A novel method has been developed for preserving molecules in microfluidic devices that also enables the control of the spatial and temporal concentrations of the reconstituted molecules within the devices. In this method, a storage cavity, embedded in a microchannel, is filled with a carbohydrate matrix containing, for example, a reagent. When the matrix is exposed to flowing liquid, it dissolves, resulting in the controlled reconstitution and release of the reagent from the cavity. The technique was demonstrated using two different model systems; the successful preservation and controlled release of beta-galactosidase was achieved. This method has possible applications for simple point-of-care drug delivery and immunoassays, and could be used to pattern the surfaces of microchannels. More broadly, this preservation and controlled release technique can be applied where the preservation and/or spatial and temporal control of chemical concentrations are desired.

No abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of a chest radiograph-based detection algorithm for aortic injury and to determine if a previously developed clinical prediction rule would improve imaging efficiency. A 3-year single institution retrospective case-control study with 25 cases of aortic injury and 181 controls was conducted. The detection algorithm correctly identified 96% of all cases of aortic injury, and a definitive diagnosis was established within 6h for 80% of the patients. However, its efficiency was marginal, with only one in 400 chest X-rays leading to a positive diagnosis. The previously developed clinical prediction rule was not able to stratify patients into a clinically useful range of injury probability, and thus the prediction rule cannot be used to improve the efficiency of the existing detection algorithm.

We report a case of a 50-year-old man with extensive metallosis 20 years after right total hip arthroplasty. CT demonstrated osteolysis and radiodense debris surrounding the right hip joint. Although the radiographic appearance of metallosis has been well documented in the literature, the CT appearance of metallosis after total hip arthroplasty has been only sparsely described.