities and thinning in the trabecular walls along with adjacent regeneration areas, and osteoporosis characterized by increased adipose tissue and vascularity in the inter-trabecular distance (Figure 6)
Summary
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices produce three types of magnetic fields during image acquisition, including static magnetic fields (SMFs) that produce magnetization vectors in the body, a gradient magnetic field for aligning protons inside the body, and radio-frequency electromagnetic waves for detecting magnetization vectors by the MRI scanner [1,2,3,4,5] All of these magnetic fields are employed during an MRI examination, technicians are mainly exposed to SMFs since they stand outside the examining room while the scanning is underway. The effect of SMFs is not a simple stimulation that supplies any form of energy to the body, but rather the movement of a person within an SMF will induce fields within the tissues [4] These cellular studies and rodent experiments up until now have not accurately represented information about the effects of chronic exposure to SMFs on bones. We ascertain the biological effects of chronic exposure to SMFs from MRI devices on the bone quality and bone turnover blood biochemistry markers using rats exposed to SMFs in MRI examining rooms
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