Identification of spermatogenesis in individual seminiferous tubules and testicular tissue of adult normal and busulfan-treated mice employing Raman spectroscopy and principal component analysis.

The present study aims to identify spermatogenesis in testicular seminiferous tubules (ST) and testicular tissue of adult normal and busulfan-treated mice utilizing PCA and Raman spectroscopy. Raman measurements were conducted on single tubules and testes samples from adult and immature mice, comparing them with those from busulfan-treated adult mice, with validation through histological examination. The analysis revealed a higher signal variability (30 %-40 % at the peaks), prompting scrutiny of individual Raman spectra as a means of spermatogenesis measurement. However, principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrated significant cluster separation between the ST of mature and immature mice. Similar investigations were performed to compare ST from normal mature mice and those from busulfan-treated (BS-treated) mature mice, revealing substantial separation along PC1 and PC2 for all comparison sets. Additionally, comparing testicular samples from mature and immature mice revealed distinct separation in PCA. The study concludes that the combined approach of PCA and Raman spectroscopy proves to be a noninvasive and potentially valuable method for identifying spermatogenesis in seminiferous tubules and testicular samples.

A comprehensive review on singlet oxygen generation in nanomaterials and conjugated polymers for photodynamic therapy in the treatment of cancer.

A key role in lessening humanity's continuous fight against cancer could be played by photodynamic therapy (PDT), a minimally invasive treatment employed in the medical care of a range of benign disorders and malignancies. Cancerous tissue can be effectively removed by using a light source-excited photosensitizer. Singlet oxygen and reactive oxygen species are produced via the photosensitizer as a result of this excitation. In the recent past, researchers have put in tremendous efforts towards developing photosensitizer molecules for photodynamic treatment (PDT) to treat cancer. Conjugated polymers, characterized by their efficient fluorescence, exceptional photostability, and strong light absorption, are currently under scrutiny for their potential applications in cancer detection and treatment through photodynamic and photothermal therapy. Researchers are exploring the versatility of these polymers, utilizing sophisticated chemical synthesis and adaptable polymer structures to create new variants with enhanced capabilities for generating singlet oxygen in photodynamic treatment (PDT). The incorporation of photosensitizers into conjugated polymer nanoparticles has proved to be beneficial, as it improves singlet oxygen formation through effective energy transfer. The evolution of nanotechnology has emerged as an alternative avenue for enhancing the performance of current photosensitizers and overcoming significant challenges in cancer PDT. Various materials, including biocompatible metals, polymers, carbon, silicon, and semiconductor-based nanomaterials, have undergone thorough investigation as potential photosensitizers for cancer PDT. This paper outlines the recent advances in singlet oxygen generation by investigators using an array of materials, including graphene quantum dots (GQDs), gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), titanium dioxide (TiO2), ytterbium (Yb) and thulium (Tm) co-doped upconversion nanoparticle cores (Yb/Tm-co-doped UCNP cores), bismuth oxychloride nanoplates and nanosheets (BiOCl nanoplates and nanosheets), and others. It also stresses the synthesis and application of systems such as amphiphilic block copolymer functionalized with folic acid (FA), polyethylene glycol (PEG), poly(ß-benzyl-L-aspartate) (PBLA10) (FA-PEG-PBLA10) functionalized with folic acid, tetra(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (THPP-(PNIPAM-b-PMAGA)4), pyrazoline-fused axial silicon phthalocyanine (HY-SiPc), phthalocyanines (HY-ZnPcp, HY-ZnPcnp, and HY-SiPc), silver nanoparticles coated with polyaniline (Ag@PANI), doxorubicin (DOX) and infrared (IR)-responsive poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) (DOX/PEtOx-IR NPs), particularly in NIR imaging-guided photodynamic therapy (fluorescent and photoacoustic). The study puts forward a comprehensive summary and a convincing justification for the usage of the above-mentioned materials in cancer PDT.

Experimental and Computational Studies of Azo Dye-Modified Luminol Oligomers: Potential Application in Lithium Ion Sensing.

With a view to design novel conjugated oligomers via a facile technique for its possible application in sensors, the present work reports oligomerization of Bismarck Brown (BB) dye with luminol. The structure was confirmed via IR studies, while the electronic transitions were confirmed by UV-visible studies. Morphological studies were carried out via SEM. Computational studies were carried out using the DFT method with a B3LYP 6-311G(d) basis set to investigate the optimized geometry, band gap, and vibrational and electronic transitions data. The HOMO-LUMO energies showed significant reduction in the band gap upon increasing the content of BB dye. The computational IR and UV spectra were noticed to be in close agreement with the experimental results. Spectrophotometric determination of Li ion was attempted using lithium chloride and a lithium carbonate drug commonly used in the treatment of bipolar disorder. The detection limit was noticed to be as low as 5.1 × 10-6 M, which could be used to design a Li ion sensor.

Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Molar-Incisor Hypomineralization in 8-16-year-old Children in Industrial Town of Solan District of Himachal Pradesh.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and etiology of molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH) in 8- to 16-year-old children from town (Baddi) of Himachal Pradesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 2000 children from various schools of Baddi. Molar-incisor hypomineralization was diagnosed on the basis of EAPD 2003 criteria revised in 2009. RESULTS: Prevalence of MIH found was to be 2.9%. Demarcated opacities were predominant among all the defects. Postnatal illnesses were highly associated with MIH. The prevalence of dental caries reported in MIH patients was 82.7%. CONCLUSION: Postnatal illnesses are significantly associated with MIH. Molar-incisor hypomineralization predisposes the tooth to dental caries. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Thakur H, Kaur A, Singh R, et al. Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Molar-Incisor Hypomineralization in 8-16-year-old Children in Industrial Town of Solan District of Himachal Pradesh. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2020;13(3):230-234.

Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Novel Azo Benzene Functionalized Conjugated Polymers: In-vitro Antileishmanial Activity and Bioimaging.

To study the effect of insertion of azobenzene moiety on the spectral, morphological and fluorescence properties of conventional conducting polymers, the present work reports ultrasound-assisted polymerization of azobenzene with aniline, 1-naphthylamine, luminol and o-phenylenediamine. The chemical structure and polymerization was established via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy, while the electronic properties were explored via ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. Theoretical IR and UV spectra were computed using DFT/B3LYP method with 6-311G basis set while theoretical 1H-NMR spectra was obtained by gauge independent atomic orbital (GIAO) method. The theoretically computed spectra were found to be in close agreement with the experimental findings confirming the chemical as well as electronic structure of the synthesized polymers. Morphology was investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies. Fluorescence studies revealed emission ranging between 530-570 nm. The polymers also revealed high singlet oxygen (1O2) generation characteristics. In-vitro antileishmanial efficacy as well as live cell imaging investigations reflected the potential application of these polymers in the treatment of leishmaniasis and its diagnosis.

A comparison of experimental and theoretical studies of benzoquinone modified poly(thiophene): effect of polymerization techniques on the structure and properties.

The present manuscript reports the synthesis of benzoquinone (BQ) modified polythiophene (PTh) by chemical and microwave-assisted polymerization techniques. The synthesized oligomers were investigated for their spectral, morphological and thermal properties via FTIR, UV-visible, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric (TGA) analyses. Theoretical calculations were performed by using Gaussian 09 software via the DFT/B3LYP method with the 6-311G basis set. FTIR confirmed the formation of hydroquinone modified PTh when the polymerization was carried out by magnetic stirring and ultrasonication, while the formation of BQ modified PTh was obtained by microwave irradiation. The electronic transitions obtained via experimental UV-visible studies were also found to be in close agreement with the theoretical spectra. SEM revealed a well-formed morphology comprising needle shaped rods for the oligomer synthesized under microwave irradiation. The TGA-DTA studies revealed low char content for the above oligomer, while the florescence studies revealed intense emission around 450 nm. The highest quantum yield was found to be 0.024, which also showed high singlet oxygen generation tendency as well as a high single oxygen quantum yield of 0.30 and could be utilized to design imaging probes applicable in photodynamic therapy.

Applications of near infrared and surface enhanced Raman scattering techniques in tumor imaging: A short review.

Imaging technologies play a vital role in clinical oncology and have undergone massive growth over the past few decades. Research in the field of tumor imaging and biomedical diagnostics requires early detection of physiological alterations so as to provide curative treatment in real time. The objective of this review is to provide an insight about near infrared fluorescence (NIRF) and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) imaging techniques that can be used to expand their capabilities for the early detection and diagnosis of cancer cells. Basic setup, principle and working of the instruments has been provided and common NIRF imaging agents as well as SERS tags are also discussed besides the analytical advantages/disadvantages of these techniques. This review can help researchers working in the field of molecular imaging to design cost effective fluorophores and SERS tags to overcome the limitations of both NIRF as well as SERS imaging technologies.

Development of a near infrared novel bioimaging agent via co-oligomerization of Congo red with aniline and o-phenylenediamine: experimental and theoretical studies.

With a view to study the effect of insertion of a multifunctional dye moiety on the photo physical properties of conducting polymers, the present paper reports for the first time the homopolymerization and co-oligomerization of Congo red (CR) dye with aniline and o-phenylenediamine. The co-oligomerization was established by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy while the morphology was examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The theoretical as well as experimental data of 1H-NMR as well as IR studies confirmed the co-oligomer formation while ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy studies revealed a dynamic change in the optical properties upon variation of co-oligomer composition. X-ray diffraction studies established a crystalline morphology of oligomers. Live cell confocal imaging studies revealed that the co-oligomers could be effectively used in NIR imaging.