Halina Podbielska

Alterations of biomechanics in cancer and normal cells induced by doxorubicin

Mechanical properties of biological structures play an important role in regulating cellular activities and are critical for understanding metabolic processes in cancerous cells and the effects of drugs. For some cancers, such as acute myeloid leukaemia, chemotherapy is one of preferential methods. However, due to the lack of selectivity to cancer cells, cytostatic agents cause toxicity to normal tissues. Here, we study the effect of doxorubicin (DOX) on the mechanical properties of DNA molecules, leukemic blast cells and erythrocytes, using optical tweezers. In addition, we controlled the subcellular distribution of the drug by confocal microscopy. Our results indicated that doxorubicin affects mechanical properties of cellular structures. In all cases the drug reduced mechanical strength of examined objects. For the leukemic cells the drug subcellular distribution was predominantly nuclear with some particulate cytoplasmic fluorescence. In erythrocytes, doxorubicin showed fluorescence mainly in cytoplasm and plasma membrane. The lowering of blast cells stiffness may be due to the interaction of doxorubicin with nuclear structures, especially with nucleic acids, as our studies with DNA confirmed. In addition, it is known that DOX inhibits the polymerization of actin and thus cytoskeletal modification may also be important in reducing of cell mechanical strength. In the case of erythrocytes - the non-nucleated cells, a significant effect on the decrease of cell stiffness, besides the cytoskeleton, may have the interaction of the drug with the cell membrane. Experiments with model phospholipid membranes confirmed that observed increase in cell elasticity originates, among other things, from the drug incorporation in the lipid membrane itself. The lowering of mechanical strength of leukemic cells may have an significant impact on the effectiveness of chemotherapy. However, the fact that doxorubicin interacts not only with proliferating cancer cells, but also with the health ones may explains the high toxicity of the drug at the therapeutic concentrations. Our observations also suggest that chemotherapy with doxorubicin may decrease the risk of vascular complications in acute leukemia, due to increasing the cell elasticity.

Severity of Cellulite Classification Based on Tissue Thermal Imagining.

In this article we present a novel approach to cellulite classification that can be personlised based on non-contact thermal imaging using IR thermography. By analysing the superficial temperature distribution of the body it is possible to diagnose the stages of cellulite development. The study investigates thermal images of posterior of thighs of female volunteers and identifies cellulite areas in an automatic way using image processing. The Growing Bubble Algorithm has been used for thermal picture conversion into valid input vector for a neural network based classifier scheme. Using machine learning process of training the input database was prepared as the stage of cellulite classifier according to the state of the art Nurnberger-Muller diagnosis scheme. Our work demonstrates that it is possible to diagnose the cellulite with over 70% accuracy using a cost-effective, simple and unsophisticated classifier which operates on low-definition pictures. In essence, our work shows that IR-thermography, when coupled with computer aided image analysis and processing, can be a very convenient and effective tool to enable personalized diagnosis and preventive medicine to improve the quality of life of women suffering from cellulite problems.

Non-contact thermal imaging as potential tool for personalized diagnosis and prevention of cellulite

Cellulite, the problem of dimpled appearance of the skin, affects approximately 85% of female population in developed countries and is classified as one of the worst tolerated by women deteriorating their quality of life and self-esteem. There is a lack of early, objective, quantitative and personalized diagnosis of different stages of cellulite, thus making prevention or early therapeutic intervention difficult. We have demonstrated the efficacy of thermal imaging using IR thermography in a group of female volunteers with different stages of cellulite. By analyzing the superficial temperature distribution of the body, it was possible to diagnose the cellulite stage. The thermal images of posterior site of thighs were recorded, and cellulite areas were identified for further quantitative analysis. We used a custom-designed classification scheme for automatic recognition of the different stages of cellulite as per the well-known Nürnberger–Müller diagnosis scheme. It was possible to diagnose the cellulite stages with over 80% accuracy. The accuracy can be further increased to over 97% using a threshold value correction scheme. Our work has shown that IR thermography when coupled with computer-aided imaging analysis and processing can be a very convenient and effective tool to enable personalized diagnosis and preventive medicine to improve the quality of life of women with cellulite problem.

Biocompatible Carbon-Based Coating as Potential Endovascular Material for Stent Surface

Stainless steel 316L is a material commonly used in cardiovascular medicine. Despite the various methods applied in stent production, the rates of in-stent restenosis and thrombosis remain high. In this study graphene was used to coat the surface of 316L substrate for enhanced bio- and hemocompatibility of the substrate. The presence of graphene layers applied to the substrate was investigated using cutting-edge imaging technology: energy-filtered low-voltage FE-SEM approach, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The potential of G-316L surface to influence endothelial cells phenotype and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) has been determined. Our results show that the bio- and hemocompatible properties of graphene coatings along with known radial force of 316L make G-316L a promising candidate for intracoronary implants.

Current Trends of Innovations in Microbiological Diagnosis by Light Diffraction

Methods based on light diffraction on bacterial colonies create the new perspectives for innovations in microbiological diagnosis. Contrary to the conventional techniques, the proposed optical methods are non-contact and non-destructive. There is no requirement for any additional chemicals, immunological or fluorescence markers. The proposed methods are based on the images of light diffraction on bacterial colonies grown on solid nutrient media analyzed by statistical methods. The application of the digital holography can additionally facilitate and improve the efficiency of the microbiological examination.

New approach for tissue biomonitoring during laser therapy

The laser diode device (LDD) leasing in near infrared region (IR), synchronized with the cardiac pulse, is designed for laser therapy. The special pulse sensor was used for monitoring of the cardiac action. The unique future of this device allows to synchronize the laser action with the cardiac rhythm. This laser is a result of Polish-Belarussian cooperation. It was used in the clinics for treatment of 88 patients suffering from high blood pressure. The positive clinical effects were seen in 86% of cases. The further studies are continued.