Journal of Biological Physics 

About: Journal of Biological Physics is an academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Medicine & Membrane. It has an ISSN identifier of 0092-0606. Over the lifetime, 1244 publications have been published receiving 18379 citations.

Terahertz Pulsed Imaging of Skin Cancer in the Time and Frequency Domain

Abstract: Terahertz Pulsed Imaging(TPI) is a new medical imaging modality forthe detection of epithelial cancers. Overthe last two years this technique has beenapplied to the study of in vitrobasal cell carcinoma (BCC). Usingtime-domain analysis the contrast betweendiseased and normal tissue has been shownto be statistically significant, andregions of increased terahertz (THz)absorption correlated well with thelocation of the tumour sites in histology.Understanding the source of this contrastthrough frequency-domain analysis mayfacilitate the diagnosis of skin cancer andrelated skin conditions using TPI. Wepresent the first frequency-domain analysisof basal cell carcinoma in vitro,with the raw power spectrum giving aninsight into the surface features of theskin. Further data manipulation is requiredto determine whether spectral informationcan be extrapolated at depth. These resultshighlight the complexity of working inreflection geometry.

Geomagnetic cyclotron resonance in living cells

Abstract: Although considerable experimental evidence now exists to indicate that low-frequency magnetic fileds influence living cells, the mode of coupling remains a mystery. We propose a radical new model for electromagnetic interactions with cells, one resulting from a cyclotron resonance mechanism attached to ions moving through transmembrane channels. It is shown that the cyclotron resonance condition on such ions readily leads to a predicted ELF-coupling at geomagnetic levels. This model quantitatively explains the results reported by Blackman et al. (1984), identifying the focus of magnetic interaction in these experiments as K+ charge carriers. The cyclotron resonance concept is consistent with recent indications showing that many membrane channels have helical configurations. This model is quite testable, can probably be applied to other circulating charge components within the cell and, most important, leads to the feasibility of direct resonant electromagnetic energy transfer to selected compartments of the cell.

THz-Spectroscopy of Biological Molecules.

Abstract: The terahertz frequency absorption spectraof DNA molecules reflect low-frequencyinternal helical vibrations involvingrigidly bound subgroups that are connectedby the weakest bonds, including thehydrogen bonds of the DNA base pairs,and/or non-bonded interactions. Althoughnumerous difficulties make the directidentification of terahertz phonon modes inbiological materials very challenging, ourresearch has shown that such measurementsare both possible and fruitful. Spectra ofdifferent DNA samples reveal a large numberof modes and a reasonable level ofsequence-specific uniqueness. In an attemptto show that the long wavelength absorptionfeatures are intrinsic properties ofbiological materials determined by phononmodes, a normal mode analysis has been usedto predict the absorption spectra ofpolynucleotide RNA Poly[G]-Poly[C]. Directcomparison demonstrated a correlationbetween calculated and experimentallyobserved spectra of the RNA polymers, thusconfirming that the fundamental physicalnature of the observed resonance structureis caused by the internal vibration modesin the macromolecules.In this work we demonstrate results fromFourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR)spectroscopy of DNA macromolecules andrelated biological materials in theterahertz frequency range. Carefulattention was paid to the possibility ofinterference or etalon effects in thesamples, and phenomena were clearlydifferentiated from the actual phononmodes. In addition, we studied thedependence of transmission spectra ofaligned DNA and polynucleotide film sampleson molecule orientation relative to theelectromagnetic field, showing the expectedchange in mode strength as a function ofsample orientation. Further, the absorptioncharacteristics were extracted from thetransmission data using the interferencespectroscopy technique, and a stronganisotropy of terahertz characteristics wasdemonstrated.

Catalogue of Human Tissue Optical Properties at Terahertz Frequencies

Abstract: Recently published studies suggest thatterahertz pulsed imaging will have applications inmedicine and biology, but there iscurrently very little information about the opticalproperties of human tissue at terahertzfrequencies. Such information would be useful forpredicting the feasibility of proposedapplications, optimising acquisition protocols,providing information about variability ofhealthy tissue and supplying data for studies of theinteraction mechanisms. Research ethicscommittee approval was obtained, andmeasurements made from samples of freshlyexcised human tissue, using a broadbandterahertz pulsed imaging system comprisingfrequencies approximately 0.5 to 2.5 THz.Refractive index and linear absorptioncoefficient were found. Reproducibility wasdetermined using blood from one volunteer,which was drawn and measured on consecutivedays. Skin, adipose tissue, striatedmuscle, vein and nerve were measured (to date, from oneindividual). Water had a higher refractiveindex (2.04 ± 0.07) than any tissue.The linear absorption coefficient was higher formuscle than adipose tissue, as expectedfrom the higher hydration of muscle. As these samples camefrom a single subject, there is currentlyinsufficient statistical power to draw firmconclusions, but results suggest that in vivo clinical imaging will be feasible in certainapplications.

Glutamate regulation of calcium and IP3 oscillating and pulsating dynamics in astrocytes.

Abstract: Recent years have witnessed an increasing interest in neuron–glia communication. This interest stems from the realization that glia participate in cognitive functions and information processing and are involved in many brain disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. An important process in neuron–glia communications is astrocyte encoding of synaptic information transfer—the modulation of intracellular calcium (Ca2 + ) dynamics in astrocytes in response to synaptic activity. Here, we derive and investigate a concise mathematical model for glutamate-induced astrocytic intracellular Ca2 + dynamics that captures the essential biochemical features of the regulatory pathway of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3). Starting from the well-known two-variable (intracellular Ca2 + and inactive IP3 receptors) Li–Rinzel model for calcium-induced calcium release, we incorporate the regulation of IP3 production and phosphorylation. Doing so, we extend it to a three-variable model (which we refer to as the ChI model) that could account for Ca2 + oscillations with endogenous IP3 metabolism. This ChI model is then further extended into the G-ChI model to include regulation of IP3 production by external glutamate signals. Compared with previous similar models, our three-variable models include a more realistic description of IP3 production and degradation pathways, lumping together their essential nonlinearities within a concise formulation. Using bifurcation analysis and time simulations, we demonstrate the existence of new putative dynamical features. The cross-couplings between IP3 and Ca2 + pathways endow the system with self-consistent oscillatory properties and favor mixed frequency–amplitude encoding modes over pure amplitude–modulation ones. These and additional results of our model are in general agreement with available experimental data and may have important implications for the role of astrocytes in the synaptic transfer of information.