Gold nanorods (AuNR) can be tailored to possess an intense and narrow longitudinal plasmon (LP) absorption peak in the far-red to near-infrared wavelength region, where tissue is relatively transparent to light. This makes AuNRs excellent candidates as contrast agents for photoacoustic imaging, and as photothermal therapeutic agents. The favorable optical properties of AuNR which depend on the physical parameters of shape, size and plasmonic coupling effects, are required to be stable during use. We investigate the changes that are likely to occur in these physical parameters in the setting of photothermal therapeutics, and the influence that these changes have on the optical properties and the capacity to achieve target cell death. To this end we study 3 sets of interactions: pulsed light with AuNR, AuNR with cells, and pulsed light with cells incubated with AuNR. In the first situation we ascertain the threshold value of fluence required for photothermal melting or reshaping of AuNR to shorter AuNR or nanospheres, which results in drastic changes in optical properties. In the second situation when cells are exposed to antibody-conjugated AuNR, we observe using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) that the particles are closely packed and clustered inside vesicles in the cells. Using dark-field microscopy we show that plasmonic interactions between AuNRs in this situation causes blue-shifting of the LP absorption peak. As a consequence, no direct lethal damage to cells can be inflicted by laser irradiation at the LP peak. On the other hand, using irradiation at the transverse peak (TP) wavelength in the green, at comparative fluences, extensive cell death can be achieved. We attribute this behavior on the one hand to the photoreshaping of AuNR into spheres and on the other hand to clustering of AuNR inside cells. Both effects create sufficiently high optical absorption at 532 nm, which otherwise would have been present at the LP peak. We discuss implications of these finding on the application of these particles in biomedicine.
ObjectiveTo develop and prospectively evaluate a method of epileptic seizure detection combining heart rate and movement.MethodsIn this multicenter, in-home, prospective, video-controlled cohort study, nocturnal seizures were detected by heart rate (photoplethysmography) or movement (3-D accelerometry) in persons with epilepsy and intellectual disability. Participants with >1 monthly major seizure wore a bracelet (Nightwatch) on the upper arm at night for 2 to 3 months. Major seizures were tonic-clonic, generalized tonic >30 seconds, hyperkinetic, or others, including clusters (>30 minutes) of short myoclonic/tonic seizures. The video of all events (alarms, nurse diaries) and 10% completely screened nights were reviewed to classify major (needing an alarm), minor (needing no alarm), or no seizure. Reliability was tested by interobserver agreement. We determined device performance, compared it to a bed sensor (Emfit), and evaluated the caregivers’ user experience.ResultsTwenty-eight of 34 admitted participants (1,826 nights, 809 major seizures) completed the study. Interobserver agreement (major/no major seizures) was 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65–0.89). Median sensitivity per participant amounted to 86% (95% CI 77%–93%); the false-negative alarm rate was 0.03 per night (95% CI 0.01–0.05); and the positive predictive value was 49% (95% CI 33%–64%). The multimodal sensor showed a better sensitivity than the bed sensor (n = 14, median difference 58%, 95% CI 39%–80%, p < 0.001). The caregivers' questionnaire (n = 33) indicated good sensor acceptance and usability according to 28 and 27 participants, respectively.ConclusionCombining heart rate and movement resulted in reliable detection of a broad range of nocturnal seizures.
We have synthesized and characterized gold nanoparticles (spheres and rods) with optical extinction bands within the “optical imaging window.” The intense plasmon resonant driven absorption and scattering peaks of these nanoparticles make them suitable as contrast agents for optical imaging techniques. Further, we have conjugated these gold nanoparticles to a mouse monoclonal antibody specific to HER2 overexpressing SKBR3 breast carcinoma cells. The bioconjugation protocol uses noncovalent modes of binding based on a combination of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions of the antibody and the gold surface. We discuss various aspects of the synthesis and bioconjugation protocols and the characterization results of the functionalized nanoparticles. Some proposed applications of these potential molecular probes in the field of biomedical imaging are also discussed.
Gold nanorods have interesting optical properties due to surface plasmon resonance effects. A variety of biomedical applications of these particles have been envisaged and feasibilities demonstrated in imaging, sensing, and therapy based on the interactions of light with these particles. In order to correctly interpret experimental data and tailor the nanorods and their environments for optimal use in these applications, simulations of the optical properties of the particles under various conditions are essential. Of various numerical methods available, the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) approach implemented in the publicly available DDSCAT code is a powerful method that had proved popular for studying gold nanorods. However, there is as yet no universal agreement on the shape used to represent the nanorods and on the dielectric function of gold required for the simulations. We systematically study the influence of these parameters on simulated results. We find large variations in the position of plasmon resonance peaks, their amplitudes, and shapes of the spectra depending on the choice of the parameters. We discuss these in the light of experimental optical extinction spectra of gold nanorods synthesized in our laboratory. We show that much care should be taken and prudence applied before DDA results be used to interpret experimental data and to help characterize nanoparticles synthesized.
Recent reports [Smith and Korgel Langmuir 2008, 24, 644-649 and Smith et al. Langmuir 2009, 25, 9518-9524] have implicated certain hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) products with iodide impurities, in the failure of a seed-mediated, silver and surfactant-assisted growth protocol, to produce gold nanorods. We used two of the three "suspect" CTAB products and a "good" CTAB product in the protocol, varying silver nitrate solutions in the growth solutions. We obtained excellent gold nanorod samples as witnessed in signature longitudinal plasmon peaks in optical extinction spectra, which we substantiated using electron microscopy. Analysis of these samples using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) failed to detect iodide. We subsequently learnt from discussions with Smith et al. that different lot numbers within the same product had been analyzed by our respective laboratories. We can conclude that iodide impurities can vary significantly from lot to lot within a product, to such an extent that there is no guarantee that gold nanorods can be synthesized with one or other CTAB product. Conversely, labeling a CTAB product, identified by a product number or supplier name, as one whose use precludes the formation of nanorods, is also hasty.
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