Search Results (332)

The endoscopic capsule is a miniaturized device used for medical diagnosis, which is less invasive compared to traditional gastrointestinal endoscopy and can reduce patient discomfort. However, it faces challenges in communication transmission, such as high power consumption, serious signal interference, and low data transmission rate. To address these issues, this paper proposes an optimized modulation scheme that is low-cost, low-power, and robust in harsh environments, aiming to improve its transmission rate. The scheme is analyzed in terms of the in-body channel. The analysis and discussion for the scheme in wireless body area networks (WBANs) are divided into three aspects: bit error rate (BER) performance, energy efficiency (EE), and spectrum efficiency (SE), and complexity. These correspond to the following issues: transmission rate, communication quality, and low power consumption. The results demonstrate that the optimized scheme is more suitable for improving the communication performance of endoscopic capsules. Full article

Background/Objectives: “Ozempic face” is an aesthetic side effect associated with the use of the antidiabetic agent Ozempic (semaglutide), characterized by a prematurely aged and fatigued facial appearance due to rapid weight loss. Currently, treatment options for this condition are limited. In this study, we present our clinical experience with the BodyTite device, provided by InMode Italy S.r.l. (Rome, Italy). Materials and Methods: We report a case series involving 24 patients (19 women and 5 men, aged 27–65 years), treated with subdermal bipolar radiofrequency (Endotissutal Bipolar Radiofrequency) between 2023 and 2024. All patients underwent a minimum follow-up of 12 months. At the end of the follow-up period, patients rated their satisfaction on a from 0 to 10 scale, and an independent expert assessed the stability of clinical outcomes. Results: The majority of patients reported high satisfaction levels (≥8), which correlated with the independent expert’s evaluation of treatment efficacy and result stability. The only observed adverse event was transient cutaneous erythema. Conclusions: “Ozempic face” is an increasingly common side effect associated with newer classes of antidiabetic medications. Although these drugs offer significant metabolic benefits, the accompanying facial volume loss and aging are often poorly tolerated by patients. Our findings suggest that subdermal bipolar radiofrequency represents a safe, low-risk, and cost-effective therapeutic option for the aesthetic management of Ozempic face. Full article

Data over sound (DoS) is an established technique that has experienced a resurgence in recent years, finding applications in areas such as contactless payments, device pairing, authentication, presence detection, toys, and offline data transfer. This study introduces CardiaWhisper, a system that extends the DoS concept to the medical domain by using a medical data-over-sound (MDoS) framework. CardiaWhisper integrates wearable biomedical sensors with home care systems, edge or IoT gateways, and telemedical networks or cloud platforms. Using a transmitter device, vital signs such as ECG (electrocardiogram) signals, PPG (photoplethysmogram) signals, RR (respiratory rate), and ACC (acceleration/movement) are sensed, conditioned, encoded, and acoustically transmitted to a nearby receiver—typically a smartphone, tablet, or other gadget—and can be further relayed to edge and cloud infrastructures. As a case study, this paper presents the real-time transmission and processing of ECG signals. The transmitter integrates an ECG sensing module, an encoder (either a PLL-based FM modulator chip or a microcontroller), and a sound emitter in the form of a standard piezoelectric speaker. The receiver, in the form of a mobile phone, tablet, or desktop computer, captures the acoustic signal via its built-in microphone and executes software routines to decode the data. It then enables a range of control and visualization functions for both local and remote users. Emphasis is placed on describing the system architecture and its key components, as well as the software methodologies used for signal decoding on the receiver side, where several algorithms are implemented using open-source, platform-independent technologies, such as JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. While the main focus is on the transmission of analog data, digital data transmission is also illustrated. The CardiaWhisper system is evaluated across several performance parameters, including functionality, complexity, speed, noise immunity, power consumption, range, and cost-efficiency. Quantitative measurements of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were performed in various realistic indoor scenarios, including different distances, obstacles, and noise environments. Preliminary results are presented, along with a discussion of design challenges, limitations, and feasible applications. Our experience demonstrates that CardiaWhisper provides a low-power, eco-friendly alternative to traditional RF or Bluetooth-based medical wearables in various applications. Full article

Information and communication technologies are revolutionizing cardiac monitoring. Particularly, different Internet of Things (IoT) devices are gaining popularity, although basic cognitive tools that rely on electrocardiograms (ECGs) are still uncommon. Here, an ECG acquisition system for cognitive load analysis has been developed based on an Arduino-based, low-cost device for signal processing, recording, analysis, and classification. The system used network components such a cloud server for storage and related functions. By comparing the recorded signals to the reference professional medical device, the quality of the signals was confirmed. The Stroop test was used in the experiment to measure cognitive load in healthy subjects. The cognitive test caused, in most cases, characteristic changes in the structure of a large deviation multifractal spectrum. Thus, a new classification model based on multifractal total variations was presented for cognitive load assessment based on an ECG. The proposed cosine kNN (k nearest neighbors) approach yielded high accuracy results of above 90% using five-fold cross-validation, which were compared to other methods. It applied a relatively small number of features, including the Shannon entropy and the total variations. Full article

Background/Objectives: We sought to demonstrate the versatility and economy of physician-modified endograft (PMEG) fenestrated endovascular aortic repair (FEVAR) based on the Treo (Terumo Aortic) platform for patients referred for custom-made device (CMD) FEVAR due to a complex abdominal aortic aneurysm (CAAA). Endovascular planning was performed utilizing a standardized design incorporating all visceral arteries with a low supra-celiac landing zone. The pure cost of the aortic components was compared between the PMEG and CMD designs. Methods: A total of 39 consecutive patients treated with CMD FEVAR due to a CAAA between September 2018 and December 2023 were recruited at a tertiary vascular center for a retrospective evaluation. Endovascular planning was performed on readily available computed tomography angiography (CTA) datasets using 3Mensio Vascular (Pie Medical Imaging) software. The actual cost of the major components was compared between the implanted CMD platform produced by Cook and the planned Treo-based PMEG repair. Results: A total of 155 fenestrations were planned on 3 triple-, 34 quadruple-, and two quintuple-fenestrated devices. The 90 mm distance between the proximal edge and the flow divider of the 120 mm long main body of the Treo graft allowed for the placement of all necessary fenestrations of the target arteries without the need to reduce the 3 cm supra-celiac landing zone while also preserving a safety distance of >1 cm to the flow divider. The costs of the components were EUR 33896 for CMD and EUR 8878 for a PMEG. Conclusions: This retrospective study suggests that a quadruple-fenestrated PMEG based on the Treo bifurcation is a highly versatile alternative with a significant price advantage over custom-made devices for the treatment of complex abdominal aortic aneurysms. Full article

Using multimodal wearable devices to diagnose cardiovascular diseases early is essential for providing timely medical assistance, particularly in remote areas. This approach helps prevent risks and reduce mortality rates. However, prolonged use of medical devices can lead to measurement inaccuracies, necessitating calibration to maintain precision. Unfortunately, wearable devices often lack affordable calibrators that are suitable for personal use. This study introduces a low-cost simulation system for phonocardiography (PCG) and photoplethysmography (PPG) signals designed for a multimodal smart stethoscope calibration. The proposed system was developed using a multicore microprocessor (MCU), two digital-to-analog converters (DACs), an LED light, and a speaker. It synchronizes dual signals by assigning tasks based on a multitasking function. A designed time adjustment algorithm controls the pulse transit time (PTT) to simulate various cardiovascular conditions. The simulation signals are generated from preprocessed PCG and PPG signals collected during in vivo experiments. A prototype device was manufactured to evaluate performance by measuring the generated signal using an oscilloscope and a multimodal smart stethoscope. The preprocessed signals, generated signals, and measurements by the smart stethoscope were compared and evaluated through correlation analysis. The experimental results confirm that the proposed system accurately generates the features of the physiological signals and remains in phase with the original signals. Full article

Printed electronics employ established printing methods to create low-cost, mechanically flexible devices including batteries, supercapacitors, sensors, antennas and RFID tags on plastic, paper and textile substrates. This review focuses on the specific contribution of screen printing to that landscape, examining how ink viscosity, mesh selection and squeegee dynamics govern film uniformity, pattern resolution and ultimately device performance. Recent progress in advanced ink systems is surveyed, highlighting carbon allotropes (graphene, carbon nano-onions, carbon nanotubes, graphite), silver and copper nanostructures, MXene and functional oxides that collectively enhance mechanical robustness, electrical conductivity and radio-frequency behavior. Parallel improvements in substrate engineering such as polyimide, PET, TPU, cellulose and elastomers demonstrate the technique’s capacity to accommodate complex geometries for wearable, medical and industrial applications while supporting environmentally responsible material choices such as water-borne binders and bio-based solvents. By mapping two decades of developments across energy-storage layers and functional electronics, the article identifies the key process elements, recurring challenges and emerging sustainable practices that will guide future optimization of screen-printing materials and protocols for high-performance, customizable and eco-friendly flexible devices. Full article

Background/Objectives: With the rising prevalence of chronic diseases and an aging population, the incidence of stroke is continuously increasing, which leads to higher medical costs. Stroke carries a high risk of recurrence, necessitating ongoing self-care and lifestyle changes, for which education is crucial. The aim of this study is to identify the ICT utilization education needs, mobile health literacy, and self-care education needs of stroke patients and confirm the differences in mobile health literacy and self-care education needs according to ICT utilization to establish a basis for self-care intervention. Methods: The study included 100 stroke patients diagnosed at three general hospitals or higher in City C, hospitalized or visiting neurology and neurosurgery outpatient clinics. A survey was conducted from 7 July 2023 to 30 May 2024. The survey cites computers, the Internet, live broadcasting technology, recorded broadcasting technology, and telephony as examples of ICTs. The gathered data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The final analysis included 100 people, with 64 participants being men and an average age of 57.75 ± 12.30 years. Self-care education needs showed no significant differences based on general or disease-related characteristics. Many patients could use smart devices but experienced difficulties in searching for information. The main reasons for using smart devices included acquiring disease-related information and accessing resources without time limitations. The use of ICT services that provide disease-related information was low, 70% of participants were willing to use them in the future. Additionally, they preferred doctor-led education sessions once a month, lasting no longer than 30 min each. Mobile health literacy was significantly higher among those willing to use ICT services. Conclusions: Mobile health literacy was significantly higher in the group willing to use ICT services than in the group unwilling. Self-care education needs were both highly important and necessary in the group willing to utilize ICT, but no statistically significant difference was found. Full article

In recent years, technologies in the field of gait monitoring, such as gait parameter analysis, health monitoring, and medical diagnosis, have become increasingly mature. Gait monitoring technology has emerged as an effective means for disease prevention and diagnosis. Triboelectric nanogenerator technology not only overcomes the limitations of relying on external power sources and frequent battery replacements but also offers advantages such as low cost, lightweight, a wide range of material options, and ease of manufacturing. This review introduces the common working modes of triboelectric nanogenerators and summarizes recent advances in self-powered gait monitoring applications (e.g., gait analysis, fall detection, rehabilitation assessment, and identity recognition), and highlights persistent challenges such as wearability, washability of fabric-based devices, reliability, system integration, and miniaturization, along with proposed solutions. Full article

Concussion is a costly healthcare issue affecting sports, industry, and the defense sector. The financial impacts, however, extend beyond acute medical expenses, affecting an individual’s physical and cognitive abilities, as well as increasing the burden on coworkers, family members, and caregivers. More effective personal protective equipment may greatly reduce the risk of concussion and injury. Notably, aerogels are light, but traditionally fragile, non-Newtonian fluids, such as shear-thickening fluids, which generate more resistance when compressive force is applied. Herein, a composite material was developed by baking a shear-thickening fluid (i.e., starch) and combining it with a commercially available aerogel foam, thus maintaining a low cost. The samples were tested through the use of a ballistic pendulum system, using a spring-powered launcher and a gas-powered cannon, followed by ballistic penetration testing, using two electromagnetic accelerators and two different projectiles. During the cannon tests without a hardhat, the baked composite only registered 31 ± 2% of the deflection height observed for the pristine aerogel. The baked composite successfully protected the hygroelectric devices from coilgun projectiles, whereas the projectiles punctured the pristine aerogel. Leveraging the low-cost design of this new composite, personal protective equipment can be improved for various sporting, industrial, and defense applications. Full article

By leveraging Internet of Things (IoT) technology, patients can utilize medical devices to upload their collected personal health records (PHRs) to the cloud for analytical processing or transmission to doctors, which embodies smart health systems and greatly enhances the efficiency and accessibility of healthcare management. However, the highly sensitive nature of PHRs necessitates efficient and secure transmission mechanisms. Revocable and verifiable attribute-based encryption (ABE) enables dynamic fine-grained access control and can verify the integrity of outsourced computation results via a verification tag. However, most existing schemes have two vital issues. First, in order to achieve the verifiable function, they need to execute the secret sharing operation twice during the encryption process, which significantly increases the computational overhead. Second, during the revocation operation, the verification tag is not updated simultaneously, so revoked users can infer plaintext through the unchanged tag. To address these challenges, we propose a revocable ABE scheme with efficient and secure verification, which not only reduces local computational load by optimizing the encryption algorithm and outsourcing complex operations to the cloud server, but also updates the tag when revocation operation occurs. We present a rigorous security analysis of our proposed scheme, and show that the verification tag retains its verifiability even after being dynamically updated. Experimental results demonstrate that local encryption and decryption costs are stable and low, which fully meets the real-time and security requirements of smart health systems. Full article

The recent fast advances in consumer electronics, especially in cell phones and displays, have led to the development of ultra-thin, hence flexible, glasses. Once available, such flexible glasses have proven to be of great interest and usefulness in other fields, too. Flexible photonics, for instance, has quickly taken advantage of this new material. At first sight, “flexible glass” appears to be an oxymoron. Glass is, by definition, fragile and highly breakable; its structure has puzzled scientists for decades, but it is evident that in most conditions it is a rigid material, so how can it bend? This possibility, however, has aroused the interest of artists and craftsmen since ancient times; thus, in Roman times the myth of flexible glass was born. Furthermore, the myth appeared again in the Middle Age, connected to a religious miracle. Today, however, flexible glass is no more a myth but a reality due to the fact that current technology permits us to produce micron-thick glass sheets, and any ultra-thin material can be bent. Flexibility is coming from the present capability to manufacture glass sheets at a tens of microns thickness coupled with the development of strengthening methods; it is also worth highlighting that, on the micrometric and nanometric scales, silicate glass presents plastic behavior. The most significant application area of flexible glass is consumer electronics, for the displays of smartphones and tablets, and for wearables, where flexibility and durability are crucial. Automotive and medical sectors are also gaining importance. A very relevant field, both for the market and the technological progress, is solar photovoltaics; mechanical flexibility and lightweight have allowed solar cells to evolve toward devices that possess the advantages of conformability, bendability, wearability, and moldability. The mature roll-to-roll manufacturing technology also allows for high-performance devices at a low cost. Here, a brief overview of the history of flexible glass and some examples of its application in solar photovoltaics are presented. Full article

Arterial stiffness (AS) is a well-established predictor of cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and stroke. One of the most recognized methods for assessing AS is through arterial pulse wave velocity (aPWV), which provides valuable clinical insights into vascular health. However, its measurement typically requires specialized equipment, making it inaccessible in primary healthcare centers and low-resource settings. In this study, we developed and validated different machine learning models to estimate aPWV using common clinical markers routinely collected in standard medical examinations. Thus, we trained five regression models: Linear Regression, Polynomial Regression (PR), Gradient Boosting Regression, Support Vector Regression, and Neural Networks (NNs) on the EVasCu dataset, a cohort of apparently healthy individuals. A 10-fold cross-validation demonstrated that PR and NN achieved the highest predictive performance, effectively capturing nonlinear relationships in the data. External validation on two independent datasets, VascuNET (a healthy population) and ExIC-FEp (a cohort of cardiopathic patients), confirmed the robustness of PR and NN ($R^2>0.90$) across different vascular conditions. These results indicate that by using easily accessible clinical variables and AI-driven insights, it is possible to develop a cost-effective tool for aPWV estimation, enabling early cardiovascular risk stratification in underserved and rural areas where specialized AS measurement devices are unavailable. Full article

Oxygen concentrators (OCs) are essential medical devices providing oxygen in various settings, especially low-resource settings (LRSs). Despite their adaptability and cost-effectiveness, challenges arise in such environments due to factors like dust, temperature, and humidity, leading to premature OC failure. While efforts have been made to address these issues, understanding the primary contributing factor remains unclear. This study aims to shed light on this matter through the analysis of exhausted zeolite samples from Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Africa alongside a commercial virgin sample. The samples were comprehensively characterized through powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis, wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) elemental analysis, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface analysis, and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS). The characterization results confirmed a low silicon X-type framework (FAU-LSX) for all the samples. The maximum mass loss during TGA tests occurred at 130–160 °C, suggesting that water is the main component released from the zeolites. This was confirmed by MS analysis, which revealed the predominance of water in all the sample matrices. A correlation was found between OC efficiency and the amount of water adsorbed by the zeolites, proving that humidity has a key role in causing OC malfunctioning. No evidence for the presence of dust as a contaminant in the zeolites was found by the absence of the expected chemical elements in WDXRF. Since the outcomes of the study are independent of the geographical origin of the zeolites, its findings provide general guidance for engineers to modify OCs and prevent zeolite moisture poisoning. Full article

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibit high strength and high modulus, excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, good chemical stability, and unique electronic and optical properties. These characteristics make them a one-dimensional nanomaterial with extensive potential applications in fields such as composite materials, electronic devices, energy, aerospace, and medical technology. Cement-based materials are the most widely used and extensively applied construction materials. However, these materials have disadvantages such as low tensile strength, brittleness, porosity, shrinkage, and cracking. In order to compensate for these shortcomings, in recent years, relevant scholars have proposed to integrate CNTs into cement-based materials. Incorporating CNTs into cement-based materials not only enhances the microstructure of these materials but also improves their mechanical, electrical, and durability properties. The characteristics and fabrication process of CNTs are reviewed in this paper. The different effects of CNTs on the physical properties and hydration properties of cement-based materials due to the design parameters, dispersion methods, and temperature were analyzed. The results show that the compressive and flexural strength of CNT cement-based materials with 0.02% content increased by 9.33% and 10.18% from 3 d to 28 d. In terms of reducing the shrinkage and carbonization resistance of the cement base, there is an optimal amount of carbon nanotubes. The addition of dispersed carbon nanotubes reduces the resistivity, and the nucleation of carbon nanotubes promotes the hydration reaction. In general, under the optimal dosage, carbon nanotubes with uniform dispersion and short length–diameter ratio have a significant effect on the cement-based lifting effect. In the future, CNT cement-based materials will develop high strength, multifunctionality, and low cost, realizing intelligent self-sensing and self-repair and promoting green and low-carbon manufacturing. Breakthroughs in decentralized technology and large-scale applications are key, and they are expected to help sustainable civil engineering with intelligent infrastructure. Full article