Bioengineering

BACKGROUND: People with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) frequently present both cognitive and motor impairments, so it is reasonable to assume they may have difficulties in executing dual-tasks (DT). The aim of the present study is to identify novel technology-based parameters to assess cognitive-motor interference (CMI) in PwMS. In particular, we focused on the definition of dual-task cost (DTC) measures using wearable and portable tools such as insoles and mobile apps. METHODS: All participants underwent a verbal fluency task (cognitive single-task, ST), a motor ST of walking, and a combination of these tasks (DT)...

EEG, which can provide brain alteration information via recording the electrical activity of neurons in the cerebral cortex, has been widely used in neurophysiology. However, conventional wet electrodes in EEG monitoring typically suffer from inherent limitations, including the requirement of skin pretreatment, the risk of superficial skin infections, and signal performance deterioration that may occur over time due to the air drying of the conductive gel. Although the emergence of dry electrodes has overcome these shortcomings, their electrode-skin contact impedance is significantly high and unstable, especially in hair-covered areas...

The gait recognition of exoskeletons includes motion recognition and gait phase recognition under various road conditions. The recognition of gait phase is a prerequisite for predicting exoskeleton assistance time. The estimation of real-time assistance time is crucial for the safety and accurate control of lower-limb exoskeletons. To solve the problem of predicting exoskeleton assistance time, this paper proposes a gait recognition model based on inertial measurement units that combines the real-time motion state recognition of support vector machines and phase recognition of long short-term memory networks...

Mandibular fractures are very common in maxillofacial trauma surgery. While previous studies have focused on possible risk factors related to post-operative complications, none have tried to identify pre-existing conditions that may increase the risk of mandibular fractures. We hypothesized, through clinical observation, that anatomical conditions involving poor dental contacts, such as malocclusions, may increase the risk of mandibular fractures. This work was subdivided into two parts. In the first part, Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) data of four healthy patients characterized by different dentoskeletal occlusions (class I, class II, class III, and anterior open bite) have been used to develop four finite element models (FEMs) that accurately reproduce human bone structure...

Ophthalmological services face global inadequacies, especially in low- and middle-income countries, which are marked by a shortage of practitioners and equipment. This study employed a portable slit lamp microscope with video capabilities and cloud storage for more equitable global diagnostic resource distribution. To enhance accessibility and quality of care, this study targets corneal opacity, which is a global cause of blindness. This study has two purposes. The first is to detect corneal opacity from videos in which the anterior segment of the eye is captured...

Narrow-diameter implants (NDI) serve as a solution for treating limited bone volume in the anterior mandible. This study aimed to evaluate the one-year clinical outcomes of various NDIs in the mandibular incisor area after immediate loading in partially edentulous patients. This single-center, prospective, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial study included 21 patients, with 7 patients in each of the following groups: control (BLT NC SLActive® ; Straumann), experimental group 1 (CMI IS-III Active® S-Narrow; Neobiotech), and experimental group 2 (CMI IS-III Active® Narrow; Neobiotech)...

Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) is a complex genetic disorder characterized by the slow and progressive degeneration of corneal endothelial cells. Thus, it may result in corneal endothelial decompensation and irreversible corneal edema. Moreover, FECD is associated with alterations in all corneal layers, such as thickening of the Descemet membrane, stromal scarring, subepithelial fibrosis, and the formation of epithelial bullae. Hence, anterior segment imaging devices that enable precise measurement of functional and anatomical changes in the cornea are essential for the management of FECD...

Computational fluid dynamics is intensively used to deepen our understanding of aneurysm growth and rupture in an attempt to support physicians during therapy planning. Numerous studies assumed fully rigid vessel walls in their simulations, whose sole haemodynamics may fail to provide a satisfactory criterion for rupture risk assessment. Moreover, direct in vivo observations of intracranial aneurysm pulsation were recently reported, encouraging the development of fluid-structure interaction for their modelling and for new assessments...

Medical imaging serves as a crucial tool in current cancer diagnosis. However, the quality of medical images is often compromised to minimize the potential risks associated with patient image acquisition. Computer-aided diagnosis systems have made significant advancements in recent years. These systems utilize computer algorithms to identify abnormal features in medical images, assisting radiologists in improving diagnostic accuracy and achieving consistency in image and disease interpretation. Importantly, the quality of medical images, as the target data, determines the achievable level of performance by artificial intelligence algorithms...

Microcarrier-based cell culture is a commonly used method to facilitate the growth of anchorage-dependent cells like MA 104 for antigen manufacturing. However, conventionally, static cell culture is employed for cell propagation before seeding the production bioreactor with microcarriers (MCs). This study demonstrates the effective replacement of the conventional method by serial subculturing on MCs with in situ cell detachment under optimal conditions in closed culture units. This study proves that MA 104 can be subcultured at least five times on Cytodex 1 MC without the need for separating cells and MC after cell harvest...

Chromatic Pupillometry, used to assess Pupil Light Reflex (PLR) to a coloured light stimulus, has regained interest since the discovery of melanopsin in the intrinsically photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells (ipRGCs). This technique has shown the potential to be used as a screening tool for neuro-ophthalmological diseases; however, most of the pupillometers available are expensive and not portable, making it harder for them to be used as a widespread screening tool. In this study, we developed a smartphone-based system for chromatic pupillometry that allows targeted stimulation of the ipRGCs...

There is no doubt that brain tumors are one of the leading causes of death in the world. A biopsy is considered the most important procedure in cancer diagnosis, but it comes with drawbacks, including low sensitivity, risks during biopsy treatment, and a lengthy wait for results. Early identification provides patients with a better prognosis and reduces treatment costs. The conventional methods of identifying brain tumors are based on medical professional skills, so there is a possibility of human error. The labor-intensive nature of traditional approaches makes healthcare resources expensive...

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been used widely to predict biological brain age based on brain magnetic resonance (MR) images. However, CNNs focus mainly on spatially local features and their aggregates and barely on the connective information between distant regions. To overcome this issue, we propose a novel multi-hop graph attention (MGA) module that exploits both the local and global connections of image features when combined with CNNs. After insertion between convolutional layers, MGA first converts the convolution-derived feature map into graph-structured data by using patch embedding and embedding-distance-based scoring...

Currently, immunotherapy is one of the most effective treatment strategies for cancer. However, the efficacy of any specific anti-tumor immunotherapy can vary based on the dynamic characteristics of immune cells, such as their rate of migration and cell-to-cell interactions. Therefore, understanding the dynamics among cells involved in the immune response can inform the optimization and improvement of existing immunotherapy strategies. In vivo imaging technologies use optical microscopy techniques to visualize the movement and behavior of cells in vivo, including cells involved in the immune response, thereby showing great potential for application in the field of cancer immunotherapy...

As available genomic interval data increase in scale, we require fast systems to search them. A common approach is simple string matching to compare a search term to metadata, but this is limited by incomplete or inaccurate annotations. An alternative is to compare data directly through genomic region overlap analysis, but this approach leads to challenges like sparsity, high dimensionality, and computational expense. We require novel methods to quickly and flexibly query large, messy genomic interval databases...

Breast cancer, affecting both genders, but mostly females, exhibits shifting demographic patterns, with an increasing incidence in younger age groups. Early identification through mammography, clinical examinations, and breast self-exams enhances treatment efficacy, but challenges persist in low- and medium-income countries due to limited imaging resources. This review assesses the feasibility of employing breast ultrasound as the primary breast cancer screening method, particularly in resource-constrained regions...

Cilia are biological structures essential to drive the mobility of secretions and maintain the proper function of the respiratory airways. However, this motile self-cleaning process is significantly compromised in the presence of silicone tracheal prosthesis, leading to biofilm growth and impeding effective treatment. To address this challenge and enhance the performance of these devices, we propose the fabrication of magnetic silicone cilia, with the prospect of their integration onto silicone prostheses. The present study presents a fabrication method based on magnetic self-assembly and assesses the interaction behavior of the cilia array with biological mucus...

Optical-based imaging has improved from early single-location research to further sophisticated imaging in 2D topography and 3D tomography. These techniques have the benefit of high specificity and non-radiative safety for brain detection and therapy. However, their performance is limited by complex tissue structures. To overcome the difficulty in successful brain imaging applications, we conducted a simulation using 16 optical source types within a brain model that is based on the Monte Carlo method. In addition, we propose an evaluation method of the optical propagating depth and resolution, specifically one based on the optical distribution for brain applications...

Despite rapid progress in tissue engineering, the repair and regeneration of bone defects remains challenging, especially for non-homogenous and complicated defects. We have developed and characterized biodegradable drug-eluting scaffolds for bone regeneration utilizing direct powder extrusion-based three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques. The PLGA scaffolds were fabricated using poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) with inherent viscosities of 0.2 dl/g and 0.4 dl/g and ketoprofen. The effect of parameters such as the infill, geometry, and wall thickness of the drug carrier on the release kinetics of ketoprofen was studied...

Neurostimulation devices that use rotating permanent magnets are being explored for their potential therapeutic benefits in patients with psychiatric and neurological disorders. This study aims to characterize the electric field (E-field) for ten configurations of rotating magnets using finite element analysis and phantom measurements. Various configurations were modeled, including single or multiple magnets, and bipolar or multipolar magnets, rotated at 10, 13.3, and 350 revolutions per second (rps). E-field strengths were also measured using a hollow sphere (r=9...