scholarly journals Application of Magnetic Nanoparticles for Rapid Detection and In Situ Diagnosis in Clinical Oncology

Cancers ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 364
Author(s):  
Tatsuya Onishi ◽  
Kisyo Mihara ◽  
Sachiko Matsuda ◽  
Satoshi Sakamoto ◽  
Akihiro Kuwahata ◽  
...  

Screening, monitoring, and diagnosis are critical in oncology treatment. However, there are limitations with the current clinical methods, notably the time, cost, and special facilities required for radioisotope-based methods. An alternative approach, which uses magnetic beads, offers faster analyses with safer materials over a wide range of oncological applications. Magnetic beads have been used to detect extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the serum of pancreatic cancer patients with statistically different EV levels in preoperative, postoperative, and negative control samples. By incorporating fluorescence, magnetic beads have been used to quantitatively measure prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a prostate cancer biomarker, which is sensitive enough even at levels found in healthy patients. Immunostaining has also been incorporated with magnetic beads and compared with conventional immunohistochemical methods to detect lesions; the results suggest that immunostained magnetic beads could be used for pathological diagnosis during surgery. Furthermore, magnetic nanoparticles, such as superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), can detect sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer in a clinical setting, as well as those in gallbladder cancer in animal models, in a surgery-applicable timeframe. Ultimately, recent research into the applications of magnetic beads in oncology suggests that the screening, monitoring, and diagnosis of cancers could be improved and made more accessible through the adoption of this technology.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-174
Author(s):  
Mehdi Khoshneviszadeh ◽  
Sarah Zargarnezhad ◽  
Younes Ghasemi ◽  
Ahmad Gholami

Background: Magnetic cell immobilization has been introduced as a novel, facile and highly efficient approach for cell separation. A stable attachment between bacterial cell wall with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) would enable the microorganisms to be affected by an outer magnetic field. At high concentrations, SPIONs produce reactive oxygen species in cytoplasm, which induce apoptosis or necrosis in microorganisms. Choosing a proper surface coating could cover the defects and increase the efficiency. Methods: In this study, asparagine, APTES, lipo-amino acid and PEG surface modified SPIONs was synthesized by co-precipitation method and characterized by FTIR, TEM, VSM, XRD, DLS techniques. Then, their protective effects against four Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains including Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were examined through microdilution broth and compared to naked SPION. Results: The evaluation of characterization results showed that functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles could change their MS value, size and surface charges. Also, the microbial analysis revealed that lipo-amino acid coated magnetic nanoparticles has the least adverse effect on microbial strain among tested SPIONs. Conclusion: This study showed lipo-amino acid could be considered as the most protective and even promotive surface coating, which is explained by its optimizing effect on cell penetration and negligible reductive effects on magnetic properties of SPIONs. lipo-amino acid coated magnetic nanoparticles could be used in microbial biotechnology and industrial microbiology.


Author(s):  
Michael D. T. McDonnell ◽  
Daniel Arnaldo ◽  
Etienne Pelletier ◽  
James A. Grant-Jacob ◽  
Matthew Praeger ◽  
...  

AbstractInteractions between light and matter during short-pulse laser materials processing are highly nonlinear, and hence acutely sensitive to laser parameters such as the pulse energy, repetition rate, and number of pulses used. Due to this complexity, simulation approaches based on calculation of the underlying physical principles can often only provide a qualitative understanding of the inter-relationships between these parameters. An alternative approach such as parameter optimisation, often requires a systematic and hence time-consuming experimental exploration over the available parameter space. Here, we apply neural networks for parameter optimisation and for predictive visualisation of expected outcomes in laser surface texturing with blind vias for tribology control applications. Critically, this method greatly reduces the amount of experimental laser machining data that is needed and associated development time, without negatively impacting accuracy or performance. The techniques presented here could be applied in a wide range of fields and have the potential to significantly reduce the time, and the costs associated with laser process optimisation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 3159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fransiscus Kerans ◽  
Lisa Lungaro ◽  
Asim Azfer ◽  
Donald Salter

The magnetization of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) has the potential to aid tissue engineering approaches by allowing tracking, targeting, and local retention of cells at the site of tissue damage. Commonly used methods for magnetizing cells include optimizing uptake and retention of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs). These appear to have minimal detrimental effects on the use of MSC function as assessed by in vitro assays. The cellular content of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) will, however, decrease with cell proliferation and the longer-term effects on MSC function are not entirely clear. An alternative approach to magnetizing MSCs involves genetic modification by transfection with one or more genes derived from Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1, a magnetotactic bacterium that synthesizes single-magnetic domain crystals which are incorporated into magnetosomes. MSCs with either or mms6 and mmsF genes are followed by bio-assimilated synthesis of intracytoplasmic magnetic nanoparticles which can be imaged by magnetic resonance (MR) and which have no deleterious effects on MSC proliferation, migration, or differentiation. The stable transfection of magnetosome-associated genes in MSCs promotes assimilation of magnetic nanoparticle synthesis into mammalian cells with the potential to allow MR-based cell tracking and, through external or internal magnetic targeting approaches, enhanced site-specific retention of cells for tissue engineering.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 160940691878345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin L. Read

Many qualitative social scientists conduct single-session interviews with large numbers of individuals so as to maximize the sample size and obtain a wide range of study participants. Yet in some circumstances, one-shot interviews cannot produce information of adequate quality, quantity, and validity. This article explains the several conditions that call for an alternative approach, serial interviewing, that entails interviewing participants on multiple occasions. This method is appropriate when studying complex or ill-defined issues, when interviews are subject to time constraints, when exploring change or variation over time, when participants are reluctant to share valid information, and when working with critical informants. A further benefit is the opportunity it provides for verifying and cross-checking information. This article delineates the general features of this technique. Through a series of encounters, the researcher builds familiarity and trust, probes a range of key topics from multiple angles, explores different facets of participants’ experiences, and learns from events that happen to take place during the interviews. This helps overcome biases associated with one-off interviews, including a tendency toward safe, simple answers in which participants flatten complexity, downplay sociopolitical conflict, and put themselves in a flattering light. This article illustrates the utility of this approach through examples drawn from published work and through a running illustration based on the author’s research on elected neighborhood leaders in Taipei. Serial interviewing helped produce relatively accurate and nuanced data concerning the power these leaders wield and their multiple roles as intermediaries between state and society.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-67
Author(s):  
E. O. Ogumo ◽  
W. M. Muiru ◽  
J. W. Kimenju ◽  
D. M. Mukunya

Root-knot nematodes (RKN) (Meloidogyne spp) are a serious pest causing heavy economic losses in a wide range of agricultural crops. A trial was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of various eco-friendly nematicides in the management of RKN affecting French bean. The field trial was carried out in two seasons with the following treatments; Rigel-G (salicylic acid), Phyto Protect (Sesame oil extract), Mytech (Paecilomyces lilacinus), Neemraj 0.3% (Azadirachtin), Vydate® (Oxamyl) as a positive control and an untreated control. Various rates; Rigel –G (2.5 ml/l), Phyto Protect (10 l/ha), Mytech (125 g/ha) Neemraj 0.3% (3L/ha) and Vydate® (6 l/ha) of treatments were administered and damage on plants was assessed based on galling indices, crop biomass and yield whereas nematode reproductive potential was assessed based on the J2 counts. There was no significant difference (P ≥ 0.05) in the nematode population densities and galling indices observed among the eco-friendly nematicides and the conventional nematicide (Vydate®). Eco-friendly nematicides had a significant (P ≤ 0.05) reduction of RKN J2 population densities compared to the negative control. The negative control had the highest mean of root-knot nematode densities (240 RKN/200 cc soil) and a galling index of 3.77 while Vydate and Neemraj had the lowest mean density (40 RKN/200 cc soil) in the first season. Similar results were observed in the second season with control having the highest RKN J2 population densities (285 RKN/200 cc soil) and a galling index of 3.89 and Vydate had the lowest (23 RKN/200 cc soil). The results of this study clearly indicate that eco-friendly nematicides can be fully adopted to suppress RKN in French beans as alternatives to conventional nematicides.


2012 ◽  
Vol 111 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anke J Tijsen ◽  
Ingeborg van der Made ◽  
Elza D van Deel ◽  
Monika Hiller ◽  
Yolan J Reckman ◽  
...  

MiRNAs play an important role in the control of diverse aspects of cardiac function. MiR-15b is highly expressed in the heart and is found consistently upregulated in hypertrophic and failing hearts. To investigate the function of miR-15b in the heart we set out two experiments. In the first experiment we generated two independent transgenic mouse lines that drive miR-15b expression under the αMHC-promotor and show a three and four fold overexpression of miR-15b. Strikingly, both lines show a decrease in heart weight/tibia length of 20% in adult and aged mice when compared to littermate controls. We investigated the response of these transgenic mice to thoracic aorta constriction (TAC) and found no differences in the hypertrophic response or in cardiac function measured by echocardiography between wild-type and transgenic mice. In a second experiment, we inhibited miR-15b using LNA-based antimiRs. In these mice, TAC resulted in an increased hypertrophic response and increased cardiac fibrosis when compared to a negative control antimiR. A wide range of predicted targets of miR-15 belong to the pathways of the TGFβ-superfamily and using a smad-dependent reporter we show that miR-15b inhibits TGFβ-induced Smad activity in HepG2 cells. One of the predicted targets in the TGFβ pathway is TGFβ receptor 1 (TGFβR1), of which the 3’UTR contains six predicted miR-15 binding sites. This suggests that the phenotype in the transgenic mice and after knockdown of miR-15b may be (partly) mediated by repression of TGFβR1. Indeed, in the adult miR-15b transgenic hearts we found a downregulation of TGFβR1 mRNA and protein and we confirmed binding of miR-15 to the TGFβR1 3’UTR by luciferase assays. In conclusion, miR-15b causes a cardiac hypotrophic phenotype at baseline in transgenic mice and inhibition of miR-15b leads to a stronger hypertrophic and fibrotic response after TAC. Furthermore miR-15b inhibits the TGFβ pathway by targeting the TGFβR1 and possibly other targets in this pathway. This research is funded by the Dutch Heart Foundation (NHF grant #2007B077).


2002 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 367-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo La Vecchia ◽  
Paolo Bruzzi ◽  
Adriano Decadi ◽  
Franco Gaboardi ◽  
Peter Boyle

Estimates of the total number of men with a previous diagnosis of prostate cancer in Italy range from 55,000 to 135,000. This wide range of variation is largely due to uncertainties on the number of protein-specific antigen-detected, asymptomatic cases. The number of clinically detected cases, including cases with advanced disease, is less subject to uncertainty, with reasonable estimates ranging from 45,000 to 60,000.


2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (7) ◽  
pp. 958-964
Author(s):  
Wataru Shibata ◽  
Mamiko Niki ◽  
Kanako Sato ◽  
Hiroki Fujimoto ◽  
Koichi Yamada ◽  
...  

Abstract Mucormycosis is a deep-seated fungal infection that mainly develops in patients with severe immunodeficiencies such as those with malignant hematological diseases. Despite poor prognosis, there is no reliable and minimally invasive diagnostic method—such as serodiagnosis—for making a clinical decision regarding the condition. As early diagnosis and early treatment improve the prognosis of mucormycosis, the development of a sensitive early diagnostic method is important. We had previously identified a Rhizopus-specific antigen (RSA) by signal sequence trapping and retrovirus-mediated expression (SST-REX), and evaluated its utility as a diagnostic antigen by constructing a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system to detect serum RSA levels in inoculated mice. In this study, we used the RSA-specific rabbit monoclonal antibodies generated by novel hybridoma technology to improve the sensitivity of the ELISA system. We observed an increase in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) levels of RSA in mouse model 1 day after inoculation, suggesting that this newly developed monoclonal antibody-based ELISA system may be useful for the diagnosis of mucormycosis in the early stages of infection. In addition, we measured RSA levels in human serum and BALF, and found that serum RSA level was higher in mucormycosis patients (15.1 ng/ml) than that in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis patients (0.53 ng/ml) and the negative control (0.49 ng/ml). Our results suggest that RSA may be a powerful tool for the diagnosis of pulmonary mucormycosis, and its differentiation from other deep-seated mycoses such as aspergillosis.


Blood ◽  
1949 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
MAX SAMTER

Abstract 1. The eosinophilic response of the guinea pig sensitized and reinjected with the specific antigen varies with the nature of the antigen used, but also with the individual guinea pig in any groupsensitized and reinjected with the same antigen. 2. Certain antihistamine drugs which abolish anaphylactic symptoms, do not abolish the eosinophilic response. 3. The severity of anaphylactic "shock" symptoms has no influence on the eosinophilic response. 4. Histamine phosphate has no effect on the eosinophil count of nonsensitized guinea pigs protected by benadryl; it causes a distinct eosinophilic response in sensitized animals. 5. Heparin—in the dose injected—produced only an insignificant rise in the peripheral eosinophil count of sensitized guinea pigs; adenosine had no effect. 6. Attempts were made to correlate the eosinophilic response in bone marrow, blood and shock tissue of guinea pigs sensitized and reinjected with a specific antigen. The variation within a wide range of the number of eosinophils in the bone marrow of nonsensitized and of sensitized, reinjected guinea pigs is emphasized. A definite correlation seems to exist between the presence of a large number of eosinophils in blood and lungs; it is shown, however, that this observation permits only limited conclusions. 7. The factors which account for discrepancies in the interpretation of the eosinophilic response, e.g., nature of antigen, route of administration and characteristics of species, are analyzed. 8. The significance of the findings is reviewed in the light of previous work.


2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 345-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A. Barocas ◽  
Mark E. Bensink ◽  
Kristin Berry ◽  
Zahra Musa ◽  
Carolyn Bodnar ◽  
...  

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess potential cost-effectiveness of using a prostate cancer specific functional imaging technology capable of identifying residual localized disease versus small volume metastatic disease for asymptomatic men with low but detectable prostate specific antigen (PSA) elevation following radical prostatectomy.Methods: Markov modeling was used to estimate the incremental impact on healthcare system costs (2012 USD) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) of two alternative strategies: (i) using the new diagnostic to guide therapy versus (ii) current usual care—using a combination of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and bone scan to guide therapy. Costs were based on estimates from literature and Medicare reimbursement. Prostate cancer progression, survival, utilities, and background risk of all-cause mortality were obtained from literature. Base-case diagnostic sensitivity (75 percent), specificity (90 percent), and cost (USD 2,500) were provided by our industry partner GE Healthcare.Results: The new diagnostic strategy provided an average gain of 1.83 (95 percent uncertainty interval [UI]: 1.24–2.64) QALYs with added costs of USD 15,595 (95 percent UI: USD -6,330–44,402) over 35 years. The resulting incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was USD 8,516/QALY (95 percent UI: USD -2,947–22,372). Results were most influenced by the utility discounting rate and test performance characteristics; however, the new diagnostic provided clinical benefits over a wide range of sensitivity and specificity.Conclusion: This analysis suggests a diagnostic technology capable of identifying whether men with biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy have localized versus metastatic disease would be a cost-effective alternative to current standard work-up. The results support additional investment in development and validation of such a diagnostic.


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