Purpose: Low level laser therapy (LLLT) in the visible to near infrared spectral band (390–1100 nm) is absorption of laser light at the electronic level, without generation of heat. It may be applied in a wide range of treatments including wound healing, inflammation and pain reduction. Despite its potential beneficial impacts, the use of lasers for therapeutic purposes still remains controversial in mainstream medicine. Whilst taking into account the physical characteristics of different qualities of lasers, this review aims to provide a comprehensive account of the current literature available in the field pertaining to their potential impact at cellular and molecular levels elucidating mechanistic interactions in different mammalian models. The review also aims to focus on the integral approach of the optimal characteristics of LLLT that suit a biological system target to produce the beneficial effect at the cellular and molecular levels. Methods: Recent research articles were reviewed that explored the interaction of lasers (coherent sources) and LEDs (incoherent sources) at the molecular and cellular levels. Results: It is envisaged that underlying mechanisms of beneficial impact of lasers to patients involves biological processes at the cellular and molecular levels. The biological impact or effects of LLLT at the cellular and molecular level could include cellular viability, proliferation rate, as well as DNA integrity and the repair of damaged DNA. This review summarizes the available information in the literature pertaining to cellular and molecular effects of lasers. Conclusions: It is suggested that a change in approach is required to understand how to exploit the potential therapeutic modality of lasers whilst minimizing its possible detrimental effects.

Globally, oral cancer kills an estimated 150,000 individuals per year, with 300,000 new cases being diagnosed annually. The high incidence rate of oral cancer among the South‐Asian and American populations is majorly due to overuse of tobacco, alcohol, and poor dental hygiene. Additionally, socio‐economic issues and lack of general awareness delay the primary screening of the disease. The availability of early screening techniques for oral cancer can help in carving out a niche for accurate disease prognosis and also its prevention. However, conventional diagnostic approaches and therapeutics are still far from optimal. Thus, enhancing the analytical performance of diagnostic platforms in terms of specificity and precision can help in understanding the disease progression paradigm. Fabrication of efficient nanoprobes that are sensitive, noninvasive, cost‐effective, and less labor‐intensive can reduce the global cancer burden. Recent advances in optical, electrochemical, and spectroscopy‐based nano biosensors that employ noble and superparamagnetic nanoparticles, have been proven to be extremely efficient. Further, these sensitive nanoprobes can also be employed for predicting disease relapse after chemotherapy, when the majority of the biomarker load is eliminated. Herein, we provide the readers with a brief summary of conventional and new‐age oral cancer detection techniques. A comprehensive understanding of the inherent challenges associated with conventional oral cancer detection techniques is discussed. We also elaborate on how nanoparticles have shown tremendous promise and effectiveness in radically transforming the approach toward oral cancer detection.This article is categorized under: Diagnostic Tools > Biosensing Diagnostic Tools > Diagnostic Nanodevices Diagnostic Tools > In Vitro Nanoparticle‐Based Sensing

Polymer residue from Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) on transferred graphene is a common issue for graphene devices. This residue affects the properties of graphene. Herein, we have introduced an improved technique to reduce the effect of this residue by deep UV (DUV) exposure of PMMA coated graphene samples within the wet transfer process. This technique has systematically been evaluated by optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrical measurements. The results show that this residue is effectively reduced on the graphene surface after DUV treatment. In addition, the electrical characteristics of transferred graphene confirm that the sheet resistance and contact resistance are reduced by about 60 and 80%, respectively, after the DUV exposure. Electrical current transport characteristics also show that minimizing this residue on the graphene surface gives less hysteresis of electronic transport in back-gate graphene field-effect transistors. Furthermore, repeating electrical tests and aging shift the neutral point voltage of graphene. We attribute these improvements to cleaving of the chemical bonds in PMMA by DUV exposure and hence increasing the solubility of PMMA in acetone for subsequent processing steps. This work provides a unique route to enhance the electrical properties of transferred graphene after the fabrication process.

In this work, we developed a sandwich DNA-immunosensor for quantification of the methylated tumour suppressor gene O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), which is a potential biomarker for brain tumours and breast cancer. The biosensor is based on aminated reduced graphene oxide electrode, which is achieved by ammonium hydroxide chemisorption and anti-5-methylcytosine (anti-5mC) as a methylation bioreceptor. The target single-strand (ss) MGMT oligonucleotide is first recognised by its hybridisation with complementary DNA to form double-stranded (ds) MGMT, which is then captured by anti-5mC on the electrode surface due to the presence of methylation. Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were used to characterise the electrode surface. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques were used for electrochemical measurements. Under optimised conditions, the proposed biosensor is able to quantify a linear range of concentrations of the MGMT gene from 50 fM to 100 pM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 12 fM. The sandwich design facilitates the simultaneous recognition and quantification of DNA methylation, and the amination significantly improves the sensitivity of the biosensor. This biosensor is label-, bisulfite- and PCR-free and has a simple design for cost-efficient production. It can also be tailor-made to detect other methylated genes, which makes it a promising detection platform for DNA methylation-related disease diagnosis and prognosis.

In order to utilise PZT thin films for MEMS applications it is essential to optimise the d ₃₁ coefficient in order to maximise actuation efficiency. The d ₃₁ coefficient, which can be optimised by the poling process, should be different for films of different orientation. PZT thin films of , and have been deposited onto platinised silicon, their d ₃₁ coefficient measured and their effectiveness as microactuators compared and evaluated.