Window into the mind: Advanced handheld spectroscopic eye-safe technology for point-of-care neurodiagnostic.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, is hard to diagnose at the point of care with patients often exhibiting no clinical symptoms. There is an urgent need for rapid point-of-care diagnostics to enable timely intervention. We have developed a technology for rapid acquisition of molecular fingerprints of TBI biochemistry to safely measure proxies for cerebral injury through the eye, providing a path toward noninvasive point-of-care neurodiagnostics using simultaneous Raman spectroscopy and fundus imaging of the neuroretina.

Spectroscopic molecular-fingerprint profiling of saliva.

Saliva analysis has been gaining interest as a potential non-invasive source of disease indicative biomarkers due to being a complex biofluid correlating with blood-based constituents on a molecular level. For saliva to cement its usage for analytical applications, it is paramount to gain underpinning molecular knowledge and establish a 'baseline' of the salivary composition in healthy individuals as well as characterize how these factors are impacting its performance as potential analytical biofluid. Here, we have systematically studied the molecular spectral fingerprint of saliva, including the changes associated with gender, age, and time.

Spectroscopic profiling variations in extracellular vesicle biochemistry in a model of myogenesis.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) hold value as accessible biomarkers for understanding cellular differentiation and related pathologies. Herein, EV biomarkers in models of skeletal muscle dormancy and differentiation have been comparatively profiled using Raman spectroscopy (RS). Significant variations in the biochemical fingerprint of EVs were detected, with an elevation in peaks associated with lipid and protein signatures during early myogenic differentiation (day 2).

Comparison of Screw Quantity and Placement of Metacarpal Fracture Fixation: A Biomechanical Study.

Background: It is recommended to have 6 bicortical screws for plate fixation of long bone fractures; however, many metacarpal fractures do not allow 6 screws due to size limitations and proximity of crucial anatomical structures. The purpose of this biomechanical study was to determine whether the mechanical properties of a 4-screw nonlocking construct are noninferior to those of a 6-screw nonlocking construct.

Methods: Metacarpal sawbones were used to simulate a midshaft, transverse fracture.

The Valsalva maneuver: an indispensable physiological tool to differentiate intra versus extracranial near-infrared signal.

Developing near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) parameter recovery techniques to more specifically resolve brain physiology from that of the overlying tissue is an important part of improving the clinical utility of the technology. The Valsalva maneuver (VM) involves forced expiration against a closed glottis causing widespread venous congestion within the context of a fall in cardiac output. Due to the specific anatomical confines and metabolic demands of the brain we believe a properly executed VM has the ability to separate haemodynamic activity of brain tissue from that of the overlying scalp as observed by NIRS, and confirmed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Development of the Self Optimising Kohonen Index Network (SKiNET) for Raman Spectroscopy Based Detection of Anatomical Eye Tissue.

Raman spectroscopy shows promise as a tool for timely diagnostics via in-vivo spectroscopy of the eye, for a number of ophthalmic diseases. By measuring the inelastic scattering of light, Raman spectroscopy is able to reveal detailed chemical characteristics, but is an inherently weak effect resulting in noisy complex signal, which is often difficult to analyse. Here, we embraced that noise to develop the self-optimising Kohonen index network (SKiNET), and provide a generic framework for multivariate analysis that simultaneously provides dimensionality reduction, feature extraction and multi-class classification as part of a seamless interface.

Cerebral Oxygenation in Traumatic Brain Injury: Can a Non-Invasive Frequency Domain Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Device Detect Changes in Brain Tissue Oxygen Tension as Well as the Established Invasive Monitor?

The cost and highly invasive nature of brain monitoring modality in traumatic brain injury patients currently restrict its utility to specialist neurological intensive care settings. We aim to test the abilities of a frequency domain near-infrared spectroscopy (FD-NIRS) device in predicting changes in invasively measured brain tissue oxygen tension. Individuals admitted to a United Kingdom specialist major trauma center were contemporaneously monitored with an FD-NIRS device and invasively measured brain tissue oxygen tension probe.

Frequency-domain vs continuous-wave near-infrared spectroscopy devices: a comparison of clinically viable monitors in controlled hypoxia.

The Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has not been adopted as a mainstream monitoring modality in acute neurosurgical care due to concerns about its reliability and consistency. However, improvements in NIRS parameter recovery techniques are now available that may improve the quantitative accuracy of NIRS for this clinical context. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the abilities of a continuous-wave (CW) NIRS device with a similarly clinically viable NIRS device utilising a frequency-domain (FD) parameter recovery technique in detecting changes in cerebral tissue saturation during stepwise increases of experimentally induced hypoxia.

Improving the quantitative accuracy of cerebral oxygen saturation in monitoring the injured brain using atlas based Near Infrared Spectroscopy models.

The application of Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) for the monitoring of the cerebral oxygen saturation within the brain is well established, albeit using temporal data that can only measure relative changes of oxygenation state of the brain from a baseline. The focus of this investigation is to demonstrate that hybridisation of existing near infrared probe designs and reconstruction techniques can pave the way to produce a system and methods that can be used to monitor the absolute oxygen saturation in the injured brain. Using registered Atlas models in simulation, a novel method is outlined by which the quantitative accuracy and practicality of NIRS for specific use in monitoring the injured brain, can be improved, with cerebral saturation being recovered to within 10.

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in the Monitoring of Adult Traumatic Brain Injury: A Review.

Cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has long represented an exciting prospect for the noninvasive monitoring of cerebral tissue oxygenation and perfusion in the context of traumatic brain injury (TBI), although uncertainty still exists regarding the reliability of this technology specifically within this field. We have undertaken a review of the existing literature relating to the application of NIRS within TBI. We discuss current "state-of-the-art" NIRS monitoring, provide a brief background of the technology, and discuss the evidence regarding the ability of NIRS to substitute for established invasive monitoring in TBI.

A noninvasive method for in situ determination of mating success in female American lobsters (Homarus americanus).

Despite being one of the most productive fisheries in the Northwest Atlantic, much remains unknown about the natural reproductive dynamics of American lobsters. Recent work in exploited crustacean populations (crabs and lobsters) suggests that there are circumstances where mature females are unable to achieve their full reproductive potential due to sperm limitation. To examine this possibility in different regions of the American lobster fishery, a reliable and noninvasive method was developed for sampling large numbers of female lobsters at sea.

Pressure redistribution devices: what works, at what cost and what's next?

This article discusses the development and usage of pressure redistribution devices (PRDs) and their impact on the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers within the NHS. The article outlines the history of the development of these devices and discusses the reasons for a lack of substantial evidence in support of the use of these devices, their impact on the NHS on cost and perceived outcome. The article describes the typical usage profile in a 500 bed NHS hospital and concludes with a view as to how that may change in the future.