Unlocking the secrets of saliva: the promising potential of salivary biomarkers for evaluating crack use / Desvendando os segredos da saliva: o potencial promissor dos biomarcadores salivares para avaliar o uso de crack

The forthcoming letter will encompass the following highlights: Crack cocaine use involves smoking a highly addictive form of cocaine, which is a significant concern in Brazil, particularly in urban areas. This addiction is linked to various health problems, including cardiovascular issues, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like AIDS and syphilis, tuberculosis, and a notable increase in mortality, largely due to violent causes. Furthermore, crack cocaine users are particularly vulnerable to dental caries, gingival inflammation, oral mucosa lesions, and xerostomia (AU)

A próxima carta incluirá os seguintes destaques: O uso de crack envolve fumar uma forma altamente viciante da cocaína, o que é uma preocupação significativa no Brasil, especialmente em áreas urbanas. Esta dependência está ligada a vários problemas de saúde, incluindo problemas cardiovasculares, infecções sexualmente transmissíveis (IST), como a AIDS e a sífilis, a tuberculose e um aumento notável da mortalidade, devido, em grande parte, a causas violentas. Além disso, os usuários de crack são particularmente vulneráveis a cáries dentárias, inflamação gengival, lesões na mucosa oral e xerostomia (AU)

Set7 deletion attenuates isoproterenol-induced cardiac fibrosis and delays cardiac dysfunction.

Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death worldwide. Recent studies have revealed the influence of histone-modifying enzymes in cardiac remodeling and heart dysfunction. The Set7 methyltransferase regulates the expression of several genes through the methylation of histones and modulates the activity of non-histone proteins. However, the role of Set7 in cardiac remodeling and heart dysfunction remains unknown. To address this question, wild-type (WT) and Set7 knockout (KO) male mice were injected with isoproterenol or saline. WT mice injected with isoproterenol displayed a decrease in Set7 activity in the heart. In addition, WT and Set7 KO mice injected with isoproterenol exhibited cardiac hypertrophy. Interestingly, Set7 deletion exacerbated cardiac hypertrophy in response to isoproterenol but attenuated myocardial fibrosis. Echocardiograms revealed that WT mice injected with isoproterenol had lowered ejection fractions and fractional shortening, and increased E'-wave deceleration time and E/A ratio compared with their controls. Conversely, Set7 KO mice did not show alteration in these parameters in response to isoproterenol. However, prolonged exposure to isoproterenol induced cardiac dysfunction both in WT and Set7 KO mice. Both isoproterenol and Set7 deletion changed the transcriptional profile of the heart. Moreover, Set7 deletion increased the expression of Pgc1α and mitochondrial DNA content in the heart, and reduced the expression of cellular senescence and inflammation markers in response to isoproterenol. Taken together, our data suggest that Set7 deletion attenuates isoproterenol-induced myocardial fibrosis and delays heart dysfunction, suggesting that Set7 plays an important role in cardiac remodeling and dysfunction in response to stress.

Evaluation of inflammatory processes by FTIR spectroscopy.

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a powerful diagnosis technique and has been used to identify patterns of molecular changes based on vibration modes. The objective of this study was to evaluate inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia (IFH) lesions and oral normal mucosa (NM) initially with histopathological exam and then using micro-FTIR spectroscopy to analyse the samples. Eleven IFH and 11 NM samples were analysed at five different points to cover the largest area possible by the micro-FTIR technique. Bands were observed between 970 and 1743 cm-1 which corresponded to different structural components like collagen, lipids, fatty acids, proteins and amino acids. Spectral bands were more intense mostly for IFH lesions, including collagen bands, which are an important component of inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia. This study demonstrated that differentiation in the inflammatory tissue was observed in FTIR spectral differences, in terms of biochemical composition.

Differential diagnosis in primary and metastatic cutaneous melanoma by FT-Raman spectroscopy / Diagnóstico diferencial no melanoma primário e metastático por espectroscopia FT-Raman

PURPOSE: To qualify the FT-Raman spectral data of primary and metastatic cutaneous melanoma in order to obtain a differential diagnosis. METHODS: Ten normal human skin samples without any clinical or histopathological alterations, ten cutaneous melanoma fragments, and nine lymph node metastasis samples were used; 105, 140 and 126 spectra were obtained respectively. Each sample was divided into 2 or 3 fragments of approximately 2 mm³ and positioned in the Raman spectrometer sample holder in order to obtain the spectra; a monochrome laser light Nd:YAG at 1064 nm was used to excite the inelastic effect. RESULTS: To differentiate the three histopathological groups according to their characteristics extracted from the spectra, data discriminative analysis was undertaken. Phenylalanine, DNA, and Amide-I spectral variables stood out in the differentiation of the three groups. The percentages of correctly classified groups based on Phenylalanine, DNA, and Amide-I spectral features was 93.1 percent. CONCLUSION: FT-Raman spectroscopy is capable of differentiating melanoma from its metastasis, as well as from normal skin.

OBJETIVO: Qualificar os dados espectrais FT-Raman do melanoma cutâneo primário e metastático e assim realizar o diagnóstico diferencial. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizadas amostras de 10 fragmentos de pele sem alterações clínicas ou histopatológicas, 10 de melanomas cutâneos e 9 de metástases linfonodais; 105, 140 and 126 espectros foram obtidos respectivamente. Cada amostra foi dividida em 2 ou 3 frações de 2 mm³ e posicionada no porta amostras do espectrômetro Raman para obtenção dos espectros, por meio da excitação do espalhamento inelástico pelo laser de Nd:YAG em 1064 nm incididos na amostra. RESULTADOS: Para diferenciar os três grupos formados de acordo com as características fornecidas pelos espectros, realizamos a análise discriminante dos dados. As variáveis espectrais Fenilalanina, DNA e Amida-I se destacaram na capacidade de diferenciação dos três grupos histológicos. A porcentagem de classificação correta utilizando estes critérios foi de 93,1 por cento; o que mostra a eficiência da análise realizada. CONCLUSÃO: A espectroscopia FT-Raman é capaz de diferenciar o melanoma de sua metástase, assim como da pele normal.

Differential diagnosis in primary and metastatic cutaneous melanoma by FT-Raman spectroscopy.

PURPOSE: To qualify the FT-Raman spectral data of primary and metastatic cutaneous melanoma in order to obtain a differential diagnosis. METHODS: Ten normal human skin samples without any clinical or histopathological alterations, ten cutaneous melanoma fragments, and nine lymph node metastasis samples were used; 105, 140 and 126 spectra were obtained respectively. Each sample was divided into 2 or 3 fragments of approximately 2 mm³ and positioned in the Raman spectrometer sample holder in order to obtain the spectra; a monochrome laser light Nd:YAG at 1064 nm was used to excite the inelastic effect. RESULTS: To differentiate the three histopathological groups according to their characteristics extracted from the spectra, data discriminative analysis was undertaken. Phenylalanine, DNA, and Amide-I spectral variables stood out in the differentiation of the three groups. The percentages of correctly classified groups based on Phenylalanine, DNA, and Amide-I spectral features was 93.1%. CONCLUSION: FT-Raman spectroscopy is capable of differentiating melanoma from its metastasis, as well as from normal skin.

Spectral region optimization for Raman-based optical biopsy of inflammatory lesions.

OBJECTIVE: The biochemical alterations between inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia (IFH) and normal tissues of buccal mucosa were probed by using the FT-Raman spectroscopy technique. The aim was to find the minimal set of Raman bands that would furnish the best discrimination. BACKGROUND: Raman-based optical biopsy is a widely recognized potential technique for noninvasive real-time diagnosis. However, few studies had been devoted to the discrimination of very common subtle or early pathologic states as inflammatory processes that are always present on, for example, cancer lesion borders. METHODS: Seventy spectra of IFH from 14 patients were compared with 30 spectra of normal tissues from six patients. The statistical analysis was performed with principal components analysis and soft independent modeling class analogy cross-validated, leave-one-out methods. RESULTS: Bands close to 574, 1,100, 1,250 to 1,350, and 1,500 cm(-1) (mainly amino acids and collagen bands) showed the main intragroup variations that are due to the acanthosis process in the IFH epithelium. The 1,200 (C-C aromatic/DNA), 1,350 (CH(2) bending/collagen 1), and 1,730 cm(-1) (collagen III) regions presented the main intergroup variations. This finding was interpreted as originating in an extracellular matrix-degeneration process occurring in the inflammatory tissues. The statistical analysis results indicated that the best discrimination capability (sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 100%) was found by using the 530-580 cm(-1) spectral region. CONCLUSIONS: The existence of this narrow spectral window enabling normal and inflammatory diagnosis also had useful implications for an in vivo dispersive Raman setup for clinical applications.

Role of cervicitis in the Raman-based optical diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

The Raman-based optical diagnosis of normal cervix, inflammative cervix (cervicitis), and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia was investigated on samples of 63 patients. The main alterations were found in the 857 cm(-1) (CCH deformation aromatic); 925 cm(-1) (C-C stretching); approximately 1247 cm(-1) (CN stretch, NH bending of Amide III); 1370 cm(-1) (CH2 bending); and 1525 cm(-1) (C=CC=N stretching) vibrational bands in accordance with previously reported in the literature comparing normal and malignant cervical tissue. The statistical analysis (principal components analysis, clustering, and logistic regression models) applied to the spectral data indicated that the full discrimination among normal and neoplastic tissues of cervix by Raman optical biopsy is seriously affected by the presence of inflammatory infiltrates, which increases the false-positive rate. This fact is specially relevant once cervicitis is a very common state (noncancerous) of the cervix of sexually active woman. The results suggest that, for the correct Raman-based diagnosis of normal cervix from cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, it is necessary to use an auxiliary way to discriminate the contribution from the inflammatory infiltrates.

Diagnosis of degenerative lesions of supraspinatus rotator cuff tendons by Fourier transform-Raman spectroscopy.

The Fourier transform (FT)-Raman spectroscopy technique is used to assess the biochemical alterations that occur in the degenerative process of the rotator cuff supraspinatus tendon. The main alterations observed occur in the glycine, proline, hydroxyproline, cysteine, cistine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, collagen I and III, nucleic acid, lipids, glycosaminoglycans, and metalloproteinases bands. An increasing intensity for these bands is found in degenerated tendons, a finding well correlated with hyaline state and cellular activity. Statistical analysis (principal components analysis and clustering) shows a clear separation of the spectra into nonhyalinized and hyalinized clusters, which enables the construction of a binary diagnosis model based on logistic regression. Best diagnosis provided a sensitivity of 66.0% and a specificity of 74.7% with 79.6% concordant pairs. The discriminating power of the diagnostic test is assessed by computing the area under the receiving-operator characteristic curve (AUC), which indicates good accuracy (AUC=0.81). In principle, these results indicate that Raman spectroscopy can be used as an auxiliary aid to improve shoulder tendon surgery quality by guiding anchoring onto more healthy (nonhyaline) pieces of tendons. This should contribute to a decrease in the current high rerupture rate (13 to 68%) for this procedure.

Biochemical analysis of human breast tissues using Fourier-transform Raman spectroscopy.

We employ Fourier-transform Raman spectroscopy to study normal and tumoral human breast tissues, including several subtypes of cancers. We analyzed 194 Raman spectra from breast tissues that were separated into 9 groups according to their corresponding histopathological diagnosis. The assignment of the relevant Raman bands enabled us to connect the several kinds of breast tissues (normal and pathological) to their corresponding biochemical moieties alterations and distinguish among 7 groups: normal breast, fibrocystic condition, duct carcinoma in situ, duct carcinoma in situ with necrosis, infiltrating duct carcinoma not otherwise specified, colloid infiltrating duct carcinoma, and invasive lobular carcinomas. We were able to establish the biochemical basis for each spectrum, relating the observed peaks to specific biomolecules that play a special role in the carcinogenesis process. This work is very useful for the premature optical diagnosis of a broad range of breast pathologies. We noticed that we were not able to differentiate inflammatory and medullary duct carcinomas from infiltrating duct carcinoma not otherwise specified.