An Ultrasound Based Eye Tracking System

A novel, non-contact ultrasound device is detailed for recording and analyzing 3D fast eye movements (saccades) and smooth pursuit eye movements. Saccades are studied to gain a better understanding of the human oculomotor plant and neuromuscular systems. Abnormal saccades can be indicators of both neurological disorders and mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). Limitations in existing saccade measurement devices prevent them from being used to measure saccades immediately after a possible MTBI event or easily outside of the clinical environment. 

The device proposed is portable allowing saccade measurements in the field to immediately assess neurological dysfunction associated with MTBI. Ease of use and portability allow collection of data at times and places not possible with devices currently available. This increased database of saccades will expand our knowledge of the relationship between saccades and the neurological functioning of the brain. The focus of this paper is the development of a finite element model to establish a starting point for such a design.

Cytotoxic Effects of Aflatoxin B1 Standard in Relation to Aflatoxin Extracts from South African Compound Feeds on Human Lymphocytes

Cytotoxicity testing of aflatoxin (AF) on the viability of cells grown in cultures can be widely used to predict the potential toxic effects of AF in animals. To this end, an in vitro experimental study was conducted to ascertain the toxic effects of AF extracts obtained from compound feeds in South Africa on human lymphocytes in comparison to that of an AFB1 standard. The approach adopted was on the basis of viable cells reducing methyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) from blue to a purple formazan dye, which was then spectrophotometrically quantified to provide the rate of cytotoxicity. 

Data obtained indicated no cytotoxic response in control cells, as the viability of cells without treatment with AF standard or methanolic extracts of AF extracts [negative control] using methanol as the reconstituting solvent, was 99.9% after 24 hrs. of incubation. However, cell viability significantly (p<0.001) decreased upon exposure to AF extracts especially for poultry feed. This was influenced by both the dose and duration of exposure, which was much more pronounced when the cells were exposed to AFB1 standard than for all the AF extracts tested. This implies that these feeds on exposure to AF can greatly influence animal health with respect to both the contamination dose and exposure time.

Bioengineered Cranial Bones with Multiple Intelligent Functions for the Effective Treatment of Currently Intractable Brain Disorders: Prospects and Challenges

Many neurological and psychiatric disorders with predominantly cerebral cortical pathology, including most severe strokes, traumatic brain injuries, malignant brain tumors, intractable focal epilepsies and dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease are currently difficult, if not impossible, to treat. This causes suffering in almost 100 million people worldwide. 

We propose that bioengineered cranial bones with multiple intelligent functions, including site specific Tran’s meningeal drug delivery and neurotoxin drainage with EEG feedback, can provide effective treatment of these brain disorders by drug combinations that act on both synapses and genes with concomitant selective drainage of harmful extracellular molecules. After examining and summarizing the rationale and feasibility of this proposal, we suggest novel methods for extending the functions of the involved components including synergies with existing devices and we highlight relevant pre clinical results, discussing medical prospects of this novel neuro therapeutic approach. Finally, we discuss key engineering, scientific, clinical and ethical challenges to introducing bio engineered cranial bones with multiple intelligent functions to the clinic within a decade. 

Intraductal Carcinoma of the Prostate Diagnosed by Multi-Parametric Prostate Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and MRI/Ultrasound Fusion-Guided Biopsy

Although, the term “intraductal carcinoma of the prostate” (IDC-P) was first used by Rhamy, McNeak and Yemoto, were the first to delineate IDC-P as a distinct biological entity with definable histological and clinical features. IDC-P is defined as aproliferation of malignant prostate adeno carcinoma cells distending or completely spanning the lumen of pre-existing prostatic ducts and acini, with at least focal preservation of basal cells. Watts et al. estimated the incidence of IDC-P to 2.8% in prostate biopsies.

Histological criteria for the diagnosis of IDC-P include solid; dense cribriform (>50% cellularity of the lumen); trabecular/micropapillary; and loose cribriform intraductal proliferation of malignant cells. The latter two growth patterns share much similarity with HGPIN. In these instances, additional diagnostic criteria, such as marked nuclear pleomorphism (nuclear enlargement > 6x normal nuclei), and nonfocal comedonecrosis (> 1 duct showing comedonecrosis) are criteria needed to differentiate it from HGPIN.

Preliminary Evaluation of the Effects of Cold Atmospheric Plasma Application Rate on the Proliferation Behavior of Keratinocytes in Vitro Measured Using CK-5, CK-10, CK-14, Ki-67 and p53 Expression

Tissue tolerable plasma has been used in preclinical and more recently in clinical settings for the debridement of dead tissue and the removal of bacterial biofilms. Cold plasma therapy is an emerging field in medical sciences; it is mainly due to the beneficial effects that low temperature plasma has demonstrated: anti-inflammatory, ant tumorigenic and anti-microbial effects. 

The advantage of cold plasma therapy over conventional thermal plasma treatments, arc coagulators and desiccators, is that it allows for more precise application and therefore more controllable effects on the tissue. Additionally, cold plasma treatment showed stimulatory effects on wound healing and tissue regeneration. Experiments show that cold atmospheric plasma treatment allows for efficient, non-contact, painless, and antiseptic effects without damaging healthy tissue. As a result of the better understanding of complex plasma phenomena and the development of new plasma sources in the past few years, plasma medicine has developed into an innovative and promising field of research.

Editorial for International Journal of biomedical Data Mining

This issue of the International Journal of Biomedical Data Mining presents two contributed articles. The first article, entitled Data Inventory for Cancer Patients Receiving Radiotherapy for Outcome Analysis and Modeling, authored by Jason Vickress, Rob Barnett and Slav Yartsev, describes a database created for storing and analyzing patient specific data related to pre-treatment condition, treatment planning, and treatment outcomes, for patients receiving radiotherapy based cancer treatment. 

The proposed database can perform automated analysis regarding quality assurance, dose accumulation for multiple treatments on different machines and can assist physicians in choosing the optimal radiation therapy for new patients. The second article, entitled Likelihood Ratio Test of Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium Using Uncertain Genotypes for Sibship Data, authored by Qiong Li, Helene Massam and Xin Gao, is concerned with the problem of testing for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium of genotype frequencies in the area of population genetics.

Are Kinematic and Kinetic Analyses Useful to Evaluate Patellofemoral Disorders in the Clinical Practice?

Current methods for the assessment of the outcome after anterior knee pain or lateral patellar instability treatment have several limitations, for example their subjectivity. Therefore, new technologies are needed to objectively evaluate the outcomes of treatments for patellofemoral disorders. 

Kinematic and kinetic analyses during dynamic activities under realistic loading conditions that trigger or aggravate the symptoms can: evaluate the patellofemoral patient in an objective way before surgery; analyse the defense mechanisms the patient develops in order to reduce pain and/or instability; improve our knowledge of the aetiopathogeny and therefore of a suitable treatment for patellofemoral disorders; and objectively evaluate the result of the treatment. However, the kinetic and kinematic analyses are not diagnostic tools.