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X-ray Spectroscopy in Life Sciences
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X-ray Spectroscopy in Life Sciences

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biophysics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2023) | Viewed by 7335

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Malvina Orkoula

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, GR26504 Patras, Greece
Interests: Raman microscopy and imaging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid development of X-ray techniques in recent years, have given new perspectives on the studies in life sciences. Trace elements which play an essential role in biological processes can be detected by the fluorescence of X-rays. The structure of biomolecules is revealed using detailed X-ray diffraction data. Phase-contrast X-ray imaging provides precise visualization of joints like knee and hip with simultaneous detail of the underline bone. Cancer diagnosis and subsequent clinical decision on therapy as well as treatment monitoring are assisted by radiographs and computed tomography. This special issue wishes to depict the role of X-rays spectrometry techniques as well as their recent advances on the characterization and study of biological systems. Manuscripts dealing with X-ray imaging techniques applications on the study of biomolecules, tissues, trace elements, diseases and their diagnosis are welcome.

Dr. Malvina Orkoula
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • X-ray imaging
  • tissues
  • bone
  • cartilage
  • trace elements
  • biomolecules
  • computed tomography
  • CT-scan
  • diseases
  • cancer
  • X-ray fluorescence
  • synchrotron

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 4875 KiB  
Article
Insights into Plastic Degradation Processes in Marine Environment by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Study
by Tiziano Di Giulio, Giuseppe Egidio De Benedetto, Nicoletta Ditaranto, Cosimino Malitesta and Elisabetta Mazzotta
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(10), 5060; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25105060 - 7 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2822
Abstract
The present study employs X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to analyze plastic samples subjected to degradation processes with the aim to gain insight on the relevant chemical processes and disclose fragmentation mechanisms. Two model plastics, namely polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene (PE), are selected and [...] Read more.
The present study employs X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to analyze plastic samples subjected to degradation processes with the aim to gain insight on the relevant chemical processes and disclose fragmentation mechanisms. Two model plastics, namely polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene (PE), are selected and analyzed before and after artificial UV radiation-triggered weathering, under simulated environmental hydrodynamic conditions, in fresh and marine water for different time intervals. The object of the study is to identify and quantify chemical groups possibly evidencing the occurrence of hydrolysis and oxidation reactions, which are the basis of degradation processes in the environment, determining macroplastic fragmentation. Artificially weathered plastic samples are analyzed also by Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy. Changes in surface chemistry with weathering are revealed by XPS, involving the increase in chemical moieties (hydroxyl, carbonyl, and carboxyl functionalities) which can be correlated with the degradation processes responsible for macroplastic fragmentation. On the other hand, the absence of significant modifications upon plastics weathering evidenced by Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy confirms the importance of investigating plastics surface, which represents the very first part of the materials exposed to degradation agents, thus revealing the power of XPS studies for this purpose. The XPS data on experimentally weathered particles are compared with ones obtained on microplastics collected from real marine environment for investigating the occurring degradation processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue X-ray Spectroscopy in Life Sciences)
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10 pages, 1937 KiB  
Article
Scattering of Attosecond Laser Pulses on a DNA Molecule during Its Nicking and Bending
by Dmitry Makarov and Anastasia Kharlamova
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(21), 15574; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242115574 - 25 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1191
Abstract
It is well known that X-ray crystallography is based on X-ray diffraction (XRD) for atoms and molecules. The diffraction pattern arises as a result of scattering of incident radiation, which makes it possible to determine the structure of the scattering substance. With the [...] Read more.
It is well known that X-ray crystallography is based on X-ray diffraction (XRD) for atoms and molecules. The diffraction pattern arises as a result of scattering of incident radiation, which makes it possible to determine the structure of the scattering substance. With the advent of ultrashort radiation sources, the theory and interpretation of X-ray diffraction analysis have remained the same. This work shows that when an attosecond laser pulse is scattered on a DNA molecule, including during its nicking and bending, the pulse duration is an important characteristic of the scattering. In this case, the diffraction pattern changes significantly compared to the previously known scattering theory. The results obtained must be used in XRD theory to study DNA structures, their mutations and damage, since the previously known theory can produce large errors and, therefore, the DNA structure can be “decoding” incorrectly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue X-ray Spectroscopy in Life Sciences)
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Review

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10 pages, 584 KiB  
Review
Review of Development and Recent Advances in Biomedical X-ray Fluorescence Imaging
by Theresa Staufer and Florian Grüner
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(13), 10990; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241310990 - 1 Jul 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2624
Abstract
The use of X-rays for non-invasive imaging has a long history, which has resulted in several well-established methods in preclinical as well as clinical applications, such as tomographic imaging or computed tomography. While projection radiography provides anatomical information, X-ray fluorescence analysis allows quantitative [...] Read more.
The use of X-rays for non-invasive imaging has a long history, which has resulted in several well-established methods in preclinical as well as clinical applications, such as tomographic imaging or computed tomography. While projection radiography provides anatomical information, X-ray fluorescence analysis allows quantitative mapping of different elements in samples of interest. Typical applications so far comprise the identification and quantification of different elements and are mostly located in material sciences, archeology and environmental sciences, whereas the use of the technique in life sciences has been strongly limited by intrinsic spectral background issues arising in larger objects, so far. This background arises from multiple Compton-scattering events in the objects of interest and strongly limits the achievable minimum detectable marker concentrations. Here, we review the history and report on the recent promising developments of X-ray fluorescence imaging (XFI) in preclinical applications, and provide an outlook on the clinical translation of the technique, which can be realized by reducing the above-mentioned intrinsic background with dedicated algorithms and by novel X-ray sources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue X-ray Spectroscopy in Life Sciences)
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