The Feasibility of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in the Variant Airway Problems

Introduction: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is widely used to treat respiratory distress during cardiac or respiratory arrest; moreover, its use is being extended to a wide variety of clinical fields. In this study we assess the utility of ECMO in the management of airway obstruction.Patients and Methods: 15 patients underwent ECMO for airway obstruction. We retrospectively analyzed and evaluated the feasibility of ECMO in the treatment of airway problems.Results: Seven patients received ECMO to facilitate respiration and promote stability during trachea surgery. In six cases ECMO ceased immediately following the operation; in the remaining case ECMO cessation was delayed due to post-operative ARDS. In three cases emergency ECMO was used in response to respiratory arrest; two patients died. In five cases ECMO was emergently inserted to prevent death, following airway blockade by massive hemoptysis. One patient was not discharged from the intensive care unit. Another patient was transferred to a general ward but died from other causes.Conclusion: ECMO is useful during anesthesia in patients at high risk of airway blockade, for example due to endobronchial bleeding, and during complex thoracic surgery. ECMO confers a safer environment during airway surgery, and its complication rate is acceptable.     

The Parameters Affecting the Success of Irrigation and Debridement with Component Retention in the Treatment of Acutely Infected Total Knee Arthroplasty

BackgroundThe aims of our study were to evaluate the success rate of irrigation and debridement with component retention (IDCR) for acutely infected total knee arthroplasty (TKA) (< 4 weeks of symptom duration) and to analyze the factors affecting prognosis of IDCR.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 28 knees treated by IDCR for acutely infected TKA from 2003 to 2012. We evaluated the success rate of IDCR. All variables were compared between the success and failure groups. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was also used to examine the relative contribution of these parameters to the success of IDCR.ResultsSeventeen knees (60.7%) were successfully treated. Between the success and failure groups, there were significant differences in the time from primary TKA to IDCR (p = 0.021), the preoperative erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR; p = 0.021), microorganism (p = 0.006), and polyethylene liner exchange (p = 0.017). Multivariable logistic regression analysis of parameters affecting the success of IDCR demonstrated that preoperative ESR (odds ratio [OR], 1.02; p = 0.041), microorganism (OR, 12.4; p = 0.006), and polyethylene liner exchange (OR, 0.07; p = 0.021) were significant parameters.ConclusionsThe results show that 60.7% of the cases were successfully treated by IDCR for acutely infected TKA. The preoperative ESR, microorganism, and polyethylene liner exchange were factors that affected the success of IDCR in acutely infected TKA.     

Protein tyrosine phosphatase conjugated with a novel transdermal delivery peptide,astrotactin 1–derived peptide recombinant protein tyrosine phosphatase (AP-rPTP), alleviates both atopic dermatitis–like and psoriasis-like dermatitis

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Development of a pressure sensor system for unobtrusive monitoring of abdominal muscle activities

Surface electromyogram (sEMG) is often used by to objectively measure muscular activity during rehabilitation exercises. sEMG is accurate, but it is unsuitable for uses outside the clinic, and patients can benefit from an unobtrusive device which can be readily used to ubiquitously measure abdominal muscle activation. In this study, we present a pressure sensor system which can be latched onto a belt to measure abdominal muscle activation. sEMG and pressure sensor output were measured in 15 healthy young males during isometric trunk flexion exercise (public trials registration number, KCT0002351), and the results were highly correlated (median R?>?0.939). As initial contact force can change the pressure sensor sensitivity, the experiment was performed at two different levels of belt tightness, but the correlations did not significantly improve after tightening the belt, suggesting that the system can be used to ubiquitously and unobtrusively monitor abdominal muscle activity with minimal discomfort.     

Hydrolytic Stability of Methacrylamide and Methacrylate in Gelatin Methacryloyl and Decoupling of Gelatin Methacrylamide from Gelatin Methacryloyl through Hydrolysis

Gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA; GM) is a promising nature‐derived photocurable material that can mimic the extracellular matrix because GelMA features tailorable mechanical properties, proteolytic degradation, and good cell adhesion. GelMA contains not only methacrylamide but also methacrylate. However, the hydrolytic stability of methacrylamide and methacrylate groups of GelMA in aqueous solutions has not been scrutinized. Here, the structural change of GelMA through hydrolysis is investigated for the first time. The structural change of hydrolyzed GelMA is quantitatively identified using colorimetric and ¹H NMR methods. The methacrylate groups decompose markedly at high pH solutions, but the methacrylamide groups remain stable. Further, pure gelatin methacrylamide is successfully decoupled from GelMA for a better understanding of GelMA structure and future use for biomedical applications.     

Venom allergen-like protein 28 in Clonorchis sinensis: four epitopes on its surface and the potential role of Cys124 for its conformational stability

Parasitology Research - Venom allergen-like (VAL) proteins are important to host-parasite interactions. We previously demonstrated that a Clonorchis sinensis VAL (CsVAL) protein-derived synthetic...     

Portable low-power thermal cycler with dual thin-film Pt heaters for a polymeric PCR chip

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been widely used for major definite diagnostic tool, but very limited its place used only indoor such as hospital or diagnosis lab. For the rapid on-site detection of pathogen in an outdoor environment, a low-power cordless polymerase chain reaction (PCR) thermal cycler is crucial module. At this point of view, we proposed a low-power PCR thermal cycler that could be operated in an outdoor anywhere. The disposable PCR chip was made of a polymeric (PI/PET) film to reduce the thermal mass. A dual arrangement of the Pt heaters, which were positioned on the top and bottom of the PCR chip, improved the temperature uniformity. The temperature sensor, which was made of the same material as the heater, utilized the temperature dependence of the Pt resistor to ensure simple fabrication of the temperature sensor. Cooling the PCR chip using dual blower fans enabled thermal cycling to operate with a lower power than that of a Peltier element with a high power consumption. The PCR components were electrically connected to a control module that could be operated with a Li-ion battery (12 V), and the PCR conditions (temperature, time, cycle, etc.) were inputted on a touch screen. For 30 PCR cycles, the accumulated power consumption of heating and cooling was 7.3 Wh, which is easily available from a compact battery. Escherichia coli genomic DNA (510 bp) was amplified using the proposed PCR thermal cycler and the disposable PCR chip. A similar DNA amplification capability was confirmed using the proposed portable and low-power thermal cycler compared with a conventional thermal cycler.