Noninvasive and label-free vibrational spectroscopy and microscopy methods have shown great potential for clinical diagnosis applications. Raman spectroscopy is based on inelastic light scattering due to rotational and vibrational modes of molecular bonds. It has been shown that Raman spectra provide chemical signatures of changes in biological tissues in different diseases, and this technique can be employed in label-free monitoring and clinical diagnosis of several diseases, including cardiovascular studies. However, there are very few literature reviews available to summarize the state of art and future applications of Raman spectroscopy in cardiovascular diseases, particularly cardiac hypertrophy. In addition to conventional clinical approaches such as electrocardiography (ECG), echocardiogram (cardiac ultrasound), positron emission tomography (PET), cardiac computed tomography (CT), and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), applications of vibrational spectroscopy and microscopy will provide invaluable information useful for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Various in vivo and ex vivo investigations can potentially be performed using Raman imaging to study and distinguish pathological and physiological cardiac hypertrophies and understand the mechanisms of other cardiac diseases. Here, we have reviewed the recent literature on Raman spectroscopy to study cardiovascular diseases covering investigations on the molecular, cellular, tissue, and organ level.

Phosphate is a major nonpoint source pollutant in both the Louisiana local streams as well as in the Gulf of Mexico coastal waters. Phosphates from agricultural run-off have contributed to the eutrophication of global surface waters. Phosphate environmental dissemination and eutrophication problems are not yet well understood. Thus, this study aimed to monitor phosphate in the local watershed to help identify potential hot spots in the local community (Mississippi River, Louisiana) that may contribute to nutrient loading downstream (in the Gulf of Mexico). An electrochemical method using a physical vapor deposited cobalt microelectrode was utilized for phosphate detection using cyclic voltammetry and amperometry. The testing results were utilized to evaluate the phosphate distribution in river water and characterize the performance of the microsensor. Various characterizations, including the limit of detection, sensitivity, and reliability, were conducted by measuring the effect of interferences, including dissolved oxygen, pH, and common ions. The electrochemical sensor performance was validated by comparing the results with the standard colorimetry phosphate detection method. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were performed to understand the phosphate sensing mechanism on the cobalt electrode. This proof-of-concept sensor chip could be utilized for on-field monitoring using a portable, hand-held potentiostat.

We introduce a novel method that provides quantitative lipidomics results from Raman maps in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) region of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rat brains.