A web-based system for personalized patient education and compliance monitoring, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2005, nr 4

The economic importance of therapy compliance has grown steadily in recent years, not only because of the efficacy of newer therapeutic methods but also because of the increased costs of treating the consequences of poor compliance. Improved compliance can lead to significant savings by preserving or restoring a patient’s health, improving quality of life, by reducing the number of medical services required when therapy fails or appears ineffective, and by helping limit the rise in national health care costs. Within the framework of the TEN-Telecom European Commission Programme, C-Monitor project developed an integrated health telematics platform to enhance chronic patient compliance to therapy and interactive communication with their attending physicians. The overall aim of the project was to study the potential benefits, both in clinical and financial aspects, of such innovative systems and services along cost-efficiency of care provision. The platform developed has been validated in controlled small-scale trials in a number of European countries. The Greek pilot involved installation of the system in a private hospital in Athens and the validation scenario dealt with morbid obesity patients that have undergone surgical operation. A number of 30 patients were recruited for the trial. Results of the trial indicated the technological robustness of the proposed system and the potential clinical and economic benefits of running such services. Further trials are required to better address cost-efficiency issues with respects to the service goals

Development of an Optical Method for the Evaluation of Whole Blood Coagulation

Blood coagulation is a defense mechanism, which is activated in case of blood loss, due to vessel damage, or other injury. Pathological cases arise from malfunctions of the blood coagulation mechanism, and rapid growth of clots results in partially or even fully blocked blood vessel. The aim of this work is to characterize blood coagulation, by analyzing the time-dependent structural properties of whole blood, using an inexpensive design and robust processing approaches. The methods used in this work include brightfield microscopy and image processing techniques, applied on finger-prick blood samples. The blood samples were produced and directly utilized in custom-made glass microchannels. Color images were captured via a microscopy-camera setup for a period of 35 min, utilizing three different magnifications. Statistical information was extracted directly from the color components and the binary conversions of the images. The main advantage in the current work lies on a Boolean classification approach utilized on the binary data, which enabled to identify the interchange between specific structural elements of blood, namely the red blood cells, the plasma and the clotted regions, as a result of the clotting process. Coagulation indices produced included a bulk coagulation index, a plasma-reduction based index and a clot formation index. The results produced with the inexpensive design and the low computational complexity in the current approach, show good agreement with the literature, and a great potential for a robust characterization of blood coagulation

A microfluidic system, utilising image processing methods, for the detection of blood coagulation and erythrocyte aggregation

Hemostasis is a defence mechanism that prevents blood losses in cases of vessel injuries, and other related disorders. In many cases, patients need to frequently monitor their blood coagulation tendency in order to regulate their medication. In addition, red blood cell aggregation (RBCA) is related to blood inflammation, and it appears elevated in many pathological conditions. Blood coagulation and RBCA can be studied by analysing the dynamic changes of light transmittance though a clotting/aggregating sample, and indeed various works in the literature exploit this approach. In this work, blood coagulation and RBCA are examined by utilising single drops of blood in an inexpensive camera-based microfluidic system, designed for low computational and production cost. Results are compared with a microscopy-camera system, with both setups utilizing the same custom made microchannel. Three image processing algorithms are developed to analyze the averaged light intensity, and the local structural chracteristics of blood, through a binarization and region classification method, using logical operations. The results illustrate the repeatability of the technique and the donor-to-donor variation within the proposed approach. Based on the image processing analysis, the developed coagulation and aggregation indices show great potential of utilisation in an inexpensive and robust point of care device

Improved weight management using genetic information to personalize a calorie controlled diet

Abstract Background Gene-environment studies demonstrate variability in nutrient requirements depending upon individual variations in genes affecting nutrient metabolism and transport. This study investigated whether the inclusion of genetic information to personalize a patient's diet (nutrigenetics) could improve long term weight management. Methods Patients with a history of failures at weight loss were offered a nutrigenetic test screening 24 variants in 19 genes involved in metabolism. 50 patients were in the nutrigenetic group and 43 patients attending the same clinic were selected for comparison using algorithms to match the characteristics: age, sex, frequency of clinical visits and BMI at initial clinic visit. The second group of 43 patients did not receive a nutrigenetic test. BMI reduction at 100 and > 300 days and blood fasting glucose were measured. Results After 300 days of follow-up individuals in the nutrigenetic group were more likely to have maintained some weight loss (73%) than those in the comparison group (32%), resulting in an age and gender adjusted OR of 5.74 (95% CI 1.74–22.52). Average BMI reduction in the nutrigenetic group was 1.93 kg/m2(5.6% loss) vs. an average BMI gain of 0.51 kg/m2(2.2% gain) (p 100 mg/dL, 57% (17/30) of the nutrigenetic group but only 25% (4/16) of the non-tested group had levels reduced to 90 days of weight management therapy (OR for lowering glucose to Conclusion Addition of nutrigenetically tailored diets resulted in better compliance, longer-term BMI reduction and improvements in blood glucose levels.</p

Red blood cell sedimentation rate measurements in a high aspect ratio microchannel

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) test is commonly used in clinical practice for monitoring, screening and diagnosing pathological conditions and diseases related to the inflammatory response of the immune system. Several ESR techniques have been developed over the years improving the reliability, the precision and the duration of the measurement

Child Behavior Checklist-Mania Scale items and corresponding core and extended DSM-IV criteria for Mania.

<p>Child Behavior Checklist-Mania Scale items and corresponding core and extended DSM-IV criteria for Mania.</p