: Heart Failure (HF) is a relevant disease that leads to an overload of fluids (edema) that accumulate in the pulmonary and systemic vascular territory of the patient. The use of bioimpedance measurements have been proposed for the monitoring of edema in heart failure patients, being necessary to optimize the design of electrodes systems in medical medices. In our work we present the modelling of the supramalleolar section of the leg, and finite element simulations of bioimpedance measurements performed to monitor fluid overload in lower limbs. Results show the similarity of our simulations with performed experiments, and the validity of our model to study the optimization in the design process of bioimpedance electrodes.
: Here we present a new technique that introduces the possibility to pattern inside closed volume using the Magneto lithography (ML) method which allows the chemical patterning of the inside of the micro-channel tube. The ML method is a bottom-up method but at the same time, it provides the desired high-throughput capabilities for mass production. The ML method simplifies chemical surface patterning because it does not require resist, which may contaminate the substrate. ML can also be applied for applications combining both microelectronics and chemical patterning. Furthermore, ML does not depend on the surface topography and planarity, and can pattern non-flat surfaces and the inside surfaces of a closed volume, therefore, ML allows the chemical patterning of the inside of tubes.
: Vital signs measurement is key for monitoring and controlling the health of patients in the home environment. Parameters such as body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation or blood glucose reflect the state of essential functions of the human body. Deviations of some of these parameters may indicate illness or worsening of the patient’s condition. Nowadays there are different devices that allow the measurement of the main vital signs, in this article the measurement technologies as well as the main medical devices are reviewed. Many of these devices are not suitable for simultaneous monitoring of several vital signs so the patient is required to handle a multitude of devices. Therefore, a review of new monitoring device concepts that combine more than one vital sign and do not interfere with the day-to-day life of patients is carried out.
: One of the most often utilized materials for making microfluidic devices is polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)
: The hemodynamics of Intracranial Aneurysm (IA) involves complex phenomena that influence its growth and rupture. The progress of additive manufacturing techniques has allowed the development of biomodels suitable to perform in vitro flow experiments. Hence, this work presents the manufacturing process to fabricate flow biomodels by using the additive manufacturing technique known as Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). The biomodels obtained through the proposed technique has proved to be suitable for in vitro flow experiments using imaging techniques and for validation of numerical studies
: Cardiopulmonary disease treatments can highly benefit from remote monitoring systems, allowing for early diagnosis and enabling personalized treatment programs. In this paper, the feasibility and performance of such a system is demonstrated. Continuous and simultaneous monitoring of electrocardiogram (ECG), seis-mocardiogram (SCG), photoplethysmogram (PPG), and body temperature signals from a total of six sensors is achieved by a microcontroller-based setup, which consists of a fixed main body mounted on mid-sternum and a mobile daughter body mounted on the wrist. The data is stored in an SD card and transmitted by a Bluetooth to PC in real-time, allowing easy data access. The proposed system’s performance is examined in comparison to the heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and respiration rate metrics derived from the BIOPAC system’s ECG and respiration data. Low margins of error in all test cases show that the system works at high performance.
: Neuromorphic engineering, inspired by principles and architecture of neuronal circuitries, enabled the design of Artificial Neural networks (ANNs) for Intelligent systems. These systems perform very complex computation tasks, yet they consume significant power. Thus, using artificial intelligence (AI) for applications where only a small power source is available is very limited. While the neuronal networks in the brain can recognize complex patterns and memorize enormous elements, molecular and protein networks can perform other complex tasks such as adaptive immunity and cell differentiation at high energy efficiency. Here, we claim that a bio-inspired computing platform mimicking molecular protein networks can lead to ultra-low power emergent computation. Previously, we proposed a molecular-inspired computing model named Perceptgene that has the attributes of learning and adaptivity as the neural network (Rizik et al., 2022). Similarities were found be-tween equations describing biochemical reactions and transistor operation at subthreshold (Sarpeshkar, 2011) enabling the design of Perceptgene with subthreshold electrical circuits. Thus, the subthreshold Perceptgene circuits are expected to allow computing and learning capabilities at ultra-low power consumption.
: Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers that affect women, with the highest incidence and mortality rates occurring in low-and middle-income countries. Early detection is crucial for successful treatment, but the need for expensive equipment, trained colposcopists, and clinical infrastructure has made it difficult to eradicate this disease. To address such limitations, we propose the development of a portable, low-cost colposcope that is easy to use, which uses image processing techniques to automate lesion detection and provides a quantitative measure to evaluate progression of the disease or to measure treatment efficacy. Through this paper, we present the development of a system that encompasses the above, and preliminary results show that we can achieve a low-cost bioinformatics-based screening for early detection of cervical cancer in a clinical setting.
: Recently, we developed a novel microfluidic pressure sensor which can accurately sense and collect human wrist arterial pulse signals to be used in a wearable TCM pulse analyzer enabled with artificial intelligence for self-monitoring of cardiovascular disease. Various micro tactile sensor structures had been explored and fabricated using in-house microfabrication facilities. The connection between the parameters of sensor and its output has been investigated and found that the parameters of pressure sensor had great influence on its performance. An easy-to-use mechanical structure to hold the sensor and pulse signal reading and processing electronics on both hardware and firmware have also been designed and fabricated.
: The concept of 4D printing refers to the ability of a 3D printed material or device to change shape in a predefined manner controlled from the design stage. Currently, 4D printing research is performed by employing various additive technologies and materials, whose special design features or functional properties allow for these shape transformations or metamorphoses after printing. This smart shape-morphing behaviour is already providing innovative concepts for biomedical engineering and healthcare technologies, although important advances are still needed towards impactful transfer to society. This study presents different polymeric additive manufacturing technologies: stereolithography, digital light processing and selective laser sintering, that can be employed towards shape-morphing or 4D printed medical devices, in some cases at prototyping level, in others for final production. Through the prototyping of different joints and kinematic chains, configured as potential surgical actuators, the potentials and limitations of these resources are studied and good design practices and future applications for 4D printed biodevices are provided. The applicability of polymeric 4D printing to emulate and predict 4D printability with high-performance alloys is discussed.
: A fundamental problem in men's health is that large groups of men shy away from visiting the doctor, and specifically, often do not take part in early screening tests if they do not have complaints yet. This is particularly evident in the sensitive field of urology. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most widespread disorders in ageing men and is associated with an increasing burden on healthcare systems. It is often underdiagnosed and undertreated and has a substantial impact on the patients’ quality of life. An altered urine flow curve can be a first clue to BPH. A new developed, easy-to-use prostate self-testing device based on a Swiss high-precision flowmeter enables men to check their urine flow at home in familiar surroundings. Via a Bluetooth connection, the results can be transmitted wirelessly and stored in a digital diary so that long-term developments can be tracked. The self-testing device not only provides men with the opportunity to deal with their health with low effort and in a discreet way, but also gives them certainty about their prostate health status.
: Currently, the most usual treatment for coronary artery disease is the use of stents, which are produced with standard dimensions and shapes and the surgeon selects the one that best fits the patient’s anatomy. Due to this treatment, likelihood of restenosis might reach 40%. Additionally, thrombi formation is an important risk for these patients that is treated with anticoagulant medicines. Therefore, a design and manufacturing method to produce microtextured patient-specific coronary stent is developed with the aim to minimize the likelihood of restenosis and thrombosis. Stents consisting of unit cells structures that are regularly repeated to form a ring and, sometimes connectors to join the rings. To improve the fitting between artery and stent, parametric design of unit cell as a function of the length and mean radius of coronary artery is required. Then, the unit cell is microtextured to improve hemocompatibility using a bioinspired design in shark skin, which provide superhydrophobicity, drag reduction and oleophobicity under water conditions. Once the unit cell is micropatterned, a reverse engineering reconstruction is done to obtain the stent model. Finally, the design is manufactured with a 3D printer using two-photon polymerisation technology. SEM is used to evaluate the design and manufacturing method.
: Pre-hospital emergency medicine sometimes involves taking care of patients in environments far different from the hospital. Cold, heat, humidity, altitude, wind, etc. put human beings and equipment to a severe test. What are the extreme conditions to which pre-hospital emergency medicine professionals are exposed? What types of medical devices are particularly concerned? What are the regulations and standards in force? What are the impacts of exposure to extreme conditions on medical devices? To answer these questions, we rely on an analysis of the regulatory and normative context, on a scientific literature review and on a case study involving mechanical ventilation at altitude. Finally, we share some thoughts and advice intended for health facilities and users, in order to improve practices in terms of selection, use and monitoring of medical devices exposed to extreme conditions. This document is illustrated with examples concerning the French defence health service, but our approach can be applied to any entity concerned with pre-hospital emergency medicine.
