ObjectivesFor electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), also commonly called e-cigarettes, coil temperature is a factor in the potential production of toxic chemical constituents. However, data are lacking regarding the temperatures that are achieved in the latest generation of these devices. Fourth-generation ENDS are capable of producing heating coil temperatures well above e-liquid boiling points, and allow the user to monitor and set the heating coil temperature during a puff. In this study, we evaluate the accuracy and consistency of the temperature measurement and control settings for different brands of fourth-generation ENDS.MethodsA study was performed using three commercially available, fourth-generation ENDS. The atomizer coil temperatures were obtained from the device (using the EScribe software) reading and from thermocouples attached to the coils during simulated puffing conditions. In addition, aerosol temperatures were measured inside the atomizer and at the mouthpiece.ResultsMeasured temperatures varied widely across samples taken from the same brand. For example, thermocouple measurements for one unit were 40 Celsius (°C) below the 300 °C set point, while another unit of the same brand exceeded the set point by more than 100 °C. We observed a significant variation in temperature (approximately 100 °C) along the length of the coil in some cases.ConclusionsThe possibility of wide temperature variation across ENDS samples, as well as variations between maximum coil temperatures and internal temperature readings, may have implications for studies that seek to determine correlations between coil temperature and toxin generation.

Collateral damage and long sonication times occurring during high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation procedures limit clinical advancement. In this reserarch, we investigated whether the use of magnetic nano-particles (mNPs) can reduce the power required to ablate tissue or, for the same power, reduce the duration of the procedure. Tissue-mimicking phantoms containing embedded thermocouples and physiologically acceptable concentrations (0%, 0.0047%, and 0.047%) of mNPs were sonicated at acoustic powers of 5.2 W, 9.2 W, and 14.5 W, for 30 seconds. Lesion volumes were determined for the phantoms with and without mNPs. It was found that with the 0.047% mNP concentration, the power required to obtain a lesion volume of 13 mm3 can be halved, and the time required to achieve a 21 mm3 lesion decreased by a factor of 5. We conclude that mNPs have the potential to reduce damage to healthy tissue, and reduce the procedure time, during tumor ablation using HIFU.

In focused-ultrasound procedures such as vessel cauterization or clot lysis, targeting accuracy is critical. To investigate the targeting accuracy of the focused-ultrasound systems, tissue phantoms embedded with thermocouples can be employed. This paper describes a method that utilizes an array of thermocouples to localize the focused ultrasound beam. All of the thermocouples are located away from the beam, so that thermocouple artifacts and sensor interference are minimized. Beam propagation and temperature rise in the phantom are simulated numerically, and an optimization routine calculates the beam location that produces the best agreement between the numerical temperature values and those measured with thermocouples. The accuracy of the method was examined as a function of the array characteristics, including the number of thermocouples in the array and their orientation. For exposures with a 3.3-MHz source, the remote-thermocouple technique was able to predict the focal position to within 0.06 mm. Once the focal location is determined using the localization method, temperatures at desired locations (including the focus) can be estimated from remote thermocouple measurements by curve fitting an analytical solution to the heat equation. Temperature increases in the focal plane were predicted to within 5% agreement with measured values using this method.

Avoiding collateral damage to healthy tissues during the high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation of malignant tumors is one of the major challenges for effective thermal therapy. Such collateral damage can originate out of the need for using higher acoustic powers to treat deep seated or highly vascularized tumors. The objective of this study is to assess the utility of using magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) during HIFU procedures to locally enhance heating at low powers, thereby reducing the likelihood of collateral thermal damage and undesired destruction due to cavitation. Tissue phantoms with 0% (control), 1% and 3% mNPs concentrations by volume were fabricated. Each tissue phantom was embedded with four thermocouples (TCs) and sonicated using transducer acoustic powers of 5.15 W, 9.17 W, and 14.26 W. The temperature profiles during the heating and cooling periods were recorded for each embedded TC. The measured transient temperature profiles were used for thermal-dose calculations. The increase in the concentration of mNPs in the tissue phantoms, from 0% to 3%, resulted in the rise in the peak temperatures for all the TCs for each acoustic power. The thermal dose also increased with the rise in the concentration of mNPs in the tissue phantoms. For the highest applied acoustic power (14.26 W), the peak temperature at TC 1 (T1) in tissue phantoms with 1% and 3% mNPs concentrations increased (with respect to tissue phantom with 0% (control) mNPs concentration) by 1.59Â and 2.09Â, respectively. For an acoustic power of 14.26 W, the time required to achieve cellular necrosis as defined by a 240 equivalent min thermal dose was approximately 75 s in the absence of mNPs, 14 s for the 1% concentration, and 8 s for the 3% concentration. Magnetic nanoparticles have the potential to significantly reduce the time for HIFU thermal-ablation procedures. They can also decrease the likelihood of collateral damage by the propagating beam in HIFU procedures by reducing the intensity required to achieve cellular necrosis.