Evaluation of the pocH-100iV DIFF hematology analyzer for use in horses and cattle

The results of the analysis of equine and bovine blood samples with the automated pocH-100iV DIFF hematology analyzer were compared with the results obtained with reference methods or other analyzers (Vet ABC, Coulter Counter ZF, Coulter LH 750 analyzer). For equine blood and most parameters in bovine blood good to excellent correlations between methods and analyzers were obtained. For bovine blood good to poor correlations and significant differences were obtained between the pocH-100iV DIFF and other methods or analyzers mainly for hematocrit and hemoglobin determinations and platelet counts. Overall the pocH-100iV DIFF seems to be a reliable and user-friendly analyzer

Extravehicular activities limitations study. Volume 1: Physiological limitations to extravehicular activity in space

This report contains the results of a comprehensive literature search on physiological aspects of EVA. Specifically, the topics covered are: (1) Oxygen levels; (2) Optimum EVA work; (3) Food and Water; (4) Carbon dioxide levels; (5) Repetitive decompressions; (6) Thermal, and (7) Urine collection. The literature was assessed on each of these topics, followed by statements on conclusions and recommended future research needs

Characterization of Humoral Immune Responses to Two Subunit Malaria Vaccine Candidates in Humans

Malaria remains a major public health scourge affecting millions of people worldwide. An effective antimalarial vaccine is currently lacking and if available would add to other malaria control strategies. Although antibodies (Abs) are thought to mediate protective immunity to malaria, the exact Ab-mediated mechanisms or immunological correlates of protection against the complex plasmodial parasite remain unclear. Standardized assays for Ab measurement are also lacking and therefore no consensus exists on the best approach to quantitate, report and interpret antimalarial Abs. In an attempt to address some of these hurdles, this dissertation aims to implement robust standardized assays for measurements of Plasmodium-specific Abs and to investigate Ab avidity as a potential surrogate marker of vaccine-mediated protection against malaria. In the first study, a novel cytometric based immunofluorescence assay technique is described that improves the detection of anti-plasmodial Abs using whole parasites and may be suitable for investigating Ab-based correlates of protection. An overlap subtraction algorithm (OSA) developed in parallel eliminates the investigator-dependent effects and thus facilitates the data analysis process. The workflow was applied to pre-(D0) and post-vaccination (D84) clinical samples from children and adult participants of Phase 1 trials of the malaria vaccine GMZ2. The results demonstrate that children vaccinated with the highest GMZ2 dose (100µg) showed a 1.33-fold increase in percent positive fluorescent cells (PPFC; p=0.003) on D84 compared to D0. Meanwhile, on D84, a vaccine-induced boosting effect of pre-existing anti-parasitic immunity (1.23-fold increase in mean fluorescent intensity; MFI, p=0.03) was observed in semi-immune adults. In a second study, a modified ELISA-based method to assess the avidity index (AI) of anti-circumsporozoite protein (CSP) Abs elicited by two immunization (0-1-2 month and 0-1-7 month) schedules with the malaria vaccine RTS,S in a cohort of healthy African infants was used. The analyses revealed that the avidity maturation of anti-CSP Abs following RTS,S vaccination occurred as expected, although absolute AI did not predict vaccine efficacy. The AIs of Abs were found to be similar in both immunization schemes. Interestingly, the change in anti-CSP Ab titer (dCSP) and avidity index (dAI) between second and third immunization was associated with 77% and 54% riskreduction to develop clinical disease, respectively. Avidity maturation of vaccine-specific Abs deserves further investigation as surrogate marker of protective efficacy. Together, standardized new tools for investigating parasite-specific Ab responses were developed and the detailed investigation of anti-CSP Ab avidity expands contemporary understanding of Ab-mediated indicators of protective immunity against malaria. These studies might serve as a basis for further work on Ab-based immunity to malaria and contribute to the development and evaluation of functional second-generation antimalarial vaccines

Systems identification and application systems development for monitoring the physiological and health status of crewmen in space

The use of automated, analytical techniques to aid medical support teams is suggested. Recommendations are presented for characterizing crew health in terms of: (1) wholebody function including physiological, psychological and performance factors; (2) a combination of critical performance indexes which consist of multiple factors of measurable parameters; (3) specific responses to low noise level stress tests; and (4) probabilities of future performance based on present and periodic examination of past performance. A concept is proposed for a computerized real time biomedical monitoring and health care system that would have the capability to integrate monitored data, detect off-nominal conditions based on current knowledge of spaceflight responses, predict future health status, and assist in diagnosis and alternative therapies. Mathematical models could play an important role in this approach, especially when operating in a real time mode. Recommendations are presented to update the present health monitoring systems in terms of recent advances in computer technology and biomedical monitoring systems

Correlation of heavy metals and theirs impact to epidemiological survey in the miners blood donors and other human population

Introduction: Miners who are blood donors, and work in mines for lead-zinc ores are constantly exposed to heavy metals (lead, zinc and cadmium) and this aspect is expected to increase or decrease many hematological parameters. Aim of the Study: The concentration of lead, zinc and cadmium was studied in exposed blood donors and non-exposed blood donors (control group). Knowing the structure of various heavy metals, all of the analysis was carried out to examine the impact of these heavy metals on the occurrence and severity of certain epidemiological diseases and hematological parameters on the miners who are blood donors. Material and Methods: In this research 120 miners were included who were blood donors (mining for lead and zinc) from the Republic of Macedonia and a control group of 30 participants that included blood donors not directly exposed to heavy metals, while living in the immediate vicinity of the lead and zinc mine. In this research biochemical analysis (inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP) one of the most sensitive analytical techniques for the determination of elements in biological materials was applied and the basic haematological parameters were determined. Results: The observation of increased blood lead level on blood donors in the exposed group (mean = 0.089 mg/l) and 20% on blood donors in the control group (mean = 0066), increased blood zinc level in the exposed (mean = 1391) and in the control group (mean = 1074), increased blood cadmium level in 62% of exposed (mean = 0007) and in 50% of the control group (mean = 0006); If the normal BLL (blood lead level) is 0.04–0.07 mg/l, we concluded that all male blood donors in the exposed group had above normal BLL. In the control group 20% of male blood donors had above normal BLL; if the normal BZL (blood zinc level) is 0.1 mg/l, we concluded that all male blood donors exposed in the control group had above normal BZL. If the normal BCL is 0.005 mg/l, we concluded that 62% of the male blood donors in the exposed group had above normal BCL. In the control group 50% of male blood donors had above normal BCL; The blood lead, zinc and cadmium level will rise during exposure at work. forty eight percent of miners (exposed group) had an exposure period of 20 years, 29% between 10 and 20 years and the remaining 23% an exposure period under 10 years. Results showed negative correlation between the number of red blood cells and hemoglobin and blood levels of heavy metals; positive correlation between the number of leukocytes and blood heavy metals levels. Epidemiological survey showed that nearly all workers complained of headache. While 25 of 70 miners who were blood donors (with long exposure) were found to be suffering from various diseases such as asthma, respiratory tract, irritation and watering of eyes. Conclusion: The research confirms that the increased content of heavy metals in blood donors affects the concept of professional risk that involves probability that as a result of exposure of workers to certain harmful agents in the work environment negative effects are manifested on their health. The change of some haematological parameters in the blood donors, results in the emergence of certain diseases with complex etiologies and risks to their health

Prevention from transfusion transmissive diseases in the regional center for transfusion medicine in Stip, Republic of Macedonia for the period 2009-2010

Introduction: Blood transfusion is a transplantation of fluid tissue or an introduction of human biological material that needs to survive in the donor organism and to play important biological functions. During the blood and blood products transfusion, it is possible to transmit many transfusion transmissive diseases, which increases the need of securing safe blood transfusion. Objective: To present the procedures and measures taken in order to prevent the transmission of transfusion transmissive diseases in the blood and blood products donors at the Clinical Hospital in Stip. Materials and methods: Each blood unit was mandatory tested for HBSAG, anti- HCV, anti-HIV and Treponema pallidum antibodies at the Regional center for transfusion medicine. The testing was done with the ELISA technique by using the Dade Berhing BEP 200 instrument and the tests from Siemens and Ortho for anti-HCV. The confirmation tests were done at the Institute of Transfusion Medicine in the capital Skopje. Results: In total, 6067 blood samples were tested. The presence of HBAGS was detected in 81 sample (1.33%), anti-HCV in 19 (0.313%), anti-HIV in one (0,016%) and Treponema pallidum antibodies in 5 samples (0.082%). Discussion and conclusion: In order to achieve high level of security of the transfusion blood and blood products it is essential to use highly specific and sensitive tests, modern equipment, well trained health personnel and sufficient financial resources allocated specifically for that aim

Evaluating the Safety of Qatar University’s Educational Labs in Biomedical Laboratory Sciences by Risk Management Process

Background: Safety in the educational biomedical science laboratory is the most crucial topic because the students lack full knowledge of the hazards around them and lack of commitment. The hazards can be chemical, biological, physical, ergonomic, and radiation. Despite the category of hazards, all-hazards need to be identified, evaluated, and controlled, which is known as the process of risk management (RM). Hazard identification is considered the most crucial step in the RM process. The risk evaluation is the estimation likelihood of occurrence and severity of each risk. The Risk Priority Number (RPN) classify identified risks into four categories depending on the multiplication score, which are high-RPN (16-25), warning- RPN (12-15), medium-RPN (8-10), and low-RPN (1-6). According to the category of RPN, the hierarchy of control is selected. The hierarchy of control includes elimination (highest level), replacement, engineering control, administrative control, and personal protective equipment (lowest level). This study was conducted to evaluate the safety of the microbiology and the hematology labs, identifying potential hazards and determining the actions or controls required to eliminate or reduce any risks to the Biomedical Sciences (BMS) students, teaching assistants, lab technicians, faculties and other related workers, following an RM process. Materials and method: A prospective and retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from January toMarch of 2020 in Laboratories of the Department of Biomedical Science (BMS) at Qatar University (QU). The study sample consists of two BMS education laboratories, which were microbiology (BIOM 322) and hematology (BIOM 451) labs. During the inspection process, checklists, data collection sheets (hazard identification sheets, and hazard evaluation sheets) were used. Then, each identified risk was evaluated in terms of severity and likelihood of occurrence. The RPN was calculated for each risk. The control measure was divided into two categories adopted and recommended control measures. These measures were evaluated per each lab, and a comparison between both labs was performed. A Comparison was carried out between the adopted and the recommended control measure for each lab and between the two selected labs. Results: Chemical, physical, ergonomic hazards have the highest percentages in the microbiology laboratory, with an equal percentage of 25% of each hazard. Chemical and ergonomic hazards have the highest percentage in the hematology lab with 31% each. Both microbiology and hematology labs do not have radiation hazards. The total number of hazards that were identified“ were thirteen (n=13) hazards in the hematology lab and sixteen (n=16) hazards in the microbiology lab. There is a significant difference between adopted and recommended control measures per each lab in terms of likelihood, severity, and RPN. Conclusion: Almost a quarter of the identified hazards in both labs is for chemical and ergonomic hazards. The recommended control measure can reduce the severity, likelihood of occurrence, and the RPN for the identified hazards in both labs

Peripheral Blood Smear Analyses Using Deep Learning

Peripheral Blood Smear (PBS) analysis is a vital routine test carried out by hematologists to assess some aspects of humans’ health status. PBS analysis is prone to human errors and utilizing computer-based analysis can greatly enhance this process in terms of accuracy and cost. Recent approaches in learning algorithms, such as deep learning, are data hungry, but due to the scarcity of labeled medical images, researchers had to find viable alternative solutions to increase the size of available datasets. Synthetic datasets provide a promising solution to data scarcity, however, the complexity of blood smears’ natural structure adds an extra layer of challenge to its synthesizing process. In this thesis, we propose a method- ology that utilizes Locality Sensitive Hashing (LSH) to create a novel balanced dataset of synthetic blood smears. This dataset, which was automatically annotated during the gener- ation phase, covers 17 essential categories of blood cells. The dataset also got the approval of 5 experienced hematologists to meet the general standards of making thin blood smears. Moreover, a platelet classifier and a WBC classifier were trained on the synthetic dataset. For classifying platelets, a hybrid approach of deep learning and image processing tech- niques is proposed. This approach improved the platelet classification accuracy and macro- average precision from 82.6% to 98.6% and 76.6% to 97.6% respectively. Moreover, for white blood cell classification, a novel scheme for training deep networks is proposed, namely, Enhanced Incremental Training, that automatically recognises and handles classes that confuse and negatively affect neural network predictions. To handle the confusable classes, we also propose a procedure called "training revert". Application of the proposed method has improved the classification accuracy and macro-average precision from 61.5% to 95% and 76.6% to 94.27% respectively. In addition, the feasibility of using animal reticulocyte cells as a viable solution to com- pensate for the deficiency of human data is investigated. The integration of animal cells is implemented by employing multiple deep classifiers that utilize transfer learning in differ- ent experimental setups in a procedure that mimics the protocol followed in experimental medical labs. Moreover, three measures are defined, namely, the pretraining boost, the dataset similarity boost, and the dataset size boost measures to compare the effectiveness of the utilized experimental setups. All the experiments of this work were conducted on a novel public human reticulocyte dataset and the best performing model achieved 98.9%, 98.9%, 98.6% average accuracy, average macro precision, and average macro F-score re- spectively. Finally, this work provides a comprehensive framework for analysing two main blood smears that are still being conducted manually in labs. To automate the analysis process, a novel method for constructing synthetic whole-slide blood smear datasets is proposed. Moreover, to conduct the blood cell classification, which includes eighteen blood cell types and abnormalities, two novel techniques are proposed, namely: enhanced incremental train- ing and animal to human cells transfer learning. The outcomes of this work were published in six reputable international conferences and journals such as the computers in biology and medicine and IEEE access journals

Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND)—Iron Review

This is the fifth in the series of reviews developed as part of the Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND) program. The BOND Iron Expert Panel (I-EP) reviewed the extant knowledge regarding iron biology, public health implications, and the relative usefulness of currently available biomarkers of iron status from deficiency to overload. Approaches to assessing intake, including bioavailability, are also covered. The report also covers technical and laboratory considerations for the use of available biomarkers of iron status, and concludes with a description of research priorities along with a brief discussion of new biomarkers with potential for use across the spectrum of activities related to the study of iron in human health. The I-EP concluded that current iron biomarkers are reliable for accurately assessing many aspects of iron nutrition. However, a clear distinction is made between the relative strengths of biomarkers to assess hematological consequences of iron deficiency versus other putative functional outcomes, particularly the relationship between maternal and fetal iron status during pregnancy, birth outcomes, and infant cognitive, motor and emotional development. The I-EP also highlighted the importance of considering the confounding effects of inflammation and infection on the interpretation of iron biomarker results, as well as the impact of life stage. Finally, alternative approaches to the evaluation of the risk for nutritional iron overload at the population level are presented, because the currently designated upper limits for the biomarker generally employed (serum ferritin) may not differentiate between true iron overload and the effects of subclinical inflammation

Canine immune-mediated Hemolytic Anemia: a clinical challenge

Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) is one of the most common causes of hemolysis in dogs and it has been associated with high mortality rates. Most patients succumb to the disease in the first weeks of treatment mainly due to thromboembolic complications. Glucocorticoids remain the mainstay of treatment and protocols which combine them with other immunosuppressive drugs may allow dose reduction and help non-responsive patients. However, reports studying different protocols are difficult to compare due to the small number and variety of the populations enrolled, the difference of the adopted treatment protocols and the lack of long-term follow-up of patients. Besides, these new drugs are often expensive and lack availability in day-to-day clinics. The aim of this study is to make a literature review of the current available literature in order to try to simplify its diagnostic and therapeutic approach; Resumo: Anemia Hemolítica Imunomediada Canina: um desafio clínico - A anemia hemolítica imunomediada é uma das causas mais comuns de hemólise em cães e está associada a altas taxas de mortalidade. A maioria dos pacientes sucumbe à doença nas primeiras semanas de tratamento sobretudo devido a complicações tromboembólicas. Os glucocorticoides continuam a ser o pilar do tratamento e protocolos que os combinam com outras drogas imunossupressoras permitem-nos reduzir a sua dosagem e ajudam-nos em pacientes que não respondem ao tratamento. No entanto, os estudos acerca dos diferentes protocolos terapêuticos são difíceis de comparar devido á variedade e pequeno número das populações estudadas, à diferença dos protocolos terapêuticos adotados e á falta de acompanhamento a longo prazo dos pacientes. Além disso estes novos fármacos têm um custo elevado e não estão disponíveis no dia-a-dia das clínicas. O objetivo deste estudo é fazer uma revisão bibliográfica da literatura disponível de maneira a tentar simplificar o diagnóstico e a abordagem terapêutica