scholarly journals Recent advances in nanoplasmonic biosensors: applications and lab-on-a-chip integration

Nanophotonics ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo A. Lopez ◽  
M.-Carmen Estevez ◽  
Maria Soler ◽  
Laura M. Lechuga
Keyword(s):  
Point Of Care ◽  
Lab On A Chip ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Optical Biosensor ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Localized Surface Plasmon ◽  
Interesting Candidate ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Development And Validation

AbstractMotivated by the recent progress in the nanofabrication field and the increasing demand for cost-effective, portable, and easy-to-use point-of-care platforms, localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) biosensors have been subjected to a great scientific interest in the last few years. The progress observed in the research of this nanoplasmonic technology is remarkable not only from a nanostructure fabrication point of view but also in the complete development and integration of operative devices and their application. The potential benefits that LSPR biosensors can offer, such as sensor miniaturization, multiplexing opportunities, and enhanced performances, have quickly positioned them as an interesting candidate in the design of lab-on-a-chip (LOC) optical biosensor platforms. This review covers specifically the most significant achievements that occurred in recent years towards the integration of this technology in compact devices, with views of obtaining LOC devices. We also discuss the most relevant examples of the use of the nanoplasmonic biosensors for real bioanalytical and clinical applications from assay development and validation to the identification of the implications, requirements, and challenges to be surpassed to achieve fully operative devices.

scholarly journals Microfluidics as an Emerging Platform for Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): A Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sammer-ul Hassan ◽  
Xunli Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Bacterial Resistance ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Droplet Microfluidics ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Testing Tools ◽  
Antibiotics Use ◽  
Increasing Demand

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microbes become resistant to antibiotics causing complications and limited treatment options. AMR is more significant where antibiotics use is excessive or abusive and the strains of bacteria become resistant to antibiotic treatments. Current technologies for bacteria and its resistant strains identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) are mostly central-lab based in hospitals, which normally take days to weeks to get results. These tools and procedures are expensive, laborious and skills based. There is an ever-increasing demand for developing point-of-care (POC) diagnostics tools for rapid and near patient AMR testing. Microfluidics, an important and fundamental technique to develop POC devices, has been utilized to tackle AMR in healthcare. This review mainly focuses on the current development in the field of microfluidics for rapid AMR testing. Method: Due to the limitations of conventional AMR techniques, microfluidic-based platforms have been developed for better understandings of bacterial resistance, smart AST and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing tools and development of new drugs. This review aims to summarize the recent development of AST and MIC testing tools in different formats of microfluidics technology. Results: Various microfluidics devices have been developed to combat AMR. Miniaturization and integration of different tools has been attempted to produce handheld or standalone devices for rapid AMR testing using different formats of microfluidics technology such as active microfluidics, droplet microfluidics, paper microfluidics and capillary-driven microfluidics. Conclusion: Current conventional AMR detection technologies provide time-consuming, costly, labor-intensive and central lab-based solutions, limiting their applications. Microfluidics has been developed for decades and the technology has emerged as a powerful tool for POC diagnostics of antimicrobial resistance in healthcare providing, simple, robust, cost-effective and portable diagnostics. The success has been reported in research articles; however, the potential of microfluidics technology in tackling AMR has not been fully achieved in clinical settings.

scholarly journals Nanotechnology-Based Approaches for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ritika Gupta ◽  
Poonam Sagar ◽  
Nitesh Priyadarshi ◽  
Sunaina Kaul ◽  
Rajat Sandhir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Point Of Care ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Diagnostic Techniques ◽  
Localized Surface Plasmon ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Diagnostic Systems ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Low Sensitivity

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as a pandemic has been validated as an extreme clinical calamity and has affected several socio-economic activities globally. Proven transmission of this virus occurs through airborne droplets from an infected person. The recent upsurge in the number of infected individuals has already exceeded the number of intensive care beds available to patients. These extraordinary circumstances have elicited the need for the development of diagnostic tools for the detection of the virus and, hence, prevent the spread of the disease. Early diagnosis and effective immediate treatment can reduce and prevent an increase in the number of cases. Conventional methods of detection such as quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and chest computed tomography scans have been used extensively for diagnostic purposes. However, these present several challenges, including prolonged assay requirements, labor-intensive testing, low sensitivity, and unavailability of these resources in remote locations. Such challenges urgently require fast, sensitive, and accurate diagnostic techniques for the timely detection and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections. Point-of-care biosensors that include paper- and chip-based diagnostic systems are rapid, cost-effective, and user friendly. In this article nanotechnology-based potential biosensors for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis are discussed with particular emphasis on a lateral flow assay, a surface-enhanced Raman scattering-based biosensor, a localized surface plasmon resonance-based biosensor, Förster resonance energy transfer, an electrochemical biosensor, and artificial intelligence-based biosensors. Several biomolecules, such as nucleic acids, antibodies/enzymes, or aptamers, can serve as potential detection molecules on an appropriate platform, such as graphene oxide, nanoparticles, or quantum dots. An effective biosensor can be developed by using appropriate combinations of nanomaterials and technologies.

Teletinnitus Program at the VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-29
Author(s):  
Constance Hilory Tomberlin
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Care System

There are a multitude of reasons that a teletinnitus program can be beneficial, not only to the patients, but also within the hospital and audiology department. The ability to use technology for the purpose of tinnitus management allows for improved appointment access for all patients, especially those who live at a distance, has been shown to be more cost effective when the patients travel is otherwise monetarily compensated, and allows for multiple patient's to be seen in the same time slots, allowing for greater access to the clinic for the patients wishing to be seen in-house. There is also the patient's excitement in being part of a new technology-based program. The Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System (GCVHCS) saw the potential benefits of incorporating a teletinnitus program and began implementation in 2013. There were a few hurdles to work through during the beginning organizational process and the initial execution of the program. Since the establishment of the Teletinnitus program, the GCVHCS has seen an enhancement in patient care, reduction in travel compensation, improvement in clinic utilization, clinic availability, the genuine excitement of the use of a new healthcare media amongst staff and patients, and overall patient satisfaction.

“Aspirin - resistance”? A few critical considerations on definition, terminology, diagnosis, clinical value, natural course of atherosclerotic disease, and therapeutic consequences

VASA ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 429-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Berent ◽  
Sinzinger
Keyword(s):  
Platelet Function ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Aspirin Resistance ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Platelet Function Tests ◽  
Clinical Value ◽  
Vascular Events ◽  
Therapeutic Consequences ◽  
Function Tests

Based upon various platelet function tests and the fact that patients experience vascular events despite taking acetylsalicylic acid (ASA or aspirin), it has been suggested that patients may become resistant to the action of this pharmacological compound. However, the term “aspirin resistance” was created almost two decades ago but is still not defined. Platelet function tests are not standardized, providing conflicting information and cut-off values are arbitrarily set. Intertest comparison reveals low agreement. Even point of care tests have been introduced before appropriate validation. Inflammation may activate platelets, co-medication(s) may interfere significantly with aspirin action on platelets. Platelet function and Cox-inhibition are only some of the effects of aspirin on haemostatic regulation. One single test is not reliable to identify an altered response. Therefore, it may be more appropriate to speak about “treatment failure” to aspirin therapy than using the term “aspirin resistance”. There is no evidence based justification from either the laboratory or the clinical point of view for platelet function testing in patients taking aspirin as well as from an economic standpoint. Until evidence based data from controlled studies will be available the term “aspirin resistance” should not be further used. A more robust monitoring of factors resulting in cardiovascular events such as inflammation is recommended.

The Role of Economic Evaluation in Dissemination and Implementation Research

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramesh Raghavan
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Dissemination And Implementation ◽  
Economic Point ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Public Health Organizations ◽  
Quality Health ◽  
Dissemination And Implementation Research

This chapter presents an overview of how D&I research can be evaluated from an economic point of view. Dissemination and implementation imposes costs upon knowledge purveyors, provider organizations, public health organizations, and payers (including governments). However, whether these added costs will result in improved service delivery and, perhaps more importantly, client outcomes and improvements in population health remain as open questions. If emerging studies reveal that defined implementation strategies are more cost effective than “usual” implementation, then policymakers and service providers will need to resource these added costs of implementation in order to assure the success and sustainability of high-quality health services over the long term.

scholarly journals Making sense of rapid antigen testing in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) diagnostics

Diagnosis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Mattiuzzi ◽  
Brandon M. Henry ◽  
Giuseppe Lippi
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Molecular Testing ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Skilled Personnel ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Antigen Testing ◽  
Care Availability

AbstractAlthough the most effective strategy for preventing or containing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreaks relies on early diagnosis, the paramount and unprecedented number of tests needed to fully achieve this target is overwhelming worldwide testing supply and capacity. Molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in nasopharyngeal swabs is still considered the reference diagnostic approach. Nonetheless, identification of SARS-CoV-2 proteins in upper respiratory tract specimens and/or saliva by means of rapid (antigen) immunoassays is emerging as a promising screening approach. These tests have some advantages compared to molecular analysis, such as point of care availability, no need of skilled personnel and dedicated instrumentation, lower costs and short turnaround time. However, these advantages are counterbalanced by lower diagnostic sensitivity compared to molecular testing, which would only enable to identifying patients with higher SARS-CoV-2 viral load. The evidence accumulated to-date has hence persuaded us to develop a tentative algorithm, which would magnify the potential benefits of rapid antigen testing in SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics.

scholarly journals Aptamer-Based Diagnostic Systems for the Rapid Screening of TB at the Point-of-Care

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1352
Author(s):  
Darius Riziki Martin ◽  
Nicole Remaliah Sibuyi ◽  
Phumuzile Dube ◽  
Adewale Oluwaseun Fadaka ◽  
Ruben Cloete ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Sputum Smear ◽  
Diagnostic Systems ◽  
Molecular Tests ◽  
Rapid Tests

The transmission of Tuberculosis (TB) is very rapid and the burden it places on health care systems is felt globally. The effective management and prevention of this disease requires that it is detected early. Current TB diagnostic approaches, such as the culture, sputum smear, skin tuberculin, and molecular tests are time-consuming, and some are unaffordable for low-income countries. Rapid tests for disease biomarker detection are mostly based on immunological assays that use antibodies which are costly to produce, have low sensitivity and stability. Aptamers can replace antibodies in these diagnostic tests for the development of new rapid tests that are more cost effective; more stable at high temperatures and therefore have a better shelf life; do not have batch-to-batch variations, and thus more consistently bind to a specific target with similar or higher specificity and selectivity and are therefore more reliable. Advancements in TB research, in particular the application of proteomics to identify TB specific biomarkers, led to the identification of a number of biomarker proteins, that can be used to develop aptamer-based diagnostic assays able to screen individuals at the point-of-care (POC) more efficiently in resource-limited settings.

scholarly journals Longitudinal remotely mentored self-performed lung ultrasound surveillance of paucisymptomatic Covid-19 patients at risk of disease progression

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew W. Kirkpatrick ◽  
Jessica L. McKee ◽  
John M. Conly
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Lung Ultrasound ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Vital Signs ◽  
Home Monitoring ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Vital Signs Monitoring ◽  
Ultrasound Probes

AbstractCOVID-19 has impacted human life globally and threatens to overwhelm health-care resources. Infection rates are rapidly rising almost everywhere, and new approaches are required to both prevent transmission, but to also monitor and rescue infected and at-risk patients from severe complications. Point-of-care lung ultrasound has received intense attention as a cost-effective technology that can aid early diagnosis, triage, and longitudinal follow-up of lung health. Detecting pleural abnormalities in previously healthy lungs reveal the beginning of lung inflammation eventually requiring mechanical ventilation with sensitivities superior to chest radiographs or oxygen saturation monitoring. Using a paradigm first developed for space-medicine known as Remotely Telementored Self-Performed Ultrasound (RTSPUS), motivated patients with portable smartphone support ultrasound probes can be guided completely remotely by a remote lung imaging expert to longitudinally follow the health of their own lungs. Ultrasound probes can be couriered or even delivered by drone and can be easily sterilized or dedicated to one or a commonly exposed cohort of individuals. Using medical outreach supported by remote vital signs monitoring and lung ultrasound health surveillance would allow clinicians to follow and virtually lay hands upon many at-risk paucisymptomatic patients. Our initial experiences with such patients are presented, and we believe present a paradigm for an evolution in rich home-monitoring of the many patients expected to become infected and who threaten to overwhelm resources if they must all be assessed in person by at-risk care providers.

scholarly journals 3D printed microfluidic lab-on-a-chip device for fiber-based dual beam optical manipulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haoran Wang ◽  
Anton Enders ◽  
John-Alexander Preuss ◽  
Janina Bahnemann ◽  
Alexander Heisterkamp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Fibers ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Lab On A Chip ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Optical Manipulation ◽  
Hydrodynamic Focusing ◽  
Trapping Region ◽  
Dual Beam ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
On Chip

Abstract3D printing of microfluidic lab-on-a-chip devices enables rapid prototyping of robust and complex structures. In this work, we designed and fabricated a 3D printed lab-on-a-chip device for fiber-based dual beam optical manipulation. The final 3D printed chip offers three key features, such as (1) an optimized fiber channel design for precise alignment of optical fibers, (2) an optically clear window to visualize the trapping region, and (3) a sample channel which facilitates hydrodynamic focusing of samples. A square zig–zag structure incorporated in the sample channel increases the number of particles at the trapping site and focuses the cells and particles during experiments when operating the chip at low Reynolds number. To evaluate the performance of the device for optical manipulation, we implemented on-chip, fiber-based optical trapping of different-sized microscopic particles and performed trap stiffness measurements. In addition, optical stretching of MCF-7 cells was successfully accomplished for the purpose of studying the effects of a cytochalasin metabolite, pyrichalasin H, on cell elasticity. We observed distinct changes in the deformability of single cells treated with pyrichalasin H compared to untreated cells. These results demonstrate that 3D printed microfluidic lab-on-a-chip devices offer a cost-effective and customizable platform for applications in optical manipulation.

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