CMOS Spectrophotometric Microsystem for Malaria Detection.

OBJECTIVES: Optical spectrophotometry has been explored to quantify Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites at low parasitemia, with potential to overcome the limitations of detection in the current diagnostic methods. This work presents the design, simulation and fabrication of a CMOS microelectronic detection system to automatically quantify the presence of malaria parasites in a blood sample. METHODS: The designed system is composed by an array of 16 n+/p-substrate silicon junction photodiodes as photodetectors and 16 current to frequency (IF) converters. An optical setup was used to individually and jointly characterize the entire system. RESULTS: The IF converter was simulated and characterized in Cadence Tools using UMC 1180 MM/RF technology rules, featuring a resolution of 0.01 nA, a linearity up to 1800 nA and a sensitivity of 4430 Hz/nA. After fabrication in a silicon foundry, the photodiodes' characterization presented a responsivity peak of 120 mA/W (λ = 570 nm) and a dark current of 7.15 pA at 0 V. Regarding the IF converter, it exhibited high linearity (R2 ≈ 0.999) up to 30 nA, with a sensitivity of 4840 Hz/nA. Furthermore, the microsystem performance was validated using RBCs (Red Blood Cells) infected with P. falciparum and diluted at different parasitemia (12, 25 and 50 parasites/µL). CONCLUSION: The microsystem was able to distinguish between healthy and infected RBCs, with a sensitivity of 4.5 Hz/parasites.µL-1. SIGNIFICANCE: The developed microsystem presents a competitive result, when compared to the gold standard diagnosis methods, with increased potential for malaria in field diagnosis.

Optical Spectrophotometry as a Promising Method for Quantification and Stage Differentiation of Plasmodium falciparum Parasites.

Malaria is one of the most life-threatening infectious diseases worldwide, claiming half a million lives yearly. Prompt and accurate diagnosis is crucial for disease control and elimination. Currently used diagnostic methods require blood sampling and fail to detect low-level infections. At the symptomatic stage of infection, the parasites feed on red blood cells' (RBCs) hemoglobin, forming inert crystals, the hemozoin, in the process. Thus, along with parasite maturation inside the RBCs, the hemoglobin and hemozoin proportion is inversely related, and they generate specific optical spectra, according to their concentration. Herein, to address the issues of finger prick sampling and the lack of sensitivity of the parasitological test, we explored the optical features of Plasmodium falciparum-infected RBCs through absorbance and reflectance spectrophotometric characterization, aiming for their detection. This is the first work fully characterizing the spectrophotometric properties of P. falciparum-infected RBCs by using only 16 specific wavelengths within the visible optical spectra and two different post-processing algorithms. With such an innovative methodology, low-level infections can be detected and quantified, and early- and late-stage development can be clearly distinguished, not only improving the current detection limits but also proving the successful applicability of spectrophotometry for competitive and accurate malaria diagnosis.

Multilayer Thin-Film Optical Filters for Reflectance-Based Malaria Diagnostics.

Malaria diagnosis relies on optical microscopy and/or rapid diagnostic tests based on detecting specific malaria antigens. The clinical sensitivity of these methods is highly dependent on parasite density, with low levels of detection at low parasite density, challenging the worldwide malaria elimination efforts. Therefore, there is a need for diagnostic methods with higher sensitivity, demanding innovative diagnostics devices able to detect malaria at low parasite density and at early stages of the disease. We propose an innovative optical device for malaria diagnosis, based on optical reflectance spectrophotometry, for the detection of parasites through the quantification of haemozoin. For this purpose, a set of eight thin-film optical filters, based on multilayer stacks of MgO/TiO2 and SiO2/TiO2 thin-films, with high transmittance and low full width at half maximum (FWHM) at specific wavelengths, was designed and fully characterized (both numerically and experimentally). A preliminary assessment of its potential to reconstruct the original spectra of red blood cells was performed, both in uninfected and Plasmodium falciparum-infected samples. The obtained results show that, although the experimental filters have a non-ideal performance characteristic, they allow us to distinguish, based on only 8 discrete points in the optical spectrum, between healthy and malaria infected samples, up to a detection limit of 12 parasites/µL of red blood cells. Those results enhance the potential of using such a device for malaria diagnostics, aiming for non-invasiveness.

Mutual Information as a General Measure of Structure in Interaction Networks.

Entropy-based indices are long-established measures of biological diversity, nowadays used to gauge partitioning of diversity at different spatial scales. Here, we tackle the measurement of diversity of interactions among two sets of organisms, such as plants and their pollinators. Actual interactions in ecological communities are depicted as bipartite networks or interaction matrices. Recent studies concentrate on distinctive structural patterns, such as nestedness or modularity, found in different modes of interaction. By contrast, we investigate mutual information as a general measure of structure in interactive networks. Mutual information (MI) measures the degree of reciprocal matching or specialization between interacting organisms. To ascertain its usefulness as a general measure, we explore (a) analytical solutions for different models; (b) the response of MI to network parameters, especially size and occupancy; (c) MI in nested, modular, and compound topologies. MI varies with fundamental matrix parameters: dimension and occupancy, for which it can be adjusted or normalized. Apparent differences among topologies are contingent on dimensions and occupancy, rather than on topological patterns themselves. As a general measure of interaction structure, MI is applicable to conceptually and empirically fruitful analyses, such as comparing similar ecological networks along geographical gradients or among interaction modalities in mutualistic or antagonistic networks.

Effect of 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium Halide on the Relative Stability between Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Micelles and Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Poly(ethylene oxide) Nanoaggregates.

It is well-known that ionic liquids (ILs) alter the properties of aqueous systems containing only surfactants. However, the effect of ILs on polymer-surfactant systems is still unknown. Here, the effect of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide (bmimBr) and chloride (bmimCl) on the micellization of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and its interaction with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) was evaluated using conductimetry, fluorimetry, and isothermal titration calorimetry. The ILs decreased the critical micellar concentration (cmc) of the surfactant, stabilizing the SDS micelles. A second critical concentration (c2thc) was verified at high SDS concentrations, due to the micelle size decrease. The stability of PEO/SDS aggregates was also affected by ILs, and the critical aggregation concentration (cac) of SDS increased. Integral aggregation enthalpy changed from -0.72 in water to 2.16 kJ mol(-1) in 4.00 mM bmimBr. IL anions did not affect the SDS micellization or the beginning of PEO/SDS aggregation. Nevertheless, when chloride was replaced with bromide, the amount of SDS bound to the polymer increased. At 100.0 mM IL, the PEO-SDS interaction vanished. We suggest that the effect of ILs comes from participating in the structure of the formed aggregates, interacting with the SDS monomers at the core/interface of the micelles, and promoting preferential solvation of the polymer.