Search results for "Biomedical technology"
showing 10 items of 11 documents
Polyphosphate as a metabolic fuel in Metazoa: A foundational breakthrough invention for biomedical applications
2015
In animals, energy-rich molecules like ATP are generated in the intracellular compartment from metabolites, e.g. glucose, taken up by the cells. Recent results revealed that inorganic polyphosphates (polyP) can provide an extracellular system for energy transport and delivery. These polymers of multiple phosphate units, linked by high-energy phosphoanhydride bonds, use blood platelets as transport vehicles to reach their target cells. In this review it is outlined how polyP affects cell metabolism. It is discussed that polyP influences cell activity in a dual way: (i) as a metabolic fuel transferring metabolic energy through the extracellular space; and (ii) as a signaling molecule that amp…
Thermo-responsive hydrogels from cellulose-based polyelectrolytes and catanionic vesicles for biomedical application.
2016
In this study, negatively charged catanionic vesicles/hydrophobically modified hydroxyethylcellulose polymers thermo-responsive hydrogels have been fabricated. Vesicular aggregates were found to act as multifunctional junctions for networking of modified-cellulose water solutions. The contributions of the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions were evaluated by changing either vesicles composition or the polymer hydrophobic substitution. Thermal-induced size and lamellarity of hydrogel-enclosed vesicles were detected, with further polygonal shape changes induced by cellulose-based polymer addition. The thermal transition was also found to tune hydrogel mechanical behaviour. The network …
CardioPulse: developments in the treatment of aortic aneurysms in 2014
2015
Since the introduction of EndoVascular Aortic Repair (EVAR) for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) more than 20 years ago, the technique has evolved rapidly, from tubular grafts for fairly simple abdominal aortic anatomy, to bifurcated, fenestrated, branched, or parallel grafts for complex aortic aneurysms, no longer confined to the infrarenal abdominal aorta.
A novel flash glucose monitoring system in patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2: which are the pieces of evidence for payer decision-makers?
2018
A rigorous health technology assessment is necessary to evaluate a new technology. However, healthcare regulatory agencies have less restrictive rules about medical devices, despite some recent warnings about this relevant matter. The evaluation should have at least two key issues, which require attention. The first one is its effectiveness, and the second one is its economic sustainability. In this paper, we deal with a novel glucose-sensing technology as a case study to examine the matter in depth. An evidence-based point of view is used to highlight this important issue.
Applications and Limitations of Dendrimers in Biomedicine
2020
Biomedicine represents one of the main study areas for dendrimers, which have proven to be valuable both in diagnostics and therapy, due to their capacity for improving solubility, absorption, bioavailability and targeted distribution. Molecular cytotoxicity constitutes a limiting characteristic, especially for cationic and higher-generation dendrimers. Antineoplastic research of dendrimers has been widely developed, and several types of poly(amidoamine) and poly(propylene imine) dendrimer complexes with doxorubicin, paclitaxel, imatinib, sunitinib, cisplatin, melphalan and methotrexate have shown an improvement in comparison with the drug molecule alone. The anti-inflammatory therapy focus…
Effect of Motion Artifact on Digital Camera Based Heart Rate Measurement
2017
International audience; Depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders, burdening many people world-wide. A system with the potential of serving as a decision support system is proposed, based on novel features extracted from facial expression geometry and speech, by interpreting non-verbal manifestations of depression. The proposed system has been tested both in gender independent and gender based modes, and with different fusion methods. The algorithms were evaluated for several combinations of parameters and classification schemes, on the dataset provided by the Audio/Visual Emotion Challenge of 2013 and 2014. The proposed framework achieved a precision of 94.8% for detecting p…
Satisfied or Frustrated? A Qualitative Analysis of Need Satisfying and Need Frustrating Experiences of Engaging With Digital Health Technology in Chr…
2020
Introduction: Digital health technologies such as self-monitoring devices and apps are becoming increasingly important as tools to promote healthy habits and support individuals in their self-care. There is still a scarcity of research that builds on motivational theory to better understand the functioning of digital health technologies. The self-determination theory (SDT) is a macro theory of motivation that delineates three basic psychological needs that are linked to different types of motivation and lead to well-being when satisfied and illbeing when frustrated. Objective: To explore how the use of a digital tool for self-monitoring and communication with healthcare satisfies or frustra…
Generation of human hepatocytes by stem cell technology: definition of the hepatocyte
2006
Since 1999, numerous articles have reported the generation of hepatocytes from different types of extrahepatic stem or precursor cells. This opens exciting new possibilities for pharmacology and toxicology, as well as for cell therapy. Hepatocyte marker expression, including albumin, cytokeratin 18, c-met, alpha-fetoprotein and cytochrome P450 3A4 and -2B6, has been observed after transplantation of different types of human stem cells into the liver of laboratory animals or in vitro after incubation with cytokines. These intriguing observations have prompted scientists to classify stem cell-derived cell populations as hepatocytes. However, this conclusion may be premature. It has been shown…
Validity and Reliability of a New Optoelectronic System for Measuring Active Range of Motion of Upper Limb Joints in Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Sub…
2019
The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of the Veloflex infrared dynamic angle-meter (Veloflex-IDA) and the intra- and inter-rater reliability when measuring the ranges of motion (ROMs) of the upper limb joints. Thirty-five healthy and 20 symptomatic participants were evaluated. Twelve upper limb movements were measured in two sessions with the Veloflex-IDA, which is a device composed of a camera that tracks the trajectory of retro-reflective markers. In addition, a goniometer was used in the first session to evaluate concurrent validity. Validity and agreement were evaluated by Pearson correlation coefficient (r) and Bland&ndash
Personal health promotion through personalized health technologies — Nuadu experience
2009
Poor lifestyles — overweight, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, sleep deprivation, and stress — are significant risk factors to chronic illnesses, which cause majority of the health care costs. Hence, behavioral change towards healthy lifestyles is one of the keys to health care cost containment. Personal health systems (PHS) offer tools to support behavioral change. As health risks, personal needs and preferences vary from an individual to another, personalization of the PHS is needed. In Nuadu project we have developed a PHS integrating several different personal health technologies. This system was studied in a large (N=354) randomized controlled trial where employees with several hea…