Microchambers for inverted microscopes

The designs for two microchambers, non-flow and flow, for inverted microscopes are described. These chambers are intended to study dynamic processes in living cells. The chambers described are made completely of a glass. An advantage of the flow chamber is the possibility of making simple changes in its internal space. It is dismantled easily to allow careful cleaning. This is especially important when working with toxic substances.     

Microchambers for inverted microscopes

The designs for two microchambers, non-flow and flow, for inverted microscopes are described. These chambers are intended to study dynamic processes in living cells. The chambers described are made completely of a glass. An advantage of the flow chamber is the possibility of making simple changes in its internal space. It is dismantled easily to allow careful cleaning. This is especially important when working with toxic substances.     

A phototube connecting digital cameras with light optic microscopes

We present here a phototube model making possible connection of a digital camera with light optic microscopes in order to obtain images of microobjects and for their further computer treatment. The advantage of this model is simplicity of its manufacturing and small required expenses as well as an increase in information density for microobject studies. This phototube has been covered by a patent for a useful model N2 48228 registered in the Public Register of RF on September 27, 2005.     

Computers, microscopes and cancer

Computers and microscopes work hand in hand today. Together they offer the potential to enhance, analyse and store images, as well as creating the possibility of three- or four-dimensional pictures. The impact of these developments on cancer research is already apparent.     

Point-of-care nucleic acid testing for infectious diseases

Nucleic acid testing for infectious diseases at the point of care is beginning to enter clinical practice in developed and developing countries; especially for applications requiring fast turnaround times, and in settings where a centralized laboratory approach faces limitations. Current systems for clinical diagnostic applications are mainly PCR-based, can only be used in hospitals, and are still relatively complex and expensive. Integrating sample preparation with nucleic acid amplification and detection in a cost-effective, robust, and user-friendly format remains challenging. This review describes recent technical advances that might be able to address these limitations, with a focus on isothermal nucleic acid amplification methods. It briefly discusses selected applications related to the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis, HIV, and perinatal and nosocomial infections.     

Flow cytometry chamber with 4 pi light collection suitable for epifluorescence microscopes

A compact, solid, spherico-ellipsoidal chamber (SEC), which has approaching 4 pi ("all around") light collection, has been developed for flow cytometry. This was mounted onto the stage of a standard fluorescence photomicroscope, and the camera was replaced by a photomultiplier. Both components can be added or removed in minutes. The increased light collection efficiency of the SEC (about 85%) compared with about 4% from standard chambers enabled a fluorescence microscope with a 50 W mercury vapour lamp to "double" as a flow cytometer. The system was tested with microbeads and cells stained for DNA with ethidium bromide, and results were comparable to those obtained with our laser-based instrument.     

Point-of-care molecular diagnostic systems--past, present and future

The field of molecular diagnostics has greatly decreased the time it takes to identify infectious agents and to test their antimicrobial resistance. Portable devices are currently in development that can easily identify a variety of nucleic acid targets (either DNA or RNA) from multiple sample types in under an hour. This is done by a variety of methods including real-time polymerase chain reaction, probe-based assays, bioluminescence real-time amplification, and microarray or micro-pump technologies. These self-contained systems require only minimal training and perform all steps of the assay from extraction through detection with little or no operator intervention.     

Point-of-care biosensor systems for cancer diagnostics/prognostics

With the growing number of fatalities resulting from the 100 or so cancer-related diseases, new enabling tools are required to provide extensive molecular profiles of patients to guide the clinician in making viable diagnosis and prognosis. Unfortunately with cancer-related diseases, there is not one molecular marker that can provide sufficient information to assist the clinician in making effective prognoses or even diagnoses. Indeed, large panels of markers must typically be evaluated that cut across several different classes (mutations in certain gene fragments--DNA; over/under-expression of gene activity as monitored by messenger RNAs; the amount of proteins present in serum or circulating tumor cells). The classical biosensor format (dipstick approach for monitoring the presence of a single element) is viewed as a valuable tool in many bioassays, but possesses numerous limitations in cancer due primarily to the single element nature of these sensing platforms. As such, if biosensors are to become valuable tools in the arsenal of the clinician to manage cancer patients, new formats are required. This review seeks to provide an overview of the current thinking on molecular profiling for diagnosis and prognosis of cancers and also, provide insight into the current state-of-the-art in the biosensor field and new strategies that must be considered to bring this important technology into the cancer field.