A Device To Quantify Sweat Of Single Sweat Glands To Diagnose Neuropathy

描述（由申请人提供）： Neuro Devices，Inc.将建立一个动态汗液试验（DST）的早期发现周围神经病变。通过测量在催汗神经控制下单个汗腺（SG）分泌的汗液的速率和体积来检测神经病。该测试比其他神经功能测试具有主要优势，因为SG可用于分析手和脚的远端部位，其中第一个神经病变迹象出现。将通过比较健康对照受试者和化疗诱导的周围神经病变（CIPN）癌症患者的测试结果来测试器械可行性。医学部的医生休斯顿安德森医院将在化疗期间对患者进行广泛的感觉测试，以检测神经病变的最初迹象。早期发现是有益的，因为恢复的潜力随着进行性神经变性而下降。早期诊断还提供了机会来决定是否应该减少化疗剂的剂量、停止、替换，或者当没有检测到神经病变时，是否可以将化疗增加到更有效的癌症杀伤剂量。现有的感觉测试缺乏这种早期检测最小神经异常的灵敏度。动态汗液测试（DST）装置是刺激出汗的催汗神经的活力的量度。神经退化的SG不能分泌水分。部分失神经支配和神经再支配的SG分泌的汗滴比正常的小。DST测量SG密度、分布和总水量。DST还量化了单个SG的出汗率和水量。这具有优于仅测量在皮肤位置处产生的总水的现有汗液测试的优点，因为正常分泌SG的出汗可以掩盖较少数量的部分或完全去神经的SG中的不足。从这个意义上说，SG是了解周围自主神经健康的门户。 公共卫生相关性： 现有的测试缺乏敏感性，以检测周围神经疾病的早期时，它是最容易接受治疗。Neuro Devices，Inc.将表明，构建一种装置是可行的，该装置可以通过测量由个体汗腺分泌的出汗率和出汗量的异常来检测患有化疗诱导的神经病变的癌症患者中的神经病变的早期迹象。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Neuro Devices, Inc. will construct a dynamic sweat test (DST) for early detection of peripheral neuropathy. Neuropathy is detected by measuring the rate and volume of sweat secreted by single sweat glands (SGs) under the control of sudomotor nerves. The test has a major advantage over other tests of nerve function because SGs are accessible for analysis on distal sites of the hands and feet where the first signs of neuropathy appear. Device feasibility will be tested by comparing results from testing healthy control subjects and cancer patients with chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Physicians at the M.D. Anderson hospital, Houston will add the DST to their extensive sensory testing of patients during chemotherapy that they perform to detect the initial signs of neuropathy. Early detection is beneficial because the potential for recovery declines with progressive nerve degeneration. Early diagnosis also provides the opportunity to decide if the chemotherapeutic agent should be decreased in dosage, discontinued, substituted or, when no neuropathy is detected, if chemotherapy can be increased to more effective cancer killing dosage. Existing sensory tests lack this sensitivity for early detection of minimal nerve abnormality. The dynamic sweat test (DST) device is a measure of the vitality of the sudomotor nerves that stimulate sweating. SGs whose nerves have degenerated cannot secrete water. Partially denervated and reinnervating SGs secrete smaller than normal sweat droplets. The DST measures SG density, distribution and total water volume. The DST also quantifies rate of sweating and amount of water of single SGs. This has an advantage over existing sweat tests that only measure total water produced at a skin location because sweating by normally secreting SGs can obscure a deficiency in a smaller number of partly or totally denervated SGs. In this sense the SG is the gateway to understanding the health of peripheral autonomic nerves. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Existing tests lack sensitivity to detect peripheral nerve disease early when it is most susceptible to treatment. Neuro Devices, Inc. will show that it is feasible to construct a device that can detect early signs of neuropathy in cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy by measuring abnormalities of sweat rate and sweat volume secreted by individual sweat glands.