Photon emission in tumor biology

Modelling biophoton emission kinetics based on the initial intensity value in Helianthus annuus plants exposed to different types of stress

Biophoton radiation also referred to as ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) is used to denote a spontaneous and permanent photon emission associated with oxidative processes in cells and seems to universally occur in all living systems as a result of the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are produced under stress conditions. The measurement of this biophoton emission allows for a non-invasive approach in monitoring phenological stages throughout plant development which has direct relevance in agriculture research. In this study, the emission of photons emanating from sunflower (Helianthus annuus, L.) plants exposed to biotic and abiotic stress has been investigated. In healthy plants raised under controlled growth conditions UPE was low whereas in stressed individuals it considerably increased; particularly upon water stress. The kinetics of the signal is shown to reveal an exponential decay with characteristic dynamics, which appears to reflect different physiological states concomitantly setting in upon stress. The dynamics of the signal decay is shown to vary according to the type of stress applied (biotic vs. abiotic) hence suggesting a putative relationship between the kinetic traits of change in the signal intensity-decay and stress. Intriguingly, the determination of the change in the intensity of biophoton emission that ensued in a short time course was possible by using the initial biophoton emission intensity. The predictability level of the equations demonstrated the applicability of the model in a corroborative manner when employing it in independent UPE-measurements, thus permitting to forecast the intensity change in a very accurate way over a short time course. Our findings allow the notion that albeit stress confers complex and complicated changes on oxidative metabolism in biological systems, the employment of biophoton imaging offers a feasible method making it possible to monitor oxidative processes triggered by stress in a non-invasive and label-free way which has versatile applications especially in precision agriculture.

Inverse relationship between photon flux densities and nanotesla magnetic fields over cell aggregates: Quantitative evidence for energetic conservation

The quantitative relationship between local changes in magnetic fields and photon emissions within ∼2 mm of aggregates of 10(5)-10(6) cells was explored experimentally. The vertical component of the earth's magnetic field as measured by different magnetometers was ∼15 nT higher when plates of cells removed from incubation were measured compared to plates containing only medium. Additional experiments indicated an inverse relationship over the first ∼45 min between changes in photon counts (∼10(-12) W·m(-2)) following removal from incubation and similar changes in magnetic field intensity. Calculations indicated that the energy within the aqueous volume containing the cells was equivalent for that associated with the flux densities of the magnetic fields and the photon emissions. For every approximately 1 nT increase in magnetic field intensity value there was a decrease of ∼2 photons (equivalent of 10(-18) J). These results complement correlation studies and suggest there may be a conservation of energy between expression as magnetic fields that are subtracted or added to the adjacent geomagnetic field and reciprocal changes in photon emissions when aggregates of cells within a specific volume of medium (water) adapt to new environments.

Endogenous electromagnetic fields in plant leaves: a new hypothesis for vascular pattern formation

Electromagnetic (EM) phenomena have long been implicated in biological development, but few detailed, practical mechanisms have been put forth to connect electromagnetism with morphogenetic processes. This work describes a new hypothesis for plant leaf veination, whereby an endogenous electric field forming as a result of a coherent Frohlich process, and corresponding to an EM resonant mode of the developing leaf structure, is capable of instigating leaf vascularisation. In order to test the feasibility of this hypothesis, a three-dimensional, EM finite-element model (FEM) of a leaf primordium was constructed to determine if suitable resonant modes were physically possible for geometric and physical parameters similar to those of developing leaf tissue. Using the FEM model, resonant EM modes with patterns of relevance to developing leaf vein modalities were detected. On account of the existence of shared geometric signatures in a leaf's vascular pattern and the electric field component of EM resonant modes supported by a developing leaf structure, further theoretical and experimental investigations are warranted. Significantly, this hypothesis is not limited to leaf vascular patterning, but may be applicable to a variety of morphogenetic phenomena in a number of living systems.

Measurements of spontaneous ultraweak photon emission and delayed luminescence from human cancer tissues

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to measure spontaneous photon emission (SPE) and delayed luminescence (DL) from various human cancer tissues.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A photomultiplier tube attached to a dark chamber was used for the detection of ultraweak photon emission from cancer tissues in the chamber. The samples were illuminated with a 150 W metal halide lamp for the measurement of delayed luminescence. Frozen tissues were provided by the hospitals and preserved in saline solution in a CO2 incubator for 1 hour before starting the measurement of spontaneous photon emission. We successively measured the afterglows from the samples after 30-second irradiation of the lamp. The samples were divided into two groups: tumor tissues and normal tissues around tumor tissues. We presented experimental data and interpreted their characteristic patterns of spontaneous photon emission and delayed luminescence.

RESULTS

Mean values of spontaneous photon emissions from the normal tissues and the tumor tissues were measured with the standard errors of the mean as 625 +/- 419 counts/minute/cm2 (n = 6) and 982 +/- 513 counts/minute/cm2 (n = 14), respectively. Peak values of the intensity of delayed luminescence from normal and cancerous tissues were 63 +/- 20 counts/ms (n = 6) and 48 +/- 12 counts/ms (n = 14).

CONCLUSIONS

The intensity of spontaneous photon emissions from cancer tissues were mostly discriminated from those of normal tissues, and their delayed luminescent properties were investigated.

Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Stimulation May Lead to Regression of Morris Hepatoma in Buffalo Rats

OBJECTIVE

The influence of low-frequency electromagnetic (LF-EM) waves on the processes of carcinogenesis and tumor growth has been the subject of experimental investigations for more than two decades and the results are promising. In parallel, an interesting method of complementary medicine, biophysical-information therapy (BIT) or bioresonance therapy (BRT), which in principle is based on LF-EM stimulation, has emerged. BRT has been known since the late 1980s but is still poorly studied. The idea of applying BRT to tumors is based on two main premises: (1) endogenous biophotonic emission in the case of tumors is different from that produced by healthy tissues/cells and (2) BRT effects are believed to be primarily manifested at the immune-system level. Consequently, we decided to study the influence of BRT on a dynamic and well-known process: the expansion of transplantable hepatoma in rats.

DESIGN

The study was carried out on female Buffalo rats with implanted Morris tumors (three experimental and one control group). Fourteen (14) consecutive in vivo exposures using a BRT device (BICOM B15, REGUMED Regulative Medizintechnik Gmbh, Graefelfing, Germany), were made from the third day after inoculation of the tumors. Biometric observations, intra vitam (tumor volume, growth ratio), were completed with histologic investigation (implantation locus, selected internal organs [lungs]).

RESULTS

Thirty-one (31) cases (69%; n = 45) of total tumor regression were observed in experimental groups and these individuals were anesthetized to enable histologic verification to be made. No lung metastases--usually observed in tumor-bearers--could be detected. Moreover, in the inoculation loci, traces of former implantation and tumor absorption were found to be associated with high activity of cell-mediated immune response. No regressions were observed in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

We cannot exclude the possibility that LF-EM signals transmitted via BRT into the tumor-bearers may stimulate two separate processes: effective immunological response and/or tumor-cell death. The method appears to be capable of inducing the regression of transplantable hepatoma in vivo, thus is a potential subject of further studies.

Consciousness and Quantum Information Processing: Uncovering the Foundation for a Medicine of Light

Great progress has been made by Russian and German researchers in recent years (Popp, Voeikov, and others) to examine the biophysical aspects of biophotonic processes in humans. This paper suggests that there is a many-body reality to the way biophysical light interacts with the human self-organization of information that may be achieved by means of biomolecular, metabolic, or neural communication. These systems may merge as mobile energy relay systems similar to what is seen as qi processes in acupuncture science, suggesting a "holomovement" that seeks to confirm itself and increasingly retrieves and uses only the information that serves its exchanges with the environment. This coevolution of evolutionary process levels, expressed in process terms, can be seen as a foundation for a Medicine of Light integrating hidden variables in consciousness studies with functional differentiation and new findings in the biologic sciences.

Bioelectromagnetics in morphogenesis

Understanding the factors that allow biological systems to reliably self-assemble consistent, highly complex, four dimensional patterns on many scales is crucial for the biomedicine of cancer, regeneration, and birth defects. The role of chemical signaling factors in controlling embryonic morphogenesis has been a central focus in modern developmental biology. While the role of tensile forces is also beginning to be appreciated, another major aspect of physics remains largely neglected by molecular embryology: electromagnetic fields and radiations. The continued progress of molecular approaches to understanding biological form and function in the post genome era now requires the merging of genetics with functional understanding of biophysics and physiology in vivo. The literature contains much data hinting at an important role for bioelectromagnetic phenomena as a mediator of morphogenetic information in many contexts relevant to embryonic development. This review attempts to highlight briefly some of the most promising (and often underappreciated) findings that are of high relevance for understanding the biophysical factors mediating morphogenetic signals in biological systems. These data originate from contexts including embryonic development, neoplasm, and regeneration.

Ultraweak biophoton emission imaging of transplanted bladder cancer

Biophoton emission or spontaneous ultraweak light emission has been observed from almost all living organisms, with intensities ranging from 10(-19) to 10(-16) W/cm2. The measurement of biophoton emission offers the attractive possibility of noninvasive monitoring of the underlying physiological function of a living system. In the present study, ultraweak biophoton emission from mice with transplanted bladder cancer was detected by a two-dimensional photon-counting system. Photon counts were observed to be 1.51-4.73 times higher from the regions of untreated tumor than from normal regions. Our study suggests that this novel technique may be applicable to the diagnosis of superficial tumors.