Day: May 21, 2021

New Early Warning System for Sudden Cardiac Death

Photo from Olivier Collett on Unsplash
Photo from Olivier Collett on Unsplash

Researchers at Tomsk Polytechnic University have developed a nanosensor-based system that can detect early abnormalities in the function of cardiac muscle cells, which otherwise can be recorded only with invasive procedures.

The nanosensor-based hardware and software complex can measure cardiac micropotential energies without filtering and averaging-out cardiac cycles in real time. The device allows registering early abnormalities in the function of cardiac muscle cells, which otherwise can be recorded only during open-heart surgery or by inserting an electrode in a cardiac cavity through a vein. Such changes can lead to sudden cardiac death (SCD). Nowadays, there are no alternatives to the Tomsk device for a number of key characteristics in Russia and the world. ).

The main method of detection of electrical pulses in the heart is electrocardiography (ECG). Nevertheless, ECG modern devices detect already critical changes in the function of the myocardium.

“Therefore, there is much concern about the creation of devices for early detection of these disorders, when it is still possible to restore cell function using medication and without surgical intervention. To implement this, it is required to record cardiac micropotential energies, electrical pulses emitted by separate cells. Here, there is a question of how to implement it noninvasive. Our research team have worked on this task for a long time, as a consequence, we jointly with the participation of our colleagues, doctors, have developed a hardware and software complex.

“The core principles of its operation are similar to ECG, however, we changed sensors: we made nanosensors instead of conventional sensors and managed to measure signals of nanovoltage and microvoltage layers without filtering and averaging-out in broadband. The use of nanosensors led to the necessity to apply original circuit solutions, write individual software.

“Ultimately, we gained a tremendous difference in sensitivity,” Diana Avdeeva, Head of the TPU Laboratory for Medical Engineering, a research supervisor of the project, said.

The system consists of a set of sensors, a tiny key device for recording incoming signals from sensors and data processing software. The sensors are fixed on a patient’s chest using a conducting gel, and the monitoring procedure takes about 20 minutes.

Conventional ECG machines operate on frequencies from 0,05 Hz to 150 Hz, while the device of the Tomsk scientists operates on much higher frequencies of up to 10 000 Hz.

“Silver chloride electrodes are usually used for recording ECG of high quality. Our sensors are also silver chloride electrodes, however, we used silver nanoparticles. There are up to 16 thin plates from porous ceramics in every our sensor, silver nanoparticles are placed in these pores. There are millions of particles in one sensor, where every particle is a silver chloride electrode capable to enhance an electric field of the heart. Silver and gold nanoparticles are capable to enhance an electromagnetic field: visible light by 10,000 folds and infrared radiation by 20 folds. We also refused to use filters for rejection network interference and noises, which are usually used in conventional ECG and significantly distort micropotentials,” Diana Avdeeva said.

The published study includes the monitoring data of one volunteer’s heart function, who took part in the research for four years and was monitored every 7-10 days.

“At the beginning of our research, we recorded clear violations of activity of cardiac muscle cells. His attending physician recommended surgery, he gained an inserted stent at the Cardiology Research Institute. Then, he continued to take part in the research and the device recorded the further gradual restoration of cardiac function,” the scientist noted.

“A task to create a sensitive, tiny and affordable complex was set up, in order in a long run, outpatient clinics and patients at home could use it. Moreover, the developed methods and devices can be used not only in cardiology.

“The fields of any electrophysiological research, such as electroencephalography, electromyography and so on are promising. Of course, before applying it to cardiology, we have to pass some essential stages. These are the collection of the required array of statistics, certification of the complex for medical use. All these stages require sponsorship, we are engaged in searching for partners and supporting programs,” said research team member Mikhail Yuzhakov, Engineer at the TPU Laboratory for Medical Engineering.

Source: Tomsk Polytechnic University

Researchers Test VR in Treatment of Chronic Pain

Photo by Bradley Hook from Pexels

A team of researchers at the University of East Anglia are starting a new project to see if virtual reality, combined with an innovative brain interface could help with the treatment of chronic pain.

Almost one in five South African adults are living with chronic pain, and the team will study whether new technology delivered via a VR headset could help ease their symptoms.

One very science-fiction-like aspect of the study the use of a ‘Brain-Computer Interface’ where participants will be taught to control elements of a VR game using only their thoughts. Previous studies have shown that VR therapy was effective in reducing chronic and acute pain in children and adults.  

Dr Jordan Tsigarides from UEA’s Norwich Medical School and a Rheumatology doctor at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, said: “Virtual Reality is an emerging technology where the user gains a completely immersive, interactive and often transformative experience with the use of a head-mounted display.

“VR seems to flood the brain with a multitude of audiovisual signals, engaging the senses and diverting the brain’s attention from processing pain signals.”

“At present, there is evidence that VR can significantly decrease people’s acute pain. What we are looking to find out is whether this kind of technology can be used to help people suffering chronic pain as well.”

The team is working with industry partner, Orbital Innovations, and has developed an innovative VR program for patients with chronic pain conditions, such as fibromyalgia syndrome and chronic pain following a total knee replacement. It will be tested on patients recruited from the NNUH and Addenbrookes in partnership with rheumatology, orthopaedics and pain management departments.

Dr Tsigarides said: “The virtual worlds that we have created aim to transport patients to naturalistic, immersive environments whether its travelling down a cool snowy river or planting crops in a luscious warm forest. Through VR, we aim to engage patients through challenging and interactive games, with the objective of understanding more about how this technology can reboot the brain’s pain networks.

“We are working with neuroscientists at the UEA to look at the brain waves of people with chronic pain. This has the potential to allow us to see how this technology is working, as well as learn more about the brain function of people with these conditions.

“Moving things with your mind sounds like something straight from a sci-fi movie but with today’s technology, ‘Brain-Computer Interfaces’ are being used more and more in health research. We believe that this exciting new innovation when coupled with an immersive VR experience will ‘power up’ the pain relief seen with VR alone.

“Given that just under 28 million adults in the UK suffer from chronic pain, and that we are in the midst of an opioid epidemic, this treatment could be an important future intervention.”

Peter Brady, CEO of Orbital Innovations, said: “Orbital Innovations has been working towards the development of a virtual reality technology, which will offer a way of mitigating the effects of chronic pain. This innovative project collaboration with UEA, will be breaking new ground in fully exploring the exciting opportunities this technology will offer patients in the future.”

Source: University of East Anglia

Social Support Boosts Patient Survival by 29%

New research from Brigham Young University found that providing medical patients with social support increases odds of survival and prolongs life. It comes as healthcare is searching for new ways to improve medical treatment and outcomes.

“The premise of the research is that everyone is strongly influenced by their social context,” said BYU counseling psychology professor Timothy B. Smith, lead author of the study. “Relationships influence our behavior and our physical health. We now know that it is possible to prolong life by fostering coping and reducing distress.”

Co-author Julianne Holt-Lunstad, BYU psychology professor, said there is now ample evidence that social needs should be addressed within medical settings.

“From pediatrics to geriatrics, physicians may encounter patients who are struggling. These data suggest that social interventions integrated within clinical treatments that help patients cope and reduce distress also improve their survival,” she said.

Analysing data from 106 randomised controlled trials with over 40 000 patients, the researchers examined the effects of psychosocial support. Group meetings or family sessions that promoted healthy behaviours by encouraging exercise, the completion of medical treatments, or offering group support for diet adherence increased survival by 29%.

“Providing medical patients with social support can be just as helpful as providing cardiac rehabilitation for someone recovering from heart disease,” said Smith. “It can be just as helpful as a diet or lifestyle program for obese patients or treatment for alcoholism among patients with alcoholism.”

The findings  could be used to implement support programs in hospitals and clinics for patients, especially those at risk of not completing treatments. It could also inform programmes for family members or caregivers.

“We already had robust evidence that social connection and other social factors significantly influence health outcomes including risk for premature mortality, but it was unclear what can be done about it to reduce risk,” said Holt-Lunstad. “Is it the role of healthcare, or should this be addressed outside the healthcare system? This research combined with the other consensus reports suggests that it is a role of the healthcare system.”

“Ultimately, these data should be used to foster collaboration between medical professionals and mental health professionals,” said Smith. “About half of all patient medical visits are about conditions that entail psychological considerations. Large hospitals now routinely hire psychologists to consult with physicians and to evaluate or work with patients, but more integration is needed in smaller hospitals and clinics.”

The findings also hold important implications for medical patients. People respond differently to medical conditions. While some will immediately take action in rehabilitation or preventative measures, others might delay or even avoid engaging in prescribed healthy behaviors. On top of that, depression and anxiety rates can be high among patients, which can limit responsiveness to treatments, making social support efforts even more critical.

“We know that when hospitals implement a social support group, people simply live longer,” said Connor Workman, a BYU student who assisted with the research during his undergraduate years. “The data show that relationships have a tangible effect on a person’s mortality and health. This will give decision-makers at hospitals the information they need to start pushing out programs and implementing the right social connections for patients.”

Source:  Brigham Young University

Lithium Brain Variations Play Role in Depression

New research into depression has uncovered a previously unknown role played by the trace element lithium appears to play a role, which has been shown to be different in healthy and depressive people. 

Image source: Pixabay

Lithium is widely known from rechargeable batteries but is also known in psychiatry as a first-line mood stabiliser for bipolar disorders. lithium is present in drinking water in trace amounts. Studies have shown that a higher natural lithium content in drinking water is associated with a lower suicide rate among the population. However, the exact role lithium that plays in the brain is still not known.

Forensic medical experts at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich teamed up with physicists and neuropathologists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and an expert team from the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) to develop a technique which can be used to precisely map the distribution of lithium in the brain.

Neutrons probe for lithium

The scientists investigated the brain of a patient who was a suicidal and compared it with two control persons. The investigation focused on the ratio of the lithium concentration in white brain matter to the concentration in the gray matter of the brain.

In order to determine where how much lithium is present in the brain, the researchers analysed 150 samples from various brain regions—for example those regions which are presumably responsible for processing feelings. At the FRM II Prompt Gamma-Ray Activation Analysis (PGAA) instrument the researchers irradiated thin brain sections with neutrons.

“One lithium isotope is especially good at capturing neutrons; it then decays into a helium atom and a tritium atom,” explains Dr. Roman Gernhäuser of the Central Technology Laboratory of the TUM Department of Physics. The two decay products are picked up by detectors which provide lithium’s location in the brain sections. 

Since the lithium concentration in the brain is usually very low, it is also very difficult to ascertain. “Until now it wasn’t possible to detect such small traces of lithium in the brain in a spatially resolved manner,” said Dr Jutta Schöpfer of the LMU Munich Institute for Forensic Medicine. “One special aspect of the investigation using neutrons is that our samples are not destroyed. That means we can repeatedly examine them several times over a longer period of time,” Gernhäuser points out.

Significant differences

“We saw that there was significantly more lithium present in the white matter of the healthy person than in the gray matter. By contrast, the suicidal patient had a balanced distribution, without a measurable systematic difference,” Dr Roman Gernhäuser summarised.

“Our results are fairly groundbreaking, because we were able for the first time to ascertain the distribution of lithium under physiological conditions,” Schöpfer said

“Since we were able to ascertain trace quantities of the element in the brain without first administering medication and because the distribution is so clearly different, we assume that lithium indeed has an important function in the body.”

Only the beginning

“Of course the fact that we were only able to investigate brain sections from three persons marks only a beginning,” Gernhäuser said. “However, in each case we were able to investigate many different brain regions which confirmed the systematic behaviour.”

“We would be able to find out much more with more patients, whose life stories would also be better known,” said Gernhäuser, adding that then the question of whether lithium distribution was a cause or a result of depression.

Source: Medical Xpress

South Africa to Sign On to Digital ‘Vaccine Passport’

Photo by Blake Guidry on Unsplash

Transport minister Fikile Mbalula said that South Africa will seek to join a digital ‘vaccine passport’ scheme being tested by a number of airlines.

Presenting his departmental budget speech on Friday, Mbalula said that South Africa must ensure that it joins the growing number of countries that accepts the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) mobile travel pass for COVID vaccination.

This particular initiative was tested successfully by Singapore Airlines, and more than 20 carriers, the minister said.

“In recent months, Singapore has announced that it will accept visitors who use a mobile travel passes containing digital certificates for Covid-19 tests and vaccines,” Mbalula said.

“This makes Singapore one of the first countries to adopt this initiative. Singapore will accept the IATA mobile travel pass for pre-departure checks, where travellers can get clearance to fly to and enter Singapore by showing a smartphone application containing their data from accredited laboratories.”

The IATA’s app allows travellers to store digital information from certified labs. It will be available for download later this month. IATA aims to bring in additional changes such as QR code scanning by immigration officers.

Vaccine passports have been the subjects of debates over equitability, access and potential for abuse. However, vaccine passports are not only permissible under international health regulations, they already exist. The World Health Organization endorses certificates confirming vaccination against yellow fever for entry into certain countries. They also incentivise vaccination, a public good.

Currently, South Africa has 62 ‘major restrictions’ from other countries in place, with suspended travel, stringent requirements for entry or outright bans. Meanwhile there are 92 moderate restrictions in place on South Africa, where travel is possible subject to measures such as COVID tests on arrival.

Source: BusinessTech

Use of Robotic ‘Third Thumb’ Reorganises Brain Area

Image source: Pixabay

Scientists have found that adding an extra robotic “thumb” worn by healthy individuals results in reorganisation and shrinkage of the brain region devoted to controlling the other thumb.

The findings come from ongoing research at University College London (UCL) into a 3D-printed robotic thumb known as “Third Thumb.” Worn on the dominant hand and operated by moving the big toe, volunteers equipped with them rapidly learned how to use the extra thumb to do all sorts of tasks—lifting, carrying, sorting and stacking multiple objects with their single enhanced hand.

However, MRI scans showed that after just a few days, participants’ brains had reorganised the natural hand’s ‘representation’ in a region associated with movement, effectively shrinking it. The researchers are not sure whether this is good or bad.

But they said it should give the growing field of ‘motor augmentation’ something to consider going forward.

Motor augmentation refers to robotic devices that can act as extra fingers or even a whole arm, with the aim of expanding the normal human movement capacity.

It might sound like science fiction but there a whole range of real applications, according to researcher Dani Clode, the designer of the Third Thumb.

She cited the example of factory workers or engineers who routinely perform repetitive but physically demand tasks.

“An extra pair of hands or digits could assist them in difficult assembly situations, allowing them to do their job in a more safe and efficient way, and perhaps without assistance from others,” Clode said.

Workers already make use of robotic exoskeletons to reduce strain in physically demanding tasks, such as working underneath cars in assembly lines.

Tamar Makin, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at UCL, said robotic appendages could be used in everything from high-precision scenarios—like surgery—to mundane chores.

“There are so many things we could do if we had hand extension,” Makin said. “We could chop vegetables while stirring a broth, or sip our coffee while typing. The opportunities are endless, but because this is such a novel concept—and because our world has been designed to accommodate our five-fingered two hands—people might struggle to imagine what it could be used for.”

Though these robotic upgrades offer so many possibilities, there are many unknowns. And these latest findings, published May 19 in the journal Science Robotics, raise questions.

Makin, Clode and their colleagues had 36 able-bodied volunteers learn to use the Third Thumb, performing tasks in and out the lab.

The device is worn on the pinkie side of the hand, attached by straps that wrap around the wrist and palm. The wearer operates it by manipulating sensors strapped under each big toe.

Despite that complicated-sounding toe-robot coordination, the study participants became adept at using the thumb over just five days, the researchers said.

Some change in the brain is expected because the additional thumb forced people to alter the way they moved their hand, Makin said.

“What surprised us is how quickly this happened,” she said. “After five days of practice to use the thumb, their own hand representation—which they’ve been developing over the course of their entire life—has changed.”

The ability to use their natural fingers showed no signs of degradation, but that is something they will monitor going forward.

Neurologist Dr Eran Klein, an affiliate assistant professor at the University of Washington, who studies the intersection of neurology and philosophy, said he was unsure how much weight to give the new study’s findings. “The brain changes all the time in response to learning skills,” Klein noted.

Still, he believes the study raises interesting questions. Broadly, Klein said, there’s the matter of “what is lost” when humans outsource skills to devices, such as losing navigational ability with the use of GPS. With robotic appendages, Klein said, one issue is whether they’re inherently different from any other tool people use—like a screwdriver.

He noted that since the devices are worn on the body and resemble human digits or limbs, so it probably does. The question is what happens to the ‘schema’ of the body, but there are examples — such as people who use a cane, for instance, can start to feel it’s part of them, Klein pointed out.

“I think what’s interesting about this study,” he said, “is that it brings up the bigger question of, what are we going to allow as things that become ‘part of us’?”

Source: Medical Xpress