Real-time monitoring of tissue property in a liver phantom using an internal electrode and weighted frequency difference conductivity during microwave ablation

We measured the time difference and weighted frequency difference conductivity images to monitor the changes of temperature and tissue property in a liver phantom due to the microwave ablation. Pixels in regions of interest were compared between conventional boundary surface electrode method and focused configuration with an internal electrode

Developing a multi-center clinical data mart of ACEI and ARB for real-world evidence (RWE)

Background Randomized controlled trials can be expensive and time-consuming, leading to medical researchers utilizing real-world evidence (RWE) based on already-collected data. We aimed to conduct various RWE studies on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), commonly used as first-line therapy for blood pressure, and to develop a multi-center clinical data mart (CDM) of ACEI/ARB for various clinical purposes. Methods Data from electronic medical records of St. Marys Hospital and the Seoul National University Hospital were collected. We obtained blood and urine test results of patients within the 30 days prior to their first prescription of ACEI or ARB, as well as the first date of diagnosis and presence of various chronic and cardiovascular diseases using the International Classification of Diseases-10 classification. One researcher managed data quality and collation for each hospital in order to facilitate patient anonymity. When results were unclear, the responsible investigator for each hospital attempted to resolve ambiguities by direct chart review. Results A total of 102,333 patients who were prescribed ACEI or ARB for the first time were included (21,481 ACEI, 80,551 ARB, and 301 both). Our ACEI/ARB-CDM included short-term studies (within 12 months) to observe changes in various blood or urinary laboratory test values after the initial prescription of ACEI or ARB and long-term studies to confirm the incidence of various diseases. Conclusion We established a CDM of RWE for ACEI/ARB prescription, which included various clinical studies. As we accumulate experience in this process, we expect that the use of RWE research will grow and develop.The research was supported by funding from the Korean Society of Hypertension (2018)

Nano-sensing with a Silica Microtoroid

We report nano-detection using a silica microtoroid with a reference interferometer. Single polystyrene nano-beads at a record 12.5nm radius are detected; Influenza-A virion binding events with signal-to-noise ratio exceeding 38:1 are observed

Continuous non-destructive conductivity monitoring of chondrogenesis using bioimpedance tensor probe

A continuous non-destructive monitoring method is required to apply proper feedback controls during chondrogenesis. We measured the apparent conductivity and the amount of anisotropy on the top and bottom surfaces of samples in the chondrogenesis process to evaluate the ECM structure and composition changes. We compared them with histological trait to analyse the results

Geographical factor influences the metabolite distribution of house edible bird's nests in Malaysia

Background: Edible Bird's Nest (EBN) is famously consumed as a food tonic for its high nutritional values with numerous recuperative and therapeutic properties. EBN is majority exploited from swiftlet houses but the differences in terms of metabolite distribution between the production site of house EBN is not yet fully understood. Therefore, this study was designed to identify the metabolite distribution and to determine the relationship pattern for the metabolite distribution of house EBNs from different locations in Malaysia. Methods: The differences of metabolite distribution in house EBN were studied by collecting the samples from 13 states in Malaysia. An extraction method of eHMG was acquired to extract the metabolites of EBN and was subjected to non-targeted metabolite profiling via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Unsupervised multivariate analysis and Venn diagram were used to explore the relationship pattern among the house EBNs in Malaysia. The geographical distribution surrounded the swiftlet house was investigated to understand its influences on the metabolite distribution. Results: The hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) combined with correlation coefficient revealed the differences between the house EBNs in Malaysia with four main clusters formation. The metabolites distribution among these clusters was unique with their varied combination of geographical distribution. Cluster 1 grouped EBNs from Selangor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu which geographically distributed with major oil palm field in township, Cluster 2 included Perak and Sarawak with high distribution of oil palm in higher altitude, Cluster 3 included Perlis, Kelantan, Kedah, Penang from lowland of paddy field in village mostly and Cluster 4 grouped Sabah, Pahang, Johor which are majorly distributed with undeveloped hills. The metabolites which drove each cluster formation have happened in a group instead of individual key metabolite. The major metabolites that characterised Cluster 1 were fatty acids, while the rest of the clusters were peptides and secondary metabolites. Conclusion: The metabolite profiling conducted in this study was able to discriminate the Malaysian house EBNs based on metabolites distribution. The factor that most inferences the differences of house EBNs were the geographical distribution, in which geographical distribution affects the distribution of insect and the diet of swiftlet

Continuous Nondestructive Monitoring Method Using the Reconstructed Three-Dimensional Conductivity Images via GREIT for Tissue Engineering

A continuous Nondestructive monitoring method is required to apply proper feedback controls during tissue regeneration. Conductivity is one of valuable information to assess the physiological function and structural formation of regenerated tissues or cultured cells. However, conductivity imaging methods suffered from inherited ill-posed characteristics in image reconstruction, unknown boundary geometry, uncertainty in electrode position, and systematic artifacts. In order to overcome the limitation of microscopic electrical impedance tomography (micro-EIT), we applied a 3D-specific container with a fixed boundary geometry and electrode configuration to maximize the performance of Graz consensus reconstruction algorithm for EIT (GREIT). The separation of driving and sensing electrodes allows us to simplify the hardware complexity and obtain higher measurement accuracy from a large number of small sensing electrodes. We investigated the applicability of the GREIT to 3D micro-EIT images via numerical simulations and large-scale phantom experiments. We could reconstruct multiple objects regardless of the location. The resolution was 5 mm3 with 30 dB SNR and the position error was less than 2.54 mm. This shows that the new micro-EIT system integrated with GREIT is robust with the intended resolution. With further refinement and scaling down to a microscale container, it may be a continuous nondestructive monitoring tool for tissue engineering applications

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead