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Volume 4 | Issue 1 | January-March 2019
IT researchers have developed
an Artificial Intelligence (AI)
based wireless system that
can detect the quality and safety of food
items. The system uses Radio-Frequency
Identification (RFID) tags or stickers with
tiny, ultra-high frequency antennas on
many food products to sense potential
food contamination. The researchers feel
that this is a democratic way to bring about
food safety and quality in the hands of
the consumers. When an RFID powers
up and transmits its signal, it interacts
with material in its near vicinity
(i.e., inside a container) even if it is
not in direct contact with that container.
This interaction is called "near-field
coupling," and it impacts the wireless
signal transmitted by an RFID.
The system, RFIQ extracts features from
this signal and feeds it to a machine
learning model that can classify and
detect different types of adulterants in
the container. An initial prototype of
the system has been made and tested
in two applications. The results have
demonstrated the ability to identify fake
alcohol with an accuracy higher than 97%
and identify tainted infant formula with
an accuracy higher than 96%.
Source: news.mit.edu
Europe over the past five years, to help
physicians detect heart attacks faster
and more accurately, particularly
among women who often have lower
troponin levels. Due to the test’s ability
to detect very low levels of troponin,
the test now can be used to determine
cardiac risk in people with no
reported symptoms of heart disease.
Using this diagnostic test during
the same blood draw of a routine
health exam, doctors will be able to
look at what's actually happening to
the heart and better determine their
patients' risk of developing heart
disease, such as a heart attack or other
cardiac event in the future. With this
added information, doctors can help
ensure the correct treatment is given
to people at high risk and prevent
unnecessary testing, medication and
costs for lower-risk patients. Since
the High Sensitive Troponin-I test
can be part of any routine health
check-up, it is easier to fit into the
existing healthcare practices.Another
advantage, in addition to more
accurately determining a patient's
cardiac risk, this test is designed so
that biotin doesn't affect test results.
The vitamin biotin is growing
in popularity as a supplement to
improve hair, skin and nails. Biotin
may interfere with some lab tests
including cardiac ones, potentially
leading to false positive or false
negative results. Having an accurate
picture of a patient's cardiac risk can
help doctors ensure that each patient
is getting the correct treatment. The
High Sensitive Troponin-I test is
now available to be used on Abbott's
ARCHITECT system for cardiac risk
assessment in CE marked countries
and in countries where regulatory
registration is not required for this
product.
Source: prnewswire.com
C
ardiovascular diseases are the
leading cause of death globally.
An estimated 17.7 million
people globally die annually from
cardiovascular diseases, according
to the World Health Organization.
Of those, 7.4 million were due to
coronary heart disease. This is a
worrisome number and thus makes
the focus shift to preventive cardiac
care.Abbot’s high sensitive Troponin-I
blood test is another diagnostic
tool to aid such endeavour in this
direction which has recently received
CE mark for the prediction of chance
of heart attack in apparently healthy
adults potentially months to years in
advance. Physicians now have a blood
test that looks at a biomarker from the
heart, so people can confidently take
the appropriate lifestyle and medical
steps needed to help prevent heart
disease. Nowadays many studies are
being conducted to evaluate the
impact of troponin levels on cardiac
health and one such study conducted
by the West of Scotland Coronary
Prevention
Study
(WOSCOPS)
found that Troponin-I levels were
an indicator of an increased risk of
coronary heart disease independent
of cholesterol levels lowering and
identified the patients who benefited
most from preventive treatments
with a statin. Nick Mills, MD, a
cardiologist and researcher at the
British Heart Foundation Centre for
Cardiovascular Science, University of
Edinburgh, is the author of another
such study that evaluated the impact
of troponin tests. Troponin-I proteins
are released from the heart and can be
found at elevated levels in the blood
when the heart muscle has been
damaged due to lack of blood flow.
Abbott's ARCHITECT STAT High
Sensitive Troponin-I blood test has
been used in emergency rooms across
Wireless stick-
ers to detect
food quality
and safety
First troponin test to
help predict the chance of
heart attack in apparently
healthy adults