Efficient Non-invasive Method Research Articles

Advancements in nanotheranostics for glioma therapy.

Gliomas are brain tumors mainly derived from glial cells that are difficult to treat and cause high mortality. Radiation, chemotherapy, and surgical excision are the conventionaltreatments for gliomas. Patients who have surgery or have undergone chemotherapy for glioma treatment have poor prognosis with tumor recurrence. In particular, for glioblastoma,the 5-year averagesurvival rateis 4-7%, and the median survival is 12-18months. Anumber of issues hinder effective treatmentsuch as, poor surgical resection, tumor heterogeneity, insufficient drug penetration across the blood-brain barrier, multidrug resistance, and difficulties with drug specificity. Nanotheranostic-mediated drug delivery is becoming a well-researched consideration, and an efficient non-invasive method for delivering chemotherapeutic drugs to the target area. Theranostic nanomedicines, which incorporate therapeutic drugs and imaging agents forpersonalized therapies, can be used for preventing overdose of non-responders. Through the identification of massive and complicated information from next-generation sequencing, machine learning enables for precise prediction of therapeutic outcomes and post-treatment management for patients with cancer. This article gives a thorough overview of nanocarrier-mediated drug delivery with a brief introduction to drug delivery challenges. In addition, this assessment offers a current summary of preclinical and clinical research on nanomedicines for gliomas. In the future, nanotheranostics will provide personalized treatment for gliomas and other treatable cancers.

A multiserological line assay to potentially discriminate current from past Helicobacter pylori infection

ObjectivesEarly diagnosis is important in controlling Helicobacter pylori-induced gastritis and progression to gastric malignancy. Serological testing is an efficient non-invasive diagnostic method, but currently does not allow differentiation between active and past infections. To fill this diagnostic gap we investigated the diagnostic value of a panel of ten H. pylori-specific antibodies in individuals with different H. pylori infection status within a German population. MethodsWe used the recomLine Helicobacter IgG 2.0 immunoblotting assay to analyse ten H. pylori-specific antibodies in serum samples collected from 1108 volunteers. From these, 788 samples were used to build exposure and infection status models and 320 samples for model validation. H. pylori infection status was verified by histological examination. We applied logistic regression to select antibodies correlated to infection status and developed, with independent validation, discriminating models and risk scores. Receiving operating characteristic analysis was performed to assess the accuracy of the discriminating models. ResultsAntibody reactivity against cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA), H. pylori chaperone (GroEL), and hook-associated protein 2 homologue (FliD) was independently associated with the risk of H. pylori exposure with ORs and 95% CIs of 99.24 (46.50–211.80), 46.17 (17.45–122.17), and 22.16 (8.46–55.04), respectively. A risk score comprising these three selected antibodies differentiated currently H. pylori infected or eradicated participants from negatives with an area under the curve of 0.976 (95% CI: 0.965–0.987) (Model 1). Seropositivity for vacuolating cytotoxin A (VacA), GroEL, FliD, H. pylori adhesin A (HpaA), and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (gGT) was associated with a current infection with an area under the curve of 0.870 (95% CI: 0.837–0.903), which may help discriminate currently infected patients from eradicated ones (Model 2). DiscussionThe recomLine assay is sensitive and specific in determining H. pylori infection and eradication status and thus represents a valuable tool in the management of H. pylori infection.

Speckle-Tracking Strain Analysis for Mapping Spatiotemporal Contractility of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC)-Derived Cardiomyocytes.

Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) hold tremendous potential for cardiovascular disease modeling, drug screening, personalized medicine, and pathophysiology studies. The availability of a robust protocol and functional assay for studying phenotypic behavior of hiPSC-CMs is essential for establishing an in vitro disease model. Many heart diseases manifest due to changes in the mechanical strain of cardiac tissue. Therefore, non-invasive evaluation of the contractility properties of hiPSC-CMs remains crucial to gain an insight into the pathogenesis of cardiac diseases. Speckle tracking-based strain analysis is an efficient non-invasive method that uses video microscopy and image analysis of beating hiPSC-CMs for quantitative evaluation of mechanical contractility properties. This article presents step-by-step protocols for extracting quantitative contractility properties of an hiPSC-CM system obtained from five members of a family, of whom three were affected by DiGeorge syndrome, using speckle tracking-based strain analysis. The hiPSCs from the family members were differentiated and purified into hiPSC-CMs using metabolic selection. Time-lapse images of hiPSC-CMs were acquired using high-spatial-resolution and high-time-resolution phase-contrast video microscopy. Speckled images were characterized by evaluating the cross-correlation coefficient, speckle size, speckle contrast, and speckle quality of the images. The optimum parameters of the speckle tracking algorithm were determined by performing sensitivity analysis concerning computation time, effective mapping area, average contraction velocity, and strain. Furthermore, the hiPSC-CM response to adrenaline was evaluated to validate the sensitivity of the strain analysis algorithm. Then, we applied speckle tracking-based strain analysis to characterize the dynamic behavior of patient-specific hiPSC-CMs from the family members affected/unaffected by DiGeorge syndrome. Here, we report an efficient and manipulation-free method to analyze the contraction displacement vector and velocity field, contraction-relaxation strain rate, and contractile cycles. Implementation of this method allows for quantitative analysis of the contractile phenotype characteristics of hiPSC-CMs to distinguish possible cardiac manifestation of DiGeorge syndrome. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Differentiation of iPSCs into iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) and metabolic selection of differentiated iPSC-CMs Support Protocol 1: Culture, maintenance, and expansion of human iPSCs Support Protocol 2: Immunohistochemistry of iPSC-CMs Basic Protocol 2: Time-lapse speckle imaging of iPSC-CMs and speckle quality characterization Support Protocol 3: Enhancement of local contrast of videos by applying contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) to all frames Support Protocol 4: Evaluation of average speckle size Support Protocol 5: Evaluation of average speckle contrast Support Protocol 6: Determination of relative peak height, Pc(x), of consecutive images acquired from video microscopy of iPSC-CMs Basic Protocol 3: Speckle tracking-based analysis of beating iPSC-CMs Support Protocol 7: Validation of sensitivity of the speckle tracking analysis for mapping the contractility of iPSC-CMs Basic Protocol 4: Data extraction, visualization, and mapping of contractile cycles of iPSC-CMs.

Three-dimensional time-lapse inversion of transient electromagnetic data, with application at an Icelandic geothermal site

SUMMARY Transient electromagnetic (TEM) is an efficient non-invasive method to map electrical conductivity distribution in the subsurface. This paper presents an inversion scheme for 3-D TEM time-lapse (TL) data using a generalized minimum support (MS) norm and its application to monitoring conductivity changes over time. In particular, two challenges for TL TEM applications are addressed: (i) the survey repetition with slightly different acquisition position, that is, because systems are not installed and (ii) non-optimal data coverage above the TL anomalies, for instance, due to the presence of infrastructure that limits the acquisition layout because of coupling. To address these issues, we developed a new TEM TL inversion scheme with the following features: (1) a multimesh approach for model definition and forward computations, which allows for seamless integration of data sets with different acquisition layouts; (2) 3-D sensitivity calculation during the inversion, which allows retrieving conductivity changes in-between TEM soundings and (3) simultaneous inversion of two data sets at once, imposing TL constraints defined in terms of a generalized MS norm, which ensures compact TL changes. We assess the relevance of our implementations through a synthetic example and a field example. In the synthetic example, we study the capability of the inversion scheme to retrieve compact time-lapse changes despite slight changes in the acquisition layout and the effect of data coverage on the retrieval of TL changes. Results from the synthetic tests are used for interpreting field data, which consists of two TEM data sets collected in 2019 and 2020 at the Nesjavellir high-temperature geothermal site (Iceland) within a monitoring project of H2S sequestration. Furthermore, the field example illustrates the effect of the trade-off between data misfit and TL constraints in the inversion objective function, using the tuning settings of the generalized MS norm. Based on the results from both the synthetic and field cases, we show that our implementation of 3-D TL inversion has a robust performance for TEM monitoring.

Longitudinal 16S rRNA Sequencing Reveals Relationships among Alterations of Gut Microbiota and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Progression in Mice.

ABSTRACTNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent and progressive disease spectrum ranging from nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), yet there is no effective treatment and efficient noninvasive diagnostic method for NASH. The present study investigated the longitudinal alternations of gut microbiota in the Western diet (WD) induced murine NAFLD model using 16S rRNA sequencing. Evident steatosis and inflammation were detected in the liver at the 8th and 12th week, while prompted hepatic oxidative injury and fibrosis were found at the 16th week. In this progressive process, impaired bile acid (BA) metabolism plays a vital part. Long-term WD intervention alters microbial richness and composition in the intestine, shaping characteristic microbial feature correspondence to each NAFLD stage. Descending abundances of Clostridia and Ruminococcaceae were found in NAFLD progression, while inflammation-related microbes [Eubacterium]_fissicatena_group, Romboutsia, and Erysipelatoclostridium were verified to identify borderline NASH at 8th and 12th week, and BA-associated taxa Dubosiella, Bosea, Helicobacter, and Alistipes were recognized as special symbols reflecting the state of oxidative damage and fibrosis in NASH at 16th week. Further, feces and colon abundances of Akkermansia were verified to be depleted in the process of borderline NASH progressed to NASH, and exhibited substantial correlations with NAFLD indexes ALT, AST, TC, and TBA. These characteristic taxa were effective to identify NAFLD and NASH, and microbiota-derived predictive models for NAFLD and NASH exhibited great potential (AUC 0.983 and 0.784). These findings demonstrate that a core set of gut microbiome especially BA-related taxa may be adopted as a noninvasive diagnostic tool for NAFLD and NASH.IMPORTANCE This study concentrates on longitudinal alternations of gut microbiota in NAFLD progression and discovers the interrelationships between them. These findings may uncover the role of gut microbiota in NAFLD progression and identify novel noninvasive diagnostic tools for NAFLD based on microbial biomarkers.

A two-fluid blood stasis model for false lumen thrombosis after type B dissection repair

The formation of thrombosis is a major concern in the false lumen (FL) for post-TEVAR (thoracic endovascular aortic repair) patients. Blood stasis is one of the key factors which lead to the formation of thrombosis in the arterial systems. This study proposed a computational model for blood stasis, using a two-fluid principle to track the locations of blood residual over time. The current study applied this novel model to evaluate blood stasis and thrombosis potential in four patient-specific post-TEVAR FLs of type B aortic dissection, with their follow-up in-vivo observations two years after TEVAR. The locations and topologies of residual blood in the FL predicted by the model agreed well with the in-vivo observations of thrombus. In addition, the results corresponded better with clinical observations in terms of interpatient comparison of degree of thrombosis, compared with conventional hemodynamic parameters. The blood stasis model serves as a valuable addition to conventional metrics to better predict thrombosis potential. Collectively, these metrics can provide an efficient non-invasive method for evaluating blood stasis and thrombosis potential in arterial system, and useful guidance for clinicians’ operative planning and postoperative evaluation.

Effect of pH on the Conformational Transition of Silk Fibroin in Aqueous Solution Monitored by Thioflavin-T Fluorescence.

In this work, the potential application of the fluorescence dye Thioflavin-T (ThT), which can specifically bind to amyloid, as a powerful tool for monitoring secondary structural transitions of silk fibroin (SF) induced by pH in low solution concentrations was examined. Results showed that ThT emission intensities substantially increased when pH decreased from 6.8 to 4.8. This increase may be ascribed to conformational transitions from random coil to β-sheet. The morphology and secondary structure of SF were also investigated via TEM, AFM and circular dichroism spectroscopy. The information obtained herein can be utilized not only for the development of convenient and efficient noninvasive method for monitoring the assembly behavior of SF in aqueous solution but also for in vitro fluorescence imaging.

Platelet-rich plasma: Its applications in orthodontics – A systematic review

Objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to assess the available literature for the effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in orthodontics. Material and Methods: This review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines (PRISMA). The following databases were searched up to May 2020: Medline (through PubMed), Cochrane, and Google Scholar, and reference lists of the included studies were screened. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials using PRP an adjunct with the standard orthodontic procedures including animal and human subjects as participants were included in the study. The quality of the included human RCTs was assessed per the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2.0), whereas the risk of bias of the included animal studies was assessed using SYRCLES’s RoB tool. Results: Eight studies, six animal and two human studies, fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Three animal studies and one human RCT reported that PRP increased the rate of tooth movement when used as an adjunct along with orthodontic treatment. Conclusion: According to the currently available literature, PRP is an efficient non-invasive method of tooth acceleration, but as most of the studies carried are on animals and cannot be applied to humans indistinctly.

Effect of electrode types and soil moisture on the application of electrical resistivity tomography and time-domain induced polarization for monitoring soil stabilization

There is a growing demand for an efficient noninvasive method for monitoring stabilization sites. Geophysical monitoring method was applied in a pilot site. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and time-domain induced polarization (TDIP) surveys showed that the topsoil and stabilized soil exhibited an electrical resistivity of 335.7 ± 251.8 and 74.8 ± 16.9 O-m, respectively, and a chargeability of 11.7 ± 7.6 and 6.0 ± 2.3 mV/V, respectively. Both methods distinguished the stabilized layer and topsoil, and 3D ERT and TDIP provided additional information related to the long-term stability of the stabilized site. The influence of the electrode type on electrical resistivity and chargeability noise was negligible. As the water content in the soil increased, the electrical resistivity and chargeability decreased in the stabilized soil, while chargeability increased at a water content of 20–30% in the topsoil. This study highlights the potential of geophysical methods for monitoring stabilized sites.

Diagnostic Techniques for Human Papillomavirus Detection for Early Diagnosis of Endocervical Adenocarcinoma

Background: The past few decades have witnessed a shift in the rate of incidence of cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and endocervical adenocarcinoma because there has been an increase in the prevalence of the endocervical adenocarcinoma and a reduction in the SCC in countries with effective screening programs in place. Although our knowledge about the underlying reasons for this shift remains deficient, it seems that the prevalence of endocervical adenocarcinoma is on the rise partly because of greater exposure to human papillomavirus (HPV), screening delays, and more importantly, technical limitations faced in diagnosing endocervical carcinoma. Objectives: This study aims to systematically review certain diagnostic methods that detect HPV which will facilitate the early diagnosis of endocervical adenocarcinoma because adjuvant therapy has proven to be inefficient for later stages of the disease. Methodology: The relevant articles were researched online using databases such as Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, SpringerLink, and Web of Science. The databases were electronically searched. The keywords used in the search included “human papillomavirus (HPV),” “diagnosis of endocervical adenocarcinoma,” “polymerase chain reaction (PCR),” “in situ hybridization (ISH),” and “immunohistochemistry (IHC).” The search was refined to include only those articles that were nonreviewed studies and recently published, covering the period from 2010 to the present. Results: Eight articles from different parts of the world were selected for the study and were categorized into three groups depending on the diagnostic technique used in them, which included PCR, ISH, and IHC. PCR has proven to be an efficient noninvasive method that detects HPV DNA in the early stages. ISH demonstrates high specificity and sensitivity for the detection, of which genotypes of HPVs are present in endocervical adenocarcinoma lesions. Immunohistochemical staining is a simple tool for detecting HPV, but it has limited efficiency. Conclusion: A number of diagnostic tools are available to detect HPV infection for the early diagnosis of endocervical adenocarcinoma. HPV detection tests can be used in combination with the Pap test to ensure that any abnormality is not missed during diagnosis. Nonetheless, further studies should be performed to develop novel techniques or improve existing ones, so that endocervical adenocarcinomas can be detected on time and with high accuracy, and to overcome the problems faced in the cytologic diagnosis of cervical adenocarcinomas lesions.

Genotyping validates the efficacy of photographic identification in a capture-mark-recapture study based on the head scale patterns of the prairie lizard (Sceloporus consobrinus).

Population studies often incorporate capture‐mark‐recapture (CMR) techniques to gather information on long‐term biological and demographic characteristics. A fundamental requirement for CMR studies is that an individual must be uniquely and permanently marked to ensure reliable reidentification throughout its lifespan. Photographic identification involving automated photographic identification software has become a popular and efficient noninvasive method for identifying individuals based on natural markings. However, few studies have (a) robustly assessed the performance of automated programs by using a double‐marking system or (b) determined their efficacy for long‐term studies by incorporating multi‐year data. Here, we evaluated the performance of the program Interactive Individual Identification System (I3S) by cross‐validating photographic identifications based on the head scale pattern of the prairie lizard (Sceloporus consobrinus) with individual microsatellite genotyping (N = 863). Further, we assessed the efficacy of the program to identify individuals over time by comparing error rates between within‐year and between‐year recaptures. Recaptured lizards were correctly identified by I3S in 94.1% of cases. We estimated a false rejection rate (FRR) of 5.9% and a false acceptance rate (FAR) of 0%. By using I3S, we correctly identified 97.8% of within‐year recaptures (FRR = 2.2%; FAR = 0%) and 91.1% of between‐year recaptures (FRR = 8.9%; FAR = 0%). Misidentifications were primarily due to poor photograph quality (N = 4). However, two misidentifications were caused by indistinct scale configuration due to scale damage (N = 1) and ontogenetic changes in head scalation between capture events (N = 1). We conclude that automated photographic identification based on head scale patterns is a reliable and accurate method for identifying individuals over time. Because many lizard or reptilian species possess variable head squamation, this method has potential for successful application in many species.

An Efficient Non-Invasive Method to Fabricate In-Fiber Microcavities Using a Continuous-Wave Laser

In-fiber microcavities are usually fabricated by inva-sive methods that require costly setups and time-consuming processes. Inspired by the fiber fuse effect, we propose an efficient non-invasive method to fabricate in-fiber microcavities. The setup of the method was economic, using a watt-level continuous-wave laser. Spherical in-fiber microcavities of ~hundred-of-micron sizes could be fabricated and freely integrated in fibers. The fabrication rate was seconds-per-microcavity, being hundreds of times faster than previous methods. The microcavities could have ~1-micron-thin cavity walls and ~10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</sup> high quality factors as Fabry-Perot reso-nators. The method offers many unique features for microcavities and can be useful for large-scale fabrication. It can benefit many applications such as sensing and nonlinear frequency generation.

An Efficient Non-Invasive Method for Fetal Ecg Extraction from Abdominal Signals

The principle target of this paper is to decide the over the top attributes of a baby during pregnancy by examining a fetal ECG waveform. In obtrusive system of FECG estimation, terminals are embedded inside the body this may cause the burst of films, which is perilous to both the fetal's and mother's lives. It is important to go for non-invasive strategy, right now readings are taken from the mid-region of pregnant ladies which is protected procedure for both mother and fetal. The fetal ECG waveform can be separated by smothering maternal ECG sign and clamor defilements present in the ECG input signal. By breaking down the fetal ECG waveform we can decide the irregularity of baby heart by estimating the fetal pulse and contrasting it and maternal pulse .The variation from the norm found in fetal during pregnancy can be valuable to treat the hatchling against heart related illnesses.

Assessment of biopsy proven liver fibrosis by two-dimensional shear wave elastography in patients with primary biliary cholangitis

BackgroundTwo-dimensional shear-wave elastography (2D-SWE) is an ultrasound-based technique used to stage liver fibrosis by measuring liver stiffness (LS). The diagnostic performance of 2D-SWE for assessing liver fibrosis in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) has not been reported before. AimsTo investigate the diagnostic performance of 2D-SWE for staging liver fibrosis in patients with PBC by using histologic analysis as a reference standard. MethodsPatients with PBC who underwent liver biopsy and 2D-SWE were retrospectively collected. Liver fibrosis was staged according to the Scheuer scoring system. Areas under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was constructed to assess the accuracy of 2D-SWE and serum fibrosis models for staging liver fibrosis. ResultsThe diagnostic performance characteristics were determined for 157 patients with PBC. The AUROCs of LS measured by 2D-SWE for significant fibrosis, severe fibrosis, and cirrhosis were 0.88, 0.97 and 0.99, respectively. The cutoff values of LS measured by 2D-SWE in discriminating significant fibrosis, severe fibrosis, and cirrhosis were 10.7 kPa, 12.2 kPa and 14.1 kPa, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of 2D-SWE for staging liver fibrosis was 73.9%. Conclusions2D-SWE is an efficient noninvasive method for the assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with PBC.

Role of ultrasound, Color duplex Doppler and sono-elastography in the evaluation of renal allograft complications

BackgroundRenal transplantation could be considered for patients with end-stage renal disease. Ultrasonography is the imaging method chosen for renal allograft evaluation early in the postoperative period. Sono-elastography is used to estimate tissue stiffness. This study aimed to assess the correlation between sono-elastography and renal allograft histopathology in patients who had transplanted kidney and determine the efficacy of grayscale ultrasound, sono-elastography, and color duplex in evaluation renal allograft complications and correlation with renal function.ResultsForty patients (26 males and 14 females) who underwent renal transplantation were included. Their ages ranging from 10:52 years; they all subjected to ultrasound, color Doppler, sono-elastography, and histopathology. The studded patients were divided into 3 groups according to histopathology: patient with normal results, patients with ATI, and patients with CAI. The difference between the mean elasticity values between the three groups was statistically highly significant (p value < 0.001) with high specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy in differentiating ATI and normal groups and also CAI and normal groups, while the lowest sensitivity noticed in differentiating between ATI and CAI groups that is mean elasticity was good to differentiating between ATI and normal groups and also between CAI and normal groups while it was less in differentiating between ATI and CAI groups. As regards the RI, the highest sensitivity of the RI was in differentiating ATI and normal with high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy, and the lowest sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of RI were in differentiating CAI and normal groups.ConclusionTransplanted renal allograft could be assessed by combined US, color duplex Doppler, and sono-elastography examination; also we can detect posttransplant complications early. Sono-elastography could be an efficient noninvasive method to diagnose and monitor kidney allograft rejection and follow-up of the renal allograft, which may give a further and possibly earlier prognostic index for chronic dysfunction in addition to serum creatinine.

Ultrasound findings in extragenital endometriosis.

We present a report on ultrasound findings in extragenital endometriosis and a literature review accompanied by illustrations. Intestinal endometriosis should be considered in female patients of reproductive age who present with constipation, gastrointestinal bleeding, nausea, vomiting, cramp-like abdominal pain, diarrhoea and pelvic pain. Although definitive preoperative diagnosis of endometriosis is difficult, clinical suspicion and appropriate imaging might prevent extensive surgical procedures with higher morbidity. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound is an efficient non-invasive imaging method without any radiation exposure that supports the early diagnosis of intestinal endometriosis and may help assess the vascularization of endometriotic lesions within the distinct layers of the intestinal wall.

Relative Gene Expression Analysis from Urine Samples of Patients with Prostate Disease

Conventional screening and diagnostic procedures in prostate complaints rely on PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) concentration which is not specific for prostate cancer and frequently leads to unnecessary invasive procedures in order to exclude malignant disease. It is estimated that approximately 50% of persons who underwent tissue biopsy did so based on false positive PSA value. Therefore a proper and timely differential diagnosis of malignant disease using non-invasive techniques remains one of the biggest challenges in medicine. Urine is the invaluable source of biological information contained in small molecules i.e. RNA that is easily accessible and detectable using molecular genetics techniques. We describe economical and fast method for relative expression analysis applicable to any target gene using urine as a sample. Efficient non-invasive method for identification of malignant or high risk cases prove useful in reduction of patient distress during the diagnostic procedure and significantly reduce healthcare costs.

The opportunities of contact endoscopy in detection of the neoangiogenesis lesions in malignant tumors of larynx

The world statistics establishes a deplorable fact: most malignant neoplasms are diagnosed at the advanced stages. Therefore, an important task is the active application of the methods providing early detection of larynx pathology. Contact endoscopy is one of such methods. Patients and methods: The observation covered 79 patients at the period of 31.01.2014 through 30.10.2016. They all underwent contact endoscopy. For interpretation of the results we applied a classification based on the presence of intraepitheal papillary-capillary loops. Results: 52 of 56 malignant neoplasms histologically confirmed as squamous cell cancer were classified as type 4 vasculature changes. Diagnostic characteristics of contact endoscopy – accuracy, sensitivity, specific¬ity, positive and negative predictive value constituted 91.6% (99/108), 91.4% (53/58), 92% (46/50), 93% (53/57), 90.20% (46/51) respectively. Conclusion: Based on the information from global sources and our experience, we can conclude that con¬tact endoscopy proved to be an efficient noninvasive method of in-vivo tissue examination. It provides obtaining additional information for taking decision about the scope of surgery or possible site of target biopsy. However, despite the fact that contact endoscopy without staining makes it possible to examine tissues even with hyper-keratosis, masking cellular architectonics of mucosa, it has some limitations to be taken into account in the process of planning the examination.

X- and Y-chromosome-specific variants of the amelogenin gene allow non-invasive sex diagnosis for the detection of pseudohermaphrodite goats.

The Polled Intersex Syndrome (PIS) is responsible for the absence of horns in homozygous and heterozygous goats causing a female-to-male sex reversal in the homozygous polled genotypic female (XX) goats. A simple and efficient non-invasive method was elaborated to detect the genotypic sex from hair and faecal samples using a pair of primers to amplify the X- and Y-linked alleles of the amelogenin gene. The PCR products were easily distinguishable using agarose gel electrophoresis: we detected an X-specific single band in samples originating from healthy phenotypic females and double (X- and Y-) bands in samples from males. The new PCR method is applicable for diagnosing the sex of PIS-affected animals already as newborn kids, in contrast with the phenotypic findings appearing only after puberty, and thus it may replace the cumbersome chromosome investigations.

Thermal Changes of Bone Induced during Drilling for Dental Implants Placement: An &lt;i&gt;In Vitro&lt;/i&gt; Study

Bone Heating during Osteotomy for Dental Implant Placement is a High Risk Factor of Osteonecrosis. the Aim of this Study was to Investigate in Vitro the Temperature Changes Induced in Bone by Different Burs with External Cooling during the Surgical Step of Osteotomy. it was Used the Digital Infrared Camera FLIR SC640 (Flir Systems) that Allowed a Real-Time Infrared Thermographic Analysis of Thermal Images, Recorded 0.50 m Away from Osteotomy Site. there were Prepared 10 Osteotomy Sites with each MIS System Burs of Progressive Diameter (2 Mm ø, 2.8 Mm ø, and 3.2 Mm ø), at 2000 Rpm, on 30 Samples of Bovine Femoral Bone. the Thermographic Analysis Showed that the Mean Temperature Generated in Bone by Performing the Osteotomy was 46,5oC ± 0,48 for 2 Mm ø Bur, 59,5oC ± 1,62 for 2.8 Mm ø Bur, and 51,4oC ± 0,51 for 3.2 Mm ø Bur. Surprisingly the Maximal Temperatures were Recorded with Intermediatte 2.82 Mm ø Bur. the Infrared Thermography Proved to Be a High Accurate, Fast, and Efficient Non-Invasive Method of Bone Temperature Measurement Generated during Drilling for Placement of Dental Implants. while Drilling the Bone in a Progressive Sequence of Bur Diameters, the Temperature Raise is Non-Uniform because the Quantity of Removed Bone is Changing from One Bur to the other, and the Mechanical Friction of Following Burs in the Series is Reduced as Compared to the Pilot Bur.