Molecular detection of Gram-positive bacteria in the human lung through an optical fiber-based endoscope.

PURPOSE: The relentless rise in antimicrobial resistance is a major societal challenge and requires, as part of its solution, a better understanding of bacterial colonization and infection. To facilitate this, we developed a highly efficient no-wash red optical molecular imaging agent that enables the rapid, selective, and specific visualization of Gram-positive bacteria through a bespoke optical fiber-based delivery/imaging endoscopic device. METHODS: We rationally designed a no-wash, red, Gram-positive-specific molecular imaging agent (Merocy-Van) based on vancomycin and an environmental merocyanine dye. We demonstrated the specificity and utility of the imaging agent in escalating in vitro and ex vivo whole human lung models (n = 3), utilizing a bespoke fiber-based delivery and imaging device, coupled to a wide-field, two-color endomicroscopy system. RESULTS: The imaging agent (Merocy-Van) was specific to Gram-positive bacteria and enabled no-wash imaging of S. aureus within the alveolar space of whole ex vivo human lungs within 60 s of delivery into the field-of-view, using the novel imaging/delivery endomicroscopy device. CONCLUSION: This platform enables the rapid and specific detection of Gram-positive bacteria in the human lung.

Porous silicon nanocrystals in a silica aerogel matrix.

Silicon nanoparticles of three types (oxide-terminated silicon nanospheres, micron-sized hydrogen-terminated porous silicon grains and micron-size oxide-terminated porous silicon grains) were incorporated into silica aerogels at the gel preparation stage. Samples with a wide range of concentrations were prepared, resulting in aerogels that were translucent (but weakly coloured) through to completely opaque for visible light over sample thicknesses of several millimetres. The photoluminescence of these composite materials and of silica aerogel without silicon inclusions was studied in vacuum and in the presence of molecular oxygen in order to determine whether there is any evidence for non-radiative energy transfer from the silicon triplet exciton state to molecular oxygen adsorbed at the silicon surface. No sensitivity to oxygen was observed from the nanoparticles which had partially H-terminated surfaces before incorporation, and so we conclude that the silicon surface has become substantially oxidised. Finally, the FTIR and Raman scattering spectra of the composites were studied in order to establish the presence of crystalline silicon; by taking the ratio of intensities of the silicon and aerogel Raman bands, we were able to obtain a quantitative measure of the silicon nanoparticle concentration independent of the degree of optical attenuation.

Guidance in Kagome-like photonic crystal fibres I: analysis of an ideal fibre structure.

Propagation of light in a square-lattice hollow-core photonic crystal fibre is analysed as a model of guidance in a class of photonic crystal fibres that exhibit broad-band guidance without photonic bandgaps. A scalar governing equation is used and analytic solutions based on transfer matrices are developed for the full set of modes. It is found that an exponentially localised fundamental mode exists for a wide range of frequencies. These analytic solutions of an idealised structure will form the basis for analysis of guidance in a realistic structure in a following paper.

Large-core acetylene-filled photonic microcells made by tapering a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber.

We report on kagomé-lattice photonic microcells with low losses, large outer diameters, and large cores. The large (40-70microm) cores are accommodated by tapering the fibers and splicing the reduced ends to a single-mode fiber. We demonstrate the repeatability of this process and obtain splice losses of 0.6dB by optimizing the taper transition length. Narrow electromagnetically induced transparencies and saturable absorption are demonstrated in an acetylene-filled photonic microcell.

Characterization of a photonic crystal fiber mode converter using low coherence interferometry.

The relative group delay of the different modes present in an all-fiber LP11 mode converter at a central wavelength of 750 nm is observed using low coherence interferometric imaging. We have simultaneously measured the relative group delay and computed the intensity and the phase distribution of the modes emitted from the mode converter end face using a Fourier technique, providing unequivocal identification of the modes involved.

Approximate band structure calculation for photonic bandgap fibres.

An approximate method for finding the band structure of simple photonic bandgap fibres is presented. Our simple model is an isolated high-index rod in a circular unit cell with two alternative boundary conditions. Band plots calculated this way are found to correspond closely to calculations using an accurate numerical method.