Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

Disinfection Of Dentin By Intracanal Laser Irradiation: An In Vitro Model, Silvia Cristina Mafra Cecchini

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A possible cause for root canal failure is the persistence of bacteria that have colonized dentinal tubules. To reduce this risk and, if possible, to also shorten the time consuming endodontic therapy, new equipment and materials are constantly being introduced. The aim of the present investigation was to study the effect of disinfection of dentinal tubules by intracanal laser irradiation using an in vitro model. The groups irradiated by various lasers were compared with calcium hydroxide, a material frequently used as intracanal medication between appointments. Freshly extracted, intact bovine incisors were used. The root cementum was removed and the teeth …

Hybridization Of Dna By Sequential Immobilization Of Oligonucleotides At The Air-Water Interface, Murali Sastry, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Anand Gole, K. N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

The hybridization of DNA by sequential electrostatic and hydrogen-bonding immobilization of single-stranded complementary oligonucleotides at the air-water interface with cationic Langmuir monolayers is demonstrated. The complexation of the single-stranded DNA molecules with octadecylamine (ODA) Langmuir monolayers was followed in time by monitoring the pressure-area isotherms. A large (and slow) expansion of the ODA monolayer was observed during each stage of complexation in the following sequence: primary single-stranded DNA followed by complementary single-stranded DNA followed by the intercalator, ethidium bromide. Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of the ODA-DNA complex were formed on different substrates and characterized using quartz-crystal microgravimetry (QCM), Fourier transform infrared …

Recognition Of Left Atrial Aneurysm By Fetal Echocardiography., R R. Fountain-Dommer, H B. Wiles, C O. Shuler, S M. Bradley, Girish S. Shirali

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

No abstract provided.

Method And Apparatus For Adaptive Filtering By Counting Acoustic Sample Zeroes In Ultrasound Imaging, Gregory R. Bashford, Edward D. Nonnweiler, David D. Becker, David John Muzilla

Biomedical Imaging and Biosignal Analysis Laboratory

An ultrasound imaging system having an adaptive spatial filter the filter coefficients of which, for particular image parameter sample, are determined by counting the number of neighboring image parameter samples having zero or near-zero values. If the number of zero or near-zero values in a data window is greater than a predetermined threshold, the data in the window is passed, not filtered. This filter has two advantages over other spatial filters. First, image parameter data samples having only zero or near-zero neighboring values (i.e., isolated "point noise") are not smeared. Second, boundaries such as the edge of color in a …

Untrained Volunteers Are Marginally Effective In Delivering Public Access Defibrillation, Richard N. Bradley, Lynda J. Schoenstein, Mohhamad Alshanti

Richard N Bradley

Study objectives: This study analyzed the behavior of untrained volunteers when presented with a simulated cardiac arrest and an automated external defibrillator (AED). The primary hypothesis of this study was that volunteers could, with no advance training, operate an AED to deliver a defibrillation to a mannequin in 3 minutes or less at least 75% of the time. The secondary hypothesis was that this population would perform all of the tasks considered essential in AED use (establish unresponsiveness, check for breathing, give 2 rescue breaths, check for pulse, apply electrodes correctly, clear patient, activate emergency medical services (EMS) response, and …

A Comparative Study Of Positive Pressure Ventilation Via Laryngeal Mask Airway And Endotracheal Tube, A Idrees, F A. Khan

Department of Anaesthesia

Objective: To investigate the use of Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA) and its comparison with the endotracheal tube for positive pressure ventilation.SETTING: A tertiary care teaching hospital.Methods: Fifty adult ASA I and II patients undergoing peripheral limb surgery were randomly allocated to 2 groups for LMA or endotracheal tube insertion. A standardized anaesthetic technique was used. The groups were then compared regarding haemodynamic changes on insertion as well as removal of LMA and ETT and any complications that occurred were noted.Results: The haemodynamic response to insertion was significantly attenuated (p < 0.05) in LMA group as compared to ETT group. The cardiovascular response to extubation was not significantly different between the groups. A higher incidence of coughing and mild hypoxaemia at extubation was noted in ETT group as compared to LMA group (p < 0.05) and blood was detected in 4 cases after LMA removal.CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the use of LMA during positive pressure ventilation is safe in selected cases. There is an attenuated haemodynamic response to insertion of LMA as compared to endotracheal tube which will be beneficial in certain patients e.g., those with ischaemic heart disease, vascular disease and hypertensives.

Trends. The Politics Of Psychopathology: Ritalin Conspiracy As Paranoia Or As Good Business?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the intersection of science, pharmaceuticals, and politics in the context of Ritalin and an alleged over-diagnosis of attention deficit disorder (ADD).

Chemical & Biological Weapons Reference Chart, Richard N. Bradley

Richard N Bradley

Health Care Providers' Quick Reference Chart to Biological and Chemical Weapons. Includes symptoms and treatment for Nerve Agents (Tabun, Sarin, Soman, and VX), Cyanides, Vesicants (Blister Agents including Mustard and Lewisite), Pulmonary Intoxicants (including chlorine and phosgene), and Riot Control Agents (pepper spray and Mace). Also includes information on detection and treatment for Biological Agents, including Anthrax, Cholera, Plague, Tularemia, Q Fever, Smallpox, Viral encephalitides, Viral hemorrhagic fevers, Botulism, Staphlococcus enterotoxin B, and Ricin.

Method And Apparatus For Controlling Acoustic Signal Bandwidth In An Ultrasonic Diagnostic Imaging System, Jeffrey R. Resnick, Gregory R. Bashford

Biomedical Imaging and Biosignal Analysis Laboratory

An ultrasonic imaging system includes a receive beamformer that generates analog receive signals and a scan converter. A receive signal processing path interconnects the receive beamformer and the scan converter, and this processing path included both an A/D converter characterized by a selectable sampling rate and at least one filter characterized by at least one filter parameter. The filter parameter is selected as a function of the sampling rate to provide enhanced image quality.

Functional Significance Of The Upregulation Of Adhesion Molecules On Irradiated Endothelial Cells, Balabhaskar Prabhakarpandian

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Ionizing radiation is a major therapy for cancer. Damage to the endothelium and upregulation of inflammatory responses are major side effects of radiotherapy, but the mechanisms behind these processes are not clear. A key component of the inflammatory response is leukocytes adhesion to the endothelium in a multi-step process involving leukocyte tethering to the endothelium, followed by rolling, firm adhesion/spreading and extravasation. Adhesion molecules mediate this process, particularly, E-selectin and ICAM-1, which are inducible adhesion molecules. E-selectin is involved in the initial tethering and rolling steps of the adhesion cascade while ICAM-1 appears to be involved in the latter steps. …

Qualitative Evaluation Of Data Compression In Real-Time Ultrasound Imaging, Bijoy J. Sundersingh

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The purpose of this project was to evaluate qualitatively real-time ultrasound imaging using objective and subjective techniques to determine the minimum bandwidth required for clinical diagnosis of various anatomical and pathological states. In the experimental setup live ultrasound video samples representing the most common clinical examinations were compressed at 128, 256, 384, 768, 1152 and 1536 kbps using a compressor-decompressor (CODEC) adhering to International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) recommendation H.261. A protocol for qualitative evaluation was developed and subjective and objective testing were performed based on this protocol. Subjective methods comprised of inter-rater reliability tests using kappa statistics and three way …

Incidence And Pattern Of Thrombocy To Penia In Cardiac Surgery Patients, S Bashir, S M. Shah, I Babar

Department of Anaesthesia

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of The Short And Long Term Effects Of Quad Helix Expansion, Sonja F. Finnie

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study was conducted to examine, retrospectively, orthodontic and orthopedic changes resulting from quad helix expansion therapy in mixed and permanent dentition stages. Twenty-one subjects with an average age of 10.2 years who experienced an expansion of at least 3 mm with the quad helix appliance were selected for this study. The subjects were evaluated according to facial type and age for both short and long-term stability. Plaster dental casts and posteroanterior (frontal) radiographs were evaluated at the beginning of treatment (T1), at the completion of Phase 1 or full treatment (T2), and approximately two years following the completion of …

Failure Mode Of An Orthodontic Resin Alone And With Bonded Brackets, Marc Cody Dunn

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Since the introduction of bonded orthodontic brackets in the early 1960's spontaneous debonding has been a constant nemesis. Most attempts to avoid this problem by orthodontic manufactures have focused on "bond strength" issue. Whether they chose to address the materials, the bracket base or both, the common method used to evaluate improvements entailed the use of just one testing apparatus: a static universal testing machine such as the Instron.

Metal, ceramic and plastic bonded brackets were tested with the traditional shear/peel method as well as a new high strain rate impact test. The resin itself was also evaluated for physical …

Method And Apparatus For Three-Dimensional Ultrasound Imaging Of Biopsy Needle, Syed Omar Ishrak, Mir Said Seyed-Bolorforosh, William Thomas Hatfield, Todd Michael Tillman, Brian Peter Geiser, Gregory R. Bashford, Michael Joseph Washburn

Biomedical Imaging and Biosignal Analysis Laboratory

A method and an apparatus for three-dimensional ultrasound imaging of a needle-like instrument, such as a biopsy needle, inserted in a human body. The instrument is visualized by transmitting ultrasound beams toward the instrument and then detecting the echo signals using a linear array of transducer elements. The problem of ultrasound being reflected from a biopsy needle in a direction away from the transducer array is solved by steering the transmitted ultrasound beams t increase the angle at which the beams impinge upon the biopsy needle. Ideally the ultrasound beams are perpendicular to the needle. This increases the system's sensitivity …

Providing Low-Cost Assistive Equipment Through Home Care Services: The Massachusetts Assistive Equipment Demonstration, Alison S. Gottlieb, Francis G. Caro

Gerontology Institute Publications

This report describes the Massachusetts Assistive Equipment Demonstration, a collaborative project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson’s Home Care Research Initiative and carried out collaboratively by the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA). The purpose of the demonstration was to systematically encourage the use of low-cost assistive equipment among elderly clients through existing case management resources, thereby extending the effectiveness of the Massachusetts home care program by supplementing formal services with expanded use of assistive equipment.

An Object-Oriented Approach To The Modeling And Visualization Of Breast Cancer Tumors, Bruce C. Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations

Great strides have been made in controlling the progression of breast cancer, but medical professionals continue to rely primarily upon traditional mammography for early detection. Enhancing breast cancer detection capabilities - and thus reducing tumor detection time - should result in a reduction in mortality rates. The detection capabilities of mammography may be enhanced through improved modeling and visualization techniques. This thesis is an extension of initial research conducted at the Air Force Institute of Technology. Previous efforts focused on developing a mathematical model for simulating the growth of cancer within unconstrained 3-dimensional space. The research also explored the behavior …

A Simple Method For Generating Full Length Cdna From Low Abundance Partial Genomic Clones, Yongxin Wang, Joseph M. Fugaro, Fauzia Siddiq, Chandra Mouli V. Goparaju, Fulvio Lonardo, Anil Wali, John F. Lechner, Harvey I. Pass

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

PCR amplification of target molecules involves sequence specific primers that flank the region to be amplified. While this technique is generally routine, its applicability may not be sufficient to generate a desired target molecule from two separate regions involving intron /exon boundaries. For these situations, the generation of full-length complementary DNAs from two partial genomic clones becomes necessary for the family of low abundance genes.

Results

The first approach we used for the isolation of full-length cDNA from two known genomic clones of Hox genes was based on fusion PCR. Here we describe a simple and efficient method …

1997 - 2000 Touro University College Of Osteopathic Medicine Yearbook, Touro University College Of Osteopathic Medicine

Yearbooks and Newsletters

1997 - 2000 Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine Yearbook.

Applications Of The Atomic Force Microscope Within The Fields Of Haematology And Cytogenetics, Margaret O'Reilly-Crowley

Theses

Atomic force microscopy [AFM] has become a rapidly developing interdisciplinary field of research in recent years. The technique, including instrumentation and specimen preparation methods, is now more sophisticated and its application has increased dramatically. The key advantage of AFM is in providing three-dimensional images of samples imaged. Both size and shape of samples imaged can be obtained allowing their subsequent quantification. Red blood cells [RBCs] and chromosomes were imaged in this work. A brief overview of the current status of biomedical AFM, has been presented in the review.

Measurement of mean cell volume [MCV] of immobilised red blood cells with …

The Molecular Epidemiology Of Rotavirus In Ireland, Fiona O'Halloran

Theses

Between 1997 and 1998, 3,136 cases of rotavirus diarrhoea were detected in Irish children less than 2 years of age. Hospital inpatients accounted for 80% of these infections, with the remainder being diagnosed in general practice. A large percentage of infections were detected in neonates, suggesting a possible inadequate maternal derived protection from existing indigenous strains. This feature suggested the possible existence of ‘novel’ strains circulating in Ireland. No data describing the epidemiology of rotavirus strains in this country currently exists. Furthermore no assessment of the potential health-economic impact or quantitation of potential disease burden was ever undertaken

Three hundred …

Applications Of Wavelet Transforms In Biomedical Optoacoustics, Zibiao Wei, Shujun Yang, Amin N. Dharamsi, Barbara Hargrave

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We discuss the utility of wavelet transform methods in signal processing in general, and in particular, demonstrate the technique in optoacoustic applications. In several optoacoustic experiments with different samples, we have successfully enhanced the signal to noise ratios. Wavelet transforms optimize resolution by utilizing a tailored, variable time-window in different frequency regions. The technique's great advantage lies in the fact that the wavelet transform adds some redundancy to the original signal, and some desired features can be enhanced in the transformed space. In addition, proper choice of the basis set allows a sparse representation of the signal. Therefore, even when …