Sensor capsule for diagnosis of gastric disorders

Motility and pH sensor capsule is developed to monitor gastric acidity, pressure, and temperature. Capsule does not interfere with digestion. Sensor is capsule which includes pH electrode, Pitran pressure transducer, and thermistor temperature sensor all potted in epoxy and enclosed in high density polyethylene sheath

Microbial load monitor

A card configuration which combines the functions of identification, enumeration and antibiotic sensitivity into one card was developed. An instrument package was designed around the card to integrate the card filling, incubation reading, computation and decision making process into one compact unit. Support equipment was also designed to prepare the expandable material used in the MLM

Breast cancer cells stimulate osteoprotegerin (OPG) production by endothelial cells through direct cell contact

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Angiogenesis, the sprouting of capillaries from existing blood vessels, is central to tumour growth and progression, however the molecular regulation of this process remains to be fully elucidated. The secreted glycoprotein osteoprotegerin (OPG) is one potential pro-angiogenic factor, and clinical studies have demonstrated endothelial cells within a number of tumour types to express high levels of OPG compared to those in normal tissue. Additionally, OPG can increase endothelial cell survival, proliferation and migration, as well as induce endothelial cell tube formation <it>in vitro</it>. This study aims to elucidate the processes involved in the pro-angiogenic effects of OPG <it>in vitro</it>, and also how OPG levels may be regulated within the tumour microenvironment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>It has previously been demonstrated that OPG can induce tube formation on growth factor reduced matrigel. In this study, we demonstrate that OPG enhances the pro-angiogenic effects of VEGF and that OPG does not stimulate endothelial cell tube formation through activation of the VEGFR2 receptor. We also show that cell contact between HuDMECs and the T47D breast cancer cell line increases endothelial cell OPG mRNA and protein secretion levels in <it>in vitro </it>co-cultures. These increases in endothelial cell OPG secretion were dependent on α_νβ₃ligation and NFκB activation. In contrast, the pro-angiogenic factors VEGF, bFGF and TGFβ had no effect on HuDMEC OPG levels.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings suggest that the VEGF signalling pathway is not involved in mediating the pro-angiogenic effects of OPG on endothelial cells <it>in vitro</it>. Additionally, we show that breast cancer cells cause increased levels of OPG expression by endothelial cells, and that direct contact between endothelial cells and tumour cells is required in order to increase endothelial OPG expression and secretion. Stimulation of OPG secretion was shown to involve α_νβ₃ligation and NFκB activation.</p

Estimating prevalence and burden of major disorders of the brain in Nepal: cultural, geographic, logistic and philosophical issues of methodology

BACKGROUND: Headache, anxiety and depression are major disorders of the brain in terms of their prevalence and the burdens and costs they impose on society. Nationwide population-based studies of these disorders are necessary to inform health policy but, in research-naïve and resource-poor countries such as Nepal, a host of methodological problems are encountered: cultural, geographic, logistic and philosophical. METHODS: Expert consensus was sought among researchers from different professional and cultural backgrounds in planning and conceptualizing an epidemiological study and adapting established methods to the special situation and circumstances of Nepal. RESULTS: The methodological problems were sorted into different themes: study design; climate; geography, access and transport; sociocultural issues; safety of interviewers. Each of these was dealt with separately, and their inter-relationships explored, in finding solutions that were sometimes pragmatic. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study, with teams of interviewers visiting households across the three physiographic divisions (with extremes in altitude) in each of the five development regions of the country, would enable national sampling with sociocultural representativeness. However, the study instruments and interviews would be in Nepali only. Transport and access challenges were considerable, and their solutions combined travel by air, bus, river and foot, with allowances for rain-damaged roads, collapsed bridges and cancelled scheduled flights. The monsoon would render many routes impassable, and therefore set an absolute time limitation. Engaging participants willingly in the enquiry would be the key to success, and several tactics would be employed to enhance the success of this, most importantly enlisting the support of local community volunteers in each study site. CONCLUSION: Anticipating problems in advance of investing substantial resources in a large nationwide epidemiological study in Nepal was a sensible precaution. The difficulties could be resolved or circumvented without expected compromise in scientific quality. Expert consensus was an effective means of achieving this outcome

The role of preclinical SPECT in oncological and neurological research in combination with either CT or MRI

Preclinical imaging with SPECT combined with CT or MRI is used more and more frequently and has proven to be very useful in translational research. In this article, an overview of current preclinical research applications and trends of SPECT combined with CT or MRI, mainly in tumour imaging and neuroscience imaging, is given and the advan- tages and disadvantages of the different approaches are de- scribed. Today SPECT and CT systems are often integrated into a single device (commonly called a SPECT/CT system), whereas at present combined SPECT and MRI is almost always carried out with separate systems and fiducial markers to combine the separately acquired images. While preclinical SPECT/CT is most widely applied in oncology research, SPECT combined with MRI (SPECT/MRI when integrated in one system) offers the potential for both neuroscience applications and oncological applications. Today CT and MRI are still mainly used to localize radiotracer binding and to improve SPECT quantification, although both CT and MRI have additional potential. Future technology developments may include fast sequential or simultaneous acquisition of (dynamic) multimodality data, spectroscopy, fMRI along with high-resolution anatomic MRI, advanced CT procedures, and combinations of more than two modalities such as combina- tions of SPECT, PET, MRI and CT all together. This will all strongly depend on new technologies. With further advances in biology and chemistry for imaging molecular targets and (patho)physiological processes in vivo, the introduction of new imaging procedures and promising new radiopharmaceu- ticals in clinical practice may be accelerated

Endogenous production of IL-1B by breast cancer cells drives metastasis and colonisation of the bone microenvironment

Background: Breast cancer bone metastases are incurable highlighting the need for new therapeutic targets. After colonizing bone, breast cancer cells remain dormant, until signals from the microenvironment stimulate outgrowth into overt metastases. Here we show that endogenous production of IL-1B by tumor cells drives metastasis and growth in bone. Methods: Tumor/stromal IL-B and IL-1R1 expression was assessed in patient samples and effects of the IL-1R antagonist, Anakinra or the IL-1B antibody Canakinumab on tumor growth and spontaneous metastasis were measured in a humanized mouse model of breast cancer bone metastasis. Effects of tumor cell-derived IL-1B on bone colonisation and parameters associated with metastasis were measured in MDA-MB-231, MCF7 and T47D cells transfected with IL-1B/control. Results: In tissue samples from >1300 patients with stage II/III breast cancer, IL-1B in tumor cells correlated with relapse in bone (hazard ratio 1.85; 95% CI 1.05-3.26; P=0.02) and other sites (hazard ratio 2.09; 95% CI 1.26-3.48; P=0.0016). In a humanized model of spontaneous breast cancer metastasis to bone, Anakinra or Canakinumab reduced metastasis and reduced the number of tumor cells shed into the circulation. Production of IL-1B by tumor cells promoted EMT (altered E-Cadherin, N-Cadherin and G-Catenin), invasion, migration and bone colonisation. Contact between tumor and osteoblasts or bone marrow cells increased IL-1B secretion from all three cell types. IL-1B alone did not stimulate tumor cell proliferation. Instead, IL-1B caused expansion of the bone metastatic niche leading to tumor proliferation. Conclusion: Pharmacological inhibition of IL-1B has potential as a novel treatment for breast cancer metastasis

Modeling recursive RNA interference.

An important application of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway is its use as a small RNA-based regulatory system commonly exploited to suppress expression of target genes to test their function in vivo. In several published experiments, RNAi has been used to inactivate components of the RNAi pathway itself, a procedure termed recursive RNAi in this report. The theoretical basis of recursive RNAi is unclear since the procedure could potentially be self-defeating, and in practice the effectiveness of recursive RNAi in published experiments is highly variable. A mathematical model for recursive RNAi was developed and used to investigate the range of conditions under which the procedure should be effective. The model predicts that the effectiveness of recursive RNAi is strongly dependent on the efficacy of RNAi at knocking down target gene expression. This efficacy is known to vary highly between different cell types, and comparison of the model predictions to published experimental data suggests that variation in RNAi efficacy may be the main cause of discrepancies between published recursive RNAi experiments in different organisms. The model suggests potential ways to optimize the effectiveness of recursive RNAi both for screening of RNAi components as well as for improved temporal control of gene expression in switch off-switch on experiments

Vortical structures in pool fires: Observation, speculation, and simulation

While all fires are complex and involve many phenomena, this report is limited to large, turbulent liquid-hydrocarbon pool fires. Large, liquid-hydrocarbon pool fires present a risk in petrochemical storage and processing facilities and transportation systems that contain large amounts of liquid hydrocarbons. This report describes observations, speculations, and numerical simulations of vortical structures in pool fires. Vortical structures are observed in fires with length scales ranging from those that bend millimeter-thick flame zones to those that entrain air many meters from the edge of the fire to its centerline. The authors propose that baroclinic vorticity generation is primarily responsible for production of rotational motion at small scale and that amalgamation is responsible for the production of large-scale rotational structures from the myriad of small-scale structures. Numerical simulations show that vortical structures having time-mean definitions can be resolved with a Reynolds-Average Navier-Stokes (RANS) approach. However, for vortical structures without time-mean definition, RANS is inappropriate, and another technique, such as Large Eddy Simulation (LES), should be employed. 39 refs., 52 figs., 3 tabs