A hierarchically patterned, bioinspired e-skin able to detect the direction of applied pressure for robotics.

Tactile sensing is required for the dexterous manipulation of objects in robotic applications. In particular, the ability to measure and distinguish in real time normal and shear forces is crucial for slip detection and interaction with fragile objects. Here, we report a biomimetic soft electronic skin (e-skin) that is composed of an array of capacitors and capable of measuring and discriminating in real time both normal and tangential forces.

An integrated self-healable electronic skin system fabricated via dynamic reconstruction of a nanostructured conducting network.

Electronic skin devices capable of monitoring physiological signals and displaying feedback information through closed-loop communication between the user and electronics are being considered for next-generation wearables and the 'Internet of Things'. Such devices need to be ultrathin to achieve seamless and conformal contact with the human body, to accommodate strains from repeated movement and to be comfortable to wear. Recently, self-healing chemistry has driven important advances in deformable and reconfigurable electronics, particularly with self-healable electrodes as the key enabler.

Cardiovascular morphometry with high-resolution 3D magnetic resonance: First application to left ventricle diastolic dysfunction.

In this study, an image-based morphometry toolset quantifying geometric descriptors of the left ventricle, aorta and their coupling is applied to investigate whether morphological information can differentiate between subjects affected by diastolic dysfunction (patient group) and their age-matched controls (control group). The ventriculo-aortic region of 20 total participants (10 per group) were segmented from high-resolution 3D magnetic resonance images, from the left ventricle to the descending aorta. Each geometry was divided into segments in correspondence of anatomical landmarks.

In vivo evaluation of a novel, wrist-mounted arterial pressure sensing device versus the traditional hand-held tonometer.

Although hemodynamic parameters can be assessed non-invasively, state-of-the-art non-invasive systems generally require an expert operator and are not applicable for ambulatory measurements. These limitations have restricted our understanding of the continuous behavior of hemodynamic parameters. In this manuscript, we introduce a novel wrist-mounted device that incorporates an array of pressure sensors which can be used to extract arterial waveforms and relevant pulse wave analysis biomarkers.

Single breath-hold 3D measurement of left atrial volume using compressed sensing cardiovascular magnetic resonance and a non-model-based reconstruction approach.

Background: Left atrial (LA) dilatation is associated with a large variety of cardiac diseases. Current cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) strategies to measure LA volumes are based on multi-breath-hold multi-slice acquisitions, which are time-consuming and susceptible to misregistration.

Aim: To develop a time-efficient single breath-hold 3D CMR acquisition and reconstruction method to precisely measure LA volumes and function.

In vivo evaluation of a novel 'diastole-patching' algorithm for the estimation of pulse transit time: advancing the precision in pulse wave velocity measurement.

Carotid-to-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) is the gold standard for the assessment of aortic stiffness. It is calculated by the ratio of pulse transit time (PTT) between two arterial sites and the distance between them. The precision of PTT estimation depends upon the algorithm that determines characteristic points at the foot of the pulse waveforms.

First in vivo application and evaluation of a novel method for non-invasive estimation of cardiac output.

Surgical or critically ill patients often require continuous assessment of cardiac output (CO) for diagnostic purposes or for guiding therapeutic interventions. A new method of non-invasive CO estimation has been recently developed, which is based on pressure wave analysis. However, its validity has been examined only in silico.

Total arterial compliance estimated by a novel method and all-cause mortality in the elderly: the PROTEGER study.

Aortic stiffness, assessed by carotid-to-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), often fails to predict cardiovascular (CV) risk and mortality in the very elderly. This may be due to the non-linear association between PWV and compliance or to blood pressure decrease in the frailest subjects. Total arterial compliance (C T) is the most relevant arterial property regarding CV function, compared to local or regional arterial stiffness.

Validation of a novel and existing algorithms for the estimation of pulse transit time: advancing the accuracy in pulse wave velocity measurement.

The method used for pulse transit time (PTT) estimation critically affects the accuracy and precision of regional pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurements. Several methods of PTT estimation exist, often yielding substantially different PWV values. Since there is no analytic way to determine PTT in vivo, these methods cannot be validated except by using in silico or in vitro models of known PWV and PTT values.

Generic and patient-specific models of the arterial tree.

Recent advance in imaging modalities used frequently in clinical routine can provide description of the geometrical and hemodynamical properties of the arterial tree in great detail. The combination of such information with models of blood flow of the arterial tree can provide further information, such as details in pressure and flow waves or details in the local flow field. Such knowledge maybe be critical in understanding the development or state of arterial disease and can help clinicians perform better diagnosis or plan better treatments.

On the estimation of total arterial compliance from aortic pulse wave velocity.

Total arterial compliance (C(T)) is a main determinant of cardiac afterload, left ventricular function and arterio-ventricular coupling. C(T) is physiologically more relevant than regional aortic stiffness. However, direct, in vivo, non-invasive, measurement of C(T) is not feasible.

The "systolic volume balance" method for the noninvasive estimation of cardiac output based on pressure wave analysis.

Cardiac output (CO) monitoring is essential for the optimal management of critically ill patients. Several mathematical methods have been proposed for CO estimation based on pressure waveform analysis. Most of them depend on invasive recording of blood pressure and require repeated calibrations, and they suffer from decreased accuracy under specific conditions.

3D simulation of the aqueous flow in the human eye.

Glaucoma results in an increase in the resistance of the aqueous humor outflow, which in turn leads to an increase of the intraocular pressure (IOP). Several treatments are proposed to reduce and stabilize the IOP that include medications, filtering surgery and glaucoma drainage devices (GDD). So far computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of the eye drainage system has not yet been well studied.