Microelectromechanical Systems in Medicine Sonetha, Vaibhavi; Agarwal, Poorvi; Doshi, Smeet ...
Journal of medical and biological engineering,
08/2017, Letnik:
37, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Owing to the massive growth in the field of biomedical microsystems, a variety of innovative micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) devices have been introduced. For decades, the health care sector ...has been using macro devices but due to the various disadvantages that came along with the macro devices, research about micro devices began. Micro devices have various advantages such as low energy consumption, lightweight, biocompatibility, small size and many more. This paper mainly focuses on application of MEMS in the field of medicine in three main fields: (1) MEMS in diagnosis (2) MEMS in precision surgery (3) MEMS in therapeutic systems. BioMEMS in diagnosis help in precise and early detection of medical conditions. BioMEMS in the surgical field help in performing less invasive surgery and thus shorter recovery period. BioMEMS in therapeutic field enable therapy treatment with increased efficiency. Micro and miniature devices offer numerous novel treatments that can be performed with more precision and less complication. It is a challenging research field as it involves the study of complex functions of living bodies. Miniaturized analytical, surgical and therapeutic microsystems will become a necessity for the medical field in the long term, to obtain a more delineated view into the processes of the living body and to deliver precise quantity of drugs more efficiently. Application of BioMEMS in the area of stent fabrication, microneedles patch requires more research and has the potential to improve health care.
Depression is the second leading cause of death among young people worldwide, and severity and suicidality are useful predictors of an adverse outcome.
This study aimed at examining factors ...associated with depression among university students in Tanzania.
A cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2018 and July 2019 of undergraduate students across four universities. They completed a self-reported questionnaire collecting socio-demographic, together with a Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to screen for depression. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine independent predictors of depression.
A total of 1047 students completed the study. Their mean (±SD) age was 24.2 (±7) years. 219 students (21.3%) screened positive for probable depression (survey-1 34% vs survey-2 13%). A total of 228 (21.9%) students reported having thoughts of serious self-harm. Factors independently influencing depression included year of study, substance abuse, unhappy interpersonal relationships and chronic mental or physical illness. The presence of an eating disorder was a predictor of depression and was recorded in 7.4% of all students.
Significant probable depression is present in one fifth of undergraduate students in this study. These results demonstrate a worrying degree of self- reported features of depression among North Tanzanian university students.
The purpose of this study is to understand how professionals are utilizing Eastern Medicine and alternative therapies to support children with Autism. Through interviewing professionals, this study ...creates an understanding on how to conceptualize and apply Eastern medicine as a supporting tool for young children. Previous research has shown that Eastern practices have been effective methods in supporting development for children and adults alike; it was also found that professionals all have higher education and in order to work with professionals, they must have higher educational degrees as well as have a well-rounded understanding of Eastern Asian culture, language, and practices. To understand Eastern medicine, two professionals were interviewed, one over the phone and one in person. The interviews surrounded their understanding of Eastern medicine and therapies and how they are implementing their practices with their current patients or through their education. In general, results demonstrated that Eastern practices can improve development in children with Autism by focusing on the holistic perspective of the child.
This work explores the use of Python Turtle graphics as a tool for designing art with programming concepts in creative ways. Turtle graphics is an easy and entertaining approach for learners to ...visualize and play with code in an artistic manner. The paper explains “Mandala Art Creator”; a Python program to generate a random or customized Mandala Art using the Turtle graphics module and its implementation in the textile industry. In Mandala Art Creator the user is prompted to provide their name and choose between two options: random configuration and personalized configuration. The computer’s algorithm determines colors and angles for the Mandala Art on its own in random mode. The user can customize the Mandala Art experience in custom mode by specifying colors and rotation degrees.
Abstract 28▪▪This icon denotes a clinically relevant abstract
Hemophilia A is an X-linked recessive disorder that is caused by a deficiency or defect of factor VIII (fVIII) coagulant protein. ...Approximately 20–30% of patients with severe hemophilia A develop antibodies (Abs) against fVIII (inhibitors) following fVIII replacement therapy, which makes bleeding episodes more difficult to control. Patients with inhibitors are treated with fVIII-bypassing agents such as recombinant factor VIIa (rfVIIa) or activated prothrombin-complex concentrate. However for unknown reasons, some patients display poor hemostatic response to bypass therapy and improved treatment options are needed. Thrombin generation assays provide an in vitro methodology for monitoring bypass therapy in hemophilia (Turecek PL et al. Pathophysiol Haemost Thromb 2003; Varadi K et al. Haemophilia 2004). Recently, it was demonstrated by us and others that combination of fVIII and by-passing agents potentiates in vitro thrombin production in hemophilia A inhibitor plasma (Klintman J et al. Br J Haematol 2010). In our study we investigated the potentiation fVIII confers to fVIIa initiated in vitro thrombin generation using a panel of anti-fVIII Abs with known epitopes. We showed that kinetics of inhibition and Ab epitope were the dominant factors influencing ability of fVIII to potentiate in vitro thrombin production. Specifically, monoclonal Abs targeting only 2 of 11 epitopes, 1 of 3 non-overlapping A2 epitopes and 1 of 2 non-overlapping C2 epitopes, inhibited thrombin generation in a manner that could not be recovered by fVIII supplementation. Here, we analyzed in vitro thrombin generation in epitope-mapped plasmas from 10 patients with hemophilia A and long-standing inhibitors after addition of fVIIa alone or in conjunction with fVIII. Methods: FVIII inhibitor plasmas from 10 patients with hemophilia A were obtained as part of an IRB approved study at the Emory Comprehensive Hemophilia Center. FVIII inhibitor titers and inhibitor kinetics were determined using a modified Bethesda assay. Samples were classified as having type II inhibitors if undiluted plasma resulted in incomplete inhibition of residual fVIII activity (Meeks SL et al. Blood 2007). Thrombin generation assays were carried out in the presence of 2.25 μg/ml recombinant fVIIa in the presence or absence of 1 U/ml recombinant full-length fVIII using reagents purchased from DiaPharma (West Chester, OH). The parameters analyzed include endogenous thrombin potential (area under thrombin generation curve), peak thrombin concentration, time to peak thrombin, lag time (time to 1/6th of peak thrombin) and index velocity (Vi-peak thrombin divided by time to peak minus lag time). Domain specific epitope mapping was carried out using direct ELISA and human/porcine domain hybrid fVIII proteins. Results: Domain mapping of the Abs in the plasmas identified 2 plasmas with predominantly anti-A2 Abs, 4 with predominantly anti-C2 Abs, 2 with both anti-A2 and anti-C2 Abs, and 2 with antibodies that were porcine fVIII cross-reactive (see Table). Plasmas with inhibitor titers less than 25 BU/ml were more responsive to fVIII supplementation with 6 of 7 having increased thrombin generation. Plasmas harboring even trace anti-A2 Abs were more resistant to increased thrombin generation with fVIII supplementation than plasmas with anti-C2 Abs alone. Conclusion: This study suggests a more favorable response to fVIII supplementation of rfVIIa may be predicted by the presence of anti-C2 Abs or inhibitory titers less than 25 BU/ml. In conjunction with our previous monoclonal Ab data, further mapping of epitopes within the fVIII A2 and C2 domains may help improve the ability to predict positive responses to fVIII supplementation of by-passing agents.PatientInhibitor Titer (BU/ml)DomainFVIII InhibitorThrombin Generation (fVIII + fVIIa vs. fVIIa)122A2Type IIIncreased242A2Type IIEqual384C2, small A2Type IEqual47C2Type IIncreased58C2Type IIIncreased620C2Type IEqual78C2Type IIncreased842C2, small A2Type IEqual922Porcine cross-reactiveType IIIncreased105.2Porcine cross-reactiveType IIncreased
No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
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