Bioelectronic organ-based sensor for microfluidic real-time analysis of the demand in insulin.

On-line and real-time analysis of micro-organ activity permits to use the endogenous analytical power of cellular signal transduction algorithms as biosensors. We have developed here such a sensor using only a few pancreatic endocrine islets and the avoidance of transgenes or chemical probes reduces bias and procures general usage. Nutrient and hormone-induced changes in islet ion fluxes through channels provide the first integrative read-out of micro-organ activity. Using extracellular electrodes we captured this read-out non-invasively as slow potentials which reflect glucose concentration-dependent (3-15 mM) micro-organ activation and coupling. Custom-made PDMS-based microfluidics with platinum black micro-electrode arrays required only some tens of islets and functioned at flow rates of 1-10 µl/min which are compatible with microdialysis. We developed hardware solutions for on-line real-time analysis on a reconfigurable Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) that offered resource-efficient architecture and storage of intermediary processing stages. Moreover, real-time adaptive and reconfigurable algorithms accounted for signal disparities and noise distribution. Based on islet slow potentials, this integrated set-up allowed within less than 40 µs the discrimination and precise automatic ranking of small increases (2 mM steps) of glucose concentrations in real time and within the physiological glucose range. This approach shall permit further development in continuous monitoring of the demand for insulin in type 1 diabetes as well as monitoring of organs-on-chip or maturation of stem-cell derived islets.

[The significance of radiculography and resonance tomography in the diagnosis and treatment of lumbar discopathy]. / Znaczenie radykulografii i tomografii rezonansowej w rozpoznawaniu i leczeniu dyskopatii ledzwiowej.

The subject of the study was an assessment of the usefulness of radiculography and resonance tomography in the diagnosis of lumbar discopathy. The study was carried out in 100 cases of lumbar discopathy treated at the Department of Spondyloneurosurgery Institute of Rheumatology in Warsaw. Both radiculography and resonance tomography were found to be of equal diagnostic value in the verification of the clinical symptoms of this discopathy. The detection rate of lumbar discopathy by both methods was much higher than based on clinical symptomatology alone. The use of both methods was not equivalent diagnostically (often they replace one another, but often also they supplement one another), and for that reason combined examination by both methods is frequently of high importance in practice, when the line of management is to be set down.

[The assessment of therapeutic effectiveness of paravertebral blockades in patients with painful radicular syndromes in discopathy and in lumbar spine spondylosis]. / Ocena efektywnosci terapeutycznej blokad przykregoslupowych u chorych z zespolami bólowo-korzeniowymi w przebiegu dyskopatii i zmian zwyrodnieniowych ledzwiowego odcinka kregoslupa.

A group of 103 patients were examined for radicular painful syndromes in lumbar discopathy and lumbar spondylosis. Fifty-eight were treated by placing them in spine-decompressing position, traction and therapeutic exercises. The group of 45 patients had additionally paravertebral blockade (steroid + a local anaesthetic). In the blockade group the therapeutic effects were better, with rapid reduction of acute pain, with wellbeing improvement and better comfort, which facilitated further stages of the treatment. This made possible shortening of hospital stay by 20%, on average, as compared with the group without blockade. In patients with shorter lasting radicular pains (below 2 months) the results after paravertebral blockade were significantly better than in cases with longer duration of pains (2-6 months).

[Prognostic value of evoked potentials of the spinal cord in surgical treatment of lumbar intervertebral disk prolapse]. / Prognostyczne znaczenie wywolanych potencjalów rdzeniowych w chirurgicznym leczeniu ledzwiowych przepuklin krazkowych.

Spinal potentials were evoked stimulating the peripheral nerves of lower extremities in healthy people and in patients with manifestations of lumbar disc prolapse. The patients were studied before and early after the operation. In healthy subjects the velocity of impulse conduction was nearly identical when both extremities were compared. In the patients the test before the operation revealed a significant prolongation of the latency of the potentials on the side of the damaged nerve root. After the operation a significant difference between the healthy and the affected side was still present early after the operation but it was significantly smaller than before the operation since the conduction velocity was improved on the side of the operation. The study of spinal evoked potentials makes possible recognition of disturbed function of nerve roots, and after the operation the rate of changes of potential latency is an important prognostic sign.