scholarly journals “Scentsor”: A Whole-Cell Yeast Biosensor with an Olfactory Reporter for Low-Cost and Equipment-Free Detection of Pharmaceuticals

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel A. Miller ◽  
Seryeong Lee ◽  
Ethan J. Fridmanski ◽  
Elsa Barron ◽  
Julia Pence ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Dosage Forms ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Whole Cell ◽  
Pharmaceutical Quality ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Expensive Equipment ◽  
Best Estimate ◽  
Human Volunteers ◽  
Analytical Tools

ABSTRACTPortable and inexpensive analytical tools are required to monitor pharmaceutical quality in technology limited settings including low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Whole cell yeast biosensors have the potential to help meet this need. However, most of the read-outs for yeast biosensors require expensive equipment or reagents. To overcome this challenge, we have designed a yeast biosensor that produces a unique scent as a readout. This inducible scent biosensor, or “scentsor,” does not require the user to administer additional reagents for reporter development and utilizes only the user’s nose to be “read.” In this manuscript, we describe a scentsor that is responsive to the hormone estradiol (E2). The best estimate threshold (BET) for E2 detection with a panel of human volunteers (n = 49) is 39 nM E2 (15 nM when “non-smellers” are excluded). This concentration of E2 is sensitive enough to detect levels of E2 that would be found in dosage forms. This manuscript provides evidence that scent has potential for use in portable yeast biosensors as a read out, particularly for use in technology-limited environments.

Development of a paper-immobilized yeast biosensor for the detection of physiological concentrations of doxycycline in technology-limited settings

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 2123-2132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel A. Miller ◽  
Galen Brown ◽  
Elsa Barron ◽  
Jamie L. Luther ◽  
Marya Lieberman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Dosage Forms ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Immobilized Yeast ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Low And Middle Income

To combat pharmaceutical counterfeiting in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), there is a need for improved low-cost, portable methods that monitor pharmaceutical concentrations relevant to dosage forms and physiological fluids.

scholarly journals Barriers to training in laparoscopic surgery in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review

2021 ◽  
pp. 004947552199818
Author(s):  
Ellen Wilkinson ◽  
Noel Aruparayil ◽  
J Gnanaraj ◽  
Julia Brown ◽  
David Jayne
Keyword(s):  
Laparoscopic Surgery ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Surgical Care ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Local Access ◽  
And Training ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Laparoscopic surgery has the potential to improve care in resource-deprived low- and-middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aims to analyse the barriers to training in laparoscopic surgery in LMICs. Medline, Embase, Global Health and Web of Science were searched using ‘LMIC’, ‘Laparoscopy’ and ‘Training’. Two researchers screened results with mutual agreement. Included papers were in English, focused on abdominal laparoscopy and training in LMICs. PRISMA guidelines were followed; 2992 records were screened, and 86 full-text articles reviewed to give 26 key papers. Thematic grouping identified seven key barriers: funding; availability and maintenance of equipment; local access to experienced laparoscopic trainers; stakeholder dynamics; lack of knowledge on effective training curricula; surgical departmental structure and practical opportunities for trainees. In low-resource settings, technological advances may offer low-cost solutions in the successful implementation of laparoscopic training and improve access to surgical care.

scholarly journals Neurosurgical digital teaching in low-middle income countries: beyond the frontiers of traditional education

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. E17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Nicolosi ◽  
Zefferino Rossini ◽  
Ismail Zaed ◽  
Angelos G. Kolias ◽  
Maurizio Fornari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Scientific Validity ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Poor Countries ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Standard Education ◽  
Low Middle Income Countries ◽  
Learning Programs

OBJECTIVENeurosurgical training is usually based on traditional sources of education, such as papers, books, direct surgical experience, and cadaveric hands-on courses. In low-middle income countries, standard education programs are often unavailable, mainly owing to the lack of human and economic resources. Introducing digital platforms in these settings could be an alternative solution for bridging the gap between Western and poor countries in neurosurgical knowledge.METHODSThe authors identified from the Internet the main digital platforms that could easily be adopted in low-middle income countries. They selected free/low-cost mobile content with high educational impact.RESULTSThe platforms that were identified as fulfilling the characteristics described above are WFNS Young Neurosurgeons Forum Stream, Brainbook, NeuroMind, UpSurgeOn, The Neurosurgical Atlas, Touch surgery, The 100 UCLA Subjects in Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Survival Guide, EANS (European Association of Neurosurgical Societies) Academy, Neurosurgical.TV, 3D Neuroanatomy, The Rhoton Collection, and Hinari. These platforms consist of webinars, 3D interactive neuroanatomy and neurosurgery content, videos, and e-learning programs supported by neurosurgical associations or journals.CONCLUSIONSDigital education is an emerging tool for contributing to the spread of information in the neurosurgical community. The continuous improvement in the quality of content will rapidly increase the scientific validity of digital programs. In conclusion, the fast and easy access to digital resources could contribute to promote neurosurgical education in countries with limited facilities.

scholarly journals Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnostics Must Be Globally Accessible

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Nicholas Clute-Reinig ◽  
Suman Jayadev ◽  
Kristoffer Rhoads ◽  
Anne-Laure Le Ny
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
High Income ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Disease Diagnostics ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are global health crises, with most affected individuals living in low- or middle-income countries. While research into diagnostics and therapeutics remains focused exclusively on high-income populations, recent technological breakthroughs suggest that low-cost AD diagnostics may soon be possible. However, as this disease shifts onto those with the least financial and structural ability to shoulder its burden, it is incumbent on high-income countries to develop accessible AD healthcare. We argue that there is a scientific and ethical mandate to develop low-cost diagnostics that will not only benefit patients in low-and middle-income countries but the AD field as a whole.

SmartKC

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Siddhartha Gairola ◽  
Murtuza Bohra ◽  
Nadeem Shaheer ◽  
Navya Jayaprakash ◽  
Pallavi Joshi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Step Method ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Large Populations ◽  
Pixel Location ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Working Distance ◽  
Fitting In

Keratoconus is a severe eye disease affecting the cornea (the clear, dome-shaped outer surface of the eye), causing it to become thin and develop a conical bulge. The diagnosis of keratoconus requires sophisticated ophthalmic devices which are non-portable and very expensive. This makes early detection of keratoconus inaccessible to large populations in low-and middle-income countries, making it a leading cause for partial/complete blindness among such populations. We propose SmartKC, a low-cost, smartphone-based keratoconus diagnosis system comprising of a 3D-printed placido's disc attachment, an LED light strip, and an intelligent smartphone app to capture the reflection of the placido rings on the cornea. An image processing pipeline analyzes the corneal image and uses the smartphone's camera parameters, the placido rings' 3D location, the pixel location of the reflected placido rings and the setup's working distance to construct the corneal surface, via the Arc-Step method and Zernike polynomials based surface fitting. In a clinical study with 101 distinct eyes, we found that SmartKC achieves a sensitivity of 87.8% and a specificity of 80.4%. Moreover, the quantitative curvature estimates (sim-K) strongly correlate with a gold-standard medical device (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.77). Our results indicate that SmartKC has the potential to be used as a keratoconus screening tool under real-world medical settings.

scholarly journals Affordable stroke therapy in high-, low- and middle-income countries: From Theradrive to Rehab CARES, a compact robot gym

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 205566831770873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Jillian Johnson ◽  
Roshan Rai ◽  
Sarath Barathi ◽  
Rochelle Mendonca ◽  
Karla Bustamante-Valles
Keyword(s):  
Stroke Rehabilitation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Stroke Therapy ◽  
Robot Assisted ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Improve Access

Affordable technology-assisted stroke rehabilitation approaches can improve access to rehabilitation for low-resource environments characterized by the limited availability of rehabilitation experts and poor rehabilitation infrastructure. This paper describes the evolution of an approach to the implementation of affordable, technology-assisted stroke rehabilitation which relies on low-cost mechatronic/robot devices integrated with off-the-shelf or custom games. Important lessons learned from the evolution and use of Theradrive in the USA and in Mexico are briefly described. We present how a stronger and more compact version of the Theradrive is leveraged in the development of a new low-cost, all-in-one robot gym with four exercise stations for upper and lower limb therapy called Rehab Community-based Affordable Robot Exercise System (Rehab C.A.R.E.S). Three of the exercise stations are designed to accommodate versions of the 1 DOF haptic Theradrive with different custom handles or off-the-shelf commercial motion machine. The fourth station leverages a unique configuration of Wii-boards. Overall, results from testing versions of Theradrive in USA and Mexico in a robot gym suggest that the resulting presentation of the Rehab C.A.R.E.S robot gym can be deployed as an affordable computer/robot-assisted solution for stroke rehabilitation in developed and developing countries.

Low-Cost Bubble-CPAP Treatment of a Severe Case of Pneumonia in a Low- and Middle-Income Country: A Case Report on the Importance of Optimizing Bubble-CPAP Setup

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Søren Vinther Larsen ◽  
Anja Poulsen
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Severe Case ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Efficient Delivery ◽  
Bubble Cpap ◽  
Two Parameters ◽  
Lower Respiratory Disease ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Abstract A homemade low-cost bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) setup can be created using resources available at most secondary healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This setup has the potential of saving millions of children’s lives worldwide; however, treatment failure due to bCPAP setup insufficiencies and lack of educated staff remains a significant obstacle. Here, we report a first-hand experience on the use of an established low-cost bCPAP setup to be used in LMICs and how optimization of two parameters was critical to effectively treat a severe case of lower respiratory disease in a 6-month-old infant in Tanzania. We report this case to strengthen that reducing the resistance in the tube system and minimizing air leakage at the nasal interface are crucial for efficient delivery of the CPAP therapy.

scholarly journals A Low-Cost, Easy-to-Assemble Device to Prevent Infant Hyperthermia under Conditions of High Thermal Stress

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 13382
Author(s):  
Ramon Farré ◽  
Miguel A. Rodríguez-Lázaro ◽  
Anh Tuan Dinh-Xuan ◽  
Martí Pons-Odena ◽  
Daniel Navajas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
High Ambient Temperature ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Climatic Chamber ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Novel Device ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Temperature And Humidity

High ambient temperature and humidity greatly increase the risk of hyperthermia and mortality, particularly in infants, who are especially prone to dehydration. World areas at high risk of heat stress include many of the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where most of their inhabitants have no access to air conditioning. This study aimed to design, evaluate, and test a novel low-cost and easy-to-assemble device aimed at preventing the risk of infant hyperthermia in LMICs. The device is based on optimizing negative heat transfer from a small amount of ice and transferring it directly to the infant by airflow of refrigerated air. As a proof of concept, a device was assembled mainly using recycled materials, and its performance was assessed under laboratory-controlled conditions in a climatic chamber mimicking realistic stress conditions of high temperature and humidity. The device, which can be assembled by any layperson using easily available materials, provided sufficient refrigerating capacity for several hours from just 1–2 kg of ice obtained from a domestic freezer. Thus, application of this novel device may serve to attenuate the adverse effects of heat stress in infants, particularly in the context of the evolving climatic change trends.

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