A new biomedical sensor for measuring PCO2

Measuring PCO2 (partial pressure of carbon dioxide) in an organ can enable early detection of ischemia. However, there are few clinical applicable solutions for measuring PCO2. Based upon the requirement for clinical applications, a conductivity based PCO2 sensor is proposed. A conductivity based PCO2 sensor measures conductance in an aqueous solution separated from the measured object by a gas-permeable membrane. A bridge design with two cavities is favored for such a sensor. A planar and a cylindrical macro prototype based upon the bridge design were studied. The design criteria were based on the contribution from the electrode polarization, stray capacitances, contact area with the sample and design ability to miniaturize the sensor. The cylindrical sensor is favored because of its large contact area and advantages for miniaturization. Further investigation has to be done to confirm the functionality of such a design in a miniaturized form and its clinical performance.     

Mortality Among Workers Employed in the Titanium Dioxide Production Industry in Europe

OBJECTIVES: To assess the risk of lung cancer mortality related to occupational exposure to titanium dioxide (TiO2). METHODS: A mortality follow-up study of 15,017 workers (14,331 men) employed in 11 factories producing TiO2 in Europe. Exposure to TiO2 dust was reconstructed for each occupational title; exposure estimates were linked with the occupational history. Observed mortality was compared with national rates, and internal comparisons were based on multivariate Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: The cohort contributed 371,067 person-years of observation (3.3% were lost to follow-up and 0.7% emigrated). 2652 cohort members died during the follow-up, yielding standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) of 0.87 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.83-0.90) among men and 0.58 (95% CI 0.40-0.82) among women. Among men, the SMR of lung cancer was significantly increased (1.23, 95% CI 1.10-1.38); however, mortality from lung cancer did not increase with duration of employment or estimated cumulative exposure to TiO2 dust. Data on smoking were available for over one third of cohort members. In three countries, the prevalence of smokers was higher among cohort members compared to the national populations. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study do not suggest a carcinogenic effect of TiO2 dust on the human lung.     

Chromosomal abnormalities in inflammatory pseudotumor of the urinary bladder

Inflammatory pseudotumors of the urinary bladder are rare, benign, nonepithelial tumors. Fewer than 30 have been reported, and no data are available on their karyotypic characteristics and/or the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis. We performed short-term culturing and cytogenetic analysis of an inflammatory pseudotumor of the bladder, finding a der(20)t(12;20)(q13 approximately q15;q13) as the only cytogenetic aberration. The detection of a 12q13 approximately q15 rearrangement in the inflammatory pseudotumor indicates that this lesion is pathogenetically related to other benign mesenchymal tumors displaying, for example, lipogenic or leiomyomatous differentiation, something that is in sharp contrast to the karyotypic profile of epithelial tumors of the urinary bladder mucosa.