Summary
| Title: | Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infections using Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy from bioactivated nano-surfaces |
| PI: | Dr. Constantinos Pitris |
| Postdocs/Students: | Myria Angelidou |
| Collaborators: | Dr. E. Kassini, University of Cyprus |
| Dr. A. Achileos, Limassol Medical Center | |
| Dr. P. Hadjikoumis, Hadjikoumis Laboratory | |
| Dr. H. Doumanides, University of Cyprus | |
| Dr. M. Polycarpou, University of Cyprus | |
| Funding Agencies: | Research Promotion Foundation, £ 79 000 |
| Duration: | 9/2005-9/2007 |
Abstract
Melanoma is the most deadly type of skin cancer with rates rising steadily around the world. In Cyprus, the incidence of melanoma has risen 800 times since the 1950s. A large percentage of malignant and metastatic melanomas have their origin in benign regions of the skin such as nevi and especially those atypical nevi which exhibit variations in color and shape. Melanin-filled cells in these lesions begin to transform and exhibit the first signs of malignancy, termed dysplasia, which if diagnosed early can lead to improved patient survival. Currently, the diagnosis of dysplasia is based on histopathologic processing of tissue from biopsies or excision. Patients with congenitally large (more than several centimeters in diameter) and/or multiple (several hundred) atypical nevi constitute 1-6% of the population and have an increased risk of developing melanoma. In these patients, excision and frequent biopsies are not possible so the decision to proceed with a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure is mainly based on the visual inspection of the lesion for signs of atypia and the experience of the clinician. Further more, removal of all unusual-appearing nevi in these patients is not recommended, because it is impractical, involves unnecessary surgery, and does not relieve the patient from further regular skin examinations. Imaging with a dermoscope or, in some cases, a confocal microscope may provide further information regarding the nevus but neither penetrates deep enough into the dermis to adequately examine the deeper layers of thick nevi. A diagnostic technique which could be used for the identification of foci of dysplasia in atypical nevi would be a significant tool in the successful follow up and management of patients with multiple and/or large atypical nevi and improve the patient prognosis by earlier identification of dysplasia and melanoma.
High frequency ultrasound offers a non-invasive means of examining skin lesions with relatively high resolution. High frequency (>= 20 MHz) ultrasound has several applications in dermatology, such as the evaluation of tumors, scleroderma, psoriasis, contact dermatitis, burn injuries, and sun damage. However, conventional ultrasound images of the skin are not able to differentiate between normal and dysplastic tissue. These images do not fully exploit the information contained in the backscattered echoes so quantitative tissue characterization studies are necessary to provide additional information. The objective of this project is to develop, test and validate a prototype ultrasound system, hardware and software able to perform echo and spectral analysis of skin ultrasound and support the physicians at Makarios Hospital in the analysis of melanotic skin lesions by advanced computer classification methods.