Biomedical Devices and Instrumentation Commons^™

The Effect Of Pressure Gradients On Perceived Discomfort, Zachary Bush

All Theses

Introduction:

A pressure gradient is where high and low pressure meet. It is responsible for displacement and irritation of the skin commonly caused by tight bandages, bracelets, or socks. The irritation is at the edge where the skin is displaced by the high and low pressure. An analysis of the effect pressure gradients have on discomfort would have significant medical relevance for any device, fixture, or clothing pressed against the skin at high pressure. This primarily includes prosthetic and orthotic devices.

The bottom surface of the heel provides a naturally circular, uniform pressure profile. This makes it the optimal testing …

Alteration Of Peripheral Cytokines In Alzheimer’S Disease, Zhengshi Yang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with the clinical symptoms of gradual cognitive decline and memory loss. Biologically, abnormal accumulation of Aβ (Aβ) plaque and tau tangles in the brain are the core pathological hallmarks in AD. Although inflammatory response is not specific to AD, emerging evidence suggests that the disrupted innate immune system within the central nervous system, particularly microglial activation, might act as the bridge linking Aβ aggregation to pathological phosphorylation and aggregation of tau. The inflammatory response was suggested to initially have a neuroprotective role of attempting to clear Aβ plaques, and then become neurotoxic …

Delineating Genetic Influences On Neurodegenerative Disorders And Infectious Diseases Through Advanced Computational Methods, Xiaowei Zhuang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Genetics plays a critical role in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders and pathogen evolution in infectious diseases. For example, identifying genetic variants associated with a disease phenotype uncovers functional pathways that could lead to potential drug targets and therapeutic interventions. In addition, tracking the genetic evolution of pathogens enables early detection and warning of infectious disease outbreaks. In both applications, given the large amount of genetic data, advanced computational methods, including longitudinal and multivariate models, could significantly boost the statistical power and capture interrelationships among traits, environmental factors and genetic influences. This dissertation focuses on four applications of …

Sdf-1Α Mediates Primary Tumor Escape In Glioblastoma Through Activation Of Mesenchymal Transitions, Charles T. Froman-Glover

The Cardinal Edge

Glioblastoma (GBM), a highly aggressive primary brain tumor originating in glial cells, poses a significant challenge due to its rapid growth and invasive nature within healthy brain tissue.

Current treatments involve surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiation. These treatments alone are not enough to cure this disease, and a better understanding of the mechanics of the tumor's micro-environment is imperative to furthering the field of cancer research. This research focuses on understanding the tumor microenvironment's impact, specifically investigating the role of stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) mechanics on GBM aggressiveness. SDF-1 is known to facilitate disease progression by facilitating chemotaxis toward …

Applications Of Computer Vision In Biomechanics And Orthopaedics, William Stewart Burton Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning has emerged as a key technology for enabling advanced computer vision systems. These systems now permeate many industries, and have enhanced traditional processes through autonomous interpretation of visual data. In the field of orthopaedics, the increasing prevalence of imaging highlights a need for similar tools. In many cases, however, direct translation of available frameworks fails to resolve the complex problems currently facing this field. Stringent performance requirements, complex visual environments, data scarcity, and implications for patient safety represent domain-specific factors which pose unique challenges to proven techniques. Novel approaches are needed to realize the full benefits of visual …

Use Of Electrical Bone Growth Stimulators In High-Risk Patients Following Spinal Fusion, Soumya Malhotra, Khavir Sharieff

HCA-NSU MD Research Day

Title: Use of Electrical Bone Growth Stimulators in High-Risk Patients Following Spinal Fusion Authors: Soumya Malhotra, BA., MS1 & Khavir Sharieff, DO, MBA2 1Class of 2027, Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Lauderdale, FL 2Assistant Professor of Surgery, Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Tampa Bay, FLNova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine Objective: This study aimed to elucidate the advantages of EBGSs following high-risk spinal fusions. Background: Pseudarthrosis is a condition where bones fail to fuse after an injury or surgery. It causes significant …

Hypoxic Incubator: Improving Robustness/Reliability And Demonstrating Physiological Efficacy, Damon Dennis Tan

Master's Theses

The Microphysiological Systems Laboratory aims to develop colorectal cancer tumor models under a hypoxic environment to assess model response to pharmaceutical compounds in vitro. To perform relevant studies, researchers have attempted to use different hypoxic inducing strategies such as a nitrogen pod and hypoxic incubator to recreate in vivo physiological responses to hypoxia. However, studies would be interrupted due to incubator functionality failure. To ensure successful and physiologically relevant studies, I improved and verified the robustness and reliability of a hypoxic incubator previously designed and manufactured in the lab. Through the testing and iterating design processes, I engineered and implemented …

Editorial To Advances In Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Gabriel C. Tender, George A. Crabill

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Smart Toys For Sensing And Soothing Distress In Pediatric Patients, Jonathan Daniel Bonilla

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

This thesis develops and evaluates child-centered technologies to support remote monitoring of pediatric patients, with an emphasis on childhood cancer and pediatric chronic pain. For these and many other health conditions, current therapies tend to focus on treating physical symptoms yet neglect the psycho-emotional aspects of managing the illness. However, such mental states play a major role in recovery. Research has shown that cancer patients with better mental health have better prognoses, higher possibilities of remission, and faster healing processes, while chronic pain patients with better mental health report lower levels of pain. To enable more personalized, continuous, and scalable …

Nasogastric Tube Insertion Aid, Lauren S. Ark, Angela D. Biezins, Zachary B. Crum, Claire E. Nodine, Morgan N. Pope, Natsumi L. Shudo

Biomedical Engineering

The Nasogastric Tube Insertion Aid project, developed under the sponsorship of the BiCEP Program at California Polytechnic State University, aims to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of nasogastric (NG) tube placement. This initiative was inspired by challenges observed during the BiCEP summer program, where difficulties in NG tube insertions led to multiple attempts, increased patient discomfort, and serious medical risks, including lung punctures and brain trauma. The project's goal was to design an insertion aid that improves placement accuracy while being cost-effective and user-friendly for medical professionals. The device features an external tensioning mechanism that allows controlled deflection of the …

Dual Base Sige Is-Hbt For Use In Biosensing Applications, Liam Stephen Hayes

Master's Theses

The proposed research is for a novel SiGe-based Ion-Sensitive Dual Hetero-junction Bipolar Transistor (IS-HBT) to be used in both trans-dermal biological sensing as well as Lab-on-Chip (LOC) applications. The end goals for the device designed are two: For one, the research done for this work will be used to substantiate the claims made by Zafar et al. [1] that an HBT-style structure is better suited for biosensing application rather than a conventional Field Effect Transistor (FET) based geometries. Secondly, it provides the final element to be integrated along with a selectivity membrane, as well as with a reverse-iontophoresis system to …

Effect Of Tibial Malrotation On Anterior And Posterior Cruciate Ligaments In Bicruciate-Retaining Total Knee Arthroplasty, Muhammad Saakeereen Sa’Audi, Abdul Halim Abdullah, Solehuddin Shuib, Muhammad Azim Mat Raffei, Mohd Fairudz Mohd Miswan, Mohd Afzan Mohd Anuar

Makara Journal of Technology

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a musculoskeletal disorder specified as a joint disease that affects mostly human joints worldwide. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is performed to restore the affected joint and relieve the symptoms. However, tibial malrotation, which is one of the most common errors in TKA, results in poor function of the implant and pain after the procedure. People with OA often experience limited mobility and cannot accomplish daily tasks. Finite element analysis (FEA) has been widely applied to interpret the biomechanical and kinematic force along the joint and investigate the cruciate ligament’s mechanical behavior. Unfortunately, one of the problems in …

Design Of A Portable Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry Device Utilizing Pulse Width Modulation For Waveform Generation, Nora Szymkowski

Masters Theses

Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry (FSCV) is a widely used electrochemical technique for real-time measurement of the brain’s chemical messengers, including the molecule dopamine, with high temporal resolution. Currently the financial burden of performing FSCV is quite high, ranging from $8,000 to $20,000+ making the barrier to entry nearly insurmountable for laboratories and classrooms at small institutions. The purpose of this project was to develop a Do-It-Yourself (DIY), portable, and cost-effective FSCV system for use in laboratory and classroom settings. The project aimed to create a compact and cost-effective system that could be used by researchers and educators to study dopamine …

Expandable Tissue-Engineered Living Surgical Pulmonary Heart Valve For Pediatric Patients, Jacob M. Lautenschlager

All Theses

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of mortality in developed countries, with 607.74 million cases globally in 2020.^1,2 Advances in medicine have changed the current demographic suffering from heart valve disease into an aging population suffering from degenerative heart valve disease, creating a growing population treated by surgical or transcatheter intervention.^3-6 Current treatments of valvular heart disease are therefore directed toward valve replacements for the adult population, leaving a treatment gap for pediatric patients suffering from heart valve disease.^7-10

Congenital heart defects are defined as structural abnormalities of the heart or intrathoracic great vessels and are …

Epidural Stimulation For Urogenital Dysfunction In The Spinal Cord Injured Rat., Natasha Lorraine Wilkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating, life changing event that greatly impacts quality of life. SCI can have body-wide, multi-system consequences including dysfunction within the urogenital system. Challenges with the urinary system include urinary incontinence, urine retention, and detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia all of which require maintenance through the regular use of catheters. Sexual dysfunction in men, who comprise nearly 80% of the SCI population, includes erectile dysfunction, anejaculation, retrograde ejaculation, poor expulsive force during ejaculation, and poor sperm quality. The treatment for sexual function in SCI men is focused more on fertility through the collection of sperm for insemination procedures …

Computer Vision Algorithms For Assessment Of Surgical Suturing Skill Using Hand And Needle Motion, Jianxin Gao

All Dissertations

Surgical suturing skill assessment is a crucial part of surgical education. Vascular surgery educators have developed a simulation-based examination called Fundamentals of Vascular Surgery, which includes a clock-face model for assessing open surgical suturing skills. The clock-face model, however, requires the valuable time of expert surgeons to determine examinees' skills. Moreover, expert surgeons have different judgments for appropriate sutures, which leads to inconsistent grading. These limitations motivate us to use sensors to measure examinees' needle motions and hand motions during the clock-face suturing exercises, and then use the measurements for objective suturing skill assessment.

To assess suturing skills based on …

Patient-Specific Hemodynamic Modeling For Optimizing Left Ventricular Assist Device And Right Heart Health, Holly Felice Grant

Theses and Dissertations

LVAD speed optimization is essential for efficient LVAD therapy and to minimize complications. However, the ideal LVAD speed is unknown and must be tailored for each patient. The interplay between the LVAD, systemic, and pulmonary circulations is critical and should be considered during optimization. A computational hemodynamic model that can be tailored for each patient may provide clinicians with useful guidance and reduce the need for repeated invasive studies. This study sought to customize and evaluate a patient-specific LVAD hemodynamic optimization model.

We conducted a retrospective analysis on 25 patients implanted with HM3 and who underwent right heart catheterization (RHC) …

Title: List Of 132 Papers Citing One Or More Skin Lesion Image Datasets, Neda Alipour, Ted Butke, Jane Courtney

Other resources

This document is provided as a supplementary digital resource to accompany the article Skin Type Diversity in Skin Lesion Datasets: A Review. The following list contains 132 papers that were identified during a systematic review of papers that use one or more skin lesion image datasets. A partial list of these papers appears in Table 1 of the aforementioned article. The full list is provided here for reference.

Shape Memory Alloy Capsule Micropump For Drug Delivery Applications, Youssef Mohamed Kotb

Theses and Dissertations

Implantable drug delivery devices have many benefits over traditional drug administration techniques and have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. By delivering the medication directly to the tissue, they enable the use of larger localized concentrations, enhancing the efficacy of the treatment. Passive-release drug delivery systems, one of the various ways to provide medication, are great inventions. However, they cannot dispense the medication on demand since they are nonprogrammable. Therefore, active actuators are more advantageous in delivery applications. Smart material actuators, however, have greatly increased in popularity for manufacturing wearable and implantable micropumps due to their high energy …

Noninvasive Technique For Measuring Cardiac Output, Grace E. Kolar, Rachel Simonton, Eli Strohecker

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

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