Cellular remains in a ~3.42-billion-year-old subseafloor hydrothermal environment

Subsurface habitats on Earth host an extensive extant biosphere and likely provided one of Earth's earliest microbial habitats. Although the site of life's emergence continues to be debated, evidence of early life provides insights into its early evolution and metabolic affinity. Here, we present the discovery of exceptionally well-preserved, ~3.42-billion-year-old putative filamentous microfossils that inhabited a paleo-subseafloor hydrothermal vein system of the Barberton greenstone belt in South Africa. The filaments colonized the walls of conduits created by low-temperature hydrothermal fluid. Combined with their morphological and chemical characteristics as investigated over a range of scales, they can be considered the oldest methanogens and/or methanotrophs that thrived in an ultramafic volcanic substrate.

Microfluidic Pneumatic Cages: A Novel Approach for In-chip Crystal Trapping, Manipulation and Controlled Chemical Treatment

The precise localization and controlled chemical treatment of structures on a surface are significant challenges for common laboratory technologies. Herein, we introduce a microfluidic-based technology, employing a double-layer microfluidic device, which can trap and localize in situ and ex situ synthesized structures on microfluidic channel surfaces. Crucially, we show how such a device can be used to conduct controlled chemical reactions onto on-chip trapped structures and we demonstrate how the synthetic pathway of a crystalline molecular material and its positioning inside a microfluidic channel can be precisely modified with this technology. This approach provides new opportunities for the controlled assembly of structures on surface and for their subsequent treatment.

Bottom-up on-crystal in-chip formation of a conducting salt and a view of its restructuring: from organic insulator to conducting "switch" through microfluidic manipulation

The chemical modification of an immobilized single crystal in a fluid cell is reported, whereby a material with switching functions is generated in situ by generating a chemical reagent in the flow. Crystals of the insulating organic crystal of TCNQ (tetracyanoquinodimethane) were grown in a microfluidic channel and were trapped using a pneumatic valve, a nascent technique for materials manipulation. They were subsequently reduced using solution-deposited silver to provide a conducting material in situ by a heterogeneous reaction. Removal of the new material from the chip proved it to be the silver salt of reduced TCNQ. Uniquely, conducting atomic force microscope (CAFM) studies show three regions in the solid. The localized original neutral organic material crystal is shown to be an insulator but to produce areas with Ohmic conducting characteristics after reduction. This inhomogeneous doping provides an opportunity for probing electrical materials properties side by side. Measurements with the CAFM witness this conducting material where the TCNQ is fully transformed to the silver salt. Additionally, an intermediate phase is observed that exhibits bipolar resistive switching typical of programmable resistive memories. Raman microscopy proves the conversion of the material in specific regions and clearly defines the intermediate phase region that could be responsible for the switching effect in related materials. This kind of "on crystal chemistry" exploiting immobilization and masking by a pneumatic clamp in a microfluidic channel shows how material can be selectively converted to give different functionalities in the same material piece, even though it is not a single crystal to single crystal conversion, and beckons exploitation for the preparation of systems relevant for molecular electronics as well as other areas where chemical manipulation of single crystals could be beneficial.

Nanoscale chemical imaging of Bacillus subtilis spores by combining tip-enhanced Raman scattering and advanced statistical tools

Tip-enhanced Raman Scattering (TERS) has recently emerged as a powerful spectroscopic technique capable of providing subdiffraction morphological and chemical information on samples. In this work, we apply TERS spectroscopy for surface analysis of the Bacillus subtilis spore, a very attractive biosystem for a wide range of applications regulated by the spore surface properties. The observed spectra reflect the complex and heterogeneous environment explored by the plasmonic tip, therefore exhibiting significant point-to-point variations at the nanoscale. Herein, we demonstrate that TERS data processing via principal component analysis allows handling such spectral changes, thus enabling an unbiased correlative imaging based on TERS. Our experimental outcomes suggest a denser arrangement of both proteins and carbohydrates on specific spore surface regions simultaneously revealed by AFM phase imaging. Successful TERS analysis of spores' surface is useful for bacterial surface-display systems and drug delivery applications.

Raman spectroscopy and imaging: applications in human breast cancer diagnosis

The applications of spectroscopic methods in cancer detection open new possibilities in early stage diagnostics. Raman spectroscopy and Raman imaging represent novel and rapidly developing tools in cancer diagnosis. In the study described in this paper Raman spectroscopy has been employed to examine noncancerous and cancerous human breast tissues of the same patient. The most significant differences between noncancerous and cancerous tissues were found in regions characteristic for the vibrations of carotenoids, lipids and proteins. Particular attention was paid to the role played by unsaturated fatty acids in the differentiation between the noncancerous and the cancerous tissues. Comparison of Raman spectra of the noncancerous and the cancerous tissues with the spectra of oleic, linoleic, α-linolenic, γ-linolenic, docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids has been presented. The role of sample preparation in the determination of cancer markers is also discussed in this study.

Detection of nano-oxidation sites on the surface of hemoglobin crystals using tip-enhanced Raman scattering

Hemoglobin nanocrystals were analyzed with tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS), surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) and conventional resonance Raman scattering (RRS) using 532 nm excitation. The extremely high spatial resolution of TERS enables selective enhancement of heme, protein, and amino acid bands from the crystal surface not observed in the SERRS or RRS spectra. Two bands appearing at 1378 and 1355 cm(-1) assigned to the ferric and ferrous oxidation state marker bands, respectively, were observed in both TERS and SERRS spectra but not in the RRS spectrum of the bulk sample. The results indicate that nanoscale oxidation changes are occurring at the hemoglobin crystal surface. These changes could be explained by oxygen exchange at the crystal surface and demonstrate the potential of the TERS technique to obtain structural information not possible with conventional Raman microscopy.

Analgesic techniques in minor painful procedures in neonatal units: a survey in northern Italy

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this survey was to evaluate the current practice regarding pain assessment and pain management strategies adopted in commonly performed minor painful procedures in Northern Italian Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs).

METHODS

A multicenter survey was conducted between 2008 and 2009 in 35 NICUs. The first part of the survey form covered pain assessment tools, the timing of analgesics, and the availability of written guidelines. A second section evaluated the analgesic strategies adopted in commonly performed painful procedures. The listed analgesic procedures were as follows: oral sweet solutions alone, non-nutritive sucking (NNS) alone, a combination of sweet solutions and NNS, breast-feeding where available, and topical anesthetics.

RESULTS

Completed questionnaires were returned from 30 neonatal units (85.7% response rate). Ten of the 30 NICUs reported using pain assessment tools for minor invasive procedures. Neonatal Infant Pain Scale was the most frequently used pain scale (60%). Twenty neonatal units had written guidelines directing pain management practices. The most frequently used procedures were pacifiers alone (69%), followed by sweet-tasting solutions (58%). A 5% glucose solution was the most frequently utilized sweet-tasting solution (76.7%). A minority of NICUs (16.7%) administered 12% sucrose solutions for analgesia and the application of topical anesthetics was found in 27% of NICUs while breast-feeding was performed in 7% of NICUs.

DISCUSSION

This study found a low adherence to national and international guidelines for analgesia in minor procedures: the underuse of neonatal pain scales (33%), sucrose solution administration before heel lance (23.3%), topical anesthetics before venipuncture, or other analgesic techniques. The presence of written pain control guidelines in these regions of Northern Italy increased in recent years (from 25% to 66%).

Distinction of nucleobases - a tip-enhanced Raman approach

The development of novel DNA sequencing methods is one of the ongoing challenges in various fields of research seeking to address the demand for sequence information. However, many of these techniques rely on some kind of labeling or amplification steps. Here we investigate the intrinsic properties of tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) towards the development of a novel, label-free, direct sequencing method. It is known that TERS allows the acquisition of spectral information with high lateral resolution and single-molecule sensitivity. In the presented experiments, single stranded adenine and uracil homopolymers were immobilized on different kinds of substrates (mica and gold nanoplates) and TERS experiments were conducted, which demonstrated the reproducibility of the technique. To elucidate the signal contributions from the specific nucleobases, TERS spectra were collected on single stranded calf thymus DNA with arbitrary sequence. The results show that, while the Raman signals with respect to the four nucleobases differ remarkably, specific markers can be determined for each respective base. The combination of sensitivity and reproducibility shows that the crucial demands for a sequencing procedure are met.

Tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) from hemozoin crystals within a sectioned erythrocyte

Tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) is a powerful technique to obtain molecular information on a nanometer scale, however, the technique has been limited to cell surfaces, viruses, and isolated molecules. Here we show that TERS can be used to probe hemozoin crystals at less than 20 nm spatial resolution in the digestive vacuole of a sectioned malaria parasite-infected cell. The TERS spectra clearly show characteristic bands of hemozoin that can be correlated to a precise position on the crystal by comparison with the corresponding atomic force microscopy (AFM) image. These are the first recorded AFM images of hemozoin crystals inside malaria-infected cells and clearly show the hemozoin crystals protruding from the embedding medium. TERS spectra recorded of these crystals show spectral features consistent with a five-coordinate high-spin ferric heme complex, which include the electron density marker band ν(4) at 1373 cm(-1) and other porphyrin skeletal and ring breathing modes at approximately 1636, 1557, 1412, 1314, 1123, and 1066 cm(-1). These results demonstrate the potential of the AFM/TERS technique to obtain nanoscale molecular information within a sectioned single cell. We foresee this approach paving the way to a new independent drug screening modality for detection of drugs binding to the hemozoin surface within the digestive vacuole of the malaria trophozoite.

Perspectives for spatially resolved molecular spectroscopy--Raman on the nanometer scale

Nano-objects and cellular components are of great interest in biological sciences. Tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) is a tool that allows addressing of such features for structural investigations without the need of further labelling. After brief introduction to the basic aspects of the technique an overview of present application of TERS is given. For this contribution we picked TERS experiments with emphasis on its application in life sciences. Based on these experiments, the future perspective of this analytical method and its limitations is discussed.

Bacterial counts of intestinal Lactobacillus species in infants with colic

Intestinal colonization by lactobacilli is suggested to be a prerequisite to normal mucosal immune functions. An inadequate level of lactobacilli may be involved in appearance of allergic disease of which, infantile colic, is often considered an early clinical manifestation. The aim of the study is to evaluate intestinal lactobacilli in breast-fed infants with infantile colic and healthy infants. Fifty-six breast-fed infants, aged 15-60 days were enrolled in the study and divided into two groups: colicky (30 cases) and healthy (26 cases) according to Wessel's criteria. Stool samples were collected, diluted and cultured on selective media. The colonies were counted, reported as colony forming unit (cfu) per gram of faeces and identified by biochemical methods. Different colonization patterns of lactobacilli were found among colicky and healthy infants. Lactobacillus brevis (4.34 x 10(8) cfu/g) and L. lactis lactis (2.51 x 10(7) cfu/g) were found only in colicky infants while L. acidophilus (2.41 x 10(7) cfu/g) was found only in healthy infants. Lactobacillus brevis and L. lactis lactis might be involved in the pathogenesis of infantile colic increasing meteorism and abdominal distension. Further studies are required to understand how the observed differences may be involved in the pathogenesis of this common disorder.