We introduce a portable biochemical analysis platform for rapid field deployment of nucleic acid-based diagnostics using consumer-class quadcopter drones. This approach exploits the ability to isothermally perform the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with a single heater, enabling the system to be operated using standard 5 V USB sources that power mobile devices (via battery, solar, or hand crank action). Time-resolved fluorescence detection and quantification is achieved using a smartphone camera and integrated image analysis app. Standard sample preparation is enabled by leveraging the drone’s motors as centrifuges via 3D printed snap-on attachments. These advancements make it possible to build a complete DNA/RNA analysis system at a cost of ∼$50 ($US). Our instrument is rugged and versatile, enabling pinpoint deployment of sophisticated diagnostics to distributed field sites. This capability is demonstrated by successful in-flight replication of Staphylococcus aureus and λ-phage DNA targets in under 20 min. The ability to perform rapid in-flight assays with smartphone connectivity eliminates delays between sample collection and analysis so that test results can be delivered in minutes, suggesting new possibilities for drone-based systems to function in broader and more sophisticated roles beyond cargo transport and imaging.

The pharmacokinetics of rufloxacin after a single 400 mg oral dose were studied in eight volunteers, measuring plasma, inflammatory fluid and urine concentrations. Mean peak plasma concentrations of 4.4 mg/L were achieved at a mean time of 1.9 h after administration. The mean plasma elimination half-life was 28.2 h. Mean peak levels in inflammatory fluid reached 3.2 mg/L after 3.5 h, and 30.7% of the dose was eliminated in urine by 96 h. The apparent mean volume of distribution of rufloxacin, at steady state, was 109.5 L. The mean percentage penetration of rufloxacin into the inflammatory exudate, as measured by ratios of AUC0-50 h was 90%.

Radiographs of the stifles of 6 species of 34 large, non-domestic cats were reviewed foremost for the presence of meniscal ossicles and then for the presence of the other potential four sesamoids. The animals in the review included 12 lions, 7 tigers, 7 cougars, 3 leopards, 3 bobcats, and 2 jaguars. Fluoroscopy, arthrography, computed tomography, necropsy, and histology were also used to evaluate the stifles of one tiger after euthanasia. Ossicles were found in the region of the cranial horn of the medial meniscus in most of the lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars. These ossicles were found in half of the cougars but in none of the bobcats. Among the large, non-domestic cats, meniscal ossicles had been reported previously only in Bengal tigers. The lions, tigers, and leopards having meniscal ossicles appeared to have a lateral but often not a medial fabella of the gastrocnemius muscle, an observation previously unreported. Popliteal sesamoids and patellas were present in all the skeletally mature cats.

A single 400-mg oral dose of sparfloxacin was given to each of six healthy male volunteers, and the concentrations of the drug were measured in plasma, cantharides-induced inflammatory fluid, and urine over the subsequent 52 h. The mean peak concentration in plasma of 1.6 tag/ml was attained at a mean time of 2.7 h postdose. The mean peak concentration in inflammatory fluid of 1.3 ,g/ml was attained at a mean time of 5 Antibiotic assays were performed within 1 h of sample collection by using a plate diffusion method; the test organism was Escherichia coli 4004 (Bayer AG, Wuppertal, Germany); the medium used was Iso-Sensitest agar (pH 7.2; Oxoid Ltd., Basingstoke, United Kingdom). Standards were prepared by using human serum (Bradshaw Biologicals, Leicester, United Kingdom) for serum samples, 70% human serum (to simulate the protein content of the inflammatory fluid) in pH 7 phosphate buffer for inflammatory fluid samples, and phosphate buffer at pH 7 for urine samples. Samples were applied by filling 5-mm-diameter wells cut into the plates, which were then incubated in air overnight at 30°C. The coefficient of variation within the assay was 9.4% at 0.75 ,ug/ml and 6.5% at 0.1 ,g/ml. The coefficients of variation between assays were 5.9 and 7.9%, respectively.The lower limit of sensitivity was 0.1 pg/ml. The standard range for the assay was 0.06 to 1 ,g/ml, and the assay was linear between these values.Physical examinations and measurements of initial signs were repeated 3 and 7 days after the dose was administered.Pharmacokinetic analysis of the plasma samples was performed by using the GPHARM program (4), assuming a two-compartment model using a weighted least-squares algorithm. Pharmacokinetic analysis of blister fluid samples was based on standard graphical methods (3, 5). The area under the curve for time zero to infinity (AUCO,) was derived from the knowledge of the AUC for time zero to 52 h, the elimination constant, and the concentration at t = 52 h. RESULTSThe mean concentrations in plasma and inflammatory fluid obtained are shown in Fig.

Solid-state NMR (SSNMR) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) allow a study of a novel and stable polymorph of paclitaxel (Taxol) with two molecules per asymmetric unit (Z‘) in the P212121 space group. The asymmetric unit volume is 2167 Å3, about four times larger than that previously characterized in combined XRPD/SSNMR studies. The method, employing SSNMR constraints, allows the XRPD Rietveld analysis to establish many of the lattice details that otherwise would be unavailable. NMR structural constraints are provided by isotropic shifts and three-dimensional (3D) chemical shift tensors (CST), which are determined by ab initio quantum mechanical calculations. CST data give highly sensitive information on short-range structural features such as intra-atomic distances (particularly for proton positions that are undetermined with XRPD methods) and short-range valence angles that exhibit relatively poor sensitivity in reasonably large microcrystalline powders. Conversely, space group symmetry, unit cell volumes, long-range cell dimensions, and dihedral angles of extended chains are estimated with XRPD measurements. Corroboration of many structural parameters by combined quantum mechanical, SSNMR, and XRPD results indicate the efficacy of these combined approaches in relatively sizable microcrystalline powders. The population of the asymmetric unit, Z‘ = 2 is clearly observed even in the one-dimensional isotropic 13C spectra, which also confirmed the stability of the polymorph over a three-year period. This structural determination depends specifically on the agreement between previous SSNMR CSTs and single crystal results for baccatin, the rigid part of paclitaxel. Hence, CST data provide a reasonable initial model for the early iterative steps of a Rietveld analysis of XRPD data for a new polymorph of Taxol.