Aerospace medicine and biology. A continuing bibliography with indexes, supplement 195

This bibliography lists 148 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in June 1979

Zrobić USG tarczycy każdy może, trochę lepiej lub trochę gorzej

The introduction of sonographic imaging has revolutionized the diagnostics of thyroid pathologies. Nowadays, thyroid ultrasound examination has become an essential part of routine thyroid gland evaluation. Although one of the greatest advantages of this examination lies in its simplicity, it requires a solid theoretical background, as well as a lot of experience for the examiner to become fluent in adequate interpretation of its results. The aim of this summary is to present a review of the most important aspects of both the technique and interpretation of thyroid ultrasound pictures with regard to the most common difficulties a thyroid sonographer may come across in everyday practice. (Pol J Endocrinol 2010; 61 (3): 330-344)Wprowadzenie badań sonograficznych zrewolucjonizowało diagnostykę chorób tarczycy. Obecnie badanie ultrasonograficzne tarczycy jest stałym elementem rutynowego badania gruczołu tarczowego. Jedną z największych zalet tego badania jest łatwość jego przeprowadzania, jednak do odpowiedniej interpretacji jego wyników potrzebna jest rzetelna teoretyczna wiedza oraz duże doświadczenie. Celem niniejszej pracy było przedstawienie najważniejszych aspektów techniki i interpretacji obrazu ultrasonograficznego tarczycy z uwzględnieniem najczęstszych trudności, jakie osoba przeprowadzająca to badanie może napotkać w codziennej praktyce. (Endokrynol Pol 2010; 61 (3): 330-344

Models and Analysis of Vocal Emissions for Biomedical Applications

The MAVEBA Workshop proceedings, held on a biannual basis, collect the scientific papers presented both as oral and poster contributions, during the conference. The main subjects are: development of theoretical and mechanical models as an aid to the study of main phonatory dysfunctions, as well as the biomedical engineering methods for the analysis of voice signals and images, as a support to clinical diagnosis and classification of vocal pathologies

Influence of wall thickness and diameter on arterial shear wave elastography: a phantom and finite element study

Quantitative, non-invasive and local measurements of arterial mechanical properties could be highly beneficial for early diagnosis of cardiovascular disease and follow up of treatment. Arterial shear wave elastography (SWE) and wave velocity dispersion analysis have previously been applied to measure arterial stiffness. Arterial wall thickness (h) and inner diameter (D) vary with age and pathology and may influence the shear wave propagation. Nevertheless, the effect of arterial geometry in SWE has not yet been systematically investigated. In this study the influence of geometry on the estimated mechanical properties of plates (h = 0.5–3 mm) and hollow cylinders (h = 1, 2 and 3 mm, D = 6 mm) was assessed by experiments in phantoms and by finite element method simulations. In addition, simulations in hollow cylinders with wall thickness difficult to achieve in phantoms were performed (h = 0.5–1.3 mm, D = 5–8 mm). The phase velocity curves obtained from experiments and simulations were compared in the frequency range 200–1000 Hz and showed good agreement (R2 = 0.80 ± 0.07 for plates and R2 = 0.82 ± 0.04 for hollow cylinders). Wall thickness had a larger effect than diameter on the dispersion curves, which did not have major effects above 400 Hz. An underestimation of 0.1–0.2 mm in wall thickness introduces an error 4–9 kPa in hollow cylinders with shear modulus of 21–26 kPa. Therefore, wall thickness should correctly be measured in arterial SWE applications for accurate mechanical properties estimation

Update On Hearing Loss

Update on Hearing Loss encompasses both the theoretical background on the different forms of hearing loss and a detailed knowledge on state-of-the-art treatment for hearing loss, written for clinicians by specialists and researchers. Realizing the complexity of hearing loss has highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary research. Therefore, all the authors contributing to this book were chosen from many different specialties of medicine, including surgery, psychology, and neuroscience, and came from diverse areas of expertise, such as neurology, otolaryngology, psychiatry, and clinical and experimental audiology

Systems and WBANs for Controlling Obesity

According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimations, one out of five adults worldwide will be obese by 2025. Worldwide obesity has doubled since 1980. In fact, more than 1.9 billion adults (39%) of 18 years and older were overweight and over 600 million (13%) of these were obese in 2014. 42 million children under the age of five were overweight or obese in 2014. Obesity is a top public health problem due to its associated morbidity and mortality. This paper reviews the main techniques to measure the level of obesity and body fat percentage, and explains the complications that can carry to the individual's quality of life, longevity and the significant cost of healthcare systems. Researchers and developers are adapting the existing technology, as intelligent phones or some wearable gadgets to be used for controlling obesity. They include the promoting of healthy eating culture and adopting the physical activity lifestyle. The paper also shows a comprehensive study of the most used mobile applications and Wireless Body Area Networks focused on controlling the obesity and overweight. Finally, this paper proposes an intelligent architecture that takes into account both, physiological and cognitive aspects to reduce the degree of obesity and overweight

Human Face Mapping Based on TEWL, Hydration and Ultrasound

Biophysical properties of the skin vary depending on the skin location. Such properties include skin structure, density of skin layers, pH, temperature, hydration and Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL).Modern technologies and quantitative methods allow reading and analysing the skin properties using in-vivo based analysis. One goal of such analysis is partitioning the skin in areas with similar properties, which is referred as mapping. The purpose of our study, also the novelty of the project, is mapping of the facial skin in terms of TEWL, hydration and skin layer thickness, as well as measuring the effect of physical exercise on facial skin; where possible, effect of sex and age were also considered. TEWL was measured with AquaFlux, skin layer thickness was measured with Episcan high resolution ultrasound imaging, and skin hydration was measured with Epsilon. Our study reveals material difference of TEWL between the facial sites being analysed; the largest differences were noted between the lips and the neck. It was found that skin hydration levels decrease with the advancement of age. Skin hydration readings reveal larger general effect of exercise for females, and strongest effect for males observed on the nose. Skin ultrasound images were used in two ways. First, face was mapped in terms of the thickness of the individual skin layers and such mapping was found to be different for each layer. Secondly, the differences between the sites in terms of thickness were quantified using Welch test, where age was also found to be a factor. Several Machine Learning-based classifiers of the skin location were also trained, which are based on the cross-sectional image with moderate positive outcome. The study showed that the combination of TEWL, Epsilon and Episcan provides useful information about skin health. The study also showed variations in the values for different facial skin sites of several skin samples, which was likely due to the degree of corneocyte formation, the lipid contents of the Stratum Corneum (SC), skin temperature, damaged barrier function, bodily health and skin blood flow

Models and Analysis of Vocal Emissions for Biomedical Applications

The International Workshop on Models and Analysis of Vocal Emissions for Biomedical Applications (MAVEBA) came into being in 1999 from the particularly felt need of sharing know-how, objectives and results between areas that until then seemed quite distinct such as bioengineering, medicine and singing. MAVEBA deals with all aspects concerning the study of the human voice with applications ranging from the neonate to the adult and elderly. Over the years the initial issues have grown and spread also in other aspects of research such as occupational voice disorders, neurology, rehabilitation, image and video analysis. MAVEBA takes place every two years always in Firenze, Italy