A Clinical Instrument for Combined Raman Spectroscopy-Optical Coherence Tomography of Skin Cancers

Background and Objective: The current standard for diagnosis of skin cancers is visual inspection followed by biopsy and histopathology. This process can be invasive, subjective, time consuming, and costly. Optical techniques, including Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Raman Spectroscopy (RS), have been developed to perform non-invasive characterization of skin lesions based on either morphological or biochemical features of disease. The objective of this work is to report a clinical instrument capable of both morphological and biochemical characterization of skin cancers with RS-OCT. Materials and Methods: The portable instrument utilizes independent 785 nm RS and 1,310 nm OCT system backbones. The two modalities are integrated in a 4 ''(H) x 5 ''(W) x 800 ''(L) clinical probe. The probe enables sequential acquisition of co-registered OCT and RS data sets. The axial response of the RS collection in the skin was estimated using scattering phantoms. In addition, RS-OCT data from patients with cancerous and non-cancerous lesions are reported. Results: The RS-OCT instrument is capable of screening areas as large as 15 mm(transverse) by 2.4 mm(in depth) at up to 8 frames/second with OCT, and identifying locations to perform RS. RS signal is collected from a 44 mu m transverse spot through a depth of approximately 530 mu m. RS-OCT data sets from a superficial scar and a nodular BCC are reported to demonstrate the clinical potential of the instrument. Conclusion: The RS-OCT instrument reported here is capable of morphological and biochemical characterization of cancerous skin lesions in a clinical setting. OCT can visualize microstructural irregularities and perform an initial morphological analysis of the lesion. The images can be used to guide acquisition of biochemically specific Raman spectra. The two data sets can then be evaluated with respect to one another to take advantage of the mutually complimentary nature of RS and OCT. Lasers Surg. Med. 43:143-151, 2011. (C) 2011 Wiley-Liss, In

Air Quality in Puerto Rico in the Aftermath of Hurricane Maria: A Case Study on the Use of Lower-Cost Air Quality Monitors

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, the electricity grid in Puerto Rico was devastated, with over 90% of the island without electricity; as of December 2017, about 50% of the island lacked electricity, and power outages were common elsewhere. Backup generators are widely used, sometimes as the main source of electricity. The hurricane also damaged the island’s existing air monitoring network and the University of Puerto Rico’s observing facilities. We deployed four lower-cost air quality monitors (Real-time Affordable Multi-Pollutant or RAMP monitors) and a black carbon (BC) monitor in the San Juan Metro Area in November 2017. The first month of data collected with the RAMPs showed high sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations of varying magnitudes each night. SO2 and CO are strongly correlated (r2 >0.9) at two sites ~5 km apart (University of Puerto Rico and an industrial area, Puerto Nuevo), suggesting a single source type. BC measured at the UPR site is also well correlated with CO and SO2. While the RAMPs are not certified as a federal equivalent method, the RAMP SO2 data suggest that the EPA’s daily 1-hour threshold for SO2 (75 ppb) was exceeded on almost 80% of the first 30 days of deployment (November-December 2017). The widespread reliance on generators for regular electric supply in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria appears to have increased air pollution in San Juan

Detecting Temporal and Spatial Effects of Epithelial Cancers with Raman Spectroscopy

Epithelial cancers, including those of the skin and cervix, are the most common type of cancers in humans. Many recent studies have attempted to use Raman spectroscopy to diagnose these cancers. In this paper, Raman spectral markers related to the temporal and spatial effects of cervical and skin cancers are examined through four separate but related studies. Results from a clinical cervix study show that previous disease has a significant effect on the Raman signatures of the cervix, which allow for near 100% classification for discriminating previous disease versus a true normal. A Raman microspectroscopy study showed that Raman can detect changes due to adjacent regions of dysplasia or HPV that cannot be detected histologically, while a clinical skin study showed that Raman spectra may be detecting malignancy associated changes in tissues surrounding nonmelanoma skin cancers. Finally, results of an organotypic raft culture study provided support for both the skin and the in vitro cervix results. These studies add to the growing body of evidence that optical spectroscopy, in this case Raman spectral markers, can be used to detect subtle temporal and spatial effects in tissue near cancerous sites that go otherwise undetected by conventional histology

Air Quality in Puerto Rico in the Aftermath of Hurricane Maria: A Case Study on the Use of Lower-Cost Air Quality Monitors

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, the electricity grid in Puerto Rico was devastated, with over 90% of the island without electricity; as of December 2017, about 50% of the island lacked electricity, and power outages were common elsewhere. Backup generators are widely used, sometimes as the main source of electricity. The hurricane also damaged the island’s existing air monitoring network and the University of Puerto Rico’s observing facilities. We deployed four lower-cost air quality monitors (Real-time Affordable Multi-Pollutant or RAMP monitors) and a black carbon (BC) monitor in the San Juan Metro Area in November 2017. The first month of data collected with the RAMPs showed high sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations of varying magnitudes each night. SO₂ and CO are strongly correlated (r² >0.9) at two sites ~5 km apart (University of Puerto Rico and an industrial area, Puerto Nuevo), suggesting a single source type. BC measured at the UPR site is also well correlated with CO and SO₂. While the RAMPs are not certified as a federal equivalent method, the RAMP SO₂ data suggest that the EPA’s daily 1-hour threshold for SO₂ (75 ppb) was exceeded on almost 80% of the first 30 days of deployment (November-December 2017). The widespread reliance on generators for regular electric supply in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria appears to have increased air pollution in San Juan

The Lymphotoxin-β Receptor Is an Upstream Activator of NF-κB-mediated Transcription in Melanoma Cells*

The pleiotropic transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB (p50/p65)) regulates the transcription of genes involved in the modulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and oncogenesis. Furthermore, a host of solid and hematopoietic tumor types exhibit constitutive activation of NF-κB (Basseres, D. S., and Baldwin, A. S. (2006) 25, 6817-6830). However, the mechanism for this constitutive activation of NF-κB has not been elucidated in the tumors. We have previously shown that NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK) protein and its association with Inhibitor of κB kinase αβ are elevated in melanoma cells compared with their normal counterpart, leading to constitutive activation of NF-κB. Moreover, expression of dominant negative NIK blocked this base-line NF-κB activity in melanoma cells. Of the three receptors that require NIK for activation of NF-κB, only the lymphotoxin-β receptor (LTβ-R) is expressed in melanoma. We show in this manuscript that for melanoma there is a strong relationship between expression of the LTβ-R and constitutive NF-κB transcriptional activity. Moreover, we show that activation of the LTβ-R can drive NF-κB activity to regulate gene expression that leads to enhanced cell growth. The inhibition by LTβ-R shRNA resulted in decreased NF-κB promoter activity, decreased growth, and decreased invasiveness as compared with control. These results indicate that the LTβ-R constitutively induces NF-κB activation, and this event may be associated with autonomous growth of melanoma cells

Skin cancer screening: recommendations for data-driven screening guidelines and a review of the US Preventive Services Task Force controversy

Melanoma is usually apparent on the skin and readily detected by trained medical providers using a routine total body skin examination, yet this malignancy is responsible for the majority of skin cancer-related deaths. Currently, there is no national consensus on skin cancer screening in the USA, but dermatologists and primary care providers are routinely confronted with making the decision about when to recommend total body skin examinations and at what interval. The objectives of this paper are: to propose rational, risk-based, data-driven guidelines commensurate with the US Preventive Services Task Force screening guidelines for other disorders; to compare our proposed guidelines to recommendations made by other national and international organizations; and to review the US Preventive Services Task Force's 2016 Draft Recommendation Statement on skin cancer screening