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This study aimed to assess the in vitro effects of re-irradiation on enamel and dentin properties, simulating head and neck cancer radiotherapy retreatment. Forty-five human permanent molars were classified into five groups: non-irradiated; irradiated 60 Gy, and re-irradiated with doses of 30, 40, and 50 Gy. Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were employed for analysis. Raman spectroscopy assessed intensity, spectral area, and specific peaks comparatively. Statistical analysis involved Kolmogorov-Smirnov and One-Way ANOVA tests, with Tukey's post-test (significance level set at 5%). Significant changes in irradiated, non-irradiated, and re-irradiated enamel peaks were observed, including phosphate (438 nm), hydroxyapatite (582 nm), phosphate (960 nm), and carbonate (1070 nm) (p < 0.05). Re-irradiation affected the entire tooth (p > 0.05), leading to interprismatic region degradation, enamel prism destruction, and hydroxyapatite crystal damage. Dentin exhibited tubule obliteration, crack formation, and progressive collagen fiber fragmentation. EDX revealed increased oxygen percentage and decreased phosphorus and calcium post-reirradiation. It is concluded that chemical and morphological changes in irradiated permanent teeth were dose-dependent, exacerbated by re-irradiation, causing substantial damage in enamel and dentin., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Post-stroke sequelae includes loss functions, such as cognitive and sensory-motor which lead to emotional and social problems, reducing quality of life and well-being. The main aim of our study was to investigate the effects of transcranial laser photobiomodulation together with neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in post-stroke patients. We performed a clinical trial and an ex vivo study. For the clinical trial, hemiplegic patients were separated into two groups: Treated Group (TG): Hemiplegics treated with transcranial laser (on) associated with NMES (on) and; Placebo Group (PG): Hemiplegics treated with placebo transcranial laser (off) associated with NMES (on). The cluster prototype includes 12 diode laser beams (4 × 660 nm, 4 × 808 nm and 4 × 980 nm) with average power of 720 mW per cluster applied during one minute, leading to 43.2 J energy per cluster. Fifteen regions for all head were irradiated by cluster, leading to 648 J energy per session. The parameters of NMES of the paretic limbs to generate extension wrist and ankle dorsiflexion were symmetrical biphasic rectangular waveforms, 50 Hz frequency, 250 μs pulse duration, and adjustable intensity to maintain the maximum range of motion (amplitude between 0 and 150 mA). Our clinical trial showed improvement of cognitive function, pain relief, greater manual dexterity, enhancement of physical and social-emotional health which lead to better quality of life and well-being. There was also increased temperature in the treated regions with laser and NMES. For the ex vivo study, the distribution of infrared and red radiation after penetration through the cranium and hemihead of cadavers were showed. Therefore, transcranial laser photobiomodulation associated with NMES can be an important therapeutic resource for rehabilitation after stroke., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Chemical composition of dental enamel has a great relationship with the prevention of caries. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the chemical and morphological changes of femtosecond laser-irradiated enamel with subablative parameters using Raman spectroscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Bovine incisor teeth were used to obtain 30 enamel specimens (5 × 5 mm 2 ). The chemical composition of the control sample was analyzed by Raman spectrometry to acquire the absorption spectrum, delimiting the areas under the carbonate and phosphate bands. This analysis was used to evaluate the change in the chemical composition of the sample after irradiation. The specimens were irradiated (IRR) with a Ti:Sapphire laser system (pulsed and focused modes, femtosecond regime 70 fs, average power of 1 W and exposure time of 15 s). After irradiation, the areas under the carbonate and phosphate absorption bands were delimited in each specimen. Raman spectrometry data were analyzed using Student's t-test (α = 5%). By comparing the spectra of the IRR and non-irradiated (NI) specimens, the results showed a significant increase in the area value for the phosphate peaks and a significant reduction in the area value for the carbonate peak and the carbonate:phosphate ratio. CLSM and SEM analyses did not reveal structural alterations in the subsurface nor morphological alterations in the IRR enamel surface, respectively. It was concluded that femtosecond laser irradiation using subablative parameters reduced the carbonate content and the carbonate/phosphate ratio without altering the structure and morphology of the dental enamel., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: The aim of this research is to study skin autofluorescence and the associations between skin glycated proteins and clinical characteristics of healthy and unhealthy subjects for noninvasive screening of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks. Background data: Accumulated advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) promote increased oxidative stress and inflammation, as well as cross-linking of proteins leading to tissue damage and several diseases, including diabetes. Materials and methods: One hundred and four subjects with or without diabetes and stroke aged 20-80 years and with Fitzpatrick skin type (I to IV) participated in this study. The fluorescence spectrometer was used to illuminate a skin surface of 1 cm 2 . The skin of forearm was positioned on the spectrometer to assess skin AGEs. Anthropometric data and body composition also were evaluated. Results: Elevated skin autofluorescence was found in subjects >50 years old, as well as in patients with insulin resistance (IR), diabetes, and stroke. There was a positive correlation between the skin autofluorescence and age ( r  = 0.7, p  = 0.0001), body mass index (BMI) ( r  = 0.5, p  = 0.001), body fat ( r  = 0.5, p  = 0.0001), waist circumference ( r  = 0.45, p  = 0.001), and systolic blood pressure (BP) ( r  = 0.45, p  = 0.0001). Conclusions: Elevated skin autofluorescence can provide a noninvasive screening of diabetes and CVD risks.

Diabetes is a complex metabolic disease and has chronic complications. It has been considered a serious public health problem. The aim of the current study was to evaluate skin glycated proteins through fluorescence and Raman techniques. One hundred subjects were invited to participate in the study. Six volunteers did not attend due to exclusion criteria or a change of mind about participating. Therefore, 94 volunteers were grouped according to age range (20-80 years), health condition (nondiabetic, with insulin resistance [IR] and/or diabetic) and Fitzpatrick skin type (I-VI). The fluorescence spectrometer and the portable Raman spectroscopy system were used to measure glycated proteins from the skin. There was elevated skin autofluorescence in healthy middle-aged and elderly subjects, as well as in patients with IR and/or diabetes. Regarding Raman spectroscopy, changes in the skin hydration state, degradation of type I collagen and greater glycation were related for diabetes and chronological aging. Weak and positive correlation between the skin autofluorescence and the Raman peaks ratio (855/876) related to the glycated proteins was also found. Raman spectroscopy shows several bands for spectral analyses, complementing the fluorescence data. Therefore, this study contributes to understanding of the optical of human skin for noninvasive diabetes screening., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

There are few published data on the relationship between loss of bone mass due to osteoporosis and poor tooth quality. This study analyzed the effects of osteoporosis on incisor teeth and femoral bones using optical techniques in rats. Twenty female Wistar rats aged 6 months (n = 20) were randomized into two groups: control group, non-ovariectomized rats (n = 10); ovariectomy group, ovariectomized rats to induce osteoporosis (n = 10). Each group was subdivided randomly into two groups containing five rats each as follows. Control group 1: non-ovariectomized rats euthanized at the age of 9 or 3 months post-ovariectomy (n = 5); Control group 2: non-ovariectomized rats euthanized at the age of 1 year or 6 months post-ovariectomy (n = 5); ovariectomy group 1: ovariectomized rats euthanized at the age of 9 months or 3 months post-ovariectomy (n = 5); ovariectomy group 2: ovariectomized rats euthanized at the age of 1 year or 6 months post-ovariectomy (n = 5). The incisor teeth and femoral bones of Wistar rats were removed to perform Raman spectroscopy using an excitation laser at 785 nm. In addition, an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer system was used to evaluate calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P). The main findings included significant changes (p < 0.05) for phosphate and carbonate band areas for both incisor teeth and femur bones. In addition, there was significant negative correlation between the P concentration and phosphate/carbonate ratio (lower P content-larger ratio, p < 0.05) for incisor teeth and femoral bones. The proline and CH 2 wag band areas were significantly reduced only for the incisor teeth (p < 0.05). Therefore, Raman spectroscopy assessed the compositional, physicochemical and structural changes in hard tissue. The current study also pointed out the possible action mechanisms of these changes, bone fracture risk and dental fragility. It is important to emphasize that poor dental quality may also occur due to osteoporosis.

This study investigated the effects of demineralization on teeth and bones evaluated by fluorescence spectroscopy and micro energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (μ-EDXRF) in rats. For in vitro study, 20 teeth of Wistar rats were removed and decalcified to evaluate fluorescence. For in vivo study, 10 female Wistar rats aged 6months were randomized into 2 groups: Control Group (C): non-ovariectomized rats; Ovariectomy Group (OV): ovariectomized rats to induce osteoporosis. The fluorescence spectroscopy of the teeth was performed for long-term (until 180days). For ex vivo study, the tooth and femur bone of the Wistar rats were removed at 180days to perform fluorescence spectroscopy using excitation laser at 408 and 532nm and μ-EDXRF for calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) analysis. There were no intergroup differences in fluorescence spectra with laser at 408nm (p≥0.05), but there were changes in the fluorescence spectra using laser at 532nm which led to both the wavelength shift and changes in the band area (p<0.05). The concentrations of P and Ca for the dentine and cortical bone, respectively, were significantly reduced in OV (p<0.05). Demineralization leading to loss of tissue quality may be assessed by fluorescence spectroscopy using 532nm laser. These findings corroborate those obtained by μ-EDXRF., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)