This study investigates a photoacoustic/ultrasound dual-modality contrast agent, including extending its applications from image-contrast enhancement to combined diagnosis and therapy with site-specific targeting. The contrast agent comprises albumin-shelled microbubbles with encapsulated gold nanorods (AuMBs). The gas-filled microbubbles, whose diameters range from submicrometer to several mic...

We ablated porcine corneas with a free electron laser tuned to either 2.77 or 6.45 microm, two matched wavelengths that predominantly target water and protein, respectively. The ejected nonvolatile debris and the crater left behind were examined by circular dichroism, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy to characterize the postablation conformation of collagen proteins. We foun...

We describe a next-generation monoblock laser capable of greater than 10 mJ, 1.5 μm output at 10 pulses per second (PPS) over broad ambient temperature extremes with no active temperature control. The transmitter design is based on a Nd:YAG laser with a Cr 4+ passive Q-switch and intracavity KTP OPO. In order to achieve the repetition rate and efficiency goals of this effort, but still have wid...

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a major obstacle to treating several brain disorders. Focused ultrasound (FUS) in combination with intravascular microbubbles increases BBB permeability by opening tight junctions, creating endothelial cell openings, improving endocytosis and increasing transcytosis. Here we investigated whether combining FUS transferrin receptor-targeting liposomes would result...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Selective treatment of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) by repetitively applying green micros-laser pulses is a new method for retinal diseases associated with a degradation of the RPE, which spares the neural retina. We investigated an alternative approach to realize repetitive micros-laser exposure by rapidly scanning a continuous wave (CW)-laser beam across the ...

A study demonstrating how ultrafast laser radiation stimulates osteoblasts is presented. The study employed a custom made optical system that allowed for simultaneous confocal cell imaging and targeted femtosecond pulse laser irradiation. When femtosecond laser light was focused onto a single cell, a rise in intracellular Ca(2+) levels was observed followed by contraction of the targeted cell. ...

BACKGROUND While the understanding and technology of laser tattoo removal has advanced much over the last 5 decades, treatments and results remain far from perfect. With currently available devices, treatment courses are often painful and prolonged with mixed results. We describe the successful and rapid treatment of 12 tattoos containing blue and/or green pigment with a novel, picosecond, 755-...

Laser allows attackers to realize very efficient attacks which threaten the security of digital systems [FA06]. These attacks consist in using a laser to inject errors at specific times targeting specific components in the digital system. This digital system is a hardware architecture which executes a software application. The injected errors can then be propagated or masked, both by the hardwa...