Photobiomodulation Suppresses Alpha-Synuclein-Induced Toxicity in an AAV-Based Rat Genetic Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Converging lines of evidence indicate that near-infrared light treatment, also known as photobiomodulation (PBM), may exert beneficial effects and protect against cellular toxicity and degeneration in several animal models of human pathologies, including neurodegenerative disorders. In the present study, we report that chronic PMB treatment mitigates dopaminergic loss induced by unilateral overexpression of human α-synuclein (α-syn) in the substantia nigra of an AAV-based rat genetic model of Parkinson's disease (PD). In this model, daily exposure of both sides of the rat's head to 808-nm near-infrared light for 28 consecutive days alleviated α-syn-induced motor impairment, as assessed using the cylinder test.

Optical properties of rabbit brain in the red and near-infrared: changes observed under in vivo, postmortem, frozen, and formalin-fixated conditions.

The outcome of light-based therapeutic approaches depends on light propagation in biological tissues, which is governed by their optical properties. The objective of this study was to quantify optical properties of brain tissue in vivo and postmortem and assess changes due to tissue handling postmortem. The study was carried out on eight female New Zealand white rabbits.

Assessment of telemetry and fluidic control system used in the Medstream programmable infusion system: an in vivo and in vitro study.

The MedStream Programmable Infusion Pump, an intrathecal pump indicated for the treatment of chronic intractable pain and severe spasticity (CE-mark) or severe spasticity (US), has a highly accurate medication delivery (within 10% of the programmed flow rate) and is certified for use in 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging systems (conditional). Performance of the telemetric link between external control-unit and implanted pump was assessed in sheep (in vivo) up to 26 weeks, resulting in 1040 communication sessions. The telemetric communication envelope (communication distance and maximum antenna tilt angles) and communication duration were characterized in an in vitro test.

Near-infrared 808 nm light boosts complex IV-dependent respiration and rescues a Parkinson-related pink1 model.

Mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) defects are observed in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and in PD fly- and mouse-models; however it remains to be tested if acute improvement of ETC function alleviates PD-relevant defects. We tested the hypothesis that 808 nm infrared light that effectively penetrates tissues rescues pink1 mutants. We show that irradiating isolated fly or mouse mitochondria with 808 nm light that is absorbed by ETC-Complex IV acutely improves Complex IV-dependent oxygen consumption and ATP production, a feature that is wavelength-specific.

Development and in-vitro characterization of an implantable flow sensing transducer for hydrocephalus.

An implantable transducer for monitoring the flow of Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for the treatment of hydrocephalus has been developed which is based on measuring the heat dissipation of a local thermal source. The transducer uses passive telemetry at 13.56 MHz for power supply and read out of the measured flow rate.

A telemetric pressure sensor system for biomedical applications.

A new implantable pressure sensor for long-term monitoring of intracranial pressure is presented. The sensor is powered by telemetry and can be interrogated wirelessly. A capacitive pressure transducer, whose capacitance is converted to a frequency-encoded signal by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), senses the absolute pressure.

Development of an implantable infusion pump for sustained anti-HIV drug administration.

Factors such as insufficient drug potency, non-compliance and restricted tissue penetration contribute to incomplete suppression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the difficulty to control this infection. Infusion via standard catheters can be a source of infection, which is potentially life threatening in these patients. We developed an implantable infusion pump, allowing to accommodate large volumes (16-50mL) of high viscous solutions (up to 23.

Safety of active implantable devices during MRI examinations: a finite element analysis of an implantable pump.

The goal of this study was to propose a general numerical analysis methodology to evaluate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-safety of active implants. Numerical models based on the finite element (FE) technique were used to estimate if the normal operation of an active device was altered during MRI imaging. An active implanted pump was chosen to illustrate the method.

Contribution of the nucleus to the mechanical properties of endothelial cells.

The cell nucleus plays a central role in the response of the endothelium to mechanical forces, possibly by deforming during cellular adaptation. The goal of this work was to precisely quantify the mechanical properties of the nucleus. Individual endothelial cells were subjected to compression between glass microplates.