All Outputs (92)

The use of a gas chromatograph coupled to a metal oxide sensor for rapid assessment of stool samples from irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease patients (2014)
Journal Article
Vaughan, K., Shepherd, S. F., McGuire, N. D., de Lacy Costello, B., Ewen, R. J., Jayasena, D. H., …Ratcliffe, N. M. (2014). The use of a gas chromatograph coupled to a metal oxide sensor for rapid assessment of stool samples from irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease patients. Journal of Breath Research, 8(2), https://doi.org/10.1088/1752-7155/8/2/026001

There is much clinical interest in the development of a low-cost and reliable test for diagnosing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), two very distinct diseases that can present with similar symptoms. The assessment o... Read More about The use of a gas chromatograph coupled to a metal oxide sensor for rapid assessment of stool samples from irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease patients.

Towards point of care testing for C. difficile infection by volatile profiling, using the combination of a short multi-capillary gas chromatography column with metal oxide sensor detection (2014)
Journal Article
Vaughan, K., Probert, C. S., Garner, C. E., McGuire, N. D., Ewen, R. J., de Lacy Costello, B., & Ratcliffe, N. M. (2014). Towards point of care testing for C. difficile infection by volatile profiling, using the combination of a short multi-capillary gas chromatography column with metal oxide sensor detection. Measurement Science and Technology, 25(6), https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-0233/25/6/065108

Rapid volatile profiling of stool sample headspace was achieved using a combination of short multi-capillary chromatography column (SMCC), highly sensitive heated metal oxide semiconductor sensor and artificial neural network software. For direct ana... Read More about Towards point of care testing for C. difficile infection by volatile profiling, using the combination of a short multi-capillary gas chromatography column with metal oxide sensor detection.

Breath volatile analysis from patients diagnosed with harmful drinking, cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy: A pilot study (2013)
Journal Article
Ratcliffe, N. M., Costello, B. D. L., Khalid, T. Y., de Lacy Costello, B., Ewen, R., White, P., …Probert, C. S. (2013). Breath volatile analysis from patients diagnosed with harmful drinking, cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy: A pilot study. Metabolomics, 9(5), 938-948. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-013-0510-4

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric state potentially complicating cirrhosis following the accumulation of toxic compounds that cross the blood-brain barrier and affect brain function; the compounds may undergo alveolar gas exchange and... Read More about Breath volatile analysis from patients diagnosed with harmful drinking, cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy: A pilot study.

An investigation of volatile organic compounds from the saliva of healthy individuals using headspace-trap/GC-MS (2013)
Journal Article
Ratcliffe, N., De Lacy Costello, B., Al-Kateb, H., de Lacy Costello, B., & Ratcliffe, N. M. (2013). An investigation of volatile organic compounds from the saliva of healthy individuals using headspace-trap/GC-MS. Journal of Breath Research, 7(3), https://doi.org/10.1088/1752-7155/7/3/036004

Analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from saliva, to aid disease diagnoses, has received little attention. This work aims to address the paucity of information on saliva volatiles and includes a database of newly identified compounds whilst... Read More about An investigation of volatile organic compounds from the saliva of healthy individuals using headspace-trap/GC-MS.

The Development of Novel Fuel Dehydrating Icing Inhibitors (2013)
Journal Article
Lam, J. K., de Lacy Costello, B., Repetto, S. L., Repetto, S., Costello, J. F., de Lacy Costello, B., …Lam, J. (2013). The Development of Novel Fuel Dehydrating Icing Inhibitors. SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants, 6(3), 553-563. https://doi.org/10.4271/2013-01-2169

Dissolved water is a normal component of jet fuel which is vapourised during combustion; however, free water is a contaminant that can starve engines, freeze to form ice crystals capable of blocking fuel feeds, support microbial growth, and contribut... Read More about The Development of Novel Fuel Dehydrating Icing Inhibitors.

A Pilot Study Combining a GC-Sensor Device with a Statistical Model for the Identification of Bladder Cancer from Urine Headspace (2013)
Journal Article
Ratcliffe, N., Probert, C. S., Ewen, R., Khalid, T., White, P., De Lacy Costello, B., …Ratcliffe, N. M. (2013). A Pilot Study Combining a GC-Sensor Device with a Statistical Model for the Identification of Bladder Cancer from Urine Headspace. PLoS ONE, 8(7), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069602

There is a need to reduce the number of cystoscopies on patients with haematuria. Presently there are no reliable biomarkers to screen for bladder cancer. In this paper, we evaluate a new simple in-house fabricated, GC-sensor device in the diagnosis... Read More about A Pilot Study Combining a GC-Sensor Device with a Statistical Model for the Identification of Bladder Cancer from Urine Headspace.

The importance of methane breath testing: A review (2013)
Journal Article
Ratcliffe, N. M., De Lacy Costello, B. P., de Lacy Costello, B., Ledochowski, M., & Ratcliffe, N. M. (2013). The importance of methane breath testing: A review. Journal of Breath Research, 7(2), https://doi.org/10.1088/1752-7155/7/2/024001

Sugar malabsorption in the bowel can lead to bloating, cramps, diarrhea and other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome as well as affecting absorption of other nutrients. The hydrogen breath test is now a well established noninvasive test for assessi... Read More about The importance of methane breath testing: A review.

The use of MS for the investigation of irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease (2013)
Journal Article
Ratcliffe, N. M., de Lacy Costello, B., & Shepherd, S. (2013). The use of MS for the investigation of irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. Clinical laboratory international, 37, 18-20

Currently, the diagnosis of bowel diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) relies on invasive and expensive procedures. Identification of biomarker-based tests to aid diagnosis is an important area of resea... Read More about The use of MS for the investigation of irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease.

An Investigation of Fecal Volatile Organic Metabolites in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (2013)
Journal Article
Probert, C. S., de Costello, B. L., Ahmed, I., Greenwood, R., de Lacy Costello, B., Ratcliffe, N. M., & Probert, C. (2013). An Investigation of Fecal Volatile Organic Metabolites in Irritable Bowel Syndrome. PLoS ONE, 8(3), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0058204

Diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can be a challenge; many clinicians resort to invasive investigations in order to rule out other diseases and reassure their patients. Volatile organic metabolites (VOMs) are emitted from feces; understanding... Read More about An Investigation of Fecal Volatile Organic Metabolites in Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Volatiles from oral anaerobes confounding breath biomarker discovery (2013)
Journal Article
De Lacy Costello, B., Khalid, T. Y., Ratcliffe, N. M., Khalid, T., Saad, S., Greenman, J., …Ratcliffe, N. M. (2013). Volatiles from oral anaerobes confounding breath biomarker discovery. Journal of Breath Research, 7(1), https://doi.org/10.1088/1752-7155/7/1/017114

The levels of compounds in exhaled mouth air do not necessarily reflect levels in the systemic circulation as bacteria can bio-transform substrates to produce compounds within the mouth. This should be of concern to researchers measuring breath volat... Read More about Volatiles from oral anaerobes confounding breath biomarker discovery.

Fecal microbiome and volatile organic compound metabolome in obese humans with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (2013)
Journal Article
Probert, C. S., Raman, M., Ahmed, I., Gillevet, P. M., Probert, C., Ratcliffe, N. M., …Rioux, K. P. (2013). Fecal microbiome and volatile organic compound metabolome in obese humans with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 11(7), 868-875.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2013.02.015

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The histopathology of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is similar to that of alcoholic liver disease. Colonic bacteria are a source of many metabolic products, including ethanol and other volatile organic compounds (VOC) th... Read More about Fecal microbiome and volatile organic compound metabolome in obese humans with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Tackling ageing continence through theory, tools & technology (TACT3) (2012)
Journal Article
Bichard, J., van den Heuvel, E., Jowitt, F., Gilhooly, M., Parker, S., Long, A., …Gaydecki, P. (2012). Tackling ageing continence through theory, tools & technology (TACT3). International Journal of Aging and Society, 1(2), 83-96

After dementia, nothing is more feared by older people than the loss of continence. It is often the reason many people enter care facilities and can contribute to the breakdown of caring relationships. This paper reports on a three-year research proj... Read More about Tackling ageing continence through theory, tools & technology (TACT3).

Dimensional modelling of the fuel outgassing phenomenon: Improving flammability assessment of aircraft fuel tanks (2011)
Journal Article
Harris, A. P., & Ratcliffe, N. M. (2011). Dimensional modelling of the fuel outgassing phenomenon: Improving flammability assessment of aircraft fuel tanks

Fuel outgassing (oxygen evolution) within aircraft fuel tanks presents a serious flammability hazard. Time constants representing oxygen transfer rate, from the fuel into a tank’s ullage, are used to model the effect of outgassing on tank flammabilit... Read More about Dimensional modelling of the fuel outgassing phenomenon: Improving flammability assessment of aircraft fuel tanks.

Functionalized paramagnetic nanoparticles for waste water treatment (2010)
Journal Article
Elder, G. R., Duffield, J. R., Urban, I., Ratcliffe, N. M., & Patton, D. (2010). Functionalized paramagnetic nanoparticles for waste water treatment. Chemical Communications, 46(25), 4583-4585. https://doi.org/10.1039/b925933c

An approach to the design, development and implementation of a new separation technology for use in the decontamination of radioactive waste streams is reported here. Calixarene-crown-6 derivatives with terminal carboxyl groups were synthesised and a... Read More about Functionalized paramagnetic nanoparticles for waste water treatment.

W1908 diagnostic potential of volatile organic compounds in inflammatory bowel disease (2010)
Journal Article
Ahmed, I., Probert, C., Ratcliffe, N. M., & Greenwood, R. (2010). W1908 diagnostic potential of volatile organic compounds in inflammatory bowel disease

Introduction: Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are diagnosed using invasive investigations which patients find unpleasant. Non-invasive modalities to asses the clinical course of the disease are yet to be adopted. Volatile organic com... Read More about W1908 diagnostic potential of volatile organic compounds in inflammatory bowel disease.

Application of Similarity Coefficients to Predict Disease Using Volatile Organic Compounds (2010)
Journal Article
Probert, C. S., Smith, S., White, P., Redding, J., & Ratcliffe, N. M. (2010). Application of Similarity Coefficients to Predict Disease Using Volatile Organic Compounds. IEEE Sensors Journal, 10(1), 92-96. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2009.2035771

Measures of similarity are used to provide evidence in support of the conjecture that the presence and absence profile of a subset of volatile organic compounds found in urine differ between healthy (non-prostate cancer) male donors and prostate canc... Read More about Application of Similarity Coefficients to Predict Disease Using Volatile Organic Compounds.

Analysis of faecal volatile organic compounds in preterm infants who develop necrotising enterocolitis: A pilot study (2009)
Journal Article
Garner, C. E., Ewer, A. K., Elasouad, K., Power, F., Greenwood, R., Ratcliffe, N. M., …Probert, C. S. (2009). Analysis of faecal volatile organic compounds in preterm infants who develop necrotising enterocolitis: A pilot study. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 49(5), 559-565. https://doi.org/10.1097/MPG.0b013e3181a3bfbc

OBJECTIVE:: To determine differences in the profiles of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in faecal samples from preterm infants who develop necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) compared with non-NEC controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS:: Daily faecal samples... Read More about Analysis of faecal volatile organic compounds in preterm infants who develop necrotising enterocolitis: A pilot study.

A pilot study of faecal volatile organic compounds in faeces from cholera patients in Bangladesh to determine their utility in disease diagnosis (2009)
Journal Article
Probert, C. S., Garner, C. E., Smith, S., Bardhan, P. K., & Ratcliffe, N. M. (2009). A pilot study of faecal volatile organic compounds in faeces from cholera patients in Bangladesh to determine their utility in disease diagnosis. Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 103(11), 1171-1173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trstmh.2009.02.004

The aim of this pilot study was to analyse the volatile organic compounds in faecal samples collected from cholera patients in Bangladesh to determine biomarkers that could be used for disease diagnosis. Samples were collected from patients at the In... Read More about A pilot study of faecal volatile organic compounds in faeces from cholera patients in Bangladesh to determine their utility in disease diagnosis.

Volatile organic compounds as diagnostic biomarkers in gastrointestinal and liver diseases (2009)
Journal Article
Probert, C. S. J., Khalid, T., Ahmed, I., Johnson, E., Smith, S., & Ratcliffe, N. M. (2009). Volatile organic compounds as diagnostic biomarkers in gastrointestinal and liver diseases. Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, 18(3), 337-343

The assessment of disease activity in various conditions may be performed using a range of different techniques. These include the use of non-invasive tests, such as acute phase inflammatory markers and simple radiological techniques, to more advance... Read More about Volatile organic compounds as diagnostic biomarkers in gastrointestinal and liver diseases.

Chemical tessellations (2009)
Journal Article
de Lacy Costello, B., Jahan, I., Adamatzky, A., & Ratcliffe, N. M. (2009). Chemical tessellations. International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos, 19(2), 619-622. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0218127409023238

We report a simple set of chemical reactions based on the reaction of a range of metal salts with potassium ferricyanide loaded gels that spontaneously produce complex and colorful tessellations of the plane. These reactions provide a great resource... Read More about Chemical tessellations.