scholarly journals Nail Raman spectroscopy: A promising method for the diagnosis of onychomycosis. An ex vivo pilot study

2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 551-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolaos Kourkoumelis ◽  
Georgios Gaitanis ◽  
Aristea Velegraki ◽  
Ioannis D Bassukas
The Analyst ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 145 (4) ◽  
pp. 1445-1456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Placzek ◽  
Eliana Cordero Bautista ◽  
Simon Kretschmer ◽  
Lara M. Wurster ◽  
Florian Knorr ◽  
...  

Characterization of bladder biopsies, using a combined fiber optic probe-based optical coherence tomography and Raman spectroscopy imaging system that allows a large field-of-view imaging and detection and grading of cancerous bladder lesions.


Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 546
Author(s):  
Paula Casal-Beiroa ◽  
Vanesa Balboa-Barreiro ◽  
Natividad Oreiro ◽  
Sonia Pértega-Díaz ◽  
Francisco J. Blanco ◽  
...  

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common rheumatic disease, characterized by progressive articular cartilage degradation. Raman spectroscopy (RS) has been recently proposed as a label-free tool to detect molecular changes in musculoskeletal tissues. We used cartilage samples derived from human femoral heads to perform an ex vivo study of different Raman signals and ratios, related to major and minor molecular components of articular cartilage, hereby proposed as candidate optical biomarkers for OA. Validation was performed against the radiological Kellgren–Lawrence (K-L) grading system, as a gold standard, and cross-validated against sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAGs) and total collagens (Hyp) biochemical contents. Our results showed a significant decrease in sGAGs (SGAGs, A1063 cm−1/A1004 cm−1) and proteoglycans (PGs, A1375 cm−1/A1004 cm−1) and a significant increase in collagen disorganization (ColD/F, A1245 cm−1/A1270 cm−1), with OA severity. These were correlated with sGAGs or Hyp contents, respectively. Moreover, the SGAGs/HA ratio (A1063 cm−1/A960 cm−1), representing a functional matrix, rich in proteoglycans, to a mineralized matrix-hydroxyapatite (HA), was significantly lower in OA cartilage (K-L I vs. III–IV, p < 0.05), whilst the mineralized to collagenous matrix ratio (HA/Col, A960 cm−1/A920 cm−1) increased, being correlated with K-L. OA samples showed signs of tissue mineralization, supported by the presence of calcium crystals-related signals, such as phosphate, carbonate, and calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (MGP, A960 cm−1/A1004 cm−1, MGC, A1070 cm−1/A1004 cm−1 and A1050 cm−1/A1004 cm−1). Finally, we observed an increase in lipids ratio (IL, A1450 cm−1/A1670 cm−1) with OA severity. As a conclusion, we have described the molecular fingerprint of hip cartilage, validating a panel of optical biomarkers and the potential of RS as a complementary diagnostic tool for OA.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 922
Author(s):  
William Querido ◽  
Shital Kandel ◽  
Nancy Pleshko

Advances in vibrational spectroscopy have propelled new insights into the molecular composition and structure of biological tissues. In this review, we discuss common modalities and techniques of vibrational spectroscopy, and present key examples to illustrate how they have been applied to enrich the assessment of connective tissues. In particular, we focus on applications of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), near infrared (NIR) and Raman spectroscopy to assess cartilage and bone properties. We present strengths and limitations of each approach and discuss how the combination of spectrometers with microscopes (hyperspectral imaging) and fiber optic probes have greatly advanced their biomedical applications. We show how these modalities may be used to evaluate virtually any type of sample (ex vivo, in situ or in vivo) and how “spectral fingerprints” can be interpreted to quantify outcomes related to tissue composition and quality. We highlight the unparalleled advantage of vibrational spectroscopy as a label-free and often nondestructive approach to assess properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) associated with normal, developing, aging, pathological and treated tissues. We believe this review will assist readers not only in better understanding applications of FTIR, NIR and Raman spectroscopy, but also in implementing these approaches for their own research projects.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Roberta Maselli ◽  
Haruhiro Inoue ◽  
Haruo Ikeda ◽  
Manabu Onimaru ◽  
Akira Yoshida ◽  
...  

Background. Bile juice plays a major role in duodenogastroesophageal reflux (DGERD). Several devices to directly measure the bile concentration have been proposed. We aimed to ex-vivo evaluate the bile concentration by narrow band imaging (NBI).Method. From six surgical cholecystectomies, the content of the gallbladders was aspirated and the total biliary acid (TBA) concentration was evaluated. 2 mL was employed for serial twofold dilutions. Each dilution was scoped. Images on white light (WL) and NBI were captured and grouped accordingly to NBI-appearance and TBA-concentration.Results. Nondiluted bile had a TBA-concentration of 61965 ± 32989 μmol/L. Final dilution (1 : 4096) had 1.16 μmol/L. NBI and correspondent WL images were grouped into seven groups, and an NBI/Bile scale was created.Conclusion. The scale showed that not only NBI scale but also white light scale could be useful to predict the bile concentration. This initial study shows that NBI has a potential role in the detection of DGERD and further investigation is warranted to distinguish the presence and the concentration of bile, especially at very low TBA concentrations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 854-863
Author(s):  
Catherine O'Reilly ◽  
Órla O’Sullivan ◽  
Paul D. Cotter ◽  
Paula M. O’Connor ◽  
Fergus Shanahan ◽  
...  

Introduction. Management of steroid-refractory ulcerative colitis has predominantly involved treatment with systemic cyclosporine A (CyA) and infliximab. Aim. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of using a colon-targeted delivery system CyA formulation on the composition and functionality of the gut microbiota. Methodology. Ex vivo faecal fermentations from six healthy control subjects were treated with coated minispheres (SmPill) with (+) or without (−) CyA and compared with a non-treated control in a model colon system. In addition, the in vivo effect of the SmPill+CyA formulation was investigated by analysing the gut microbiota in faecal samples collected before the administration of SmPill+CyA and after 7 consecutive days of administration from eight healthy subjects who participated in a pilot study. Results. Analysis of faecal samples by 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated little variation in the diversity or relative abundance of the microbiota composition before or after treatment with SmPill minispheres with or without CyA ex vivo or with CyA in vivo. Short-chain fatty acid profiles were evaluated using gas chromatography, showing an increase in the concentration of n-butyrate (P=0.02) and acetate (P=0.32) in the faecal fermented samples incubated in the presence of SmPill minispheres with or without CyA. This indicated that increased acetate and butyrate production was attributed to a component of the coated minispheres rather than an effect of CyA on the microbiota. Butyrate and acetate levels also increased significantly (P=0.05 for both) in the faecal samples of healthy individuals following 7 days’ treatment with SmPill+CyA in the pilot study. Conclusion. SmPill minispheres with or without CyA at the clinically relevant doses tested here have negligible direct effects on the gut microbiota composition. Butyrate and acetate production increased, however, in the presence of the beads in an ex vivo model system as well as in vivo in healthy subjects. Importantly, this study also demonstrates the relevance and value of using ex vivo colon models to predict the in vivo impact of colon-targeted drugs directly on the gut microbiota.


2014 ◽  
Vol 148 (6) ◽  
pp. 3219-3223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moishe Liberman ◽  
Mohamed Khereba ◽  
Eric Goudie ◽  
Jordan Kazakov ◽  
Vicky Thiffault ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 188 (2) ◽  
pp. 538-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bobby B. Najari ◽  
Ranjith Ramasamy ◽  
Joshua Sterling ◽  
Amit Aggarwal ◽  
Seema Sheth ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (18) ◽  
pp. 3923 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoming Zhang ◽  
Boran Zhou ◽  
Alex X. Zhang

Extravascular lung water (EVLW) is a basic symptom of congestive heart failure and other conditions. Computed tomography (CT) is standard method used to assess EVLW, but it requires ionizing radiation and radiology facilities. Lung ultrasound reverberation artifacts called B-lines have been used to assess EVLW. However, analysis of B-line artifacts depends on expert interpretation and is subjective. Lung ultrasound surface wave elastography (LUSWE) was developed to measure lung surface wave speed. This pilot study aimed at measureing lung surface wave speed due to lung water in an ex vivo swine lung model. The surface wave speeds of a fresh ex vivo swine lung were measured at 100 Hz, 200 Hz, 300 Hz, and 400 Hz. An amount of water was then filled into the lung through its trachea. Ultrasound imaging was used to guide the water filling until significant changes were visible on the imaging. The lung surface wave speeds were measured again. It was found that the lung surface wave speed increases with frequency and decreases with water volume. These findings are confirmed by experimental results on an additional ex vivo swine lung sample.


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