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A miniature segment-length strain gauge arch for the assessment of myocardial function.

A miniature myocardial segment-length strain gauge arch utilizing solid-state strain gauge elements is described. The arch weighs 0.25 g, has a frequency response flat to 30 Hz, requires simple circuitry, and is stable in situ for periods exceeding 6 hours. Its miniaturization and ease of insertion offer distinct advantages over similar devices previously described. Miniature arches have been applied simultaneously to multiple sites to assess left ventricular function in dogs. The response of these arches to a variety of interventions indicates that this device may be used to follow localized segment-length and velocity changes. The study also clearly demonstrates that the orientation of strain gauge arches with respect to muscle fiber direction in the ventricular wall qualitatively and quantitatively affects the recorded segment-length alterations.

Animals↗

Interface shear strength of titanium implants with a sandblasted and acid-etched surface: a biomechanical study in the maxilla of miniature pigs.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the interface shear strength of unloaded titanium implants with a sandblasted and acid-etched (SLA) surface in the maxilla of miniature pigs. The two best documented surfaces in implant dentistry, the machined and the titanium plasma-sprayed (TPS) surfaces served as controls. After 4, 8, and 12 weeks of healing, removal torque testing was performed to evaluate the interface shear strength of each implant type. The results revealed statistically significant differences between the machined and the two rough titanium surfaces (p <.00001). The machined surface demonstrated mean removal torque values (RTV) between 0.13 and 0.26 Nm, whereas the RTV of the two rough surfaces ranged between 1.14 and 1.56 Nm. At 4 weeks of healing, the SLA implants yielded a higher mean RTV than the TPS implants (1.39 vs. 1. 14 Nm) without reaching statistical significance. At 8 and 12 weeks of healing, the two rough surfaces showed similar mean RTVs. The implant position also had a significant influence on removal torques for each implant type primarily owing to differences in density in the periimplant bone structure. It can be concluded that the interface shear strength of titanium implants is significantly influenced by their surface characteristics, since the machined titanium surface demonstrated significantly lower RTV in the maxilla of miniature pigs compared with the TPS and SLA surfaces.

Animals↗

Miniaturized thermal lens device for capillary electrophoresis.

In this paper we will report on the combination of a miniaturized fiber optic modified photothermal sensor (size 2 x 2 x 2 cm) to capillary electrophoresis (CE) as detection device. The properties and the performances of the thermal lens detector, based on a double beam absorption scheme, were studied in a capillary electrophoresis system with different types of toxic pollutants, e.g. pesticides. A tunable Argon ion laser, which emits between 364 and 514 nm, was adapted to a commercial injection and high voltage CE system. The miniaturization of the thermal lens detector head with optical waveguides allows the combination with typical CE systems, therefore pesticides in microliter volumes can be treated. The detector performance is demonstrated with the monitoring of pesticides in capillaries with various diameter. The limit of detection is one of two orders of magnitude better than conventional absorption detector.

Electrophoresis, Capillary↗

Miniaturization of capillary electrochromatography using an ultrashort capillary column.

The instrumentation for miniaturization of capillary electrochromatography was devised and an injection method for this apparatus was proposed. By using an ultra short capillary column (15 mm packed length, 36 mm total length, 75 microm inner diameter, packed with cation exchange supports), the separation of five biochemical compounds was performed within 1 min. The high separation efficiency of 9780 plates was achieved by using an ultrashort capillary column. The miniaturized instrumentation for capillary electrochromatography might be utilized as one of the possible methods in microfabricated analysis or in an alternative approach to it.

Biochemistry↗

Miniaturization of capillary isoelectric focusing.

Miniaturization of whole-column imaging capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF) is discussed. A 1.2 cm capillary was used as a separation column for CIEF. The experimental results for the analysis of two pI markers and the protein myoglobin showed that good CIEF separation results could be obtained. Secondly, a light-emitting diode (LED) was used as the light source for the whole-column absorbance imaging detection. The focusing of both the pI markers and myoglobin were observed with the LED light source. The whole-column imaging CIEF instrument was simplified and miniaturized by the use of the LED. Further developments are also discussed.

Animals↗

A miniaturized multichamber solution isoelectric focusing device for separation of protein digests.

A miniaturized multichamber device was constructed for solution isoelectric focusing (IEF) separation of complex peptide mixtures. The system, based on immobilized pH gels, consisted of 96 minichambers ( approximately 75 nuL each) arranged in eight rows. Neighboring chambers in a given row were separated by short glass tubes (4 mm inner diameter, 3 mm long), within which Immobiline gels of specific pH values were polymerized. During focusing, the device was sandwiched between two supporting blocks incorporating the reservoirs for anolyte and catholyte. In principle, multiple samples could be simultaneously fractionated, each separated into 12 fractions of various pI ranges. A variety of standard peptide mixtures and tryptic digests of proteins were separated by IEF using this device, and the fractions were characterized by mass spectrometry. For a codigested nine-protein mixture, both the total number of peptides identified and the average sequence coverage were similar to the results of ion-exchange chromatography (IEC), according to matrix assisted laser/desorption/ionization--time of flight (MALDI-TOF) data. The IEF separation provided concentrated and desalted fractions, suitable for an additional separation liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis (LC, CE) or mass spectrometry (MS) detection without additional sample cleanup. High loading capacity was achieved for the miniaturized multichamber IEF device. Importantly, a linear correlation was found between the experimentally determined and calculated pI values of peptides.

Acrylamides↗

New directions of miniaturization within the proteomics research area.

An overview of the current trends within protein expression profiling is given where multidimensional separation of both gel- and liquid-phase techniques linked to mass spectrometry is viewed as a major route in the global proteome mapping. A clear trend in these biochemical developments is the effort to sequence and identify low-abundant protein expressions where assay miniaturization and integrated sample processing plays a central role. Two areas of miniaturization within the proteomics field are addressed: (i) sample cleanup and enrichment, and (ii) silicon microstructure developments for protein chip microarrays.

Miniaturization↗

New directions of miniaturization within the biomarker research area.

An overview of the current trends within protein expression profiling is given where multidimensional separation of both gel and liquid phase techniques linked to mass spectrometry is viewed as a major route in the global proteome mapping. A clear trend in these biochemical developments is the effort to sequence and identify low-abundant protein expressions where assay miniaturization and integrated sample processing play a central role. Two areas of miniaturization within the proteomics field are addressed: (i) sample cleanup and enrichment, and (ii) silicon microstructure developments for protein chip microarrays.

Animals↗

Miniaturized liquid core waveguide-based fluorimetric detection cell for capillary separation methods: application in CE of amino acids.

A miniaturized post-column fluorimetric detection cell for capillary separation methods based on optical fibers and liquid core waveguides (LCWs) is described. The main part of the detection cell is a fused-silica capillary coated with Teflon AF serving as an LCW. The optical fibers are used both for coupling the excitation source with the detection domain in the LCW and for the axial fluorescence collection from the LCW end. The latter fiber is connected with a compact CCD spectrometer that serves for the rejection of the scattered excitation light and for the fluorescence signal detection. The proposed design offers a compact fluorescence detector for various microcolumn separation techniques without optical elements such as filters or objectives. Moreover, its construction and optical adjustment are very simple and the whole system is highly miniaturized. The function of the detection cell is demonstrated by CE of amino acids labelled by fluorescein-based tags. Separations of different standard amino acid mixtures and plasma samples are presented. The comparison of plasma amino acid levels of individuals being in good health with those of patients with inherited metabolic disorders is also shown.

Amino Acids↗

Inhibins in the male Göttingen miniature pig: Leydig cells are the predominant source of inhibin B.

The expression of inhibin subunits in the testes of the Göttingen miniature pig was examined by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. In addition, the major forms were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Strong positive immunostaining for the inhibin alpha subunit was observed in Sertoli and late-stage germ cells, but it was weak in Leydig cells. However, Leydig cells showed strong positive staining for the betaA subunit, but Sertoli cells and spermatogonia showed a weak reaction. Strong positive immunostaining for the betaB subunit was observed in Leydig cells but spermatogonia showed weak staining for it. In contrast to the staining specificity of inhibin alpha and betaA subunits, the betaB subunit did not exhibit positive staining in Sertoli cells. In situ hybridization revealed that although the a subunit mRNA signal was highly expressed in all cell types, the reaction appeared to be stronger in Sertoli cells and spermatogonia than in Leydig cells. betaA subunit mRNA expression was somewhat identical to that of the alpha subunit, however, germ cells showed a weak stain for it. A strong, positive mRNA signal for the betaB subunit was confined to Leydig cells and late-stage germ cells. ELISA results showed that concentrations of inhibin B and inhibin pro-alphaC were high in the circulation and testes. In contrast, inhibin A levels in both plasma and testes were undetectable. The present results strongly suggest that inhibin B is the major form of circulating inhibin and that Leydig cells are the predominant source of this dimeric inhibin in male Göttingen miniature pigs. Furthermore, the germ cells also appear to be an important source of circulating inhibins.

Animals↗

Miniaturized system of a gas chromatograph coupled with a Paul ion trap mass spectrometer.

Miniature gas chromatography (GC) and miniature mass spectrometry (MS) instrumentation has been developed to identify and quantify the chemical compounds present in complex mixtures of gases. The design approach utilizes micro-GC components coupled with a Paul quadrupole ion trap (QIT) mass spectrometer. Inherent to the system are high sensitivity, good dynamic range, good QIT resolution, low GC flow-rates to minimize vacuum requirements and the need for consumables; and the use of a modular approach to adapt to volatile organic compounds dissolved in water or present in sediment. Measurements are reported on system response to gaseous species at concentrations varying over four orders of magnitude. The ability of the system to deal with complicated mixtures is demonstrated, and future improvements are discussed. The GC/QIT system described herein has a mass, volume and power that are, conservatively, one-twentieth of those of commercial off-the-shelf systems. Potential applications are to spacecraft cabin-air monitoring, robotic planetary exploration and trace-species detection for residual gas analysis and environmental monitoring.

Complex Mixtures↗

Fast determination of sugars in Coke and Diet Coke by miniaturized capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection.

The fast separation capability of a novel miniaturized capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection (CE-AD) system was demonstrated by determining sugar contents in Coke and diet Coke with an estimated separation efficiency of 60,000 TP/m. Factors influencing the separation and detection processes were examined and optimized. The end-capillary 300 microm Cu wire amperometric detector offers favorable signal-to-noise characteristics at a relatively low potential (+0.50 V vs. Ag/AgCl) for detecting sugars. Three sugars (sucrose, glucose, and fructose) have been separated within 330 s in a 8.5 cm length capillary at a separation voltage of 1000 V using a 50 mM NaOH running buffer (pH 12.7). Highly linear response is obtained for the above compounds over the range of 5.0 to 2.0 x 10(2) microg/mL with low detection limit, down to 0.8 microg/mL for glucose (S/N = 3). The injection-to-injection repeatability for analytes in peak current (RSD < 3.6%) and for migration times (RSD < 1.4%) was excellent. The new miniaturized CE-AD system should find a wide range of analytical applications involving assays of carbohydrates as an alternative to conventional CE and micro-CE.

Carbohydrates↗

Anaesthesia for fluorescein angiography of the ocular fundus in the miniature pig.

A safe and reproducible procedure is described for anaesthesia and ophthalmic fluorescein angiography in the miniature pig. Twenty examinations were performed in five adult miniature pigs. A detailed description is given of the anaesthetic procedure, in particular of the techniques for endotracheal intubation and for intra-arterial and intravenous cannulation. All cardiovascular parameters recorded during the experiments remained within acceptable anaesthetic limits. The fluorescein angiographic technique, which is routinely used in human ophthalmology, was adapted for the pig. This procedure for in vivo examination of the porcine eye is interesting and useful for experimental ophthalmic research.

Anesthesia↗

Fluid volume distribution within superficial shell tissues along body axis during changes of body posture in man: the application of a new miniature plethysmographic method.

In up to six different sides along the body axis during tilting manoeuvres, volume shifts into or out off superficial tissues were followed with a newly developed miniature plethysmograph. It was possible to localize a region where no or only minor volume changes during the tilt table experiments occurred. This region is identical with the Hydrostatic Indifferent Point (HIP) being localized below the apex of the heart in the upper third of abdominal vena cava. Above the HIP fluid is drained out off the tissues during assumption of upright posture whereas below the HIP fluid volume is pooled. The volume changes occurred in two phases. Within the first 5 s in the cephalad parts of the body a rapid decrease occurred, thereafter the volume remained unchanged or even increased; below the HIP within the first 5 s a large volume increase was followed by a slow continuous volume increment. The functional peculiarities of the low pressure system as a whole were visible studying only superficial shell tissues of the body with the non invasive miniature plethysmographic technique.

Blood Circulation↗

Intraperineural localization of lamellated sensory corpuscles in the skin and oral mucosae of the adult cat and miniature pig.

Lamellated sensory corpuscles in the perioral tissues of the adult cat and the adult miniature pig were studied by light and electron microscopy. In the cat lip, over half of the lamellated corpuscles existed in an aggregate form associated with other nerve elements and blood capillaries in peripheral nerve swellings, while the remainder existed in an isolated form. Conversely, almost all the lamellated corpuscles in the miniature pig existed in an aggregate form in nerve swellings. Most of the intraperineural lamellated corpuscles showed ultrastructural characteristics of simple corpuscles. However, some of the intraperineural lamellated corpuscles exhibited interlaced arrangements of tortuous axon terminals and cytoplasmic lamellae resembling the arrangement in Meissner corpuscles. Immunohistochemical staining using anti-neuron specific enolase also revealed the presence of intraperineural, Meissner-like corpuscles in the cat lip. This study indicates that intraperineural localization of lamellated corpuscles is common in carnivora and artiodactyla and that the intraperineural lamellated corpuscles are heterogeneous in their ultrastructural pattern.

Animals↗

Miniaturized detectors for a chemical analysis system.

Recently, several studies about miniaturized chemical analysis systems fabricated with micromachining methods were reported. These systems have some advantages, such as fast response, small amount of sample, and low consumption of reagents, as compared with the conventional system. With such a small system, design of the detector units is very important to monitor analytical performance. This paper introduces some examples of micromachined detectors for miniaturized chemical analysis systems.

Catecholamines↗

Ventricular unloading with a miniature axial flow pump in combination with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

OBJECTIVE: ECMO for acute cardiorespiratory failure is an established therapeutic option. Persistent insufficient unloading of the left ventricle (LV) can compromise recovery of ventricular function. We decided to insert a miniature rotary blood pump (Impella) for decompression of the LV. In contrast to previous experience with this new device, where it was generally used for postcardiotomy heart failure or cardiogenic shock and inserted in the operating room or the catheter laboratory, this is the first report describing the potential of this technology in the intensive care unit, in a patient on ECMO and the value of echocardiography guidance. PATIENT: A 13-year-old boy with a history of congenital heart disease was admitted to the ICU with acute cardio-respiratory failure. INTERVENTIONS: On day 2 venoarterial ECMO was instituted because of worsening cardiorespiratory insufficiency refractory to conventional treatment. On day 5 a percutaneous rotary blood pump was inserted to decompress the LV. CONCLUSIONS: A percutaneous miniature rotary blood pump can be an alternative to decompress a failing LV in the setting of VA-ECMO. Echocardiography can avoid the use of fluoroscopy and the transport to a catheter laboratory to insert the rotary pump.

Adolescent↗

Measurement of portal venous flow velocity with an implantable miniature Doppler probe in pig liver transplantation.

Portal venous flow (PVF) was serially monitored after pig liver transplantation (LTX) with the use of an implantable, miniature Doppler probe developed in our laboratory. Throughout the study period, the mean PVF in pigs that underwent LTX was significantly greater than that in pigs that were sham operated. For three animals with early graft failure secondary to primary nonfunction and for six that survived longer than 7 days, the mean PVF on postoperative day (POD) 1 was 18.7 +/- 3.8 cm/s and 41.7 +/- 11.2 cm/s, respectively (P < 0.05). For animals with acute cellular rejection (ACR), the mean PVF was 61.3 +/- 9.9 cm/s on POD 7 and 54.3 +/- 6.38 cm/s on POD 14. These values were significantly higher than those for animals without ACR (P < 0.05). Moreover, the increase in PVF correlated well with the degree of ACR. The actual PVF volume was measured by ex vivo perfusion, which showed a clear correlation with the PVF velocity obtained with the implanted, miniature Doppler probe. We feel that the liver graft requires increased PVF volume after transplantation to facilitate functional recovery from damage to hepatocytes due to preservation-reperfusion injury, and that ACR is also associated with an increased PVF. We conclude that monitoring the PVF in the early postoperative period after LTX is useful in the evaluation of graft function, particularly for predicting primary nonfunction and severity of ACR.

Animals↗