A continuous‐flow,high‐throughput,high‐pressure parahydrogen converter for hyperpolarization in a clinical setting

Pure parahydrogen (pH₂) is the prerequisite for optimal pH₂‐based hyperpolarization experiments, promising approaches to access the hidden orders of magnitude of MR signals. pH₂ production on‐site in medical research centers is vital for the proliferation of these technologies in the life sciences. However, previously suggested designs do not meet our requirements for safety or production performance (flow rate, pressure or enrichment). In this article, we present the safety concept, design and installation of a pH₂ converter, operated in a clinical setting. The apparatus produces a continuous flow of four standard liters per minute of ≈98% enriched pH₂ at a pressure maximum of 50 bar. The entire production cycle, including cleaning and cooling to 25 K, takes less than 5 h, only ≈45 min of which are required for actual pH₂ conversion. A fast and simple quantification procedure is described. The lifetimes of pH₂ in a glass vial and aluminum storage cylinder are measured to be T_1C(glass vial) = 822 ± 29 min and T_1C(Al cylinder) = 129 ± 36 days, thus providing sufficiently long storage intervals and allowing the application of pH₂ on demand. A dependence of line width on pH₂ enrichment is observed. As examples, ¹H hyperpolarization of pyridine and ¹³C hyperpolarization of hydroxyethylpropionate are presented. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ultrasound Bone Fracture Sensing and Data Communication: Experimental Results in a Pig Limb Sample

Approximately 6.3 million fractures occur each year in the United States alone. Accurately monitoring the progression of fracture healing is essential to be able to advise patients when it is safe to return to normal activity. The most common method used to confirm and monitor fracture healing is the acquisition of multiple radiographic images over the many months required for healing. This imaging method uses large expensive equipment and exposes patients to high levels of ionizing radiation. In the study described here, we tested another technology for monitoring fracture healing that could minimize the need for multiple radiographic images. We tested a piezoelectric transducer fixed to the surface of a bone that uses electromechanical impedance spectroscopy to measure simulated fractures and transmits the measurement data to an acoustic receiver located externally on the skin surface.     

Short-term preoperative supplementation of an immunoenriched diet does not improve clinical outcome in well-nourished patients undergoing abdominal cancer surgery

ObjectiveA recent study suggested that the anti-inflammatory effect of immunonutrition starts after only two d. We therefore investigated the effect of an immunoenriched oral diet administered for three d preoperatively.MethodsIn this prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, well-nourished patients (Nutrition Risk Screening 2002 <3) with gastrointestinal cancer who were scheduled for major elective abdominal cancer surgery were randomly assigned to either 750 mL of an immunoenriched formula (IEF group) or 750 mL of an isocaloric, isonitrogenous placebo diet (Con group) for 3 consecutive d preoperatively.ResultsA total of 108 patients (IEF group: n = 55; Con group: n = 53) were randomized. The two groups were comparable for all baseline and surgical characteristics. The overall mortality was 2.8% and not significantly different between the two groups (IEF group: 3.6% vs. Con group: 1.9%, P = 1.00). Intention-to-treat analysis showed no difference for the incidence of postoperative overall (IEF group: 29% vs. Con group: 30%; P = 1.00) and infectious (IEF group: 15% vs. Con group: 17%; P = 0.79) complications. Length of hospital stay was 12 ± 4.9 d in the IEF group and 11.6 ± 5.3 d in the Con group (P = 0.68).ConclusionsPreoperative oral supplementation with an immunoenriched diet for 3 d preoperatively did not improve postoperative outcome compared with the placebo in well-nourished patients with elective gastrointestinal cancer surgery.     

Biobanken – zwischen Forschungs- und Spenderinteressen

The establishment and operation of research biobanks are still not regulated by special laws. As a consequence, the acquisition, storage and use of biobank materials and data are only covered by quite general legal regulations. The way in which these rules are to be interpreted in relation to the specific problems of biobanks is rather controversial. The central question revolves around the tense relationship between the right to privacy of the donor and the academic freedom of the researchers. This article gives an overview of the current discussion and suggestions for practice.