Labelfree mapping and profiling of altered lipid homeostasis in the rat hippocampus after traumatic stress: Role of oxidative homeostasis.

Oxidative and lipid homeostasis are altered by stress and trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with alterations to lipid species in plasma. Stress-induced alterations to lipid oxidative and homeostasis may exacerbate PTSD pathology, but few preclinical investigations of stress-induced lipidomic changes in the brain exist. Currently available techniques for the quantification of lipid species in biological samples require tissue extraction and are limited in their ability to retrieve spatial information.

Probing the mutation independent interaction of DNA probes with SARS-CoV-2 variants through a combination of surface-enhanced Raman scattering and machine learning.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) evolution has been characterized by the emergence of sets of mutations impacting the virus characteristics, such as transmissibility and antigenicity, presumably in response to the changing immune profile of the human population. The presence of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus can potentially impact therapeutic and diagnostic test performances. We design and develop here a unique set of DNA probes i.

Multimodal Label-Free Monitoring of Adipogenic Stem Cell Differentiation Using Endogenous Optical Biomarkers.

Stem cell-based therapies carry significant promise for treating human diseases. However, clinical translation of stem cell transplants for effective treatment requires precise non-destructive evaluation of the purity of stem cells with high sensitivity (<0.001% of the number of cells).

Printed Electrode for Measuring Phosphate in Environmental Water.

Phosphate is a major nonpoint source pollutant in both the Louisiana local streams as well as in the Gulf of Mexico coastal waters. Phosphates from agricultural run-off have contributed to the eutrophication of global surface waters. Phosphate environmental dissemination and eutrophication problems are not yet well understood.

Label-free lipidome study of paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVT) of rat brain with post-traumatic stress injury by Raman imaging.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a widespread psychiatric injury that develops serious life-threatening symptoms like substance abuse, severe depression, cognitive impairments, and persistent anxiety. However, the mechanisms of post-traumatic stress injury in brain are poorly understood due to the lack of practical methods to reveal biochemical alterations in various brain regions affected by this type of injury. Here, we introduce a novel method that provides quantitative results from Raman maps in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) region.

Current and future functional imaging techniques for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a trauma and stressor related psychiatric disorder associated with structural, metabolic, and molecular alternations in several brain regions including diverse cortical areas, neuroendocrine regions, the striatum, dopaminergic, adrenergic and serotonergic pathways, and the limbic system. We are in critical need of novel therapeutics and biomarkers for PTSD and a deep understanding of cutting edge imaging and spectroscopy methods is necessary for the development of promising new approaches to better diagnose and treat the disorder. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) criterion, all forms of traumatic stress-induced disorder are considered acute stress disorder for the first month following the stressor.

Improvement of Tribological and Biocompatibility Properties of Orthopedic Materials Using Piezoelectric Direct Discharge Plasma Surface Modification.

Various types of alloys and polymers are utilized in orthopedic implants. However, there are still several issues accompanied by the use of prosthetic materials, such as low wear performance and catastrophic failure. Surface enhancement of biomaterials is a promising method that can improve the success rate of prosthetic operations without negatively affecting their bulk properties while improving the biocompatibility of implants and reducing infections.

Raman Spectroscopy and Microscopy Applications in Cardiovascular Diseases: From Molecules to Organs.

Noninvasive and label-free vibrational spectroscopy and microscopy methods have shown great potential for clinical diagnosis applications. Raman spectroscopy is based on inelastic light scattering due to rotational and vibrational modes of molecular bonds. It has been shown that Raman spectra provide chemical signatures of changes in biological tissues in different diseases, and this technique can be employed in label-free monitoring and clinical diagnosis of several diseases, including cardiovascular studies.

Substrate Engineered Interconnected Graphene Electrodes with Ultrahigh Energy and Power Densities for Energy Storage Applications.

Supercapacitors combine the advantages of electrochemical storage technologies such as high energy density batteries and high power density capacitors. At 5-10 W h kg, the energy densities of current supercapacitors are still significantly lower than the energy densities of lead acid (20-35 W h kg), Ni-metal hydride (40-100 W h kg), and Li-ion (120-170 W h kg) batteries. Recently, graphene-based supercapacitors have shown an energy density of 40-80 W h kg.