New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Thermometer-like device could help diagnose heart attacks

Date:
May 6, 2015
Source:
American Chemical Society
Summary:
Diagnosing a heart attack can require multiple tests using expensive equipment. But not everyone has access to such techniques, especially in remote or low-income areas. Now scientists have developed a simple, thermometer-like device that could help doctors diagnose heart attacks with minimal materials and cost.
Share:
FULL STORY

Diagnosing a heart attack can require multiple tests using expensive equipment. But not everyone has access to such techniques, especially in remote or low-income areas. Now scientists have developed a simple, thermometer-like device that could help doctors diagnose heart attacks with minimal materials and cost. The report on their approach appears in the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry.

Sangmin Jeon and colleagues note that one way to tell whether someone has had a heart attack involves measuring the level of a protein called troponin in the person's blood. The protein's concentration rises when blood is cut off from the heart, and the muscle is damaged. Today, detecting troponin requires bulky, expensive instruments and is often not practical for point-of-care use or in low-income areas. Yet three-quarters of the deaths related to cardiovascular disease occur in low- and middle-income countries. Early diagnosis could help curb these numbers, so Jeon's team set out to make a sensitive, more accessible test.

Inspired by the simplicity of alcohol and mercury thermometers, the researchers created a similarly straightforward way to detect troponin. It involves a few easy steps, a glass vial, specialized nanoparticles, a drop of ink and a skinny tube. When human serum with troponin -- even at a minute concentration -- is mixed with the nanoparticles and put in the vial, the ink climbs up a protruding tube and can be read with the naked eye, just like a thermometer.

The authors acknowledge funding from the National Research Foundation of Korea.


Story Source:

Materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Sanghee Lee, Donghoon Kwon, Changyong Yim, Sangmin Jeon. Facile Detection of Troponin I Using Dendritic Platinum Nanoparticles and Capillary Tube Indicators. Analytical Chemistry, 2015; 87 (9): 5004 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.5b00921

Cite This Page:

American Chemical Society. "Thermometer-like device could help diagnose heart attacks." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 May 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150506111336.htm>.
American Chemical Society. (2015, May 6). Thermometer-like device could help diagnose heart attacks. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 29, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150506111336.htm
American Chemical Society. "Thermometer-like device could help diagnose heart attacks." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150506111336.htm (accessed March 29, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES