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CDC researchers have developed monoclonal antibodies useful as diagnostics for diisocyanate (dNCO) exposure and for toxicity characterization of specific dNCOs. Currently, dNCOs are used in the production of all polyurethane products and are the most commonly reported cause of occupational-induced asthma and also linked to allergic contact dermatitis. Presumptive diagnosis of dNCO asthma is presently dependent on criteria such as work history, report of work-related asthma-like symptoms and nonspecific airway reactivity to methacholine challenge.

This CDC developed auscultatory training apparatus includes a database of prerecorded physiological sounds (e.g., lung, bowel, or heart sounds) stored on a computer for playback. Current teaching tools, which utilize previously recorded sounds, suffer from the disadvantage that playback environments cause considerable distortion and errors in sound reproduction. For example, to those trainees using such systems, the reproduced respiratory sounds do not “sound” as if they are being generated by a live patient.

This CDC-developed technology is an aerosol preconcentration unit (APU) designed for use with spectroscopic detection techniques, including emission, Raman, or infrared spectroscopies. Most existing pulsed microplasma techniques, such as laser-induced breakdown, for aerosols rely mainly on filter-based collection and suffer from poor accuracy, precision, and detection limits and require long sample collection times.

CDC researchers have developed a novel acoustic whole body plethysmograph (AWBP) that allows measurement of tidal volume in lab animals, independent of gas compression in the lung. This system provides particular advantages over the traditional whole body plethysmograph (WBP) when measuring model animals with increased gas compression due to increased airway resistance or increased acceleration in the breathing pattern.