Portable electronic nose system for fast gynecological-conditions diagnosis in consulting room: A case study

In this work, the analytical approach to fast diagnostics of gynecological conditions based on the screening of volatile compounds in cervical mucus using a portable electronic nose system was developed for the first time. The highly sensitive electronic nose system based on seven mass-sensitive piezo-sensors with nanostructured modifiers of electrodes was utilized for the detection of highly volatile biomolecules (amines, ketones, alcohols, aldehydes, carbonic acids) in cervical mucus samples directly in a consulting room. We were solving the task to develop a model for rapid identification of patients with gynecologic inflammation diseases according to results from gaseous sensors or a single sensor scanning of a mixture composition of volatile molecules released by mucus. Whereupon we propose the following group ranking as "conditionally healthy", "remission", and "inflammation/infection". Preliminary, by individual substances we estimated selectivity and kinetic features of sorption-desorption processes on the selected array of stabilized gaseous sensors. According to the groups of compounds the detection limit by an array of sensors is 20 ррm for ketones by acetone, 10 ppm for alcohols by ethanol, for arenas 2 ppm by toluene, 20 ppb by ammonia and for amines 5 ppb by diethylamine. For the correct interpretation of the "electronic nose" results, we used the doctor’s diagnosis, their description of the condition and the severity of the lesion, which was defined by the results of microbiological research in the laboratory. At the first stage, it was established that to ensure the reliability of solution-making during sample ranking into groups, time from the moment of biomaterial sampling to the measurement should not exceed 3–5 min. At the appointment in the doctor’s office and as part of a preventative medical check-up, there were analyzed 83 bioassays according to the developed method. To elaborate a model of gynecological status assessment, there were chosen 30 conditionally healthy patients (scheduled patient care) and the ones with deviations from the conditional norm, suggesting antibacterial treatment with various inflammation histories (active form, remission, and exacerbation). To make a decision, we utilized the full amount of data, which is achieved while measuring volatile molecules above mucus during sorption (80 sec) and spontaneous desorption (120 sec). The methods and results of experimental processing of patients’ data obtained directly