Selective disruption of vascular endothelium of zebrafish embryos by ultrafast laser microsurgical treatment.

In this work, we demonstrate that ultrafast laser irradiation could selectively disrupt vascular endothelium of zebrafish embryos in vivo. Ultrafast lasers minimize the collateral damage in the vicinity of the laser focus and eventually reduce coagulation in the tissues. We have also found that the threshold fluence for lesion formation of the vascular endothelium strongly depends on the developmental stage of the embryos.

Dynamic changes in PDMS surface morphology in femtosecond laser treatment.

We have investigated the effect of the dynamics of crater size on the poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) surface morphology in fs-laser micro-processing. PDMS surface was processed with varying both inter-pulse interval and inter-spot distance between successive laser pulses. With keeping the interval of 5 ms crater shape is round even if the spot is overlapped in space.

Femtosecond laser-assisted selective reduction of neovascularization in rat cornea.

Nonlinear multiphoton absorption induced by focusing near infrared (NIR) femtosecond (fs) laser pulses into a transparent cornea allows surgery on neovascular structures with minimal collateral damage. In this report, we introduce an fs laser-based microsurgery for selective treatment of rat corneal neovascularizations (in vivo). Contiguous tissue effects are achieved by scanning a focused laser pulse below the corneal surface with a fluence range of 2.

Zaprinast activates MAPKs, NFκB, and Akt and induces the expressions of inflammatory genes in microglia.

Previously, the authors reported that zaprinast, an inhibitor of cGMP-selective phosphodiesterases, induced the secretions of TNF-α and IL-1β by microglia and enhanced the induction of iNOS by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In this study, the signaling mechanism responsible for microglial activation by zaprinast was investigated and the effects of zaprinast and LPS on microglial activation were compared. Zaprinast was found to activate ERK1/2, p38 MAPK, JNK, NFκB, and PI3K/Akt, and subsequently, induce the mRNA expressions of IL-1α, IL-1β, TNF-α, CCL2, CCL4, CXCL1, CXCL2, and CD14.

Micro-structuring of CIGS thin-film coated on Mo back contact by ultrafast laser 'rail-roading' patterning.

We report selective patterning process, laser 'rail-roading' scribing method, of which operating principle is based on transient force balance between the material properties including cohesion and adhesion forces subjected to underlying substrate and laser-induced shock compression and shear forces. By using dual fs-laser beam lines with an interval larger than laser spot size, we provide a proof of the concept by patterning the photovoltaic modules based on CIGS (Cu(In,Ga)Se2) coated on Mo electrode. With varying the interval between the two laser beam tracks, we can provide intact Mo back contact surface without any residues in a manner of more facile, high-speed and high scribing efficiency.