Particle swarm optimization solution for roll-off control in radiofrequency ablation of liver tumors: Optimal search for PID controller tuning.

The study investigates the efficacy of a bioinspired Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) approach for PID controller tuning in Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) for liver tumors. Ex-vivo experiments were conducted, yielding a 9th order continuous-time transfer function. PSO was applied to optimize PID parameters, achieving outstanding simulation results: 0.

Development and application of the Rapha device for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.

Introduction: Transforming medical research into real-world healthcare solutions is a complex endeavor that may benefit from the synergy between academic research, governmental support, and industry innovation.

Objectives: In this article we delve into the framework of Translational Medical Research (TMR) in Brazil, elucidating the possible interplay between public universities and other pivotal stakeholders in the translational journey.

Methods: Our focal point is the Rapha device, an innovative medical technology, as we explore its ethical and regulatory journey.

Evaluation of infrared thermography with a portable camera as a diagnostic tool for peripheral arterial disease of the lower limbs compared with color Doppler ultrasonography.

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate whether infrared thermography (IRT) with a portable camera is a useful tool for diagnosing or screening peripheral arterial disease of the lower limbs (PAD-LL) when compared with the traditional method of color Doppler ultrasonography.

Material And Methods: The study enrolled 90 volunteers: 45 who were diagnosed with PAD-LL (PAD-LL group) and 45 who did not have a diagnosis of PAD-LL (control group). The diagnosis was made using color Doppler ultrasonography, and the results were compared with those of IRT.

Acute Limb Ischemia After Self-Injection of Crushed Morphine Tablets into the Radial Artery: Role of Infrared Thermography in the Assessment of Tissue Perfusion.

BACKGROUND This article presents a case involving complications after intentional injection of crushed tablets into the arterial circulation, its diagnosis, and the treatment adopted. The diagnosis process illustrates the potential of techniques based on thermal imaging as tools to assess tissue perfusion. Inadvertent intravenous injection of crushed tablets is more common, but there are few reports on arterial circulation, and no studies were found on the self-injection of crushed morphine tablets, particularly into the radial artery.

Estimation of Joint Angle From sEMG and Inertial Measurements Based on Deep Learning Approach.

Continuous kinematics estimation from surface electromyography (sEMG) allows more natural and intuitive human-machine collaboration. Recent research has suggested the use of multimodal inputs (sEMG signals and inertial measurements) to improve estimation performance. This work focused on assessing the use of angular velocity in combination with myoelectric signals to simultaneously and continuously predict 12 joint angles in the hand.

Validation study of the use of the HRVCAM software for the evaluation of heart rate and heart rate variability at rest.

Aims: The existing instruments for assessing heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) require contact area. This is difficult to obtain from specific groups of patients and from those moving. The aim of this study was to validate the use of the HRVCam software for measuring HR and HRV in healthy adults.

Shoulder Flexion Pre-Movement Recognition Through Subject-Specific Brain Regions to Command an Upper Limb Exoskeleton.

This work presents two brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) for shoulder pre-movement recognition using: 1) manual strategy for Electroencephalography (EEG) channels selection, and 2) subject-specific channels selection by applying non-negative factorization matrix (NMF). Besides, the proposed BCIs compute spatial features extracted from filtered EEG signals through Riemannian covariance matrices and a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) to discriminate both shoulder pre-movement and rest states. We studied on twenty-one healthy subjects different frequency ranges looking the best frequency band for shoulder pre-movement recognition.

Entropy and Clustering Information Applied to sEMG Classification.

The EMG signal is very difficult to classify due to the stochastic complexity of its characteristics. A way to reduce the complexity of a signal is to use clusters to resize them to a smaller space and then perform the classification. A classification improvement was verified by clustering the electromyographic signal and comparing it with the possible movements that can be performed.

Use of electromyographic signals for characterization of voluntary coughing in humans with and without spinal cord injury-A systematic review.

Introduction: Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) frequently have an ineffective cough ability due to dysfunctions in expiratory muscles. In such cases, several articles have reported the occurrence of residual muscular activity in muscles that are accessory to coughing. The knowledge about this activity may be useful for building cough assistance devices.

Characterization of the Cicatrization Process in Diabetic Foot Ulcers Based on the Production of Reactive Oxygen Species.

The present study aims at evaluating the correlation between the free radical formation and the healing action of lower limbs' ulcers in a randomized controlled trial with the use of an adhesive derived from natural latex associated with a light-emitting diode (LED) circuit. The sample consists of 15 participants with lower limb lesions divided into three groups: group 1 case (5 participants) received the proposed dressing system adhesive of the natural latex associated with the LED circuit; group 2 control (5 participants) received the dressings at home performed by nurses according to and established by the clinic of wounds (treated with calcium alginate or silver foam); and group 3 (5 participants) also received the dressing in their homes with the use of the dressing adhesive derived from the natural latex associated with the LED circuit. The collected data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by electron paramagnetic resonance for determination of free radical formation.

Effects of Biofeedback in Preventing Urinary Incontinence and Erectile Dysfunction after Radical Prostatectomy.

In this study, we present a biofeedback method for the strengthening of perineal muscles during the preoperative procedures for radical prostatectomy, and we evaluate this technique as a prevention measure against complications such as urinary incontinence (UI) and erectile dysfunction (ED), which affect prostatectomy patients after surgery. In the experimental protocol, the patients performed specific exercises with the help of a device that provided the patient with visual biofeedback, based on a plot of the anal pressure. For the experimental protocol, we selected 20 male patients, with an average age of 64.

Motor unit action potential conduction velocity estimated from surface electromyographic signals using image processing techniques.

In surface electromyography (surface EMG, or S-EMG), conduction velocity (CV) refers to the velocity at which the motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) propagate along the muscle fibers, during contractions. The CV is related to the type and diameter of the muscle fibers, ion concentration, pH, and firing rate of the motor units (MUs). The CV can be used in the evaluation of contractile properties of MUs, and of muscle fatigue.

Effects of very short pauses on electromyographic variables measured during fatiguing isometric contractions.

15 healthy men (26.6 ± 4.6 years old, weight of 70.

An experimental evaluation of the incidence of fitness-function/search-algorithm combinations on the classification performance of myoelectric control systems with iPCA tuning.

Background: The information of electromyographic signals can be used by Myoelectric Control Systems (MCSs) to actuate prostheses. These devices allow the performing of movements that cannot be carried out by persons with amputated limbs. The state of the art in the development of MCSs is based on the use of individual principal component analysis (iPCA) as a stage of pre-processing of the classifiers.

Evaluating different combinations of feature selection algorithms and cost functions applied to iPCA tuning in myoelectric control systems.

A myoelectric control system extracts information from electromyographic (EMG) signals and uses it to control different types of prostheses, so that people who suffered traumatisms, paralysis or amputations can use them to execute common movements. Recent research shows that the addition of a tuning stage, using the individual component analysis (iPCA), results in improved classification performance. We propose and evaluate a set of novel configurations for the iPCA tuning, based on a biologically inspired optimization procedure, the artificial bee colony algorithm.

Electromyographic study in 5 muscles during an isometric fatiguing protocol.

In this study, 12 healthy men aging 22.8 ± 2.2 years old were submitted to a protocol of isometric resistance to fatigue contemplating elbow flexion on three different angles: 45°, 90° and 135°.

Influence of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on the conduction velocity measured using EMG signals provided by linear arrays of electrodes.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) can alter the functioning of muscles and even assist muscle rehabilitation. In this paper, we evaluate the effect of NMES on the conduction velocity (CV) of the brachial biceps' motor units. We used a linear array of electrodes to acquire electromyographic signals, as different subjects perform isometric voluntary contractions (IVCs), with and without prior NMES.

Building smart sensor nodes according to IEEE 1451.3 standard.

A Body Sensor Network (BSN) application requires many software and hardware adaptations to support correctly data exchanges between different sensor node architectures. However, these customizations demand extra time, cost and components. This paper introduces a simple development process in order to customize off-the-shelf BSN sensor nodes according to Transducer Bus Interface Modules (TBIM) standard.

Heart rate, oxygen saturation, and skin conductance: a comparison study of acute pain in Brazilian newborns.

Heart rate variability (HRV), oxygen saturation variability (OSV) and skin conductance activity (SCA) are recognized physiological markers of acute pain. In order to verify which of them has the best correlation with psychophysical parameters of pain (intensity, reactivity, direction, regulation and slope), an observational prospective study was performed, including 41 healthy full term newborns. The measurements studied were the HRV, the OSV, and the following SCA variables: number of waves per second (NWps) and relative area under the curve of waves (AUC).

On the behavior of surface electromyographic variables during the menstrual cycle.

The goal of this work is to study the behavior of electromyographic variables during the menstrual cycle. Ten female volunteers (24.0 ± 2.

Insole with pressure control and tissue neoformation induction systems for diabetic foot.

This article presents the development of a prototype insole derived from natural rubber from Hevea brasiliensis, equipped with pressure control and capable of neoformation of tissue for people who have diabetic foot. The active element of this insole is the electronic circuit that monitors the plantar pressure. In addition, on the present stage of the research, a signal irradiating cell is used based on the principle of tissue regeneration using laser.

Evaluation of a mobile electrode for electrical stimulation of the perineal muscle.

This work evaluates the effectiveness of a new type of electrode for functional electrical stimulation of the perineal muscle in women. The new electrode is shaped like a pen, with an active stimulation electrode located on its tip. The goals of the study are to (i) demonstrate that stimulation using the new device results in increased muscle strength; and (ii) compare the performance of the new device with that of a traditional (fixed) electrode.

Analysis of biomaterial latex-derived flow mechanical controller.

This paper describes the basic guidelines for developing an innovative biomedical device. It covers the issues of researching about a suitable material, developing a new device, and testing its proprieties to check its effectiveness. The goal of the device is to control food flow into the esophagus, reducing its volume and the speed of food intake to help in the treatment of obesity.

Electromyographic evaluation of muscle recovery after isometric fatigue.

Despite growing interest in the behavior of electromyographic signals during muscle fatigue, few studies investigate fatigue recovery. In this work, we use surface electromyographic signals to determine the recovery time after isometric fatigue of the biceps brachii muscle in 90° flexion of the non-dominant elbow. Sixty volunteers were arranged into six experimental groups.

Electronic temperature monitoring during the decompression surgery of the facial nerve.

Despite of its apparent protection by being located deep in a bony canal, the facial nerve is a cranial pair of nerves more vulnerable to traumatic injuries. The surgical accidents are the most frequent causes of intratemporal complications of the facial nerve. Among the postoperative sequelae, the thermal injuries are common due to overheating of the otologic burr resulting in facial paralysis.