Development of a PCR assay for identification of the Bacillus cereus group species.

AIMS: A PCR technique was developed as a reliable and rapid identification method for the Bacillus cereus group species, based on a unique conserved sequence of the motB gene (encoding flagellar motor protein) from B. cereus, Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus anthracis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Primer locations were identified against eight strains of the B. cereus group spp. from nucleotide sequences available in the National Centre for Biotechnology Information database. The PCR assay was applied for the identification of 117 strains of the B. cereus group spp. and 19 strains from other microbial species, with special emphasis on foodborne pathogens. CONCLUSION: The designed cross-species primers are group specific and did not react with DNA from other Bacillus and non-Bacillus species either motile or not. The primers system enabled us to detect 10(3) CFU of B. cereus cells per millilitre of sample. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Bacillus cereus group spp. belongs to one of the most prevalent foodborne pathogens. Bacterial growth results in production of different toxins; therefore, consumption of food containing >10(6) bacteria per gram may result in emetic and diarrhoeal syndromes. A rapid and sensitive bacterial detection method is significant for food safety.

Development of polymer-based sensors for integration into a wireless data acquisition system suitable for monitoring environmental and physiological processes.

In this work, the pressure sensing properties of polyethylene (PE) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer films were evaluated by integrating them with a wireless data acquisition system. Each device was connected to an integrated interface circuit, which includes a capacitance to frequency converter (C/F) and an internal voltage regulator to suppress supply voltage fluctuations on the transponder side. The system was tested under hydrostatic pressures ranging from 0 to 17 kPa. Results show PE to be the more sensitive to pressure changes, indicating that it is useful for the accurate measurement of pressure over a small range. On the other hand PVDF devices could be used for measurement over a wider range and should be considered due to the low hysteresis and good repeatability displayed during testing. It is thought that this arrangement could form the basis of a cost-effective wireless monitoring system for the evaluation of environmental or physiological processes.

A review of digestible microsystems for gastrointestinal tract diagnostic applications.

Present methods for investigation of the GI tract are invasive, distressing for the patient, and give a low diagnostic yield. Wireless, radio telemetry capsules, capable of monitoring physiological changes or visualizing the GI tract are noninvasive and could realize a faster time to diagnoses along with improved treatment of both organic diseases and functional disorders. Consequently, the patient's quality of life would improve. In this paper, early radiotelemetry capsules and the motivating factors for their development are discussed. Following this, prototype and commercially available digestible microsystems making use of microelectronics and microelectromechanical systems are presented. It is shown that these capsules have the potential to combine the functions of their predecessors and furthermore can be used for visualizing the gastrointestinal tract. These systems have the potential to improve diagnostic yield and, in the future, treatment of disease using these capsules should become a reality.

Review of the potential of a wireless MEMS and TFT microsystems for the measurement of pressure in the GI tract.

Telemetry capsules have existed since the 1950s and were used to measure temperature, pH or pressure inside the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It was hoped that these capsules would replace invasive techniques in the diagnosis of function disorders in the GI tract. However, problems such as signal loss and uncertainty of the pills position limited their use in a clinical setting. In this paper, a review of the capabilities of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) and thick film technology (TFT) for the fabrication of a wireless pressure sensing microsystem is presented. The circuit requirements and methods of data transfer are examined. The available fabrication methods for MEMS sensors are also discussed and examples of wireless sensors are given. Finally the limitations of each technology are examined.

MOS dosemeter using bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) and copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) polymer thick film.

A metal-oxide-silicon (MOS)-capacitor having an Ag/Bi2O3/CuPc/Ag and an MOS-transistor with Ag (gate)-Bi2O3 (gate insulator)-CuPc (semiconductor)-CdO (drain and source) structure were fabricated using screen-printing polymer thick film. The effects of gamma irradiation on the characteristics of both MOS-capacitor and MOS-transistor were investigated. The flat band voltage (VFB) of the MOS-capacitor showed a shift towards the negative gate voltage when exposed to gamma rays. The IDS-VGS characteristics displayed enhancement mode transistor for such devices. The threshold voltage was found to be 4.25 V, which displayed a linear and gradual decrease in DeltaVT = 0.5 V at VDS = 0 V and DeltaVT = 1.0 V at VDS = 2 V when exposed to gamma rays of dose step of 60 Gy.