Application of microarray technology in pulmonary diseases

Microarrays are a powerful tool that have multiple applications both in clinical and cell biology arenas of common lung diseases. To exemplify how this tool can be useful, in this review, we will provide an overview of the application of microarray technology in research relevant to common lung diseases and present some of the future perspectives

The Effect of Four Commonly Used Root Conditioner Agents in Different Time Periods Applied on Periodontally Diseased and Healthy Teeth

Statement of Problem: Root surface contamination or infection can potentially change the consequences of regenerative periodontal therapies and therefore the modification and disinfection of the contaminated root surfaces are necessary. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the surface characteristics of the extracted human teeth after exposure to four root conditioners in different time periods. Materials and Methods: The study samples were prepared from 40 freshly extracted teeth including 20 affected teeth with periodontal diseases and 20 healthy teeth. After performing root planning, 240 dentinal block samples were prepared and each affected and healthy sample was randomly allocated to receive one of the following root conditioners; Ethylenediaminetetraaceti acid (EDTA), citric acid, doxycycline, and tetracycline or rinsed with normal saline as the control agent. The prepared specimens were evaluated using scanning electron microscope and the inter-group differences and changes in study indices; dentin (%), tubular spaces (%), and diameter of dentinal tubules (μm²) were compared using one-way ANOVA test. Results: In the control group receiving normal saline, the changes in the indicators of dentin, tubular spaces, and diameter of dentinal tubules remained insignificant in all time periods. EDTA, citric acid, and tetracycline had chelating effects on the study indices; however, doxycycline led to gradual decrease of the tubular space and diameter as well as increase in dentin percentage. Conclusions: In different time intervals and when considering healthy or affected tooth surfaces, the effect of conditioning agents could be different. Amongst the four agents used, EDTA and tetracycline consistently increased the diameter of tubules and percentage of patent tubules in both healthy and diseased teeth

Joule heating effects on insulatorbased dielectrophoresis

We present an experimental and numerical study of Joule heating in a polymeric insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) device. In this study, we used a microscale thermometry technique based upon the temperature-sensitive fluorescence of Rhodamine B dye to monitor the fluid temperature within our iDEP microfluidic devices. We then complemented our experiments with 3D finite element simulations of the fluid flow, electric field and heat transport to analyze the temperature distributions in the fluid and polymer regions. Our investigation reveals that Joule heating has a significant impact on the fluid and particle behavior within iDEP devices

Risk Factors of Lyme Disease: An Intersection of Environmental Ecology and Systems Science

Lyme disease (LD) cases have been on the rise throughout the United States, costing the healthcare system up to $1.3 billion per year, and making LD one of the greatest threats to public health. Factors influencing the number of LD cases range from environmental to system-level variables, but little is known about the influence of vegetation (canopy, understory, and ground cover) and human behavioral risk on LD cases and exposure to infected ticks. We determined the influence of various risk factors on the risk of exposure to infected ticks on 22 different walkways using multinomial logistic regression. The model classifies the walkways into high-risk and low-risk categories with 90% accuracy, in which the understory, human risk, and number of rodents are significant indicators. These factors should be managed to control the risk of transmission of LD to humans

Sample concentration and impedance detection on a microfluidic polymer chip

We present an on-chip microfluidic sample concentrator and detection triggering system for microparticles based on a combination of insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) and electrical impedance measurement. This platform operates by first using iDEP to selectively concentrate microparticles of interest based on their electrical and physiological characteristics in a primary fluidic channel; the concentrated microparticles are then directed into a side channel configured for particle detection using electrical impedance measurements with embedded electrodes. This is the first study showing iDEP concentration with subsequent sample diversion down an analysis channel and is the first to demonstrate iDEP in the presence of pressure driven flow. Experimental results demonstrating the capabilities of this platform were obtained using polystyrene microspheres and Bacillus subtilis spores. The feasibility of selective iDEP trapping and impedance detection of these particles was demonstrated. The system is intended for use as a front-end unit that can be easily paired with multiple biodetection/bioidentification systems. This platform is envisioned to act as a decision-making component to determine if confirmatory downstream identification assays are required. Without a front end component that triggers downstream analysis only when necessary, bio-identification systems (based on current analytical technologies such as PCR and immunoassays) may incur prohibitively high costs to operate due to continuous consumption of expensive reagents