Perspective: Water-Filtered Infrared-A-Radiation (wIRA) – novel treatment options for chlamydial infections?

Water-filtered infrared-A-radiation (wIRA) is a promising therapeutic method, which is particularly used as supportive treatment for wound closure, and wound infection treatment and prevention. High penetration properties of the heat field and beneficial effects on wound healing processes predispose wIRA irradiation to be a non-invasive treatment method for bacterial infections in superficial tissues. Since Chlamydia trachomatis still represents the leading cause of infectious blindness in third world countries (WHO http://www.who.int/topics/trachoma/en/) and wIRA displays beneficial effects on chlamydial infections in vitro without inducing cellular damage in ex vivo eye models and also shows beneficial effects on wound healing, this irradiation technique might represent a promising future treatment for trachoma patients. To this end, further studies investigating shorter irradiation times or irradiation of Chlamydia in chronic infections [the chlamydial stress response (Bavoil, 2014)] as well as safety studies in animal models should clearly be performed

Water-filtered Infrared A (wIRA) Irradiation

The aim of this open access book is to provide a unique, timely, critical and comprehensive compilation of more than 30 years of robust international experimental and clinical research related to the basic science and therapeutic application of water-filtered infrared-A (wIRA) and hyperthermia in oncology, psychiatry (depression), musculoskeletal disorders, dermatology, infectiology, and surgery. This is an internationally absolutely unique attempt which publication is timely and of great interest in medical as well as in natural sciences. The aim is to enhance communication and advance the use of heat therapy for patient benefit, and to generate an environment in which anyone with an interest in hyperthermia can discuss, collaborate, network, and share events and resources. Productive dialogue and discussion among scientists and practitioners on issues relating to hyperthermia therapy is essential, especially relating to thermal transmission by water-filtered infrared-A (wIRA). The specificity and advantage of this technology is its tolerance by tissue, and its penetration of up to 3 cm allows the delivery of high heat dosages that are relevant across multiple clinical indications. Currently, wIRA is being applied in Austria, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, The Netherlands, UK and the USA. The authors’ hope is that its use will increase in these countries, and also expand into others. This book will be an invaluable tool for oncologists, surgeons, dermatologists as well as physiotherapists

Water-Filtered Infrared A (wIRA) Irradiation: Novel Treatment Options for Chlamydial Infections

wIRA has been shown to reduce extracellular chlamydial forms and intracellular chlamydial inclusions in different cell culture infection models, and similarly on different human or animal chlamydial species. Repeated wIRA applications increase the efficacy of treatment in vitro, and in vivo in a guinea pig ocular model of inclusion conjunctivitis. The guinea pig model reflects the human ocular disease trachoma, the most common cause of infectious blindness worldwide which is caused by ocular strains of Chlamydia trachomatis. In this model, ocular wIRA treatment reduces conjunctival chlamydial load and ocular pathology. First insights into the mechanisms of anti-chlamydial activity indicate the involvement of both thermal and non-thermal effects. Interestingly, wIRA treatment of non-infected cells renders them more resistant to subsequent chlamydial infection, suggesting cell-related mechanisms that might involve cytochrome C. Further studies envisage the refinement of wIRA treatment protocols, the enhancement of anti-chlamydial activity by adding photodynamic substances, and characterization of the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic benefit of wIRA

Water-filtered Infrared A (wIRA) Irradiation

The aim of this open access book is to provide a unique, timely, critical and comprehensive compilation of more than 30 years of robust international experimental and clinical research related to the basic science and therapeutic application of water-filtered infrared-A (wIRA) and hyperthermia in oncology, psychiatry (depression), musculoskeletal disorders, dermatology, infectiology, and surgery. This is an internationally absolutely unique attempt which publication is timely and of great interest in medical as well as in natural sciences. The aim is to enhance communication and advance the use of heat therapy for patient benefit, and to generate an environment in which anyone with an interest in hyperthermia can discuss, collaborate, network, and share events and resources. Productive dialogue and discussion among scientists and practitioners on issues relating to hyperthermia therapy is essential, especially relating to thermal transmission by water-filtered infrared-A (wIRA). The specificity and advantage of this technology is its tolerance by tissue, and its penetration of up to 3 cm allows the delivery of high heat dosages that are relevant across multiple clinical indications. Currently, wIRA is being applied in Austria, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, The Netherlands, UK and the USA. The authors’ hope is that its use will increase in these countries, and also expand into others. This book will be an invaluable tool for oncologists, surgeons, dermatologists as well as physiotherapists

Perspective: Water-Filtered Infrared-A-Radiation (wIRA) – Novel Treatment Options for Chlamydial Infections?

Water-filtered infrared-A-radiation (wIRA) is a promising therapeutic method, which is particularly used as supportive treatment for wound closure, and wound infection treatment and prevention. High penetration properties of the heat field and beneficial effects on wound healing processes predispose wIRA irradiation to be a non-invasive treatment method for bacterial infections in superficial tissues. Since Chlamydia trachomatis still represents the leading cause of infectious blindness in third world countries (WHO http://www.who.int/topics/trachoma/en/) and wIRA displays beneficial effects on chlamydial infections in vitro without inducing cellular damage in ex vivo eye models and also shows beneficial effects on wound healing, this irradiation technique might represent a promising future treatment for trachoma patients. To this end, further studies investigating shorter irradiation times or irradiation of Chlamydia in chronic infections [the chlamydial stress response (Bavoil, 2014)] as well as safety studies in animal models should clearly be performed

Photodynamic Therapy 2021

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a light-based photochemistry process. The illumination of a photoactivatable molecule (also called photosensitizer) with visible or near infrared light produces reactive oxygen toxic species to destroy tumor cells. This treatment modality leads to highly targeted actions, because reactive oxygen species are produced only where light is applied. Light is not harmful, nor is the photoactivable molecule. Only the combination of three elements (photosensitizer, oxygen, and light) is required to induce photo-oxidation reactions. PDT has proven to be a promising modality in many medical applications including cutaneous condition, infectious diseases, and various cancers at different stages. This book is a reprint of the Special Issue "Photodynamic Therapy 2021" that was published in Pharmaceuticals

Versatile gold-silver-PB nanojujubes for multi-modal detection and photo-responsive elimination against bacteria

Bacterial infections have become a serious threat to global public health. Nanomaterials have shown promise in the development of bacterial biosensing and antibiotic-free antibacterial modalities, but single-component materials are often less functional and difficult to achieve dual bacterial detection and killing. Herein, we report a novel strategy based on the effective integration of multi-modal bacterial detection and elimination, by constructing the versatile gold-silver-Prussian blue nanojujubes (GSP NJs) via a facile template etching method. Such incorporation of multi-components involves the utilization of cores of gold nanobipyramids with strong surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity, the shells of Prussian blue as both an efficient bio-silent SERS label and an active peroxidase-mimic, and functionalization of polyvinyl pyrrolidone and vancomycin, respectively endowing them with good colloidal dispersibility and specificity against S. aureus. The GSP NJs show operational convenience in the SERS detection and excellent peroxidase-like activity for the sensitive colorimetric detection. Meanwhile, they exhibit robust near-infrared photothermal/photodynamic effects, and the photo-promoted Ag+ ions release, ultimately achieving a high antibacterial efficiency over 99.9% in 5 min. The NJs can also effectively eliminate complex biofilms. The work provides new insights into the design of multifunctional core-shell nanostructures for the integrated bacterial detection and therapy

Evaluation of CRPV based cell systems for the therapeutic studies of papilloma virus associated head and neck cancer

This study focused on establishing an in vitro expression system for studying papillomavirus (cottontail rabbit papilloma virus, CRPV) associated rabbit squamous cell carcinomas. This system was chosen since the CRPV associated VX2 carcinoma of the New Zealand White rabbit is an established animal model for human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Literature research revealed several reports regarding VX2 carcinoma derived cell lines. Unfortunately, these cell lines were either discontinued or not readily available. This situation prompted us to generate our own VX2 cell line. Developing a VX2 carcinoma derived cell line would allow to perform in vitro studies thereby helping to reduce the number of animal experiments. The 2nd chapter of the thesis therefore deals with the development and characterization of a VX2 carcinoma derived cell line. It was presumed that this VX2 carcinoma cell line would help to conduct various experiments before performing tests in the VX2 rabbit animal model. VX2 cells were isolated from a VX2 tumor that was excised from the rabbit ear. Cells were allowed to grow and proliferate under standard laboratory conditions. The VX2 cell line survived for about 150 passages which is much longer than expected for cultures of normal cells, however, permanent cell growth could not be achieved. Immunostaining of VX2 cells at initial passages demonstrated the progressive loss of tumor associated fibroblasts giving rise to a VX2 cell line with a pronounced proliferative capacity. Flow cytometry results illustrated the presence of two VX2 cell populations, a small and a large one. Cell sorting, with subsequent cultivation for 5 days followed by western blot analysis favored the hypothesis that the larger VX2 cell population had the highest proliferative potential. Real time PCR was performed to analyze and confirm the presence of CRPV E6 and E7 oncogene transcripts in the VX2 cells using primers designed specifically to detect CRPV E6 and E7 transcripts. Expression of various proliferation markers, apoptosis related genes, EMT (epithelial mesenchymal transition) markers and CRPV E6 & E7 transcripts were consistently found in the VX2 carcinoma generated cell line as well as in the original VX2 tumor. Another objective, presented in the 3rd chapter of the thesis, was to evaluate therapeutic strategies in the VX2 carcinoma derived cell line. For this purpose, photodynamic therapy (PDT) was selected as a non-invasive treatment to investigate its biological effects on the VX2 carcinoma derived cells. Liposomal encapsulated curcumin was used as a photosensitizer. VX2 cells were treated with curcumin liposomes alone, PDT alone or a combination of curcumin liposomes and PDT. Cytotoxicity studies such as the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay showed that addition of PDT could reduce the IC50 values of curcumin liposomes. Lysosomal disruption, live & dead staining and apoptosis assays were discussed in detail. A significant reduction in colony formation and cell migration was observed in cells exposed to both curcumin liposomes and PDT. In addition to the CRPV associated rabbit VX2 cell line, human papilloma virus (HPV) positive cell lines such as HeLa (HPV-18 positive cervical cancer cell line) and UD-SCC-2 (HPV-16 positive head and neck cancer cell line) were also included during this study to observe the therapeutic effects of curcumin loaded liposomes and PDT therapy. After assessing different parameters using PDT in papilloma virus associated cell lines, it could be concluded that a combination of curcumin liposomes along with PDT was significantly more effective when compared to a treatment with curcumin liposomes or PDT alone. The 4th chapter described an alternative approach for the in vitro study of CRPV oncogenes. Recombinant mammalian expression vectors containing CRPV E6 and E7 oncogenes with and without GFP and RFP reporter genes were successfully generated by PCR cloning using VX2 carcinoma derived RNA as a source. Recombinant clones were validated by restriction enzyme digestion and sequence analysis. Theses clones were transiently transfected in COS-7 & VX2 cells using polyethylenimine (PEI) based lipopolyplexes. The expression of CRPV E6 and E7 recombinant clones was assessed using different techniques. Microscopic results revealed successful expression of CRPV E6 & E7 genes by monitoring GFP and RFP reporter genes. Quantitative PCR demonstrated significant expression of E6 & E7 mRNA in transfected cell lines while western blot analysis demonstrated the expression of E7 recombinant proteins but not of E6 presumably due to failure of recombinant E6 proteins to dissolve sufficiently in the lysis buffer. The results presented in the 4th chapter provide an alternative platform for the study of anti-papillomavirus E6 and E7 therapeutic approaches. With this system, the consequences of targeted antiviral therapies could be easily evaluated by visual examination using fluorescence microscopy or quantitatively monitored in multiplate capable fluorescence detectors. The effect of experimental therapies on viral mRNA and protein expression levels could be measured via PCR and western blot analysis, e.g. by using anti-GFP or anti-RFP antibodies as no antibodies directed against CRPV E6 or E7 proteins are currently commercially available. In conclusion, this CRPV expression system could provide an in vitro platform for the evaluation of antiviral therapeutic approached prior to in vivo testing of e.g. promising therapeutic formulations in the CRPV positive rabbit VX2 carcinoma which serves as an animal model for human HNSCC

Advanced Materials for Oral Application

This book consists of one editorial, 12 original research articles and two review papers from scientists across the world, with expertise in materials for dental application. The main subjects covered are: biomaterials and techniques for oral tissue engineering and regeneration; biomaterials for surgical reconstruction; CAD/CAM technologies and dedicated materials; novel restorative and endodontic materials and instruments