Multiparameter mobile blood analyzer for complete blood count utilizing contrast-enhanced defocusing imaging (preprint)

Blood analysis, though complete blood count (CBC), is the most basic medical test for disease diagnosis and health monitoring. However, the need for bulky and expensive laboratory facilities and skilled technicians limits the universal medical practices based on blood analysis outside of well-equipped laboratory environments. Here, we proposed a multiparameter mobile blood analyzer utilizing label-free contrast-enhanced defocusing imaging (CEDI) with the assistance of machine vision for instant and on-site blood analysis. The analyzer using CEDI obtains both the blood cell morphological characteristics and hemoglobin spectrophotometric information for simultaneous five-part white blood cell differential count, red blood cell count, and hemoglobin quantification without the need for sample staining. In addition, we have designed a miniature microscope with a sub-micron spatial resolution of (~0.98 μm), which is quite small, lightweight, and cost-effective for blood imaging. We have shown that our assay can analyze a sample within 10 minutes, using just a drop of fingertip blood (~7 μl) and measurements (30 samples) from the analyzer have strong correlations with clinical reference values (significant level: P < 0.0001). The proposed mobile blood analyzer can help provide universal access to blood analysis and has great potential for integrated surveillance of various epidemic diseases, including coronavirus infection, invermination, and anemia, especially in low-and middle-income countries.

Internet-based cognitive therapy for women with antenatal depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: protocol for a multi-center randomized controlled trial across China.

BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety are common among pregnant women. Internet-delivered psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) have been developed to increase accessibility and address common help-seeking barriers, especially during pandemic period. The objective of this trial is to evaluate the short-term and long-term effects of iCBT on reducing depressive symptoms among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic with the overall goal of preventing depression recurrence in the first 12 months postpartum. METHODS: A multi-site randomized controlled trial will be conducted where 300 pregnant women early in their third trimester will be screened for depression symptoms using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) during a routine obstetrical visit. Eligible and consenting women with a score greater than 9 will be randomly allocated (1:1) to either intervention group or control group. ICBT involving the completion of 7 weekly online modules will be delivered via a well-designed perinatal mental healthcare app. The primary objective is to evaluate the effect of iCBT on reducing depression symptoms among pregnant Chinese women starting from their third trimester. The secondary objectives are to examine the effect of iCBT on anxiety, sleep quality, social support, parenting stress, co-parenting relationship, and infant development. DISCUSSION: This multi-center randomized controlled trial has been planned in accordance with best practices in behavioral trial design. The internet-based intervention addressed the needs of pregnant women during a major pandemic where face-to-face therapy is not preferable. The trial has a relatively large sample size with sufficient power to evaluate the efficacy of iCBT intervention for the primary and secondary outcomes. One year follow-up evaluation in the study is designed to determine the longer-term effect of the intervention on both maternal and infant outcomes. Although a limitation is the assessment of depression and anxiety using self-report measures, these easily incorporated and maternal-preferred assessments allow for real-life scalability if the intervention is proven to be effective. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics was approved by the institutional review board of International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital (GKLW2020-25). Dissemination of results will be published in peer-reviewed academic journals and presented at scientific conferences. TRIAL STATUS: The first patient was enrolled on 19 August 2020. To date, 203 participants have met eligibility requirements and been randomized to either the intervention group or control group. Data collection aims to be complete in September 2022. Date and version identifier: 2020715-version1.0. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2000033433. Registered 31 May 2020, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=54482 .