Electrically Induced Blink for the Prevention of Ocular Symptoms and Blurred Vision in Patients With Acute Facial Nerve Palsy.

: Facial nerve palsy causes blurred vision and ocular discomfort due to deficits in blinking and eye closure. The objective of this study was to determine whether eye-blinks could be elicited by electrical stimulation and whether electrically induced blink would have an effect on the visual acuity and ocular symptoms in patients with acute facial nerve palsy. : The zygomatic branch of the facial nerve of fifteen participants with acute facial nerve palsy was electrically stimulated in order to elicit a blink.

Effect of pulse waveforms on movement amplitudes and perceived discomfort in electric muscle stimulation in unresolved facial nerve palsy.

Studies on the effects of the pulse waveform used in electrical muscle stimulation on the activations and perceived discomfort of the waveform have been mainly executed on limb muscles with variable results, however, knowledge of these effects on facial muscles is currently lacking. We studied two waveforms, square wave and sinusoidal wavelet, for the activation of the frontalis muscle in 9 individuals with unresolved facial nerve palsy. Both waveforms produced a movement that was greater in amplitude compared with the maximal voluntary movement of the affected side in 8 participants and at least as great as the healthy side's maximal voluntary movement in 4 participants.

A modular brain-on-a-chip for modelling epileptic seizures with functionally connected human neuronal networks.

Epilepsies are a group of neurological disorders characterised by recurrent epileptic seizures. Seizures, defined as abnormal transient discharges of neuronal activity, can affect the entire brain circuitry or remain more focal in the specific brain regions and neuronal networks. Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived neurons are a promising option for modelling epilepsies, but as such, they do not model groups of connected neuronal networks or focal seizures.

Assessment of PIV performance in validating CFD models from nasal cavity CBCT scans.

Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate how well Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements could serve Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model validation for nasal airflow.

Material And Methods: For the PIV measurements, a silicone model of the nose based on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of a patient was made. Corresponding CFD calculations were conducted with laminar and two turbulent models (k-ω and k-ω SST).

Materials and Orthopedic Applications for Bioresorbable Inductively Coupled Resonance Sensors.

Bioresorbable passive resonance sensors based on inductor-capacitor (LC) circuits provide an auspicious sensing technology for temporary battery-free implant applications due to their simplicity, wireless readout, and the ability to be eventually metabolized by the body. In this study, the fabrication and performance of various LC circuit-based sensors are investigated to provide a comprehensive view on different material options and fabrication methods. The study is divided into sections that address different sensor constituents, including bioresorbable polymer and bioactive glass substrates, dissolvable metallic conductors, and atomic layer deposited (ALD) water barrier films on polymeric substrates.

Covalent immobilization of luminescent oxygen indicators reduces cytotoxicity.

Luminescence-based oxygen sensing is a widely used tool in cell culture applications. In a typical configuration, the luminescent oxygen indicators are embedded in a solid, oxygen-permeable matrix in contact with the culture medium. However, in sensitive cell cultures even minimal leaching of the potentially cytotoxic indicators can become an issue.

Transparent Microelectrode Arrays Fabricated by Ion Beam Assisted Deposition for Neuronal Cell in Vitro Recordings.

Microelectrode array (MEA) is a tool used for recording bioelectric signals from electrically active cells in vitro. In this paper, ion beam assisted electron beam deposition (IBAD) has been used for depositing indium tin oxide (ITO) and titanium nitride (TiN) thin films which are applied as transparent track and electrode materials in MEAs. In the first version, both tracks and electrodes were made of ITO to guarantee full transparency and thus optimal imaging capability.

Three-Dimensional Printing of the Nasal Cavities for Clinical Experiments.

3D printing has produced many beneficial applications for surgery. The technique´s applicability in replicating nasal cavity anatomy for clinical use has not been studied. Our aim was to determine whether 3D printing could realistically replicate the nasal cavities and the airflow passing through them from a clinical point of view.

Facial muscle reanimation by transcutaneous electrical stimulation for peripheral facial nerve palsy.

Reanimation of paralysed facial muscles by electrical stimulation has been studied extensively in animal models, but human studies in this field are largely lacking. Twenty-four subjects with a peripheral facial nerve palsy with a median duration of three years were enrolled. We studied activations of four facial muscles with electrical stimulation using surface electrodes.

Microelectrode Array With Transparent ALD TiN Electrodes.

Low noise platinum black or sputtered titanium nitride (TiN) microelectrodes are typically used for recording electrical activity of neuronal or cardiac cell cultures. Opaque electrodes and tracks, however, hinder the visibility of the cells when imaged with inverted microscope, which is the standard method of imaging cells plated on microelectrode array (MEA). Even though transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes exist, they cannot compete in impedance and noise performance with above-mentioned opaque counterparts.

Bioresorbable Conductive Wire with Minimal Metal Content.

The emergence of transient electronics has created the need for bioresorbable conductive wires for signal and energy transfer. We present a fully bioresorbable wire design where the conductivity is provided by only a few micrometers thick electron-beam evaporated magnesium layer on the surface of a polymer fiber. The structure is electrically insulated with an extrusion coated polymer sheath, which simultaneously serves as a water barrier for the dissolvable magnesium conductor.

Ion Beam Assisted E-Beam Deposited TiN Microelectrodes-Applied to Neuronal Cell Culture Medium Evaluation.

Microelectrode material and cell culture medium have significant roles in the signal-to-noise ratio and cell well-being in electrophysiological studies. Here, we report an ion beam assisted e-beam deposition (IBAD) based process as an alternative titanium nitride (TiN) deposition method for sputtering in the fabrication of state-of-the-art TiN microelectrode arrays (MEAs). The effects of evaporation and nitrogen flow rates were evaluated while developing the IBAD TiN deposition process.

Effects of Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty of Superficial Femoral Artery on Photoplethysmographic Pulse Transit Times.

We analyze the changes in upper and lower limb pulse transit times (PTT) caused by peripheral artery disease (PAD) and its treatment with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the superficial femoral artery. PTTs were extracted from the photoplethysmograms (PPG) recorded from an index finger and 2nd toes. PTTs were defined between the R-peaks of the ECG and different reference points of the PPG: foot and peak points, maxima of 1st and 2nd derivative, and by means of intersecting tangents method.

Evaluation of Dry Electrodes in Canine Heart Rate Monitoring.

The functionality of three dry electrocardiogram electrode constructions was evaluated by measuring canine heart rate during four different behaviors: Standing, sitting, lying and walking. The testing was repeated (n = 9) in each of the 36 scenarios with three dogs. Two of the electrodes were constructed with spring-loaded test pins while the third electrode was a molded polymer electrode with Ag/AgCl coating.

A Portable Microscale Cell Culture System with Indirect Temperature Control.

A physiologically relevant environment is essential for successful long-term cell culturing in vitro. Precise control of temperature, one of the most crucial environmental parameters in cell cultures, increases the fidelity and repeatability of the experiments. Unfortunately, direct temperature measurement can interfere with the cultures or prevent imaging of the cells.

Tissue Identification in a Porcine Model by Differential Ion Mobility Spectrometry Analysis of Surgical Smoke.

Electrosurgery is widely used in various surgical operations. When tissue is cut with high-frequency current, the cell contents at the incision area evaporate and together with water and possible soot particles, form surgical smoke. The smoke contains cell metabolites, and therefore, possible biomarkers for cancer or bacterial infection.

The effect of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of superficial femoral artery on pulse wave features.

We aimed to analyze the effects of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) on arterial pulse waves (PWs). Altogether 24 subjects i.e.

The characterization of surgical smoke from various tissues and its implications for occupational safety.

Electrosurgery produces surgical smoke. Different tissues produce different quantities and types of smoke, so we studied the particle characteristics of this surgical smoke in order to analyze the implications for the occupational health of the operation room personnel. We estimated the deposition of particulate matter (PM) from surgical smoke on the respiratory tract of operation room personnel using clinically relevant tissues from Finnish landrace porcine tissues including skeletal muscle, liver, subcutaneous fat, renal pelvis, renal cortex, lung, bronchus, cerebral gray and white matter, and skin.

Areas under peripheral pulse waves: a potential marker of atherosclerotic changes.

Objective: In this study, we propose a method for finding atherosclerotic changes based on the ratios of areas under peripheral arterial pulse wave (PW) contours and analyze its performance.

Approach: The PW signals were recorded with force sensors and photoplethysmographic sensors from ankle, wrist, cubital fossa, index finger and second toe from 30 atherosclerotic patients and 52 control subjects. In addition, the day-to-day repeatability of the method was studied with 10 test subjects examined on three different days.

Parameters Extracted From Arterial Pulse Waves as Markers of Atherosclerotic Changes: Performance and Repeatability.

Arterial diseases are significant and increasing cause of mortality and morbidity. In this study, we analyze and compare the discrimination capability of different arterial pulse wave (PW) based indices, both earlier proposed and novel ones, for describing the vascular health. The repeatability of the indices is also evaluated.

A survey on the feasibility of surface EMG in facial pacing.

A survey on the feasibility of surface electromyography (EMG) measurements in facial pacing is presented. Pacing for unilateral facial paralysis consists of the measurement of activity from the healthy side of the face and functional electrical stimulation to reanimate the paralyzed one. The goal of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of surface EMG as a measurement method to detect muscle activations and to determine their intensities.

Combining finger and toe photoplethysmograms for the detection of atherosclerosis.

Unlabelled: In this study, we propose and analyze a noninvasive method for detecting the atherosclerotic changes of vasculature based on the analysis of photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals.

Methods: the proposed method is called finger-toe (FT)-plot analysis that utilizes both finger and toe PPG signals. For the features extracted from the FT-plots, we implemented different linear discriminant analysis based classifiers and analyzed seven promising ones in detail.

Optical non-contact pH measurement in cell culture with sterilizable, modular parts.

A non-contact real time pH measurement using fully modular optical parts is described for phenol-red medium cell cultures. The modular parts can be sterilized, and once the measurement is started at the beginning of culture, no recalibration or maintenance is needed till the end of the culture. Measurements can be carried out without any special manual attention.

Effects of sensor type and sensor location on signal quality in bed mounted ballistocardiographic heart rate and respiration monitoring.

Sleeping is a crucial part of our circadian rhythm and the quality of sleep has substantial impact on the quality of life in general and the overall well-being of a person. That is why sleep related physiological measurements have been in the focus of many scientific studies along the years, and why a large number of different measurement methods have been developed for this purpose. The ability to monitor heart rate respiration without any sensors or electrodes being directly attached to the body is extremely useful especially in long-term monitoring and it allows automated daily measurements without any medical staff present.

Age Dependence of Arterial Pulse Wave Parameters Extracted From Dynamic Blood Pressure and Blood Volume Pulse Waves.

Atherosclerosis is a significant cause of mortality in the aged population, and it affects arterial wall properties causing differences in measured arterial pulse wave (PW). In this study, both dynamic arterial blood pressure PWs and blood volume PWs are analyzed. The PWs are recorded noninvasively from multiple measurement points from the upper and lower limbs from 52 healthy (22-90-year-old) volunteers without known cardiovascular diseases.