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

描述(由申请人提供)： Neuro Devices，Inc.将构建一种动态汗液测试(DST)，用于早期检测周围神经病变。神经病变是通过测量单汗腺(SGS)在运动神经的控制下分泌的汗量和汗量来检测的。与其他神经功能测试相比，这项测试具有重大优势，因为SGS可以在手脚远端出现神经病变迹象的位置进行分析。该设备的可行性将通过比较健康对照受试者和患有化疗引起的周围神经病变(CIPN)的癌症患者的测试结果来测试。休斯顿M.D.安德森医院的医生将在化疗期间对患者进行广泛的感觉测试，以检测神经病变的初步迹象，并将DST添加到他们的测试中。早期发现是有益的，因为随着神经的进行性退化，恢复的潜力会下降。早期诊断也提供了机会来决定是否应该减少化疗药物的剂量，停止使用，或者在没有发现神经病变的情况下，是否可以将化疗增加到更有效的癌症杀伤量。现有的感觉测试缺乏这种敏感度，无法早期发现微小的神经异常。动态汗液测试(DST)设备是一种测量刺激出汗的运动神经活力的装置。神经退化的SGS不能分泌水分。部分失神经和再神经支配的SGS分泌的汗滴比正常汗滴小。DST测量了SG的密度、分布和总水量。DST还对单个SGS的出汗率和水分进行了量化。与现有的只测量皮肤部位产生的总水分的汗液测试相比，这有一个优势，因为正常分泌SGS的汗水可以掩盖少量部分或完全丧失神经的SGS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，无法在周围神经疾病最容易治疗的时候及早发现它。Neuro Devices公司将证明，通过测量个人汗腺分泌的汗率和汗量的异常，可以建造一种设备，通过检测患有化疗引起的神经病的癌症患者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.