Journal of biophotonics最新文献

In this study, a non-invasive device based on ultraviolet differential absorption spectroscopy (UV-DOAS) technology for detecting fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO)was developed and clinically validated in patients with various lung diseases. The diagnostic potential of FeNO was explored by analysing subgroups of patients with lung cancer, nodules, and other disease. The results showed that FeNO concentrations were significantly higher in patients with malignant tumours than in healthy controls (p < 0.01). The diagnostic efficacy of FeNO in different lung diseases was confirmed by ROC analysis: the AUC values were 0.925 for malignant tumours, 0.925 for suspected malignant/benign tumours, 0.792 for benign lesions, and 0.938 for infectious/inflammatory diseases. The significant postoperative FeNO level decrease supports the diagnostic use of FeNO in different stages of the disease. Compared with conventional electrochemical, chemiluminescent and fluorescent probe methods, the UV-DOAS technique has significant advantages regarding sensitivity and portability, suggesting its potential for clinical application.

Liver malignancies, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), pose a formidable global health challenge. Conventional diagnostic techniques frequently fall short in precision, especially at advanced HCC stages. In response, we have developed a novel diagnostic strategy that integrates hyperspectral imaging with deep learning. This innovative approach captures detailed spectral data from tissue samples, pinpointing subtle cellular differences that elude traditional methods. A sophisticated deep convolutional neural network processes this data, effectively distinguishing high-grade liver cancer from cirrhosis with an accuracy of 89.45%, a sensitivity of 90.29%, and a specificity of 88.64%. For HCC differentiation specifically, it achieves an impressive accuracy of 93.73%, sensitivity of 92.53%, and specificity of 90.07%. Our results underscore the potential of this technique as a precise, rapid, and non-invasive diagnostic tool that surpasses existing clinical methods in staging liver cancer and differentiating cirrhosis.

Diabetes mellitus (DM), a chronic metabolic disorder that adversely affects the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and microglial function in the central nervous system (CNS), contributing to neuronal damage and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms linking diabetes to BBB dysfunction and microglial dysregulation remain poorly understood. Here, we assessed the impacts of diabetes on BBB and microglial reactivity and investigated its mechanisms. We found diabetes severely disrupted the BBB integrity and microglial response to vascular injury. We also revealed a potential relationship between BBB disruption and impaired microglial function, whereby increasing BBB permeability led to a downregulation of microglial P2RY12 expression, thereby impairing microglial protection against cerebrovascular injury. Understanding these mechanisms may contribute to the developing of therapeutic strategies for diabetes-related neurological complications.

Skin homeostasis is strongly dependent on its hydration levels, making skin water content measurement vital across various fields, including medicine, cosmetology, and sports science. Noninvasive diagnostic techniques are particularly relevant for clinical applications due to their minimal risk of side effects. A range of optical methods have been developed for this purpose, each with unique physical principles, advantages, and limitations. This review provides an in-depth examination of optical techniques such as diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, optoacoustic spectroscopy, optoacoustic tomography, hyperspectral imaging, and Raman spectroscopy. We explore their efficacy in noninvasive monitoring of skin hydration and edema, which is characterized by an increase in interstitial fluid. By comparing the parameters, sensitivity, and clinical applications of these techniques, this review offers a comprehensive understanding of their potential to enhance diagnostic precision and improve patient care.

Diffuse optical tomography (DOT) enables the in vivo quantification of tissue chromophores, specifically the discernment of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin (HbO and HbR, correspondingly). This specific criterion is useful in detecting and predicting early-stage neoadjuvant breast cancer treatment response. To address the issues of the limited channels in the fiber-dependent breast DOT system and limited signal-to-noise ratio in the camera-dependent systems, we hereby present a camera-based lock-in detection scheme to achieve dynamic DOT with improved SNR, which adopted orthogonal frequency division multiplexing technology. The evaluation of the system performance was conducted on tissue phantoms and neoplastic rats, and the results show that this system boasts the capability of executing parallel measurement utilizing a camera detector, enabling the achievement of highly sensitive, and dynamic tomography for breast screening applications.

Three-photon fluorescence (3PF) microscopy encounters significant challenges in biological research and clinical applications, primarily due to the limited availability of high-performance probes. We took a shortcut by exploring the excellent 3PF property of berberine hydrochloride (BH), a clinically utilized drug derived from the traditional Chinese medicine, Coptis. Capitalizing on its renal metabolism characteristics, we employed BH for in vivo 3PF microscopic imaging of the mouse kidney. This approach enabled high-resolution structural observation of renal tubules and facilitated the diagnosis of drug-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) based on renal tubule morphology. The analytical capabilities of 3PF microscopy for renal physiology and pathological diagnosis suggest its potential for future clinical applications.

Neuroinflammation plays a key role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, with microglia regulating this process through pro-inflammatory M1 and anti-inflammatory M2 phenotypes. Studies have shown that human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) modulate neuroinflammation by secreting anti-inflammatory cytokines. Photobiomodulation (PBM), a non-invasive therapy, has demonstrated significant potential in alleviating neuroinflammation. This study examines the combined effects of PBM and hUCMSCs in an in vitro microglial inflammation model and an LPS-induced mouse model. The results show that PBM-pretreated hUCMSCs promoted M2 polarization and improved cognitive function in mice by downregulating the Notch signaling pathway, suggesting a promising new approach for treating neurodegenerative diseases.

Objective: Evaluate the influence of photobiomodulation in a model of oral carcinogenesis induced by 4-nitroquinoline-n-oxide (4-NQO).

Subjective: Ninety-six Swiss mice received topical application of 1% 4-NQO on tongue dorsum, for 20 weeks. The tongue was subjected to photobiomodulation with red (71.4 J/cm²) and infrared laser (142.8 J/cm²) starting at week 0, 12, and 16. After 20 weeks, tongues were removed for the following analyzes: histological assessment, immunohistochemical reactions (cyclin D1/Ki-67/TGF-β1), quantification of MPO, n-AG, MDA, GSH, total proteins, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels.

Results: 4-NQO showed significant increase in the frequency of carcinoma (p < 0.001), and in the immunostaining for cyclin D1/Ki-67/TGF-β1 (p < 0.005), along with increased levels of TNF- α, IL-1β, IL-6, MPO, n-AG, MDA, and total proteins (p < 0.001), that were reduced by photobiomodulation with red and infrared lasers (p < 0.005).

Conclusion: Photobiomodulation reduces tumor development, accompanied by reduced inflammatory cells and content of cytokines and oxidative markers associated with carcinogenesis.

Motor dysfunction of the upper limbs following a stroke predominantly arises from abnormal motor patterning caused by the disrupted balance of inter-cortical communication within motor-associated cortical regions. Temporal analysis offers a more precise reflection of the cortical functional state in affected patients. This study employed fNIRS to capture hemodynamic responses among 20 stroke patients and 19 healthy controls in both resting and Baduanjin task state. Including computing the coefficient of variation of fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) for each channel, alongside extracting dynamic state metrics. Findings indicate that, during sustained motor tasks, stroke patients exhibit a diminished fALFF variability in targeted cortical regions; these individuals display a higher prevalence of low-intensity states and a lower prevalence of high-intensity states during task execution. These dynamic state attributes are significantly associated with scores on the upper limb motor function scale (FMA-UE), thereby proposing a time-domain perspective for investigating the underlying mechanisms of stroke-induced motor dysfunction.

Broadband CARS is a coherent Raman scattering technique that provides access to the full biological vibrational spectrum within milliseconds, facilitating the recording of widefield hyperspectral Raman images. In this work, BCARS hyperspectral images of unstained cells from two different cell lines of immune lineage (T cell [Jurkat] and pDCs [CAL-1]) were recorded and analyzed using multivariate statistical algorithms in order to determine the spectral differences between the cells. A classifier was trained which could distinguish the known cells with a 97% out-of-bag accuracy. The classifier was then applied to unlabeled samples containing a mixture of the two cell types on the same coverslip. This work demonstrates single-cell analysis of pDCs (CAL-1) and T cells (Jurkat) using BCARS. This approach enables an initial validation of cellular classification. We further demonstrate the capability of BCARS cell classification using single spectra of 5 ms acquisition time.