Consensus Statement on Brillouin Light Scattering Microscopy of Biological Materials.

Brillouin Light Scattering (BLS) spectroscopy is a non-invasive, non-contact, label-free optical technique that can provide information on the mechanical properties of a material on the sub-micron scale. Over the last decade it has seen increased applications in the life sciences, driven by the observed significance of mechanical properties in biological processes, the realization of more sensitive BLS spectrometers and its extension to an imaging modality. As with other spectroscopic techniques, BLS measurements not only detect signals characteristic of the investigated sample, but also of the experimental apparatus, and can be significantly affected by measurement conditions.

Advantages of integrating Brillouin microscopy in multimodal mechanical mapping of cells and tissues.

Recent research has highlighted the growing significance of the mechanical properties of cells and tissues in the proper execution of physiological functions within an organism; alterations to these properties can potentially result in various diseases. These mechanical properties can be assessed using various techniques that vary in spatial and temporal resolutions as well as applications. Due to the wide range of mechanical behaviors exhibited by cells and tissues, a singular mapping technique may be insufficient in capturing their complexity and nuance.

Progressive alteration of murine bladder elasticity in actinic cystitis detected by Brillouin microscopy.

Bladder mechanical properties are critical for organ function and tissue homeostasis. Therefore, alterations of tissue mechanics are linked to disease onset and progression. This study aims to characterize the tissue elasticity of the murine bladder wall considering its different anatomical components, both in healthy conditions and in actinic cystitis, a state characterized by tissue fibrosis.

Direct Visualization and Identification of Membrane Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels from Human iPSC-Derived Neurons by Multiple Imaging and Light Enhanced Spectroscopy.

In this study, transmission electron microscopy atomic force microscopy, and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy are combined through a direct imaging approach, to gather structural and chemical information of complex molecular systems such as ion channels in their original plasma membrane. Customized microfabricated sample holder allows to characterize Na channels embedded in the original plasma membrane extracted from neuronal cells that are derived from healthy human induced pluripotent stem cells. The identification of the channels is accomplished by using two different approaches, one of them widely used in cryo-EM (the particle analysis method) and the other based on a novel Zernike Polynomial expansion of the images bitmap.

Interseasonal RSV infections in Switzerland - rapid establishment of a clinician-led national reporting system (RSV EpiCH).

In anticipation of an interseasonal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) epidemic, a clinician-led reporting system was rapidly established to capture RSV infections in Swiss hospitals, starting in January 2021. Here, we present details of the reporting system and first results to June 2021. An unusual epidemiology was observed with an interseasonal surge of RSV infections associated with COVID-19-related non-pharmacological interventions.