RFID trial: localization of non-palpable breast lesions using radiofrequency identification tags or wire.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in women. Approximately 50% of breast cancers are discovered at an early stage in patients for whom conservative surgery is indicated. Intraoperative localization of non-palpable breast lesions is generally accomplished using a hook wire to mark the area of concern under ultrasound or stereotactic localization. But this technique has several drawbacks (painful, stressful…). We propose the use of a wire-free breast lesion system using miniature radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags. This technique could improve patient comfort and surgical comfort for surgeons. We therefore propose a study to assess the interest of introducing the RFID localization technique at the Jean PERRIN comprehensive cancer center. METHODS: This is a single-center prospective trial designed to assess the interest in introducing the RFID localization technique at the Jean Perrin center. It aims to show the superiority of the RFID technique in terms of patient tolerance compared to the gold-standard (hook wire). A sequential inclusion in time will be performed: 20 inclusions in the gold-standard group, then 20 patients in the RFID group before repeating the inclusion scheme. Any patient requiring preoperative localization will receive a senology consultation. The RFID tag will be placed during this consultation. The hook wire localization will be done the day before the surgery. Patients will fill out a Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD) questionnaire at the time of inclusion. They will then fill out a satisfaction questionnaire in 2 steps: during the placement of the device (RFID tag or hook wire) or during the postoperative consultation at 1 month. Radiologists and surgeons will fill out a questionnaire to evaluate the localization technique, respectively after the localization and surgery procedures. DISCUSSION: The RFID study is the first study in France which specifically assesses the interest of the RFID localization in terms of patients comfort. Patient comfort is one of the key elements to take into consideration when managing patients in oncology and new technologies such as RFID tags could improve it. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov ID; NCT04750889 registered on February 11, 2021.

Real-time site safety risk assessment and intervention method using the RFID-based multi-sensor intelligent system.

BACKGROUND: One of the main problems that may put people's safety in danger is the lack of real-time detection, evaluation, and recognition of predictable safety risks. Current real-time risk identification solutions are limited to proximity sensing, which lack providing the exposed person with risk-specific information in real-time. Combined values of concurrently presented risks are either unrecognized or underestimated. OBJECTIVE: This study goes beyond the proximity sensing state-of-the-art by envisioning, planning, designing, developing, assembling, and examining an automated intelligent real-time risk (AIR) assessment system. METHODS: A holistic safety assessment approach is followed to include identification, prioritization, detection, evaluation, and control at risk exposure time. Multi-sensor technologies based on RFID are integrated with a risk assessment intelligent system. System prototype is developed and examined to prove the concept for on-foot building construction workers. RESULTS: The evaluation of AIR assessment system's performance proved its validity, significance, simplicity, representation, accuracy, precision, and timeliness. The reliability of providing quantitative proximity values of risk can be limited due to the signal attenuation; however, it can be reliable in providing risk proximity in a subjective linguistic fashion (Near/Far). CONCLUSION: The main contributions of the AIR assessment system are that the mobile wearable device can provide a linguistic meaningful risk assessment resultant value, the value represents the combined evaluation of concurrently presented risks, and can be sound delivered to the exposed person in real-time of exposure. Therefore, AIR system can be used as an effective prognostic risk assessment tool that can empower workers with real-time recognition and measurability of risk exposure.

Use of radio-frequency identification technology to assess the frequency of cattle visits to mineral feeders.

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the frequency of visits to a mineral feeder equipped with radio-frequency identification (RFID). In Exp. 1, twelve heifers (Braford, Brahman, and White Angus; n = 4/breed) were fitted with RFID ear tags and placed into a pasture with access to a RFID-equipped mineral feeder. Number of visits were greater (P ≤ 0.05) during daytime than the night period. Brahman and Braford heifers favored (P ≤ 0.05) daytime than night period. White Angus heifers did not display a specific period preference (P = 0.32). In Exp. 2, Black Angus and Brahman cows (n = 15 and 19, respectively) were placed into a pasture with access to a RFID-equipped mineral feeder. Brahman cows made more (P < 0.01) visits to the mineral feeder than Black Angus cows. There were no breed differences on the number of visits during the morning (P = 0.25) and night (P ≤ 0.25) periods, but Brahman cows made more (P ≤ 0.05) visits to the mineral feeder in the afternoon period than Black Angus cows. In Exp. 3, the location of the mineral feeder was tested using 3 groups of Bos indicus-influenced heifers (n = 12/group). The mineral feeder was moved weekly within pasture. The number of visits to the mineral feeder differed for each location (P < 0.001) with visits being greatest when mineral feeder was placed near supplement and water, followed by center of the pasture, and lastly in the shade.

Effects of exposure to electromagnetic field from 915 MHz radiofrequency identification system on circulating blood cells in the healthy adult rat.

We investigated whether exposure to the 915 MHz radiofrequency identification (RFID) signal affected circulating blood cells in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to RFID at a whole-body specific absorption rate of 2 W/kg for 8 h per day, 5 days per week, for 2 weeks. Complete blood counts were performed after RFID exposure, and the CD4+ /CD8+ ratio was determined by flow cytometry. The number of red blood cells (RBCs) and the values of hemoglobin, hematocrit, and RBC indices were increased in the RFID-exposed group compared with those in the cage-control and sham-exposed groups (P < 0.05). However, the RBCs and platelet numbers were within normal physiologic response ranges. The number of white blood cells, including lymphocytes, was decreased in RFID-exposed rats. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the sham-exposed and RFID-exposed groups in terms of T-cell counts or CD4+ /CD8+ ratio (P > 0.05). Although the number of circulating blood cells was significantly altered by RFID exposure at a whole-body specific absorption rate of 2 W/kg for 2 weeks, these changes do not necessarily indicate that RFID exposure is harmful, as they were within the normal physiological response range. Bioelectromagnetics. 39:68-76, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Patterns of pollen and nectar foraging specialization by bumblebees over multiple timescales using RFID.

The ecological success of social insects is frequently ascribed to improvements in task performance due to division of labour amongst workers. While much research has focused on improvements associated with lifetime task specialization, members of colonies can specialize on a given task over shorter time periods. Eusocial bees in particular must collect pollen and nectar rewards to survive, but most workers appear to mix collection of both rewards over their lifetimes. We asked whether bumblebees specialize over timescales shorter than their lifetime. We also explored factors that govern such patterns, and asked whether reward specialists made more foraging bouts than generalists. In particular, we described antennal morphology and size of all foragers in a single colony and related these factors to each forager's complete foraging history, obtained using radio frequency identification (RFID). Only a small proportion of foragers were lifetime specialists; nevertheless, >50% of foragers specialized daily on a given reward. Contrary to expectations, daily and lifetime reward specialists were not better foragers (being neither larger nor making more bouts); larger bees with more antennal olfactory sensilla made more bouts, but were not more specialized. We discuss causes and functions of short and long-term patterns of specialization for bumblebee colonies.

Novel wireless health monitor with acupuncture bio-potentials obtained by using a replaceable salt-water-wetted foam-rubber cushions on RFID-tag.

This paper proposes a bio-potential measurement apparatus including a wireless device for transmitting acupuncture bio-potential information to a remote control station for health conditions analysis and monitor. The key technology of this system is to make replaceable foam-rubber cushions, double-side conducting tapes, chip and antenna on the radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. The foam-rubber cushions can be wetted with salt-water and contact with the acupuncture points to reduce contact resistance. Besides, the double-side conducting tapes are applied to fix foam-rubber cushions. Thus, one can peel the used cushions or tapes away and supply new ones quickly. Since the tag is a flexible plastic substrate, it is easy to deploy on the skin. Besides, the amplifier made by CMOS technology on RFID chip could amplify the signals to improve S/N ratio and impedance matching. Thus, cloud server can wirelessly monitor the health conditions. An example shows that the proposed system can be used as a wireless health condition monitor, the numerical method and the criteria are given to analyze eleven bio-potentials for the important acupunctures of eleven meridians on a person's hands and legs. Then a professional doctor can know the performance of an individual and the cross-linking effects of the organs.

Field realistic doses of pesticide imidacloprid reduce bumblebee pollen foraging efficiency.

Bumblebees and other pollinators provide a vital ecosystem service for the agricultural sector. Recent studies however have suggested that exposure to systemic neonicotinoid insecticides in flowering crops has sub-lethal effects on the bumblebee workforce, and hence in reducing queen production. The mechanism behind reduced nest performance, however, remains unclear. Here we use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to test whether exposure to a low, field realistic dose (0.7 ppb in sugar water and 6 ppb in pollen) of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, reduces worker foraging efficiency. Whilst the nectar foraging efficiency of bees treated with imidacloprid was not significantly different than that of control bees, treated bees brought back pollen less often than control bees (40 % of trips vs 63 % trips, respectively) and, where pollen was collected, treated bees brought back 31 % less pollen per hour than controls. This study demonstrates that field-realistic doses of these pesticides substantially impacts on foraging ability of bumblebee workers when collecting pollen, and we suggest that this provides a causal mechanism behind reduced queen production in imidacloprid exposed colonies.

ICT and mobile health to improve clinical process delivery. a research project for therapy management process innovation.

The volume and the complexity of clinical and administrative information make Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) essential for running and innovating healthcare. This paper tells about a project aimed to design, develop and implement a set of organizational models, acknowledged procedures and ICT tools (Mobile & Wireless solutions and Automatic Identification and Data Capture technologies) to improve actual support, safety, reliability and traceability of a specific therapy management (stem cells). The value of the project is to design a solution based on mobile and identification technology in tight collaboration with physicians and actors involved in the process to ensure usability and effectivenes in process management.

Increasing the reliability of production schedules in a pharmaceutical packaging department.

This paper studies quantitative methods for evaluating the potential benefits of introducing new advanced tracking technologies in the pharmaceutical industry with special reference to radio frequency identification (RFID). RFID technology is an effective way for increasing the quality of the data that are used to generate production schedules, but there is a lack of scientific research to quantify the return on investment that can be achieved in practice. In this work, we distinguish two major sources of data unreliability: one is the inherent stochasticity of operations, which cannot be reduced by RFID, and the other one is the data estimation error, which can be significantly reduced by RFID. We focus on the marginal contribution of the latter quantity to the productivity of the packaging department of a pharmaceutical plant, propose a systematic method for assessing this impact and discuss its implementation in a practical test case. Our results confirm that advanced tracking technologies in combination with effective scheduling procedures show a significant potential for improving productivity. Extensions to other production environments and their issues associated with scheduling problems are also discussed.

A new laboratory radio frequency identification (RFID) system for behavioural tracking of marine organisms.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) devices are currently used to quantify several traits of animal behaviour with potential applications for the study of marine organisms. To date, behavioural studies with marine organisms are rare because of the technical difficulty of propagating radio waves within the saltwater medium. We present a novel RFID tracking system to study the burrowing behaviour of a valuable fishery resource, the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus L.). The system consists of a network of six controllers, each handling a group of seven antennas. That network was placed below a microcosm tank that recreated important features typical of Nephrops' grounds, such as the presence of multiple burrows. The animals carried a passive transponder attached to their telson, operating at 13.56 MHz. The tracking system was implemented to concurrently report the behaviour of up to three individuals, in terms of their travelled distances in a specified unit of time and their preferential positioning within the antenna network. To do so, the controllers worked in parallel to send the antenna data to a computer via a USB connection. The tracking accuracy of the system was evaluated by concurrently recording the animals' behaviour with automated video imaging. During the two experiments, each lasting approximately one week, two different groups of three animals each showed a variable burrow occupancy and a nocturnal displacement under a standard photoperiod regime (12 h light:12 h dark), measured using the RFID method. Similar results were obtained with the video imaging. Our implemented RFID system was therefore capable of efficiently tracking the tested organisms and has a good potential for use on a wide variety of other marine organisms of commercial, aquaculture, and ecological interest.

Analysis of induced electrical currents from magnetic field coupling inside implantable neurostimulator leads.

BACKGROUND: Over the last decade, the number of neurostimulator systems implanted in patients has been rapidly growing. Nearly 50, 000 neurostimulators are implanted worldwide annually. The most common type of implantable neurostimulators is indicated for pain relief. At the same time, commercial use of other electromagnetic technologies is expanding, making electromagnetic interference (EMI) of neurostimulator function an issue of concern. Typically reported sources of neurostimulator EMI include security systems, metal detectors and wireless equipment. When near such sources, patients with implanted neurostimulators have reported adverse events such as shock, pain, and increased stimulation. In recent in vitro studies, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has been shown to inhibit the stimulation pulse of an implantable neurostimulator system during low frequency exposure at close distances. This could potentially be due to induced electrical currents inside the implantable neurostimulator leads that are caused by magnetic field coupling from the low frequency identification system. METHODS: To systematically address the concerns posed by EMI, we developed a test platform to assess the interference from coupled magnetic fields on implantable neurostimulator systems. To measure interference, we recorded the output of one implantable neurostimulator, programmed for best therapy threshold settings, when in close proximity to an operating low frequency RFID emitter. The output contained electrical potentials from the neurostimulator system and those induced by EMI from the RFID emitter. We also recorded the output of the same neurostimulator system programmed for best therapy threshold settings without RFID interference. Using the Spatially Extended Nonlinear Node (SENN) model, we compared threshold factors of spinal cord fiber excitation for both recorded outputs. RESULTS: The electric current induced by low frequency RFID emitter was not significant to have a noticeable effect on electrical stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated a method for analyzing effects of coupled magnetic field interference on implantable neurostimulator system and its electrodes which could be used by device manufacturers during the design and testing phases of the development process.

Electromagnetic compatibility of implantable neurostimulators to RFID emitters.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to investigate electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of implantable neurostimulators with the emissions from radio frequency identification (RFID) emitters. METHODS: Six active implantable neurostimulators with lead systems were tested for susceptibility to electromagnetic fields generated by 22 RFID emitters. These medical devices have been approved for marketing in the U.S. for a number of intended uses that include: epilepsy, depression, incontinence, Parkinsonian tremor and pain relief. Each RFID emitter had one of the following carrier frequencies: 125 kHz, 134 kHz, 13.56 MHz, 433 MHz, 915 MHz and 2.45 GHz. RESULTS: The test results showed the output of one of the implantable neurostimulators was inhibited by 134 kHz RFID emitter at separation distances of 10 cm or less. The output of the same implantable neurostimulator was also inhibited by another 134 kHz RFID emitter at separation distances of 10 cm or less and also showed inconsistent pulsing rate at a separation distance of 15 cm. Both effects occurred during and lasted through out the duration of the exposure. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical significance of the effects was assessed by a clinician at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The effects were determined to be clinically significant only if they occurred for extended period of time. There were no observed effects from the other 5 implantable neurostimulators or during exposures from other RFID emitters.

RF-Medisys: a radio frequency identification-based electronic medical record system for improving medical information accessibility and services at point of care.

This paper presents an innovative electronic medical records (EMR) system, RF-MediSys, which can perform medical information sharing and retrieval effectively and which is accessible via a 'smart' medical card. With such a system, medical diagnoses and treatment decisions can be significantly improved when compared with the conventional practice of using paper medical records systems. Furthermore, the entire healthcare delivery process, from registration to the dispensing or administration of medicines, can be visualised holistically to facilitate performance review. To examine the feasibility of implementing RF-MediSys and to determine its usefulness to users of the system, a survey was conducted within a multi-disciplinary medical service organisation that operates a network of medical clinics and paramedical service centres throughout Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories. Questionnaires were distributed to 300 system users, including nurses, physicians and patients, to collect feedback on the operation and performance of RF-MediSys in comparison with conventional paper-based medical record systems. The response rate to the survey was 67%. Results showed a medium to high level of user satisfaction with the radiofrequency identification (RFID)-based EMR system. In particular, respondents provided high ratings on both 'user-friendliness' and 'system performance'. Findings of the survey highlight the potential of RF-MediSys as a tool to enhance quality of medical services and patient safety.

The use of pulsed radio frequency energy therapy in treating lower extremity wounds: results of a retrospective study of a wound registry.

Pulsed radio frequency energy (PRFE) has been shown to stimulate cultured epidermal cells in vitro, inciting a cascade of cytokines, cyclins, growth factors, and other gene products associated with wound healing. A retrospective, descriptive study was conducted to evaluate the effect of PRFE on healing lower extremity wounds. Using data from a patient registry of 510 wounds in 413 patients, information was abstracted on patients with lower extremity wounds treated with PRFE for at least 4 weeks between 2005 and 2008 and who were evaluated 4 weeks after the start of treatment; wound size reduction was calculated. Patients with peripheral vascular disease, renal disease, poor glucose control, immune-compromise, large or deep wounds were not excluded. Of the 128 wounds (in 113 patients) that met the eligibility criteria, 35 were diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), 42 were venous leg ulcers (VLUs), 34 were Stage II to Stage IV pressure ulcers (PUs), and 27 were other types of chronic wounds. Most patients were men (91%), receiving outpatient care (70%), and elderly (mean age 67 ± 11 years, median 64, range 41-89). Mean wound duration before starting PRFE was 29 ± 86 months (median 10, range 1-756). Mean percent reduction in wound area after 4 weeks was 49% ± 6% for pressure (P <0.0001), 38% ± 6% for diabetic (P <0.0001), 44% ± 5% for venous (P <0.0001), and 39% ± 9% for wounds of various other etiologies (P = 0.0001). The median wound reduction rate was 0.08 cm(2)/day (range -4.14-2.21). A considerable percentage of wounds reached >50% reduction in size at 4 weeks (DFU 40%, VLU 43%, PU 59%), suggesting that a large proportion of these PRFE-treated wounds wound have healed with ongoing therapy. Additional studies to evaluate the safety, effectiveness, and efficacy of this treatment modality in the management of chronic wounds are warranted.