Surface-enhanced Raman scattering sensing platform for detecting amyloid-β peptide interaction with an aggregation inhibitor.

Soluble, small amyloid- oligomers () are recognized as significant contributors to the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although drugs for treating AD symptoms have been approved, no therapy targeting amyloid- () capable of modifying the course of the disease is available. In an effort to develop a label-free method for screening new anti-AD therapeutic agents, we show the use of a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active substrate for detecting the interactions between peptides and spin-labeled fluorine (SLF), a peptide aggregation inhibitor.

Hyperspectral Raman microscopy can accurately differentiate single cells of different human thyroid nodules.

We report on the use of line-scan hyperspectral Raman microscopy in combination with multivariate statistical analyses for identifying and classifying single cells isolated from clinical samples of human thyroid nodules based on their intrinsic Raman spectral signatures. A total of 248 hyperspectral Raman images of single cells from benign thyroid (n = 127) and classic variant of papillary carcinoma (n = 121) nodules were collected. Spectral differences attributed to phenylalanine, tryptophan, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids were identified for benign and papillary carcinoma cells.

Damage induced in red blood cells by infrared optical trapping: an evaluation based on elasticity measurements.

We evaluated the damage caused to optically trapped red blood cells (RBCs) after 1 or 2 min of exposure to near-infrared (NIR) laser beams at 785 or 1064 nm. Damage was quantified by measuring cell elasticity using an automatic, real-time, homemade, optical tweezer system. The measurements, performed on a significant number (hundreds) of cells, revealed an overall deformability decrease up to ∼104% after 2 min of light exposure, under 10 mW optical trapping for the 785-nm wavelength.

Upconversion ultraviolet random lasing in Nd3+ doped fluoroindate glass powder.

An upconversion random laser (RL) operating in the ultraviolet is reported for Nd3+ doped fluoroindate glass powder pumped at 575 nm. The RL is obtained by the resonant excitation of the Nd3+ state 2G7/2 followed by energy transfer among two excited ions such that one ion in the pair decays to a lower energy state and the other is promoted to state 4D7/2 from where it decays emitting light at 381 nm. The RL threshold of 30 kW/cm2 was determined by monitoring the photoluminescence intensity as a function of the pump laser intensity.