ABSTRACT
Preoperative vascular imaging has become standard practice in the planning of microsurgical breast reconstruction. Currently, translating perforator locations from radiological findings to a patient's abdomen is often not easy or intuitive. Techniques using three-dimensional printing or patient-specific guides have been introduced to superimpose anatomy onto the abdomen for reference. Augmented and mixed reality is currently actively investigated for perforator mapping by superimposing virtual models directly onto the patient. Most techniques have found only limited adoption due to complexity and price. Additionally, a critical step is aligning virtual models to patients. We propose repurposing suture packaging as an image tracking marker. Tracking markers allow quick and easy alignment of virtual models to the individual patient's anatomy. Current techniques are often complicated or expensive and limit intraoperative use of augmented reality models. Suture packs are sterile, readily available, and can be used to align abdominal models on the patients. Using an iPad, the augmented reality models automatically align in the correct position by using a suture pack as a tracking marker. Given the ubiquity of iPads, the combination of these devices with readily available suture packs will predictably lower the barrier to entry and utilization of this technology. Here, our workflow is presented along with its intraoperative utilization. Additionally, we investigated the accuracy of this technology.
ABSTRACT
Plant nanobiotechnology is a flourishing field that uses nanomaterials to study and engineer plant function. Applications of nanotechnology in plants have great potential as tools for improving crop yield, tolerance to disease and environmental stress, agrochemical delivery of pesticides and fertilizers, and genetic modification and transformation of crop plants. Previous studies have used nanomaterials functionalized with chemicals, including biocompatible polymers with charged, neutral, or hydrophobic functional groups, to improve nanomaterial uptake and localization in plant cells. Recently, the use of biorecognition motifs such as peptides has been demonstrated to enable the targeted delivery of nanoparticles in plants ( Santana et al., 2020 ). Herein, we describe a bio-protocol to target nanoparticles with chemical cargoes to chloroplasts in plant leaves and assess targeting efficiency using advanced analytical tools, including confocal microscopy and elemental analysis. We also describe the use of isothermal titration calorimetry to determine the affinity of nanomaterials for their chemical cargoes. Nanotechnology-based methods for targeted delivery guided by conserved plant molecular recognition mechanisms will provide more robust plant bioengineering tools across diverse plant species. Graphic abstract: Targeted delivery of nanomaterials with chemical cargoes to chloroplasts enabled by plant biorecognition.
