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Early cancer diagnosis plays a critical role in improving treatment outcomes and increasing survival rates for certain cancers. NIR spectroscopy offers a rapid and cost-effective approach to evaluate the optical properties of tissues at the microvessel level and provides valuable molecular insights. The integration of NIR spectroscopy with advanced data-driven algorithms in portable instruments has made it a cutting-edge technology for medical applications. NIR spectroscopy is a simple, non-invasive and affordable analytical tool that complements expensive imaging modalities such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography and computed tomography. By examining tissue absorption, scattering, and concentrations of oxygen, water, and lipids, NIR spectroscopy can reveal inherent differences between tumor and normal tissue, often revealing specific patterns that help stratify disease. In addition, the ability of NIR spectroscopy to assess tumor blood flow, oxygenation, and oxygen metabolism provides a key paradigm for its application in cancer diagnosis. This review evaluates the effectiveness of NIR spectroscopy in the detection and characterization of disease, particularly in cancer, with or without the incorporation of chemometrics and machine learning algorithms. The report highlights the potential of NIR spectroscopy technology to significantly improve discrimination between benign and malignant tumors and accurately predict treatment outcomes. In addition, as more medical applications are studied in large patient cohorts, consistent advances in clinical implementation can be expected, making NIR spectroscopy a valuable adjunct technology for cancer therapy management. Ultimately, the integration of NIR spectroscopy into cancer diagnostics promises to improve prognosis by providing critical new insights into cancer patterns and physiology. published

Although phenolics are recognized to be related with health benefits by limiting lipid oxidation, in wine, they are the primary substrates for oxidation resulting in the quinone by-products with the participation of transition metal ions. Nevertheless, high quality Port wines require a period of aging in either bottle or barrels. During this time, a modification of sensory properties of wines such as the decrease of astringency or the stabilization of color is recognized to phenolic compounds, mainly attributed to anthocyanins and derived pigments. The present work aims to illustrate the oxidation of red Port wine based on its phenolic composition by the effect of both thermal and oxygen exposures. A kinetic approach toanthocyanins degradation was also achieved. For this purpose a forced red Port wine aging protocol was performed at four different storage temperatures, respectively, 20, 30, 35 and 40 degrees C, and two adjusted oxygen saturation levels, no oxygen addition (treatment I), and oxygen addition (treatment II). Three hydroxycinnamic esters, three hydroxycinnamic acids, three hydroxybenzoic acids, two flavan-3-ols, and six anthocyanins were quantitated weekly during 63 days, along with oxygen consumption. The most relevant phenolic oxidation markers were anthocyanins and catechin-type flavonoids, which had the highest decreases during the thermal and oxidative red Port wine process. Both temperature and oxygen treatments affected the rate of phenolic degradation. In addition, temperature seems to influence mostly the phenolics kinetic degradation.

Xanthones (XH) are a class of heterocyclic compounds widely distributed in nature that hold numerous noteworthy biological and antioxidant activities. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to achieve relevant detailed structural information to understand and assist prediction of their biological properties. The potential relationship between radical-mediated xanthone chemistry in the gas phase and their promising antioxidant activities has not been previously explored. Thanks are due to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal), European Union, QREN, FEDER and COMPETE, for funding the QOPNA research unit (project PEst-C/QUI/UI0062/2013; FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-037296), and the Portuguese National Mass Spectrometry Network, RNEM (REDE/1504/REM/2005). E. M. P. Silva is also grateful to FCT (ref SFRH/BPD/66961/2009) for a Post-Doc grant. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Untargeted Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) metabolomics of polar extracts from the pancreata of a caerulin-induced mouse model of pancreatitis (Pt) and of a transgenic mouse model of pancreatic cancer (PCa) were used to find metabolic markers of Pt and to characterize the metabolic changes accompanying PCa progression. Using multivariate analysis a 10-metabolite metabolic signature specific to Pt tissue was found to distinguish the benign condition from both normal tissue and precancerous tissue (low grade pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia, PanIN, lesions). The mice pancreata showed significant changes in the progression from normal tissue, through low-grade and high-grade PanIN lesions to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). These included increased lactate production, amino acid changes consistent with enhanced anaplerosis, decreased concentrations of intermediates in membrane biosynthesis (phosphocholine and phosphoethanolamine) and decreased glycosylated uridine phosphates, reflecting activation of the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway and protein glycosylation.