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Renal injury caused by renal ischemia and reperfusion strongly influences heart morphology, electrophysiology, and redox unbalance. The so-called cardiorenal syndrome is an important class of dysfunction since heart and kidneys are responsible for hemodynamic stability and organ perfusion through a complex network. In the present work we investigate the vibrational spectral features probed by Fourier-Transform Raman (FT-Raman) spectroscopy due to physiological alterations induced by renal ischemic reperfusion aiming to detect molecular markers related to progression of acute to chronic kidney injury and mortality predictors as well. C57BL/6J mice were subjected to unilateral occlusion of the renal pedicle for 60 min and reperfusion for 5, 8, and 15 days. Biopsies of heart and kidney tissues were analyzed. Our findings indicated that cysteine/cystine, fatty acids, methyl groups of Collagen, α-form of proteins, Tyrosine, and Tryptophan were modulated during renal ischemia and reperfusion process. These changes are consistent with fibroblast growth factors and Collagen III contents changes. Interestingly, Tyrosine and Tryptophan, precursor molecules for the formation of uremic toxins such as indoxyl sulfate and p-cresyl sulfate were also modulated. They are markers of kidney injury and their increase is strongly correlated to cardiovascular mortality. Regarding this aspect, we notice that monitoring the Tyrosine and Tryptophan bands at 1558, 1616, and 1625 cm−1 is a viable and and advantageous way to predict fatality in cardiovascular diseases both “in vivo” or “in vitro”, using the real-time, multiplexing, and minimally invasive advantages of FT-Raman spectroscopy.

Renal failure is characterized by systemic inflammation that affects directly some organs like liver, lung and heart. Patients with renal insufficiency have a higher risk for developing cardiovascular diseases, representing 45% of the causes of death in patients undergoing hemodialysis. It is reported that unilateral renal ischemia/reperfusion is able to generate renal lesion, followed by systemic sterile inflammation, resulting in development of cardiac remodeling and hypertrophy. Considering that, the focus of this study was to investigate the cardiac remodeling induced by renal ischemia/reperfusion protocol using Fourier-Transform Raman Spectroscopy (FT-Raman) to probe molecular changes in mice.

The infectious disease COVID-19 emerged in a province on the Chinese mainland and ended up spreading to other continents, in a pandemic effect, including Brazil. In this work we present a investigation concerning saliva samples of 200 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 attended in the Clinics Hospital of University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Fourier-Transform Infrared Absorption (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy on the saliva samples. The main spectral variations and details concerning the quantitative analyses of the spectral data and its biochemical correlations will be presented and discussed.

The oral cancer is the 6th most incident cancer type in the world and is most prevalent among men than in women. Usually screening procedures are performed only in advanced stages which leads to an increase of mortality and morbidity. Analyzing images from 20 patients we conclude that the observed optical image (conventional microscope or smartphone) of the formed pattern enables discrimination of oral cancer in few hours. It represents a non-invasive diagnostic method which minimizes hospital medical procedures, hospitalizations and patient discomfort.

The control of skin permeability to specific substances (e.g., medications, vitamins, and nutrients) through stratum corneum is a challenge. Iontophoresis is an option in spite of the lack of a detailed understanding of the underlying molecular mechanism. In the present work, the simulations concerning application of an external continuous electric field to stratum corneum, in a range of low intensity (0–24 mV nm−1), were carried out using the coarse-grained molecular dynamics approach. Using a set of random seed replicas of the starting configuration, we observed that in the range of electric field intensity of 22–23 mV nm−1, water-rich lipid vesicles were formed in 20% of cases. Pores appeared in the remaining 80%. We argue that lipids undergo fast re-orientations under electric field inducing mechanical instability, which originates the pores. We presented a simple electrostatic model to interpret the results where the mismatch between electrical permittivities of the membrane and external media and the gradient of the local electric field in the membrane surface, govern the time scales and electric fields for vesicle formation. Our results indicate that just 10% difference between electrical permittivities of the membrane and external media decreases 1/6 the minimal time required for vesicle formation. The minimal electric field required decreases 10 times. The control and tunning of formation of biologically compatible vesicles, capable of transporting substances under low-intensity electric fields, has a promising application in fields such as drug therapy and dermo-cosmetics allowing the use of hydrophilic substances in dermal applications.

Renal injury caused by renal ischemia and reperfusion is capable to change heart morphology, electrophysiology, and redox unbalance. The so-called cardio-renal syndrome is an important class of dysfunction since heart and kidneys are responsible for hemodynamic stability and organ perfusion through a complex network. In the present work we investigate the Fourier-Transform Raman vibrational spectral features of cardiac hypertrophy induced by renal ischemic reperfusion. C57BL/6J mice were subjected to unilateral occlusion of the renal pedicle for 60 minutes and reperfused for 5 days, 8 days, and 15 days. It was observed that bands around 540, 1100, 1300, 1450, 1650, and 2500 cm-1 dominates the spectra. They are associated to stretching of S-S in Cysteine amino acid, stretching of C-C in lipids, twisting of CH2 in collagen and phospholipids, bending modes of CH3 in lipids and amino acids side chains, Amide I vibration of proteins. The intensities of these vibrations are modulated during renocardiac syndrome. We find that tyrosine, tryptophan, cystine/cysteine, fibroblast growth factors, collagen III alterations from homeostasis were the metabolites associate with these changes. These findings are clinically relevant once the presented bands can be used as molecular markers of preventing cardiac diseases’ development in patients with renal injury.

A doença hepática gordurosa não alcoólica (DHGNA) é caracterizada pelo acúmulo de gordura nos hepatócitos na ausência de ingestão alcoólica e é a mais comum das doenças crônicas do fígado no mundo. Os pilares do tratamento da DHGA são: estilo de vida saudável, como modificações na dieta, prática de atividade física regular e perda de peso gradual. Este trabalho teve como objetivo realizar uma revisão integrativa sobre os efeitos dos nutracêuticos no tratamento da DHGNA. Para o levantamento bibliográfico, optou-se pela busca de artigos nas bases de dados PubMed (National Library of Medicine), LILACS (Literatura Latino-Americana em Ciên­cias da Saúde) e SciELO (Scientific Eletronic Library Online), realizados com humanos e publicados nos últimos 5 anos, nos idiomas Português, Inglês e Espanhol. Aplicou-se a combinação dos seguintes descritores: “Doença Hepática Gordurosa não Alcoólica”, “Nutracêuticos” e “Dieta”. Os artigos selecionados apontam a relação do consumo dos nutracêuticos com a melhora de alguns marcadores relacionados à DHGNA, servindo como terapia alternativa no tratamento da DHGNA. Apesar dos efeitos relatados acerca do uso de nutracêuticos no tratamento da DHGNA, observa-se a necessidade de mais pesquisas a respeito do assunto abordado.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-05-01T09:30:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-10-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Universidade Estadual Paulista Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) represents 90% of oral malignant neoplasms. The search for specific biomarkers for OSCC is a very active field of research contributing to establishing early diagnostic methods and unraveling underlying pathogenic mechanisms. In this work we investigated the salivary metabolites and the metabolic pathways of OSCC aiming find possible biomarkers. Salivary metabolites samples from 27 OSCC patients and 41 control individuals were compared through a gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC-MS) technique. Our results allowed identification of pathways of the malate-aspartate shuttle, the beta-alanine metabolism, and the Warburg effect. The possible salivary biomarkers were identified using the area under receiver-operating curve (AUC) criterion. Twenty-four metabolites were identified with AUC > 0.8. Using the threshold of AUC = 0.9 we find malic acid, maltose, protocatechuic acid, lactose, 2-ketoadipic, and catechol metabolites expressed. We notice that this is the first report of salivary metabolome in South American oral cancer patients, to the best of our knowledge. Our findings regarding these metabolic changes are important in discovering salivary biomarkers of OSCC patients. However, additional work needs to be performed considering larger populations to validate our results. Department of Biosciences and Diagnosis Institute of Science and Technology São Paulo State University (Unesp) Department of Head and Neck Surgery Hospital of the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH) Universidade Federal do ABC, Av. dos Estados, 5001 School of Dentistry Universidade Mogi das Cruzes School of Medicine Anhembi Morumbi University Dempster MS Lab Department of Chemical Engineering Polytechnic School University of Sao Paulo Department of Biosciences and Diagnosis Institute of Science and Technology São Paulo State University (Unesp) FAPESP: 2016/08633-0 FAPESP: 2021/09168-8 CNPq: 307718/2019-0

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T17:30:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2017-03-05 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Introduction Smoking is currently considered one of the biggest risk factors for the development of various diseases and early death. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a valuable tool for analysis of biofluids such as saliva and is considered useful for diagnostic purposes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of smoking cessation on saliva composition by FTIR spectroscopy. Methods We analyzed the saliva of participants in two groups: a smoker group made up of 10 chronic smokers and a former smoker group made up of 10 individuals who had stopped smoking. Members of both groups had similar smoking history. Results The results showed few differences in spectral intensity between the groups; however, spectral peaks were slightly increased in the group of smokers in the bands for DNA, indicating modification of its content or cell necrosis. They were also increased for the mannose-6-phosphatase molecule, which is expressed in prostate and breast carcinomas. In the former smoker group, the peak of thyociante was decreased and the band referring to collagen increased in intensity, which indicates a better tissue regeneration capacity. Conclusion Considering these results and the fact that tobacco intake was similar between the groups, it can be concluded that there was recovery of tissue regeneration capacity with smoking cessation during the study period, although the effects found in smokers persisted in the bodies of those who had given up smoking. Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis Institute of Science and Technology UNESP – Univ Estadual Paulista Biologic & Materials Sciences Division of Prosthodontics University of Michigan Instituto de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Univ do Vale do Paraíba Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis Institute of Science and Technology UNESP – Univ Estadual Paulista Smoking Cessation Program Department Heart Institute University of Sao Paulo Medical School Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas Universidade Federal do ABC Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis Institute of Science and Technology UNESP – Univ Estadual Paulista Biologic & Materials Sciences Division of Prosthodontics University of Michigan Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis Institute of Science and Technology UNESP – Univ Estadual Paulista FAPESP: 13/02168

Background: Surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion (SARME) generates an uncomfortable postoperative period accompanied by pain, edema, and paresthesia. There are few studies on the effect of photobiomodulation (PBM) after SARME and it was not possible to find studies on the efficacy of light emitted by diode (LED) after this type of intervention. The main objective of the study will be to evaluate the efficacy of PBM with LED in the control of pain, facial edema, paresthesia, and bone repair after SARME. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving 72 participants aged from 18 to 45 years, who search the Department of Buccomaxillofacial Surgery and Traumatology of Mandaqui Hospital Complex, will be conducted. Immediately after surgeries, the participant will be inserted into the placebo or LED group. In the LED group, the participants will receive PBM with an extraoral device (660 and 850 nm with 6 J per point) and an intraoral device (660 nm with 2 J per point) and in the control group the person in charge of the application will simulate the irradiation with the devices kept off. The applications will be in the immediate postoperative period, 1, 2, 7, 14, 30, 60, 90, and 120 days after the end of the surgeries, when the evaluations will also be performed. Facial measurements, extra and intraoral sensitivity, pain and bone repair will be evaluated. Secondarily, data regarding the occurrence of headache; otalgia; nausea; bruising; nasolacrimation; epistaxis; dysphagia; systemic and superficial temperature in the operated region; use of analgesics and anti-inflammatories; anxiety and impact of oral health on the participants’ quality of life will be computed. Discussion: Since PBM has shown positive effects on postoperative complications of other types of oral surgery and also has a positive effect on bone repair after maxillary disjunction, surgically assisted or not, it seems clear the need to evaluate its performance regarding pain, edema, and paresthesia after these surgeries. Trial registration: This protocol was registered in Clinical Trials platform (https://clinicaltrials.gov/) with the number NCT03814525, first published and last updated on January 24, 2019.

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T15:59:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-01-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) The earliest stages of embryo development are deeply influenced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), byproducts of the mitochondrial oxygen metabolism that play a key role as messengers in normal cell signal transduction and cell cycling. Despite its positive roles, the imbalance caused by the excess of ROS and an inefficient antioxidant system leads to oxidative stress, with negative consequences to the cell such as DNA damage, metabolic changes, mitochondrial stress and cell death. In the present work, crocetin - a natural antioxidant - was added to the culture media of bovine embryos to evaluate the efficiency of its antioxidant capability during embryo culture. Oocytes were in vitro matured (IVM) and fertilized according to standard protocols. Embryos were cultured at 38.5 °C under humidified air with 5% CO2, 7% O2, and 90% N2 in Synthetic Oviduct Fluid (SOF) medium supplemented with amino acids and either 5% of FBS (SOFaa) (control group) or SOFaa supplemented with 1 μM crocetin (crocetin group). After 5 days from the beginning of in vitro culture (IVC) (day 5 - D5), embryos were transferred to individual drops of culture media. At day 7 (D7), embryos were assessed by means of blastocyst rates, morphophysiological analyzes (total cell number, ROS and mitochondrial activity levels), transcript quantitation of 47 genes and metabolomic evaluation of the culture media by Raman spectroscopy. In the crocetin group blastocyst rates were higher and embryos had increased total cell number and decreased intracellular levels of ROS. These embryos also had upregulation of genes related with response to stress and lipid metabolism (ATF4, BAX, FOXO3, GADD45A, GPX1, GPX4, HSF1, SOD2, ACACA, SREBF1 and SREBF2). Raman spectroscopy corroborated these results indicating more active lipid and amino acid production in this group. The absence of crocetin in the culture media resulted in higher ROS level, as well as up regulation of genes related to DNA damage, stress response and energy metabolism (MORF4L2, SOD1, TXN, PFKP, PGK1 and PPARGC1A). In conclusion, crocetin supplementation during culture protects embryos from oxidative stress and influences the adaptive response to stress conditions, leading to an increase in both blastocyst yield and quality, as well as changes in transcriptomic and metabolic profile of in vitro produced bovine embryos. Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology Center of Natural Sciences and Humanities Universidade Federal do ABC Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production Federico II University Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Institute of Biosciences, Campus Botucatu Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) School of Sciences and Languages Campus Assis Department of Biological Sciences Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Institute of Biosciences, Campus Botucatu Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) School of Sciences and Languages Campus Assis Department of Biological Sciences FAPESP: #2015/03381-0

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T17:00:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-01-01 This study was performed to evaluate possible changes in saliva composition at the molecular level that can be associated with burning mouth syndrome (BMS). Saliva samples were collected from 14 women with BMS to be analyzed by FT-IR spectroscopy. The control group (CG) was composed of 14 women who presented similar ages, medical histories and use of medications. The results revealed bands related to proteins in the range 1160-1647 cm −1 and lipids in the range 2852-2922 cm −1 . All bands showed the same or high intensity for the control group, except for the bands at 868 cm −1 and 2058 cm −1 , which corresponded respectively to nucleic acids and thiocyanate and showed great intensity for patients with BMS. Analysis of the data obtained by FTIR spectroscopy allowed us to conclude the presence of alterations in saliva composition that may be directly related to BMS symptomatology, as well as secondary symptoms reported by individuals. Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis Institute of Science and Technology UNESP – Univ Estadual Paulista Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas Universidade Federal do ABC Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis Institute of Science and Technology UNESP – Univ Estadual Paulista

Many questions concerning the biophysical and physiological properties of skin are still open. Skin aging, permeability, dermal absorption, hydration, and drug transdermal delivery, are few examples of processes with unveiled underlying mechanisms. In this work, it is presented a comparison between Fourier transform infrared absorption (FTIR) of dry stratum corneum and stratum corneum under lipase action supported by first-principles density functional vibrational calculations. The molecular structure of stratum corneum was modeled by an archetype of its hygroscopic proteic portion inside the corneocytes, the natural moisturizing factor, coupled to glycerol molecules which represent the lipid fraction of stratum corneum. Vibrational spectra were calculated and compared to experimental data obtained on the animal model of stratum corneum. The experimental results indicated prominent spectral differences between dry and lipase-treated stratum corneum. Principal components analysis and hyerarchical clustering indicated that 1200, 1650, and 1695 cm−1 bands are the most influential on the discrimination. It is noticed that bands in the fingerprint region (800–1800 cm−1) were correctly assigned. Moreover, the calculations revealed the existence of two coupled vibration between the hydroxyl group of lipid and methylene (1120 and 1160 cm−1), which are of special interest since they probe the lipid-amino acid coupling. The model was also able to predict the shear modulus of dry stratum corneum in excellent agreement with the reported values from the literature. Other physical/chemical properties could be calculated exploring the chemical accuracy and molecular resolution of this model. Research in dermatology, cosmetology, and biomedical engineering in the specific topics of drug delivery and/or mechanical properties of skin are examples of fields that would potentially take advantage of this approach.

The timing of the first embryonic cell divisions may predict the ability of an embryo to establish pregnancy. Similarly, metabolic profiles may be markers of embryonic viability. However, in bovine, data about the metabolomics profile of these embryos are still not available. In the present work, we describe Raman-based metabolomic profiles of culture media of bovine embryos with different developmental kinetics (fast x slow) throughout the in vitro culture. The principal component analysis enabled us to classify embryos with different developmental kinetics since they presented specific spectroscopic profiles for each evaluated time point. We noticed that bands at 1076 cm − 1 (lipids), 1300 cm − 1 (Amide III), and 2719 cm − 1 (DNA nitrogen bases) gave the most relevant spectral features, enabling the separation between fast and slow groups. Bands at 1001 cm − 1 (phenylalanine) and 2892 cm − 1 (methylene group of the polymethylene chain) presented specific patterns related to embryonic stage and can be considered as biomarkers of embryonic development by Raman spectroscopy. The culture media analysis by Raman spectroscopy proved to be a simple and sensitive technique that can be applied with high efficiency to characterize the profiles of in vitro produced bovine embryos with different development kinetics and different stages of development.

The Raman spectroscopy technique has been extensively used for biological sample characterization. In particular, the fingerprint spectral region (800–1,800 cm−1) has been shown to be very promising for optical biopsy purposes. However, limitations for the widespread use of Raman-based optical biopsy technique still persist. For example, fluorescence when one uses visible light (400–700 nm) spectral sources is often present and appears to affect the mid-IR/Raman region more than the high-wavenumber region (2,800–3,600 cm−1). But, both the higher wavenumber spectral region and the mid-IR/Raman region can be fluorescence-free when one uses lasers sources, which do not cause fluorescence, for example, 1,064, 830 or 785 nm sources. In addition, the Raman spectral signal of inflammatory infiltrates can influence the biopsy diagnoses and is one important source of misdiagnosis of normal versus pathological tissues. The present work seeks to evaluate whether the Raman spectra in the high-wavenumber spectral region can be used to distinguish between oral inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia (IFH) lesions and normal (NM) tissues and hence be used as a new diagnostic tool. Thirty spectra of oral IFH lesions and NM tissues from biopsies of 12 patients were analyzed using both principal components analysis (PCA) and a binary logistic regression (BLR) model. It was found that the high-wavenumber region Raman spectra can be used to discriminate between NM tissue and oral IFH tissues by analyzing the 2,800–3,050 cm−1 (CH2 and CH3 vibrations of lipids and proteins) and 3,050–3,600 cm−1 (CH, OH, and NH vibrations of proteins and water) spectral intensities. A simple classification model based on the relative areas of the above cited regions resulted in concordant pairs of 95.3%. Considering the standard errors in the model parameters, it was found that the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) fall in the interval 87%

The identification of normal and cancer breast tissue of rats was investigated using high-frequency (HF) FT-Raman spectroscopy with a near-infrared excitation source on in vivo and ex vivo measurements. Significant differences in the Raman intensities of prominent Raman bands of lipids and proteins structures (2,800–3,100 cm−1) as well as in the broad band of water (3,100–3,550 cm−1) were observed in mean normal and cancer tissue spectra. The multivariate statistical analysis methods of principal components analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were performed on all high-frequency Raman spectra of normal and cancer tissues. LDA results with the leave-one-out cross-validation option yielded a discrimination accuracy of 77.2, 83.3, and 100% for in vivo transcutaneous, in vivo skin-removed, and ex vivo biopsy HF Raman spectra. Despite the lower discrimination value for the in vivo transcutaneous measurements, which could be explained by the breathing movement and skin influences, our results showed good accuracy in discriminating between normal and cancer breast tissue samples. To support this, the calculated integration areas from the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve yielded 0.86, 0.94, and 1.0 for in vivo transcutaneous, in vivo skin-removed, and ex vivo biopsy measurements, respectively. The feasibility of using HF Raman spectroscopy as a clinical diagnostic tool for breast cancer detection and monitoring is due to no interfering contribution from the optical fiber in the HF Raman region, the shorter acquisition time due to a more intense signal in the HF Raman region, and the ability to distinguish between normal and cancerous tissues.

The contamination of the Raman scattering signal with luminescence is a well-known problem when dealing with biological media excited by visible light. The viability of the shifted-excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) technique for luminescence suppression on Raman spectra of biological samples was studied in this work. A tunable Lithrow-configuration diode laser (λ = 785 and 830 nm) coupled (directly or by optical fiber) to a dispersive Raman spectrometer was employed to study two sets of human tissues (tooth and skin) in order to determine the set of experimental parameters suitable for luminescence rejection. It was concluded that systematic and reproducible spectra of biological interest can be acquired by SERDS.

Cutaneous melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer and Ft-Raman spectroscopy has been studied as a potential method that could be a real alternative for early diagnosis of neoplasms. PURPOSE: To qualify the spectral FT-Raman data, in order to differentiate cutaneous melanoma and pigmented nevus. METHODS: For this study, 10 samples of cutaneous melanoma, 9 samples of pigmented nevi, and 10 samples of normal skin were obtained by incisional biopsies performed during plastic surgeries ex vivo, immediately after removing the surgical sample. RESULTS: The FT-Raman spectra of each group presented a high correlation between the elements of the same group, thus favoring the elaboration of spectral averages. When analyzing the spectral standard of each group, the normal skin standard did not show a significant variation between the spectra; the standard of the pigmented nevi group showed significant variation, and the cutaneous melanoma group also showed variation. Through univariate analysis, specific bands were detected for each vibrational mode identified. The discriminatory analysis of the data showed a 75.3% efficiency of the differentiation between the three groups studied. CONCLUSION: The vibrational modes Polysaccharides, Tyrosine and Amide-I differentiated the melanoma from the pigmented nevus. O melanoma cutâneo é o câncer de pele mais agressivo, e a espectroscopia FT-Raman tem sido estudada como um método em potencial que pode ser uma verdadeira alternativa no diagnóstico precoce de neoplasias. OBJETIVO: Qualificar os dados espectrais FT-Raman de modo a diferenciar melanoma cutâneo de nevo pigmentado. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizadas 10 amostras de melanoma cutâneo, obtidas por meio de biopsias incisionais realizadas "ex-vivo"; nove amostras de nevo pigmentado e 10 amostras de pele normal foram coletadas durante cirurgias plásticas. RESULTADOS: Os espectros FT-Raman de cada grupo diagnóstico apresentaram alta correlação entre os elementos do mesmo grupo, o que favoreceu a realização das médias espectrais. Analisando o padrão espectral de cada grupo, o de pele normal não mostrou grande variação entre os espectros; o de nevo pigmentado apresentou variação notável e, o grupo melanoma primário também indicou variação. Por meio de análise univariada foram identificadas bandas específicas para cada modo vibracional identificado. A análise discriminante aos dados mostrou 75,3% de eficiência na diferenciação entre os três grupos estudados. CONCLUSÃO: Os modos vibracionais Polissacarídeos (Banda I), Tirosina (Banda 6) e Amida I (Banda 10) diferenciaram o melanoma do nevo pigmentado.

The synthesis, structural characterisation and magnetic properties of a new chloro-bridged linear chain imine-copper(II) compound are reported. The results indicate that uniform chains are formed by stacking of parallel pyramidal units formed from the copper centre coordinated to the imine ligands and bridged by chloride ions, with the uncoordinated perchlorate ions located between the layers to balance the charge. Magnetic measurements carried out on a powder sample at temperatures from 1.8 to 290 K and a field of 500 Oe, indicated an intramolecular magnetic coupling between the copper centres [J/k = (–12.3 ± 0.2) K]. Moreover, an antiferromagnetic interaction can also be observed between the polynuclear arrays [J′ z/k = –(10.4 ± 1.7) K]. An analysis of the sample at high temperature indicated that the overall interaction would be antiferromagnetic (ΘCW = –14 K). Furthermore, this new inorganic-organic zigzag polymer was linked covalently to the poly(N-vinylimidazole) polymer, PVI, on a vitreous carbon electrode surface and used as a biomimetic material for the efficient analytical determination of hydrogen peroxide. Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical techniques were used to give a complete characterisation of the hybrid film obtained. The proposed enzyme-free biosensor for catalase-like activity exhibited good sensitivity (268 mA mol–1 L cm–2) at –0.4 V relative to the. SCE in a phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.0) and a wide linear range from 1 to 30 mmol L–1 for hydrogen peroxide detection.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)

The characterization of the FT-Raman spectra of the borders of lesions is of great importance in guiding the surgeon during surgical intervention.The main goals of this study were to investigate spectra of the borders of lesions of samples of infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) and to determine the characteristics of these spectra.A total of 93 spectra were collected from five samples of healthy tissues and from 13 samples of IDC breast tissues using FT-Raman spectroscopy. Cluster analysis was used to separate the spectra into different groups. The results obtained from the statistical analysis were confirmed by a histopathological analysis.The results showed that 17 out of the 67 spectra collected from the IDC samples demonstrated wide variety. The only significant difference between the peaks of the spectra of normal tissues and those of lesion borders is a peak at 538 cm(1) . This peak is related to disulfide bridges in cysteine, and it seems to be the main factor for the FT-Raman determination of the boundaries between healthy and pathological tissue.These results serve as a foundation for future studies and application of Raman spectroscopy for optical diagnosis to guide biopsy and surgical intervention.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of low-level laser irradiation (LLLI) on bovine oocyte and granulosa cells metabolism during in vitro maturation (IVM) and further embryo development. Cumulus-oocytes complexes (COCs) were subjected (experimental group) or not (control group) to irradiation with LLLI in a 633-nm wavelength and 1 J/cm 2 fluency. The COCs were evaluated after 30 min, 8, 16, and 24 h of IVM. Cumulus cells were evaluated for cell cycle status, mitochondrial activity, and viability (flow cytometry). Oocytes were assessed for meiotic progression status (nuclear staining), cell cycle genes content [real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)], and signal transduction status (western blot). The COCs were also in vitro fertilized, and the cleavage and blastocyst rates were assessed. Comparisons among groups were statistically performed with 5% significance level. For cumulus cells, a significant increase in mitochondrial membrane potential and the number of cells progressing through the cycle could be observed. Significant increases on cyclin B and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK4) levels were also observed. Concerning the oocytes, a significantly higher amount of total mitogen-activated protein kinase was found after 8 h of irradiation, followed by a decrease in all cell cycle genes transcripts, exception made for the CDK4. However, no differences were observed in meiotic progression or embryo production. In conclusion, LLLI is an efficient tool to modulate the granulosa cells and oocyte metabolism.

The study of bone composition is very important for the development of new technologies, for instance, the improvement of biocompatible implants and artificial bone matrix. Some kinds of bone matrix as tibia might be regenerated by two different routes, the endochondral and the intramembranous. In this work We analyze the composition of regenerated tibia by the two mentioned routes. They are compared with the composition of the healthy portion of a normal tissue. Our results show mainly differences in the quantity of lipids, water and in the vibrations of Amide I and Amide II.

Although there are many articles focused on in vivo or ex vivo Raman analysis for cancer diagnosis, to the best of our knowledge its potential to predict the aggressiveness of tumor has not been fully explored yet. In this work Raman spectra in the finger print region of ex vivo breast tissues of both healthy mice (normal) and mice with induced mammary gland tumors (abnormal) were measured and associated to matrix metalloproteinase-19 (MMP-19) immunohistochemical exam. It was possible to verify that normal breast, benign lesions, and adenocarcinomas spectra, including the subtypes (cribriform, papillary and solid) could have their aggressiveness diagnosed by vibrational Raman bands. By using MMP- 19 exam it was possible to classify the samples by malignant graduation in accordance to the classification results of Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The spectra NM /MH were classified correctly in 100% of cases; CA/CPA group had 60 % of spectra correctly classified and for PA/AS 54% of the spectra were correctly classified.

Low-level laser irradiation (LLLI) increases ATP production and energy supply to the cell which could increase sperm motility, acrossomal reaction and consequently the fertilizing potential. The aim of this study was to characterize the biochemical and topological changes induced by low power laser irradiation on bull sperm cells. Post-thawing sperm were irradiated with a 633nm laser with fluence rates of 30, 150 and 300mJ.cm-2 (power of 5mW for 1, 5 and 10minutes, respectively); 45, 230, and 450mJ.cm-2 (7.5mW for 1, 5 and 10 minutes); and 60, 300 and 600mJ.cm-2 (10mW for 1, 5 and 10 minutes). Biochemical and metabolical changes were analyzed by FTIR and flow cytometry; oxygen reactive species production was assessed by TBARS and the morphological changes were evaluated by AFM. Motility had no difference among times or powers of irradiation. Increasing in ROS generation was observed with power of 5mW compared to 7.5 and 10mW, and with 10min of irradiation in comparison with 5 and 1min of irradiation. This higher ROS generation was related to an increase in acrossomal and plasma membrane damage. FTIR results showed that the amount of lipids was inversely proportional to the quantity of ROS generated. AFM images showed morphological differences in plasma/acrossomal membrane, mainly on the equatorial region. We conclude that LLLI is an effective method to induce changes on sperm cell metabolism but more studies are necessary to establish an optimal dose to increase the fertility potential of these cells.

Recent technological advances in fiber optics, light sources, detectors, and molecular biology have stimulated unprecedented development of optical methods to detect pathological changes in tissues. These methods, collectively termed "optical biopsy," are nondestructive in situ and real-time assays. Optical biopsy techniques as fluorescence spectroscopy, polarized light scattering spectroscopy, optical coherence tomography, confocal reflectance microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy had been extensively used to characterize several pathological tissues. In special, Raman spectroscopy technique had been able to probe several biochemical alterations due to pathology development as change in the DNA, glycogen, phospholipid, non-collagenous proteins. All studies claimed that the optical biopsy methods were able to discriminate normal and malignant tissues. However, few studies had been devoted to the discrimination of very common subtle or early pathological states as inflammatory process, which are always present on, e.g., cancer lesion border. In this work we present a systematic comparison of optical biopsy data on several kinds of lesions were inflammatory infiltrates play the role (breast, cervical, and oral lesion). It will be discussed the essential conditions for the optimization of discrimination among normal and alterated states based on statistical analysis.

Low level laser therapy (LLLT) is an emerging therapeutic approach for several clinical conditions. The clinical effects induced by LLLT presumably go from the photobiostimulation/photobioinibition at cellular level to the molecular level. The detailed mechanism underlying this effect is still obscure. This work is dedicated to quantify some relevant aspects of LLLT related to molecular and cellular variations. This goal was attached by exposing malignant breast cells (MCF7) to spatially filtered light of a He-Ne laser (633 nm) with 28.8 mJ/cm2 of fluency. The cell viability was evaluated by microscopic observation using Trypan Blue viability test. The vibrational spectra of each experimental group (micro- FTIR technique) were used to identify the relevant biochemical alterations occurred due the process. The red light had influence over RNA, phosphate and serine/threonine/tyrosine bands. Light effects on cell number or viability were not detected. However, the irradiation had direct influence on metabolic activity of cells.

In this work, Raman spectra in the 900–1,800 cm−1 wavenumber region of in vivo and ex vivo breast tissues of both healthy mice (normal) and mice with induced mammary gland tumors (abnormal) were measured. In the case of the in vivo tissues, the Raman spectra were collected for both transcutaneous (with skin) and skin-removed tissues. To identify the spectral differences between normal and cancer breast tissue, the paired t-test was carried out for each wavenumber using the whole spectral range from both groups. Quadratic discriminate analysis based on principal component analysis (PCA) was also used to determine and evaluate differences in the Raman spectra for the various samples as a basis for diagnostic purposes. The differences in the Raman spectra of the samples were due to biochemical changes at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels. The sensitivity and specificity of the classification scheme based on the differences in the Raman spectra obtained by PCA were evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The in vivo transcutaneous normal and abnormal tissues were correctly classified based on their measured Raman spectra with a discriminant proportion of 73%, while the in vivo skin-removed normal and abnormal tissues were correctly classified again based on their measured Raman spectra with a discriminant proportion of 86%. This result reveals a strong influence due to the skin of the breast, which decreased the specificity by 11%. Finally, the results from ex vivo measurements gave the highest specificity and sensitivity: 96 and 97%, respectively, as well as a largest percentage for correct discrimination: 94%. Now that the important bands have been experimentally determined in this and other works, what remains is for first principles molecular-level simulations to determine whether the changes are simply due to conformational changes, due to aggregation, due to changes in the environment, or complex interactions of all of the above.

Collagen makes up one third of the total protein in humans, being formed by the connection of three polypeptide chains arranged in a triple helix. This protein has fundamental importance in the formation of extracellular matrix of connective tissue. This study aimed to analyze the structural changes of collagen, which are resulting from inflammatory processes in oral mucosa, and to make the comparative analysis between the histopathology and the Raman spectra. The samples of tissues with inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia (IFH) and normal mucosa (NM) were evaluated by Raman Spectroscopy, hematoxylin-eosin and Massons trichrome stain. The histological analysis in both stains showed differences in collagen fibers, which was presented as thin fibers and arranged in parallel direction in NM and as collagen fibers are thick, mature and not organized, showing that these types of stain show morphological changes of collagen in IFH. The Raman Spectroscopy discriminate the groups of NM and IFH based on vibrational modes of proline, hydroxiproline and CH3, CH2. The histological stains only shows information from morphological data, and can be complemented by Raman spectra. This technique could demonstrate that inflammatory process caused some changes in collagen structure which is related to aminoacids such as proline and hidroxyproline.

Thyroid gland is a small gland in the neck consisting of two lobes connected by an isthmus. Thyroid's main function is to produce the hormones thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3) and calcitonin. Thyroid disorders can disturb the production of these hormones, which will affect numerous processes within the body such as: regulating metabolism and increasing utilization of cholesterol, fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. The gland itself can also be injured; for example, neoplasias, which have been considered the most important, causing damage of to the gland and are difficult to diagnose. There are several types of thyroid cancer: Papillary, Follicular, Medullary, and Anaplastic. The occurrence rate, in general is between 4 and 7%; which is on the increase (30%), probably due to new technology that is able to find small thyroid cancers that may not have been found previously. The most common method used for thyroid diagnoses are: anamnesis, ultrasonography, and laboratory exams (Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy- FNAB). However, the sensitivity of those test are rather poor, with a high rate of false-negative results, therefore there is an urgent need to develop new diagnostic techniques. Raman spectroscopy has been presented as a valuable tool for cancer diagnosis in many different tissues. In this work, 27 fragments of the thyroid were collected from 18 patients, comprising the following histologic groups: goitre adjacent tissue, goitre nodular tissue, follicular adenoma, follicular carcinoma, and papillary carcinoma. Spectral collection was done with a commercial FTRaman Spectrometer (Bruker RFS100/S) using a 1064 nm laser excitation and Ge detector. Principal Component Analysis, Cluster Analysis, and Linear Discriminant Analysis with cross-validation were applied as spectral classification algorithm. Comparing the goitre adjacent tissue with the goitre nodular region, an index of 58.3% of correct classification was obtained. Between goitre (nodular region and adjacent tissue) and papillary carcinoma, the index of correct classification was 64.9%, and the classification between benign tissues (goitre and follicular adenoma) and malignant tissues (papillary and follicular carcinomas), the index was 72.5%.

Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer type in women Worldwide. Sensitivity and specificity of clinical breast examinations have been estimated from clinical trials to be approximately 54 % and 94 %, respectively. Further, approximately 95 % of all positive breast cancer screenings turn ou t to be false-positive. The optimal method for early detection should be both highly sensitive to ensure that all cancers are detected, and also highly specific to avoid the humanistic and economic costs associated with false-positive results. In vivo optical spectroscopy techniques, Raman in particular, have been pointed out as promising tools to improve the accuracy of screening mammography. The aim of the present study was to apply FT-Raman spectroscopy to discriminate normal and adenocarcinoma breast tissues of Sprague-Dawley female rats. The study was performed on 32 rats divided in the control (N=5) and experimental (N=27) groups. Histological analysis indicated that mammary hyperp lasia, cribriform, papillary and solid adenocarcinomas were found in the experimental group subjects. The spectral collection was made using a commercial FT-Raman Spectrometer (Bruker RFS100) equipped with fiber-optic probe (RamProbe) and the spectral region between 900 and 1800 cm

The biochemical alterations between inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia (IFH) and normal tissues of buccal mucosa were probed by using the FT-Raman spectroscopy technique. The aim was to find the minimal set of Raman bands that would furnish the best discrimination.Raman-based optical biopsy is a widely recognized potential technique for noninvasive real-time diagnosis. However, few studies had been devoted to the discrimination of very common subtle or early pathologic states as inflammatory processes that are always present on, for example, cancer lesion borders.Seventy spectra of IFH from 14 patients were compared with 30 spectra of normal tissues from six patients. The statistical analysis was performed with principal components analysis and soft independent modeling class analogy cross-validated, leave-one-out methods.Bands close to 574, 1,100, 1,250 to 1,350, and 1,500 cm(-1) (mainly amino acids and collagen bands) showed the main intragroup variations that are due to the acanthosis process in the IFH epithelium. The 1,200 (C-C aromatic/DNA), 1,350 (CH(2) bending/collagen 1), and 1,730 cm(-1) (collagen III) regions presented the main intergroup variations. This finding was interpreted as originating in an extracellular matrix-degeneration process occurring in the inflammatory tissues. The statistical analysis results indicated that the best discrimination capability (sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 100%) was found by using the 530-580 cm(-1) spectral region.The existence of this narrow spectral window enabling normal and inflammatory diagnosis also had useful implications for an in vivo dispersive Raman setup for clinical applications.

The Raman-based optical diagnosis of normal cervix, inflammative cervix (cervicitis), and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia was investigated on samples of 63 patients. The main alterations were found in the 857 cm(-1) (CCH deformation aromatic); 925 cm(-1) (C-C stretching); approximately 1247 cm(-1) (CN stretch, NH bending of Amide III); 1370 cm(-1) (CH2 bending); and 1525 cm(-1) (C=CC=N stretching) vibrational bands in accordance with previously reported in the literature comparing normal and malignant cervical tissue. The statistical analysis (principal components analysis, clustering, and logistic regression models) applied to the spectral data indicated that the full discrimination among normal and neoplastic tissues of cervix by Raman optical biopsy is seriously affected by the presence of inflammatory infiltrates, which increases the false-positive rate. This fact is specially relevant once cervicitis is a very common state (noncancerous) of the cervix of sexually active woman. The results suggest that, for the correct Raman-based diagnosis of normal cervix from cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, it is necessary to use an auxiliary way to discriminate the contribution from the inflammatory infiltrates.

Raman spectroscopy has been well established as a powerful method for studying biological tissues and diagnosing diseases. In this study we have developed a breast cancer animal model and collected in vivo Raman spectra of mammary glands of 27 Sprague-Dawley female rats treated with DMBA and 5 non-treated used as control group. A dispersive Raman spectrometer with a @785 nm laser excitation coupled a fiber optic probe and a CCD detector was used to obtain the spectra. The obtained in vivo transcutaneous Raman spectra have shown important differences between normal and abnormal tissues when acquired from one side to the other side of the lesion.

The regenerative hepatic process has been of interest since Ancient Greek time, according to the Prometheus myth. Nowadays, hepatic regeneration study is incontestable due to its clinical importance. For all the characteristics mentioned below, studies involving hepatic regeneration and hepatic carcinogenesis are a good basic research model to study biological effects of ultra high dilutions in living organisms. It is well known the majority of the liver is made from hepatocytes, classified as “stable cells”, which means that under normal conditions, they have low “turn over” or low renew rate, with mitotic activity up to 1% (Cotran et al., 2004). However, when a reduction of functional liver parenchyma occurs, due to a lesion or partial ablation of this organ, the proliferation activity increases until 100% of its parenchyma is regenerated. Many serious hepatic diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma are a disturbance result of the regenerative process. In the last years, much effort has been dedicated to understand the molecular mechanisms coordinating these processes. The partial liver resection is a classical research model for the study of hepatic regeneration. After 24–48 hours after partial hepatectomy, approximately 10% of the actual parenchyma is into the “S” stage of the cellular cycle, which means DNA synthesis process (Cotran et al., 2004). Therefore the beginning of the cellular regeneration is linked to nuclear transcription protein sequence expression and cellular cycle regulators proteins such as Fos, Jun, Myc, p53, NFkB and cyclines (Cotran et al., 2004). When the hepatic parenchyma is completely regenerated, the cells in proliferation return to being quiescent. Many extra-cellular factors control this sequence of events, mostly growth factors and cytokines. The HGF (Hepatocyte Growth Factor)

FT-Raman spectroscopy was employed to access the biochemical alterations occurring on the degenerative process of the rotator cuff supraspinatus tendons. The spectral characteristic variations in the 351 spectra of samples of 39 patients were identified with the help of Principal Components Analysis. The main variations occurred in the 840-911; 1022- 1218; 1257; 1270; 1300; 1452; 1663; and 1751 cm -1 regions corresponding to the vibrational bands of proline, hydroxiproline, lipids, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, collagen, and elastin. These alterations are compatible with the pathology alterations reported on the literature. Scattering plots of PC 4 vs PC 2 and PC 3 vs PC 2 contrasted with histopathological analysis has enabled the spectral classification of the data into normal and degenerated groups of tendons. By depicting empiric lines the estimated sensibility and specificity were 39,6 % and 97,8 %, respectively for PC 4 vs PC 2 and 36,0 % and 100 %, respectively for PC 3 vs PC 2. These results indicate that Raman spectroscopy can be used to probe the general tendon quality and could be applied as co adjuvant element in the usual arthroscopy surgery apparatus to guide the procedure and possibly infer about the probability of rerupture.

Melanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer and is invariably fatal if left untreated. Melanoma removal at early stages is almost always curative and therefore early detection is essential. Removal of every pigmented lesion is unacceptable for the patient, especially in the case of multiple skin lesions or lesions localized in cosmetically important parts of the body such as the face because of risk of scarring. The development of a technique to detect these changes in a noninvasive way is therefore crucial for melanoma detection. In this study, we have used FT-Raman Spectroscopy to investigate through PCA analysis the alterations in the molecular structure of 90 skin spectra, being 30 Pigmented Nevi, 30 Primary Melanoma, and 30 Metastasis, for 6 patients. For projection of data, the scores (Principal Components) PC1 to PC3 were calculated. PC1 versus PC3 for the 800 to 1800 cm-1 spectral region. PC1 versus PC2 for the 1200 to 1400 cm-1 spectral region. In both analysis, we could differentiate the three different types of tissues.

FT-Raman spectroscopy was employed to study normal human colorectal tissues in vitro with the aim of evaluating the spectral differences of the complex colon mucous in order to establish a characteristic Raman spectrum. The samples were collected from 39 patients, providing 144 spectra for the statistical analysis. The results enable one to estabilish three well-defined spectroscopic groups of non-altered coloretal tissues that were consistently checked by statistical (clustering) and biological (histopathology) analyses: group 1 is represented by samples with the presence of epithelial layer, connective tissue papillae, and smooth muscle tissue; group 2 comprises tissues with epithelial layer and connective tissue papillae; group 3 presented mostly fatty and slack conjunctive tissue. The study reveals the existence of an intrinsic spectral variability for each patient that must be considered when sampling tissues fragments to build a spectral database. This is the first step for future studies and applications of Raman spectroscopy to optical biopsy and diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

In this work we employ the Fourier Transform Raman Spectroscopy to study the human breast tissues, both normal and pathological. In the present study we analyze 194 Raman spectra from breast tissues that were separated into 9 groups according to their corresponding histopathological diagnosis, which are as follows: Normal breast tissue, Fibrocystic condition, In Situ Duct Carcinoma, In Situ Duct Carcinoma with Necrosis, Infiltrating Duct Carcinoma, Infiltrating Duct Inflammatory Carcinoma, Infiltrating Duct Medullar Carcinoma, Infiltrating Duct Colloid Carcinoma, and Infiltrating Lobule Carcinoma. We found a strong lipids Raman band, and this structure was identified as abundant in the normal breast tissue spectra. The primary structure of proteins was identified through the shift of the amine acids bands. The identification of the secondary structure of proteins occurred through the peptide bands (Amide I and Amide III). In relation to the carbohydrates, the spectra of duct infiltrating colloid carcinoma, fibrocystic condition, and infiltrating duct carcinoma have been compared and identified. We observed an increase in the intensity of the 800-1200 cm-1 spectral region. This fact could indicate the presence of liquid cystic. We also notice alterations in the peaks in the region of 500 to 600 cm-1 and 2000 to 2100 cm-1 that may suggest changes in the nucleic acids of the cells.

Through analysis of records of animals slaughtered and disposed of the municipal abattoir Imperatriz-MA we studied data from 39,955 animals slaughtered for consumption, and it was found that0.03% of the animals were discarded and the carcass incinerated due to contamination by Brucella abortus etiologic agent of brucellosis, one of the most serious zoonotic disease found in the country. The result was satisfactory thus demonstrating the effective control program against brucellosis carried out in the region. KEY-WORDS: analysis, control, disposed, zoonosis., RESUMO: Através de análise dos registros de animais abatidos no abatedouro municipal de Imperatriz-Ma, estudou-se os dados de 39.955 animais, e constatou-se que 0,03% dos animais tiveram a carcaça descartada e incinerada devido à contaminação por Brucela abortus, agente etiológico da brucelose, uma zoonose das mais graves constatadas no país. O resultado obtido foi satisfatório demonstrando assim o eficaz programa de controle contra brucelose realizado na região. PALAVRAS CHAVE: análise, controle, descartados, zoonose.

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is an emerging therapeutic approach for several clinical conditions. The clinical effects induced by LLLT presumably scale from photobiostimulation/photobioinhibition at the cellular level to the molecular level. The detailed mechanism underlying this effect remains unknown. This study quantifies some relevant aspects of LLLT related to molecular and cellular variations. Malignant breast cells (MCF-7) were exposed to spatially filtered light from a He-Ne laser (633 nm) with fluences of 5, 28.8, and 1000 mJ/cm². The cell viability was evaluated by optical microscopy using the Trypan Blue viability test. The micro-Fourier transform infrared technique was employed to obtain the vibrational spectra of each experimental group (control and irradiated) and identify the relevant biochemical alterations that occurred due to the process. It was observed that the red light influenced the RNA, phosphate, and serine/threonine/tyrosine bands. We found that light can influence cell metabolism depending on the laser fluence. For 5 mJ/cm², MCF-7 cells suffer bioinhibition with decreased metabolic rates. In contrast, for the 1 J/cm² laser fluence, cells present biostimulation accompanied by a metabolic rate elevation. Surprisingly, at the intermediate fluence, 28.8 mJ/cm², the metabolic rate is increased despite the absence of proliferative results. The data were interpreted within the retrograde signaling pathway mechanism activated with light irradiation.

The diagnosis of thyroid pathologies is usually made by cytologic analysis of the fine needle aspiration (FNA) material. However, this procedure has a low sensitivity at times, presenting a variation of 2-37%. The application of optical spectroscopy in the characterization of alterations could result in the development of a minimally invasive and non-destructive method for the diagnosis of thyroid diseases. Thus, the objective of this work was to study the biochemical alterations of tissues and hormones (T3 and T4) of the thyroid gland by means of molecular vibrations probed by FT-Raman spectroscopy. Through the discriminative linear analysis of the Raman spectra of the tissue, it was possible to establish (in percentages) the correct classification index among the groups: goitre adjacent tissue, goitre nodular region, follicular adenoma, follicular carcinoma and papillary carcinoma. As a result of the comparison between the groups goitre adjacent tissue versus goitre nodular region, an index of 58.3% of correct classification was obtained; this percentage was considered low, and it was not possible to distinguish the Raman spectra of these groups. Between goitre (nodular region and adjacent tissue) versus papillary carcinoma, the index of correct classification was 64.9%, which was considered good. A relevant result was obtained in the analysis of the benign tissues (goitre and follicular adenoma) versus malignant tissues (papillary and follicular carcinomas), for which the index was 72.5% and considered good. It was also possible, by means of visual observation, to find similar vibrational modes in the hormones and pathologic tissues. In conclusion, some biochemical alterations, represented by the FT-Raman spectra, were identified that could possibly be used to classify histologic groups of the thyroid. However, more studies are necessary due to the difficulty in setting a standard for pathologic groups.

The Fourier transform (FT)-Raman spectroscopy technique is used to assess the biochemical alterations that occur in the degenerative process of the rotator cuff supraspinatus tendon. The main alterations observed occur in the glycine, proline, hydroxyproline, cysteine, cistine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, collagen I and III, nucleic acid, lipids, glycosaminoglycans, and metalloproteinases bands. An increasing intensity for these bands is found in degenerated tendons, a finding well correlated with hyaline state and cellular activity. Statistical analysis (principal components analysis and clustering) shows a clear separation of the spectra into nonhyalinized and hyalinized clusters, which enables the construction of a binary diagnosis model based on logistic regression. Best diagnosis provided a sensitivity of 66.0% and a specificity of 74.7% with 79.6% concordant pairs. The discriminating power of the diagnostic test is assessed by computing the area under the receiving-operator characteristic curve (AUC), which indicates good accuracy (AUC=0.81). In principle, these results indicate that Raman spectroscopy can be used as an auxiliary aid to improve shoulder tendon surgery quality by guiding anchoring onto more healthy (nonhyaline) pieces of tendons. This should contribute to a decrease in the current high rerupture rate (13 to 68%) for this procedure.

In this work we employ the Fourier Transform Raman Spectroscopy to study normal and tumoral human breast tissues, including several subtypes of cancers. We analyzed 194 Raman spectra from breast tissues that were separated into 9 groups according to their corresponding histopathological diagnosis. The assignment of the relevant Raman bands enabled us to connect the several kinds of breast tissues (normal and pathological) to their corresponding biochemical moieties alterations and distinguish among 7 groups: normal breast, fibrocystic condition, duct carcinoma-in-situ, duct carcinoma-in-situ with necrosis, infiltrating duct carcinoma not otherwise specified, colloid infiltrating duct carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinomas. We were able to establish the biochemical basis for each spectrum, relating the observed peaks to specific biomolecules that play special role in the carcinogenesis process. This work is very useful for the premature optical diagnosis of a broad range of breast pathologies. We noticed that we were not able to differentiate inflammatory and medullary duct carcinomas from infiltrating duct carcinoma not otherwise specified.