Wearable Devices Based on Bioimpedance Test in Heart Failure: Clinical Relevance: Systematic Review.

Background: Heart failure (HF) represents a frequent cause of hospital admission, with fluid overload directly contributing to decompensations. Bioimpedance (BI), a physical parameter linked to tissue hydration status, holds promise in monitoring congestion and improving prognosis. This systematic review aimed to assess the clinical relevance of BI-based wearable devices for HF fluid monitoring.

Factors associated with mental health in Peruvian medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multicentre quantitative study.

Objective: To assess the mental health status and associated factors of Peruvian medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Descriptive, multicentre, correlational study that used the "Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)", the "Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)" and the "Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R)" questionnaires to evaluate mental health problems.

Results: A total of 1,238 students from 8 Peruvian medical schools participated in the study.

Predictive Cell Culture Time Evolution Based on Electric Models.

Obtaining cell concentration measurements from a culture assay by using bioimpedance is a very useful method that can be used to translate impedances to cell concentration values. The purpose of this study was to find a method to obtain the cell concentration values of a given cell culture assay in real time by using an oscillator as the measurement circuit. From a basic cell-electrode model, enhanced models of a cell culture immersed in a saline solution (culture medium) were derived.

DC electrical stimulation enhances proliferation and differentiation on N2a and MC3T3 cell lines.

Background: Electrical stimulation is a novel tool to promote the differentiation and proliferation of precursor cells. In this work we have studied the effects of direct current (DC) electrical stimulation on neuroblastoma (N2a) and osteoblast (MC3T3) cell lines as a model for nervous and bone tissue regeneration, respectively. We have developed the electronics and encapsulation of a proposed stimulation system and designed a setup and protocol to stimulate cell cultures.

Factors associated with mental health in Peruvian medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multicentre quantitative study.

Objective: To assess the mental health status and associated factors of Peruvian medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Descriptive, multicentre, correlational study that used the "Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)", the "Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)" and the "Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R)" questionnaires to evaluate mental health problems.

Results: A total of 1,238 students from 8 Peruvian medical schools participated in the study.

A computer-aided design tool for biomedical OBT sensor tuning in cell-culture assays.

Background And Objectives: The biomedical engineering must frequently develop sensor designs by including information from performance of bio-samples (cell cultures or tissues), technical specifications of transducers, and constrains from electronic circuits. A computer program for real-time cell culture monitoring system design is developed; analyzing, modelling and integrating into the program design flow the electrodes, cell culture and test circuit's influences.

Methods: The computer tool, first, generates an equivalent electric circuit model for the cell-electrode bio-systems based on the area covered by cells, which also considers the cell culture dynamics.

Integrating animal welfare into disaster management using an 'all-hazards' approach.

Statistics show that disasters have expanded in scope and scale, with impacts on both humans and animals. As animals are valued not only for their economic value, but also for their companionship, people sometimes risk their lives to protect them, and emergency responders are expected to safeguard their welfare during emergencies. This paper discusses experiences from different regions of the world in animal disaster risk reduction and management in terms of legislation, funding streams, planning, capacity development, and communications.

The genetic profile of elite youth soccer players and its association with power and speed depends on maturity status.

We investigated the association of multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with athlete status and power/speed performance in elite male youth soccer players (ESP) and control participants (CON) at different stages of maturity. ESP (n = 535; aged 8-23 years) and CON (n = 151; aged 9-26 years) were genotyped for 10 SNPs and grouped according to years from predicted peak-height-velocity (PHV), i.e.

Electrical Modeling of the Growth and Differentiation of Skeletal Myoblasts Cell Cultures for Tissue Engineering.

In tissue engineering, of utmost importance is the control of tissue formation, in order to form tissue constructs of clinical relevance. In this work, we present the use of an impedance spectroscopy technique for the real-time measurement of the dielectric properties of skeletal myoblast cell cultures. The processes involved in the growth and differentiation of these cell cultures in skeletal muscle are studied.

Characterization of Implanted Stents through Neointimal Tissue Bioimpedance Simulations.

This work describes how is possible the definition of the light hole or lumen in implanted stents affected by restenosis processes using the BioImpedance (BI) as biomarker. The main approach is based on the fact that neointimal tissues implied in restenosis can be detected and measured thanks to their respective conductivity and dielectric properties. For this goal, it is proposed a four-electrode setup for bioimpedance measurement.

Data-Analytics Modeling of Electrical Impedance Measurements for Cell Culture Monitoring.

High-throughput data analysis challenges in laboratory automation and lab-on-a-chip devices' applications are continuously increasing. In cell culture monitoring, specifically, the electrical cell-substrate impedance sensing technique (ECIS), has been extensively used for a wide variety of applications. One of the main drawbacks of ECIS is the need for implementing complex electrical models to decode the electrical performance of the full system composed by the electrodes, medium, and cells.

Remote Cell Growth Sensing Using Self-Sustained Bio-Oscillations.

A smart sensor system for cell culture real-time supervision is proposed, allowing for a significant reduction in human effort applied to this type of assay. The approach converts the cell culture under test into a suitable "biological" oscillator. The system enables the remote acquisition and management of the "biological" oscillation signals through a secure web interface.

An Empirical-Mathematical Approach for Calibration and Fitting Cell-Electrode Electrical Models in Bioimpedance Tests.

This paper proposes a new yet efficient method allowing a significant improvement in the on-line analysis of biological cell growing and evolution. The procedure is based on an empirical-mathematical approach for calibration and fitting of any cell-electrode electrical model. It is valid and can be extrapolated for any type of cellular line used in electrical cell-substrate impedance spectroscopy (ECIS) tests.

Sensing Cell-Culture Assays with Low-Cost Circuitry.

An alternative approach for cell-culture end-point protocols is proposed herein. This new technique is suitable for real-time remote sensing. It is based on Electrical Cell-substrate Impedance Spectroscopy (ECIS) and employs the Oscillation-Based Test (OBT) method.

A tracking algorithm for cell motility assays in CMOS systems.

This work proposes a method for the study and real-time monitoring of a single cell on a 2D electrode matrix, of great interest in cell motility assays and in the characterization of cancer cell metastasis. A CMOS system proposal for cell location based on occupation maps data generated from Electrical Cell-substrate Impedance Spectroscopy (ECIS) has been developed. From experimental assays data, an algorithm based on the analysis of the eight nearest neighbours has been implemented to find the cell center of mass.

Real-Time Electrical Bioimpedance Characterization of Neointimal Tissue for Stent Applications.

To follow up the restenosis in arteries stented during an angioplasty is an important current clinical problem. A new approach to monitor the growth of neointimal tissue inside the stent is proposed on the basis of electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) sensors and the oscillation-based test (OBT) circuit technique. A mathematical model was developed to analytically describe the histological composition of the neointima, employing its conductivity and permittivity data.

Fistula between the middle ear and subarachnoid space as a cause of recurrent meningitis: detection by means of thin-section, complex-motion tomography.

Recurrent meningitis due to a fistula between the subarachnoid space and the middle ear or mastoid cavities has various causes, including congenital anomalies, trauma, and infection. Five cases are described in which thin-section, complex-motion tomograms showed bony abnormalities which suggested both the site and cause of the fistula. Accurate determination of the site of the fistula with this technique facilitated appropriate surgical correction in each patient.