Diagnostics Archives

Hologic is adding some interesting new functionality to its Discovery DXA system, which was up till now primarily used to assess bone mineral density in patients with osteoporosis. It has received FDA clearance to incorporate the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Whole Body Reference Data for use for advanced body composition assessment. This provides a way to measure contributions of fat, lean tissue and bone to total body mass in a more accurate way than traditional methods such as bio-impedance testing, hydrostatic weighing and skin fold thickness measurements. With the continuing obesity epidemic in full swing, this is no doubt an attractive new market for Hologic. From the press release:

The Hologic Advanced Body Composition assessment package is designed to provide a quick, accurate and precise low-dose x-ray exam to aid the physician in the assessment of fat, lean tissue and bone. Some of the diseases and conditions for which body composition values are useful include chronic renal failure, anorexia nervosa, obesity, AIDS/HIV, and cystic fibrosis. A whole body composition scan can take as little as three minutes. During the exam, the patient lies comfortably on a padded table while the Discovery system scans the body. Unlike typical x-ray machines, radiation exposure during this exam is extremely low and involves no injections, invasive procedures or pain. Hologic’s new assessment package includes color images displaying the distribution of fat, lean tissue, and bone and an easy to interpret report for improved patient management and counseling.

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A team of researchers from UC Berkeley, Dublin City University, and Universidad de Valparaíso Chile have developed a self-powered microfluidic chip capable of separating plasma from blood cells and subsequently detecting biotin (vitamin B7) in the sample. The process takes about ten minutes, requires only a 5 microliter sample, and is capable of detecting biotin at 1 part per 40 billion.

For the new SIMBAS biochip, the researchers took advantage of the laws of microscale physics to speed up processes that may take hours or days in a traditional lab. They note, for example, that the sediment in red wine that usually takes days to years to settle can occur in mere seconds on the microscale.

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We look forward to the day when lab-on-chip technology will revolutionize the way we do clinical diagnostics, turning blood draws into simple finger pricks that will give results in just a few minutes. However, drops of blood are still too much, and minutes too long for a team of engineers from the University of Calgary in Canada.
Their new lab-on-chip system has some significant advantages that researchers feel will save time and money. For example, it requires only a picoliter of fluid. That’s one-trillionth of a liter, an amount so small that testing takes place at the microscopic (or picoscopic?) level and images must be captured through a special high-speed camera. In addition, the technology allows scientists to control the exact size and spacing of the droplets, and then can position, move, dispense, and mix them faster, and with greater precision.

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Medical students are always taught about the distinctive, fruity breath of a patient in diabetic ketoacidosis — a life threatening metabolic crisis. The basis of this odor, acetone, is present on all of our breath, but even seemingly healthy diabetics will have a slightly higher level than non-diabetics. Can this subtle difference be used to help detect and screen who’s got diabetes?
Detection of illness through breath analysis is an emerging field in medical diagnostics, and is one which we’ve covered extensively. Sparing a few exceptions, however, the field has yet to make a large impact on patient care. Oxford Medical Diagnostics (OMD), a company that specializes in gas analysis, is attempting to change that through their diabetes screening device based on breath acetone levels that they expect to hit the market in the next six to eight months. Following that, they plan to launch a handheld device in a few years.

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