A Microelectronic Sensor Device Powered by a Small Implantable Biofuel Cell

Biocatalytic buckypaper electrodes modified with pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ)‐dependent glucose dehydrogenase and bilirubin oxidase for glucose oxidation and oxygen reduction, respectively, were prepared for their use in a biofuel cell. A small (millimeter‐scale; 2×3×2 mm3) enzyme‐based biofuel cell was tested in a model glucose‐containing aqueous solution, in human serum, and as an implanted device in a living gray garden slug (Deroceras reticulatum), producing electrical power in the range of 2–10 μW (depending on the glucose source). A microelectronic temperature‐sensing device equipped with a rechargeable supercapacitor, internal data memory and wireless data downloading capability was specifically designed for activation by the biofuel cell. The power management circuit in the device allowed the optimized use of the power provided by the biofuel cell dependent on the sensor operation activity. The whole system (power‐producing biofuel cell and power‐consuming sensor) operated autonomously by extracting electrical energy from the available environmental source, as exemplified by extracting power from the glucose‐containing hemolymph (blood substituting biofluid) in the slug to power the complete temperature sensor system and read out data wirelessly. Other sensor systems operating autonomously in remote locations based on the concept illustrated here are envisaged for monitoring different environmental conditions or can be specially designed for homeland security applications, particularly in detecting bioterrorism threats.Sluggish sensor? A microelectronic sensor device was powered by an enzyme biofuel cell implanted in a slug to operate autonomously.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152860/1/cphc201900700_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152860/2/cphc201900700.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152860/3/cphc201900700-sup-0001-misc_information.pd

Pain Following the Use of Anesthesia Formulation Among Individuals Undergoing Cataract Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose: To assess the pain intensity of two intracameral anesthetic solutions in patients undergoing cataract surgery and evaluate the factors influencing the patients’ postoperative activities. Methods: Sixty-two patients undergoing cataract surgery were randomized to receive the study drug – a manufactured solution of 0.02% tropicamide/0.31% phenylephrine/1% lidocaine (Mydrane) or a traditional anesthetic formulation - solution of 1% lidocaine/0.025% adrenaline as an intraocular anesthetic. The pain intensity was assessed by Visual Analog Scale for Pain (VAS Pain) and Brief Pain Inventory-short form (BPI) on the next day after the surgery. Results: The mean pain score measured preoperatively with VAS Pain was 0.34 in Mydrane group and 0.09 in the reference group (p = 0.51). There were no statistically significant differences between the two anesthetic methods with respect to pain intensity during the surgery (p = 0.94) and the influence of pain during the last 24 h on activity (p = 0.79), mood (p = 0.31), social contacts (p = 0.29), sleep (p = 0.5) and the joy of life (p = 0.39). Additionally, there was no statistically significant influence of age, sex, lateralization, co-existing ophthalmological diseases (p = 0.98) and post-operative complications (p = 0.4) on the experienced pain measured during the surgery and in the last 24 h. Conclusions: New commercially available intraocular anesthetic solution (Mydrane™) seems to be as effective as off-label traditional anesthetic formulation, in reducing the pain experienced during cataract surgery under topical anesthesia

Systematic analysis of changes in radiomics features during dynamic breast-MRI: Evaluation of specific biomarkers

OBJECTIVES In this retrospective, single-center study we investigate the changes of radiomics features during dynamic breast-MRI for healthy tissue compared to benign and malignant lesions. METHODS 60 patients underwent breast-MRI using a dynamic 3D gradient-echo sequence. Changes of 34 texture features (TF) in 30 benign and 30 malignant lesions were calculated for 5 dynamic datasets and corresponding 4 subtraction datasets. Statistical analysis was performed with ANOVA, and systematic changes in features were described by linear and polynomial regression models. RESULTS ANOVA revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) between normal tissue and lesions in 13 TF, compared to 9 TF between benign and malignant lesions. Most TF showed significant differences in early dynamic and subtraction datasets. TF associated with homogeneity were suitable to discriminate between healthy parenchyma and lesions, whereas run-length features were more suitable to discriminate between benign and malignant lesions. Run length nonuniformity (RLN) was the only feature able to distinguish between all three classes with an AUC of 88.3%. Characteristic changes were observed with a systematic increase or decrease for most TF with mostly polynomial behavior. Slopes showed earlier peaks in malignant lesions, compared to benign lesions. Mean values for the coefficient of determination were higher during subtraction sequences, compared to dynamic sequences (benign: 0.98 vs 0. 72; malignant: 0.94 vs 0.74). CONCLUSIONS TF of breast lesions follow characteristic patterns during dynamic breast-MRI, distinguishing benign from malignant lesions. Early dynamic and subtraction datasets are particularly suitable for texture analysis in breast-MRI. Features associated with tissue homogeneity seem to be indicative of benign lesions

Adamantane-1-ammonium acetate

In the title compound, C10H18N+·C2H3O2 −, the ammonium H atoms of the cation are linked to three acetate anions via N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a chain structure extending along the b axis

Bis(adamantan-1-aminium) carbonate

In the title compound, 2C10H18N+·CO3 2−, the adamantan-1-aminium cation forms three N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds to three carbonate ions, resulting in a layer parallel to (001) with the adamantane groups located on its surface so that adjacent layers form only C—H⋯H—C contacts. The carbonate anions occupy special positions of 32 symmetry, whereas the adamantan-1-aminium cations occupy special positions of 3 symmetry

Cultural differences in postnatal quality of life among German-speaking women - a prospective survey in two countries.

Assessment of quality of life after childbirth is an important health-outcome measurement for new mothers and is of special interest in midwifery. The Mother-Generated Index (MGI) is a validated instrument to assess postnatal quality of life. The tool has not been applied for making a cross-cultural comparison before. This study investigated (a) responses to the MGI in German-speaking women in Germany and Switzerland; and (b) associations between MGI scores on the one hand and maternity and midwifery care on the other

Device-independent, real-time identification of bacterial pathogens with a metal oxide-based olfactory sensor

A novel olfactory method for bacterial species identification using an electronic nose device called the MonoNose was developed. Differential speciation of micro-organisms present in primary cultures of clinical samples could be performed by real-time identification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced during microbial replication. Kinetic measurements show that the dynamic changes in headspace gas composition are orders of magnitude larger than the static differences at the end of fermentation. Eleven different, clinically relevant bacterial species were included in this study. For each of the species, two to eight different strains were used to take intra-species biodiversity into account. A total of 52 different strains were measured in an incubator at 37°C. The results show that the diagnostic specificities varied from 100% for Clostridium difficile to 67% for Enterobacter cloacae with an overall average of 87%. Pathogen identification with a MonoNose can be achieved within 6–8 h of inoculation of the culture broths. The diagnostic specificity can be improved by broth modification to improve the VOC production of the pathogens involved

Transferability of PCR-based diagnostic protocols: An international collaborative case study assessing protocols targeting the quarantine pine pathogen Fusarium circinatum

[EN] Fusarium circinatum is a harmful pathogenic fungus mostly attacking Pinus species and also Pseudotsuga menziesii, causing cankers in trees of all ages, damping-off in seedlings, and mortality in cuttings and mother plants for clonal production. This fungus is listed as a quarantine pest in several parts of the world and the trade of potentially contaminated pine material such as cuttings, seedlings or seeds is restricted in order to prevent its spread to disease-free areas. Inspection of plant material often relies on DNA testing and several conventional or real-time PCR based tests targeting F. circinatum are available in the literature. In this work, an international collaborative study joined 23 partners to assess the transferability and the performance of nine molecular protocols, using a wide panel of DNA from 71 representative strains of F. circinatum and related Fusarium species. Diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the nine protocols all reached values >80%, and the diagnostic specificity was the only parameter differing significantly between protocols. The rates of false positives and of false negatives were computed and only the false positive rates differed significantly, ranging from 3.0% to 17.3%. The difference between protocols for some of the performance values were mainly due to cross-reactions with DNA from non-target species, which were either not tested or documented in the original articles. Considering that participating laboratories were free to use their own reagents and equipment, this study demonstrated that the diagnostic protocols for F. circinatum were not easily transferable to end-users. More generally, our results suggest that the use of protocols using conventional or real-time PCR outside their initial development and validation conditions should require careful characterization of the performance data prior to use under modified conditions (i.e. reagents and equipment). Suggestions to improve the transfer are proposed.This work was supported by COST action FP1406 Pinestrength . The work of the Estonian team was supported by the Estonian Science Foundation grants PSG136 and IUT21-04. The work of Portuguese team from INIAV was financed by INIAV I.P. Institute. The work at U. Aveiro (Portugal) was financed by European Funds through COMPETE and National Funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) to CESAM (UID/AMB/50017/2013 POCI-01- 0145-FEDER-007638). The work of Slovenian team was financed through Slovenian Research Agency (P4-0107) and by the Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (Public Forestry Service). The British work was financially supported by the Forestry Commission, UK. The French work was financially supported by the French Agency for Food, environmental and occupational health safety (ANSES). The work in New Zealand was funded by Operational Research Programmes, Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand.Ioos, R.; Aloi, F.; Piskur, B.; Guinet, C.; Mullett, M.; Berbegal Martinez, M.; Bragança, H.... (2019). Transferability of PCR-based diagnostic protocols: An international collaborative case study assessing protocols targeting the quarantine pine pathogen Fusarium circinatum. Scientific Reports. 9:1-17. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44672-8S1179Schmale, D. G. III & Gordon, T. R. Variation in susceptibility to pitch canker disease, caused by Fusarium circinatum, in native stands of Pinus muricata. Plant Pathol. 52, 720–725 (2003).Gordon, T. R., Kirkpatrick, S. C., Aegerter, B. J., Wood, D. L. & Storer, A. J. 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Rab-dependent vesicular traffic affects female gametophyte development in Arabidopsis

Eukaryotic cells rely on the accuracy and efficiency of vesicular traffic. In plants, disturbances in vesicular trafficking are well studied in quickly dividing root meristem cells or polar growing root hairs and pollen tubes. The development of the female gametophyte, a unique haploid reproductive structure located in the ovule, has received far less attention in studies of vesicular transport. Key molecules providing the specificity of vesicle formation and its subsequent recognition and fusion with the acceptor membrane are Rab proteins. Rabs are anchored to membranes by covalently linked geranylgeranyl group(s) that are added by the Rab geranylgeranyl transferase (RGT) enzyme. Here we show that Arabidopsis plants carrying mutations in the gene encoding the β-subunit of RGT (rgtb1) exhibit severely disrupted female gametogenesis and this effect is of sporophytic origin. Mutations in rgtb1 lead to internalization of the PIN1 and PIN3 proteins from the basal membranes to vesicles in provascular cells of the funiculus. Decreased transport of auxin out of the ovule is accompanied by auxin accumulation in tissue surrounding the growing gametophyte. In addition, female gametophyte development arrests at the uni- or binuclear stage in a significant portion of the rgtb1 ovules. These observations suggest that communication between the sporophyte and the developing female gametophyte relies on Rab-dependent vesicular traffic of the PIN1 and PIN3 transporters and auxin efflux out of the ovule