Trace metal imaging with high spatial resolution: applications in biomedicine

New generations of analytical techniques for imaging of metals are pushing hitherto boundaries of spatial resolution and quantitative analysis in biology. Because of this, the application of these imaging techniques described herein to the study of the organization and dynamics of metal cations and metal-containing biomolecules in biological cell and tissue is becoming an important issue in biomedical research. In the current review, three common metal imaging techniques in biomedical research are introduced, including synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SXRF) microscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). These are exemplified by a demonstration of the dopamine-Fe complexes, by assessment of boron distribution in a boron neutron capture therapy cell model, by mapping Cu and Zn in human brain cancer and a rat brain tumor model, and by the analysis of metal topography within neuromelanin. These studies have provided solid evidence that demonstrates that the sensitivity, spatial resolution, specificity, and quantification ability of metal imaging techniques is suitable and highly desirable for biomedical research. Moreover, these novel studies on the nanometre scale (e.g., of individual single cells or cell organelles) will lead to a better understanding of metal processes in cells and tissues.     

The current status of NMR imaging

A brief account is given of the current status of nuclear-magnetic-resonance (NMR) imaging for medical purposes. The procedures in present use for two- and three-dimensional NMR imaging are outlined and examples given. The quality of images approaches that of computerized tomography X-ray scans and demonstrates superior tissue discrimination and pathological discrimination. Guidelines for safe operation are discussed. Clinical trials of commercial NMR scanners at an advanced stage.     

Application of nanotechnology in biomedicine

Nanotechnology is the development of engineered devices at the atomic, molecular and macromolecular level in nanometer range. Nanoparticles have potential application in medical field including diagnostics and therapeutics. Nanotechnology devices are being developed for diagnosis of cancer and infectious diseases which can help in early detection of the disease. Advances in nanotechnology also proved beneficial in therapeutic field such as drug discovery, drug delivery and gene/protein delivery. Nanoparticles can be constructed by various methodology so that effect can be targeted at desired site. In this review, some of the applications of nanoparticles in medicine as diagnostics and therapeutics which can be employed safely at the clinical level have been described. On other hand, as the particles become generally smaller their likehood of causing harm to the lung increases. Therefore, there is a need to study safety of nanoparticles.     

Inverse problems from biomedicine

Many complex diseases that are difficult to treat cannot be mapped onto a single cause, but arise from the interplay of multiple contributing factors. In the study of such diseases, it is becoming apparent that therapeutic strategies targeting a single protein or metabolite are often not efficacious. Rather, a systems perspective describing the interaction of physiological components is needed. In this paper, we demonstrate via examples of disease models the kind of inverse problems that arise from the need to infer disease mechanisms and/or therapeutic strategies. We identify the challenges that arise, in particular the need to devise strategies that are robust against variable physiological states and parametric uncertainties.     

Biocavity lasers for biomedicine

Laser technology has advanced dramatically and is an integral part of the healthcare delivery systems of today. Lasers are used in laboratory analyses of human blood samples and serve as surgical tools that kill, burn or cut tissue. Recent semiconductor microtechnology has reduced the laser size to the size of a biological cell or even a virus particle. The integration of these ultra-small lasers with biological systems makes it possible to create microelectrical mechanical systems that might revolutionize healthcare delivery.     

Proteomic tools for biomedicine

Proteomic tools measure gene expression, protein activity and interactions of biological events at the protein level. Proteins are the major catalysts of biological functions and contain several dimensions of information that collectively indicate the actual rather than the potential functional state as indicated by mRNA analysis. Measurements can be made in terms of protein quantity, location, and time-point. For the future we see a further integration of existing and new technologies for proteomics from a wide range of areas of biochemistry, chemistry, physics, computing science and molecular biology. This will further advance our knowledge of how biological systems are built up and what mechanisms control these systems. However, the potential of proteomics to comprehensively answer all biological questions is limited as only protein activity is measured. A unification of genomics, proteomics, and other technologies is needed if we are to start to understand the complexity of biological function in the context of disease and health.     

Quantification of water transport in plants with NMR imaging

A new nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRi) method is described to calculate the characteristics of water transport in plant stems. Here, dynamic NMRi is used as a non-invasive technique to record the distribution of displacements of protons for each pixel in the NMR image. Using the NMR-signal of the stationary water in a reference tube for calibration, the following characteristics can be calculated per pixel without advance knowledge of the flow-profile in that pixel: the amount of stationary water, the amount of flowing water, the cross-sectional area of flow, the average linear flow velocity of the flowing water, and the volume flow. The accuracy of the method is demonstrated with a stem segment of a chrysanthemum flower by comparing the volume flow, measured with NMR, with the actual volumetric uptake, measured with a balance. NMR measurements corresponded to the balance uptake measurements with a rms error of 0.11 mg s(-1) in a range of 0 to 1.8 mg s(-1). Local changes in flow characteristics of individual voxels of a sample (e.g. intact plant) can be studied as a function of time and of any conceivable changes the sample experiences on a time-scale, longer than the measurement time of a complete set of pixel-propagators (17 min).     

Reflections on humanizing biomedicine

Although biomedicine is responsible for the "miracles" of modern medicine, paradoxically it has also led to a quality-of-care crisis in which many patients feel disenfranchised from the health-care industry. To address this crisis, several medical commentators make an appeal for humanizing biomedicine, which has led to shifts in the philosophical boundaries of medical knowledge and practice. In this paper, the metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical boundaries of biomedicine and its humanized versions are investigated and compared to one another. Biomedicine is founded on a metaphysical position of mechanistic monism, an epistemology of objective knowing, and an ethic of emotionally detached concern. In humanizing modern medicine, these boundaries are often shifted to a metaphysical position of dualism/holism, an epistemology of subject knowing, and an ethic of empathic care. In a concluding section, the question is discussed whether these shifts in the philosophical boundaries are adequate to resolve the quality-of-care crisis.     

Use of cloud computing in biomedicine

Nowadays, biomedicine is characterised by a growing need for processing of large amounts of data in real time. This leads to new requirements for information and communication technologies (ICT). Cloud computing offers a solution to these requirements and provides many advantages, such as cost savings, elasticity and scalability of using ICT. The aim of this paper is to explore the concept of cloud computing and the related use of this concept in the area of biomedicine. Authors offer a comprehensive analysis of the implementation of the cloud computing approach in biomedical research, decomposed into infrastructure, platform and service layer, and a recommendation for processing large amounts of data in biomedicine. Firstly, the paper describes the appropriate forms and technological solutions of cloud computing. Secondly, the high-end computing paradigm of cloud computing aspects is analysed. Finally, the potential and current use of applications in scientific research of this technology in biomedicine is discussed.     

Position of water in vitrified plants visualised by NMR imaging

Summary Vitrification of plants in vitro is a physiological abnormality of tissue-cultured plants which causes significant losses in the micropropagation industry. Vitrified plants are waterlogged but the position of water within plants has not been identified. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging of normal tissue-cultured, vitrified tissue-cultured, and glasshouse-grown leaves ofGypsophila paniculata showed the distribution of water within the leaves. Normal tissue-cultured and glasshouse-grown leaves had a high concentration of water within leaf vascular bundles and lower concentrations elsewhere. In contrast, vitrified leaves had a relatively even distribution of high water concentration throughout the leaves. When imaging parameters were changed, so that only water associated with cell membranes was shown, the images of normal tissue-cultured and glasshouse-grown leaves did not change. However, the image of the vitrified leaves showed a general lowering of intensity across the whole of the leaf. The appearance of the NMR images, together with those obtained by light microscopy, suggest that the excess water associated with vitrified plants is located in the intercellular air spaces. The blockage of these spaces may lead to a cycle of perturbations in the plant's physiology culminating in the development of vitrification.Abbreviation NMR nuclear magnetic resonance     

NMR spectroscopy and imaging of the neonatal brain

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging provide unique information about the brain to the biochemist and the clinician. In particular, the ability to image metabolites other than water and to get detailed information about dynamic cellular processes (such as blood flow, blood oxygenation and cell swelling) is leading to many new insights into brain function and dysfunction. This review describes the use of old and new NMR techniques which demonstrate that mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in the cell death that occurs following an hypoxic-ischaemic insult to the neonatal brain.     

Zebrafish in functional genomics and aquatic biomedicine

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has many features that make it an ideal model for the study of developmental biology. It is small and easy to contain, it has transparent embryos, it is easy to breed and its early development is well characterized; these same characteristics have also made it an ideal vertebrate model in the areas of biomedicine and biotechnology. In aquaculture, the need for a well-characterized fish model has been satisfied by the zebrafish owing to the availability of functional genomics and molecular biology data to facilitate studies of growth, reproduction, meat quality and disease biology, with the corresponding development of vaccines and therapies. Zebrafish are also increasingly used in toxicogenomics to analyze the effects of toxins and pollutants in the environment, and for creating biomonitors that emit alarm signals when a toxic compound is detected. As detailed in this review, the zebrafish is a versatile and well-characterized model with applications in many fields of study.     

The use of dyes in modern biomedicine

The discovery of the aniline dyes in the 19th century and contemporary investigation of their use as biological stains by scientists such as Koch and Ehrlich led to the idea of selectivity and formed the basis of modern chemotherapy; several of these dyes remain in pharmacopoeias. While the development of therapeutics has tended to avoid colored compounds due to unwanted coloration, the modern application of photosensitizing dyes, both in the fields of cancer therapy and anti-infection, depends on this phenomenon. In addition, the fluorescence of some anticancer photosensitizers allows their use as tumor localizing agents, which is particularly useful in precancerous conditions. It is also fitting that dyes employed in Ehrlich's original studies, such as the phenothiazinium dye, methylene blue, are now in clinical use for disinfecting donated blood products.     

Gene editing and its applications in biomedicine

Science China Life Sciences - The steady progress in genome editing, especially genome editing based on the use of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and...