Rapid tablet swelling and disintegration during exposure to brightness-mode ultrasound

Controlled tablet disintegration is useful for chemical consistency checks. This study monitored the swelling of 54 analgesia tablets from two different batches, during 13–6-MHz brightness-mode sonication and simultaneous video recording. The tablets were placed on an acoustic reflector inside a container and sonicated from the top. Sonication shortened the displacement half-life by 17%–27%. During tablet swelling, their speed of sound increased linearly, confirming the linearity of the this process. Diagnostic ultrasound significantly decreased tablet disintegration times, supporting the ultrasound–microbubble interaction hypothesis.

Using Diagnostic Ultrasound to Support the Diagnose Sarcopenia in Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is currently the gold standard for diagnosing loss of muscle mass in older adults (a component of sarcopenia diagnosis). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) have also been used successfully. Due to elevated costs, limited access, exposure to radiation, and increased difficulty of operation, other methods have been explored as alternatives. We reviewed the literature on the use of diagnostic ultrasound to assist in the diagnose sarcopenia in older adults by searching MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL using a variation of terms related to “ultrasound”, “sarcopenia”, and “older adults”. We included studies that included older adults over the age of 60. Eighteen studies were included after screening for eligibility and conducting full-text reviews. The most common transducer head frequency utilized in the studies were 5-12 and 8 MHz (three studies each), followed by 5, 6, and 7.5 MHz (two studies each). The most common musculature examined was anterior thigh musculature, followed by muscles of the lower leg, upper extremity, abdominals, and head/neck. Measurements most taken were muscle thickness/cross sectional area (18 studies), followed by muscle echogenicity (9 studies), and pennation angle (3 studies). Ultrasound is a reliable and valid tool to examine muscle thickness to assist in diagnosing sarcopenia. However, echogenicity measures of a muscle were not reliable. Further research is needed with increased sample size and variance amongst subjects to generalize and create normative data. In addition, standardized protocols for the use of ultrasound to assist in the diagnosing sarcopenia need to be established.

Ultrasonography on the non-living. Current approaches.

The vast majority of clinicians associate diagnostic ultrasound with a tool that is designed for the living patient. However, it is of course possible to apply this imaging technology to evaluate the recently deceased patient for postmortem diagnosis, or even just examine postmortem tissue. We describe several cases in which ultrasound-enabled providers obtain answers in postmortem examinations and discuss potential future strategies and applications. In addition, we will also illustrate the use of sonography in minimally invasive post-mortem tissue sampling (MITS), an approach that can be used in post-mortem minimally invasive autopsies as well as for establishing ultrasound diagnostic parameters in new medical fields such as periodontal and dental implant specialties.