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Biomedical subjects

T C Bakker Schut

Publications and source records attributed to T C Bakker Schut.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Raman spectroscopic characterization of porcine brain tissue using a single fiber-optic probe.

Accurate targeting of diseased and healthy tissue has significantly been improved by MRI/CT-based navigation systems. Recently, intraoperative MRI navigation systems have proven to be powerful tools for the guidance of the neurosurgical operations. However, the widespread use of such systems is held back by the costs, the time consumption during operation, and the need for MR-compatible surgical devices. Raman spectroscopy is a nondestructive optical technique that enables real-time tissue identification and classification and has proved to be a powerful diagnostic tool in a large number of studies. In the present report, we have investigated the possibility of distinguishing different brain structures by using a single fiber-optic probe to collect Raman scattered light in the high-wavenumber region of the spectrum. For the Raman measurements, 7 pig brains were sliced in the coronal plain and Raman spectra were obtained of 11-19 anatomical structures. Adjacent brain structures could be distinguished based on their Raman spectra, reflecting the differences in their biochemical composition and illustrating the potential Raman spectroscopy holds as a guidance tool during neurosurgical procedures.

Animals↗

Autofluorescence and Raman microspectroscopy of tissue sections of oral lesions.

Autofluorescence spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy have been suggested for lesion diagnostics. We investigate the information contained in autofluorescence and Raman spectra recorded from oral tissue slices of various lesion types. Thirty-seven human oral mucosa lesions were biopsied and freeze-dried. Complete autofluorescence images and spectra were recorded from 20 microm sections. Raman spectra were acquired from the same positions for 12 of the sections. Cluster analysis was applied to find any relationship between spectral shape and lesion type or cell layer. Autofluorescence images showed high intensities for keratin layers and connective tissue, but hardly any for the epithelium. Autofluorescence spectra were centered around 520 nm and did not show specific spectral features. No clustering with regard to lesion type or cell layer was observed. Raman spectra allowed for reliable classification into cell layers, but differences between lesion types were not significant in this study. Autofluorescence spectra of freeze-dried oral mucosa sections did not contain useful information. A more comprehensive study is required for Raman spectra.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

On-line detection of cholesterol and calcification by catheter based Raman spectroscopy in human atherosclerotic plaque ex vivo.

BACKGROUND: Raman spectroscopy has the unique potential to detect and quantify cholesterol and calcification in an atherosclerotic plaque in vivo. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of this technique for detecting cholesterol or calcification in human coronary artery and aorta specimens ex vivo, using a compact clinical fibreoptic based Raman system developed for in vivo applications. DESIGN: From nine coronary arteries and four aorta specimens, 114 sites were evaluated for the presence of cholesterol and calcification by Raman spectroscopy and standard histology. Raman spectra were acquired and evaluated on-line in around five seconds. RESULTS: The correlation between Raman spectroscopy and histology was r = 0.68 for cholesterol and r = 0.71 calcification in the plaque (p < 0.0001). Sensitivity and specificity for detecting cholesterol and calcification were excellent: receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for each of the components revealed areas under the curves of > 0.92 (p < 0.0001). At the optimal cut-off values determined by ROC analysis, positive predictive values of > 80% and negative predictive values of > 90% were obtained. CONCLUSIONS: On-line real time catheter based Raman spectroscopy detects accumulation of cholesterol and calcification in atherosclerotic plaque with high sensitivity and specificity.

Calcinosis↗

Identification of bladder wall layers by Raman spectroscopy.

PURPOSE: We explored the applicability of Raman spectroscopy to in situ investigation of bladder wall tissue. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bladder wall tissue was obtained from a guinea pig model and frozen sections were used for Raman spectroscopic investigations. From each section 500 to 700 spectra were obtained in a 2-dimensional grid spanning the urothelium, lamina propria and muscle layer. The data set of spectra was subdivided into groups of similar spectra by a cluster analysis algorithm. With each group assigned a different color Raman maps of frozen sections were constructed based on group membership of measured spectra. These maps were then compared with histological and histochemical data obtained from hematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemical staining for collagen I and III and for smooth muscle actin to correlate Raman spectral features with bladder wall structure and molecular composition. RESULTS: Urothelium, lamina propria and muscle layers could be clearly distinguished based on Raman spectra. Lamina propria spectra were dominated by signal contributions of collagen and the smooth muscle layer showed strong signal contributions of actin. The urothelium had a relatively strong lipid signal contribution. CONCLUSIONS: These results and the fact that Raman spectroscopy is rapidly evolving into a technology that can be applied in vivo by thin, flexible fiberoptic catheters indicate that prospects are good for in vivo analysis of the molecular composition of the normal and pathological bladder without biopsies.

Actins↗

Raman spectroscopic evaluation of the effects of diet and lipid-lowering therapy on atherosclerotic plaque development in mice.

Quantitative characterization of atherosclerotic plaque composition with standard histopathological methods remains limited to sectioned plaques. Raman spectroscopy enables nondestructive quantification of atherosclerotic plaque composition. We used Raman spectroscopy to study the effects of diet and lipid-lowering therapy on plaque development in apolipoprotein (APO) E*3-Leiden transgenic mice. Raman spectra were obtained over the full width and entire length of the ascending aorta and aortic arch. Spectra were modeled to calculate the relative dry weights of cholesterol and calcium salts, and quantitative maps of their distribution were created. In male mice (n=20) that received a high-fat/high-cholesterol (HFC) diet for 0, 2, 4, or 6 months, Raman spectroscopy showed good correlation between cholesterol accumulation and total serum cholesterol exposure (r approximately 0.87, P<0.001). In female mice (n=10) that were assigned to an HFC diet, with or without 0.01% atorvastatin, a strong reduction in cholesterol accumulation (57%) and calcium salts (97%) (P<0.01) was demonstrated in the atorvastatin-treated group. In conclusion, Raman spectroscopy can be used to quantitatively study the size and distribution of depositions of cholesterol and calcification in APOE*3-Leiden transgenic mice. This study encourages Raman spectroscopy for the quantitative investigation of atherosclerosis and lipid-lowering therapy in larger animals or humans in vivo.

Animals↗

In vivo detection of dysplastic tissue by Raman spectroscopy.

The detection of dysplasia and early cancer is important because of the improved survival rates associated with early treatment of cancer. Raman spectroscopy is sensitive to the changes in molecular composition and molecular conformation that occur in tissue during carcinogenesis, and recent developments in fiber-optic probe technology enable its application as an in vivo technique. In this study, the potential of Raman spectroscopy for in vivo classification of normal and dysplastic tissue was investigated. A rat model was used for this purpose, in which dysplasia in the epithelium of the palate was induced by topical application of the carcinogen 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide. High quality in vivo spectra of normal and dysplastic rat palate tissue, obtained using signal integration times of 100 s were used to create tissue classification models based on multivariate statistical analysis methods. These were tested with an independent set of in vivo spectra, obtained using signal collection times of 10 s. The best performing model, in which signal variance due to signal contributions of the palatal bone was eliminated, was able to distinguish between normal tissue, low-grade dysplasia, and high-grade dysplasia/carcinoma in situ with a selectivity of 0.93 and a sensitivity of 0.78 for detecting low-grade dysplasia and a specificity of 1 and a sensitivity of 1 for detecting high-grade dysplasia/ carcinoma in situ.

Animals↗

Intracellular carotenoid levels measured by Raman microspectroscopy: comparison of lymphocytes from lung cancer patients and healthy individuals.

Most studies concerning a possible protective role of carotenoids against cancer focus on serum carotenoid levels. We have used Raman microspectroscopy to study the intracellular amounts of carotenoids in lymphocytes of lung cancer patients and of healthy individuals. Our results indicate a significant decrease of carotenoids in lung carcinoma patients compared with healthy individuals, particularly in adenocarcinoma patients. Carotenoid supplementation raised the serum concentration in 2 lung cancer patients up to normal levels, whereas intracellular content remained significantly lower. This indicates that carotenoid uptake by lymphocytes is not only dependent on serum carotenoid concentration. Our findings indicate that Raman microspectroscopy, a recently developed technique to measure intracellular levels of drugs, is also well suited to obtain quantitative data on carotenoid amounts inside cells.

Adenocarcinoma↗

ANALYSIS: software for graphical analysis of multidimensional flow cytometric list mode data.

A computer program for graphical analysis of multidimensional flow cytometric list mode data is described. The program offers one-, two-, and three-dimensional inspection of an amount of data that is only limited by disk space. Subpopulations within the original data set can be identified by setting one or more two-dimensional AND gates around them. The order of measurement can be used as a parameter for evaluation of time-dependent processes. Other new parameters can be made by zooming in on a parameter, logarithmic transformation, or division of two parameters. The program is written in Turbo Pascal and it can run on any MS-DOC PC with an EGA/VGA resolution screen.

Computer Graphics↗

Signal processing in slit-scan flow cytometry of cell conjugates.

The design and implementation of a real-time signal processing system for slit-scan flow cytometry is described. The system is used to measure the separate scatter and fluorescence peak heights of 2 adherent cells. Preliminary measurements of changes in the membrane potential induced by interactions between natural killer (NK) cells and their target cells are presented.

Barbiturates↗

Cluster analysis of flow cytometric list mode data on a personal computer.

A cluster analysis algorithm, dedicated to analysis of flow cytometric data is described. The algorithm is written in Pascal and implemented on an MS-DOS personal computer. It uses k-means, initialized with a large number of seed points, followed by a modified nearest neighbor technique to reduce the large number of subclusters. Thus we combine the advantage of the k-means (speed) with that of the nearest neighbor technique (accuracy). In order to achieve a rapid analysis, no complex data transformations such as principal components analysis were used. Results of the cluster analysis on both real and artificial flow cytometric data are presented and discussed. The results show that it is possible to get very good cluster analysis partitions, which compare favorably with manually gated analysis in both time and in reliability, using a personal computer.

Algorithms↗

Selective electrofusion of conjugated cells in flow.

Using a modified flow cytometer we have induced electrofusion of K562 and L1210 cells in flow. The two cell types are stained with two different fluorescent membrane probes, DiO and DiI, to facilitate optical recognition, and then coupled through an avidin-biotin bridge. In the flow cytometer, the hydrodynamically focused cells and cell pairs are first optically analyzed in a normal flow channel and then forced to flow through a Coulter orifice. If the optical analysis indicates that a cell pair is present, an electric pulse is applied across the orifice to induce fusion. The pulsed cell pairs were subsequently analyzed using normal and confocal microscopy to evaluate fusion induction. It appears that fusion can be induced in about 10% of pulsed cell pairs when one electric pulse with a duration of 10-15 microseconds and an effective electric field strength of 4-8 10(5) V/m is used.

Animals↗

A new principle of cell sorting by using selective electroporation in a modified flow cytometer.

When a strong electric field pulse of a few microseconds is applied to biological cells, small pores are formed in the cell membranes; this process is called electroporation. At high field strengths and/or long pulse durations the membranes will be damaged permanently. This eventually leads to cell kill. We have developed a modified flow cytometer in which one can electroporate individual cells selected by optical analysis. The first experiments with this flow cytometer were designed to use it as a damaging sorter; we used electric pulses of 10 microseconds and resulting field strengths of 2.0 and 3.2 x 10(6) V/m to kill K562 cells and lymphocytes respectively. The hydrodynamically focused cells are first optically analyzed in the usual way in a square flow channel. At the end of this channel the cells are forced to flow through a small Coulter orifice, into a wider region. If optical analysis indicates that a cell is unwanted, the cell is killed by applying a strong electric field across the Coulter orifice. The wanted living cells can be subsequently separated from the dead cells and cell fragments by a method suitable for the particular application (e.g., centrifugation, cell growth, density gradient, etc.). The results of these first experiments demonstrate that by using very simple equipment, sorting by selective killing with electric fields is possible at rates of 1,000 cells/s with a purity of the sorted fraction of 99.9%.

Cell Membrane Permeability↗

Tissue characterization using high wave number Raman spectroscopy.

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful diagnostic tool, enabling tissue identification and classification. Mostly, the so-called fingerprint (approximately 400-1800 cm(-1)) spectral region is used. In vivo application often requires small flexible fiber-optic probes, and is hindered by the intense Raman signal that is generated in the fused silica core of the fiber. This necessitates filtering of laser light, which is guided to the tissue, and of the scattered light collected from the tissue, leading to complex and expensive designs. Fused silica has no Raman signal in the high wave number region (2400-3800 cm(-1)). This enables the use of a single unfiltered fiber to guide laser light to the tissue and to collect scattered light in this spectral region. We show, by means of a comparison of in vitro Raman microspectroscopic maps of thin tissue sections (brain tumors, bladder), measured both in the high wave number region and in the fingerprint region, that essentially the same diagnostic information is obtained in the two wave number regions. This suggests that for many clinical applications the technological hurdle of designing and constructing suitable fiber-optic probes may be eliminated by using the high wave number region and a simple piece of standard optical fiber.

Animals↗