Using our lab built two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF) and second harmonic generation (SHG) hybrid confocal imaging system, we observed, for the first time, the dynamic sarcomeric addition process in a rat cardiomyocyte cell culture system; this culture system expressed in vivo-like myofibril structure and mimicked mechanical overload experienced in a heart muscle tissue. Micro-grooved topographic patterned substrates com- bined with electrical stimulation are used to achieve the in vivo-like myofibril structure. After cardiomyocytes aligned, longitudinal and transverse mechanical stretch was applied to cardiomyocytes in parallel or perpendicu- lar, respectively, to the direction of alignment via stretching the substrates to mimic mechanical overload. Z discs, in which alpha-actinin expressed, have been proposed to involve in the process. TPEF detected alpha-actinin that labeled with enhanced yellow florescent protein via plasmid transfection. SHG is intrinsic to noncentrosym- metric structures, thus was used to detect myosin, a polar molecule expressed in myofibril. Pulse splitter system and synchronized recording system was introduced on TPEF-SHG imaging system to reduce the photodamage during live cell imaging. In our study, TPEF-SHG imaging system was used to study the dynamic process of sarcomeric addition in in vivo-like culture model under mechanical overload. This microscopic technique is ideal for tracking sarcomeric components to successively assemble onto pre-exist myofibrils and for revealing the role of Z discs played in sarcomeric addition. Transition of Z discs from continuous to broadened striation and from broadened to uniform striation under stretch has been observed. We concluded that continuous Z discs is the place of new sarcomeric addition.
Cardiac hypertrophy, a process initiated by mechanical alterations, is hypothesized to cause long-term molecular-level alteration in the sarcomere lattice, which is the main force-generating component in the heart muscle. This molecular-level alteration is beyond the resolving capacity of common light microscopy. Second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy has unique capability for visualizing ordered molecular structures in biological tissues without labeling. Combined with polarization imaging technique, SHG microscopy is able to extract structural details of myosin at the molecular level so as to reveal molecular-level alterations that occur during hypertrophy. The myosin filaments are believed to possess C6 symmetry; thus, the nonlinear polarization response relationship between generated second harmonic light I^2ωand incident fundamental light I^ω is determined by nonlinear coefficients, χ_15, χ_31 and χ_33. χ_31/χ_15 is believed to be an indicator of the molecular symmetry of myosin filament, whileχ_33/χ_15represents the intramyosin orientation angle of the double helix. By changing the polarization of the incident light and evaluating the corresponding SHG signals, the molecular structure of the myosin, reflected by the χ coefficients, can be revealed. With this method, we studied the structural properties of heart tissues in different conditions, including those in normal, physiologically hypertrophic (heart tissue from postpartum female rats), and pathologically hypertrophic (heart tissue from transverse-aorta constricted rats) conditions. We found that ratios of χ_31/χ_15 showed no significant difference between heart tissues from different conditions; their values were all close to 1, which demonstrated that Kleinman symmetry held for all conditions. Ratios of χ_33/χ_15 from physiologically or pathologically hypertrophic heart tissues were raised and showed significant difference from those from normal heart tissues, which indicated that the intramyosin orientation angle of the double helix was altered when heart tissues hypertrophied. Polarization-resolved SHG microscopy permitted us to study heart tissues at the molecular level and may serve as a diagnostic tool for cardiac hypertrophy.
A fast surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging biosensor system based on wavelength interrogation using a liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF) is presented. The system combines the merits of wide-dynamic detection range offered by the spectral approach and multiplexed high-throughput data collection with a two-dimensional (2-D) biosensor array. The key feature of the reported scheme is a feedback loop that drives the LCTF to achieve fast tracking of the SPR dip movement caused by the binding of target molecules to the sensor surface. Experimental results show that the system is capable of completing an SPR dip measurement within 4 s. Based on using a spectral window of about 100 nm, the experimental dynamic detection range and refractive index resolution are 4.63×10−2 RIU and 5.87×10−6 RIU, respectively. As also demonstrated herein using 2-D microsensor arrays, among the spectral SPR sensors, the reported system is most suitable for multiplexed label-free biosensing applications.
Second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy is a new imaging technique used in sarcomeric-addition studies. However, during the early stage of cell culture in which sarcomeric additions occur, the neonatal cardiomyocytes that we have been working with are very sensitive to photodamage, the resulting high rate of cell death prevents systematic study of sarcomeric addition using a conventional SHG system. To address this challenge, we introduced use of the pulse-splitter system developed by Na Ji et al. in our two photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF) and SHG hybrid microscope. The system dramatically reduced photodamage to neonatal cardiomyocytes in early stages of culture, greatly increasing cell viability. Thus continuous imaging of live cardiomyocytes was achieved with a stronger laser and for a longer period than has been reported in the literature. The pulse splitter-based TPEF-SHG microscope constructed in this study was demonstrated to be an ideal imaging system for sarcomeric addition-related investigations of neonatal cardiomyocytes in early stages of culture.
We developed a novel addressable multiregional multiphoton microscope that employs a fast one-dimensional discrete-line scanning approach based on a spatial light modulator (SLM). The phase-only SLM shapes an incoming mode-locked, near-infrared Ti:sapphire laser beam into multiple specific discrete-lines, which are designed according to the sizes and locations of the target samples. Only the target-sample areas of are scanned
one-dimensionally, resulting in an efficient use of the laser’s power. Compared with conventional multiphoton microscopies, this technique shortens scanning time and minimizes photodamage by concentrating scanning energy and dwell time on the areas of interest. Additionally, our discrete-line-focus design eliminates the cross-talk that occurs in conventional one-dimensional line-scanning multiphoton microscopes, thus enhancing the lateral and axial resolutions of the line-scanning imaging system.
Using hybrid TPEF-SHG imaging and immunocytological techniques, we studied dedifferentiation of adult
cardiomyocytes. First, the myofibrils shrank to shorten the sarcomere length. At the cell ends, the striated pattern of
myosin filaments began to dissociate; at the center of the cell, the striated pattern of alpha-actinin first faded away and
reappeared near the cell membrane during dedifferentiation. The results suggest that when freshly isolated adult
cardiomyocytes are used to model cardiac muscle, the end-to-end connection may be important to maintain their striated
myofibrillar structure and rod-shape morphology.
The capabilities of micro-Raman spectroscopy for differentiating normal and malignant nasopharyngeal tissues were evaluated. Raman scattering signals were acquired from 22 normal and 52 malignant nasopharyngeal tissue samples. Distinctive spectral differences in Raman spectra between normal and malignant nasopharyngeal tissues were found, particularly in the spectral ranges of 853, 937, 1094, 1209, 1268, 1290 to 1340, 1579, and 1660 cm −1 , which primarily contain signals related to proteins, DNA, and lipids. Compared to normal tissues, the band intensity located at 853, and 937 cm −1 were significantly lower for cancerous tissues (p<0.05 ), while the band intensity located at 1094, 1209, 1268, and 1579 cm −1 were significantly higher (p<0.05 ). The band intensity located at 1290 to 1340, and 1660 cm −1 were also higher for cancerous tissues; but the differences were not statistically significant (p>0.05 ). Principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminate analysis (LDA) were employed to generate diagnostic algorithms for classification of Raman spectra of the two nasopharyngeal tissue types. The PCA-LDA algorithms together with leave-one-out, cross-validation technique yielded diagnostic sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 82%. This work demonstrated that the Raman spectroscopy technique associated with PCA-LDA diagnostic algorithms has potential for improving the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal cancers.
The molecular characterization of ABO blood types, which is clinically significant in blood transfusion, has clinical and
anthropological importance. Polymerase chain reaction sequence-based typing (PCR-SBT) is one of the most commonly
used methods for the analysis of genetic bases of ABO blood types. However, such methods as PCR-SBT are
time-consuming and are high in demand of equipments and manipulative skill. Here we showed that membrane
electrophoresis based SERS method employed for studying the molecular bases of ABO blood types can provide rapidand
easy-operation with high sensitivity and specificity. The plasma proteins were firstly purified by membrane
electrophoresis and then mixed with silver nanoparticles to perform SERS detection. We use this method to classify
different blood types, including blood type A (n=13), blood type B (n=9) and blood type O (n=10). Combination of
principal component analysis (PCA) and liner discriminant analysis (LDA) was then performed on the SERS spectra of
purified albumin, showing good classification results among different blood types. Our experimental outcomes represent
a critical step towards the rapid, convenient and accurate identification of ABO blood types.
Due to its high sensitivity, flexibility, and “fingerprints” sensing capability, Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy
(SERS) is a very powerful method for characterization of substances. In this paper, two kinds of Radix Astragali with
different quality were firstly extracted through continuous circumfluence extraction method and then mixed with silver
nanoparticles for SERS detection. Most Raman bands obtained in Radix Astragali extraction solution are found at
300-7000cm-1 and 900-1390 cm-1. Although, major peak positions at 470, 556, 949, 1178 and 1286 cm-1 found in these
two kinds of Radix Astragali appear nearly the same, Raman bands of 556 and 1178 cm-1 are different in intensity, thus
may be used as a characteristic marker of Radix Astragali quality. In detail, we can make full use of the different
intensity of two different kinds but the same state at 556 cm-1 to describe the quality standard of Radix Astragali. Our
preliminary results show that SERS combining with continuous circumfluence extraction method may provide a direct,
accurate and rapid detection method of Radix Astragali.
Through a combination of a deflective phase-only diffractive spatial light modulator (SLM) and galvo scanners, an addressable multiregional and multifocal multiphoton microscope (AM-MMM) is developed. The SLM shapes an incoming mode-locked, near-infrared Ti:sapphire laser beam into multiple beamlet arrays with addressable shapes and sizes that match the regions of interest on the sample. Compared with conventional multifocal multiphoton microscope (MMM), AM-MMM achieves the effective use of the laser power with an increase of imaging rate and a decrease of photodamage without sacrifice of resolution.
Utilizing a custom-built, on-stage incubator-combined, two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF) and second
harmonic generation (SHG) imaging system, we observed new-sarcomere addition in rat neonatal cardiomyocytes
during 10 hours of on-stage incubation. This addition occurred at one end of an existing myofibril, the sides of
existing myofibrils, and at the interstice of several separated myofibrils; in the cases of the latter two, we observed
mature myofibrils acting as templates. We found that during sarcomeric addition, myosin filaments are assembled
onto the premyofibril laterally. This lateral addition, which proceeds stepwise along the axial direction, plays an
important role in the accumulation of Z-bodies to form mature Z-disks and in the regulation of sarcomeric length
during maturation.
We developed a novel addressable scanless multifocal multiphoton microscope. This microscope works in a fast scanless
mode. Subjectively selected sample (or multiple samples located in separated areas) in a large field of view can be
imaged by illuminating only the area (or areas) where the target sample (or samples) locate(s). In this way, by precisely
designing the multiple foci according to the size and position of the area of interest, we can concentrate all the laser
energy and dwell time on that area of the sample, making full use of the available laser power and avoiding photodamage
in other areas. Since no scanning is involved, the acquisition time of a multiphoton image is decided only by the
sensitivity and readout time of the CCD camera. Moreover, the interfocal distance of the multiple foci matches the lateral
resolution of the imaging system, so that the two-photon image was recorded with high lateral resolution. However,
crosstalk (spatial interference) on out-of-focus planes occurs between adjacent points when they are too close, degrading
the resolution, especially the axial resolution of the imaging system.
We developed a hybrid two-photon excitation fluorescence-second harmonic generation (TPEF-SHG) imaging system with an on-stage incubator for long-term live-cell imaging. Using the imaging system, we observed the addition of new sarcomeres during myofibrillogenesis while a cardiomyocyte was spreading on the substrate. The results suggest that the TPEF-SHG imaging system with an on-stage incubator is an effective tool for investigation of dynamic myofibrillogenesis.
We developed a hybrid SHG-TPEF polarization imaging system that allowed the excitation beam from an fs Ti:Sappire
laser being bi-directionally raster scanned across the focal plane using a pair of orthogonal galvanometers. To implement
high-speed scanning, the turning regions of the triangular waves were smoothed by a custom-designed waveform. The
SHG and TPEF signals from samples were recorded by two PMTs in the forward and backward direction. Using this
imaging system, we obtained 3D images of the sarcomere structure via SHG and DiO-stained lipid membrane via TPEF
in live cardiomyocytes isolated from neonatal and adult rats. The results demonstrated the potential applications of SHG
and TPEF in the research of myofibrillogensis.
We present a novel fluorescence sectioning endoscopy that is based on a fiber-bundle and using speckle pattern
illumination. The laser speckle pattern is produced by a rotating diffuser and delivered into the fiber bundle for whole-field
excitation of the sample. The fluorescence is collected and transmitted to a CCD camera via the endoscope optics
and fiber bundle. A sequence of fluorescent images are acquired and processed to reconstruct a 2D depth-resolved image
of the sample. The fiber-bundle based endoscopy has similar sectioning capability to that of a laser scanning confocal
microscopy but without scanning. Its other advantages include compactness and low cost, which makes it potentially
viable for implementation in a portable clinical system.
In this paper, we present a novel wide-field fluorescence sectioning microscopy using dynamic speckle illumination that
provides depth discrimination. Some simple modifications are made to a conventional wide field fluorescence
microscope, which allows for the illumination of the sample using dynamic speckle patterns and the acquisition of a
sequence of independent wide-field fluorescence images. The full-field fluorescence image of the sample at a particular
depth is obtained using specific digital image processing algorithms. Compared with conventional confocal scanning
fluorescence microscopy, this novel imaging modality is capable of providing a reasonably high sectioning performance
with a compact and cost-effective system. The experimental results show that the wide-field fluorescence sectioning
microscopy can provide high contrast imaging even in scattering biological media, therefore has wide potential
applications in biomedical research and clinics.
We present a simultaneous time- and spectrum-resolved multifocal multiphoton microscopy (MMM) system using a
novel field of view (FOV) zoom scanning protocol. The system employs a microlens array for producing discrete
excitation spot array, a dispersive prism and a high repetition rate streak camera for simultaneous temporal and spectral
resolutions. By combining a pair of galvo mirrors and a sample stage for fine and coarse scanning respectively, the
resolution and FOV of the system can be changed without changing any optical elements. The system can be operated
not only in low resolution and large FOV, but also in high resolution and small FOV applications, without compromising
the performances of the optical elements in the system. By implementing a special system control protocol and image
reconstruction algorithm, fluorescence images in different FOVs and resolutions can be obtained. This FOV zoom
scanning protocol is demonstrated with two-photon excitation fluorescence imaging of a fluorescence resolution test
target.
KEYWORDS: Raman spectroscopy, Raman scattering, Tissue optics, Signal to noise ratio, In vivo imaging, Light scattering, Luminescence, Argon ion lasers, Tissues, Scattering
Carotenoid is an important antioxidant in human body, which can eliminate the free radicals and other harmful
reactive oxygen species. The standard technique for measuring carotenoid is high-pressure liquid chromatography which
involves using chemicals and is invasive. In this paper, we present a portable resonance Raman spectroscopy system for
measuring carotenoid in vivo, which is noninvasive, highly sensitive and compact. A small diode-pumped all solid-state
473nm laser instead of a 488nm Argon ion laser is used to excite in vivo the carotenoid in the thumb, and the resonance
Raman scattering light intensity is measured to assess the carotenoid level. Basically, it is difficult to detect the very
weak resonance Raman scattering light because it is overlapping with the strong fluorescence. Our investigation shows
that matching glycerol can help to reduce tissue scattering and increase light collecting efficiency. We demonstrate that
the employment of optical matching technology for measuring carotenoid resonance Raman spectra in tissue can
improve the signal-to-noise ratio by 3.9dB.
Recently optical techniques have been applied to the biomedical areas such as diagnostics, imaging etc. However, light
scattering in biological tissues can dramatically degrade the imaging contrast and reduce the probe depth. Polarization
based measurement have shown its advantages in overcoming such drawbacks. In this work, we achieved a contrast
enhancement in subsurface optical imaging by changing the incident polarization states between linear and circular
polarizations. Contrasts of the comb like metal target submerged in Intralipid solutions are measured quantitatively as
functions of the Intralipid concentration and the submersion depths. Different behaviors in contrast for linear and circular
polarizations are compared. Contributions to the background of circular polarization degree images by backscattering,
snake and diffusive photons are examined.
A new surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on polarization interferometry and angle modulation is presented. Its
feature is that it can provide the same sensitivity in a wide refractive index (RI) range. Moreover, the sensitivity ofthis SPR
sensor is insensitive to the thickness of gold films over about 5 mu. Experimental results show that its resolution in an
integration time of 0.5 second is 1.7 × 10-7 refractive index units (RIU). It demonstrates great potential to be
commercialized and widely applied in biological research.
A novel Interleaver using a modified Michelson interferometer in which its reflecting mirrors are replaced by three-mirror Fabry-Perot interferometer and Gires-Tournois resonator respectively is presented. On basis of the theory of Michelson interference, a designing principle of the interleaver, which has square-like frequency response with zero ripple, wide flat-top, unity contrast, simple structure, and stable performance, is given. The device which possesses channel spacing of 50GHz, zero ripple, 0.5dB bandwidth more than O.27nm, and close channel isolation more than 73dB has been designed.
The general equations of transmission spectrum, reflection spectrum, and phase of a multi-minor F-P interferometer are derived. In view of the theory of Fabry-Perot interferometer tuning phase, a one-cavity F-P dispersion compensator is designed, and chromatic dispersion property of it is analyzed. Furthermore, the best designing parameters are obtained, and an improving scheme, which is practical and effective, is put forward.
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