Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Dielectrophoretic Separation Of Mouse Melanoma Clones, Ahmet C. Sabuncu, Jie A. Liu, Stephen J. Beebe, Ali Beskok

Bioelectrics Publications

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is employed to differentiate clones of mouse melanoma B16F10 cells. Five clones were tested on microelectrodes. At a specific excitation frequency, clone 1 showed a different DEP response than the other four. Growth rate, melanin content, recovery from cryopreservation, and in vitro invasive studies were performed. Clone 1 is shown to have significantly different melanin content and recovery rate from cryopreservation. This paper reports the ability of DEP to differentiate between two malignant cells of the same origin. Different DEP responses of the two clones could be linked to their melanin content.

Section Abstracts: Biomedical And General Engineering

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Biomedical and General Engineering Section for the 88th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 20-21, 2010, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Combining Molecular And Imaging Biomarkers To Enhance Maldi Biomarker Analysis, Ayyappa Chowdary Vadlamudi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis presents a three-step method to predict prostate cancer (PCa) regions on biopsy tissue samples based on high confident, low resolution PCa regions marked by a pathologist. First, a prediction model is designed to predict PCa regions using matrix-assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) tissue imaging data from one prostate tissue slice. Second, a texture analysis technique is applied to a high magnification optical image for the same purpose from an adjacent tissue slice. Finally, those two results are fused to obtain the PCa regions that will assist MALDI imaging biomarker analysis. Experiments show that the texture analysis based …

Human Osteoblast Proliferation In Culture Following A Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Field (Nspef), Leonard Joseph Carinci Jr.

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Osteoblasts are mononucleate bone forming cells responsible for the deposition of new bone. Application of mechanical stress on bone reveals its ability to produce and release electric potentials across the cell membrane called piezoelectricity. The electric potentials produced in response to mechanical stress may have a direct correlation on osseous cells and the signaling pathways that regulate proliferation. Nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) are high intensity, ultrashort pulses which have the ability to maintain the integrity of the cell membrane by avoiding traditional electroporation. We delivered 8 nsPEFs (0.5 Hz) of a 25 kV/cm or 35 kV/cm electric field strength …

Crystallization Of Community-Acquired Respiratory Distress Syndrome Toxin From Mycoplasma Pneumonia, Olga N. Pakhomova, Alexander B. Taylor, Argentina Becker, Stephen P. Holloway, T. R. Kannan, Joel B. Baseman, P. John Hart

Bioelectrics Publications

Community-acquired respiratory distress syndrome toxin (CARDS TX) is a 591-amino-acid protein with ADP-ribosyltransferase and vacuolating activities that damages the cells lining the respiratory tracts of patients infected with the bacterial pathogen Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Crystals of CARDS TX were grown in space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 191.4, b = 107.4, c = 222.1 A, beta = 90.6 degrees. A complete 2.2 A data set was obtained from a single CARDS TX crystal.

Electrically Mediated Delivery Of Plasmid Dna To The Skin, Using A Multielectrode Array, Richard Heller, Yolmari Criz, Loree C. Heller, Richard A. Gilbert, Mark J. Jaroszeski

Bioelectrics Publications

The easy accessibility of skin makes it an excellent target for gene transfer protocols. To take full advantage of skin as a target for gene transfer, it is important to establish an efficient and reproducible delivery system. Electroporation is a strong candidate to meet this delivery criterion. Electroporation of the skin is a simple, direct, in vivo method to deliver genes for therapy. Previously, delivery to the skin was performed by means of applicators with relatively large distances between electrodes, resulting in significant muscle stimulation and pain. These applicators also had limitations in controlling the directionality of the applied field. …

Electroporation-Mediated Delivery Of A Naked Dna Plasmid Expressing Vegf To The Porcine Heart Enhances Protein Expression, W. G. Marshall Jr., B. A. Boone, J. D. Burgos, S. I. Gografe, M. K. Baldwin, M. L. Danielson, M. J. Larson, D. R. Caretto, Y. Cruz, B. Ferraro, L. C. Heller, K. E. Ugen, M. J. Jaroszeski, R. Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

Gene therapy is an attractive method for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. However, using current strategies, induction of gene expression at therapeutic levels is often inefficient. In this study, we show a novel electroporation (EP) method to enhance the delivery of a plasmid expressing an angiogenic growth factor (vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF), which is a molecule previously documented to stimulate revascularization in coronary artery disease. DNA expression plasmids were delivered in vivo to the porcine heart with or without coadministered EP to determine the potential effect of electrically mediated delivery. The results showed that plasmid delivery through EP significantly …

Bioelectric Applications For Treatment Of Melanoma, Stephen J. Beebe, Karl H. Schoenbach, Richard Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

Two new cancer therapies apply bioelectric principles. These methods target tumor structures locally and function by applying millisecond electric fields to deliver plasmid DNA encoding cytokines using electrogene transfer (EGT) or by applying rapid rise-time nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs). EGT has been used to locally deliver cytokines such as IL-12 to activate an immune response, resulting in bystander effects. NsPEFs locally induce apoptosis-like effects and affect vascular networks, both promoting tumor demise and restoration of normal vascular homeostasis. EGT with IL-12 is in melanoma clinical trials and nsPEFs are used in models with B16F10 melanoma in vitro and in …

Frustrated Drift Of An Anchored Scroll-Wave Filament And The Geodesic Principle, Marcel Wellner, Christian W. Zemlin, Arkady M. Pertsov

Bioelectrics Publications

We investigate anchored scroll-wave filaments in an excitable medium whose diffusivity matrix, including its determinant, is spatially nonuniform. The study is motivated by cardiological applications where scroll-wave behavior in the presence of diffusivity gradients is believed to play an important role in the development of severe arrhythmias. A diffusivity gradient is expected to make the filament drift, unless drift is prevented ("frustrated") by anchoring to localized defects in the propagation medium. The resulting stationary filament is a geodesic curve, as demonstrated here in the case of a nonzero but constant gradient. That is, the diffusivity matrix has a determinant that …

Destruction Of Α -Synuclein Based Amyloid Fibrils By A Low Temperature Plasma Jet, Erdinc Karakas, Agatha Munyanyi, Lesley Greene, Mounir Laroussi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Amyloid fibrils are ordered beta-sheet aggregates that are associated with a number of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer and Parkinson. At present, there is no cure for these progressive and debilitating diseases. Here we report initial studies that indicate that low temperature atmospheric pressure plasma can break amyloid fibrils into smaller units in vitro. The plasma was generated by the plasma pencil, a device capable of emitting a long, low temperature plasma plume/jet. This avenue of research may facilitate the development of a plasma-based medical treatment.

Experimental Studies On The Plasma Bullet Propagation And Its Inhibition, Erdinc Karakas, Mounir Laroussi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Plasma bullets generated by atmospheric pressure low temperature plasma jets have recently been an active research topic due to their unique properties and their enhanced plasma chemistry. In this paper, experimental insights into the plasma bullet lifetime and its velocity are reported. Data obtained from intensified charge-coupled device camera and time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy (OES) elucidated the existence of a weakly ionized channel between the plasma bullet and its source (such as the plasma pencil). Factors responsible for the inhibition of the propagation of the bullet, such as low helium mole fraction, the magnitude of the applied voltage, and the …

Prostate Cancer Region Prediction Using Maldi Mass Spectra, Ayyappa Vadlamudi, Shao-Hui Chuang, Xiaoyan Sun, Lisa Cazares, Julius Nyalwidhe, Dean Troyer, O. John Semmes, Jiang Li, Frederic D. Mckenzie

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

For the early detection of prostate cancer, the analysis of the Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in serum is currently the most popular approach. However, previous studies show that 15% of men have prostate cancer even their PSA concentrations are low. MALDI Mass Spectrometry (MS) proves to be a better technology to discover molecular tools for early cancer detection. The molecular tools or peptides are termed as biomarkers. Using MALDI MS data from prostate tissue samples, prostate cancer biomarkers can be identified by searching for molecular or molecular combination that can differentiate cancer tissue regions from normal ones. Cancer tissue regions are …

Monte Carlo Model Of Light Propagation In Tissues And The Effects Of Phase Changes On The Light Intensity, Rakesh Choula

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Lasers, due to their unique properties, have a wide range of applications in the medical field. For accurate laser treatments that focus on bio-tissues, prior knowledge of the amount of laser power, spot size and its irradiation time are necessary. In order to predict the effects of lasers on tissues and their bio-effects, a first necessary step is the creation of a model that can predict the temperature distributions within the tissue following laser excitation. This involves modeling light propagation through the tissue with inclusion of internal scattering, and assessment of the energy deposited by the incoming photons. The next …

Focusing Electromagnetic Radiation In Dielectric Media, Mark A. Migliaccio Jr.

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Bioelectrics and microwave imaging requires an ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna to deliver intense, short electromagnetic pulses into biological targets for the purpose of therapy and imaging. Two antennas with different focal distances, predicted by a two­ dimensional model, have been designed for focusing electromagnetic radiation in the near field.

Focusing is achieved through the use of prolate spheroidal reflector antennas with a conical wave launcher submerged in water. For an ultra-wideband feed signal, with a rise time of 200 picoseconds, the maximum electric field was found to be close to the edge of the reflector, a result that differs from the …

Ekg Tracking For Augmented Standardized Patient Virtual Pathology Stethoscope Heart Auscultation, Sujith Surendran

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, a lot of research has focused on improving the clinical skills of medical students and medical practitioners using standardized patients. Standardized patients (SP's) are used by the medical students and physicians in place of mannequins for a more realistic experience. SP's are real people trained to simulate specific illnesses and conditions to a high degree of accuracy which makes it difficult for the medical students to distinguish them from real patients. This research will enhance the capabilities of the standardized patients by providing a non-invasive, natural, harmless and realistic appearing tracking method for placing virtual pathologies using …

Effects Of Non-Equilibrium Plasma On Eukaryotic Cells (Final Report: Grant Fa9550-06-1-0004), Mounir Laroussi, Fred C. Dobbs, Old Dominion University

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This document is our final report describing the research activities carried out under AFOSR Grant FA9550-06-1-0004. First, descriptions of our cold plasma generation systems are presented. Two systems, developed with past and present AFOSR support, are available in our laboratory. The first is a pulsed device capable of emitting a cold plasma plume in room air. The second is an air plasma generator the core of which is a dielectric barrier discharge excited by a high AC voltage. Following these brief descriptions we first present the effects of an atmospheric pressure air plasma on four different types of eukaryotic microalgae. …

Prostate Cancer Biomarker Identification: A Comparative Study, Wenjuan Jiang

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

With the current development of proteomics techniques, the discovery of potential molecular biomarkers for early detection of prostate cancer has been greatly improved. In this thesis, we implemented five classifiers including the support vector machine (SVM), Bayesian Classifier, Decision Tree, Random Forest and the Multilayer perceptron (MLP) to test their effectiveness in prostate cancer biomarker identification using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) tissue imaging data. The classifiers were utilized to discriminate cancer mass spectra from normal ones for the data collected at the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). There are 94 7 spectra from normal tissues and 27 from …

Adjacent Slice Prostate Cancer Prediction To Inform Maldi Imaging Biomarker Analysis, Shao-Hui Chuang

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer among men in the U.S. [1]. Traditionally, prostate cancer diagnosis is made by the analysis of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and histopathological images of biopsy samples under microscopes. Proteomic biomarkers can improve upon these methods. MALDI molecular spectra imaging is used to visualize protein/peptide concentrations across biopsy samples to search for biomarker candidates. Unfortunately, traditional processing methods require histopathological examination on one slice of a biopsy sample while the adjacent slice is subjected to the tissue destroying desorption and ionization processes of MALDI. The highest confidence tumor regions gained from …

Brain Tumor Progression Assessment Using Multiple Mri Volumes, Yufei Shen

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Predicting and assessing tumor progression is important in brain tumor treatment. We attempt to use machine learning techniques to achieve consistency in assessing brain tumor progression. This thesis presents a prediction method of brain tumor progression by exploring a large MR database, which contains two patients ' complete records covering all their visits in the past two years. All ten MRI series, namely, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) , diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) , fractional anisotropy (FA), fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), max eigenvalue (MAX), mid eigenvalue (MID), min eigenvalue (MIN) , post-contrast T₁-weighted, T₁- weighted, and …

Analysis Of Electroencephalogram Signals For The Identification Of Mental Tasks, My Thy Thi Tran

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals can be used for implicit communication such as to control robots or medical equipment by brain activity or to detect an individual's intentions of committing premeditated crimes. An EEG based brain-computer interface allows paralyzed patients to express their thoughts. However, biological and technical artifacts heavily interfered with EEG signals due to blinking of the eyes, muscle activities and line noise. Sometimes the noise interference due to signal artifacts becomes more prominent than the information content. This thesis investigates novel feature extraction methodologies in EEG signals to represent different thought processes and employs neural network-based pattern classification techniques …

A New Pulsed Electric Field Therapy For Melanoma Disrupts The Tumor's Blood Supply And Causes Complete Remission Without Recurrence, Richard Nuccitelli, Xinhua Chen, Andrei G. Pakhomov, Wallace H. Baldwin, Saleh Sheikh, Jennifer L. Pomicter, Wei Ren, Chris Osgood, R. James Swanson, Juergen F. Kolb, Stephen J. Beebe, Karl H. Schoenbach

Bioelectrics Publications

We have discovered a new, ultrafast therapy for treating skin cancer that is extremely effective with a total electric field exposure time of only 180 mu sec. The application of 300 high-voltage (40 kV/cm), ultrashort (300 nsec) electrical pulses to murine melanomas in vivo triggers both necrosis and apoptosis, resulting in complete tumor remission within an average of 47 days in the 17 animals treated. None of these melanomas recurred during a 4-month period after the initial melanoma had disappeared. These pulses generate small, long-lasting, rectifying nanopores in the plasma membrane of exposed cells, resulting in increased membrane permeability to …

Biomedical Technology: Supporting Movement, Petros Katsioloudis

STEMPS Faculty Publications

According to the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, an estimated 8.5 million children 21 years and younger have a disability (Jans & Stoddard, 1999). After about a decade, with the development of new and sophisticated materials (aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, and carbon fibers) and the integration of electronics, it was then possible to significantly improve the performance of prostheses, built with the so-called endo skeletal (or skeletal-modular) method (Mora, Beratni & Pedrotti, 2006).

Cold Plasma Technology: Bactericidal Effects On Geobacillus Stearothermophilus And Bacillus Cereus Microorganisms, Angela D. Morris, Gayle B. Mccombs, Tamer Akan, Wayne L. Hynes, Mounir Laroussi, Susan L. Tolle

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Introduction: Cold plasma, also known as Low Temperature Atmospheric Pressure Plasma (LTAPP) is a novel technology consisting of neutral and charged particles, including free radicals, which can be used to destroy or inactivate microorganisms. Research has been conducted regarding the effect of cold plasma on gram-positive bacteria; however, there is limited research regarding its ability to inactivate the spore-formers Geobacillus stearothermophilus and Bacillus cereus.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if cold plasma inactivates G. stearothermophilus and B. cereus vegetative cells and spores.

Methods: Nine hundred eighty-one samples were included in this study (762 experimental and …

Regulation Of Intracellular Calcium Concentration By Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields, Shaka S. Scarlett, Jody A. White, Peter F. Blackmore, Karl H. Schoenbach, Juergen Kolb

Bioelectrics Publications

Changes in [Ca²⁺]_i response of individual Jurkat cells to nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) of 60 ns and field strengths of 25, 50, and 100 kV/cm were investigated. The magnitude of the nsPEF-induced rise in [Ca²⁺]_i was dependent on the electric field strength. With 25 and 50 kV/cm, the [Ca²⁺]_i response was due to the release of Ca²⁺ from intracellular stores and occurred in less than 18 ms. With 100 kV/cm, the increase in [Ca²⁺]_i was due to both internal release and to influx across the plasma …

Optimizing Computer-Aided Colonic Polyp Detection For Ct Colonography By Evolving The Pareto Front, Jiang Li, Adam Huang, Jack Tao, Jiamin Liu, Robert L. Van Uitert, Nicholas Petrick, Ronald Summers

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

A multiobjective genetic algorithm is designed to optimize a computer-aided detection (CAD) system for identifying colonic polyps. Colonic polyps appear as elliptical protrusions on the inner surface of the colon. Curvature-based features for colonic polyp detection have proved to be successful in several CT colonography (CTC) CAD systems. Our CTC CAD program uses a sequential classifier to form initial polyp detections on the colon surface. The classifier utilizes a set of thresholds on curvature-based features to cluster suspicious colon surface regions into polyp candidates. The thresholds were previously chosen experimentally by using feature histograms. The chosen thresholds were effective for …

Parameter Optimization For Image Denoising Based On Block Matching And 3d Collaborative Filtering, Ramu Pedada, Emin Kugu, Jiang Li, Zhanfeng Yue, Yuzhong Shen, Josien P.W. Pluim (Ed.), Benoit M. Dawant (Ed.)

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Clinical MRI images are generally corrupted by random noise during acquisition with blurred subtle structure features. Many denoising methods have been proposed to remove noise from corrupted images at the expense of distorted structure features. Therefore, there is always compromise between removing noise and preserving structure information for denoising methods. For a specific denoising method, it is crucial to tune it so that the best tradeoff can be obtained. In this paper, we define several cost functions to assess the quality of noise removal and that of structure information preserved in the denoised image. Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm 2 (SPEA2) …

Automatic Diagnosis For Prostate Cancer Using Run-Length Matrix Method, Xiaoyan Sun, Shao-Hui Chuang, Jiang Li, Frederic Mckenzie, Nico Karssemeijer (Ed.), Maryellen L. Giger (Ed.)

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in US¹. Quantitative assessment of prostate histology provides potential automatic classification of prostate lesions and prediction of response to therapy. Traditionally, prostate cancer diagnosis is made by the analysis of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and histopathological images of biopsy samples under microscopes. In this application, we utilize a texture analysis method based on the run-length matrix for identifying tissue abnormalities in prostate histology. A tissue sample was collected from a radical prostatectomy, H&E fixed, and assessed by a pathologist …

Comparison Of Electrically Mediated And Liposome-Complexed Plasmid Dna Delivery To The Skin, Loree C. Heller, Mark J. Jaroszeski, Domenico Coppola, Richard Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

BACKGROUND: Electroporation is an established technique for enhancing plasmid delivery to many tissues in vivo, including the skin. We have previously demonstrated efficient delivery of plasmid DNA to the skin utilizing a custom-built four-plate electrode. The experiments described here further evaluate cutaneous plasmid delivery using in vivo electroporation. Plasmid expression levels are compared to those after liposome mediated delivery.

METHODS: Enhanced electrically-mediated delivery, and less extensively, liposome complexed delivery, of a plasmid encoding the reporter luciferase was tested in rodent skin. Expression kinetics and tissue damage were explored as well as testing in a second rodent model.

RESULTS: Experiments …

Parameter Estimation Of The Arterial System, James Charles Carter Ii

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

There are a number of disorders that originate from or involve faulty operation of the cardiovascular system. Diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes and hypertension can have a debilitating effect on blood flow. This makes the tools for simulating the effects of such diseases on blood flow important. Measures, such as pulse wave velocity, that are generated by models of the cardiovascular system can be important indicators of cardiac health. Although physically measurable, obtaining some parameters comes with a high cost and discomfort to the patient. Models can provide an assessment of many important parameters. The purpose of this project was …

Medical Image Modeling And Processing, Ramu Pedada

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

During the last few decades of the twentieth century, medical imaging has been playing a prominent role in many fields of biomedical research and clinical practice. Image modalities such as x-rays, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance images (MRI) have all been valuable additions to the radiologist's arsenal of imaging tools. Medical images assure quality diagnosis and patient safety by gathering valuable information without invading the human body. Apart from clinical diagnosis, medical images are used as tools for education where they are used for training individuals before operating on a patient. Many medical educators tum to simulation based training …