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The drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MbT) remains a serious challenge to global public health as extensively drug resistant tuberculosis usually leads to a lethal outcome. In the case of diseases with resistant strains, it is extremely important to identify a specific strain as soon as possible in order to start an adequate therapy. One such diagnostic method could be the Raman spectroscopy method. We investigated M. tuberculosis strains of the Beijing family deactivated by heating, with different drug sensitivity: sensitive, multi- and extensively drug resistant. Samples, obtained from patient specimens were investigated by Raman spectrometry with the He–Ne (632.8 nm) laser excitation source. As a result, a set of optimal experimental parameters for strain discrimination were determined based on the cell-wall spectral differences. These differences distinguish between drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strains as well as between strains isolated from material samples taken from patients suffering from pulmonary and extra-pulmonary forms of tuberculosis. We suggest that the obtained results allow the usage of the Raman spectroscopy as a fast diagnostic tool for determining various strains in clinical medical practice.

Platelet activation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular complications in patients with coronary and cerebrovascular ischemic disease. The most important task in the treatment and prevention such complications is the complete suppression of platelet activity. Inhibition of platelet aggregation is currently a key therapeutic approach in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular atherosclerotic origin. The development of new and more effective methods for prediction of the response of patients to antiplatelet therapy and its subsequent correction appears to be the most important task of modern physics, biophysics, and medicine. Platelets obtained from patient specimens have been investigated by Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with the diode-pumped solid-state laser (λ = 532 nm) on Au/Ti rough surfaces. As a result, a set of optimal experimental parameters for platelets discrimination have been determined. Platelet spectral data for healthy volunteers, healthy volunteers on antiplatelet therapy and individuals with cardiovascular pathology on antiplatelet therapy have been analyzed. We suggest that the obtained results allow the usage of the SERS as a diagnostic tool for determination of both inhibition of platelet aggregation and its structure conformation.

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