Embedded multiplexed polymer optical fiber sensor for esophageal manometry

There is a growing interest for esophageal measurements which can provide important and reliable data when diagnosing the motor function of the sphincters and the esophageal body. Biocompatibility, sensing resolution and the comfort of the patient are key parameters for manometric sensing systems. A new sensing approach which could fulfill all these needs is presented in this paper consisting of an embedded polymer fiber sensor, based on multiplexed fiber Bragg gratings. A response to a radial pressure almost 6 times that of a comparable silica fiber based sensor is obtained.

Non-linear temperature response of Bragg gratings in doped and un-doped holey polymer optical fibre

We present measurements on the non-linear temperature response of fibre Bragg gratings recorded in pure and trans-4-stilbenemethanol-doped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) holey fibres.

Fibre Bragg gratings recorded in microstructured polymer optical fibre

We present results obtained since recording the first FBGs in microstructured polymer optical fibre (mPOF) and discuss the relative merits of Bragg grating based sensing with polymer optical fibre in general and mPOF in particular. © 2006 OSA/OFS 2006.

Comparison of hydrophilic and hydrophobic active molecules release from polymer-phospholipid complexes

Hypercoiling polymers can be suited for application to living systems because they are similar in structure to the protein-based lipid assemblies found at fluid interfaces within the body. This leads to a range of exciting possibilities, not only in membrane transport applications but also in biosensors, drug delivery and mechanistic studies of biological membrane function. This study is focused in the study of the stability and suitability of nanostructures made of a hypercoiling polymer for drug delivery applications. The polymer poly (styrene-maleic acid) (PSMA) was combined with the phospholipid dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) to form amphiphilic nanostructures. The stability and suitability of these polymer-phospholipid nanocarriers for hydrophobic and hydrophilic molecules load and release was analyzed by several techniques. It was found that several of the studied molecules had a substantial effect on the surface charge and stability of the nanocarrier. It was also demonstrated that two types of nanocarriers, chemically modified and unmodified, were able to control the release of the molecules, especially in the case of hydrophobic compounds. In addition, as the hydrophobicity increased the release slowed down. These clear nanocarriers have the potential to behave very favorably at interfaces such as the tear lipid film were transparency is a requirement, giving a new way of controlled drug release in the eye.