Photodynamic therapy: a novel treatment for primary brain malignancy.

Providing therapy that conserves healthy brain tissue while effectively killing cancerous tissue remains a major challenge in the treatment of primary malignant brain tumors. The most common primary brain malignancies tend to recur despite intensive therapy, and the side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy can have considerable influence on health and quality of life. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a new technology being investigated to fulfill the need for a targeted cancer treatment that may reduce tumor recurrence and extend survival with few adverse effects.

Successful repair of esophageal injury using an elastin based biomaterial patch.

An esophageal injury with significant tissue loss is very difficult to repair. We conducted an in vivo study to test our elastin based acellular biomaterial patch to repair such defect. The patch was made from porcine aorta, by decellularization and sterilization.

Sutureless liver repair and hemorrhage control using laser-mediated fusion of human albumin as a solder.

Background: Major liver trauma has a high mortality because of immediate exsanguination and a delayed morbidity from septicemia, peritonitis, biliary fistulae, and delayed secondary hemorrhage. We evaluated laser soldering using liquid albumin for welding liver injuries.

Methods: Fourteen lacerations (6 x 2 cm) and 13 nonanatomic resection injuries (raw surface, 8 x 2 cm) were repaired.

Liver repair and hemorrhage control by using laser soldering of liquid albumin in a porcine model.

Background And Objective: We evaluated laser soldering by using liquid albumin for welding liver injuries. Major liver trauma has a high mortality because of immediate exsanguination and a delayed morbidity from septicemia, peritonitis, biliary fistulae, and delayed secondary hemorrhage.

Study Design/materials And Methods: Eight laceration (6 x 2 cm) and eight nonanatomic resection injuries (raw surface, 6 x 2 cm) were repaired.

Modeling photon transport in transabdominal fetal oximetry.

The possibility of optical oximetry of the blood in the fetal brain measured across the maternal abdomen just prior to birth is under investigation. Such measurements could detect fetal distress prior to birth and aid in the clinical decision regarding Cesarean section. This paper uses a perturbation method to model photon transport through an 8-cm-diam fetal brain located at a constant 2.

Use of a new elastin patch and glue for repair of a major duodenal injury.

Major duodenal injury with significant tissue loss causes high morbidity and mortality. Our new elastin based heterograft combined with small intestinal submucosa (SIS) and biodegradable glue could be used for repair of such defects. Twenty-four domestic pigs were anesthetized and underwent celiotomy.

Imaging superficial tissues with polarized light.

Objective: Polarized light can be used to obtain images of superficial tissue layers such as skin, and some example images are presented. This study presents a study of the transition of linearly polarized light into randomly polarized light during light propagation through tissues.

Study Design/materials And Methods: The transition of polarization was studied in polystyrene microsphere solutions, in chicken muscle (breast) and liver, and in porcine muscle and skin.

Enhanced laser thrombolysis with photomechanical drug delivery: an in vitro study.

Background And Objective: Current techniques for laser thrombolysis are limited because they can not completely clear thrombotic occlusions in arteries, typically leaving residual thrombus on the walls of the artery. The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of using photomechanical drug delivery to enhance laser thrombolysis by delivering drugs into mural thrombus during laser thrombolysis.

Study Design/materials And Methods: Three experimental protocols were performed in vitro to quantitatively compare the effectiveness of thrombolysis by 1) constant infusion of drug, 2) laser thrombolysis, and 3) photomechanical drug delivery.

Light distributions from point, line and plane sources for photochemical reactions and fluorescence in turbid biological tissues.

Light distributions in biological tissues are summarized in simple expressions for spherical, cylindrical and planar geometries due to point sources, line sources and planar sources. The goal is to provide workable tools for computing light distributions that govern the amount and distribution of photochemical reactions in experimental solutions, films and biological tissues. Diffusion theory expressions are compared with Monte Carlo simulations.

Path integral description of light transport in tissue.

The early photons that arrive at a collector through a large thickness of tissue have potential for imaging internal organ structure, function, and status with improved image resolution relative to late arriving photons which have been diffusely scattered. Imaging algorithms require a theory to calculate early photon arrival for comparison with experimental data. The path integral description of light transport describes the movement of photons as particles undergoing collisions in a scattering medium based on the Brownian motion formalism of Feynman and Hibbs (unconstrained path) which applies the principle of least action.