Needle Technology for Insulin Administration: A Century of Innovation

2021 ◽  
pp. 193229682110595
Author(s):  
Lutz Heinemann ◽  
Trung Nguyen ◽  
Timothy S. Bailey ◽  
Ahmed Hassoun ◽  
Bernd Kulzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Recombinant Dna ◽  
Subcutaneous Tissue ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Insulin Delivery ◽  
Injection Technique ◽  
Insulin Administration ◽  
Duration Of Action ◽  
History Of ◽  
Injection Technology

Innovations in syringe and pen needle (PN) technology over the last 100 years have led to important advances in insulin delivery for people with diabetes, paralleling the strides made in developing recombinant DNA human insulin and insulin analogs with varying onset and duration of action. In this review, the history of advances in insulin delivery is described, focusing on progress in syringe, needle, and PN technologies. The early glass and metal syringes that required sterilization by boiling have been replaced by disposable, single-use syringes or pens with clear labeling for precise insulin dosing. The early needles ranging in length from 19 to 26 mm that required manual sharpening against a whetstone have been replaced by syringe needles of 6 mm and PNs of 4 mm in length as slender as 34 gauge. Imaging studies using ultrasound and computed tomography measured the thickness of skin and subcutaneous tissue layers to show feasibility of targeted insulin administration with shorter needles. These developments, coupled with innovations in needle/PN wall and tip structure, have led to improved injection experience for people with diabetes. It is also important to acknowledge the role of injection technique education, together with these advances in injection technology, for improving clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. With continued projected growth of diabetes prevalence, particularly in developing countries where expensive and complex insulin delivery systems may not be practical, insulin syringes and pens will continue to serve as reliable and cost-effective means of insulin delivery for people with diabetes.

Biological control of arthropod pests: Traditional and emerging technologies

1988 ◽  
Vol 3 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 63-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorie A. Hoy
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Genetic Improvement ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Recombinant Dna ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Agricultural Crops ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Recombinant Dna Technology ◽  
History Of ◽  
Arthropod Pests

AbstractBiological control of arthropod pests has a long history of useful practical application. Parasites, predators, and pathogens have been employed in many cases to control pest arthropods in an efficient, cost-effective, and permanent manner. The traditional tactics used in biological control (classical, augmentation, and conservation) remain vital and valuable tools in the biological control of pests for agricultural crops, range lands, forests, and glasshouses. New technologies offer promise. One emerging technique involves the genetic improvement of natural enemies of arthropods through selection, hybridization, or recombinant DNA technology.

scholarly journals Unravelling the life history of Amazonian fishes through otolith microchemistry

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 160206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore W. Hermann ◽  
Donald J. Stewart ◽  
Karin E. Limburg ◽  
Leandro Castello
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Otolith Microchemistry ◽  
Simultaneous Increase ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Environmental Threats ◽  
Nursery Habitats ◽  
History Of ◽  
Migratory Strategies

Amazonian fishes employ diverse migratory strategies, but the details of these behaviours remain poorly studied despite numerous environmental threats and heavy commercial exploitation of many species. Otolith microchemistry offers a practical, cost-effective means of studying fish life history in such a system. This study employed a multi-method, multi-elemental approach to elucidate the migrations of five Amazonian fishes: two ‘sedentary’ species ( Arapaima sp. and Plagioscion squamosissimus ), one ‘floodplain migrant’ ( Prochilodus nigricans ) and two long-distance migratory catfishes ( Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii and B. filamentosum ). The Sr : Ca and Zn : Ca patterns in Arapaima were consistent with its previously observed sedentary life history, whereas Sr : Ca and Mn : Ca indicated that Plagioscion may migrate among multiple, chemically distinct environments during different life-history stages. Mn : Ca was found to be potentially useful as a marker for identifying Prochilodus 's transition from its nursery habitats into black water. Sr : Ca and Ba : Ca suggested that B. rousseauxii resided in the Amazon estuary for the first 1.5–2 years of life, shown by the simultaneous increase/decrease of otolith Sr : Ca/Ba : Ca, respectively. Our results further suggested that B. filamentosum did not enter the estuary during its life history. These results introduce what should be a productive line of research desperately needed to better understand the migrations of these unique and imperilled fishes.

Parallel Computing for Tire Simulations

2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 193-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Surendranath ◽  
M. Dunbar
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Rolling Contact ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Parallel Solvers ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Highly Nonlinear

Abstract Over the last few decades, finite element analysis has become an integral part of the overall tire design process. Engineers need to perform a number of different simulations to evaluate new designs and study the effect of proposed design changes. However, tires pose formidable simulation challenges due to the presence of highly nonlinear rubber compounds, embedded reinforcements, complex tread geometries, rolling contact, and large deformations. Accurate simulation requires careful consideration of these factors, resulting in the extensive turnaround time, often times prolonging the design cycle. Therefore, it is extremely critical to explore means to reduce the turnaround time while producing reliable results. Compute clusters have recently become a cost effective means to perform high performance computing (HPC). Distributed memory parallel solvers designed to take advantage of compute clusters have become increasingly popular. In this paper, we examine the use of HPC for various tire simulations and demonstrate how it can significantly reduce simulation turnaround time. Abaqus/Standard is used for routine tire simulations like footprint and steady state rolling. Abaqus/Explicit is used for transient rolling and hydroplaning simulations. The run times and scaling data corresponding to models of various sizes and complexity are presented.

Exploring the Benefits of Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) and the Mechanism for Automated 5D BIM Quantification Process in Offsite Modular Construction

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tochukwu Moses ◽  
David Heesom ◽  
David Oloke ◽  
Martin Crouch
Keyword(s):  
Effective Means ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Modular Construction ◽  
Automated Quantification ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Project Risks ◽  
Value Add ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Level 2

The UK Construction Industry through its Government Construction Strategy has recently been mandated to implement Level 2 Building Information Modelling (BIM) on public sector projects. This move, along with other initiatives is key to driving a requirement for 25% cost reduction (establishing the most cost-effective means) on. Other key deliverables within the strategy include reduction in overall project time, early contractor involvement, improved sustainability and enhanced product quality. Collaboration and integrated project delivery is central to the level 2 implementation strategy yet the key protocols or standards relative to cost within BIM processes is not well defined. As offsite construction becomes more prolific within the UK construction sector, this construction approach coupled with BIM, particularly 5D automated quantification process, and early contractor involvement provides significant opportunities for the sector to meet government targets. Early contractor involvement is supported by both the industry and the successive Governments as a credible means to avoid and manage project risks, encourage innovation and value add, making cost and project time predictable, and improving outcomes. The contractor is seen as an expert in construction and could be counter intuitive to exclude such valuable expertise from the pre-construction phase especially with the BIM intent of äóÖbuild it twiceäó», once virtually and once physically. In particular when offsite construction is used, the contractoräó»s construction expertise should be leveraged for the virtual build in BIM-designed projects to ensure a fully streamlined process. Building in a layer of automated costing through 5D BIM will bring about a more robust method of quantification and can help to deliver the 25% reduction in overall cost of a project. Using a literature review and a case study, this paper will look into the benefits of Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) and the impact of 5D BIM on the offsite construction process.

scholarly journals Genetic Analysis of a Cohort of 275 Patients with Hyper-IgE Syndromes and/or Chronic Mucocutaneous Candidiasis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Frede ◽  
Jessica Rojas-Restrepo ◽  
Andrés Caballero Garcia de Oteyza ◽  
Mary Buchta ◽  
Katrin Hübscher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Screening Method ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Clinical Findings ◽  
Genetic Defects ◽  
Chronic Mucocutaneous Candidiasis ◽  
Mucocutaneous Candidiasis ◽  
Serious Infections ◽  
History Of ◽  
Panel Sequencing

AbstractHyper-IgE syndromes and chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis constitute rare primary immunodeficiency syndromes with an overlapping clinical phenotype. In recent years, a growing number of underlying genetic defects have been identified. To characterize the underlying genetic defects in a large international cohort of 275 patients, of whom 211 had been clinically diagnosed with hyper-IgE syndrome and 64 with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, targeted panel sequencing was performed, relying on Agilent HaloPlex and Illumina MiSeq technologies. The targeted panel sequencing approach allowed us to identify 87 (32 novel and 55 previously described) mutations in 78 patients, which generated a diagnostic success rate of 28.4%. Specifically, mutations in DOCK8 (26 patients), STAT3 (21), STAT1 (15), CARD9 (6), AIRE (3), IL17RA (2), SPINK5 (3), ZNF341 (2), CARMIL2/RLTPR (1), IL12RB1 (1), and WAS (1) have been detected. The most common clinical findings in this cohort were elevated IgE (81.5%), eczema (71.7%), and eosinophilia (62.9%). Regarding infections, 54.7% of patients had a history of radiologically proven pneumonia, and 28.3% have had other serious infections. History of fungal infection was noted in 53% of cases and skin abscesses in 52.9%. Skeletal or dental abnormalities were observed in 46.2% of patients with a characteristic face being the most commonly reported feature (23.1%), followed by retained primary teeth in 18.9% of patients. Targeted panel sequencing provides a cost-effective first-line genetic screening method which allows for the identification of mutations also in patients with atypical clinical presentations and should be routinely implemented in referral centers.

scholarly journals Recipes for recombining DNA: A history of Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual

BJHS Themes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 225-243
Author(s):  
Angela N.H. Creager
Keyword(s):  
Gene Cloning ◽  
Molecular Cloning ◽  
Recombinant Dna ◽  
Laboratory Manual ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
History Of ◽  
Laboratory Manuals ◽  
Late Twentieth ◽  
Cold Spring

AbstractLaboratory instructions and recipes are sometimes edited into books with a wide circulation. Even in the late twentieth century, publications of this nature remained influential. For example, protocols from a 1980 summer course on gene cloning at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory provided the basis for a bestselling laboratory manual by Tom Maniatis, Ed Fritsch and Joe Sambrook. Not only did the Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual become a standard reference for molecular biologists (commonly called the ‘bible’), but also its recipes and clear instructions made gene cloning and recombinant DNA technologies accessible to non-specialists. Consequently, this laboratory manual contributed to the rapid spread of genetic-engineering techniques throughout the life sciences, as well as in industry. As is often the case with how-to books, however, finding a way to update methods in this rapidly changing field posed a challenge, and various molecular-biology reference books had different ways of dealing with knowledge obsolescence. This paper explores the origins of this manual, its publication history, its reception and its rivals – as well as the more recent migration of such laboratory manuals to the Internet.

scholarly journals mRNA-Based Vaccines

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 390
Author(s):  
Frank Kowalzik ◽  
Daniel Schreiner ◽  
Christian Jensen ◽  
Daniel Teschner ◽  
Stephan Gehring ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Clinical Applications ◽  
Cell Mediated Immunity ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Emerging Pathogens ◽  
Cell Genome

Increases in the world’s population and population density promote the spread of emerging pathogens. Vaccines are the most cost-effective means of preventing this spread. Traditional methods used to identify and produce new vaccines are not adequate, in most instances, to ensure global protection. New technologies are urgently needed to expedite large scale vaccine development. mRNA-based vaccines promise to meet this need. mRNA-based vaccines exhibit a number of potential advantages relative to conventional vaccines, namely they (1) involve neither infectious elements nor a risk of stable integration into the host cell genome; (2) generate humoral and cell-mediated immunity; (3) are well-tolerated by healthy individuals; and (4) are less expensive and produced more rapidly by processes that are readily standardized and scaled-up, improving responsiveness to large emerging outbreaks. Multiple mRNA vaccine platforms have demonstrated efficacy in preventing infectious diseases and treating several types of cancers in humans as well as animal models. This review describes the factors that contribute to maximizing the production of effective mRNA vaccine transcripts and delivery systems, and the clinical applications are discussed in detail.

scholarly journals Coronary risk of patients with valvular heart disease: prospective validation of CT-Valve Score

Open Heart ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. e001380
Author(s):  
Rasmus Bo Hasselbalch ◽  
Mia Marie Pries-Heje ◽  
Sarah Louise Kjølhede Holle ◽  
Thomas Engstrøm ◽  
Merete Heitmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Disease ◽  
Valvular Heart Disease ◽  
Primary Outcome ◽  
Multislice Ct ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Before And After ◽  
History Of ◽  
Artery Disease

ObjectiveTo prospectively validate the CT-Valve score, a new risk score designed to identify patients with valvular heart disease at a low risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) who could benefit from multislice CT (MSCT) first instead of coronary angiography (CAG).MethodsThis was a prospective cohort study of patients referred for valve surgery in the Capital Region of Denmark and Odense University Hospital from the 1 February 2015 to the 1 February 2017. MSCT was implemented for patients with a CT-Valve score ≤7 at the referring physician’s discretion. Patients with a history of CAD or chronic kidney disease were excluded. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients needing reevaluation with CAG after MSCT and risk of CAD among the patients determined to be low to intermediate risk.ResultsIn total, 1149 patients were included. The median score was 9 (IQR 3) and 339 (30%) had a score ≤7. MSCT was used for 117 patients. Of these 29 (25%) were reevaluated and 9 (7.7%) had CAD. Of the 222 patients with a score ≤7 that did not receive an MSCT, 14 (6%) had significant CAD. The estimated total cost of evaluation among patients with a score ≤7 before implementation was €132 093 compared with €79 073 after, a 40% reduction. Similarly, estimated total radiation before and after was 608 mSv and 362 mSv, a 41% reduction. Follow-up at a median of 32 months (18–48) showed no ischaemic events for patients receiving only MSCT.ConclusionThe CT-Valve score is a valid method for determining risk of CAD among patients with valvular heart disease. Using a score ≤7 as a cut-off for the use of MSCT is safe and cost-effective.

The Mae on Project: Using Acupuncture for Symptom Relief and Improved Quality of Life for People Living with Hiv and Aids in Rural Thailand

2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Louie ◽  
Nopporn Pathanapornpandh ◽  
Unchalee Pultajuk ◽  
Robert Kaplan ◽  
Ian Hodgson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Symptom Relief ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Related Symptom ◽  
History Of ◽  
Living With Hiv

Acupuncture in combination with antiretroviral therapies is a potentially useful treatment for HIV-related symptom relief in resource-poor settings. Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of being used to enhance immune function. In the setting of HIV, Chinese traditional medicine allows for symptom treatment without adding extra medications to a complex drug regime. This paper provides details of a project at Mae On Hospital in rural northern Thailand where allopathic/conventional treatments are used in tandem with acupuncture. A preliminary evaluation of the project suggests that an integrated approach to symptom relief is viewed positively by respondents receiving acupuncture, though further studies are required to confirm the association between acupuncture and symptom relief. The project also demonstrates the feasibility of developing a cost-effective acupuncture programme using local healthcare staff.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document