The dark art of light measurement: accurate radiometry for low-level light therapy

Lasers and light-emitting diodes are used for a range of biomedical applications with many studies reporting their beneficial effects. However, three main concerns exist regarding much of the low-level light therapy (LLLT) or photobiomodulation literature; (1) incomplete, inaccurate and unverified irradiation parameters, (2) miscalculation of ‘dose,’ and (3) the misuse of appropriate light property terminology. The aim of this systematic review was to assess where, and to what extent, these inadequacies exist and to provide an overview of ‘best practice’ in light measurement methods and importance of correct light measurement. A review of recent relevant literature was performed in PubMed using the terms LLLT and photobiomodulation (March 2014–March 2015) to investigate the contemporary information available in LLLT and photobiomodulation literature in terms of reporting light properties and irradiation parameters. A total of 74 articles formed the basis of this systematic review. Although most articles reported beneficial effects following LLLT, the majority contained no information in terms of how light was measured (73 %) and relied on manufacturer-stated values. For all papers reviewed, missing information for specific light parameters included wavelength (3 %), light source type (8 %), power (41 %), pulse frequency (52 %), beam area (40 %), irradiance (43 %), exposure time (16 %), radiant energy (74 %) and fluence (16 %). Frequent use of incorrect terminology was also observed within the reviewed literature. A poor understanding of photophysics is evident as a significant number of papers neglected to report or misreported important radiometric data. These errors affect repeatability and reliability of studies shared between scientists, manufacturers and clinicians and could degrade efficacy of patient treatments. Researchers need a physicist or appropriately skilled engineer on the team, and manuscript reviewers should reject papers that do not report beam measurement methods and all ten key parameters: wavelength, power, irradiation time, beam area (at the skin or culture surface; this is not necessarily the same size as the aperture), radiant energy, radiant exposure, pulse parameters, number of treatments, interval between treatments and anatomical location. Inclusion of these parameters will improve the information available to compare and contrast study outcomes and improve repeatability, reliability of studies

Deciphering colorectal cancer genetics through multi-omic analysis of 100,204 cases and 154,587 controls of European and east Asian ancestries

In the version of this article initially published, the author affiliations incorrectly listed “Candiolo Cancer Institute FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo (TO), Italy” as “Candiolo Cancer Institute, Candiolo, Italy.” The change has been made to the HTML and PDF versions of the article

Fine-mapping analysis including over 254,000 East Asian and European descendants identifies 136 putative colorectal cancer susceptibility genes

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 200 common genetic variants independently associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, but the causal variants and target genes are mostly unknown. We sought to fine-map all known CRC risk loci using GWAS data from 100,204 cases and 154,587 controls of East Asian and European ancestry. Our stepwise conditional analyses revealed 238 independent association signals of CRC risk, each with a set of credible causal variants (CCVs), of which 28 signals had a single CCV. Our cis-eQTL/mQTL and colocalization analyses using colorectal tissue-specific transcriptome and methylome data separately from 1299 and 321 individuals, along with functional genomic investigation, uncovered 136 putative CRC susceptibility genes, including 56 genes not previously reported. Analyses of single-cell RNA-seq data from colorectal tissues revealed 17 putative CRC susceptibility genes with distinct expression patterns in specific cell types. Analyses of whole exome sequencing data provided additional support for several target genes identified in this study as CRC susceptibility genes. Enrichment analyses of the 136 genes uncover pathways not previously linked to CRC risk. Our study substantially expanded association signals for CRC and provided additional insight into the biological mechanisms underlying CRC development

Total major element geochemistry of volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks from Riverton, Southland, New Zealand

Total major element geochemical data from tholeiitic basaltic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks from the Riverton Peninsula and Colac Bay, Southland, New Zealand. These rocks form part of the Permian Brook Street Terrane

Major element geochemistry of volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks from Riverton, Southland, New Zealand

Major element geochemical data from tholeiitic basaltic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks from the Riverton Peninsula and Colac Bay, Southland, New Zealand. These rocks form part of the Permian Brook Street Terrane

Trace element geochemistry of volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks from Riverton, Southland, New Zealand

Trace element geochemical data from tholeiitic basaltic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks from the Riverton Peninsula and Colac Bay, Southland, New Zealand. These rocks form part of the Permian Brook Street Terrane. This dataset contains trace element compositions of clinopyroxenes acquired by LA-ICP-MS. Suffixes c and r in the column sample code/label denote measurements taken from the cores and rims of clinopyroxenes, respectively. The data value #0.000 equals "below detection limit"

Major and trace element geochemistry of volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks from Riverton, Southland, New Zealand

Major element and trace element geochemical data from tholeiitic basaltic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks from the Riverton Peninsula and Colac Bay, Southland, New Zealand. These rocks form part of the Permian Brook Street Terrane

Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT) for the treatment and management of dental and oral diseases

Abstract: Low Level Light (Laser) Therapy (LLLT) is the direct application of light to stimulate cell and tissue responses (photobiomodulation) to promote healing, reduce inflammation and induce analgesia. Studies have demonstrated its application and efficacy for the treatment of a range of injuries and diseases at many sites within the body. However, its application in dentistry and for oral disease treatment has been limited. This review aims to provide background information on LLLT which relates to its current application in medicine, its mechanism of action and delivery parameters, while considering its potential for dental and oral therapeutic applications. Clinical Relevance: Low level light therapy has the potential to have substantial impact for the treatment and management of oral diseases and pain. </jats:p