Diffuse optical spectroscopic method for tissue and body composition assessment.

SIGNIFICANCE: Growing levels of obesity and metabolic syndrome have driven demand for more advanced forms of body composition assessment. While various techniques exist to measure body composition, devices are typically expensive and not portable, involve radiation [in the case of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)], and are limited to analysis of adiposity while metabolic information from blood supply and oxygenation are not considered. AIM: We evaluate whether diffuse optical spectroscopic imaging (DOSI) can be used to predict site-specific adiposity and percent fat (whole body) while simultaneously providing information about local tissue hemoglobin levels and oxygenation. APPROACH: DOSI measures of tissue composition in gastrocnemius, quadriceps, abdomen, and biceps, DXA whole-body composition, and ultrasound-derived skin and adipose tissue thickness (SATT) in the quadriceps were obtained from 99 individuals aged 7 to 34 years old. RESULTS: Various DOSI-derived parameters were correlated with SATT and an optical method is proposed for estimating SATT using a newly defined parameter, the optical fat fraction (OFF), which considers all parameters that correlate with SATT. Broadband absorption and scattering spectra from study participants with the thinnest (SATT ≈ 0.25 ± 0.02 cm) and thickest SATT (SATT ≈ 1.55 ± 0.14 cm), representing best estimates for pure in vivo lean and fatty tissue, respectively, are reported. Finally, a trained prediction model is developed which allows DOSI assessment of OFF to predict DXA body-fat percentage, demonstrating that DOSI can be used to quantify body composition. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that DOSI can be used to assess the adiposity of specific tissues or the entire human body, and the OFF parameter is defined for corroboration and further evaluation in future research.

Non-invasive Dual-Channel Broadband Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy of Massive Hemorrhage and Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) in Swine.

Objective: To quantitatively measure tissue composition and hemodynamics during resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) in two tissue compartments using non-invasive two-channel broadband diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS). Methods: Tissue concentrations of oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin (HbO2 and HbR), water, and lipid were measured in a porcine model (n = 10) of massive hemorrhage (65% total blood volume over 1 h) and 30-min REBOA superior and inferior to the aortic balloon. Results: After hemorrhage, hemoglobin oxygen saturation (StO2 = HbO2/[HbO2 + HbR]) at both sites decreased significantly (-29.9% and -42.3%, respectively). The DOS measurements correlated with mean arterial pressure (MAP) (R2 = 0.79, R2 = 0.88), stroke volume (SV) (R2 = 0.68, R2 = 0.88), and heart rate (HR) (R2 = 0.72, R2 = 0.88). During REBOA, inferior StO2 continued to decline while superior StO2 peaked 12 min after REBOA before decreasing again. Inferior DOS parameters did not associate with MAP, SV, or HR during REBOA. Conclusions: Dual-channel regional tissue DOS measurements can be used to non-invasively track the formation of hemodynamically distinct tissue compartments during hemorrhage and REBOA. Conventional systemic measures MAP, HR, and SV are uncorrelated with tissue status in inferior (downstream) sites. Multi-compartment DOS may provide a more complete picture of the efficacy of REBOA and similar resuscitation procedures.

Noninvasive optical imaging of resistance training adaptations in human muscle.

A quantitative and dynamic analysis of skeletal muscle structure and function can guide training protocols and optimize interventions for rehabilitation and disease. While technologies exist to measure body composition, techniques are still needed for quantitative, long-term functional imaging of muscle at the bedside. We evaluate whether diffuse optical spectroscopic imaging (DOSI) can be used for long-term assessment of resistance training (RT). DOSI measures of tissue composition were obtained from 12 adults before and after 5 weeks of training and compared to lean mass fraction (LMF) from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Significant correlations were detected between DXA LMF and DOSI-measured oxy-hemo/myoglobin, deoxy-hemo/myoglobin, total-hemo/myoglobin, water, and lipid. RT-induced increases of ∼6% in oxy-hemo/myoglobin (3.4±1.0 µM, p=0.00314) and total-hemo/myoglobin (4.9±1.1 µM, p=0.00024) from the medial gastrocnemius were detected with DOSI and accompanied by ∼2% increases in lean soft tissue mass (36.4±12.4 g, p=0.01641) and ∼60% increases in 1 rep-max strength (41.5±6.2 kg, p=1.9E-05). DOSI measures of vascular and/or muscle changes combined with correlations between DOSI and DXA suggest that quantitative diffuse optical methods can be used to evaluate body composition, provide feedback on long-term interventions, and generate new insight into training-induced muscle adaptations.

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser sources for gigahertz-bandwidth, multiwavelength frequency-domain photon migration.

Frequency-domain photon migration (FDPM) uses modulated laser light to measure the bulk optical properties of turbid media and is increasingly applied for noninvasive functional medical imaging in the near-infrared. Although semiconductor edge-emitting laser diodes have been traditionally used as miniature light sources for this application, we show that vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) exhibit output power and modulation performance characteristics suitable for FDPM measurements of tissue optical properties at modulation frequencies exceeding 1 GHz. We also show that an array of multiple VCSEL devices can be coherently modulated at frequencies suitable for FDPM and can improve optical power. In addition, their small size and simple packaging make them an attractive choice as components in wearable sensors and clinical FDPM-based optical spectroscopy systems. We demonstrate the benefits of VCSEL technology by fabricating and testing a unique, compact VCSEL-based optical probe with an integrated avalanche photodiode. We demonstrate sensitivity of the VCSEL-based probe to subcutaneous tissue hemodynamics that was induced during an arterial cuff occlusion of the upper arm in a human subject.

Feasibility of Direct Digital Sampling for Diffuse Optical Frequency Domain Spectroscopy in Tissue.

Frequency domain optical spectroscopy in the diffusive regime is currently being investigated for biomedical applications including tumor detection, therapy monitoring, exercise metabolism, and others. Analog homodyne or heterodyne detection of sinusoidally modulated signals have been the predominant method for measuring phase and amplitude of photon density waves that have traversed through tissue. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing direct digital sampling of modulated signals using a 3.6 Gigasample/second 12 bit Analog to Digital Converter. Digitally synthesized modulated signals between 50MHz and 400MHz were measured on tissue simulating phantoms at six near-infrared wavelengths. An amplitude and phase precision of 1% and 0.6 degrees were achieved during drift tests. Amplitude, phase, scattering and absorption values were compared with a well-characterized network analyzer based diffuse optical device. Measured optical properties measured with both systems were within 3.6% for absorption and 2.8% for scattering over a range of biologically relevant values. Direct digital sampling represents a viable method for frequency domain diffuse optical spectroscopy and has the potential to reduce system complexity, size, and cost.

Effect of substrate composition and alignment on corneal cell phenotype.

Corneal blindness is a significant problem treated primarily by corneal transplants. Donor tissue supply is low, creating a growing need for an alternative. A tissue-engineered cornea made from patient-derived cells and biopolymer scaffold materials would be widely accessible to all patients and would alleviate the need for donor sources. Previous work in this lab led to a method for electrospinning type I collagen scaffolds for culturing corneal fibroblasts ex vivo that mimics the microenvironment in the native cornea. This electrospun scaffold is composed of small-diameter, aligned collagen fibers. In this study, we investigate the effect of scaffold nanostructure and composition on the phenotype of corneal stromal cells. Rabbit-derived corneal fibroblasts were cultured on aligned and unaligned collagen type I fibers ranging from 50 to 300 nm in diameter and assessed for expression of α-smooth muscle actin, a protein marker upregulated in hazy corneas. In addition, the optical properties of the cell-matrix constructs were assessed using optical coherence microscopy. Cells grown on collagen scaffolds had reduced myofibroblast phenotype expression compared to cells grown on tissue culture plates. Cells grown on aligned collagen type I fibers downregulated α-smooth muscle actin protein expression significantly more than unaligned collagen scaffolds, and also exhibited reduced overall light scattering by the tissue construct. These results suggest that aligned collagen type I fibrous scaffolds are viable platforms for engineering corneal replacement tissue.