During a haemodialysis (HD), because of the contact of blood with the surface of the dialyser, the immune system becomes activated and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are released into plasma. Particularly exposed to the ROS are lipids and proteins contained in plasma, which undergo peroxidation. The main breakdown product of oxidized lipids is the malondialdehyde (MDA). A common method for measuring the concentration of MDA is a thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) method. Despite the formation of MDA in plasma during HD, its concentration decreases because it is removed from the blood in the dialyser. Therefore, this research proposes the Fourier Transform Infrared Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy, which enables determination of primary peroxidation products. We examined the influence of the amount of hydrogen peroxide added to lipid suspension that was earlier extracted from plasma specimen on lipid peroxidation with use of TBARS and FTIR-ATR methods. Linear correlation between these methods was shown. The proposed method was effective during the evaluation of changes in the extent of lipid peroxidation in plasma during a haemodialysis in sheep. A measurement using the FTIR-ATR showed an increase in plasma lipid peroxidation after 15 and 240 minutes of treatment, while the TBARS concentration was respectively lower.

The aim of our experiments was to characterise and to validate the osmotic fragility test when applied to human blood samples with no significant alterations of osmotic fragility but with a differentiating shape of the haemolysis curve. All experiments were carried out on human erythrocytes taken from the Regional Centre of Blood Donation and Blood Therapy in Wrocław. The washed erythrocytes were exposed to near-infrared radiation (NIR) or ozonated, and the osmotic fragility test was applied. The osmotic fragility, calculated from the experimental haemolysis curve for the control and cells irradiated for 15 min, is the same within the empirical error. Calculation of the first derivative of the haemolysis curve allowed us to visualise the changes in osmotic fragility distribution after exposure to NIR. By contrast, significant changes both to the osmotic fragility value and the distribution of osmotic properties were observed after an erythrocytes ozonation procedure. Description of cell osmotic properties requires at least two parameters—the value of osmotic fragility and the slope of the haemolysis curve in the region where absorbance sharply increases due to cell haemolysis.

The application of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) for neuronal stimulation is studied in different animal models and in humans, and has shown to improve cerebral metabolic activity and blood flow, and provide neuroprotection via anti-inflammatory and antioxidant pathways. Recently, intranasal PBMT (i-PBMT) has become an attractive and potential method for the treatment of brain conditions. Herein, we provide a summary of different intranasal light delivery approaches including a nostril-based portable method and implanted deep-nasal methods for the effective systemic or direct irradiation of the brain. Nostril-based i-PBMT devices are available, using either lasers or light emitting diodes (LEDs), and can be applied either alone or in combination to transcranial devices (the latter applied directly to the scalp) to treat a wide range of brain conditions such as mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, cerebrovascular diseases, depression and anxiety as well as insomnia. Evidence shows that nostril-based i-PBMT improves blood rheology and cerebral blood flow, so that, without needing to puncture blood vessels, i-PBMT may have equivalent results to a peripheral intravenous laser irradiation procedure. Up to now, no studies were conducted to implant PBMT light sources deep within the nose in a clinical setting, but simulation studies suggest that deep-nasal PBMT via cribriform plate and sphenoid sinus might be an effective method to deliver light to the ventromedial part of the prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex. Home-based i-PBMT, using inexpensive LED applicators, has potential as a novel approach for neurorehabilitation; comparative studies also testing sham, and transcranial PBMT are warranted.