Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells for Early Diagnosis of Cancer on a Microfluidic Platform

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) act as an early biomarker representing metastatic cancer, in which cells from a benign tumor release out into the bloodstream. These cells anchor to other organs of the body and begin to use the tissue as a scaffold for growth, leading to rapid progression of cancer. Metastatic cancer is at fault for the rise of breast, prostate, and brain cancer, which have high mortality rates (606, 880 cancer deaths in the U.S). Current techniques such as surgical and liquid biopsies are invasive and inefficient for early detection of cancer. In this work, we propose the capture and detection of CTCs using an antibodybased microfluidic platform attached to a sensor that uses electrical impedance to sense the presence of cells. The change in capacitance correlates the number of cells captured on the sensor. For this work, we selected the A549 lung cancer cell line. For capturing the cancer cells a microfluidic chamber was coated with antibodies specific to A549 cells which were connected to the sensor that registered the presence of cells by creating an electrical impedance based on how many cells attached to the antibodies. The goal is to be able to register a small number of cells, around 10-50 cells/mL of sample. The capture of a small number of cells assures early detection of cancer since in the initial stages of cancer progression the number of CTCs would be quite low. If successful, then metastatic cancer can be prevented through medical intervention at a stage where it can be completely removed. This proposed method can verify the presence of a preexisting tumor, allowing for patients to eliminate a cause for a new tumor to emerge

Using Blockchain to support Data & Service Monetization

Two required features of a data monetization platform are query and retrieval of the metadata of the resources to be monetized. Centralized platforms rely on the maturity of traditional NoSQL database systems to support these features. These databases, for example, MongoDB allows for very efficient query and retrieval of data it stores. However, centralized platforms come with a bag of security and privacy concerns, making them not the ideal approach for a data monetization platform. On the other hand, most existing decentralized platforms are only partially decentralized. In this research, I developed Cowry, a platform for publishing metadata describing available resources (data or services), discovery of published metadata including fast search and filtering. My main contribution is a fully decentralized architecture that combines blockchain and traditional distributed database to gain additional features such as efficient query and retrieval of metadata stored on the blockchain

Basal metabolic regulatory responses and rhythmic activity of mammalian heart to aqueous kola nut extracts

Preliminary investigation on the effect of aqueous extracts of three species of kola nut; Cola acuminata (P. Beav), C. nitida subsp. rubra and C. nitida subsp. alba (Vent), on the rhythmic activity of mammalian heart and metabolic rate was carried out using male albino rats, Rattus sp. Low concentrations of kola nut extract stimulated the heart by increasing rate and force of contraction as well as metabolic rate. Higher concentrations reduced rate and amplitude of beat resulting, at still higher concentrations in heart failure.Keywords: Kolanut, extract, basal metabolic rate, mammalian hear

Pneumococcal Tricuspid Valve Endocarditis in a Young African American: A Case for Inclusion of African Americans in Pneumococcal Vaccine Criteria

Following the development of penicillin, complications from streptococcus pneumonia such as endocarditis have become rare. However, certain independent risk factors such as cigarette smoking and being of African-American (AA) decent have been associated with a higher incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease, but only cigarette smoking has been targeted by current recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunological Practices (ACIPs). We report a case of a young AA smoker, who developed an isolated tricuspid valve pneumococcal endocarditis. This case will illustrate the high susceptibility for invasive pneumococcus sequelae in AA, thereby raising the argument for the consideration of AA in the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) criteria, regardless of smoking history

Novel pollution prevention process for regulating industrial wastewater for better protection of the environment and public health

Regulating the concentrations of pollutants in industrial wastewater through wastewater treatment as practiced worldwide without regulating their pollution loads and wastewater discharge rate alongside, is not enough for protection of the environment and public health. This work investigated why some companies in the Niger Delta do not treat their wastewater; with the aim of providing a solution. The aforesaid prompted this work to invent the “Novel Pollution Prevention Process for Regulating Industrial Wastewater” introducing additional controls namely pollution load and wastewater discharge rate controls for better protection of the environment and public health. Questionnaire survey, wastewater analysis, discharge rate measurement, mathematical modeling and design were the methods adopted. Results revealed that pollution load and wastewater discharge rate should be regulated alongside concentrations of pollutants. Results showed that cost is the major factor responsible for the inability of some companies to treat their wastewater in the Niger Delta. Results revealed that pollution load is a qualitative measure of environmental damage caused by a pollutant and that the larger the pollution load, the larger the environmental damage and vice versa. Results showed that industry can apply the novel pollution prevention process to determine the environmentally-friendly wastewater discharge rate, environmentally-friendly pollution load of pollutants and the corresponding production rate of finished goods. Results revealed that when the concentration of a pollutant in industrial wastewater is not compliant and discharge rate is excessive, pollution load control can protect the environment and public health while regulatory agencies take appropriate measures to make the company comply with the allowable concentration limits of the pollutant. The “novel pollution prevention process for regulating industrial wastewater” has global applicability. It can be applied in every country

Short communication- basal metabolic regulatory responses and rhythmic activity of mammalian heart to aqueous kola nut extracts

Preliminary investigation on the effect of aqueous extracts of three species of kola nut; Cola acuminata (P. Beav), C. nitida subsp. rubra and C. nitida subsp. alba (Vent), on the rhythmic activity of mammalian heart and metabolic rate was carried out using male albino rats, Rattus sp. Low concentrations of kola nut extract stimulated the heart by increasing rate and force of contraction as well as metabolic rate. Higher concentrations reduced rate and amplitude of beat resulting, at still higher concentrations in heart failure

An Autonomous Obstacle Avoidance Robot Using Ultrasonic Sensor

The use of robot and its enormous technological applications in today‟s era of industrial and intelligent systems has been seen to be highly impactful. The ability of these robots to move freely with minimal control is posing a real challenge. In this paper, the development of an autonomous obstacle avoidance robot using ultrasonic sensors is presented. In the design, the ultrasonic sensor serves as the eye of the robot to aid its autonomous movement. The robot is a wheeled type which can either be control using a dedicated control application (Android App) or autonomously. The control application was an added feature in case there is need to manually control the robot. The accuracy of the robot obstacle avoidance is highly encouraging scoring 87.5%, although, there are other challenges which are noted for further study. Keywords: Robotic, Obstacle avoidance, Autonomous system, Ultrasonic sensor