|
|
 |
|
|
Don't like blood tests? new microscope uses rainbow of light toimage the flow of individual blood c by efwegbe erergeer
|
|
|
Don't like blood tests? new microscope uses rainbow of light toimage the flow of individual blood c by EFWEGBE ERERGEER
|
|
| Article Posted: 09/08/2013 |
| Article Views: 120 |
| Articles Written: 1575 - MORE ARTICLES FROM THIS AUTHOR |
| Word Count: 584 |
| Article Votes: 0 |
|
Don't like blood tests? new microscope uses rainbow of light toimage the flow of individual blood c |
|
|
|
|
|
Business,Business News,Business Opportunities
|
|
"We have invented a new optical microscope that can seeindividual blood cells as they flow inside our body," saysLior Golan, a graduate student in the biomedical engineeringdepartment at the Israel Institute of Technology, or Technion, andone of the authors on a paper describing the device that ispublished in the Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal Biomedical Optics Express . By eliminating a long wait-time for blood test results, the newmicroscope might help spotlight warning signs, like high whiteblood cell count, before a patient develops severe medicalproblems. The portability of the device could also enable doctorsin rural areas without easy access to medical labs to screen largepopulations for common blood disorders, Golan notes. Using the new microscope, the researchers imaged the blood flowingthrough a vessel in the lower lip of a volunteer.
They successfullymeasured the average diameter of the red and white blood cells andalso calculated the percent volume of the different cell types, akey measurement for many medical diagnoses. The device relies on a technique called spectrally encoded confocalmicroscopy (SECM), which creates images by splitting a light beaminto its constituent colors. The colors are spread out in a linefrom red to violet. To scan blood cells in motion, a probe ispressed against the skin of a patient and the rainbow-like line oflight is directed across a blood vessel near the surface of theskin. As blood cells cross the line they scatter light, which iscollected and analyzed.
The color of the scattered light carriesspatial information, and computer programs interpret the signalover time to create 2-D images of the blood cells. Currently, other blood-scanning systems with cellular resolution doexist, but they are far less practical, relying on bulky equipmentor potentially harmful fluorescent dyes that must be injected intothe bloodstream. "An important feature of the technique is its reliance onreflected light from the flowing cells to form their images, thusavoiding the use of fluorescent dyes that could be toxic,"Golan says. "Since the blood cells are in constant motion,their appearance is distinctively different from the static tissuesurrounding them." The team's technique also takes advantageof the one-way flow of cells to create a compact probe that canquickly image large numbers of cells while remaining stationaryagainst the skin. At first, the narrow field of view of the microscope made itdifficult for the team to locate suitable capillary vessels toimage.
To solve this, the researchers added a green LED and camerato the system to provide a wider view in which the blood vesselsappeared dark because hemoglobin absorbs green light."Unfortunately, the green channel does not help in finding thedepth of the blood vessel," notes Golan. "Adjusting theimaging depth of the probe for imaging a small capillary is still achallenge we will address in future research." The researchers are also working on a second generation system withhigher penetration depth. The new system might expand the range ofpossible imaging sites beyond the inside lip, which was selected asa test site since it was rich in blood vessels, has no pigment toblock light, and doesn't lose blood flow in trauma patients. Additional steps include work to miniaturize the system for ease oftransport and use.
"Currently, the probe is a bench-toplaboratory version about the size of a small shoebox," saysGolan. "We hope to have a thumb-size prototype within the nextyear.". I am a professional writer from Slow Cooker, which contains a great deal of information about digital camcorder ratings , hella driving lights, welcome to visit!
Related Articles -
digital camcorder ratings, hella driving lights,
|
Rate This Article  |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you Agree or Disagree? Have a Comment? POST IT!
| Reader Opinions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Author Login |
|
|
 |
Advertiser Login
ADVERTISE HERE NOW!
Limited Time $60 Offer!
90 Days-1.5 Million Views
|
|
TIM FAY
After 60-plus years of living, I am just trying to pass down some of the information that I have lea...more
|
|
|
|
|
GENE MYERS
Author of four books and two screenplays; frequent magazine contributor. I have four other books "in...more
|
|
|
|
|
LAURA JEEVES
At LeadGenerators, we specialise in content-led Online Marketing Strategies for our clients in the t...more
|
|
|
|
|
ALEX BELSEY
I am the editor of QUAY Magazine, a B2B publication based in the South West of the UK. I am also the...more
|
|
|
|
|
SUSAN FRIESEN
Located in the lower mainland of B.C., Susan Friesen is a visionary brand strategist, entrepreneur, ...more
|
|
|
|
|
STEPHEN BYE
Steve Bye is currently a fiction writer, who published his first novel, ‘Looking Forward Through the...more
|
|
|
|
|
SHALINI MITTAL
A postgraduate in Fashion Technology. Shalini is a writer at heart! Writing for her is an expression...more
|
|
|
|
|
ADRIAN JOELE
I have been involved in nutrition and weight management for over 12 years and I like to share my kn...more
|
|
|
|
|
JAMES KENNY
James is a Research Enthusiast that focuses on the understanding of how things work and can be impro...more
|
|
|
|
