Biological and medical application of micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) is currently seen as an area of high potential impact. Integration of biology and microtechnology has resulted in the development of a number of platforms for improving biomedical and pharmaceutical technologies. This review provides a general overview of the applications and the opportunities presented by MEMS in medicine by classifying these platforms according to their applications in the medical field.
Among the various label-free methods for monitoring biomolecular interactions, capacitive sensors stand out due to their simple instrumentation and compatibility with multiplex formats. However, electrode polarization due to ion gradient formation and noise from solution conductance limited early dielectric spectroscopic measurements to high frequencies only, which in turn limited their sensitivity to biomolecular interactions, as the applied excitation signals were too fast for the charged macromolecules to respond. To minimize electrode polarization effects, capacitive sensors with 20 nm electrode separation were fabricated using silicon dioxide sacrificial layer techniques. The nanoscale separation of the capacitive electrodes in the sensor results in an enhanced overlapping of electrical double layers, and apparently a more ordered "ice-like" water structure. Such effects in turn reduce low frequency contributions from bulk sample resistance and from electrode polarization, and thus markedly enhance sensitivity toward biomolecular interactions. Using these nanogap capacitive sensors, highly sensitive, label-free aptamer-based detection of protein molecules is achieved.
Selenium (Se) supplementation may prevent the formation of free radicals and lipid peroxidation processes in trichinellosis. The oxidative-antioxidant status of male Wistar rats infected or uninfected with Trichinella spiralis (Nematoda) and supplemented or unsupplemented with Sel-plex (Alltech) was tested through blood biomarkers. Sel-plex was applied to restore antioxidant defense system. The oxidative marker was malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration. The antioxidant markers were superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and concentrations of Se and vitamin E. The animals were allocated into four groups. The experiment covered 8 weeks post infection. A mathematical model was proposed for the time course of host body weight. The model solutions were in good agreement with the experimental data. The relative rates of body weight gain were determined as growth kinetic parameters. The supplementation of the rats with dietary Se improved their antioxidant status. Increases by 10% in SOD activity, 6% in GPx activity, 13% in vitamin E concentration, 17% in plasma Se concentration, and 19% in liver Se concentration, respectively, and a decrease by 18% in serum MDA concentration were recorded in the infected and supplemented towards infected and unsupplemented rats. The reduction of muscle larvae after Sel-plex application was 63%. The mortality in infected and uninfected animals did not differ significantly. No statistically significant differences were established between the growth of the control and infected rats. At week 8, the body weight gain in the supplemented rats (both uninfected and infected) was 30% higher, compared to that in unsupplemented ones. Diet with Se could be beneficial in the treatment of diseases correlated with considerable oxidative stress, particularly parasitoses.
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