Insoluble electrospun membranes for analyte pre-concentration in saliva

Insoluble electrospun membrane based on poly acrylic acid (PAA) crosslinked with ethylene glycol (EG) was prepared. The surface of the crosslinked PAA fibers was then grafted with polyethylenimine (PEI), octyl amine (OA) and EG using carbodiimide or thermal crosslinking to obtain insoluble membranes having anionic, cationic, hydrophobic and neutral characteristics for filtration of biomolecules from saliva. The resulting surface chemistries were confirmed by their respective ATR-FTIR spectra. Differences in fiber morphology and diameters were observed between the membranes. All the membrane variants were tested for their efficacy as solid phase extraction (SPE) matrices in the pre-concentration of ethanol in synthetic saliva, using a microfluidic chip. Gas chromatography assays showed no statistical difference for ethanol in eluents through each of the tested insoluble electrospun membrane variants versus their corresponding controls. Further studies would include the testing of these membranes in the pre-concentration of clinical biomolecules, including drugs of abuse (e.g., cocaine, THC), nutrients (e.g., glucose), proteins (e.g., albumin, HbA1C) and nucleic acids for sample preparation within point of care devices

Chemically roughened solid silver: A simple, robust and broadband SERS substrate

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates manufactured using complex nano-patterning techniques have become the norm. However, their cost of manufacture makes them unaffordable to incorporate into most biosensors. The technique shown in this paper is low-cost, reliable and highly sensitive. Chemical etching of solid Ag metal was used to produce simple, yet robust SERS substrates with broadband characteristics. Etching with ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) and nitric acid (HNO3) helped obtain roughened Ag SERS substrates. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and interferometry were used to visualize and quantify surface roughness. Flattened Ag wires had inherent, but non-uniform roughness having peaks and valleys in the microscale. NH4OH treatment removed dirt and smoothened the surface, while HNO3 treatment produced a flake-like morphology with visibly more surface roughness features on Ag metal. SERS efficacy was tested using 4-methylbenzenethiol (MBT). The best SERS enhancement for 1 mM MBT was observed for Ag metal etched for 30 s in NH4OH followed by 10 s in HNO3. Further, MBT could be quantified with detection limits of 1 pM and 100 µM, respectively, using 514 nm and 1064 nm Raman spectrometers. Thus, a rapid and less energy intensive method for producing solid Ag SERS substrate and its efficacy in analyte sensing was demonstrated.This work was financially supported by Home Office UK through the SBRI programme of Innovate UK, Grant No. SBRI_HO_202_007 (HOS/14/003). S. Wijesuriya acknowledges the fellowship for her Ph.D. from Brunel Institute for Bioengineering, Brunel University. We also acknowledge the support from Brunel University—RCUK fund for open access publishing

Determinants of prehospital lactate in trauma patients:A retrospective cohort study

Background: Point of care serum lactate measurement is emerging as an adjunct to prehospital clinical assessment and has the potential to guide triage and advanced treatment decision-making. In this study we aimed to assess which factors potentially affect prehospital lactate levels.Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of all trauma patients attended by the Air Ambulance, Kent, Surrey &amp; Sussex (AAKSS) between July 2017 and April 2018 in whom a pre-hospital lactate was measured. Lactate was measured before AAKSS treatments were commenced, but generally after prehospital treatment by ground ambulance crews was initiated. Primary endpoint of interest was the association of various patient- and treatment characteristics with prehospital lactate levels. Results: During the study period, lactate was measured in 156 trauma patients. Median lactate was 3.0 [2.0-4.1] mmol/l. Patients with an elevated lactate more often had deranged indices of end organ perfusion- and oxygenation (shock index 0.80 [0.58-1.03] vs 0.61 [0.40-0.82], p &lt; 0.001, SpO2 96 [89-100%] vs 98 [96-100%], p = 0.025). They more often suffered from head injuries (62% vs 41%, p = 0.008), and received less analgesia prior to arrival of the AAKSS team (51.6% vs 67.2%, p = 0.03). In multivariate analysis, indices of end organ perfusion- and oxygenation only explained 15% of the variation in lactate levels. Conclusions: Prehospital lactate levels are not solely associated with indices of end organ perfusion- and oxygenation. Injury type, treatments given on scene and many other (unmeasured) factors likely play an important role as well. This should be taken into account when lactate is used in clinical algorithms to guide prehospital triage or treatment.</p

Determinants of prehospital lactate in trauma patients:A retrospective cohort study

Background: Point of care serum lactate measurement is emerging as an adjunct to prehospital clinical assessment and has the potential to guide triage and advanced treatment decision-making. In this study we aimed to assess which factors potentially affect prehospital lactate levels.Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of all trauma patients attended by the Air Ambulance, Kent, Surrey &amp; Sussex (AAKSS) between July 2017 and April 2018 in whom a pre-hospital lactate was measured. Lactate was measured before AAKSS treatments were commenced, but generally after prehospital treatment by ground ambulance crews was initiated. Primary endpoint of interest was the association of various patient- and treatment characteristics with prehospital lactate levels. Results: During the study period, lactate was measured in 156 trauma patients. Median lactate was 3.0 [2.0-4.1] mmol/l. Patients with an elevated lactate more often had deranged indices of end organ perfusion- and oxygenation (shock index 0.80 [0.58-1.03] vs 0.61 [0.40-0.82], p &lt; 0.001, SpO2 96 [89-100%] vs 98 [96-100%], p = 0.025). They more often suffered from head injuries (62% vs 41%, p = 0.008), and received less analgesia prior to arrival of the AAKSS team (51.6% vs 67.2%, p = 0.03). In multivariate analysis, indices of end organ perfusion- and oxygenation only explained 15% of the variation in lactate levels. Conclusions: Prehospital lactate levels are not solely associated with indices of end organ perfusion- and oxygenation. Injury type, treatments given on scene and many other (unmeasured) factors likely play an important role as well. This should be taken into account when lactate is used in clinical algorithms to guide prehospital triage or treatment.</p

The Hybrid Motor Prototype: Design Details and Demonstration Results

A novel hybrid rotary motor incorporating piezoelectric and magnetostrictive actuators has been designed and demonstrated. The novelty of this motor was the creation of an electrical resonant circuit, whereby reactive power requirement on the power source is reduced. It was envisioned that the motor would be suitable for low output speed, high torque applications because of its design. This report presents the constructional details of this motor and the results of the demonstration

A hybrid case of eosinophilic folliculitis and eosinophilic cellulitis associated with hypereosinophilic syndrome

Eosinophilic cellulitis or Wells syndrome encompasses distinct histopathological features but can also be associated with eosinophilic related conditions like hyper eosinophilic syndrome (HES) or eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) (Churg–Strauss syndrome). We report a case of a Turkish 41-year-old female who presented in clinic with pruritus and tenderness on her chest and breasts, having received several courses of antibiotics for recurrent abscess formation. A year before she had been diagnosed with HES with multiorgan involvement that included biopsy proven eosinophilic folliculitis, and prompted further investigation including bone marrow aspiration that revealed T cell clonality. Biopsy of her rash revealed eosinophilic infiltration of the dermis with flame figures. Ongoing respiratory symptoms and a history of childhood asthma were suggestive of EGPA. This case highlights important associations that should be considered in the investigation of Wells syndrome