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The significance of NIR light-absorbing and/or emitting materials is growing day by day in industrial applications as well as research fields because of intrinsic versatility of NIR light. The uniq...

Additive manufacturing of food is a method of creating three-dimensional edible products layer-by-layer. While food printers have been in use since 2007, commercial cooking appliances to simultaneously cook and print food layers do not yet exist. A key challenge has been the spatially controlled delivery of cooking energy. Here, we explore precision laser cooking which offers precise temporal and spatial control over heat delivery and the ability to cook, broil, cut and otherwise transform food products via customized software-driven patterns, including through packaging. Using chicken as a model food, we combine the cooking capabilities of a blue laser (λ = 445 nm), a near-infrared (NIR) laser (λ = 980 nm), and a mid-infrared (MIR) laser (λ = 10.6 μm) to broil printed chicken and find that IR light browns more efficiently than blue light, NIR light can brown and cook foods through packaging, laser-cooked foods experience about 50% less cooking loss than foods broiled in an oven, and calculate the cooking resolution of a laser to be ~1 mm. Infusing software into the cooking process will enable more creative food design, allow individuals to more precisely customize their meals, disintermediate food supply chains, streamline at-home food production, and generate horizontal markets for this burgeoning industry.

We designed novel biocompatible nanocomposite composed of gold nanorods coated with rod-like mesoporous silica SBA-15-SH particles, (GNRs@SBA-15-SH) as a new synergistic therapeutic device to deliver heat and drug to cancer cells for tumor eradication. For this purpose, doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded into GNRs@SBA-15-SH nanocomposites and studied their photothermal therapy, chemotherapy and the combined effect on the ablation of A549 cells in vitro using human lung cancer cells, A549. The results demonstrate the high photothermal efficacy of gold nanorods loaded into the nanocomposite, the thermo-responsive properties of GNRs@SBA-15-SH, the high loading capacity of DOX into the GNRs@SBA-15-SH and its biocompatibility. Synergistic chemo-photothermal of the GNRs@SBA-15-SH/DOX nanocomposite in the eradication of cancer cells under laser irradiation (808 nm), demonstrates the high potential of therapeutic efficacy of this combined therapy over monotherapies.

Current cancer therapy has been restricted by the hypoxic microenvironment of tumors, especially for strongly oxygen-dependent photodynamic therapy. To defeat tumor hypoxia, an oxygen-irrelevant radical nanogenerator, PI/FBC, is developed by the co-assembly of iodized polymer PI and NIR photosensitizer FBC, and further evaluated as a remote controllable free radical generation platform for enhancing antitumor efficiency. The PI/FBC radical nanogenerator can be excited by NIR light to produce ROS through transfer of energy to oxygen and induce the formation of toxic iodine radicals via electron transfer to PI. Notably, unlike conventional tumor treatments, such a radical nanogenerator is controllable and insusceptible to oxygen concentration. Moreover, benefiting from the strong NIR emission of FBC, the distribution of the PI/FBC radical nanogenerator can be monitored without incorporating other imaging agents. This PI/FBC radical nanogenerator treatment will no doubt broaden the family of antitumor strategies by using non-oxygen radicals, which is significant for reference in the development of promising anticancer agents., An iodized polymer-based radical nanogenerator, PI/FBC, with strong NIR emission was prepared for NIR-mediated hypoxia-irrelevant tumor therapy.

Near‐infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR‐PIT) is a new type of cancer treatment, which was recently approved in Japan for patients with inoperable head and neck cancer. NIR‐PIT utilizes antibody‐IRDye700DX (IR700) conjugates and NIR light at a wavelength of 690 nm. NIR light exposure leads to physicochemical changes in the antibody‐IR700 conjugate cell receptor complex, inducing rapid necrotic cell death. Just as fluorescence guided surgery is useful for surgeons to resect tumors completely, real‐time information of tumor locations would help clinicians irradiate NIR light more precisely. IR700 is a fluorescence dye that emits at 702 nm; however, there is no clinically available device optimized for detecting this fluorescence. On the other hand, many indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging devices have been approved for clinical use. Therefore, we investigated whether LIGHTVISION, one of the clinically available ICG cameras, could be employed for tumor detection. We hypothesized that irradiation with even low‐power 690‐nm laser light, attenuated by 99% with a neutral‐density filter, could be detected with LIGHTVISION without fluorescence decay or therapeutic effect because of the long emission tail of IR700 beyond 800 nm (within the detection range of LIGHTVISION). We demonstrated that the LIGHTVISION camera, originally designed for ICG detection, can detect the tail of IR700 fluorescence in real time, thus enabling the visualization of target tumors., A diagnostic imaging method is developed for accurately localizing tumor and IR700 accumulation based on IR700 fluorescence, using weakened therapeutic laser light at a nontherapeutic dose and a commercially available clinical fluorescence camera for indocyanine green (LIGHTVISION).

The solar spectral converters mainly involve the energy transfer between two codoped ions. Here, we report a series of Ce3+, Cr3+, Ln3+ (Ln = Yb, Nd, Er) tridoped Gd3Sc2Ga3O12 (GSGO) phosphors with improved absorption and increasing near infrared (NIR) emission. We observed the multiple energy transfer behaviors of Cr3+→Ln3+, Ce3+→Ln3+, Ce3+→Cr3+, and Ce3+→Cr3+→Ln3+ in GSGO matrix. When Ce3+ is introduced into the GSGO:Cr3+,Ln3+ phosphors, the energy transfer of Ce3+→Cr3+→Ln3+ has been realized by utilizing the energy transfer bridge of the Cr3+ ion. Consequently, GSGO:Ce3+,Cr3+,Ln3+ can absorb almost all ultraviolet and visible (UV–Vis) light and produce strong NIR light thanks to the synergistic effect of Ce3+→Cr3+→Ln3+, improving the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of c-Si solar cells. Our results show that the prepared GSGO:Ce3+,Cr3+,Ln3+ have the potential application in the solar spectral material for c-Si solar cells. Meanwhile, the strategy of multiple energy transfers gives a new way to design the spectral conversion materials with wider absorption for c-Si solar cells.

Photolabile Protecting Groups (PPGs) are chemical tools used in photopharmacology for the oxygen-independent release of bioactive payloads, enabling spatiotemporal activation of their bioactivity. However, red-shifting of PPG activation wavelengths into the NIR range, light which penetrates the deepest in tissue, has been laborious, and often results in inefficient or insoluble PPGs. This challenge prohibits the use of current photocages in complex biological targets, hindering the progression of photopharmacology into the clinic. To directly address this problem, we report herein a novel concept in PPG design, by transforming clinically-applied NIR-dyes with suitable molecular orbital configurations into new NIR-PPGs using computational approaches. Using this method, we demonstrate how Cy7, a class of clinically-employed NIR dyes possessing ideal properties, such as NIR-absorption, very high molecular absorptivity, and excellent solubility in aqueous media, can be successfully converted into Cy7-PPG. We report a facile organic synthesis towards Cy7-PPG from easily accessible precursors and confirm its function as an oxygen-independent NIR-PPG. Cy7-PPG is the most redshifted PPG to date (max wavelength = 746 nm), with unmatched molecular absorptivity and solubility, and excellent uncaging efficiency, paving the way for the use of PPGs in the clinic.

Cancer has become a severe threat to human life due to its high mortality and metastatic rate. Effective inhibition and killing of cancer cells using chemotherapeutic drugs have been a promising means in clinical cancer therapy. However, the low selectivity, drug-resistance, uncontrollability and serious side effects of chemotherapy significantly limit its further development. There is an urgent need for new treatment strategies to compensate for deficiencies inherent in chemotherapy alone. A growing body of research shows that combined treatment strategies have the potential to overcome this dilemma by achieving significantly enhanced synergistic effects and reduced side effects. Emerging phase change materials (PCMs) create an ideal nanoplatform for cancer combination therapy due to their universal loading properties, stable and temperature-responsive phase transition capability, and excellent natural biocompatibility/biodegradability. The release of therapeutic agents can be precisely controlled through external, non-intrusive stimuli (such as NIR light and ultrasound), avoiding systemic toxicity associated with conventional chemotherapy. Herein, the construction methods and design principles of PCM-based nanoplatforms serving as strict gatekeeper and smart payload delivery systems are discussed in detail. Moreover, the advantages and disadvantages of these nanoplatforms are provided. A suitable discussion and perspective of the remaining challenges and future opportunities for PCM-based nanoplatforms in cancer treatment are also given in conclusion.

Near infrared (NIR) light therapy, or photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), has gained persistent worldwide attention in recent years as a new novel scientific approach for therapeutic applications in ophthalmology. This ongoing therapeutic adoption of NIR therapy is largely propelled by significant advances in the fields of photobiology and bioenergetics, such as the discovery of photoneuromodulation by cytochrome c oxidase and the elucidation of therapeutic biochemical processes. Upon transcranial delivery, NIR light has been shown to significantly increase cytochrome oxidase and superoxide dismutase activities which suggests its role in inducing metabolic and antioxidant beneficial effects. Furthermore, NIR light may also boost cerebral blood flow and cognitive functions in humans without adverse effects. In this review, we highlight the value of NIR therapy as a novel paradigm for treatment of visual and neurological conditions, and provide scientific evidence to support the use of NIR therapy with emphasis on molecular and cellular mechanisms in eye diseases.

Light has been present throughout the history of mankind and even the universe. It is of great significance to human life, contributing to energy, agriculture, communication, and much more. In the biomedical field, light has been developed as a switch to control medical processes with minimal invasion and high spatiotemporal selectivity. During the past three years, near-infrared (NIR) light as long-wavelength light has been applied to more than 3000 achievements in biological applications due to its deep penetration depth and low phototoxicity. Remotely controlled cancer therapy usually involves the conversion of biologically inert NIR light. Thus, various materials, especially nanomaterials that can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), ultraviolet (UV)/visual light, or thermal energy and so on under NIR illumination achieve great potential for the research of nanomedicine. Here, we offered an overview of recent advances in NIR light-activated nanomedicine for cancer therapeutic applications. NIR-light-conversion nanotechnologies for both directly triggering nanodrugs and smart drug delivery toward tumor therapy were discussed emphatically. The challenges and future trends of the use of NIR light in biomedical applications were also provided as a conclusion. We expect that this review will spark inspiration for biologists, materials scientists, pharmacologists, and chemists to fight against diseases and boost the future clinical-translational applications of NIR technology-based precision nanomedicine.

A non-toxic nano system using a cleverly designed dual light can be an important treatment strategy in cancer therapy. Here, we propose a unique concept of synergistic non-toxic nanoplatform, which operates with dual light. An apoferritin nano-platform whose surface was modified with Verteporfin (Visudyne (R)) and with ultra-small CuS nanoparticles in the center demonstrated the synergistic effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT). The synergistic effect of PDT and PTT were achieved with 808 nm laser light and 690 nm LED light, respectively. These results not only give a new horizon to multifunctional nanostructures for biological applications but also show a new way to design the novel PDT and PTT agents.

Purpose Antibiotic resistance issues associated with microbial pathogenesis are considered to be one of the most serious current threats to health. Fortunately, TiO2, a photoactive semiconductor, was proven to have antibacterial activity and is being widely utilized. However, its use is limited to the short range of absorption wavelength. Methods In this work, heterostructured TiO2-FeS2 nanocomposites (NCs) were successfully prepared by a facile solution approach to enhance light-induced antibacterial activity over a broader absorption range. Results In TiO2-FeS2 NCs, FeS2 NPs, as light harvesters, can effectively increase light absorption from the visible (Vis) to near-infrared (NIR). Results of light-induced antibacterial activities indicated that TiO2-FeS2 NCs had better antibacterial activity than that of only TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) or only FeS2 NPs. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) measurements also showed that TiO2-FeS2 NCs produced the highest relative ROS levels. Unlike TiO2 NPs, TiO2-FeS2 NCs, under light irradiation with a 515-nm filter, could absorb light wavelengths longer than 515 nm to generate ROS. In the mechanistic study, we found that TiO2 NPs in TiO2-FeS2 NCs could absorb ultraviolet (UV) light to generate photoinduced electrons and holes for ROS generation, including ⋅O2 - and ⋅OH; FeS2 NPs efficiently harvested Vis to NIR light to generate photoinduced electrons, which then were transferred to TiO2 NPs to facilitate ROS generation. Conclusion TiO2-FeS2 NCs with superior light-induced antibacterial activity could be a promising antibacterial agent against bacterial infections.

Ovarian cancer survival and recurrence rate are drastically affected by the amount of tumor that can be surgically removed prior to chemotherapy. Surgeons are currently limited to visual inspection, making smaller tumors difficult to remove surgically. Enhancing the surgeon’s ability to selectively remove cancerous tissue would have a positive effect on a patient’s prognosis. One approach to aid in surgical tumor removal involves using targeted fluorescent probes to selectively label cancerous tissue. To date, there has been a trade off in balancing two requirements for the surgeon: the ability to see maximal tumors and the ability to identify these tumors by eye while performing the surgery. The ability to see maximal tumors has been prioritized and this has led to the use of fluorophores activated by near-infrared (NIR) light as NIR penetrates most deeply in this surgical setting, but the light emitted by traditional NIR fluorophores is invisible to the naked eye. This has necessitated the use of specialty detectors and monitors that the surgeon must consult while performing the surgery. In this study, we develop nanoparticles that selectively label ovarian tumors and are activated by NIR light but emit visible light. This potentially allows for maximal tumor observation and real time detection by eye during surgery. We designed two generations of up-converting nanoparticles (UCNPs) that emit green light when illuminated with NIR light. These particles specifically label ovarian tumors most likely via tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), which are prominent in the tumor microenvironment. Our results demonstrate that this approach is viable means of visualizing tumors during surgery without the need for complicated, expensive, and bulky detection equipment. Continued improvement and experimentation could expand our approach into a much needed surgical technique to aid ovarian tumor removal.

Bacterial infections are becoming a serious public health challenge because the abuse of antibiotics worldwide has caused bacterial resistance and the occurrence of superbugs. In this work, a new near-infrared (NIR) photoresponsive coating was constructed on Ti implant material, which was composed of MnO2, IR780 photosensitizer and polydopamine (PDA). Under the irradiation of 808 nm NIR light, the component of MnO2 in the coating exhibited high photothermal performance, and IR780 could be stimulated to generate ROS as a photosensitizer. The addition of PDA not only improved the cytocompatibility of the composite coating but also strengthened the light absorption ability of the system. Under the irradiation of 808 nm NIR light for 15 min, the composite coating killed 99.94% Staphylococcus aureus and 99.89% Escherichia coli on Ti plates. This rapid and highly effective bactericidal rate was ascribed to the synergistic effects of photothermal performance and photodynamic effect of the coatings excited by NIR light. Cell culture tests showed that PDA/IR780@MnO2–Ti had good cytocompatibility due to the excellent biocompatibility of PDA and nanostructured surface. Therefore, this surface system will be a very promising plateform to safely and effectively kill bacteria on biomedical devices and implants in a short time.

Bacterial contamination is a severe issue that affects medical devices, hospital tools and surfaces. When microorganisms adhere to a surface (e.g., medical devices or implants) they can develop into a biofilm, thereby becoming more resistant to conventional biocides and disinfectants. Nanoparticles can be used as an antibacterial agent in medical instruments or as a protective coating in implantable devices. In particular, attention is being drawn to photothermally active nanoparticles that are capable of converting absorbed light into heat. These nanoparticles can efficiently eradicate bacteria and biofilms upon light activation (predominantly near the infrared to near-infrared spectral region) due a rapid and pronounced local temperature increase. By using this approach new, protective, antibacterial surfaces and materials can be developed that can be remotely activated on demand. In this review, we summarize the state-of-the art regarding the application of various photothermally active nanoparticles and their corresponding nanocomposites for the light-triggered eradication of bacteria and biofilms.

Exported fresh intact pineapples must fulfill the minimum internal quality requirement of 12 degree brix. Even though near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic approaches are promising to non-destructively and rapidly assess the internal quality of intact pineapples, these approaches involve expensive and complex NIR spectroscopic instrumentation. Thus, this research evaluates the performance of a proposed pre-dispersive NIR light sensing approach in non-destructively classifying the Brix of pineapples using K-fold cross-validation, holdout validation, and sensitive analysis. First, the proposed pre-dispersive NIR sensing device that consisted of a light sensing element and five NIR light emitting diodes with peak wavelengths of 780, 850, 870, 910, and 940 nm, respectively, was developed. After that, the diffuse reflectance NIR light of intact pineapples was non-destructively acquired using the developed NIR sensing device before their Brix values were conventionally measured using a digital refractometer. Next, an artificial neural network (ANN) was trained and optimized to classify the Brix values of pineapples using the acquired NIR light. The results of the sensitivity analysis showed that either one wavelength that was near to the water absorbance or chlorophyll band was redundant in the classification. The performance of the trained ANN was tested using new pineapples with the optimal classification accuracy of 80.56%. This indicates that the proposed pre-dispersive NIR light sensing approach coupled with the ANN is promising to be an alternative to non-destructively classifying the internal quality of fruits.

Optically induced meta-stable states in the semiconductor lattice temporarily change the conductivity which leads to a phenomenon called persistent photo-conductivity (PPC). We report a PPC effect with long retention time of more than 90 h in solution-processed highly transparent CuO thin film. A 254 nm wavelength light source was used to `set' and thermal annealing at 50°C for 10 minutes and NIR illumination was used to reset PPC effect. Activated trap states without any stimulus which are responsible for PPC effect in CuO thin film has, been investigated by performing temperature-dependent I-V characterization. These trapped charges are released either on heating or illumination with NIR light source. Such a long-enduring PPC achieved in low-cost transparent CuO thin film could pave the way for further study of the feasibility of optically defined, transparent electronics.

Objectives To assess the validity of an intraoral scanner system featuring near-infrared (NIR) transillumination to aid the detection of proximal caries lesions, and to compare the diagnostic performance of this system with that of conventional caries detection methods and with that of an intraoral camera featuring NIR transillumination (DIAGNOcam). Methods Ninety-five permanent posterior teeth were examined using a prototype tip functioning with TRIOS 4 intraoral scanner system (3Shape TRIOS A/S, Denmark) and emitting NIR light, DIAGNOcam, and visual and radiographic examination employing ICDAS criteria. One or two approximal surfaces per tooth, sound or with caries lesions at different stages, were examined (N1=158). Histological assessment was used as the reference standard. Results All methods showed excellent intra-examiner reliability (κintra ≥0.80). Two independent examiners assessed the NIR images obtained with both devices. The first examiner, who obtained and assessed the images, showed improved diagnostic performance than the second examiner, who only had access to the images. The inter-examiner agreement between the two examiners assessing the NIR images was substantial (κinter 0.57-0.72). The intraoral scanner and DIAGNOcam showed similar diagnostic performance. Regarding initial caries lesions, the NIR image assessment resulted in equal or improved sensitivity (SE 0.50-0.89) compared to radiographic assessment (SE 0.49-0.51) and higher than visual examination (SE 0.28-0.39). Radiographic and NIR image assessment resulted in similar SE in detecting moderate-extensive dentin caries lesions (SE 0.59-0.70), while visual examination showed an inferior value (SE 0.30). Conclusions The intraoral scanner system featuring NIR transillumination and DIAGNOcam showed an overall good diagnostic performance. The conventional caries detection methods showed inferior sensitivity at initial caries lesion stages. Clinical significance Considering the promising diagnostic performance of the intraoral scanner featuring transillumination and the advantages offered by combining the NIR images with the 3D models of the teeth, this system has the potential to contribute towards more reliable caries detection and monitoring in clinical practice without the use of ionizing radiation.

As an emerging strategy for oncotherapy, Fenton chemistry can efficiently improve the conversion from endogenous H2O2 into highly toxic ·OH in the whole high-performance therapeutic process. Although promising, the efficiency of Fenton reaction in tumor regions is highly limited by the inefficient delivery of Fenton reagents and the restrictive conditions of tumor microenvironment. One promising strategy against the above limitations is to specifically increase the temperature around the tumor regions. In this study, a novel NIR light-mediated tumor-specific nanoplatform based on magnetic iron oxide nanoclusters (MNCs) was rationally designed and well developed for photothermally enhanced Fenton reaction-assisted oncotherapy. MNCs could accumulate into the tumor regions with the help of an external magnet field to enable T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of tumors and MR imaging-guided combined antitumor therapy. Our well-prepared MNCs also revealed excellent photothermal effect upon a NIR light irradiation, promising their further important role as a photothermal therapy (PTT) agent. More importantly, heat induced by the PTT of MNCs could accelerate the release of Fe from MNCs and enhance the efficiency of Fenton reaction under H2O2-enriched acidic tumor microenvironment. Results based on long-term toxicity investigations demonstrated the overall safety of MNCs after intravenous injection. This work therefore introduced a novel nanoplatform based on MNCs that exerted a great antitumor effect via photothermally enhanced tumor-specific Fenton chemistry.

Indocyanine green (ICG) is a classical near-infrared (NIR) photothermal reagent that can be employed in clinical medical detection. Under neutral conditions, ICG can adsorb NIR light effectively for photothermal (PTT) and photodynamic (PDT) therapy. However, ICG is easily degraded in weak acid environments, which seriously restricts its application. In this work, a cationic water-soluble pillar[5]arene (WP5) was selected as the stabilizing agent for ICG. Thanks to the host-guest interaction between WP5 and alkyl sulfonate, the stability and the photothermal conversion efficiency of ICG increased remarkably upon addition of WP5 as investigated by UV-vis spectrum and photothermal studies. Furthermore, an in vitro study showed higher efficiency of WP5&ICG in killing cancer cells in a shorter treatment time than the free ICG. Hence, it is hopeful that WP5 can be a new type of supramolecular host in enhancing the stability and photothermal conversion efficiency of photosensitizers.

Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) material has intrigued increasing attentions with its energy saving potential and smart cloth feature. In this work, PDRC cotton fabric with superhydrophobicity, ultraviolet protection and self-cleaning competency was successful constructed through the deposition chemically-stable potassium titanate whiskers (PTW) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) onto cotton fibers. While featured with ultra-high contact angle of 151.9±0.9 °, the synthesized fabric marked an average temperature drop of ~5.1 ℃, bestowed to its high sunlight reflectivity of 83 % and infrared emissivity of nearly 90 %. On the other hand, real human tests further confirmed the practicality of the modified cotton fabric, with the recorded temperature drops ranged from 3.1~4.7 ℃ under direct sunlight. Such performance elucidated a significant improvement upon PTW/PDMS modification, which outperformed that of pristine cotton fabric. Surmising from these, the synthesized superhydrophobic fabric exhibits advantageous techno-economical index with its excellent performance and simple preparation, therefore manifesting limitless application potential, particularly in outdoor clothing and other facilities.

The elephant ivory trade remains controversial because of concerns about the extinction risk of elephants and the different needs of CITES member states. Thailand's situation is particularly contentious because of the different legal status among types of elephant ivory. Thai law allows the local sale of ivory from domesticated Asian elephants, which creates challenges for Thai enforcement officers in identification of ivory provenance. We investigated the capacity of non‐destructive Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy (600–1700 nm), combined with Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS‐DA), to discriminate between ivory from African, wild Asian and domesticated Asian elephants. Ivory spectra of 64 elephants were divided randomly into calibration and validation datasets. We were able to determine elephant ivory provenance at both the interspecies (African and Asian elephant ivory), and within species (wild and domesticated Asian elephant ivory) classifications with 100% accuracy. These results showed the potential use of handheld NIR spectrometers for rapid assessments of ivory provenance, as well as a forensic tool for wider enforcement.

Due to an increasing need for face recognition under poor lighting conditions, near infrared (NIR) face recognition based on deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) has become an active area of research. However, in NIR face images of eyeglasses wearers, reflected light is generated around the eyes due to active NIR light sources, and it is one of the main contributors to performance degradation in NIR face recognition. In addition, there have to date been no attempts to lighten DCNN models for NIR face recognition. To solve these problems, we propose a DCNN-based fast NIR face recognition system which is robust to reflected light. This work has two main contributions: 1) We generated synthetic face images of individuals with and without eyeglasses using our proposed CycleGAN-based Glasses2Non-glasses (G2NG) data augmentation. We then constructed an augmented training database by adding the synthetic images, and the database helps to make the NIR face recognition system robust against reflected light. 2) A lightweight NIR FaceNet (LiNFNet) architecture was developed to reduce the computational complexity of the proposed system by adapting the depthwise separable convolutions and linear bottlenecks to VGGNet 16. The proposed architecture reduces the computation required, while improving the performance of NIR face recognition. Through the experiments reported in this paper, we verified that the proposed G2NG data augmentation improved the face recognition validation rate by 99.09% for NIR face images which have the reflected light from eyeglasses. Also, LiNFNet reduces the number of multiplication operations by 4.4×109 compared with VGGNet 16.

Organic chromophores have been well developed for multimodality imaging-guided photothermal therapy (PTT) due to their outstanding optical properties and excellent designability. However, the theranostic efficiencies of most currently available organic chromophores are restricted intrinsically, owing to their poor photostability or complex synthesis procedures. These drawbacks not only increase their cost of synthesis, but also cause side effects in PTT. Method: We presented a facile strategy for constructing a near-infrared (NIR)-absorbing perylenediimide structured with pH-responsive piperazine ring at the bay region. The chromophore was conjugated with carboxyl-end-capped PEG as side chains that can self-assemble into nanoparticles (NPs) in aqueous solution. The NIR optical properties and photothermal conversation ability of PPDI-NPs were investigated. We then studied the imaging-guided PTT of PPDI-NPs under NIR light illumination in 4T1 cells and mice respectively. Results: The excellent photostable PPDI-NPs had near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) emission and high photothermal conversion efficiency in acidic microenvironment. Importantly, PPDI-NPs can be utilized for the precise detection of tumors by NIRF/photoacoustic/thermal trimodality imaging. Efficient PTT of PPDI-NPs was applied in vitro and in vivo with high biosafety. Conclusion: In summary, we developed pH-responsive perylenediimide nanoparticles as multifunctional phototheranostic agent with high stability and simple synthesis procedures. This study offers a promising organic chromophore for developing phototheranostics in cancer therapy.

Hyper doping O acts as a nonradiative center and generates an intermediate band with F atoms, exhibiting efficient photocatalysis activities under visible/NIR light.

Recently, the rapid development of biomaterials has induced great interest in the precisely targeted treatment of bone-related diseases, including bone cancers, infections, and inflammation. Realizing noninvasive therapeutic effects, as well as improving bone tissue regeneration, is essential for the success of bone‑related disease therapies. In recent years, researchers have focused on the development of stimuli-responsive strategies to treat bone-related diseases and to realize bone regeneration. Among the various external stimuli for targeted therapy, near infrared (NIR) light has attracted considerable interests due to its high tissue penetration capacity, minimal damage toward normal tissues, and easy remote control properties. The main objective of this systematic review was to reveal the current applications of NIR light-assisted phototherapy for bone-related disease treatment and bone tissue regeneration. Database collection was completed by June 1, 2020, and a total of 81 relevant studies were finally included. We outlined the various therapeutic applications of photothermal, photodynamic and photobiomodulation effects under NIR light irradiation for bone‑related disease treatment and bone regeneration, based on the retrieved literatures. In addition, the advantages and promising applications of NIR light-responsive drug delivery systems for spatiotemporal-controlled therapy were summarized. These findings have revealed that NIR light-assisted phototherapy plays an important role in bone-related disease treatment and bone tissue regeneration, with significant promise for further biomedical and clinical applications.

Immunomodulatory therapies are becoming a paradigm-shifting treatment modality for cancer. Despite promising clinical results, cancer immunotherapy is accompanied with off-tumor toxicity and autoimmune adverse effects. Thus, the development of smarter systems to regulate immune responses with superior spatiotemporal precision and enhanced safety is urgently needed. Here we report an activatable engineered immunodevice that enables remote control over the antitumor immunity in vitro and in vivo with near-infrared (NIR) light. The immunodevice is composed of a rationally designed UV light-activatable immunostimulatory agent and upconversion nanoparticle, which acts as a transducer to shift the light sensitivity of the device to the NIR window. The controlled immune regulation allows the generation of effective immune response within tumor without disturbing immunity elsewhere in the body, thereby maintaining the antitumor efficacy while mitigating systemic toxicity. The present work illustrates the potential of the remote-controlled immunodevice for triggering of immunoactivity at the right time and site., The use of immunotherapy can be limited by adverse side effects. In this study, the authors designed a nanodevice that spatiotemporally controlled activate immunomodulatory agents at the tumour site upon near-infrared light triggering, thus preventing systemic toxicity with maintained efficacy

A novel light-responsive nanovalve is facilely prepared on mesoporous silica (mSiO2) coated upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP) through modification of photo-cleavagable pyrenemethyl ester (Py) molecules on its surface. These Py molecules can associate with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) molecules as gatekeepers to block the mSiO2 pore channels and entrap the loaded drugs. Upon NIR light irradiation, NIR light is upconverted to ultraviolet (UV) and visible (Vis) light by UCNP, and the modified Py molecules are cleaved by the upconverted UV light leading to the detachment of β-CD gatekeepers to trigger drug release. For the fabrication of a monitoring system, β-CD is covalently conjugated with the fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) as drug release indicator (FITC-β-CD). The luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET) from UCNP to Py/FITC-β-CD before drug release results in the quenching of Vis emission of UCNP while the detachment of Py/FITC-β-CD nanovalves after drug release diminishes the LRET between UCNP and FITC-β-CD which recovers the luminescence of UCNP, the change in luminescence provides a potential capability for one to quantitatively monitor the drug release process. in vitro study shows a remarkable killing ability on HeLa cancer cell of this system.