MIR SPECTROSCOPY OF TISSUE

• US 20080269616A1
• Filed: 11/16/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bernhard B. Sterling, Matthew M. Bloom
• Original Assignee: Bernhard B. Sterling, Matthew M. Bloom
• Inventors: Sterling, Bernhard B., Bloom, Matthew M.
• Application Number:
  US11/941,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20080269616A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/475
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0075 by spectroscopy, i.e. measuring spectra, e.g. Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy A61B5/0071 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/444 Evaluating skin marks, e.g. mole, nevi, tumour, scar
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/445 Evaluating skin irritation or skin trauma, e.g. rash, eczema, wound, bed sore
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/35 using infrared light G01N21/39 takes precedence

Abstract

Disclosed are methods of determining long-term deposition pattern of a compound in tissue. The following steps can be followed: placing tissue against a receptor; directing mid-infrared electromagnetic radiation onto the tissue; quantifying the electromagnetic radiation that is reflected from the tissue to obtain a reflected amount; using a calibration equation to calculate the concentration of a compound from the reflected amount; and using the concentration of the compound to evaluate presence of a clinical condition in the tissue.

Claims

1. A method of accurately measuring body cholesterol levels without inaccuracies related to recent diet, the method comprising:

irradiating skin tissue with mid-infrared radiation to excite lipid molecules within superficial layers of the tissue;

measuring resulting mid-infrared radiation;

comparing the measured radiation to stored reference data to obtain correlation information; and

using the correlation information to determine body lipid levels without inaccuracies related to recent diet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring resulting mid-infrared radiation comprises measuring reflected mid-infrared radiation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring resulting mid-infrared radiation comprises measuring transmitted mid-infrared radiation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein irradiating skin tissue with mid-infrared radiation to excite lipid molecules within superficial layers of the tissue comprises irradiating skin tissue with mid-infrared radiation to excite all cholesterol molecules within superficial layers of the tissue.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein irradiating skin tissue with mid-infrared radiation to excite lipid molecules within superficial layers of the tissue comprises irradiating skin tissue with mid-infrared radiation to excite esterified cholesterol molecules within superficial layers of the tissue.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein irradiating skin tissue with mid-infrared radiation to excite lipid molecules within superficial layers of the tissue comprises irradiating skin tissue with mid-infrared radiation to excite free cholesterol molecules within superficial layers of the tissue.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein irradiating skin tissue with mid-infrared radiation to excite lipid molecules within superficial layers of the tissue comprises irradiating skin tissue with mid-infrared radiation to excite free fatty acids within superficial layers of the tissue.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein irradiating skin tissue with mid-infrared radiation to excite lipid molecules within superficial layers of the tissue comprises irradiating skin tissue with mid-infrared radiation to excite ceramides within superficial layers of the tissue.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a lipid level in a body to assess a disease.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein using the lipid level to assess a disease comprises using body cholesterol to diagnose psoriasis.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein using the lipid level to assess a disease comprises using esterified cholesterol to diagnose psoriasis.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein using the lipid level to assess a disease comprises using a ceramide to diagnose psoriasis.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein using the lipid level to assess a disease comprises using a free fatty acid level to diagnose psoriasis.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein using the lipid to assess a disease comprises using body cholesterol to assess risk of cardiovascular disease.

15. A method of determining a living body'"'"'s long-term deposition pattern of a compound, the method comprising:

placing skin of a living body against a receptor;

directing mid-infrared electromagnetic radiation onto the skin of the living body;

quantifying the electromagnetic radiation that is reflected from the skin to obtain a reflected amount;

using a calibration equation to calculate the concentration of a compound from the reflected amount; and

using the concentration of the compound to evaluate risk of a clinical condition.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein using a calibration equation to calculate the concentration of a compound from the reflected amount comprises using a least-squares best fit statistical comparison.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein using the concentration of the compound to evaluate risk of a clinical condition comprises using the concentration of the compound to evaluate risk of cardiovascular disease.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein using a calibration equation to calculate the concentration of a compound from the reflected amount comprises using a calibration equation to calculate the concentration of a lipid from the reflected amount

19. The method of claim 18, wherein using a calibration equation to calculate the concentration of a lipid from the reflected amount comprises using a calibration equation to calculate the concentration of cholesterol from the reflected amount.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein using the concentration of the compound to evaluate risk of a clinical condition comprises using an algorithm that indicates correlation between amount of the compound and presence of a medical condition.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein using the concentration of the compound to evaluate risk of a clinical condition comprises using an algorithm that indicates correlation between amount of the compound and severity of a medical condition.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein using the concentration of the compound to evaluate risk of a clinical condition comprises using an algorithm that indicates correlation between amount of the compound and risk of a developing a medical condition.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein using the concentration of the compound to evaluate risk of a clinical condition comprises using an algorithm that indicates correlation between amount of the compound and a prediction of success of a treatment for a medical condition.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein using the concentration of the compound to evaluate risk of a clinical condition comprises using an algorithm that indicates correlation between amount of the compound and a documentation of success of a treatment for a medical condition.

25. A method of testing for a type of cholesterol to diagnose a clinical condition, the method comprising:

preparing tissue;

placing a probe in proximity to tissue;

irradiating tissue with infrared radiation, thereby exciting molecules of a species in the tissue;

collecting resulting information from those molecules to determine a concentration of molecules of that species within the tissue; and

correlating the concentration to a clinical condition.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein preparing comprises scraping.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein preparing comprises cleaning.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein placing a probe in proximity to tissue comprises contacting the probe to the tissue.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein preparing tissue comprises preparing skin tissue and wherein irradiating tissue comprises irradiating the skin tissue.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein irradiating tissue with infrared radiation comprises irradiating tissue with mid-infrared radiation.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein correlating the concentration to a clinical condition comprises correlating the concentration to a propensity for a clinical condition.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein the tissue is skin, further comprising all of the same steps performed at least a second time on a second tissue portion located deeper in a subject'"'"'s skin.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein the tissue is skin, further comprising all of the same steps performed at least a second time on a second tissue portion located on the same skin level.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the steps are performed one time on skin affected by a dermatological condition and another time on skin unaffected by the dermatological condition.

35-75. -75. (canceled)