Mechanochemiluminescent hydrogels for real-time visualization of chemical bond scission

Quantitative and real-time characterization of mechanically induced bond scission events taken place in polymeric hydrogels is essential to uncover their fracture mechanics. Herein, a class of mechanochemiluminescent swelling hydrogels have been synthesized through a facile micellar copolymerization method using chemiluminescent bis(adamantyl)-1,2-dioxetane (Ad) as a crosslinker. This design and synthetic strategy ensure intense mechanochemiluminescence from Ad located in a hydrophobic network inside micelles. Moreover, the mechanochemiluminescent colors can be tailored from blue to red by mixing variant acceptors. Taking advantages of the transient nature of dioxetane chemiluminescence, the damage distribution and crack evolution of the hydrogels can be visualized and analyzed with high spatial and temporal resolution. The results demonstrate the strengths of the Ad mechanophore and micellar copolymerization method in the study of damage evolution and fracture mechanism of swelling hydrogels.

An "OFF-ON-OFF" fluorescence protein-labeling probe for real-time visualization of the degradation of short-lived proteins in cellular systems

The ability to monitor proteolytic pathways that remove unwanted and damaged proteins from cells is essential for understanding the multiple processes used to maintain cellular homeostasis. In this study, we...

A Square Equal-Area Map Projection with Low Angular Distortion, Minimal Cusps, and Closed-Form Solutions

A novel square equal-area map projection is proposed. The projection combines closed-form forward and inverse solutions with relatively low angular distortion and minimal cusps, a combination of properties not manifested by any previously published square equal-area projection. Thus, the new projection has lower angular distortion than any previously published square equal-area projection with a closed-form solution. Utilizing a quincuncial arrangement, the new projection places the north pole at the center of the square and divides the south pole between its four corners; the projection can be seamlessly tiled. The existence of closed-form solutions makes the projection suitable for real-time visualization applications, both in cartography and in other areas, such as for the display of panoramic images.

5th INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM “SMART LION”. MEDICAL IMAGINING AND GLOBAL HEALTH, OCTOBER 7–9, 2021

For the fifth year in a row, the international symposium SMART LION (Science Medicine Arts Research Translational Lviv International Opportunity Network) is taking place in Lviv, which has become a good tradition in scientific and practical communication. This year, the symposium is focused on the “Medical Imagining and Global Health”. The scientific event was held in Lviv on October 7–9, 2021. The format was mixed. The event was held with the support of Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Medical Commission of the Shevchenko Scientific Society, Lviv City Council and Lviv Convention Bureau. The symposium was focused on providing a unique opportunity for young and experienced scientists and doctors working on the development of innovative technologies in medicine, to further cooperate in the field of science and integrate their knowledge and achievements into world science. The interesting and eventful agenda included over 20 lectures and poster presentations delivered by national and foreign lecturers, as well as a master class on “How to use the online Open Journal System to publish scientific articles in medical journals”. To focus the attention of young scientists, students and interns on topical issues of medicine, well-known scientists from different countries of Europe and America are annually invited to attend the symposium as speakers. During the two days of the conference, Ukrainian and foreign leading experts in the field of medicine – Leo Wolansky (USA), Sandor Szabo (USA), Vassyl Lonchyna (USA), Klaus Holzmann (Austria), Siegfried Knasmüller (Austria), Armen Gasparyan (Great Britain), Ivan Wolansky (USA), Yuriy Ivaniv (Ukraine), Nelya Oryshchyn (Ukraine), Andriy Netliukh (Ukraine), Yuriy Mylyan (Ukraine), Oksana Zayachkivska (Ukraine), Roman Plyatsko (Ukraine), Khrystyna Lishchuk-Yakymovych (Ukraine), Olena Zimba (Ukraine) – shared their experience and the latest achievements in the field of medicine. After a two-year break due to a COVID-19 pandemic, joint live discussions between young scientists – students, interns, post-graduate students – with leading scientists during poster presentations and panel discussions held at the symposium helped them rethink the need for systemic changes in medical education and the implementation of modern diagnostic methods utilizing real-time visualization with elements of artificial intelligence into curriculums. In conclusion, Oksana Zayachkivska (Professor, Chair of the Department of Normal Physiology, Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University; Editor-in-Chief of the “Proceeding of the Shevchenko Scientific Society. Medical Sciences”) and Vassyl Lonchyna (Professor, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Ukrainian Catholic University) summed up the symposium and expressed hope to meet again at SMART LION 2022.

Comparison between Histological Features and Strain Elastographic Characteristics in Canine Mammary Carcinomas

Elastography is a sonographic technique that provides a noninvasive evaluation of the stiffness of a lesion. The objective of this work was to evaluate the accuracy of strain elastography, the most accessible modality in clinical practice, to discriminate between different histological types of malignant mammary neoplasms in the canine species, which can provide complementary information in real time to the diagnosis and thus help in the choice of surgical technique. A total of 34 females with 56 mammary carcinomas were selected and classified into three histological groups according to their aggressiveness. The histological and elastographic characteristics of these malignant tumors were analyzed and compared to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of strain elastography. Visual score presented a sensitivity of 88.0%, specificity of 58.1%, and accuracy of 71.43% in distinguishing the most aggressive group of carcinomas. The strain ratio had a sensitivity of 84.0%, specificity of 61.1%, and accuracy of 69.64%. On the other hand, intratumoral strain ratio obtained a sensitivity of 71.40% and specificity of 61.90% when intratumoral fibrosis was taken as reference, with an accuracy of 66.07%. Similarly, peritumoral strain ratio was also positively related to fibrosis in the periphery of lesions (p ≤ 0.001), with a sensitivity of 93.80%, specificity of 77.50% and an accuracy of 92.87%. In conclusion, accuracy of this elastographic modality can be a useful method to differentiate more aggressive histological types. Therefore, it represents an additional diagnostic technique useful in the daily clinic thanks to the short time required for the examination, which allows real-time visualization and immediate interpretation of the results.

Developing of Algorithms Monitoring Heartbeat and Respiration Rate of a Seated Person with an FMCW Radar

With a radar working in the 24 GHz ISM-band in a frequency modulated continuous wave mode the major vital signs heartbeat and respiration rate are monitored. The observation is hereby contactless with the patient sitting straight up in a distance of 1–2 m to the radar. Radar and sampling platform are components developed internally in the university institution. The communication with the radar is handled with MATLAB via TCP/IP. The signal processing and real-time visualization is developed in MATLAB, too. Cornerstone of this publication are the wavelet packet transformation and a spectral frequency estimation for vital sign calculation. The wavelet transformation allows a fine tuning of frequency subspaces, separating the heartbeat signal from the respiration and more important from noise and other movement. Heartbeat and respiration are monitored independently and compared to parallel recorded ECG-data.

Dynamic tracking of a magnetic micro-roller using ultrasound phase analysis

Microrobots (MRs) have attracted significant interest for their potentialities in diagnosis and non-invasive intervention in hard-to-reach body areas. Fine control of biomedical MRs requires real-time feedback on their position and configuration. Ultrasound (US) imaging stands as a mature and advantageous technology for MRs tracking, but it suffers from disturbances due to low contrast resolution. To overcome these limitations and make US imaging suitable for monitoring and tracking MRs, we propose a US contrast enhancement mechanism for MR visualization in echogenic backgrounds (e.g., tissue). Our technique exploits the specific acoustic phase modulation produced by the MR characteristic motions. By applying this principle, we performed real-time visualization and position tracking of a magnetic MR rolling on a lumen boundary, both in static flow and opposing flow conditions, with an average error of 0.25 body-lengths. Overall, the reported results unveil countless possibilities to exploit the proposed approach as a robust feedback strategy for monitoring and tracking biomedical MRs in-vivo.

Dynamic tracking of a magnetic micro-roller using ultrasound phase analysis

Microrobots (MRs) have attracted significant interest for their potentialities in diagnosis and non-invasive intervention in hard-to-reach body areas. Fine control of biomedical MRs requires real-time feedback on their position and configuration. Ultrasound (US) imaging stands as a mature and advantageous technology for MRs tracking, but it suffers from disturbances due to low contrast resolution. To overcome these limitations and make US imaging suitable for monitoring and tracking MRs, we propose a US contrast enhancement mechanism for MR visualization in echogenic backgrounds (e.g., tissue). Our technique exploits the specific acoustic phase modulation produced by the MR characteristic motions. By applying this principle, we performed real-time visualization and position tracking of a magnetic MR rolling on a lumen boundary, both in static flow and opposing flow conditions, with an average error of 0.25 body-lengths. Overall, the reported results unveil countless possibilities to exploit the proposed approach as a robust feedback strategy for monitoring and tracking biomedical MRs in-vivo.