Development a low-cost electrical impedance tomography system for non-invasively detecting abnormal in breast tissue - Phantom study-

Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is known as non-invasive method to detect and classify the abnormal breast tissues. Reimaging conductivity distribution within an area of the subject reveal abnormal tissues inside that area. In this work, we have created a very low-cost system with a simple 16-electrode phantom for doing research purposes. The EIT data were measured and reconstructed with EIDORS software.

A Novel Method to Assess Antimicrobial Susceptibility in Commensal Oropharyngeal Neisseria—A Pilot Study

Commensal Neisseria provide a reservoir of resistance genes that can be transferred to the pathogens Neisseria gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis in the human oropharynx. Surveillance programs are thus needed to monitor resistance in oropharyngeal commensal Neisseria, but currently the isolation and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of these commensals is laborious, complex and expensive. In addition, the posterior oropharyngeal/tonsillar swab, which is commonly used to sample oropharyngeal Neisseria, is poorly tolerated by many individuals. We evaluated an alternative non-invasive method to isolate oropharyngeal commensal Neisseria and to detect decreased susceptibility to azithromycin using selective media (LBVT.SNR) with and without azithromycin (2 µg/mL). In this pilot study, we compared paired posterior oropharyngeal/tonsillar swabs and oral rinse-and-gargle samples from 10 participants and demonstrated that a similar Neisseria species diversity and number of colonies were isolated from both sample types. Moreover, the proportion of Neisseria colonies that had a decreased susceptibility to azithromycin was similar in the rinse samples compared to the swabs. This pilot study has produced encouraging data that a simple protocol of oral rinse-and-gargle and culture on plates selective for commensal Neisseria with and without a target antimicrobial can be used as a surveillance tool to monitor antimicrobial susceptibility in commensal oropharyngeal Neisseria. Larger studies are required to validate these findings.

The influence of the optical properties on the determination of capillary diameters

Various clinically applicable scores and indices are available to help identify the state of a microcirculatory disorder in a patient. Several of these methods, however, leave room for interpretation and only provide clues for diagnosis. Thus, a measurement method that allows a reliable detection of impending or manifest circulatory malfunctions would be of great value. In this context, the optical and non-invasive method of shifted position-diffuse reflectance imaging (SP-DRI) was developed. It allows to determine the capillary diameter and thus to assess the state of the microcirculation. The aim of the present study is to investigate how the quantification of capillary diameters by SP-DRI behaves in different individuals, i.e. for a wide range of optical properties. For this, within Monte-Carlo simulations all optical properties (seven skin layers, hemoglobin) were randomly varied following a Gaussian distribution. An important finding from the present investigation is that SP-DRI works when the optical properties are chosen randomly. Furthermore, it is shown that appropriate data analysis allows calibration-free absolute quantification of the capillary diameter across individuals using SP-DRI. This underpins the potential of SP-DRI to serve as an early alert system for the onset of microcirculatory associated diseases.

Micro-Bioreactors in Space: Case Study of a Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) Bioreactor With a Non-Invasive Monitoring Method

Bioreactors in space have applications from basic science to microbial factories. Monitoring bioreactors in microgravity has challenges with respect to fluidics, aeration, sensor size, sample volume and disturbance of medium and cultures. We present a case study of the development of small bioreactors and a non-invasive method to monitor dissolved oxygen, pH, and biomass of yeast cultures. Two different bioreactor configurations were tested for system volumes of 60 ml and 10.5 ml. For both configurations, the PreSens SFR vario, an optical sensor array, collected data autonomously. Oxygen and pH in the cultures were monitored using chemically doped spots, 7 mm in diameter, that were fixed to the bottom of sampling chambers. Spots emitted a fluorescent signal for DO and pH when reacted with oxygen molecules and hydrogen ions, respectively. Biomass was sensed using light reflectance at centered at 605 nm. The, optical array had three light detectors, one for each variable, that returned signals that were pre- and post-calibrated. For heterotrophic cultures requiring oxygen and respiring carbon dioxide, a hollow fiber filter, in-line with the optical array, oxygenated cells and remove carbon dioxide. This provided oxygen levels that were sufficient to maintain aerobic respiration for steady state conditions. Time series of yeast metabolism in the two bioreactors are compared and discussed. The bioreactor configurations can be easily be modified for autotrophic cultures such that carbon dioxide is enhanced and oxygen removed, which would be required for photosynthetic algal cultures.

Comparison Analysis of GLCM and PCA on Parkinson's Disease Using Structural MRI

Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurological disorder where the dopaminergic neurons experience deterioration. It is caused from the death of the dopamine neurons present in the substantia nigra i.e., the mid part of the brain. The symptoms of this disease emerge slowly, the onset of the earlier stages shows some non-motor symptoms and with time motor symptoms can also be gauged. Parkinson is incurable but can be treated to improve the condition of the sufferer. No definite method for diagnosing PD has been concluded yet. However, researchers have suggested their own framework out of which MRI gave better results and is also a non-invasive method. In this study, the MRI images are used for extracting the features. For performing the feature extraction techniques Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix and Principal Component Analysis are performed and are analysed. Feature extraction reduces the dimensionality of data. It aims to reduce the feature of data by generating new features from the original one.

Establishment of organoids using residual samples from saline flushes during endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration in patients with pancreatic cancer

Background and study aims In patients with pancreatic cancer (PC), patient-derived organoid cultures can be useful tools for personalized drug selection and preclinical evaluation of novel therapies. To establish a less invasive method of creating organoids from a patient’s tumor, we examined whether PC organoids can be established using residual samples from saline flushes (RSSFs) during endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). Methods Five patients with PC who underwent EUS-FNA were enrolled in a prospective study conducted at our institution. RSSFs obtained during EUS-FNA procedures were collected. An organoid culture was considered as established when ≥ 5 passages were successful. Organoid-derived xenografts were created using established organoids. Results EUS-FNA was performed using a 22- or 25-gauge lancet needle without complications. Patient-derived organoids were successfully established in four patients (80.0 %) with the complete medium and medium for the selection of KRAS mutants. Organoid-derived xenografts were successfully created and histologically similar to EUS-FNA samples. Conclusions Patient-derived PC organoids were successfully established using EUS-FNA RSSFs, which are produced as a byproduct of standard manipulations, but are usually not used for diagnosis. This method can be applied to all patients with PC, without additional invasive procedures, and can contribute to the development of personalized medicine and molecular research.

Eff ect of ursodeoxycholic acid in postcholecystectomy cholestatic hepatopathy verified by ultrasonography

Summary: Cholestasis syndrome is accompanied by a large number of diverse liver and biliary tract diseases. Many cholestatic changes are fully reversible in the fi rst phase. However, with long-term cholestasis, extensive hepatocyte dysfunction occurs, the disease progresses, and many cholestatic syndromes result in irreversible liver damage and failure. Cholestatic liver diseases represent an important group of liver diseases that are an indication for liver transplantation. Postcholecystectomy syndrome is an imprecisely defi ned term, which includes a set of ongoing or recurrent or new diffi culties of patients after gallbladder surgery. We distinguish between early postcholecystectomy syndrome immediately in the postoperative period, or late postcholecystectomy syndrome, which occurs months or even years later. Ultrasonography is the fi rst imaging examination method for diseases of the liver and hepatobiliary system. It is a non-invasive method, available, relatively cheap, easily repeatable, and it does not represent a burden for the patient. Common bile duct dilatation after cholecystectomy is a common accidental fi nding that is inconclusive in the absence of clinical symptomatology and with normal laboratory fi ndings. Ursodeoxycholic acid forms the basis of cholestasis therapy, the only treatment whose effi cacy in cholestatic liver disease has been demonstrated in randomized and long-term studies. A further positive is that many years of ursodeoxycholic acid administration are not accompanied by more serious side eff ects. This case report supports the concept of a prompt and at the same time deepening benefi cial eff ect of ursodeoxycholic acid treatment in patients with cholestatic hepatopathy verified by ultrasonography indicated for conservative treatment or refusing invasive treatment. Key words: cholestasis – postcholecystectomy syndrome – ultrasonography – ursodeoxycholic acid

Review on Transdermal drug delivery system

Transdermal drug delivery system offers best way of drug delivery through skin than compared to oral route of administration by overcoming side-effects.Drug delivery is done through adhesion of transdermal patches to skin surface.Novel application techniques have been employed for better therapeutic response for various drug in treatment of several disease using dermal route of administration.This is best non-invasive method of drug delivery by reducing frequency of administration to achieve complete action of action of drug with maximum benefits to patients .These patches are formulated using various permeation enhancers that are compatible to skins surface .The dermal route of delivery is best suited for therapy to patient for certain diseases.

An observational study of salivary C-reactive protein as a potential novel non-invasive biomarker of neonatal sepsis

Objectives: Serial C-reactive protein (CRP) monitoring helps to rule out and prognosticate sepsis. Small blood volumes in neonates make it difficult for repeated blood draws for serial CRP monitoring. Hence, the need of the hour is a non-invasive method such as CRP estimation in saliva. This study aims to correlate salivary CRP with serum CRP levels and establish the potential clinical utility of salivary CRP in diagnosing neonatal sepsis. Materials and Methods: Twenty-three consecutive neonates diagnosed with clinically suspected sepsis and admitted to the NICU were the study subjects. Demographics such as gestational age and weight at birth, sex and detailed clinical features, and comorbidities were noted. Blood samples for CRP estimation and blood culture were collected as soon as clinical suspicion of sepsis arose. Saliva samples were collected for CRP estimation within 1 h of blood sample collection. The saliva was collected in a 2 mL syringe using low suction. Salivary and serum CRP were estimated by the particle enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay. Results: In our study, the CRP levels in saliva correlated moderately well with CRP levels in serum (Spearman correlation coefficient r = 0.582, P = 0.004). The sensitivity and specificity of salivary CRP to predict a serum level of ≥10 mg/L were observed to be 0.75 and 0.93, respectively. Conclusion: Our study shows the promise of salivary CRP as a potential clinically meaningful biomarker of neonatal sepsis and warrants the need for larger studies to validate the utility of salivary CRP to serially monitor neonatal sepsis.

A Newly Discovered Forest of the Whip Coral Viminella flagellum (Anthozoa, Alcyonacea) in the Mediterranean Sea: A Non-Invasive Method to Assess Its Population Structure

Coral forests are vulnerable marine ecosystems formed by arborescent corals (e.g., Anthozoa of the orders Alcyonacea and Antipatharia). The population structure of the habitat-forming corals can inform on the status of the habitat, representing an essential aspect to monitor. Most Mediterranean corals live in the mesophotic and aphotic zones, and their population structures can be assessed by analyzing images collected by underwater vehicles. This is still not possible in whip-like corals, whose colony lengths and flexibilities impede the taking of direct length measurements from images. This study reports on the occurrence of a monospecific forest, of the whip coral Viminella flagellum in the Aeolian Archipelago (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea; 149 m depth), and the assessment of its population structure through an ad-hoc, non-invasive method to estimate a colony height based on its width. The forest of V. flagellum showed a mean density of 19.4 ± 0.2 colonies m−2 (up to 44.8 colonies m−2) and no signs of anthropogenic impacts. The population was dominated by young colonies, with the presence of large adults and active recruitment. The new model proved to be effective for non-invasive monitoring of this near threatened species, representing a needed step towards appropriate conservation actions.