Biomedical subjects

Eric McAdams

Publications and source records attributed to Eric McAdams.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Flexible technologies and smart clothing for citizen medicine, home healthcare, and disease prevention.

Improvement of the quality and efficiency of healthcare in medicine, both at home and in hospital, is becoming more and more important for patients and society at large. As many technologies (micro technologies, telecommunication, low-power design, new textiles, and flexible sensors) are now available, new user-friendly devices can be developed to enhance the comfort and security of the patient. As clothes and textiles are in direct contact with about 90% of the skin surface, smart sensors and smart clothes with noninvasive sensors are an attractive solution for home-based and ambulatory health monitoring. Moreover, wearable devices or smart homes with exosensors are also potential solutions. All these systems can provide a safe and comfortable environment for home healthcare, illness prevention, and citizen medicine.

Biomedical Engineering↗

PubMed2005

Non-mediated glucose biosensing using nanostructured TiO2.

Insufficient insulin production in diabetics can be controlled by discontinuous measurement and insulin therapy. Ideally, an artificial pancreas system would be a closed loop system measuring glucose levels, and administering insulin as required, to minimise patient contribution. This paper presents an investigation into the use of titanium dioxide as an electrochemical transducer for the detection of hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is the product of glucose oxidation by the enzyme glucose oxidase in the presence of oxygen. The results show that peroxide can be quantitatively detected by electrochemical reduction on titanium dioxide electrodes without interference due to dissolved oxygen. When tested for the indirect amperometric measurement of glucose (with free glucose oxidase) it was found that the electrodes responded linearly over the range of glucose concentration found in human blood. With further development, these electrodes may be suitable for implantable glucose sensors.

Biosensing Techniques↗

PubMed2005

Detection and removal of pathogenic biofilms on medical implant surfaces.

Advances in sensor technology have had a significant impact in medical research and practice in the last decade. However, within the hospital environment problems still exist where the application of sensing technology could provide the solution. The presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria within hospitals and the risk of serious infection that they pose is a cause for concern. This paper describes a research project that has recently started at the University of Ulster investigating the potential of "Sense and Destroy" tactics to reduce the spread of medical device related infections. It is proposed that Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) probes implanted within a catheter may be used to detect subclinical biofilm formation. Furthermore, if the presence of a biofilm is detected, activation of a photocatalytic coating on the catheter wall may be used to inactivate the responsible microorganisms.

Biofilms↗

PubMed2004

Amperometric detection of phenolic compounds by polypyrrole-based composite carbon paste electrodes.

This contribution describes new composite carbon paste electrodes (CPEs) for the determination of phenolic compounds. The composite CPEs were prepared by in situ generation of polypyrrole (PPy) within a paste containing the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO). The best paste composition (enzyme/pyrrole monomer/carbon particles/Nujol) was determined for a model enzyme, glucose oxidase (GOx) according to the enzymatic activity of the resulting electrodes and to the enzyme leakage from the paste during storage in phosphate buffer. The in situ electrogenerated PPy improves the enzyme immobilisation within the paste since practically no enzyme was lost in solution after 72 h of immersion. Moreover, the enzyme activity remains particularly stable under storage since the biocomposite structure conserves 80% of its activity after 1 month of storage. Following the optimisation of the paste composition, PPO-based carbon paste biosensors were prepared and presented excellent analytical properties toward catechol detection with a sensitivity of 4.7 A M(-1) cm(-2) and a response time lower than 20 s. The resulting biosensors were applied to the determination of polyphenolic compounds (e.g., epicatechin and ferulic acid).

Biosensing Techniques↗