Direct in vivo Analysis of CBD- and THC-Acid Type Cannabinoids and Classification of Cannabis Cultivars by SpiderMass

In the recent years, Cannabis and hemp-based products have become increasingly popular for various applications ranging from recreational use, edibles, beverages to health care products and medicines. The rapid detection and differentiation of phytocannabinoids is, therefore, essential to assess the potency, therapeutic and nutritional values of cannabis cultivars. Here, we implemented the SpiderMass technology for the in vivo detection of cannabidiol acid (CBDA) and tetrahydrocannabinol acid (THCA) and other endogenous organic plant compounds to access distribution gradients within the plants and differentiate cultivars. The SpiderMass system is composed of an IR- laser handheld microsampling probe connected to the mass spectrometer through a transfer tube. The analysis was performed in situ on different plant organs from freshly cultivated Cannabis plants in only a few seconds. SpiderMass analysis easily discriminated the two acid phytocannabinoid isomers by MS/MS and the built statistical models differentiated between four Cannabis cultivars. Different abundancies of acid phytocannabinoids were also found along the plant as well as between different cultivars. All together, these results introduce the direct analysis by SpiderMass as a compelling analytical alternative for forensic and hemp industrial analysis.

In vivo detection of damage in multiple sclerosis cortex and cortical lesions using NODDI

ObjectiveTo characterise in vivo the microstructural abnormalities of multiple sclerosis (MS) normal-appearing (NA) cortex and cortical lesions (CLs) and their relations with clinical phenotypes and disability using neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI).MethodsOne hundred and seventy-two patients with MS (101 relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), 71 progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS)) and 62 healthy controls (HCs) underwent a brain 3T MRI. Brain cortex and CLs were segmented from three-dimensional T1-weighted and double inversion recovery sequences. Using NODDI on diffusion-weighted sequence, intracellular volume fraction (ICV_f) and Orientation Dispersion Index (ODI) were assessed in NA cortex and CLs with default or optimised parallel diffusivity for the cortex (D//=1.7 or 1.2 µm2/ms, respectively).ResultsThe NA cortex of patients with MS had significantly lower ICV_f versus HCs’ cortex with both D// values (false discovery rate (FDR)-p <0.001). CLs showed significantly decreased ICV_f and ODI versus NA cortex of both HCs and patients with MS with both D// values (FDR-p ≤0.008). Patients with PMS versus RRMS had significantly decreased NA cortex ICV_f and ODI (FDR-p=0.050 and FDR-p=0.032) with only D//=1.7 µm2/ms. No CL microstructural differences were found between MS clinical phenotypes. MS NA cortex ICV_f and ODI were significantly correlated with disease duration, clinical disability, lesion burden and global and regional brain atrophy (r from −0.51 to 0.71, FDR-p from <0.001 to 0.045).ConclusionsA significant neurite loss occurs in MS NA cortex. CLs show a further neurite density reduction and a reduced ODI suggesting a simplification of neurite complexity. NODDI is relevant to investigate in vivo the heterogeneous pathology affecting the MS cortex.

X-ray-Fluorescence Imaging for In Vivo Detection of Gold-Nanoparticle-Labeled Immune Cells: A GEANT4 Based Feasibility Study

The growing field of cellular therapies in regenerative medicine and oncology calls for more refined diagnostic tools that are able to investigate and monitor the function and success of said therapies. X-ray Fluorescence Imaging (XFI) can be applied for molecular imaging with nanoparticles, such as gold nanoparticles (GNPs), which can be used in immune cell tracking. We present a Monte Carlo simulation study on the sensitivity of detection and associated radiation dose estimations in an idealized setup of XFI in human-sized objects. Our findings demonstrate the practicability of XFI in human-sized objects, as immune cell tracking with a minimum detection limit of 4.4 × 105 cells or 0.86 μg gold in a cubic volume of 1.78 mm3 can be achieved. Therefore, our results show that the current technological developments form a good basis for high sensitivity XFI.