NSF PR 02-82 - October 4, 2002
Laser Research Yields Precision Breath Analysis
Tool for Asthma Diagnosis (Treatment)
Research at the University of Oklahoma has yielded
a novel way of using a laser to analyze exhalations
of asthma sufferers, opening the door to more accurate
diagnosis and prescriptive treatment of the malady.
Patrick McCann, through a National Science Foundation
research award, coupled a laser spectroscopy system
to a tunable laser to create a device that can accurately
and simultaneously measure both carbon dioxide and
nitric oxide levels of a single exhalation of breath.
The precise measurements provided by McCann's instrument
might help doctors evaluate airway inflammation and
prescribe medications at a level of accuracy corresponding
to the measurement, thereby providing the most efficient
and effective treatment while eliminating overmedication.
In diagnosing and treating asthma, physicians must
assess how much air is actually flowing through a
patient's airways, which is made more difficult with
airway inflammation. Airway inflammation itself is
most often assessed by physically invasive procedures.
Earlier research found that asthmatics exhale more
nitric oxide when their airways are inflamed, making
measurement of its levels the preferred method for
determining inflammation severity.
At present, nitric oxide levels are measured with devices
that analyze chemiluminescence, a photochemical reaction
between nitrogen and an ozone sample. Multiple tests
are sometimes necessary. Also, chemiluminescence-based
devices require periodic recalibration, whereas McCann's
laser does not.
The device is currently undergoing clinical trials.
The findings are published in two journals of the Optical
Society of America -- the October edition of Applied
Optics and the Jan. 15 edition of Optics Letters.
Note to editors: The award numbers
related to this discovery are 9416871, 9704255 and
9802396. The proposals can be found by entering the
numbers in the search field at https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a6/A6AwardSearch.htm.
The Optical Society of America's Web site address
is www.osa.org. The two journals can be found at:
http://www.osa.org/pubs/osajournals/ao/aohome.cfm;
and http://www.osa.org/pubs/osajournals/ol/olhome.cfm
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