Endothelialization of coronary stents after intra-luminal adenoviral VEGF-A gene transfer in a preclinical porcine restenosis model - Studies with optical coherence tomography, angioscopy, multiphoton and scanning electron microscopy.

Background: Coronary stenting operations have become the main option for the treatment of coronary heart disease. Vessel recovery after stenting has emerged as a critical factor in reducing possible complications. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility, safety and efficacy of locally administered intraluminal gene therapy delivered using a specialized infusion balloon catheter.

Microplastic accumulation in one-year freshwater ice: A four-year monitoring study reveals winter dynamics of microplastics.

Microplastic research has reached a point where microplastics (MPs) have been found in virtually every environment studied. However, MP studies of freshwater ice are scarce, and the winter dynamics of MPs are less understood. Measuring MPs from one-year freshwater ice samples can aid understanding seasonal MP fluxes in freshwater systems.

Tracking trash to treasure: monitoring of single microbial cell oil biosynthesis from waste cooking oil using Raman spectroscopy and imaging.

Waste cooking oil is a major pollutant that contaminates terrestrial and aquatic bodies which is generated from household kitchens and eateries. The bioremediation of waste cooking oil (WCO) into microbial oil, also known as single microbial cell oil (SMCO), can be accomplished by oleaginous microbes. Conventional methods excel in SMCO analysis but lack efficacy for or lysis-free monitoring of nascent SMCO synthesis and turnover.

Hyperspectral imaging for identification of irregular-shaped microplastics in water.

In this article, we demonstrate detection and identification of ten microplastic types directly in a water sample using an identification table derived from microplastic hyperspectral images. We selected a total of fourteen wavelengths which can be used to distinguish these ten microplastic types. We enhanced the visibility of these wavelengths by computationally removing water and baseline correcting with reflectance at 1550 nm.

Microplastics in Arctic waters of the Finnish Sámi area.

We explored the presence of microplastics in the Finnish Arctic Sámi home area. A dialogue between Indigenous knowledge and scientific field work produced data about microplastics in remote wilderness aquatic ecosystems. Methods included geographical Indigenous knowledge analysis, water sampling with fraction filtration, and imaging Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Preparation of synthetic micro- and nano plastics for method validation studies.

Microplastic (MP) pollution is a persisting global problem. Accurate analysis is essential in quantifying the effects of microplastic pollution and develop novel technologies that reliably and reproducibly measure microplastic content in various samples. The most common methods for this are FTIR and Raman spectroscopy.

Microstructural changes in the irradiated and osteoradionecrotic bone: a SEM study.

Radiation exposure is a major health concern due to bone involvement including mandible, causing deleterious effects on bone metabolism, and healing with an increasing risk of infection and osteoradionecrosis. This study aims to investigate the radiotherapy-induced microstructural changes in the human mandible by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mandibular cortical bone biopsies were obtained from control, irradiated, and patients with osteoradionecrosis (ORN).

Thermodynamically controlled multiphase separation of heterogeneous liquid crystal colloids.

Phase separation is a universal physical transition process whereby a homogeneous mixture splits into two distinct compartments that are driven by the component activity, elasticity, or compositions. In the current work, we develop a series of heterogeneous colloidal suspensions that exhibit both liquid-liquid phase separation of semiflexible binary polymers and liquid crystal phase separation of rigid, rod-like nanocellulose particles. The phase behavior of the multicomponent mixture is controlled by the trade-off between thermodynamics and kinetics during the two transition processes, displaying cholesteric self-assembly of nanocellulose within or across the compartmented aqueous phases.

Mobile samplers of particulate matter - Flying omnivorous insects in detection of industrial contamination.

Flying insects are potential mobile samplers of airborne particulate matter (PM). However, current knowledge on their susceptibility to PM is limited to pollinators. Insects' capacity for particle surface accumulation depends on the lifestyle, structure of the body integuments, and behavioral patterns.

Detecting different amorphous - Amorphous phase separation patterns in co-amorphous mixtures with high resolution imaging FTIR spectroscopy.

Many active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) in development suffer from low aqueous solubilities. Instead of the crystal form, the amorphous state can be used to improve the API's apparent solubility. However, the amorphous state has a higher Gibb's free energy and is inherently unstable and tends to transform back to the more stable crystal form.

Molecular Quantity Variations in Human-Mandibular-Bone Osteoid.

Osteoid is a layer of new-formed bone that is deposited on the bone border during the process of new bone formation. This deposition process is crucial for bone tissue, and flaws in it can lead to bone diseases. Certain bone diseases, i.

Irradiation Induced Biochemical Changes in Human Mandibular Bone: A Raman Spectroscopic Study.

Understanding the biochemical changes in irradiated human mandible after radiotherapy of cancer patients is critical for oral rehabilitation. The underlying mechanism for radiation-associated changes in the bone at the molecular level could lead to implant failure and osteoradionecrosis. The study aimed to assess the chemical composition and bone quality in irradiated human mandibular bone using Raman spectroscopy.

Effects of irradiation in the mandibular bone loaded with dental implants. An experimental study with a canine model.

Radiation therapy may compromise the quality of bone around dental implants, and its ability to regenerate, remodel, and revascularize. This study aimed to describe the irradiation effect on the bone microstructure of the mandible using dental implants in a canine model. Five beagle dogs were exposed to 40 Gy fractionated radiation.

High-resolution infrared microspectroscopic characterization of cartilage cell microenvironment.

The lateral resolution of infrared spectroscopy has been inadequate for accurate biochemical characterization of the cell microenvironment, a region regulating biochemical and biomechanical signals to cells. In this study, we demonstrate the capacity of a high-resolution Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (HR-FTIR-MS) to characterize the collagen content of this region. Specifically, we focus on the collagen content in the cartilage cell (chondrocyte) microenvironment of healthy and osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage.

Validation of an imaging FTIR spectroscopic method for analyzing microplastics ingestion by Finnish lake fish (Perca fluviatilis and Coregonus albula).

Despite the ubiquitousness of microplastics, knowledge on the exposure of freshwater fish to microplastics is still limited. Moreover, no standard methods are available for analyzing microplastics, and the quality of methods used for the quantification of ingested microplastics in fish should be improved. In this study, we studied microplastic ingestion of common wild freshwater fish species, perch (Perca fluviatilis) and vendace (Coregonus albula).

The pursuit of resin-dentin bond durability: Simultaneous enhancement of collagen structure and polymer network formation in hybrid layers.

Objective: Imperfect polymer formation as well as collagen's susceptibility to enzymatic degradation increase the vulnerability of hybrid layers over time. This study investigated the effect of new dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-containing pretreatments on long-term bond strength, hybrid layer quality, monomer conversion and collagen structure.

Methods: HPO-etched mid-coronal dentin surfaces from extracted human molars (n = 8) were randomly treated with aqueous and ethanolic DMSO solutions or following the ethanol-wet bonding technique.

Towards the Development of Portable and In Situ Optical Devices for Detection of Micro and Nanoplastics in Water: A Review on the Current Status.

The prevalent nature of micro and nanoplastics (MP/NPs) on environmental pollution and health-related issues has led to the development of various methods, usually based on Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopies, for their detection. Unfortunately, most of the developed techniques are laboratory-based with little focus on in situ detection of MPs. In this review, we aim to give an up-to-date report on the different optical measurement methods that have been exploited in the screening of MPs isolated from their natural environments, such as water.

Sediment trapping - An attempt to monitor temporal variation of microplastic flux rates in aquatic systems.

Sediment trapping as a tool to monitor microplastic influx was tested in an urban boreal lake basin. The one-year-long trap monitoring consisted of 5-month and 7-month periods representing growing season and winter season (including the spring flood event), respectively. Sediment accumulation rate (SAR), and organic content were determined, highest SAR - 14.

Microplastics accumulate to thin layers in the stratified Baltic Sea.

In the Baltic Sea, water is stratified due to differences in density and salinity. The stratification prevents water from mixing, which could affect sinking rates of microplastics in the sea. We studied the accumulation of microplastics to halocline and thermocline.

Raman imaging of amorphous-amorphous phase separation in small molecule co-amorphous systems.

Many new active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) undergoing development have low permeabilities or low aqueous solubilities. However, the amorphous state is usually more soluble than its crystalline counterpart. The amorphous state has a higher Gibb's free energy, which can improve the apparent solubility but decrease the stability since the amorphous state tends to transform to the more stable crystalline form.

Detection of amorphous-amorphous phase separation in small molecular co-amorphous mixtures with SEM-EDS.

Amorphicity is one possible way to increase the solubility of poorly water soluble drugs. However, amorphous solids are thermodynamically unstable and tend to recrystallize with material-specific kinetics. Crystallization is not the prime phenomenon in the whole process, although it is the easiest to measure.

Quantitative Comparison of Pyranose Dehydrogenase Action on Diverse Xylooligosaccharides.

Pyranose dehydrogenases (PDHs; EC 1.1.99.

MIM-Deficient Mice Exhibit Anatomical Changes in Dendritic Spines, Cortex Volume and Brain Ventricles, and Functional Changes in Motor Coordination and Learning.

In this study, we performed a comprehensive behavioral and anatomical analysis of the Missing in Metastasis (Mtss1/MIM) knockout (KO) mouse brain. We also analyzed the expression of MIM in different brain regions at different ages. MIM is an I-BAR containing membrane curving protein, shown to be involved in dendritic spine initiation and dendritic branching in Purkinje cells in the cerebellum.

Localization of transmembrane mucin MUC1 on the apical surface of oral mucosal cells.

The purpose of the present study was to demonstrate the localization of transmembrane mucin MUC1 on the outer layer of oral mucosal cells and the involvement of apical cell surface microplicae (MPL) in bioadhesion of MUC1. Tissue samples of six healthy subjects were obtained. First, the presence of MUC1 was examined with an immunohistochemical method using a monoclonal MUC1 antigen called HFMG1.