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A simplified telemetry system for monitoring body temperature in small animals.

An inexpensive but reliable telemetry system for long-term, sequential monitoring of body temperature in up to 20 laboratory animals is described. The system consists of frequency-modulated (FM) temperature transmitters, remote-controlled power switches to extend battery life, a multi-channel telemetry receiver, and a frequency counter interfaced with a personal computer to record data. Analysis of body temperature data obtained from four New Zealand White rabbits confirms the reliability and value of this system.

Animals↗

A follicular scoring system for monitoring ovulation induction in polycystic ovary syndrome patients based solely on ultrasonographic estimation of follicular development.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the predictive value of a follicular scoring system for monitoring ovulation induction in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients, solely with ultrasound (US). DESIGN: Ultrasound measurements were performed on alternate days to define a serial follicular score for monitoring ovulation induction with hMG alone, as well as GnRH analogue and hMG, in comparison with E2 concentration obtained on the same day. SETTING: Outpatient Infertility Clinic, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. PATIENTS: Thirty-four consecutive PCOS patients treated for 63 cycles. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The follicular score was established considering the summation of points obtained after measuring the mean diameter of each follicle > 5 mm, as follows: 5 to 8 mm = 1 point, 9 to 12 mm = 1.5 points, 13 to 16 mm = 2 points, > or = 17 mm = 3 points. RESULTS: Follicular score correlated positively with E2 concentrations. A score of > or = 30 points was associated with E2 levels of concentration that reached > 1,500 pg/mL (conversion factor to SI unit, 3.671) and could predict ovarian hyperstimulation. A lower follicular score allowed hCG administration. CONCLUSIONS: A follicular scoring system may be a safe, simple, and highly efficient method to replace serial E2 measurements in monitoring ovulation induction. Moreover, ovarian hyperstimulation may be predicted.

Adult↗

Development of a microcomputer-based system to monitor healing from injury.

It is well documented that induction of electric current in bone not only prevents the bone loss of functional disuse, but also induces new bone formation. Moreover, the literature suggests that the skeletal response is optimal at a distinct frequency range 10-30 Hz. Indeed, even at peak strains, well below those typical of habitual physiological loading, applications of 30 Hz were shown to be osteogenic. This evidence supports the concept that inducing even very low strains may generate an effective osteogenic stimulus, provided that they are induced at optimal frequency (10 to 30 Hz). Bone appears to respond with greater selectivity and sensitivity to this frequency range of electrical stimulation. Inducing insulin-like growth factors, which are negatively charged, will provide the required electrical stimulus. Traditionally, the progression of the cellular events during trauma is normally followed by x-ray to determine a healing rate. Frequent use of this method can result in serious side effects to the vital and reproductive organs. The objective of this study is to develop a microcomputer-based system to monitor the cellular events associated with healing. The system is capable of transmitting an electrical signal directly to the site of injury to improve the healing process and to monitor the progress of osteogenesis. The system consists of a base unit and implanted units. One implanted unit will be inserted in the femur with induced trauma and the other implant will be in the control femur. The base unit will transmit low frequency electromagnetic waves to the implanted units as well as receive periodic information about the ion movement in both femurs.

Biosensing Techniques↗

Epidural intracranial pressure monitoring: a new system.

An intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring system has been developed, consisting of an epidural sensor acting as a pneumatic flow switch connected by tubing to a pneumatic system and microprocessor-based monitoring unit. The frequency response to the system is 8 Hz at 10 mmHg measured peak to peak. ICP and arterial pressure data are collected and maintained in memory. The ICP in memory can be scrolled across a 2-hour or 24-min graphic and digital video display. When memory is not being recalled, the previous 2 hours or 24 min of data are displayed on the screen in graphic form. High and low ICP, low cerebral perfusion pressure, and abnormal pressure waves trigger alarms. Calibration of the system is maintained automatically by periodic rezeroing of all transducers to air. Changes in volume within the pneumatic system indicate a leak, and airflow ceases. The software management and alarm systems, as well as available memory, represent the latest in computerized technology.

Epidural Space↗

A system to monitor for fibre breakage during photodynamic therapy with diffuser fibres.

There is concern that the delicate fibres and cylindrical diffuser tips used for intraluminal PDT of blood vessels might break during the treatment. We have developed and tested a simple system to monitor for fibre breakage during PDT. Light from the laser is passed through a beam expander, then a beam splitter, and then is again contracted into the inlet of a diffuser fibre. Light reflected from the distal diffuser is also partially reflected by the beam splitter into a photodiode, which monitors changes in the intensity of the reflected light. The system was tested by simulating catastrophic failures in four fibres. In each case the output fell very significantly (DV=0.44-1.68 V, SD=0.01 V). Despite the small statistical sample, the average change in the reflected light intensity is still significant (p < 0.025, paired Student's t-test). Our conclusion was that this device can monitor the integrity of diffuser fibres during PDT.

Animals↗

An implantable left ventricular assist system with an electrical impedance monitoring and control system.

The authors developed an implantable left ventricular assist system (LVAS) for bridge to transplant of rather small sized adults. The pump was made of segmented polyether polyurethane and was 86 mm in diameter, 50 mm in height, with a 70 ml nominal stroke volume. A percutaneous drive line was connected with an external pneumatic control drive unit (CDU). In chronic animal experiments using 11 adult goats, the pump was installed between the LV apex and the descending aorta and was placed in the abdominal wall. Five goats were killed after 4 to 14 weeks while in good physical condition, and one is ongoing. There were no prominent thromboembolic symptoms despite no anti-thrombogenic agent being used. The new electrical impedance-based monitoring and control system (Z system) was installed in the CDU. In this Z system, automatic calibration was performed periodically for several seconds while the drive condition was changed to ensure full-fill of the blood pump. The full-fill to full-empty drive was well controlled by this Z system. In conclusion, the new Z system is practical and useful for monitoring and control of an implantable pump, giving this LVAS a promising place in clinical use.

Adult↗

Scoring system for monitoring oral lichenoid lesions: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there is no universal system for scoring the severity of lichenoid lesions of the oral cavity that is easy to use, reproducible and that is representative of the different clinical forms of the disease. OBJECTIVES: In this study, a scoring system was developed to monitor the severity of oral lichen planus (OLP) and chronic oral graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). METHODS: Six patients with OLP and three with cGVHD were studied. This scoring system was utilized to compare the severity of disease within and between patients. Three investigators independently reviewed photographs taken from each patient and scored the severity of disease. Inter and intra-observer consistency was evaluated using the Spearman rank correlation analyses. RESULTS: Intra-observer reliability was 0.98 (Spearman correlation coefficient) and inter-observer reliability was 1.00. CONCLUSION: This scoring system is easy-to-use, reproducible, representative of the severity of the disease and useful for monitoring OLP and cGVHD.

Adult↗

Volumetric assessment of left heart preload by thermodilution: comparing the PiCCO-VoLEF system with transoesophageal echocardiography.

The new Volumetric Ejection Fraction monitoring system (VoLEF), when combined with the Pulse Contour Cardiac Output monitoring system (PiCCO) system, allows measurement of left and right heart end-diastolic volumes by thermodilution. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the left heart end-diastolic volume index determined by the VoLEF system (LHEDI) better reflects left ventricular end-diastolic area index (LVEDAI) measured by transoesophageal echocardiography than does global end-diastolic volume index (GEDI) measured by the PiCCO system alone. Following induction of anaesthesia, PiCCO, VoLEF and transoesophageal echocardiography measurements were performed before and after a fluid challenge in 20 patients scheduled for elective cardiac surgery. Both left ventricular end-diastolic area index and global end-diastolic volume index, but not left heart end-diastolic volume index, significantly increased after fluid administration. Mean bias +/- 2 SD for DeltaLHEDI-DeltaLVEDAI was -2.2 +/- 32.0% and for DeltaGEDI-DeltaLVEDAI -0.6 +/- 16.8%. In contrast to global end-diastolic volume index, the use of left heart end-diastolic volume index determined by the VoLEF system cannot be recommended as an estimate of left ventricular preload.

Aged↗

An acoustic proximity ranging system for monitoring the cavity thickness.

To control high speed underwater vehicles, a proximity ranging system is needed to monitor the cavity thickness. In this paper, we study a time-of-flight (TOF) principle based acoustic proximity ranging system. By taking into account the acoustically hard boundary at the air-water interface, we first present a two-stage computationally efficient time delay estimation algorithm, referred to as the PEARS (Parameter Estimation for Acoustic Ranging Systems) algorithm, which is applicable to arbitrary transmitted waveforms. Numerical results based on a simulated waveform demonstrate that the PEARS estimates can approach the Cramér-Rao bound as the signal-to-noise ratio increases. We then present experiments performed by using commercially available acoustic transducers to further verify our method. To update TOF estimates quickly, a specially designed continuous wave (CW) is applied to the transducer. Experimental results show that PEARS can achieve high measurement accuracy for ranging distances less than 100 mm with an achievable parameter update rate of approximately 1.5 kHz.

Journal Article↗

An anesthesia information system for monitoring and record keeping during surgical anesthesia.

We have developed an anesthesia information system (AIS) that supports the anesthesiologist in monitoring and recording during a surgical operation. In development of the system, emphasis was placed on providing an anesthesiologist-computer interface that can be adapted to typical situations during anesthesia and to individual user behavior. One main feature of this interface is the integration of the input and output of information. The only device for interaction between the anesthesiologist and the AIS is a touch-sensitive, high-resolution color display screen. The anesthesiologist enters information by touching virtual function keys displayed on the screen. A data window displays all data generated over time, such as automatically recorded vital signs, including blood pressure, heart rate, and rectal and esophageal temperatures, and manually entered variables, such as administered drugs, and ventilator settings. The information gathered by the AIS is presented on the cathode ray tube in several pages. A main distributor page gives an overall view of the content of every work page. A one-page record of the anesthesia is automatically plotted on a multicolor digital plotter during the operation. An example of the use of the AIS is presented from a field test of the system during which it was evaluated in the operating room without interfering with the ongoing operation. Medical staff who used the AIS imitated the anesthesiologist's recording and information search behavior but did not have responsibility for the conduct of the anesthetic.

Anesthesia Department, Hospital↗

An expert system for monitoring and diagnosis of anaerobic wastewater treatment plants.

In this paper, an expert system (ES) developed for the monitoring and diagnosis of anaerobic wastewater treatment plants (AWT), is presented. The system was evaluated in a hybrid pilot plant of 1.1 m3 located in an industrial environment for the treatment of wastewaters from a fibreboard production factory. The reactor is a hybrid USBF, combining an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) in the lower part and an upflow anaerobic filter (UAF) at the top.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗

Indocyanine green clearance test in non-cirrhotic hepatitis patients: a comparison and analysis between conventional blood sampling method and Finger Piece Monitoring method.

BACKGROUND: The indocyanine green (ICG) Finger Piece Monitor system is a non-invasive method for measuring blood ICG concentrations for the evaluation of hepatic function. This study was conducted to determine its clinical usefulness in non-cirrhotic patients. METHODS: Traditional liver function tests, alpha-fetoprotein, prothrombin time, and ICG clearance tests, by both blood sampling method and Finger Piece Monitoring method were performed simultaneously on 56 non-cirrhotic hepatitis patients. The plasma clearance rate (K) and 15-minute retention ratio (R15) of ICG were analyzed and compared with traditional liver function test results. RESULTS: The clearance rate using the Finger Piece Monitoring method was slightly lower than that of the blood sampling method (9.16 +/- 5.00%/min vs. 11.24 +/- 3.56%/min) with good correlation (r = 0.721, p = 0.0003). The 15-minute retention ratio using the Finger Piece Monitoring method showed better correlation with blood sampling method (32.83 +/- 23.99% vs. 28.49 +/- 23.74%, r = 0.944, p = 0.0002). Analysis between traditional laboratory tests and fR15 revealed a higher fR15 value in patients with bilirubin-total-T > or = 3 mg/dl (49.71 +/- 26.22% vs. 22.23 +/- 13.48%), alpha-fetoprotein > or = 100 ng/ml (61.96 +/- 15.84% vs. 28.52 +/- 21.74%), and PT prolongation > or = 3 sec (71.46 +/- 16.80% vs. 29.03 +/- 21.06%). CONCLUSION: There is a good correlation between the conventional blood sampling method and the ICG Finger Piece Monitoring system method. The ICG Finger Monitoring system provides an alternative for traditional laboratory tests for the evaluation of hepatic dysfunction in hepatitis patients.

Adult↗

Influence of heparin treatment on biochemical markers of an activation of the coagulation system.

Monitoring of anticoagulant treatment is not yet satisfactory. Otherwise optimal treatment control in special situations as low dose heparin prophylaxis in hip surgery or high dose anticoagulant treatment in patients after coronary stent implantation may be desirable. Recently available thrombin markers were analyzed in 51 patients under low dose (group 1) and 30 patients under high dose therapy with unfractionated heparin (group 2a and b) as well as in controls (n = 26). Before therapy these parameters were significantly elevated in both patient groups. Elevated thrombin-antithrombin III-complexes (TAT) despite adequate prolongation of aPTT under high dose heparin in 38.2% of patients indicate that therapeutic concentrations of heparin in these cases are insufficient for depressing this parameter completely. During low dose therapy only prothrombin fragment (F1 + 2) significantly decreased. This may be explained by catalytic induction of TAT-complex formation by heparin. Decrease of D-Dimer under heparin therapy in both groups does not parallel with TAT and F1 + 2 but was more prolonged. This can be explained by dependence of the D-Dimer level on spontaneous fibrinolytic activity and by a longer plasma half-life as well as a chronic and continuous fibrinolytic process in an older thrombus. In conclusion, thrombin markers seem to be helpful in estimating anticoagulant treatment efficacy. As a consequence, anticoagulant treatment has to be intensified in high-risk patients for complete depression of these markers. Whether the benefit of higher heparin doses is worth the risk of drug-induced hemorrhage, however, remains to be clarified in clinical studies.

Adult↗

Value of measuring bone density serial changes on a picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) monitor in distraction osteogenesis.

Serial changes of bone density in 26 femora and 22 tibiae that underwent leg lengthening by distraction osteogenesis were investigated by measuring the pixel value shown on a picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) monitor. The pixel value of the original cortex did not change significantly until the external fixator was removed. The pixel value of the distraction sites did not change significantly for the first 5-6 weeks/cm, but rapidly increased after 7 weeks/cm in the femur and tibia, then slowly increased after 8 weeks/cm. The serial changes of the pixel value of the distracted bone showed a sigmoid curve, rather than a straight increasing line. The relative pixel values of the lengthening sites were >95% in three of the four cortices at external fixator removal. Thus, the pixel value of PACS is a rapid and easy method for the detection of bone density changes in distraction osteogenesis.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

International monitoring for environmental health surveillance.

This paper offers an overview of existing international monitoring systems with relevance for environmental health surveillance. Representative monitoring systems are described that: address areas of chronic and acute exposure, and diseases and behavioural effects resulting from human-environment interactions; have an ecosystem focus with perhaps a secondary motivation of ascertaining human health impacts that may result from ecosystem conditions; and that incorporate socio-demographic and economic data that may reflect population health determinants. General conclusions on the state of environmental surveillance systems and suites of indicators reviewed are provided in relation to their utility for the development of a generic environmental health surveillance system. This review indicates, among other things, that no obvious short list of core indicators exists which spans "environmental health" to provide a sufficient set applicable in a global context. Through a summary of challenges and limitations in existing systems and indicator sets, recommendations are provided for the discussion of indicator selection and organization, and of developing general and widely applicable environmental health monitoring and surveillance systems.

Canada↗

Development of an in situ fiber optic Raman system to monitor hydrothermal vents.

The development of a field portable fiber optic Raman system modified from commercially available components that can operate remotely on battery power and withstand the corrosive environment of the hydrothermal vents is discussed. The Raman system is designed for continuous monitoring in the deep-sea environment. A 785 nm diode laser was used in conjunction with a sapphire ball fiber optic Raman probe, single board computer, and a CCD detector. Using the system at ambient conditions the detection limits of SO(4)(2-), CO(3)(2-) and NO(3)(-) were determined to be approximately 0.11, 0.36 and 0.12 g l(-1) respectively. Mimicking the cold conditions of the sea floor by placing the equipment in a refrigerator yielded slightly worse detection limits of approximately 0.16 g l(-1) for SO(4)(-2) and 0.20 g l(-1) for NO(3)(-). Addition of minerals commonly found in vent fluid plumes also decreased the detection limits to approximately 0.33 and 0.34 g l(-1) respectively for SO(4)(-2) and NO(3)(-).

Animals↗

Application of the BAX for screening/genus Listeria polymerase chain reaction system for monitoring Listeria species in cold-smoked fish and in the smoked fish processing environment.

The cold-smoked fish industry was used as a model for the development of a system for monitoring Listeria spp. in foods and in the food processing environment. A total of 214 samples including raw fish, fish during the cold-smoking process, finished product, and environmental samples were collected from three processing facilities over two visits to each facility. Samples were screened for Listeria spp. using the BAX for Screening/genus Listeria polymerase chain reaction system (PCR) and by culture. Listeria spp., confirmed by the API Listeria test strip or by a PCR assay targeting the L. monocytogenes hlyA gene, were isolated from a total of 89 (41.6%) samples. Of these, 80 samples also tested positive for Listeria spp. using the BAX system. Specifically, 42 (55.3%) environmental samples (n = 76), 11 (25.6%) raw materials samples (n = 43), 20 (35.1%) samples from fish in various stages of processing (n = 57), and 7 (18.4%) finished product samples (n = 38) tested positive for Listeria spp. using the BAX system. Five (4.0%) of the 125 culture-negative samples yielded BAX system-positive results. Listeria isolates from each of nine culture-positive/BAX system-negative samples yielded a positive reaction when tested in pure culture by the BAX system, suggesting that our false-negative results were likely due to the presence of low Listeria numbers in the initial enrichment as opposed to nonreacting isolates. The employment of alternative enrichment protocols, such as the two-step enrichment recommended by the manufacturer, may increase the sensitivity of the assay.

Animals↗

Monitoring at the Swiss Epilepsy Center.

Long-term monitoring facilities have proven irreplaceable in the investigation of epileptic patients as well as in the assessment of therapy. We describe an integrated monitoring system which has been in operation in our center for over 5 years. It includes long-term monitoring by means of a 21-channel EEG write-out and video taping, ambulatory monitoring using a 4-channel cassette as well as an intensive monitoring system combining 16-channel radio telemetered EEG with split-screen video technology. Technical equipment, organization, indications, applications and clinical results are presented in detail. The availability of an experienced team of specialists (neurologist, engineer, clinical pharmacologist, neuropsychologist) is a prerequisite for the optimal utilization of these facilities. With out integrated monitoring system we investigate an average of 550 patients/year. In over half the cases, the desired information can be provided, resulting in a direct therapeutic benefit. The additional value of these methods, especially of the intensive monitoring, lies also in the possibility of compiling new knowledge about semiology and electro-clinical correlation of epileptic seizures, possible trigger mechanisms and long-term therapeutic effects. This should help to better understand the underlying pathophysiology and to further reduce the number of epileptic patients not responding to therapy.

Ambulatory Care↗