Evaluation of Papain-Urea for Enzymatic Debridement of Coagulation Zones Following Ablative Fractional Laser Treatment.

Background: Ablative fractional CO laser (10,600 nm) treatment creates an array of microscopic treatment zones composed of an ablation zone (AZ) surrounded by a denatured coagulation zone (CZ). The CZ is believed to play a functional role in skin tightening, posttreatment inflammation, and laser-assisted drug delivery. This study investigates the viability of enzymatic post-processing to remove the CZ without affecting the surrounding tissue.

Loss of the long form of Plod2 phenocopies contractures of Bruck syndrome-osteogenesis imperfecta.

Bruck syndrome is an autosomal recessive form of osteogenesis imperfecta caused by biallelic variants in PLOD2 or FKBP10 and is characterized by joint contractures, bone fragility, short stature, and scoliosis. PLOD2 encodes LH2, which hydroxylates type I collagen telopeptide lysines, a critical step for collagen crosslinking. The Plod2 global knockout mouse model is limited by early embryonic lethality, and thus, the role of PLOD2 in skeletogenesis is not well understood.

Phosphorescent Microneedle Array for the Measurement of Oxygen Partial Pressure in Tissue.

The knowledge of the exact oxygen partial pressure in tissue is crucial for patient care and in the treatment of ischemic medical conditions. However, current methods to assess oxygen partial pressure in tissue suffer from a variety of disadvantages, including complex equipment and procedures that necessitate trained personnel. Additionally, the barrier function of the stratum corneum reduces oxygen exchange and can consequently hamper surface measurements of rapidly changing oxygen partial pressure in tissue.

Quantitative Luminescence Photography of a Swellable Hydrogel Dressing with a Traffic-Light Response to Oxygen.

Sensor-integrated wound dressings are emerging tools applicable to a wide variety of medical applications from emergency triage to at-home monitoring. Uncomfortable, unnecessary wound dressing changes may be avoided by providing quantitative insight into tissue characteristics related to wound healing such as tissue oxygenation, pH, and exudate/transudate volume. Here, a simple cost-effective methodology for quantifying oxygen and pH in a swellable hydrogel dressing using a single photograph is presented.

Wearable device for remote monitoring of transcutaneous tissue oxygenation.

Wearable devices have found widespread applications in recent years as both medical devices as well as consumer electronics for sports and health tracking. A metric of health that is often overlooked in currently available technology is the direct measurement of molecular oxygen in living tissue, a key component in cellular energy production. Here, we report on the development of a wireless wearable prototype for transcutaneous oxygenation monitoring based on quantifying the oxygen-dependent phosphorescence of a metalloporphyrin embedded within a highly breathable oxygen sensing film.

A paintable phosphorescent bandage for postoperative tissue oxygen assessment in DIEP flap reconstruction.

Flaps are common in plastic surgery to reconstruct large tissue defects in cases such as trauma or cancer. However, most tissue oximeters used for monitoring ischemia in postoperative flaps are bulky, wired devices, which hinder direct flap observation. Here, we present the results of a clinical trial using a previously untried paintable transparent phosphorescent bandage to assess the tissue's partial pressure of oxygen (pO).

Early visualization of skin burn severity using a topically applied dye-loaded liquid bandage.

Skin burns are a significant source of injury in both military and civilian sectors. They are especially problematic in low resource environments where non-fatal injuries can lead to high morbidity rates, prolonged hospitalization, and disability. These multifaceted wounds can be highly complex and must be quickly diagnosed and treated to achieve optimal outcomes.

Humidity-Insensitive Tissue Oxygen Tension Sensing for Wearable Devices.

Quantification of tissue oxygen partial pressure (pO ) at the skin surface is crucial for diagnostic applications in burns, reconstructive surgeries, diabetic ulcers, etc. Further, current advances in wearable and communications technologies have widened the use of transcutaneous oxygen monitors (TCOM) for home care or even enhance athletic performance. For TCOM technology to find widespread use, devices must function reliably yet independently of changes in environmental conditions, humidity in particular.

A SERS approach for rapid detection of microRNA-17 in the picomolar range.

Epigenetic biomarkers are powerful tools for early disease detection and are particularly useful for elusive conditions like preeclampsia. Predicting preeclampsia at an early stage is one of the most important goals of maternal-fetal medicine. To this end, recent studies have identified microRNAs-such as microRNA-17-as early biomarkers for preeclampsia.

Sensing, monitoring, and release of therapeutics: the translational journey of next generation bandages (Erratum).

This erratum corrects an error in "Sensing, monitoring, and release of therapeutics: the translational journey of next generation bandages," by Z. Li et al.

Sensing, monitoring, and release of therapeutics: the translational journey of next generation bandages.

This article aims to be a progress report on the Sensing, Monitoring And Release of Therapeutics (SMART) bandage-one of the three technologies that received the inaugural SPIE Photonics West Translational Research Symposium Award in 2015. Invented and developed by Dr. Conor L.

Development of a miRNA surface-enhanced Raman scattering assay using benchtop and handheld Raman systems.

DNA-functionalized nanoparticles, when paired with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), can rapidly detect microRNA. However, widespread use of this approach is hindered by drawbacks associated with large and expensive benchtop Raman microscopes. MicroRNA-17 (miRNA-17) has emerged as a potential epigenetic indicator of preeclampsia, a condition that occurs during pregnancy.

A magneto-fluidic nanoparticle trapping platform for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

A microfluidic device utilizing magnetically activated nickel (Ni) micropads has been developed for controlled localization of plasmonic core-shell magnetic nanoparticles, specifically for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) applications. Magnetic microfluidics allows for automated washing steps, provides a means for easy reagent packaging, allows for chip reusability, and can even be used to facilitate on-chip mixing and filtration towards full automation of biological sample processing and analysis. Milliliter volumes of gold-coated 175-nm silica encapsulated iron oxide nanoparticles were pumped into a microchannel and allowed to magnetically concentrate down into 7.

Ferric plasmonic nanoparticles, aptamers, and magnetofluidic chips: toward the development of diagnostic surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy assays.

Conjugation of aptamers and their corresponding analytes onto plasmonic nanoparticles mediates the formation of nanoparticle assemblies: molecularly bound nanoclusters that cause a measurable change in the colloid’s optical properties. The optimization of a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) competitive binding assay utilizing plasmonic “target” and magnetic “probe” nanoparticles for the detection of the toxin bisphenol-A (BPA) is presented. These assay nanoclusters were housed inside three types of optofluidic chips patterned with magnetically activated nickel pads, in either a straight or array pattern.

Rational design of a bisphenol A aptamer selective surface-enhanced Raman scattering nanoprobe.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) optical nanoprobes offer a number of advantages for ultrasensitive analyte detection. These functionalized colloidal nanoparticles are a multifunctional assay component. providing a platform for conjugation to spectral tags, stabilizing polymers, and biorecognition elements such as aptamers or antibodies.