Non-invasive and rapid diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus based on the analysis of hair by front-face fluorescence spectroscopy.

Rapid and early detection of pathologies for screening purposes is not always easy with traditional methods. New low-cost optical techniques that are suitable for preventive detection and, more specifically, for developing countries must be developed. The objective of this work is to propose UV-VIS fluorescence of hair as a promising technique for a simple and rapid preliminary diagnosis of type II diabetes. In this work, we analyzed 130 hair samples taken from volunteers of different ages at the Habib Thameur Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia. These samples were analyzed clinically beforehand, and 50 were classified as healthy acting as a control, 24 were classified as low-level diabetics with a glycated hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) <7%, and the other 56 were classified as high-level diabetics having an HbA1c >7%. The fluorescence of the patients' hair led to several interesting results. Indeed, a clear discrimination was obtained not only between the healthy and patients with a disease, but also a discrimination between diabetics with low levels and high levels or diabetics with and without complication. Also, a strong correlation between fluorescence spectra and glycated HbA1c for the diabetic population was clearly established. A linear discriminant analysis shows that it is possible to predict the status of test patients after having trained a fraction of the population. All these results show the ability of the front-face fluorescence (FFF) technique to detect disease and predict advanced states simply by capturing the fluorescence of the hair illuminated by a single LED. This work shows for the first time, to our knowledge, the capability of the FFF technique on hair samples for the diagnosis of diabetes.

Green Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Silver Nanoparticles Using Achillea maritima subsp. maritima Aqueous Extract: Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Potential and Effect on Virulence Mechanisms of Bacterial and Fungal Pathogens.

Novel silver nanoparticles were synthesized based on a simple and non-toxic method by applying the green synthesis technique, using, for the first time, the aqueous extract of an extremophile plant belonging to the Achillea maritima subsp. maritima species. AgNP characterization was performed via UV-Visible, front-face fluorescence spectroscopy, and FTIR and XRD analyses. AgNP formation was immediately confirmed by a color change from yellow to brown and by a surface plasmon resonance peak using UV-Vis spectroscopy at 420 nm. The biosynthesized AgNPs were spherical in shape with a size ranging from approximatively 14.13 to 21.26 nm. The presented silver nanoparticles exhibited strong antioxidant activity following a DPPH assay compared to ascorbic acid, with IC50 values of about 0.089 µg/mL and 22.54 µg/mL, respectively. The AgNPs showed higher antidiabetic capacities than acarbose, by inhibiting both alpha amylase and alpha glucosidase. The silver nanoparticles could affect various bacterial mechanisms of virulence, such as EPS production, biofilm formation and DNA damage. The silver nanoparticles showed no lysozyme activity on the cell walls of Gram-positive bacteria. The AgNPs also had a strong inhibitory effect on the Candida albicans virulence factor (extracellular enzymes, biofilm formation). The microscopic observation showed abnormal morphogenesis and agglomeration of Candida albicans exposed to AgNPs. The AgNPs showed no cytotoxic effect on human cells in an MTT assay. The use of novel silver nanoparticles is encouraged in the formulation of natural antimicrobial and antidiabetic agents.

Fast diagnostic of osteoporosis based on hair analysis using LIBS technique.

Currently, the reference method for the diagnose of the osteoporosis pathology is the Dual energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) technique which assesses Bone Mineral Density (BMD). As a major public health problem, classified as such by the World Health Organization, it is necessary to develop new techniques that are more accessible, especially for developing countries. The objective of this work is to propose a new technique based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) using calcium and sodium in hair as a biomarker for the detection of osteoporosis pathology. The study involved 90 women aged 50 to 70 years divided in three groups, thirty women with osteoporosis, thirty women with osteopenia and thirty healthy women. The application of LIBS technique on their hair to correlate calcium and sodium lines with T-scores allows a quick and cheap screening of the disease. The results showed strong correlations between calcium lines and disease. We noted a negative correlation between the intensity of calcium and sodium lines. In addition to these results, we show that we were able to cluster the three groups using the emission lines of these two elements. All these results support the idea that the use of LIBS applied to hair to evaluate calcium and sodium elements as effective biomarkers for the detection of osteoporosis is a promising approach.