Novel Drop-Sampler for Simultaneous Collection of Stereo-Video, Environmental DNA and Oceanographic Data.

There is an increasing interest in environmental DNA (eDNA) as a method to survey marine biota, enhancing traditional survey methods, and a need to ground truth eDNA-based interpretations with visual surveys to understand biases in both the eDNA and visual datasets. We designed and tested a rapidly deployable, robust method pairing water sampling for eDNA collection and stereo-video imagery, comparing inferred fish assemblages with interspersed baited remote underwater video (stereo-BRUV) samples. The system is capable of rapidly collecting simultaneous wide-field stereo-video imagery, oceanographic measurements and multiple water samples across a range of habitats and depths (up to 600 m).

Bionanotechnology and bioMEMS (BNM): state-of-the-art applications, opportunities, and challenges.

The development of micro- and nanotechnology for biomedical applications has defined the cutting edge of medical technology for over three decades, as advancements in fabrication technology developed originally in the semiconductor industry have been applied to solving ever-more complex problems in medicine and biology. These technologies are ideally suited to interfacing with life sciences, since they are on the scale lengths as cells (microns) and biomacromolecules (nanometers). In this paper, we review the state of the art in bionanotechnology and bioMEMS (collectively BNM), including developments and challenges in the areas of BNM, such as microfluidic organ-on-chip devices, oral drug delivery, emerging technologies for managing infectious diseases, 3D printed microfluidic devices, AC electrokinetics, flexible MEMS devices, implantable microdevices, paper-based microfluidic platforms for cellular analysis, and wearable sensors for point-of-care testing.

Laser-Enabled Surface Treatment of Disposable Endoscope Lens with Superior Antifouling and Optical Properties.

Endoscopes are ubiquitous in minimally invasive or keyhole surgeries globally. However, frequent removal of endoscopes from the patient's body due to the lens contaminations results in undesirable consequences. Therefore, a cost-effective process chain to fabricate thermoplastic-based endoscope lenses with superior antifouling and optical properties is proposed in this research.

Smart pills for gastrointestinal diagnostics and therapy.

Ingestible smart pills have the potential to be a powerful clinical tool in the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal disease. Though examples of this technology, such as capsule endoscopy, have been successfully translated from the lab into clinically used products, there are still numerous challenges that need to be overcome. This review gives an overview of the research being done in the area of ingestible smart pills and reports on the technical challenges in this field.

Early constipation predicts faster dementia onset in Parkinson's disease.

Constipation is a common but not a universal feature in early PD, suggesting that gut involvement is heterogeneous and may be part of a distinct PD subtype with prognostic implications. We analysed data from the Parkinson's Incidence Cohorts Collaboration, composed of incident community-based cohorts of PD patients assessed longitudinally over 8 years. Constipation was assessed with the MDS-UPDRS constipation item or a comparable categorical scale.

Ultrasound mediated delivery of quantum dots from a proof of concept capsule endoscope to the gastrointestinal wall.

Biologic drugs, defined as therapeutic agents produced from or containing components of a living organism, are of growing importance to the pharmaceutical industry. Though oral delivery of medicine is convenient, biologics require invasive injections because of their poor bioavailability via oral routes. Delivery of biologics to the small intestine using electronic delivery with devices that are similar to capsule endoscopes is a promising means of overcoming this limitation and does not require reformulation of the therapeutic agent.

Wireless Power Transfer Techniques for Implantable Medical Devices: A Review.

Wireless power transfer (WPT) systems have become increasingly suitable solutions for the electrical powering of advanced multifunctional micro-electronic devices such as those found in current biomedical implants. The design and implementation of high power transfer efficiency WPT systems are, however, challenging. The size of the WPT system, the separation distance between the outside environment and location of the implanted medical device inside the body, the operating frequency and tissue safety due to power dissipation are key parameters to consider in the design of WPT systems.

Responses to terrestrial nest predators by endemic and introduced Hawaiian birds.

Birds free from nest predators for long periods may either lose the ability to recognize and respond to predators or retain antipredator responses if they are not too costly. How these alternate scenarios play out has rarely been investigated in an avian community whose members have different evolutionary histories. We presented models of two nest predators (rat and snake) and a negative control (tree branch) to birds on Hawai'i Island.

Peripheral innate immune and bacterial signals relate to clinical heterogeneity in Parkinson's disease.

The innate immune system is implicated in Parkinson's disease (PD), but peripheral in-vivo clinical evidence of the components and driving mechanisms involved and their relationship with clinical heterogeneity and progression to dementia remain poorly explored. We examined changes in peripheral innate immune-related markers in PD cases (n = 41) stratified according to risk of developing early dementia. 'Higher Risk'(HR) (n = 23) and 'Lower Risk' (LR) (n = 18) groups were defined according to neuropsychological predictors and MAPT H1/H2 genotype, and compared to age, gender and genotype-matched controls.

Ultrasound Capsule Endoscopy With a Mechanically Scanning Micro-ultrasound: A Porcine Study.

Wireless capsule endoscopy has been used for the clinical examination of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract for two decades. However, most commercially available devices only utilise optical imaging to examine the GI wall surface. Using this sensing modality, pathology within the GI wall cannot be detected.

Intelligent magnetic manipulation for gastrointestinal ultrasound.

Diagnostic endoscopy in the gastrointestinal tract has remained largely unchanged for decades and is limited to the visualization of the tissue surface, the collection of biopsy samples for diagnoses, and minor interventions such as clipping or tissue removal. In this work, we present the autonomous servoing of a magnetic capsule robot for , subsurface diagnostics of microanatomy. We investigated and showed the feasibility of closed-loop magnetic control using digitized microultrasound (μUS) feedback; this is crucial for obtaining robust imaging in an unknown and unconstrained environment.

Gastrointestinal diagnosis using non-white light imaging capsule endoscopy.

Capsule endoscopy (CE) has proved to be a powerful tool in the diagnosis and management of small bowel disorders since its introduction in 2001. However, white light imaging (WLI) is the principal technology used in clinical CE at present, and therefore, CE is limited to mucosal inspection, with diagnosis remaining reliant on visible manifestations of disease. The introduction of WLI CE has motivated a wide range of research to improve its diagnostic capabilities through integration with other sensing modalities.

Challenges in developing collaborative interdisciplinary research between gastroenterologists and engineers.

The role of technology in healthcare is rapidly evolving. However, it can be argued that gastroenterology has not kept pace with other medical fields due to the multifaceted needs of this speciality and other issues. Innovation in healthcare technology increasingly requires interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers and clinicians.

Nanocomposite-Based Microstructured Piezoresistive Pressure Sensors for Low-Pressure Measurement Range.

Piezoresistive pressure sensors capable of detecting ranges of low compressive stresses have been successfully fabricated and characterised. The 5.5 × 5 × 1.

Sensors for Fetal Hypoxia and Metabolic Acidosis: A Review.

This article reviews existing clinical practices and sensor research undertaken to monitor fetal well-being during labour. Current clinical practices that include fetal heart rate monitoring and fetal scalp blood sampling are shown to be either inadequate or time-consuming. Monitoring of lactate in blood is identified as a potential alternative for intrapartum fetal monitoring due to its ability to distinguish between different types of acidosis.

In-Vivo Evaluation of Microultrasound and Thermometric Capsule Endoscopes.

Clinical endoscopy and colonoscopy are commonly used to investigate and diagnose disorders in the upper gastrointestinal tract and colon, respectively. However, examination of the anatomically remote small bowel with conventional endoscopy is challenging. This and advances in miniaturization led to the development of video capsule endoscopy (VCE) to allow small bowel examination in a noninvasive manner.

In Vivo Characterization of a Wireless Telemetry Module for a Capsule Endoscopy System Utilizing a Conformal Antenna.

This paper describes the design, fabrication, packaging, and performance characterization of a conformal helix antenna created on the outside of a capsule endoscope designed to operate at a carrier frequency of 433 MHz within human tissue. Wireless data transfer was established between the integrated capsule system and an external receiver. The telemetry system was tested within a tissue phantom and in vivo porcine models.

Luminally expressed gastrointestinal biomarkers.

A biomarker is a measurable indicator of normal biologic processes, pathogenic processes or pharmacological responses. The identification of a useful biomarker is challenging, with several hurdles to overcome before clinical adoption. This review gives a general overview of a range of biomarkers associated with inflammatory bowel disease or colorectal cancer along the gastrointestinal tract.

Ultrasound capsule endoscopy: sounding out the future.

Video capsule endoscopy (VCE) has been of immense benefit in the diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders since its introduction in 2001. However, it suffers from a number of well recognized deficiencies. Amongst these is the limited capability of white light imaging, which is restricted to analysis of the mucosal surface.

Serum immune markers and disease progression in an incident Parkinson's disease cohort (ICICLE-PD).

Background: The immune system is a promising therapeutic target for disease modification in Parkinson's disease (PD), but appropriate immune-related biomarkers must be identified to allow patient stratification for trials and tracking of therapeutic effects. The objective of this study was to investigate whether immune markers in peripheral blood are candidate prognostic biomarkers through determining their relationship with disease progression in PD.

Methods: Serum samples were collected in incident PD cases and age-matched controls.

Closing the tau loop: the missing tau mutation.

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration comprises a group of disorders characterized by behavioural, executive, language impairment and sometimes features of parkinsonism and motor neuron disease. In 1994 we described an Irish-American family with frontotemporal dementia linked to chromosome 17 associated with extensive tau pathology. We named this disinhibition-dementia-parkinsonism-amyotrophy complex.

Movement disorders and psychiatry: Five new things.

In this article we report recent interesting diagnostic and therapeutic advances in a diverse range of movement disorders with associated psychiatric comorbidity. Areas discussed include social cognition in Huntington disease, neuroimaging of functional movement disorders, treatment of psychosis in Parkinson disease, new advances in autoimmune disease, and management of Tourette syndrome.