Canine Scent Detection in Lung Cancer Screening.

Canines historically have been proven to have great benefits in human medicine. They have a unique ability to detect volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, in several different diseases, which allows them to work efficiently as a medical alert dog or detect the presence of certain diseases in human samples. Early studies have shown efficiency in the ability of canines to detect malignant cells from primary lung tumors in the fluid and breath samples of patients. Lung cancer is the third most common cancer and is the number one cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Because of its commonality, The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force developed guidelines for screening high-risk individuals, which includes low-dose CT with proven efficacy. Although effective, it comes with limitations, including increased cost, concern for radiation exposure, and low compliance amongst those who are eligible for screening. Other screening methods have been studied to overcome these deficiencies, including the use of canines trained in medical scent detection. Medical scent canines may prove to be an efficient alternative form of screening to the traditional use of low-dose CT and may be a viable non-imaging screening alternative.

Comparative Analysis of Axial Length Measurements by Optical Biometers Based on Partial Coherence Interferometry Versus Optical Low-Coherence Interferometry: An Office Audit.

Purpose In this study, we aimed to compare axial length (AL) measurements of the IOLMaster 500 (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena, Germany), based on partial coherence interferometry (PCI) versus the Aladdin (Topcon Healthcare, Oakland, NJ), based on optical low-coherence interferometry (OLCI), in a clinical setting. Methods A retrospective analysis of the records of patients presenting for cataract surgery at an ophthalmology practice between October 2019 and March 2020 was performed. All patients had biometry measurements on the IOLMaster 500 and the Aladdin. Data collected included patient demographics, cataract morphology and type, and AL measurements. The IOLMaster 500 and Aladdin measurements were compared using the unpaired t-test and Chi-squared test. Results In total, 393 eyes (197 patients) were included (91 males, 107 females) in the study. The IOLMaster 500 was unable to successfully obtain AL measurements in seven eyes (1.8%) and the Aladdin in 26 eyes (6.6%). The difference was statistically significant (p=0.0007). Advanced and central posterior subcapsular cataracts were common in eyes that had unsuccessful measurements. In the eyes successfully measured, the mean AL for the IOLMaster was 24.04 ±1.32 mm, while it was 24.04 ±1.34 mm for the Aladdin. However, this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.9165). Conclusion The IOLMaster 500 performed better in terms of the number of eyes for which AL measurements were successfully obtained compared to the Aladdin. This may be partly related to high volumes of advanced cataracts treated at our practice. However, this being a retrospective study, a cause-and-effect relationship could not be established.