Highly branched macromolecules, e.g. poly(amidoamine) dendrimers (known as PAMAM dendrimers, or 'starburst polymers') or Gadomer 17, a contrast agent designed for angiography and tumor differentiation.

Diamagnetism is a form of magnetism that is only exhibited by a substance in the presence of an externally applied magnetic field. It is the result of changes in the orbital motion of electrons due to the application of an externally applied magnetic field. Applying a magnetic field causes a momentary electromotive force (a consequence of Faraday's law), which modifies the electronic orbitals of atoms/molecules in a substance in such a way, that the orbitals produce an induced magnetic field, which opposes the applied field (a consequence of Lenz's law). However, the induced magnetic moment is very small in most everyday materials.
Diamagnets are repelled by magnetic fields. However, since diamagnetism is such a weak property its effects are not observable in every-day life.
However, in Magnetic Resonance Imaging for example barium sulfate suspensions lead with its weak negative magnetic susceptibility to a decrease in signal.

See also magnetism, ferromagnetism, paramagnetism, and superparamagnetism.

The process by which molecules or other particles intermingle and migrate due to their random thermal motion. Microscopic particles are jittering around with translational and rotational motions as a result of their thermal energy, which is half the Boltzmann constant multiplied by the absolute temperature of the system (0.5kT) per degree of freedom (3 directions of translation and 3 directions of rotation for ordinary particles).
MRI provides a sensitive technique for measuring diffusion of some substances. These diffusive processes mean that particles reach areas of low from areas of high concentration, thus leading to equilibration. In body fluids, the distribution of capillaries within tissues is such that transport over macroscopic distances is accomplished by the blood circulation, while over intercapillary distances substances are carried by diffusion. The fluid diffusion constant is itself inversely proportional to the viscosity and the radius of the diffusing particles.

See also Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Diffusion Weighted Imaging.

(DWI) Magnetic resonance imaging is sensitive to diffusion, because the diffusion of water molecules along a field gradient reduces the MR signal. In areas of lower diffusion the signal loss is less intense and the display from this areas is brighter. The use of a bipolar gradient pulse and suitable pulse sequences permits the acquisition of diffusion weighted images (images in which areas of rapid proton diffusion can be distinguished from areas with slow diffusion).
Based on echo planar imaging, multislice DWI is today a standard for imaging brain infarction. With enhanced gradients, the whole brain can be scanned within seconds. The degree of diffusion weighting correlates with the strength of the diffusion gradients, characterized by the b-value, which is a function of the gradient related parameters: strength, duration, and the period between diffusion gradients.
Certain illnesses show restrictions of diffusion, for example demyelinization and cytotoxic edema. Areas of cerebral infarction have decreased apparent diffusion, which results in increased signal intensity on diffusion weighted MRI scans. DWI has been demonstrated to be more sensitive for the early detection of stroke than standard pulse sequences and is closely related to temperature mapping.
DWIBS is a new diffusion weighted imaging technique for the whole body that produces PET-like images. The DWIBS sequence has been developed with the aim to detect lymph nodes and to differentiate normal and hyperplastic from metastatic lymph nodes. This may be possible caused by alterations in microcirculation and water diffusivity within cancer metastases in lymph nodes.

See also Diffusion Weighted Sequence, Perfusion Imaging, ADC Map, Apparent Diffusion Coefficient, and Diffusion Tensor Imaging.

(ESR) Electron spin resonance is a spectroscopic technique to identify paramagnetic substances. This magnetic resonance phenomenon investigates the nature of the bonding within molecules by identifying unpaired electrons, e.g. in free radicals and their interaction with their immediate surroundings. The Larmor frequency are much higher than corresponding NMR frequencies in the same static magnetic field.
Nuclei with an odd number of neutrons and/or protons, because of their spin, react like tiny magnets and can be lined up in an applied magnetic field. Energy applied by alternating radio frequency radiation is absorbed when its frequency coincides with that of precession of the electron magnets. The spectrum of radiation absorbed as the field changes gives information valuable in chemistry, biology, and medicine since over 50 years.