Vibrating Membrane Devices Deliver Aerosols More Efficient than Standard Devices: A Study in a Neonatal Upper Airway Model

Abstract Background: Aerosol therapy in preterm infants is challenging, as a very small proportion of the drug deposits in the lungs. Aim: Our aim was to compare efficiency of standard devices with newer, more efficient aerosol delivery devices. Methods: Using salbutamol as a drug marker, we studied two prototypes of the investigational eFlow(®) nebulizer for babies (PARI Pharma GmbH), a jet nebulizer (Intersurgical(®) Cirrus(®)), and a pressurized metered dose inhaler (pMDI; GSK) with a detergent-coated holding chamber (AeroChamber(®) MV) in the premature infant nose throat-model (PrINT-model) of a 32-week preterm infant (1,750 g). A filter or an impactor was placed below the infant model's "trachea" to capture the drug dose or particle size, respectively, that would have been deposited in the lung. Results: Lung dose (percentage of nominal dose) was 1.5%, 6.8%, and 18.0-20.6% for the jet nebulizer, pMDI-holding chamber, and investigational eFlow nebulizers, respectively (p<0.001). Jet nebulizer residue was 69.4% and 10.7-13.9% for the investigational eFlow nebulizers (p<0.001). Adding an elbow extension between the eFlow and the model significantly lowered lung dose (p<0.001). A breathing pattern with lower tidal volume decreased deposition in the PrINT-model and device residue (p<0.05), but did not decrease lung dose. Conclusions: In a model for infant aerosol inhalation, we confirmed low lung dose using jet nebulizers and pMDI-holding chambers, whereas newer, more specialized vibrating membrane devices, designed specifically for use in preterm infants, deliver up to 20 times more drug to the infant's lung.

A smart multi-hop hierarchical routing protocol for efficient video communication over wireless multimedia sensor networks

For smart applications, nodes in wireless multimedia sensor networks (MWSNs) have to take decisions based on sensed scalar physical measurements. A routing protocol must provide the multimedia delivery with quality level support and be energy-efficient for large-scale networks. With this goal in mind, this paper proposes a smart Multi-hop hierarchical routing protocol for Efficient VIdeo communication (MEVI). MEVI combines an opportunistic scheme to create clusters, a cross-layer solution to select routes based on network conditions, and a smart solution to trigger multimedia transmission according to sensed data. Simulations were conducted to show the benefits of MEVI compared with the well-known Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) protocol. This paper includes an analysis of the signaling overhead, energy-efficiency, and video quality.

The nitrodibenzofuran chromophore: a new caging group for ultra-efficient photolysis in living cells

Photochemical uncaging of bio-active molecules was introduced in 1977, but since then, there has been no substantial improvement in the properties of generic caging chromophores. We have developed a new chromophore, nitrodibenzofuran (NDBF) for ultra-efficient uncaging of second messengers inside cells. Photolysis of a NDBF derivative of EGTA (caged calcium) is about 16-160 times more efficient than photolysis of the most widely used caged compounds (the quantum yield of photolysis is 0.7 and the extinction coefficient is 18,400 M(-1) cm(-1)). Ultraviolet (UV)-laser photolysis of NDBF-EGTA:Ca(2+) rapidly released Ca(2+) (rate of 20,000 s(-1)) and initiated contraction of skinned guinea pig cardiac muscle. NDBF-EGTA has a two-photon cross-section of approximately 0.6 GM and two-photon photolysis induced localized Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release from the sarcoplasmic recticulum of intact cardiac myocytes. Thus, the NDBF chromophore has great promise as a generic and photochemically efficient protecting group for both one- and two-photon uncaging in living cells.