Portable Format Research Articles

Facial Recognition Approach using Abcd Algorithm for Cancer Treatment

Malignant melanoma is one of the generally known cancers due to the changes in the skin behaviour that cause a drastic increase in numerous melanomas which is seen among many white-skinned people. To detect and classify skin lesions, we require a fast and reliable system. The face detection algorithms are used in which, an image dataset is formed and from that several images are tested for the presence of a face. When the face is present, the image is selected for further processing and separate features are detected. The presence of the face, along with two eyes, nose, mouth and lips are necessary for the face detection to work efficiently. A specific area of the face is selected as a test case and the skin irregularity is checked for abnormal features are present or not. An algorithm by the name Asymmetry, Border, Color and Dermatoscopic features (ABCD) is developed which will check the skin parameters and help figure out the presence of abnormal growth. The accuracy of detection will depend upon the clarity of the input image, the brightness and the sharpness. The later part of the project will stress the importance of data exports from the working data sets to a portable format.

Demonstration of waferscale voltage amplifier and electrostatic quadrupole focusing array for compact linear accelerators

Compact linear accelerators, with beam energies in the kiloelectron volt to megaelectron volt range, have applications in medicine, neutron/X-ray generation, surface modifications, etc. The size, weight, and power of existing accelerators preclude them from mass availability in portable formats. This paper presents a specific implementation of an ion accelerator architecture based on planar wafers with accelerating and focusing sections. Our low cost approach allows the control of the final ion beam energy with potential applications, for example, for accelerator-based ion implantation. In this paper, we demonstrate two important waferscale modules required to build a linear particle accelerator; these include (1) on-wafer voltage amplification for beam acceleration using Inductor-Capacitor (LC) resonators and (2) waferscale electrostatic quadrupole arrays (ESQA) to refocus the ion beams during transport. On-board LC resonators were developed using Printed Circuit Board fabrication processes to implement an LC element resonant at ∼16.6 MHz with a quality factor of 25. An energy gain of ∼250 eV was observed using a two wafer acceleration unit with an argon ion beam with 6.5 keV initial energy. A 3 × 3 ESQA was fabricated on a glass wafer with metal electrodes formed by depositing copper metal around the beam apertures. The ESQA was used to focus and defocus an argon ion beam, demonstrating a field gradient of ∼500 V over a gap of ∼250 μm.

Harmonization of clinical data across Gen3 data commons.

e18094 Background: Gen3 is an open source software platform for developing and operating data commons. Gen3 systems are now used by a variety of institutions and agencies to share and analyze large biomedical datasets including clinical and genomic data. One of the challenges of working with these datasets is disparate clinical data standards used by researchers across different studies and fields. We have worked to address these hurdles in a variety of ways. Methods: Gen3 is an open source software platform for developing and operating data commons. Detailed specification and features can be found at https://gen3.org/ with code located on GitHub ( https://github.com/UC-cdis ). Results: The Gen3 data model is a graphical representation of the different nodes or classes of data that have been collected. Examples include diagnosis, demographic, exposure, and family history. The properties and values on each node are controlled by the data dictionary specified by the data commons creator. While each commons may have a unique data model and dictionary, specifying external standards allows for easier submission of new data and assists data consumers with interpretation of results. A variety of external references can be supported, but here we demonstrate the use of the National Cancer Institute Thesaurus (NCIt). NCIt provides reference terminologies and biomedical standards that contain a rich set of terms, codes, definitions, and concepts. Using the same reference standards across commons allows for the export of clinical data between commons. The Portable Format for Biomedical Data (PFB) was created to facilitate data export and to allow the data dictionary schema as well as the raw data to be compressed and exported. This new file format, which utilizes an Avro serialization, is small, fast, easy to modify, and enables simple data export and import. PFB also has the ability to house entire external reference ontologies and it is easy to update the PFB references as changes are introduced. Conclusions: We have shown here how the Gen3 data model, use of external reference standards for clinical data, and the export/import format of PFB enable the harmonization of clinical data across different data commons.

High-throughput screening and Bayesian machine learning for copper-dependent inhibitors of Staphylococcus aureus.

One potential source of new antibacterials is through probing existing chemical libraries for copper-dependent inhibitors (CDIs), i.e., molecules with antibiotic activity only in the presence of copper. Recently, our group demonstrated that previously unknown staphylococcal CDIs were frequently present in a small pilot screen. Here, we report the outcome of a larger industrial anti-staphylococcal screen consisting of 40 771 compounds assayed in parallel, both in standard and in copper-supplemented media. Ultimately, 483 had confirmed copper-dependent IC50 values under 50 μM. Sphere-exclusion clustering revealed that these hits were largely dominated by sulfur-containing motifs, including benzimidazole-2-thiones, thiadiazines, thiazoline formamides, triazino-benzimidazoles, and pyridinyl thieno-pyrimidines. Structure-activity relationship analysis of the pyridinyl thieno-pyrimidines generated multiple improved CDIs, with activity likely dependent on ligand/ion coordination. Molecular fingerprint-based Bayesian classification models were built using Discovery Studio and Assay Central, a new platform for sharing and distributing cheminformatic models in a portable format, based on open-source tools. Finally, we used the latter model to evaluate a library of FDA-approved drugs for copper-dependent activity in silico. Two anti-helminths, albendazole and thiabendazole, scored highly and are known to coordinate copper ions, further validating the model's applicability.

Development and Deployment of an Open, Modular, Near-Real-Time Patient Monitor Datastream Conduit Toolkit to Enable Healthcare Multimodal Data Fusion in a Live Emergency Department Setting for Experimental Bedside Clinical Informatics Research

Healthcare providers rely on complex biomedical devices to assess, treat, and monitor patients. Ongoing research efforts are attempting to generate and implement better algorithms and mechanisms to ensure the early, accurate, automated, and clinically meaningful recognition of patterns and changes in patient health and pathology. Effecting such evolutionary advances in patient monitoring will likely require large collections of high-resolution physiologic parameter datasets from a broad spectrum of patients. As part of a research program to scientifically improve patient monitoring (with a focus on alarm fatigue mitigation), investigators developed the Medical Technology Interface-Open/Research toolkit with modular conduit components that provide the following capabilities: 1) access to select bedside monitor physiologic signals in real-world clinical settings for near-real-time acquisition, storage, and export of high-resolution patient datastreams in a portable format (.json); 2) establishment of a safe, parallel test environment at the bedside for experimental datastream analyses in a research framework. Deployment and interfacing of toolkit elements with off-the-shelf software solutions in a live emergency department setting enabled the construction of a bedside clinical informatics (BCI) research pipeline infrastructure that featured 1) indexing, search/query, and retrieval of datastreams for sophisticated analyses, experimental processing, and algorithm development; and 2) dataset visualization for expert adjudication of datastream interpretability, alarm clinical significance and severity, and experimental algorithm performance. In order to help institute a collaborative biomedical engineering research resource, this article shares details of the active ED BCI data pipeline and presents preliminary examples of ongoing multimodal data fusion applications.

Development of a multiplexed giant magnetoresistive biosensor array prototype to quantify ovarian cancer biomarkers

In this work, we developed benchtop and handheld Giant Magnetoresistive (GMR) biosensing systems that serve as platforms for detecting a wide variety of protein biomarkers for human diseases. System development included spintronic and nanomagnetic materials, biomolecular chemistry, electronic circuitry, analog and digital signal processing, firmware programming, user interface programming on both PC and Android smartphone, communications over both USB and Bluetooth, and mechanical integration. In this work, we demonstrated the benchtop GMR biosensing system in the context of ovarian cancer assay development. The prototype system delivered the required performance in terms of high-sensitivity multiplex assays in a portable format with enough flexibility to serve as a platform for ovarian cancer and many other diseases. We achieved multiplex detection of cancer antigen 125 (CA125 II), human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), and interleukin 6 (IL6), with limits of detection (LOD) as low as 3.7 U/mL, 7.4 pg/mL, and 7.4 pg/mL, respectively.

A review on microscale polymerase chain reaction based methods in molecular diagnosis, and future prospects for the fabrication of fully integrated portable biomedical devices.

Since the advent of microfabrication technology and soft lithography, the lab-on-a-chip concept has emerged as a state-of-the-art miniaturized tool for conducting the multiple functions associated with micro total analyses of nucleic acids, in series, in a seamless manner with a miniscule volume of sample. The enhanced surface-to-volume ratio inside a microchannel enables fast reactions owing to increased heat dissipation, allowing rapid amplification. For this reason, PCR has been one of the first applications to be miniaturized in a portable format. However, the nature of the basic working principle for microscale PCR, such as the complicated temperature controls and use of a thermal cycler, has hindered its total integration with other components into a micro total analyses systems (μTAS). This review (with 179 references) surveys the diverse forms of PCR microdevices constructed on the basis of different working principles and evaluates their performances. The first two main sections cover the state-of-the-art in chamber-type PCR microdevices and in continuous-flow PCR microdevices. Methods are then discussed that lead to microdevices with upstream sample purification and downstream detection schemes, with a particular focus on rapid on-site detection of foodborne pathogens. Next, the potential for miniaturizing and automating heaters and pumps is examined. The review concludes with sections on aspects of complete functional integration in conjunction with nanomaterial based sensing, a discussion on future prospects, and with conclusions. Graphical abstract In recent years, thermocycler-based PCR systems have been miniaturized to palm-sized, disposable polymer platforms. In addition, operational accessories such as heaters and mechanical pumps have been simplified to realize semi-automatted stand-alone portable biomedical diagnostic microdevices that are directly applicable in the field. This review summarizes the progress made and the current state of this field.

Measuring the Human Ultra-Weak Photon Emission Distribution Using an Electron-Multiplying, Charge-Coupled Device as a Sensor

Ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) is the spontaneous emission from living systems mainly attributed to oxidation reactions, in which reactive oxygen species (ROS) may play a major role. Given the capability of the next-generation electron-multiplying CCD (EMCCD) sensors and the easy use of liquid crystal tunable filters (LCTF), the aim of this work was to explore the potential of a simple UPE spectrometer to measure the UPE from a human hand. Thus, an easy setup was configured based on a dark box for inserting the subject’s hand prior to LCTF as a monochromator and an EMCCD sensor working in the full vertical binning mode (FVB) as a spectra detector. Under controlled conditions, both dark signals and left hand UPE were acquired by registering the UPE intensity at different selected wavelengths (400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, and 700 nm) during a period of 10 min each. Then, spurious signals were filtered out by ignoring the pixels whose values were clearly outside of the Gaussian distribution, and the dark signal was subtracted from the subject hand signal. The stepped spectrum with a peak of approximately 880 photons at 500 nm had a shape that agreed somewhat with previous reports, and agrees with previous UPE research that reported UPE from 420 to 570 nm, or 260 to 800 nm, with a range from 1 to 1000 photons s−1 cm−2. Obtaining the spectral distribution instead of the total intensity of the UPE represents a step forward in this field, as it may provide extra information about a subject’s personal states and relationship with ROS. A new generation of CCD sensors with lower dark signals, and spectrographs with a more uniform spectral transmittance, will open up new possibilities for configuring measuring systems in portable formats.

Some guidelines for submitting software to “Software and Algorithms”

Some guidelines for submitting software to “Software and Algorithms”

Rapid and label-free electrochemical DNA biosensor for detecting hepatitis A virus

Diagnostic systems that can deliver highly specific and sensitive detection of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in food and water are of particular interest in many fields including food safety, biosecurity and control of outbreaks. Our aim was the development of an electrochemical method based on DNA hybridization to detect HAV. A ssDNA probe specific for HAV (capture probe) was designed and tested on DNAs from various viral and bacterial samples using Nested-Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (nRT-PCR). To develop the electrochemical device, a disposable gold electrode was functionalized with the specific capture probe and tested on complementary ssDNA and on HAV cDNA. The DNA hybridization on the electrode was measured through the monitoring of the oxidative peak potential of the indicator tripropylamine by cyclic voltammetry. To prevent non-specific binding the gold surface was treated with 3% BSA before detection. High resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) confirmed the efficiency of electrode functionalization and on-electrode hybridization. The proposed device showed a limit of detection of 0.65pM for the complementary ssDNA and 6.94fg/µL for viral cDNA. For a comparison, nRT-PCR quantified the target HAV cDNA with a limit of detection of 6.4fg/µL. The DNA-sensor developed can be adapted to a portable format to be adopted as an easy-to- use and low cost method for screening HAV in contaminated food and water. In addition, it can be useful for rapid control of HAV infections as it takes only a few minutes to provide the results.

A sample-to-answer, real-time convective polymerase chain reaction system for point-of-care diagnostics

Timely and accurate molecular diagnostics at the point-of-care (POC) level is critical to global health. To this end, we propose a handheld convective-flow real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system capable of direct sample-to-answer genetic analysis for the first time. Such a system mainly consists of a magnetic bead-assisted photothermolysis sample preparation, a closed-loop convective PCR reactor, and a wireless video camera-based real-time fluorescence detection. The sample preparation exploits the dual functionality of vancomycin-modified magnetic beads (VMBs) for bacteria enrichment and photothermal conversion, enabling cell pre-concentration and lysis to be finished in less than 3min. On the presented system, convective thermocycling is driven by a single-heater thermal gradient, and its amplification is monitored in real-time, with an analysis speed of less than 25min, a dynamic linear range from 106 to 101 copies/µL and a detection sensitivity of as little as 1 copies/µL. Additionally, the proposed PCR system is self-contained with a control electronics, pocket-size and battery-powered, providing a low-cost genetic analysis in a portable format. Therefore, we believe that this integrated system may become a potential candidate for fast, accurate and affordable POC molecular diagnostics.

Chemiluminescent optical fibre genosensor for porcine meat detection

An easy, rapid and sensitive method for the detection of meat species is important to identify adulteration or fraudulent substitution in raw meats with undeclared species. We report herein the development of an optical fibre genosensor able to detect low level of pork (Sus Scrofa) meat in mixtures of minced meat obtained by an optimized and faster DNA extraction protocol. Our approach uses highly specific and sensitive DNA capture and secondary probes designed out of the mitochondrion genome of Sus Scrofa. Once DNA capture probes were immobilized on optical fibres, we demonstrate their putative application as genosensors in detecting Sus Scrofa DNA in purified samples obtained first using a commercial DNA extraction kit and thereafter using our improved extraction method. Furthermore, analysis of beef (Bos taurus) minced meat samples also show that the assay can determine 1% (w/w) of Sus Scrofa DNA. The sensitivity obtained by the optical fibre and the short time required for the results (about 2.5h) indicate the usefulness of the system. We envision that this genosensor may serve as a diagnostic tool for food sample screening using a technology that is accurate, simple to perform and has the potential to be used in portable format.

An electrochemiluminescence cloth-based biosensor with smartphone-based imaging for detection of lactate in saliva.

Cloth fabrics and smartphones have become the two things people are most familiar with. Particularly, smartphones are used as portable personal computers, revolutionizing communication and lifestyle. Here, screen-printing technology is applied to fabricate carbon electrodes and electrochemical chambers on a single hydrophilic cloth, while the cloth-based electrochemiluminescence (ECL) signals are read out by using an inexpensive smartphone. Therefore, the ECL detection is available in both low-cost disposable sensors and a portable format, which may be very suitable to be used as a non-invasive monitoring tool for medical diagnostics. As a proof-of-principle, lactate oxidase is immobilized onto the working electrode for the lactate measurement. Under optimized conditions, the lactate levels can be quantified over the range of 0.05-2.5 mM, with a detection limit of 0.035 mM and the relative standard deviations of 4.7%, 5.2% and 5.0% for 0.05, 0.5 and 2.5 mM lactate (n = 5). In addition, the proposed biosensor has an acceptable stability and selectivity. Finally, the ECL biosensor is successfully applied for the determination of lactate in human saliva. These results show that the presented ECL platform has the potential to be applied to non-invasively detect a variety of analytes of medical interest.

Smartphone-Enabled Detection Strategies for Portable PCR-Based Diagnostics.

Incredible progress continues to be made toward development of low-cost nucleic acid-based diagnostic solutions suitable for deployment in resource-limited settings. Detection components play a vitally important role in these systems, but have proven challenging to adapt for operation in a portable format. Here we describe efforts aimed at leveraging the capabilities of consumer-class smartphones as a convenient platform to enable detection of nucleic acid products associated with DNA amplification via the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). First, we show how fluorescence-based detection can be incorporated into a portable convective thermocycling system controlled by a smartphone app. Raw images captured by the phone's camera are processed to yield real-time amplification data comparable to benchtop instruments. Next, we leverage smartphone imaging to achieve label-free detection of PCR products by monitoring changes in electrochemical reactivity of embedded metal electrodes as the target DNA concentration increases during replication. These advancements make it possible to construct rugged inexpensive nucleic acid detection components that can be readily embedded in a variety of portable bioanalysis instruments.

Detection of Specific Nucleic Acids Utilizing DNA Nano-Tweezers Structures

We have developed signal-transducing molecules for detecting specific nucleic acids in a homogeneous assay format. A DNA nano-tweezers (DNA-NT) structure, self-assembled from three single-stranded DNAs, was employed as a main component that alters its structure from an open state to a closed state in recognition of target nucleic acids. This dynamic structural change was utilized for generating a target-specific sensing signal. A fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-paired fluorescent dyes were modified onto a DNA-NT to generate a target-specific sensing signal. This FRET-based DNA-NT alters its structure in response to target nucleic acids, resulting in the closing of the distal relation of FRET-paired fluorescent dyes. The FRET-based DNA-NT generates the FRET signal only when it recognizes target nucleic acids, and thus the target detection can be performed in a homogeneous assay format, which does not require washing procedure. Therefore, when the FRET-based DNA-NT is introduced into a cell, the continuous detection of specific target mRNA inside living cells can be realized in a non-destructive manner. Live-cell imaging analysis of drug stimulated cells with the FRET-based DNA-NTs indicated that the behaviors of the FRET signals integrated in each individual cell were similar to those of target mRNA measured with the conventional mass analysis technique of semi-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Thus, it was concluded that continuous monitoring of specific genes is feasible with a FRET-based DNA-NT, even in a single cell manner. As another example of a component for signal generation, a G-quadruplex (Gq) composed a guanine-rich DNA sequence was employed. A Gq is one of the well-characterized DNazymes that exhibits a peroxidase activity with the help of hemin as a co-factor. In our design, the split Gq sequences were added to both ends of a DNA-NT instead of the FRET-paired fluorescent dyes. This split-Gq-based DNA-NT alters its structure from an open state to a closed state, inducing the complementation of the split Gq that exhibits restored peroxidase activity. A model target RNA was specifically recognized by the split Gq-based DNA-NT. The peroxidase activity was measured by following the oxidation of 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), which gave a greenish colorimetric response, and was proportional to the concentration of model target RNA. The split-Gq-based DNA-NT generates a peroxidase activity only when it recognizes target nucleic acids, and thus the target detection can be performed in a homogeneous assay format that is suitable for a portable format. Therefore, the detection of specific nucleic acids with the split Gq-based DNA-NT has great potential for use in a wide variety of applications, such as point-of-care testing and point-of-need testing. The DNA-NT-based signal-transducing molecules, enabling the detection of target nucleic acids in a homogeneous assay format, recognize the target without competitive reactions in a bimolecular reaction and directly produce a readily detectable signal. Notably, the target recognition sites of DNA-NT-based signal-transducing molecules can easily be designed without delicate optimization of tweezers structure. Therefore, the DNA-NT-based signal-transducing molecules are expected to become a versatile tool for detecting specific nucleic acids.

Interlinking Books with the World: Using the Semantic Web to Create Books as Reliable, Machine-Understandable Information Service Providers

The advent of EPUB 3 has made e-books a full-fledged portable web format. However, the content inside a digital publication remains separated from the rest of the Web. This means that the information of a digital book is currently closed off from you until after you read it. In this paper, we propose a way to make the content of digital publications machine-readable by connecting its content with the Semantic Web. This enables automatic processing of the content of a publication, which in turn enables a better discoverability and ingestion of the content of digital publications

A Novel Approach for Document Image Binarization Using Bit-plane Slicing

Abstract Historical document restoration has always been a challenging need for information acquisition and conversion to a stable and portable format. Document image binarization, is an important pre-processing phase in document image analysis and processing of such historical documents. It has never been an easy task accounting to the difficulty in choosing a threshold value when the document image suffers from noises due present in the original document due to its degradation, ageing of the paper, other unwanted impurities, background images, bleed-through, and so on. Inconsistency in the darkness of the letters in handwritten documents adds to the difficulty. Though there are many algorithms that have been proposed for document image binarization, there has not been an effective algorithm which can efficiently binarize all kind of documents. In this paper we introduce a novel method to perform document image binarization using bit-plane slicing. As per this approach, the 8 bit planes of the gray image are extracted and processed separately, at the end of which, the results are combined to give the final binarized output. This method works well for all kinds of historical documents except those with both, less noise and low contrast.

XSLT ŠABLONA PRO VYTVOŘENÍ GRAFU OBJEKTOVÉ PETRIHO SÍTĚ Z FORMÁTU OPNML

OPNML language is an open and portable format based on XML which is determined to the description of object-oriented Petri net. It is capable to express not only the structure of the analyzed system, but also its behavior and diagram. To display Petri net as a graph, there was created the template using XSLT language which defines the rules of transformation from OPNML language to SVG vector graphic format. SVG diagrams are then viewable with any web browser which supports SVG format, optionally relevant plug-in can be installed. The template also supports modular Petri nets as it is capable of creating several diagrams from one OPNML document. Individual diagrams can be interconnected via XLink links, so there is possible to move among them by mouse.

Field detection capability of immunochemical assays during criminal investigations involving the use of TNT

The capability to collect timely information about the substances employed on-site at a crime scene is of fundamental importance during scientific investigations in crimes involving the use of explosives. TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene) is one of the most employed explosives in the 20th century. Despite the growing use of improvised explosives, criminal use and access to TNT is not expected to decrease. Immunoassays are simple and selective analytical tests able to detect molecules and their immunoreactions can occur in portable formats for use on-site. This work demonstrates the application of three immunochemical assays capable of detecting TNT to typical forensic samples from experimental tests: an indirect competitive ELISA with chemiluminescent detection (CL-ELISA), a colorimetric lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) based on colloidal gold nanoparticles label, and a chemiluminescent-LFIA (CL-LFIA). Under optimised working conditions, the LOD of the colorimetric LFIA and CL-LFIA were 1μgmL−1 and 0.05μgmL−1, respectively. The total analysis time for LFIAs was 15min. ELISA proved to be a very effective laboratory approach, showing very good sensitivity (LOD of 0.4ngmL−1) and good reproducibility (CV value about 7%).Samples tested included various materials involved in controlled explosions of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), as well as hand swabs collected after TNT handling tests. In the first group of tests, targets covered with six different materials (metal, plastic, cardboard, carpet fabric, wood and adhesive tape) were fixed on top of wooden poles (180cm high). Samples of soil from the explosion area and different materials covering the targets were collected after each explosion and analysed. In the second group of tests, hand swabs were collected with and without hand washing after volunteers simulated the manipulation of small charges of TNT.The small amount of solution required for each assay allows for several analyses. Results of immunoassays confirmed that they were suitable to detect post-blast residues in soil and target materials and post transfer residues on hands, allowing further confirmation by more selective techniques.ELISA and LFIAs results obtained from the same solution were consistently in good agreement, and were confirmed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The reported immunoassays data demonstrates the suitability of LFIAs as on-site rapid and effective assays to detect TNT traces. The CL-ELISA proved useful in obtaining very sensitive detection in forensic investigations and testing, while CL-LFIA had performances in between LFIA and CL-ELISA.

Corneal Surgery (with DVD-ROM), Zuberbuhler B, Tuft S, Gartry D, Spokes D, (2013), ISBN: 978-3-642-12501-0, Springer

Corneal Surgery is a joint venture by British cornea specialists from Moorfields Eye Hospital, St. Thomas Hospital in London, and St. James University Hospital in Leeds. The authors provide a portable and condensed overview of the current surgical techniques in cornea and external eye disease. They do not aim to provide an extended textbook and also their aim is not to present cutting-edge new procedures but rather commonly available and established surgical techniques. The authors succeeded in providing a very condensed overview of all commonly performed surgical techniques in corneal surgery. The omission of all references and exhaustive discussions allows them to keep the textbook in an acceptable and portable format. The book starts with an introduction into anatomy and common surgical procedures as well as corneal examination techniques. All modern examination techniques such as OCT, topography, and wavefront systems are well covered. They then describe all common surgical techniques for ocular surface and reconstructive surgery such as amniotic membrane transplantation, superficial keratectomy, and PTK. The next large chapter covers discussions on eye banking, penetrating, as well as all modern lamellar surgical transplant approaches. Here, DSAEK, DMEK, as well as DALK are well covered. The last large chapter covers corneal refractive surgical procedures focusing on LASIK, LASEK, PRK, and also introducing all the common laser platforms available. Very helpful for the budding corneal surgeon is the last section of the book, which is a wet laboratory introduction and description, which is accompanied by a DVD explaining the essential surgical techniques in corneal surgery. In my opinion, this handy textbook is a very well condensed and concise overview of the most commonly performed surgical techniques in corneal and refractive surgery. It will be very helpful for the budding corneal surgeon, the corneal and refractive surgery fellow, and also as a short reference book for corneal surgeons. Since references are missing, the presented evidence is somewhat subjective, and also in certain aspects reflecting more the common practice pattern in the UK. These are not always representative for other European countries, which seems to be especially true for the modern surgical procedures such as a corneal crosslinking, DMEK, and DALK. In summary, I think this condensed and well-pictured essential surgical technique guide will be helpful for budding corneal surgeons and is a quick reference guide for more experienced ophthalmic surgeons with a cornea focus.