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Cancer remains one of the leading causes for death worldwide. Palliative chemotherapy is vital for certain cancer patients, highlighting the critical need for treatment monitoring tools to prevent drug accumulation and mitigate the risk of high toxicity. Therefore, our aim was to evaluate the potential of screen-printed electrodes for the development of sensitive and accurate biosensors for the detection/quantification of antineoplastic drugs. To this purpose, we developed a cisplatin sensor. By functionalizing the gold electrode with human serum albumin and by collecting the electrochemical signal obtained in a H2O2 solution, through voltammetry measurements, we were able to correlate the current measured at 430 mV with the concentration of cisplatin present in human serum samples, with a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.99. Also, a bleomycin biosensor was developed and proven functional, but further optimization steps were employed in order to improve the accuracy. The developed biosensors have a detection range of 0.0006–43.2 mg/mL for cisplatin and 0.23–7.56 μg/mL for bleomycin in the serum samples. Our preliminary results show that these biosensors can facilitate the real-time monitoring of cisplatin and bleomycin serum levels, allowing healthcare professionals to tailor treatment strategies based on individual patient responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background A microcalorimetric study was carried out using a Staphylococcus epidermidis population to determine the reproducibility of bacterial growth and the variability of the results within certain experimental parameters (temperature, bacterial concentration, sample thermal history). Reproducibility tests were performed as series of experiments within the same conditions using either freshly prepared populations or samples kept in cold storage. In both cases, the samples were obtained by serial dilution from a concentrated TSB bacterial inoculum incubated overnight. Results The results show that experiments are fairly reproducible and that specimens can be preserved at low temperatures (1 - 2°C) at least 4 days. The thermal signal variations at different temperatures and initial bacterial concentrations obey a set of rules that we identified. Conclusion Our study adds to the accumulating data and confirms available results of isothermal microcalorimetry applications in microbiology and can be used to standardize this method for either research or clinical setting.

Background and objectives: Nocturnal pulse-oximetry is a screening method used in the diagnostic approach of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS). As the pattern of the overnight pulse-oximetry is different in patients with morbid obesity, we assessed the role of overnight pulse-oximetry as a screening method in subjects with a BMI >40 kg/m2 and in those with a BMI <30 kg/m2. Material and methods: We prospectively evaluated 199 individuals with high pre-test clinical suspicion of OSAS. Of these, 123 patients were morbidly obese (Group A) and 76 were non-obese (Group B). We performed six channel cardio-respiratory polygraphy and assessed the correlation between the Desaturation Index (DI) and the Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) for both groups. Results: In group A: 116 patients (94.3%) were diagnosed with OSAS (AHI>5/hour); mean age: 59.4±10.9 years; mean BMI: 44.8±4.9 kg/m2. The mean DI was 47.2±27.6/hour and the mean AHI: 46.5±27.6/hour. Mean average SaO2 was 88.5±6.3 %. In group B, 65 patients (85.52%) were diagnosed with SAS; mean age: 51.2 ± 12.7 years; mean BMI: 27.24±2.2 kg/m2.The mean DI was 23.12 ± 18.35/ hour and the mean AHI: 28.8 ± 18.5/hour. Mean average SaO2 was 93.7±2.07 %. A significant positive correlation (correlation index rA= 0.863 and rB= 0.877) was found between DI and AHI in both groups (p<0.001). Conclusion: Assessment of the Desaturation Index by nocturnal pulse-oximetry maintains its utility as a screening method for OSAS in both obese and non-obese patients with high clinical pre-test suspicion, despite the fact that the basal nocturnal saturation was found to be lower in group A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives -- We set to evaluate the potential utility of right ventricle (RV) Tei-index as a prognostic parameter in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We investigated its correlation with the clinical status, current treatment, a series of paraclinical parameters, as well as established determinants of prognosis in patients with PAH. Methods -- We enrolled in our study 24 patients with PAH confirmed by right heart catheterization (RHC) over a period of 4 years (2012-2016). We performed complete transthoracic echocardiography and six minute walk distance in all subjects. Results -- The RV TEI index correlated with the World Health Organization functional class (WHO FC) (p=0.05) and right atrial pressure determined by RHC (p=0.01). Patients undergoing diuretic treatment had a statistically significant lower TEI Index (p=0.017). There was also a trend of association between treatment with bosentan and a lower TEI index (p=0.0727). Conclusions -- In PAH patients, the RV TEI Index correlates with clinical parameters (WHO FC, 6MWD) and hemodynamic variables (right atrial pressure). RV TEI Index could improve under treatment with diuretics and possibly bosentan in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) represents an emerging pathology in modern medicine. Transthoracic echocardiography is an inexpensive and reproducible method and it is the most commonly used non-invasive diagnostic tool to asses pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and the function of the right ventricle. Although, the right heart catheterization is still considered as the standard for the diagnosis, according to the last guidelines, the new echocardiographic methods may offer an improved value in the PAH evaluation. Aim: To evaluate if cardiac ultrasonography data correlate with catheterization results in patients with PAH (Group I Dana Point 2008), and to compare the ultrasonography evaluation of PAH patients with that of normal. Methods: 15 consecutive patients (pts) (52±15 yrs, 5 men, time from onset of symptoms 1.6±1.7 years) with PAH of different aetiologies (12 pts with idiopathic PAH, 2 pts with PAH associated with scleroderma and one with persistent PAH after atrial septal defect (ASD) closure) were evaluated through: 1. clinical examination (NYHA class); 2. exercise capacity (6 minute walking test - 6MWT); 3. conventional echocardiography (diameter of right ventricle - RVD and right atrium, fractional area shortening - FAS, TAPSE, pulmonary ascension time - PA, systolic and mean PAP -sPAP, mPAP, tricuspid E/A ratio, cardiac index-CI) and 4. Tissue Doppler Imaging - TDI (systolic and diastolic myocardial velocities at the tricuspid annulus - S, D, A); 5. right heart catheterization (sPAP, mPAP, CI, pulmonary vascular resistance - PVR) We compared classical and TDI echo parameters with those obtained from 15 normal subjects, matched in age and sex. Results: PAH patients had high sPAP and mPAP with right heart dilation (RV - 44.8±7.3 mm), depressed TAPSE (16.2±5.9 mm) and cardiac index and low TDI systolic velocities at tricuspid level (7.3±2.9 cm/s). All parameters differed statistically significant from normal. There were no significant correlations between ultrasonography and catheterization (cath) parameters (sPAP 92±28.2 echo vs. 106.4±25.8 mmHg cath; mPAP 47.9±8.4 echo vs. 65.8±17.3 mmHg cath), excepting for CI 2.3±1.2 l/ min/m2 vs. 2.08±0.3 ml/min/m2) and PVR (16.5 ± 15.3 Wood U echo, vs. 19.6 ± 7.9 cath). Conclusion: Classic and TDI cardiac ultrasonography represents a good screening and monitoring tool for PAH patients, but tends to underestimate the severity of the disease, leaving right heart catheterization as the essential diagnostic method for this rare disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]