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The anti-reflux ureteral stent was successfully designed and fabricated using a 3D printer. In vitro studies showed that the stent effectively prevented backward flow while minimizing reduction in forward flow.

Purpose. To distinguish between normal (SV-HUC-1) and cancerous (TCCSUP) human urothelial cell lines using microelectrical impedance spectroscopy (μEIS). Materials and Methods. Two types of μEIS devices were designed and used in combination to measure the impedance of SV-HUC-1 and TCCSUP cells flowing through the channels of the devices. The first device (μEIS-OF) was designed to determine the optimal frequency at which the impedance of two cell lines is most distinguishable. The μEIS-OF trapped the flowing cells and measured their impedance at a frequency ranging from 5 kHz to 1 MHz. The second device (μEIS-RT) was designed for real-time impedance measurement of the cells at the optimal frequency. The impedance was measured instantaneously as the cells passed the sensing electrodes of μEIS-RT. Results. The optimal frequency, which maximized the average difference of the amplitude and phase angle between the two cell lines (p < 0.001), was determined to be 119 kHz. The real-time impedance of the cell lines was measured at 119 kHz; the two cell lines differed significantly in terms of amplitude and phase angle (p < 0.001). Conclusion. The μEIS-RT can discriminate SV-HUC-1 and TCCSUP cells by measuring the impedance at the optimal frequency determined by the μEIS-OF.

The ex-vivo discrimination between human normal and cancer renal tissues was confirmed using lEoN (micro electrical impedance spectroscopy-on-a-needle) by measuring and comparing the electrical impedances in the frequency domain. To quantify the extent of discrimination between dissimilar tissues and to determine the optimal frequency at which the discrimination capability is at a maximum, discrimination index (DI) was employed for both magnitude and phase. The highest values of DI for the magnitude and phase were 5.15 at 1 MHz and 3.57 at 1 kHz, respectively. The mean magnitude and phase measured at the optimal frequency for normal tissues were 5013.40 6 94.39 X and À68.54 6 0.72 , respectively; those for cancer tissues were 4165.19 6 70.32 X and À64.10 6 0.52 , respectively. A statistically significant difference (p< 0.05) between the two tissues was observed at all the investigated frequencies. To extract the electrical properties (resistance and capacitance) of these bio-tissues through curve fitting with experimental results, an equivalent circuit was proposed based on the lEoN structure on the condition that the lEoN was immersed in the bio-tissues. The average and standard deviation of the extracted resistance and capacitance for the normal tissues were 6.22 6 0.24 kX and 280.21 6 32.25 pF, respectively, and those for the cancer tissues were 5.45 6 0.22 kX and 376.32 6 34.14 pF, respectively. The electrical impedance was higher in the normal tissues compared with the cancer tissues. The lEoN could clearly discriminate between normal and cancer tissues by comparing the results at the optimal frequency (magnitude and phase) and those of the curve fitting (extracted resistance and capacitance). Published by AIP Publishing.

We aimed to characterize aging of single vascular endothelial cells, which are indicators of senescence, using micro electrical impedance spectroscopy (lEIS) for the first time. The proposed lEIS was equipped with two barriers under the membrane actuator near the sensing electrodes, increasing its cell-trapping capability and minimizing the interference between the target cell and subsequent cells. The cell-trapping capability in lEIS with barriers was considerably improved (90%) with a capture time of 5 s or less, compared to lEIS without barriers (30%). Cells were extracted from transgenic zebrafish to minimize an initial discrepancy originating from genetic differences. In order to estimate useful parameters, cytoplasm resistance and membrane capacitance were estimated by fitting an electrical equivalent circuit to the data of ex vivo sensor output. The estimated cytoplasm resistance and membrane capacitance in the younger vascular endothelial cells were 20.16 6 0.79 kX and 17.46 6 0.76 pF, respectively, whereas those in the older cells were 17.81 6 0.98 kX and 20.08 6 1.38 pF, respectively. Discrimination of each group with different aging showed statistical significance in terms of cytoplasm resistance (p < 0.001) and membrane capacitance (p < 0.001). Considering both of the sensor and cellular level, the optimal frequency was determined as 1 MHz at which the electrical impedance of each group was clearly discriminated (p < 0.001). V C 2016 AIP Publishing LLC.