Role of Optical Spectroscopic Methods in Neuro-Oncological Sciences

In the surgical treatment of malignant tumors, it is crucial to characterize the tumor as precisely as possible. The determination of the exact tumor location as well as the analysis of its properties is very important in order to obtain an accurate diagnosis as early as possible. In neurosurgical applications, the optical, non-invasive and in situ techniques allow for the label-free analysis of tissue, which is helpful in neuropathology. In the past decades, optical spectroscopic methods have been investigated drastically in the management of cancer. In the optical spectroscopic techniques, tissue interrogate with sources of light which are ranged from the ultraviolet to the infrared wavelength in the spectrum. The information accumulation of light can be in a reflection which is named reflectance spectroscopy; or interactions with tissue at different wavelengths which are called fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy. This review paper introduces the optical spectroscopic methods which are used to characterize brain tumors (neuro-oncology). Based on biochemical information obtained from these spectroscopic methods, it is possible to identify tumor from normal brain tissues, to indicate tumor margins, the borders towards normal brain tissue and infiltrating gliomas, to distinguish radiation damage of tissues, to detect particular central nervous system (CNS) structures to identify cell types using particular neurotransmitters, to detect cells or drugs which are optically labeled within therapeutic intermediations and to estimate the viability of tissue and the prediction of apoptosis beginning in vitro and in vivo. The label-free, optical biochemical spectroscopic methods can provide clinically relevant information and need to be further exploited to develop a safe and easy-to-use technology for in situ diagnosis of malignant tumors

Quality control of eggs using multivariate analysis of micro-Raman spectroscopy

Considering the pivotal role of eggs in the food industry and their nutritional significance, this study employed micro-Raman spectroscopy of eggs, examining both shells and yolks to assess the quality and freshness of eggs. Raman spectra were collected at different temperatures and time intervals to investigate temperature and time effects, potentially indicating Raman peak reduction due to Maillard reaction and oxidation of proteins and lipids and carotenoid depletion, respectively. By calculating the ratio of Raman peaks, lipids, fatty acids, and choline methyl were introduced as biomarkers of temperature and time. Notable correlations were identified between Raman peaks and egg quality coefficients, including egg coefficient and peak 1002 cm$^{-1}$ (protein), total weight and 1301 cm$^{-1}$ (Lipids), yolk weight and 2934 and 3057 cm$^{-1}$, total weight with peak 710 cm$^{-1}$, and egg shape index and peak 3057 cm$^{-1}$. Analysis of eggshells at different time intervals revealed Raman peak reduction during time, demonstrating Raman's effectiveness in assessing egg quality from its shell. Using the PLS-DA method, the classification of eggs at different temperatures and storage times using egg yolk Raman spectra was performed with 80% accuracy, predominantly influenced by carotenoid peaks, showing Raman a practical, and non-destructive method for egg quality and freshness control

Possibility of Thyroidism Diagnosis by Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy of Human Fingernail

INTRODUCTION: A modern technique for elemental analysis of biological samples is laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). This technique is based on emission of excited atoms, ions, and molecules in plasma produced by focusing a high power laser pulses on sample surface. Because of several advantages of LIBS including little or no sample preparation; minimally invasive; fast analysis time and very easy to use, in this study, this method was used for investigating the mineral content of fingernails. As the trace element of nail can be changed by several pathological, physiological, and environmental factors, we analyze the human fingernails to evaluate the possibility of thyroidism diagnosis.METHODS: A Q-switched Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (Nd:YAG) laser operating at wavelength of 1064 nm, pulse energy of 50 mJ/pulse, repetition rate of 10 Hz and pulse duration of 6 ns was used in this analysis. Measurements were done on 28 fingernails belonging to 5 hypothyroid, 2 hyperthyroid and 21 normal subjects. For classification of samples into different groups based on thyroid status, a discriminant function analysis (DFA) was used to discriminate among normal and thyroidism groups.RESULTS: The elements detected in fingernails with the present system were: Al, C, Ca, Fe, H, K, Mg, N, Na, O, Si, Sr, Ti as well as CN molecule. Classification in two groups of normal and patient subjects and also in three groups of normal, hyperthyroid and hypothyroid subjects shows that 100% of original grouped cases were correctly classified. So, efficient discrimination among these groups is demonstrated.CONCLUSION: It is shown that laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) could be a possible technique for the analysis of nail and therefore identification of health problems

Using biocompatible materials as substrate coating for electric field enhancement in tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

In this article, tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) is investigated as a precise method for analysis of biological samples. Using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulation, it has been tried to design the required structures for analysis of these samples. At first, by comparing different TERS structures and considering the material, dimensions and other parameters in the simulation, the ideal structure is introduced from a physical point of view and considering the electric field enhancement. In the following, taking into possibility of the effect of environmental and chemical reactions during testing on biological samples, biocompatible materials are used as substrate coating in the simulation, and the effect of using these materials are investigated in comparison with the previous conditions. After performing the simulations, we concluded that Au, Cu and Ag have the highest electric field enhancement, respectively, and the presence of Au next to Cu, also Au and Cu next to Ag, leads to the enhancement of the electric field in them. In the following, we found that the material and thickness of the layer under the coating in the substrate and tip have a great effect on the enhancement. finally, using five biocompatible materials as a coating in the case of using the Au tip and substrate, which creates the most electric field enhancement, we saw that the use of biocompatible materials greatly reduces the enhancement and the use of these five materials does not differ much from each other. Anyway, the use of a 1 nm layer of biocompatible coating creates a much more favorable effect on enhancement than upper thicknesses

The Cost Analysis of Patients with Traffic Traumatic Injuries Presenting to Emergency Department; a Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Road traffic traumatic injuries are the leading cause of death especially among young men who are mostly vulnerable victims. This catastrophe is more complicated in low to middle income countries. Objective: This study assessed the financial costs of traffic casualties in Iran. Method: One thousand trauma patients presenting to the emergency department of Shohaday-e-Tajrish Hospital were included in the study. The prehospital and hospital costs as well as the expenses of physiotherapy, rehabilitation, outpatient visits and further surgical interventions were considered as direct expenses. The costs of productivity loss were estimated as indirect expenses. Results: The direct and indirect costs were assessed 27.4% and 72.6% of total, respectively. The mean age of permanent disability was 43 years old. The average expenses of temporary and permanent disabilities were 2934.4 million rials (nearly 4.2 million rials per patient) and 23.9 billion rials (1.1 billion rials per person), respectively. Conclusion: The national burden of traffic injuries in Iran is significantly destructive as it consists of 2.19 % of Gross Domestic Product annually. Besides, young men are involved in most of the traffic accidents representing the need to establish rigorous preventive instructions and reduce human, and financial costs

The Cost Analysis of Patients with Traffic Traumatic Injuries Presenting to Emergency Department; a Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Road traffic traumatic injuries are the leading cause of death especially among young men who are mostly vulnerable victims. This catastrophe is more complicated in low to middle income countries. Objective: This study assessed the financial costs of traffic casualties in Iran. Method: One thousand trauma patients presenting to the emergency department of Shohaday-e-Tajrish Hospital were included in the study. The prehospital and hospital costs as well as the expenses of physiotherapy, rehabilitation, outpatient visits and further surgical interventions were considered as direct expenses. The costs of productivity loss were estimated as indirect expenses. Results: The direct and indirect costs were assessed 27.4% and 72.6% of total, respectively. The mean age of permanent disability was 43 years old. The average expenses of temporary and permanent disabilities were 2934.4 million rials (nearly 4.2 million rials per patient) and 23.9 billion rials (1.1 billion rials per person), respectively. Conclusion: The national burden of traffic injuries in Iran is significantly destructive as it consists of 2.19 % of Gross Domestic Product annually. Besides, young men are involved in most of the traffic accidents representing the need to establish rigorous preventive instructions and reduce human, and financial costs

Unusual Esophageal Foreign Bodies in a Schizophrenic Patient: A Case Report

Introduction: The possibility of foreign body ingestion should be considered in psychiatric patients. In some complicated cases, foreign bodies become problematic and require immediate surgical intervention. Case presentation: A 45-year-old man with schizophrenia swallowed razor blades and pieces of glass resulting in esophageal perforation, pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum and urgent need for surgery. He was presented in shock state but successfully passed post-operative period in the intensive care unit and surgical ward and was ultimately transferred to the psychiatric ward. Conclusion: Management of asymptomatic patients depends on the demographic factors of patients as well as the site affected in the gastrointestinal tract

Qualitative analysis of teeth and evaluation of amalgam elements penetration into dental matrix using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

In this study, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is used for qualitative analysis of healthy and carious teeth. The technique of laser ablation is receiving increasing attention for applications in dentistry, specifically for the treatment of teeth such as drilling of micro-holes and plaque removal. In the process of ablation a luminous micro-plasma is normally generated which may be exploited for on-line elemental analysis via laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technique. We propose laser induced breakdown spectroscopy as a rapid, in situ and easy method for monitoring drilling process. The results of elemental analysis show the presence of some trace elements in teeth including P, Ca, Mg, Zn, K, Sr, C, Na, H, O and the permeability of some amalgam (teeth filling materials) elements including Hg, Ag, Cu and  Sn into dental matrix. This study address the ability of LIBS in elemental analysis of teeth and its feasibility in acute identification of healthy and carious teeth during drilling process for future clinical applications

Outcome of Trauma Patients Admitted to Emergency Department Based on Full Outline of Unresponsiveness Score

oai:ojs.ajem.tums.ac.ir:article/1Introduction: Full Outline of Unresponsiveness (FOUR) score is one of the existing scoring scales, which has been used for evaluating the level of consciousness in recent years. Objective: The present study has been done with the aim of evaluating the ability to predict the outcome of patients with head trauma based on FOUR score on admission to emergency department (ED). Methods: In the present prospective cross-sectional study, head trauma patients with any changes in alertness level presenting to ED were evaluated. FOUR score measurement was done on admission and 6 hours after that. The studied outcomes in the current study included discharge without sequel, discharge with neurologic sequel, brain death or death during 1 month after admission of the patients. To evaluate the correlation between FOUR score and the studied outcomes, area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used. Results: In the end, 52 patients with the mean age of 32.67 ± 15.20 years were evaluated (84.6% male). Traffic accident with the frequency of 39 (75.0%) patients was the most common mechanism of trauma among the studied patients and finally, after 1 month follow up it was determined that 13 (25%) patients were discharged without sequel and 31 (59.6%) died. Area under the ROC curve for prediction of the final outcome of death using FOUR score on admission and after 6 hours were 0.889 (95% confidence interval: 0.800 - 0.977) and 0.974 (95% confidence interval: 0.938 – 1.000), respectively. Best cutoff points for FOUR score were the scores 8 and 9 on admission of the patients, and the score 5, six hours after admission. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it seems that FOUR score is applicable for prediction of probable death outcome in patients with head trauma presenting to ED

Comparison of Power Hierarchy, Cohesion and Structure in Families with and Without a Disabled Child From the Perspective of their Mothers, Bushehr 2015

Background: Power hierarchy, cohesion and family structure are the main component of every family. Families with disabled children may be affected with this structure and function. The aim of this study was to comparison of the power hierarchy, cohesion and family structure with disabled and non-disabled children in Bushehr from the perspective of their mothers (2015). Materials & Methods: In this Cross-sectional study, 150 mothers of disabled and non-disabled children in Bushehr city were selected by census and clusters method, respectively. Family structure, cohesion and hierarchy of mothers was assessed by using the Family System Test (FAST). Data were analyzed by using SPSS software (Version 18) and statistical tests carried out such as (Independent t-test, ANOVA and chisquare test. Results: Based on this results, there was no significant difference between the families in terms of power (p=0.22) but the cohesion of families with children with physical disabilities (p=0.0001, 1/90 ± 0.54) and mentally (p=0.0001, 1.56 ± 0.73) is less than the natural family (p=0.0001, 2.26 ± 0.52), Also in terms of structure, there was no significant difference between families with healthy children and physical disability and mentally (p=0.05). Conclusion: Findings showed that the cohesion of families with disabled children are more vulnerable than healthy family. In the first step, awareness of young couples about the outcome of the birth of a disabled child is necessary and inevitable and in second step, providing training and adequate support to families with disabled child