Differential Sensing Approach as a Pattern-based Discrimination for Biological Samples.

The differential sensing approach uses fingerprint patterning to distinguish uncharacterized biological samples. Inspired by natural sensory systems, an array of cross-reactive sensors generates unique response fingerprint depending on the samples. Until today, this array system has been developed using various materials, including the library of surface-charged nanoparticles and chemosensors. Many differential array systems have demonstrated accurate identification of bacterial species, viral subtypes, and cancer cells, as well as distinguishing disease states in blood or urine. This capability is particularly important for distinguishing between normal and abnormal states when specific marker molecules have not yet been identified, providing a powerful diagnostic tool. In this concept, we summarized representative outcomes of differential sensing applications for biological sample discrimination.

Level of Anxiety Shows a Positive Correlation With the Frequency of Acute Cystitis Recurrence in Women.

PURPOSE: Previous studies have simply confirmed recurrence of acute cystitis negatively affects a patient's psychological state. This study was performed to assess the impact of the recurrence of urinary tract infections on anxiety and depression and further assess whether there is a correlation between the number of recurrences and the degree of anxiety and depression. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled patients with recurrent cystitis who visited a tertiary care center between April 2018 and June 2022. For eligible patients, depression and anxiety were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Among the clinical characteristics, factors that independently affected the degree of depression and anxiety were analyzed. Additionally, the relationship between the level of anxiety, depression, and the number of recurrent cystitis was assessed. RESULTS: A total of 112 female patients with recurrent cystitis were enrolled in this study. The proportion of patients with depression (moderate, 8%; severe, 0%) was relatively low compared with that of patients with anxiety (moderate, 22.3%; severe, 68.8%). Multivariate regression analysis showed that more recurrent episodes were significantly associated with higher anxiety scores (P<0.001). It was confirmed that longer disease duration is associated with higher depression scores (P=0.031). Additionally, there was a positive correlation between the number of recurrences and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores (r=0.362, P<0.001 and r=0.248, P=0.009, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our study reveals that recurrent cystitis notably increases patients' anxiety, correlating with the frequency of recurrences. Disease duration is also linked to depression. These findings emphasize the importance of preventing urinary tract infection recurrences to reduce psychological complications. To reinforce these results, larger cohort studies are necessary.

The Degree of Hydronephrosis as an Indicator of the Necessity for Ureteric Dilatation during Ureteroscopic Lithotripsy.

During rigid ureteroscopic lithotripsy, it is often encountered that the ureter is difficult to access. Attempts to advance the ureteroscope make the surgery more difficult. This study evaluated the preoperative predictive factors associated with difficult ureteral access (difficult ureter (DU)) during URS and assessed if clinical outcomes differed according to the degree of DU. This study identified 217 patients who underwent rigid ureteroscopic (URS) lithotripsy for the management of ureter stones between June 2017 and July 2021 in a tertiary hospital in Korea. In this group, preoperative factors were identified using univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses that could predict the degree of DU. Additionally, we also evaluated differences in treatment outcomes depending on the degree of DU. In 50 URS cases (22.0%), ureteral access using a ureteroscope was difficult. In the univariate and multivariate analyses, the degree of hydronephrosis was associated with the degree of DU. Treatment outcomes, extended operation times, low stone-free rate, postoperative pain, and secondary treatment were also significantly associated with the degree of DU. Clinicians can counsel patients with a lesser degree of hydronephrosis and approach their management accordingly.