Technological development, broad availability and ubiquity of mobile phones made it possible in recent years to start a progression leading to the integration of mobile phones into biomedical analytical methods, the development of telemedicine and mobile personal health applications. This paper deals with the literature review of the mobile phone usage in biomedicine, with emphasis on the methods of optical analysis and technical solutions using 3D printing technology. It provides a draft and practical implementation of salivary cortiol level measuring system using a mobile phone, ELISA analytical methods, 3D printing technology and a set of custom Matlab functions connected with Matlab Mobile application and Mathworks Cloud. Also provides critical evaluation of results and method possibilities, and presents set of proposals and findings for quality of measurment optimization.

Background: The specification of metadata in clinical and epidemiological study projects absorbs significant expense. The validity and quality of the collected data depend heavily on the precise and semantical correct representation of their metadata. In various research organizations, which are planning and coordinating studies, the required metadata are specified differently, depending on many conditions, e.g., on the used study management software. The latter does not always meet the needs of a particular research organization, e.g., with respect to the relevant metadata attributes and structuring possibilities. Methods: The objective of the research, set forth in this paper, is the development of a new approach for ontology-based representation and management of metadata. The basic features of this approach are demonstrated by the software tool OntoStudyEdit (OSE). The OSE is designed and developed according to the three ontology method. This method for developing software is based on the interactions of three different kinds of ontologies: a task ontology, a domain ontology and a top-level ontology. Results: The OSE can be easily adapted to different requirements, and it supports an ontologically founded representation and efficient management of metadata. The metadata specifications can by imported from various sources; they can be edited with the OSE, and they can be exported in/to several formats, which are used, e.g., by different study management software. Conclusions: Advantages of this approach are the adaptability of the OSE by integrating suitable domain ontologies, the ontological specification of mappings between the import/export formats and the DO, the specification of the study metadata in a uniform manner and its reuse in different research projects, and an intuitive data entry for non-expert users.

Title: Magnesium alloys designed for medical applications Author: Mária Zemková Abstract: This Master thesis is focused on the influence of hot extrusion and equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) on the microstructure, mechanical and corrosion properties of magnesium alloys. Investigated materials include three magnesium alloys with the addition of neodymium and/or yttrium elements - N3, W3 and WN43, as a potential material for medical applications. Moreover, the influence of alloying elements in solid solution state was studied. Microstructure development was characterized by scanning electron microscopy together with transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Mechanical properties was studied by compression deformation tests in two perpendicular directions and by microhardness tests. The linear polarization method was used to study corrosion resistance. The processing though ECAP resulted in grain refinement in all three alloys. Ultra-fine grained microstructure was achieved in W3 and WN43 alloy. The high degree of recrystallization during ECAP caused the formation of high-angle grain boundaries in all three alloys. Weak texture evolution was maintained during both processings. A different initial fraction of intermetallic phases before extrusion led to significant changes of microstructure...

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by the rise of fasting plasma glucose from its normal range (≥125mg/dl). It is marked by insufficient production of insulin from pancreatic β-cells as a result of failed compensation due to insulin resistance. Several treatments are available for the disorder, which mainly focus on improving the sensitivity of insulin in different body tissues. Recently, probiotics were suggested as candidate treatments for type 2 diabetes and for extending lifespan as well. This experiment aims to investigate such claims using Drosophila melanogaster as a disease model.   Results: Other than the observed low average weights in treated larva samples, probiotics did not show any other significant results in affecting the length, glucose, glycogen, and trehalose levels (One-Way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis, p>0.05). Real-time PCR was only carried out once. Thus, no statistical tests were reliable enough to analyse the data obtained. The longevity study, on the other hand, did show significance (Log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test and Gehan-Breslow-Wilcoxon test, p<0.0001), as the probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis extended the lifespan of adult flies feeding on a high sugar diet significantly when compared to the control ones feeding on only high sugar diet without probiotics.   Conclusion: Except for weight measurements, none of the other results was reliable enough to make a concrete conclusion on whether the treatments indeed worked in reversing type 2 diabetes symptoms or not. Real-time PCR results did show some effects of some of the treatments at different developmental stages. However, unless Real-time PCR is repeated at least once using the same protocol, no deduction can be made. Additionally, the data obtained hint that the dosage used (0.025 g) was too high for larvae and adult flies and might have caused malnutrition by blocking their midgut and decreasing food absorption. Hence, false significant or non-significant results were acquired instead.   Further studies are required using a much lower probiotic dosage if Drosophila is used as a disease model. Although, other models such as mice or rats are recommended in this case, in order to reach a solid conclusion about the effectiveness of probiotics in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus. Baring these thoughts in mind and based on the results of this experiment, the null hypothesis indicating that there is no significant relationship between the use of probiotics and reversing type 2 diabetes mellitus symptoms is therefore accepted.

The applicability of SERVPERF as a tool for judging the quality of services used by biomedical information professionals was tested using standard statistical procedures. Data was gathered nationally via a combination of electronic and non-electronic forms, from Area Health Education Center (AHEC) information professionals and the results consolidated to provide information for the study. It was determined that SERVPERF was applicable in making judgements about service quality for AHEC information professionals. Their perceptions about service quality tended to have a greater influence than did their level of actual satisfaction on whether or not they planned to use a particular service in the future. There is currently no validated tool available to ascertain the quality of services offered to these valuable members of the rural health care team. This dissertation proposes to provide such a tool, and to serve as a guide or template for other professionals seeking a means to judge service quality in their own disciplines.

La dynamique de culture de cellules peut être modifié lors de l'application de champs magnétiques fluctuants afin d’stimuler la prolifération et longévité de cellules mais sans affecter leur viabilité. Cela se fait avec les conditions expérimentales et paramètres optimales. Dans cette thèse je montre l’étude à différents types de cellules tels que l’Entamoeva histolitica et invadens, les lynphosites humains et l’HEK-293E pour obtenir quelques paramètres importants qui puissent nous permettre à mieux comprendre les effets subis par elles quand un champ magnétique est appliqué. L’objective de mon travail est d’étudier la culture de cellules et sa dynamique quand elle ressent un champ magnétique d’une certaine intensité, a une certaine fréquence, le nombre de fois d’application et les effets que le champ peut l’induire. Je considère aussi la concentration de fluides paramagnétiques dans le milieu de culture chargé d’amplifier l’effet de stimulation. Finalement, je parlerais de la conception d’une instrumentationcapable de pourvoir aux cellules les meilleures conditions de reproduction telle que la température, espace, distribution efficace du champ magnétique et sa forme de radiation. La conception d’une nouvelle instrumentation qui puisse tenir en compte des nouvelles variables est aussi traitée. Cette même instrumentation s’est révélée très robuste pour être aussi appliquée dans d’autres sujets d’étude biomédicale avec des faibles modifications. Son utilisation en diagnostique de dislocation de la hanche, la mesure de fréquences dans la région gastroesophagea pour étudier la dynamique du métabolisme. / This thesis has the objective to determine the effect produced by weak magnetic field stimulation on the following types of cell cultures: Entamoeba histolytica, Entamoeba invadens, human lymphocyte, and HEK- 293T.Changes in cell’sproliferation and longevity without affecting their viability are thus studied. We intend to understand the effect produced by the magnetic field and gadolinium in the different levels of cell organization (organelle, macro molecules, and chemical reactions).We are mainly interested in asserting the behavior of cells in a controlled manner, for example when applying oscillating magnetic fields at different frequencies and time intervals as well as the addition of certain concentrations of super-paramagnetic fluid in the growing medium. Here I present effects on the cell motility of Entamoeba invadens cell cultures and the change in the natural cell behavior, such as controlled agglutination, cell movement velocity, membrane structural form. I also present the effects and dynamic responses on the growth of Entamoeba cells by applying an oscillating magnetic field in specific audio frequencies such as 100 Hz, 800 Hz, 1500 Hz, and 2500Hz, at six minutes time periodic intervals.

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