Introdução: a revascularização miocárdica (RM) sem circulação extracorpórea (CEC) tem sido associada a menores complicações quando comparadas à com CEC. Objetivos: determinar os efeitos da CEC em marcadores de hemostasia, fibrinólise, inflamação e correlacionar com eventos clínicos. Método: os pacientes foram incluídos de forma prospectiva e randomizada para cirurgia de RM com (n=41) ou sem CEC (n=51). As concentrações de proteína C reativa (PCR), fibrinogênio, dímero-D e inibidor do ativador do plasminogênio tipo 1 (PAI1) foram quantificadas antes e após (1 e 24 horas) a RM. As técnicas cirúrgicas e anestésicas foram padronizadas para ambos os grupos. Eventos clínicos foram avaliados durante a hospitalização inicial e após 1 ano de seguimento. Resultados: as concentrações de PAI1 e dímeros-d foram maiores quando comparados os valores pré-operatórios com os de 1 e 24 h, após a RM em ambos os grupos, porém as concentrações de PAI1 aumentadas estenderam-se por 24 h após a RM com CEC (p<0,01). A concentração de PCR teve um aumento de pequena magnitude imediatamente após a cirurgia em ambos os grupos e aumentou de modo similar 24h após a RM (p<0,01). A RM com CEC foi associada com maior perda sanguínea durante a cirurgia e mais sangramento pós-operatório (p<0,01). A incidência de todas as outras complicações foi similar nos dois grupos. Conclusão: a RM com CEC apresentou evidências bioquímicas de um estado pró-trombótico precoce após a cirurgia, porém, sem evidências no aumento no número de eventos trombóticos. O estado pró-trombótico pode ser consequência do circuito extracorpóreo, resposta compensatória ao sangramento, ou a ambos em pacientes submetidos à cirurgia com CEC. / Objective: To delineate the effects of extracorporeal bypass on biomarkers of hemostasis, fibrinolysis, and inflammation and clinical sequelae. Methods: Patients were assigned prospectively and randomly to either on-pump (n=41) or off-pump (n=51) coronary bypass surgery. The concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, D-dimer, and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) in blood were quantified before and after (1 hour and 24 hours) surgery. Similar surgical and anesthetic procedures were used for both groups. Clinical events were assessed during initial hospitalization and at the end of 1 year. Results: The concentrations of PAI-1 and d-dimer were greater compared with preoperative values 1 hour and 24 hours after surgery in both groups, but their concentrations increased to a greater extent 24 hours after surgery in the on-pump group (p<0.01). The concentration of CRP did not change appreciably immediately after surgery in either group but increased in a parallel fashion 24 hours after either on-pump or off-pump surgery (p<0.01). Bypass surgery in the on-pump group was associated with greater blood loss during surgery and more bleeding after surgery (p0.01). The incidence of all other complications was similar in the 2 groups. Conclusion: On-pump surgery was associated with biochemical evidence of a pro-thrombotic state early after surgery but no greater incidence of thrombotic events. The pro-thrombotic state may have been a consequence of extracorporeal bypass, compensation in response to more bleeding, or both in patients undergoing on-pump surgery.

Le taux de survie des patients souffrant d’un arrêt cardiaque extrahospitalier est inférieur à 10% même avec les meilleures pratiques en réanimation. Une nouvelle technique de réanimation, soit la réanimation par circulation extracorporelle, a été mise à l’essai et s’avère prometteuse pour améliorer le pronostic chez cette population. Par contre, des réponses à plusieurs enjeux doivent être obtenues avant de tester de façon prospective les avantages de cette technique, notamment quant aux impacts collatéraux sur les pratiques de réanimation préhospitalière qu’elle impliquerait, à la sélection des patients et aux potentielles stratégies de monitorage à utiliser chez ces patients. Cette thèse vise à répondre à ces questions avant d’éventuellement démontrer la valeur ajoutée de cette technique de réanimation et ainsi améliorer la survie pour ces patients. Le premier volet présente les résultats de trois études de cohorte explorant les impacts qu’aurait l’incorporation de la réanimation par circulation extracorporelle sur les protocoles de soins. Les résultats d’une première étude de cohorte ont démontré que la durée des manœuvres de réanimation avancées pratiquées en préhospitalier pourrait être réduite pour permettre un départ plus rapide vers un centre hospitalier pouvant initier la réanimation par circulation extracorporelle puisqu’il n’y avait pas d’association positive entre la durée de ces manœuvres et la survie chez ces patients. Les résultats d’une deuxième étude ont démontré que de rediriger les patients en arrêt cardiaque vers les centres hospitaliers pouvant pratiquer la réanimation par circulation extracorporelle pourrait augmenter leur taux de survie. Ce bénéfice potentiel subsistait jusqu’à un ajout de 14 minutes de la durée du trajet par ambulance dû à la redirection. Troisièmement, la modification de ces deux protocoles de soins permettrait à potentiellement trois fois plus de patients de bénéficier d’une réanimation par circulation extracorporelle. Le second volet présente les résultats de deux études visant à optimiser la sélection des patients pour une réanimation par circulation extracorporelle. Les résultats d’une première étude de cohorte descriptive ont démontré que les patients nécessitant plus de 10 défibrillations conservaient un pronostic de survie adéquat, et ainsi devraient demeurer éligible à une réanimation par circulation extracorporelle. Dans une deuxième étude de cohorte, nous avons étudié l’impact pronostique d’une conversion de rythme pendant la réanimation et avons démontré que le rythme initial était un meilleur marqueur de pronostic que la conversion du rythme. Ainsi, les patients ayant une conversion d’un rythme non-défibrillable à un rythme défibrillable ne devraient pas être retenus en première intention pour une réanimation par circulation extracorporelle, contrairement à ceux dont le rythme initial était déjà défibrillable. Les études du troisième volet visaient à explorer l’usage d’une technologie de monitorage de l’oxymétrie tissulaire, la spectroscopie proche-infrarouge, en raison de son potentiel pour mesurer en continu le degré d’oxygénation des candidats à une réanimation par circulation extracorporelle. Une revue systématique de la littérature a démontré l’utilité pronostique de cette technologie pour les patients en arrêt cardiaque. Ensuite, nous avons décrit à l’aide d’une cohorte prospective les propriétés métrologiques de deux appareils et les facteurs associés permettant d’optimiser leur utilité dans le contexte de patients en arrêt cardiaque. Les connaissances développées par l’entremise des études composant la présente thèse ont déjà été intégrées aux protocoles de prise en charge des patients souffrant d’un arrêt cardiaque extrahospitalier ce qui jette des bases solides pour poursuivre des recherches pour ultimement améliorer leur pronostic. / Despite advances in medical care, survival amongst out of hospital cardiac arrest patients remains low, with only 10% of patients surviving. The use of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a novel resuscitation procedure, has recently garnered interest and showed promise to improve resuscitation outcomes. However, questions remain to be answered before this technology can be prospectively evaluated, notably regarding the collateral impacts of its implementation, appropriate patient selection and the monitoring strategies to use for these patients. The main objective of this thesis is to answer these questions to eventually improve the outcome of patients suffering from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. In the first part, the results of three cohort studies exploring the potential impact of the implementation of extracorporeal resuscitation on prehospital resuscitation protocols are presented. A first cohort study showed that the duration of prehospital advanced cardiac life support could be reduced to allow for an earlier transport to an extracorporeal resuscitation centre. A second cohort study showed that patients being transported to specialized resuscitation centres might have increased survival. This increase in survival would remain despite an additional 14 minutes of prehospital transport time due to the redirection. A third study showed that prehospital redirection could triple the number of patients who could benefit from extracorporeal resuscitation. In the second part, the results of two studies aiming to improve the selection of adequate patients for extracorporeal resuscitation are presented. A first cohort study showed that patients requiring more than 10 defibrillations still had an adequate chance at survival and should remain eligible for an extracorporeal resuscitation. A second cohort study showed that the initial rhythm was a much better prognosticating factor than subsequent rhythms. Patients with an initial non- shockable rhythm who experience a conversion to a shockable rhythm should not be considered first-line candidates for extracorporeal resuscitation. In the third part, three studies exploring the potential uses of near-infrared spectroscopy for the monitoring of extracorporeal resuscitation patients are presented. A systematic review was first performed and showed the prognosticating ability of this technology for patients suffering from a cardiac arrest. Then, using a prospective cohort, the metrological properties and their determinants of two frequently used near-infrared spectroscopy devices were described, in order to optimize their uses in the context of cardiac arrest. The knowledge acquired by the studies comprised in this thesis has already been integrated in protocols guiding the care for patients suffering from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and has laid the foundation for the prospective evaluation of extracorporeal resuscitation for this population, which will hopefully ultimately lead to improvement in their prognosis.

No description available.

INTRODUÇÃO: A inflamação atua diretamente na gênese, progressão e manutenção da aterosclerose. A proteína C reativa ultrassensível (PCRus) é um biomarcador inflamatório preditor de eventos cardiovasculares (ECVs). OBJETIVOS: Analisar o comportamento da PCRus na revascularização do miocárdio (RM) com e sem circulação extracorpórea (CEC) nos períodos pré e pós-operatório e correlacioná-los com as variáveis biológicas e laboratoriais. MÉTODOS: Estudo clínico prospectivo não-randomizado, com 136 pacientes pertencentes ao The Medicine, Angioplasty or Surgery Study V (MASS-V Trial) sendo 93 do sexo masculino e 43 do sexo feminino. Foram elencados 69 pacientes para Grupo 1 (G1= RM com CEC) com média de idade de 61,7 anos e 67 pacientes foram elencados para o Grupo 2 (G2= RM sem CEC) com média de idade de 62,6 anos. Todos os participantes do estudo tiveram amostras de sangue coletadas para análise de glicose, triglicérides (TG), creatinina, colesterol total (CT), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) e creatinofosfoquinase (CPK) no pré-operatório. A coleta das amostras de creatinofosfoquinase MB (CKMB), troponina I (TnI) e proteína C reativa ultrassensível (PCRus), foi realizada no pré-operatório e após 6h, 12h, 24h, 36h, 48h e 72h do ato cirúrgico. Também foram obtidas no pré-operatório as variáveis biológicas de cada paciente (idade, tabagismo, diabetes mellitus (DM), lesão de tronco em coronária esquerda (TCE), índice de massa corpórea (IMC), infarto do miocárdio prévio (IAM prévio), fibrose do miocárdio). A presença de fibrose miocárdica foi analisada através de ressonância magnética cardíaca (RMC) 2 dias antes da cirurgia (F1= fibrose pré-operatória) e com 6 dias após a cirurgia (F2= fibrose pós-operatória). A PCRus foi analisada de maneira uni e bivariada com as variáveis laboratoriais e biológicas elencadas para este estudo. Foram incluídos todos os pacientes angiograficamente documentados com estenose multiarterial proximal > 70% e isquemia documentada por teste de esforço (TE) ou classificação de angina estável (Classe II ou III) pela Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS). Não foram incluídos neste estudo reoperações, cirurgias combinadas, infarto agudo do miocárdio (IAM) recente ( <= 6 meses), doença inflamatória recente, trombose venosa profunda (TVP) ou tromboembolismo pulmonar recente (TEP), insuficiência renal aguda (IRA) ou insuficiência renal crônica (IRC). RESULTADOS: Os grupos foram considerados comparáveis em função das variáveis biológicas e laboratoriais analisadas, exceto pela maior ocorrência de hipertensão arterial no G1 e de IAM no G2. Observou-se que houve aumento dos valores da PCRus obtidos no pós em relão ao pré-operatório (p < 0,001). Essa alteração foi significativa em relação às técnicas de RM empregadas. Uma análise bivariada correlacionou a área sob a curva da PCRus e as demais variáveis analisadas e não foi observada significância estatística (p > 0,05) com exceção da área sob a curva encontrada da creatinofosfoquinase (CPK) que resultou em uma correlação positiva no G1 (p=0,015). CONCLUSÕES: Houve aumento da PCRus no pós em relação ao pré-operatório. Este aumento ocorreu em todos os momentos avaliados do pós-operatório. Não houve diferença de comportamento da PCRus entre as técnicas de revascularização do miocárdio empregadas / INTRODUCTION: The inflammation acts directly on atherosclerosis genesis, progression and maintenance. Ultrassensitive C- reactive protein (usCRP) is an inflammatory biomarker that predicts cardiovascular events (CVEs). OBJECTIVES: To analyze the behavior of the usPCR in the MR (myocardial revascularization) with and without extracorporeal circulation (ECC) in the pre and postoperative periods and correlate them with the biological and laboratory variables. METHODS: A prospective non-randomized clinical study with 136 patients belonging to The Medicine, Angioplasty or Surgery Study V (MASS-V Trial), 93 males and 43 females. Sixty-nine patients were enrolled for Group 1 (G1 = MR with ECC) with a mean age of 61.7 years and 67 patients were assigned to Group 2 (G2 = MR without ECC) with a mean age of 62.6 years. All participants in the study had blood samples collected to analyse of glucose, triglycerides (TG), creatinine, total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and creatinephosphokinase (CPK) in the preoperative. The samples of creatinephosphokinase MB (CKMB), Troponin I (ITn) and usCRP were collected in the preoperative and after 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 hours from the surgery. The laboratory analysis provided the usCRP that was analyzed in a univariate and bivariate way. We also analyzed in the preoperative biological variables of each patient (age, smoking, diabetes mellitus (DM), left coronary trunk lesion (LCT), body mass index (BMI), previous myocardial infarction (previous AMI), myocardial fibrosis). The presence of myocardial fibrosis was analyzed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) 2 days before surgery (F1 = preoperative fibrosis) and 6 days after surgery (F2 = postoperative fibrosis). The usCRP was analyzed in a univariate and bivariate way using with the laboratory and biological variables listed for this study. All angiographically documented patients with > 70% proximal multiarterial stenosis and ischemia, documented by stress test (ST) or classification of stable angina (Class II or III), according to the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS), were included. Reoperations, combined surgeries, recent acute myocardial infarction (AMI) ( <=6 months), recent inflammatory disease, deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or recent pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE), acute renal failure (ARF), or chronic renal failure (CRF), were not included. RESULTS: The groups were considered comparable according to the biological and laboratory variables analyzed, except for the greater occurrence of SAH in G1 and AMI in G2. It was observed that there was an increase in the usCRP values obtained in the postoperative period in relation to the preoperative period (p < 0.001). This change was significant in relation to the MR techniques employed. A bivariate analysis correlated the area under the usCRP curve and the other variables analyzed and no statistical significance was observed (p > 0.05) except for the area under the creatine phosphokinase (CPK) curve that resulted in a positive correlation in G1 (p=0.015). CONCLUSIONS: There was an increase in usCRP in the postoperative period compared to the preoperative period. This increase occurred in all moments assessed postoperatively. There was no difference in the usCRP behavior between the two myocardial revascularization techniques employed

INTRODUÇÃO: A inflamação atua diretamente na gênese, progressão e manutenção da aterosclerose. A proteína C reativa ultrassensível (PCRus) é um biomarcador inflamatório preditor de eventos cardiovasculares (ECVs). OBJETIVOS: Analisar o comportamento da PCRus na revascularização do miocárdio (RM) com e sem circulação extracorpórea (CEC) nos períodos pré e pós-operatório e correlacioná-los com as variáveis biológicas e laboratoriais. MÉTODOS: Estudo clínico prospectivo não-randomizado, com 136 pacientes pertencentes ao The Medicine, Angioplasty or Surgery Study V (MASS-V Trial) sendo 93 do sexo masculino e 43 do sexo feminino. Foram elencados 69 pacientes para Grupo 1 (G1= RM com CEC) com média de idade de 61,7 anos e 67 pacientes foram elencados para o Grupo 2 (G2= RM sem CEC) com média de idade de 62,6 anos. Todos os participantes do estudo tiveram amostras de sangue coletadas para análise de glicose, triglicérides (TG), creatinina, colesterol total (CT), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) e creatinofosfoquinase (CPK) no pré-operatório. A coleta das amostras de creatinofosfoquinase MB (CKMB), troponina I (TnI) e proteína C reativa ultrassensível (PCRus), foi realizada no pré-operatório e após 6h, 12h, 24h, 36h, 48h e 72h do ato cirúrgico. Também foram obtidas no pré-operatório as variáveis biológicas de cada paciente (idade, tabagismo, diabetes mellitus (DM), lesão de tronco em coronária esquerda (TCE), índice de massa corpórea (IMC), infarto do miocárdio prévio (IAM prévio), fibrose do miocárdio). A presença de fibrose miocárdica foi analisada através de ressonância magnética cardíaca (RMC) 2 dias antes da cirurgia (F1= fibrose pré-operatória) e com 6 dias após a cirurgia (F2= fibrose pós-operatória). A PCRus foi analisada de maneira uni e bivariada com as variáveis laboratoriais e biológicas elencadas para este estudo. Foram incluídos todos os pacientes angiograficamente documentados com estenose multiarterial proximal > 70% e isquemia documentada por teste de esforço (TE) ou classificação de angina estável (Classe II ou III) pela Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS). Não foram incluídos neste estudo reoperações, cirurgias combinadas, infarto agudo do miocárdio (IAM) recente ( <= 6 meses), doença inflamatória recente, trombose venosa profunda (TVP) ou tromboembolismo pulmonar recente (TEP), insuficiência renal aguda (IRA) ou insuficiência renal crônica (IRC). RESULTADOS: Os grupos foram considerados comparáveis em função das variáveis biológicas e laboratoriais analisadas, exceto pela maior ocorrência de hipertensão arterial no G1 e de IAM no G2. Observou-se que houve aumento dos valores da PCRus obtidos no pós em relão ao pré-operatório (p < 0,001). Essa alteração foi significativa em relação às técnicas de RM empregadas. Uma análise bivariada correlacionou a área sob a curva da PCRus e as demais variáveis analisadas e não foi observada significância estatística (p > 0,05) com exceção da área sob a curva encontrada da creatinofosfoquinase (CPK) que resultou em uma correlação positiva no G1 (p=0,015). CONCLUSÕES: Houve aumento da PCRus no pós em relação ao pré-operatório. Este aumento ocorreu em todos os momentos avaliados do pós-operatório. Não houve diferença de comportamento da PCRus entre as técnicas de revascularização do miocárdio empregadas / INTRODUCTION: The inflammation acts directly on atherosclerosis genesis, progression and maintenance. Ultrassensitive C- reactive protein (usCRP) is an inflammatory biomarker that predicts cardiovascular events (CVEs). OBJECTIVES: To analyze the behavior of the usPCR in the MR (myocardial revascularization) with and without extracorporeal circulation (ECC) in the pre and postoperative periods and correlate them with the biological and laboratory variables. METHODS: A prospective non-randomized clinical study with 136 patients belonging to The Medicine, Angioplasty or Surgery Study V (MASS-V Trial), 93 males and 43 females. Sixty-nine patients were enrolled for Group 1 (G1 = MR with ECC) with a mean age of 61.7 years and 67 patients were assigned to Group 2 (G2 = MR without ECC) with a mean age of 62.6 years. All participants in the study had blood samples collected to analyse of glucose, triglycerides (TG), creatinine, total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and creatinephosphokinase (CPK) in the preoperative. The samples of creatinephosphokinase MB (CKMB), Troponin I (ITn) and usCRP were collected in the preoperative and after 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 hours from the surgery. The laboratory analysis provided the usCRP that was analyzed in a univariate and bivariate way. We also analyzed in the preoperative biological variables of each patient (age, smoking, diabetes mellitus (DM), left coronary trunk lesion (LCT), body mass index (BMI), previous myocardial infarction (previous AMI), myocardial fibrosis). The presence of myocardial fibrosis was analyzed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) 2 days before surgery (F1 = preoperative fibrosis) and 6 days after surgery (F2 = postoperative fibrosis). The usCRP was analyzed in a univariate and bivariate way using with the laboratory and biological variables listed for this study. All angiographically documented patients with > 70% proximal multiarterial stenosis and ischemia, documented by stress test (ST) or classification of stable angina (Class II or III), according to the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS), were included. Reoperations, combined surgeries, recent acute myocardial infarction (AMI) ( <=6 months), recent inflammatory disease, deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or recent pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE), acute renal failure (ARF), or chronic renal failure (CRF), were not included. RESULTS: The groups were considered comparable according to the biological and laboratory variables analyzed, except for the greater occurrence of SAH in G1 and AMI in G2. It was observed that there was an increase in the usCRP values obtained in the postoperative period in relation to the preoperative period (p < 0.001). This change was significant in relation to the MR techniques employed. A bivariate analysis correlated the area under the usCRP curve and the other variables analyzed and no statistical significance was observed (p > 0.05) except for the area under the creatine phosphokinase (CPK) curve that resulted in a positive correlation in G1 (p=0.015). CONCLUSIONS: There was an increase in usCRP in the postoperative period compared to the preoperative period. This increase occurred in all moments assessed postoperatively. There was no difference in the usCRP behavior between the two myocardial revascularization techniques employed

Title Comparison between the effectiveness of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) and the surgical approach in the treatment of the rotator cuff tendinopathy. Objective The main goal of this research work is comparing the effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy and the surgical intervention (arthroscopic approach) in the treatment of calcific rotator cuff tendinopathy depending on the outcome measures of the Constant-Murley Score (CMS), and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) from the recent scientific publications. Methodology This thesis is systemic (literature) review. The studies which recruited in this research were randomized controlled trials, prospective studies, and retrospective case series studies which written in English language form, and published between the year 2000 to the year 2018. The studies were retrieved from following databases: EMBASE, PubMed, CINAHL, Medline, SpringerLink, ProQuest using different integrations of the key words. The participants in the studies were from both genders and all ages. The type of the pathology which included in this research was chronic calcific rotator cuff tendinopathy. Regarding the intervention types both Radial, and Focused ESWT with low, medium, and high intensities and the arthroscopic interventions were the main types of...

Chapter–I Introduction Shock waves appear in nature whenever the different elements in a fluid approach one another with a velocity larger than the local speed of sound. Shock waves are essentially non-linear waves that propagate at supersonic speeds. Such disturbances occur in steady transonic or supersonic flows, during explosions, earthquakes, tsunamis, lightening strokes and contact surfaces in laboratory devices. Any sudden release of energy (within few μs) will invariably result in the formation of shock wave since it is one of the efficient mechanisms of energy dissipation observed in nature. The dissipation of mechanical, nuclear, chemical, and electrical energy in a limited space will result in the formation of a shock wave. However, it is possible to generate micro-shock waves in laboratory using different methods including controlled explosions. One of the unique features of shock wave propagation in any medium (solid, liquid or gases) is their ability to instantaneously enhance pressure and temperature of the medium. Shock waves have been successfully used for disintegrating kidney stones, non-invasive angiogenic therapy and osteoporosis treatment. In this study, we have generated a novel method to produce micro-shock waves using micro-explosions. Different biological applications were developed by further exploring the physical properties of shock waves. Chapter – II Bacterial transformation using micro-shock waves In bacteria, uptake of DNA occurs naturally by transformation, transduction and conjugation. The most widely used methods for artificial bacterial transformation are procedures based on CaCl2 treatment and electroporation. In this chapter, controlled micro-shock waves were harnessed to develop a unique bacterial transformation method. The conditions have been optimized for the maximum transformation efficiency in E. coli. The highest transformation efficiency achieved (1 × 10-5 transformants per cell) was at least 10 times greater than the previously reported ultrasound mediated transformation (1 × 10-6 transformants per cell). This method has also been successfully employed for the efficient and reproducible transformation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella Typhimurium. This novel method of transformation has been shown to be as efficient as electroporation with the added advantage of better recovery of cells, economical (40 times cheaper than commercial electroporator) and growth-phase independent transformation. Chapter – III Needle-less vaccine delivery using micro-shock waves Utilizing the instantaneous mechanical impulse generated behind the micro-shock wave during controlled explosion, a novel non-intrusive needleless vaccine delivery system has been developed. It is well established, that antigens in the epidermis are efficiently presented by resident Langerhans cells, eliciting the requisite immune response, making them a good target for vaccine delivery. Unfortunately, needle free devices for epidermal delivery have inherent problems from the perspective of patient safety and comfort. The penetration depth of less than 100 µm in the skin can elicit higher immune response without any pain. Here the efficient utilization of the device for micro-shock wave mediated vaccination was demonstrated. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium vaccine strain pmrG-HM-D (DV-STM-07) was delivered using our device in the murine salmonellosis model and the effectiveness of the delivery system for vaccination was compared with other routes of vaccination. The device mediated vaccination elicits better protection as well as IgG response even in lower vaccine dose (ten-fold lesser), compare to other routes of vaccination. Chapter – IV In vitro and in vivo biofilm disruption using shock waves Many of the bacteria secrete highly hydrated framework of extracellular polymer matrix on encountering suitable substrates and get embedded within the matrix to form biofilm. Bacterial colonization in biofilm form is observed in most of the medical devices as well as during infections. Since these bacteria are protected by the polymeric matrix, antibiotic concentration of more than 1000 times of the MIC is required to treat these infections. Active research is being undertaken to develop antibacterial coated medical implants to prevent the formation of biofilm. Here, a novel strategy to treat biofilm colonization in medical devices and infectious conditions by employing shock waves was developed. Micro-shock waves assisted disintegration of Salmonella, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus biofilm in urinary catheters was demonstrated. The biofilm treated with micro-shock waves became susceptible to antibiotics, whereas the untreated was resistant. Apart from medical devices, the study was extended to Pseudomonas lung infection model in mice. Mice exposed to shock waves responded well to ciprofloxacin while ciprofloxacin alone could not rescue the mice from infection. All the mice survived when antibiotic treatment was provided along with shock wave exposure. These results clearly demonstrate that shock waves can be used along with antibiotic treatment to tackle chronic conditions resulting from biofilm formation in medical devices as well as biological infections. Chapter – V Shock wave responsive drug delivery system for therapeutic application Different systems have been used for more efficient drug delivery as well as targeted delivery. Responsive drug delivery systems have also been developed where different stimuli (pH, temperature, ultrasound etc.) are used to trigger the drug release. In this study, a novel drug delivery system which responds to shock waves was developed. Spermidine and dextran sulfate was used to develop the microcapsules using layer by layer method. Ciprofloxacin was loaded in the capsules and we have used shock waves to release the drug. Only 10% of the drug was released in 24 h at pH 7.4, whereas 20% of the drug was released immediately after the particles were exposed to shock waves. Almost 90% of the drug release was observed when the particles were exposed to shock waves 5 times. Since shock waves can be used to induce angiogenesis and wound healing, Staphylococcus aureus skin infection model was used to show the effectiveness of the delivery system. The results show that shock wave can be used to trigger the drug release and can be used to treat the wound effectively. A brief summary of the studies that does not directly deal with the biological applications of shock waves are included in the Appendix. Different drug delivery systems were developed to check their effect in Salmonella infection as well as cancer. It was shown for the first time that silver nanoparticles interact with serum proteins and hence the antimicrobial properties are affected. In a nutshell, the potential of shock waves was harnessed to develop novel experimental tools/technologies that transcend the traditional boundaries of basic science and engineering.