Search results for "Biomedical"
showing 10 items of 2328 documents
General Principles for the Detection of Modified Nucleotides in RNA by Specific Reagents.
2021
Epitranscriptomics heavily rely on chemical reagents for the detection, quantification, and localization of modified nucleotides in transcriptomes. Recent years have seen a surge in mapping methods that use innovative and rediscovered organic chemistry in high throughput approaches. While this has brought about a leap of progress in this young field, it has also become clear that the different chemistries feature variegated specificity and selectivity. The associated error rates, e.g., in terms of false positives and false negatives, are in large part inherent to the chemistry employed. This means that even assuming technically perfect execution, the interpretation of mapping results issuin…
Classification of Heart Sounds Using Convolutional Neural Network
2020
Heart sounds play an important role in the diagnosis of cardiac conditions. Due to the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), it is problematic and time-consuming for experts to discriminate different kinds of heart sounds. Thus, objective classification of heart sounds is essential. In this study, we combined a conventional feature engineering method with deep learning algorithms to automatically classify normal and abnormal heart sounds. First, 497 features were extracted from eight domains. Then, we fed these features into the designed convolutional neural network (CNN), in which the fully connected layers that are usually used before the classification layer were replaced with a global averag…
Colourimetric image analysis as a diagnostic tool in female genital schistosomiasis
2015
Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) is a highly prevalent waterborne disease in some of the poorest areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Reliable and affordable diagnostics are unavailable. We explored colourimetric image analysis to identify the characteristic, yellow lesions caused by FGS. We found that the method may yield a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 73% in colposcopic images. The accuracy was also explored in images of simulated inferior quality, to assess the possibility of implementing such a method in simple, electronic devices. This represents the first step towards developing a safe and affordable aid in clinical diagnosis, allowing for a point-of-care approach.
Simultaneous atrial and ventricular restitution and fibrillation analyses using a low-cost scalable panoramic whole-heart optical mapping configurati…
2021
Abstract Introduction Optical mapping (OM) is the primary method for imaging electrophysiologically relevant parameters from the outer surface of Langendorff-perfused hearts. However, current panoramic OM systems are financially challenging, require multiple sensors to map wide areas of the surface with overlapping regions and missing areas of interest due to the intrinsic shape of the heart. We proposed different panoramic configurations to dynamically characterize atrial and ventricular function during arrhythmia and, in presence of a coronary occlusion. Methods We devised both a multi-sensor and a single sensor system integrated with the perfusion circuit comprising sensor elements, a co…
PLLA/Fibrin Tubular Scaffold: A New Way for Reliable Endothelial Cell Seeding
2014
In the present work a simple and quick technique for cell seeding into tubular-shaped scaffolds, which allows a homogeneous cell distribution, was tested. The poly-L-lactide (PLLA) scaffolds, prepared via diffusion induced phase separation (DIPS), were filled with fibrin gel in order to obtain a hybrid scaffold for Vascular Tissue Engineering applications. The formation of immobilized fibrin networks on the inner surface of the tubular scaffolds was observed using confocal microscopy and SEM. Morphological analysis of the so-obtained scaffold revealed that the fibrin gel is uniformly distributed on the internal surface of the scaffold, leading to an organized structure. Moreover a penetrati…
Modified Silk with Cell-Adhesive and Non-Thrombogenic Properties as a Tissue Engineering Substrate
2016
IntroductionReplacement of damaged tissue is nowadays an aim of tissue engineering. This technique involves the use of porous or fibrous structures – the so-called scaffolds – that support the colonization with the desired cell type and which are degraded after fulfilling their temporary supporting function. Basic requirements for the prevailing materials used in this field are nontoxicity, low immunogenicity and cell-adhesiveness. Furthermore blood-contacting devices should exhibit low thrombogenicity.The biopolymer silk, mainly consisiting of the protein silk fibroin, matches some of these criteria but bare silk does not facilitate cellular adhesion and growth and unfortunately the materi…
Radiation leakage study for the Valencia applicators
2011
Abstract Introduction and purpose The Valencia applicators which are accessories of the microSelectron-HDR afterloader (Nucletron, Veenendaal, The Netherlands) are designed to treat skin lesions. These cup-shaped applicators are an alternative to superficial/orthovoltage x-ray treatment units. They limit the irradiation to the required area using tungsten-alloy shielding, and are equipped with a tungsten-alloy flattering filter allowing the treatment of skin tumors, the oral cavity, vaginal cuff, etc. The tungsten-alloy thickness to shield radiation is not the same in all parts of the applicators. This fact led us to question whether the leakage radiation differs depending on where it is me…
Problems and perspectives of ophthalmic research in Germany: results from a national survey.
2013
<b><i>Purpose:</i></b> To identify and describe the most relevant obstacles to carrying out ophthalmic research in Germany. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Two research methods were used to assess current problems in ophthalmic research. First, 55 expert interviews were conducted with major stakeholders in ophthalmic research, and key problems were identified. An online questionnaire was then sent to 3,080 German ophthalmologists, of whom 927 responded by evaluating the current research situation within ophthalmology in Germany. We devised a score to rank areas of concern by multiplying the responders' rate, ranging between -3 (‘I disagree completely')…
Modeling the electromechanical impedance technique for the assessment of dental implant stability
2015
We simulated the electromechanical impedance (EMI) technique to assess the stability of dental implants. The technique consists of bonding a piezoelectric transducer to the element to be monitored. When subjected to an electric field, the transducer induces structural excitations which, in turn, affect the transducer's electrical admittance. As the structural vibrations depend on the mechanical impedance of the element, the measurement of the transducer's admittance can be exploited to assess the element's health. In the study presented in this paper, we created a 3D finite element model to mimic a transducer bonded to the abutment of a dental implant placed in a host bone site. We simulate…
Virtual simulation of an osseointegrated trans-humeral prosthesis: A falling scenario
2018
Abstract Introduction Traditional prosthetic solutions expose the amputee to numerous problems that limit his ability to safely perform the normal activities of daily life. In order to eliminate the problems related to the use of the traditional prosthesis with socket, a new technique was developed for fixing the prosthesis to the amputees based on the principle of osseointegration. The aim of this paper is to study and analyze the stress distribution on the interface between a trans-humeral osseointegrated prosthetic implant and the residual bone, identifying the most stressed areas and thus foreseeing possible failure phenomena of the entire prosthetic system and, after, to compare the st…