A review of the benefits 3D printing brings to patients with neurological diseases

This interdisciplinary review focuses on how flexible three-dimensional printing (3DP) technology can aid patients with neurological diseases. It covers a wide variety of current and possible applications ranging from neurosurgery to customizable polypill along with a brief description of the various 3DP techniques. The article goes into detail about how 3DP technology can aid delicate neurosurgical planning and its consequent outcome for patients. It also covers areas such as how the 3DP model can be utilized in patient counseling along with designing specific implants involved in cranioplasty and customization of a specialized instrument such as 3DP optogenetic probes. Furthermore, the review includes how a 3DP nasal cast can contribute to the development of nose-to-brain drug delivery along with looking into how bioprinting could be used for regenerating nerves and how 3D-printed drugs could offer practical benefits to patients suffering from neurological diseases via polypill

A review of the benefits 3D printing brings to patients with neurological diseases

This interdisciplinary review focuses on how flexible three-dimensional printing (3DP) technology can aid patients with neurological diseases. It covers a wide variety of current and possible applications ranging from neurosurgery to customizable polypill along with a brief description of the various 3DP techniques. The article goes into detail about how 3DP technology can aid delicate neurosurgical planning and its consequent outcome for patients. It also covers areas such as how the 3DP model can be utilized in patient counseling along with designing specific implants involved in cranioplasty and customization of a specialized instrument such as 3DP optogenetic probes. Furthermore, the review includes how a 3DP nasal cast can contribute to the development of nose-to-brain drug delivery along with looking into how bioprinting could be used for regenerating nerves and how 3D-printed drugs could offer practical benefits to patients suffering from neurological diseases via polypill

Magnetic Induction Tomography (MIT) simulation study for renal screening using different system frequencies and sizes of calcium oxalate

Nephrolithiasis is the process of forming stone in the kidney by crystallization. Due to the increasing prevalence of nephrolithiasis from time to time, medical institutions look for more advanced technology of medical imaging which can tackle the disadvantages of current medical imaging devices for renal, which are non-invasive, free radiation and rapid use. The research encompassed the design simulation study of Magnetic Induction Tomography (MIT) system for renal screening by using COMSOL multiphysics. MIT is a soft field tomography and a non-contact imaging modality used to image the passive electromagnetic properties (conductivity, permittivity and permeability) by applying principle of electromagnetic induction. In this research, 8 copper trans-receiver coils were employed in the MIT system and fixed by the insulation belt. Meanwhile, geometric set-up of renal organ imitates the transverse section at renal level of human body. Sensor performance analysis of MIT system was done based on various frequency and radius of calcium oxalate inside kidneys. In conclusion, frequency and radius of calcium oxalate affect the sensitivity performance of MIT system and has inverse relationship with sensitivity performance

Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 3D printing Special Interest Group (SIG): Guidelines for medical 3D printing and appropriateness for clinical scenarios

Este número da revista Cadernos de Estudos Sociais estava em organização quando fomos colhidos pela morte do sociólogo Ernesto Laclau. Seu falecimento em 13 de abril de 2014 surpreendeu a todos, e particularmente ao editor Joanildo Burity, que foi seu orientando de doutorado na University of Essex, Inglaterra, e que recentemente o trouxe à Fundação Joaquim Nabuco para uma palestra, permitindo que muitos pudessem dialogar com um dos grandes intelectuais latinoamericanos contemporâneos. Assim, buscamos fazer uma homenagem ao sociólogo argentino publicando uma entrevista inédita concedida durante a sua passagem pelo Recife, em 2013, encerrando essa revista com uma sessão especial sobre a sua trajetória

Development of a synthetic bone and tissue model to simulate overmatch military ballistic head injury

A synthetic bone and tissue head model was built using sequential experiments and tested against impacts with 7.62 x 39 mm MSC ammunition. The key experiment in this series was a forensic reconstruction of two military head injury gunshot wounds. One of the models produced a good representation of the incident. The other was less accurate but did produce a good representation of tangential gunshot wounds. Further work assessed the model against a contact gunshot injury with 5.56 x 45 mm ammunition and looked at the effects of intermediate glass and transparent thermoplastic targets on the wounds produced by 7.62 x 39 mm impacts. Strengths and weaknesses of the model are discussed and further work suggested.Royal Centre for Defence Medicin

Infantile external hydrocephalus : Epidemiological, radiological, clinical, cognitive, and social aspects

Bakgrunn: Ekstern hydrocefalus («utvendig vannhode») er en tilstand som kan sees hos noen spedbarn med raskt økende hodeomkrets. Radiologisk utredning viser utvidete, væskefylte hulrom på hjernens overflate, spesielt frontalt. Tilstanden har blitt kalt benign (godartet), da de fleste barna tilsynelatende har utviklet seg normalt. Mange barn har dermed heller ikke blitt behandlet. Det foreligger imidlertid begrenset kunnskap om ekstern hydrocephalus, både hyppigheten, utviklingen på lang sikt, og sammenhengen med den liknende tilstanden subduralt hematom (blodansamling på hjernens overflate). Mål: Å finne epidemiologiske data om ekstern hydrocefalus hos spedbarn. Å studere langtidsfølgene av tilstanden, og eventuell effekt av behandling. Å studere patofysiologien bak ekstern hydrocefalus og kronisk subduralt hematom, samt sammenhengen med mistenkt påført hodeskade. Metode: Artikkel 1-4 er en populasjonsbasert studie av alle spedbarn med idiopatisk ekstern hydrocefalus i Helse Vest og Helse Sør-Øst i 10-årsperioden 1994-2003. I artikkel 1 og 3 presenteres epidemiologi, kliniske karakteristika og radiologiske funn. I artikkel 2 og 4 presenteres resultatene av nevropsykologiske tester og livskvalitet hos 8 til 18 år gamle barn/ungdommer som hadde ekstern hydrocefalus som spedbarn. Artikkel 5 er en litteraturstudie av patofysiologien bak ekstern hydrocefalus og kronisk subduralt hematom. Artikkel 6 er en litteraturstudie om tromboserte brovener og sammenhengen med påført hodeskade. Artikkel 7 er en registerstudie av spedbarn med subduralt hematom og mistanke om påført hodeskade, med søkelys på kliniske og radiologiske funn. Resultater: Hyppigheten av idiopatisk ekstern hydrocefalus var 0,4 per 1000 fødte per år. Det var flest gutter (86,4 %). Hovedsymptomet som førte til henvisning var økende hodeomkrets, som oppsto mellom 0 og 7 måneder (snitt 3,4 måneder). Radiologisk utredning viste utvidete sideventrikler hos de fleste barna, og de radiologiske funnene lot til å bestå etter ett års alder. Resultatene av de nevropsykologiske testene ble sammenlignet med normaldata. Utførings-IQ og verbal produksjon var signifikant bedre hos barn med tidligere ekstern hydrocefalus sammenlignet med normaldata, mens oppmerksomhetsspenn, psykomotorisk tempo, eksekutive funksjoner og finmotorikk var dårligere. Barna anga god livskvalitet, mens foreldrene skåret barna til dårligere enn normal livskvalitet på underkategorien ‘skolefunksjon’. Kirurgisk behandlede barn (ventriculoperitoneal shunt) skåret dårligere enn ikke-opererte på to tester for psykomotorisk tempo. Hos noen av pasientene ble det også rapportert ulike kognitive og sosiale problemer. Likheter mellom ekstern hydrocefalus og kronisk subduralt hematom ble studert og diskutert, så som nevroradiologi og væskeegenskaper, og kjønns- og aldersfordeling. En hypotese om perinatalt subduralt hematom som felles utgangspunkt ble presentert. En gjennomgang av relevant litteratur om tromboserte brovener kunne ikke støtte påstanden om at dette radiologiske funnet beviser påført hodeskade hos spedbarn (en påstand som nylig er fremmet i internasjonale studier). Spedbarn med kronisk subduralt hematom og mistanke om påført hodeskade var i hovedsak gutter, var premature, hadde lav dødelighet og var assosiert med mulig forutgående ekstern hydrocefalus. Spedbarn med akutt subduralt hematom, subaraknoidalblødning, eller hypoksisk-iskemisk skade, så ut til å utgjøre andre grupper av barn, muligens med annen etiologi. Konklusjoner: Ekstern hydrocefalus hos spedbarn forekommer hos 0,4 per 1000 fødte per år, om lag halvparten av alle med primær hydrocefalus, og er mest vanlig hos gutter. Selv om det ser ut til å gå bra med de fleste av barna på lang sikt, sliter noen av barna med ulike utviklingsforstyrrelser, og spesielt i forhold til skolefunksjon. Behandling ser ikke ut til å endre utfallet. Mindre blødninger på hjernens overflate er ikke uvanlig i forbindelse med fødselen, og kan muligens være en årsak til både ekstern hydrocefalus og kronisk subduralt hematom noen måneder senere. Disse to tilstandene har påfallende like epidemiologiske trekk, og deres assosiasjon med hverandre må være sentral i tolkningen av subdurale hematomer hos barn der en mistenker påført hodeskade.Background: External hydrocephalus is a condition sometimes seen in infants. It is characterized by an enlarged head or rapidly increasing head circumference. Neuroimaging shows wide subarachnoid spaces, especially overlying the frontal lobes. The condition has traditionally been termed ‘benign’, as most children seem to do well, and symptoms and neuroimaging findings normalize over time. Hence, few infants have been treated for this condition. However, limited knowledge exists on long-term consequences of external hydrocephalus, the possible benefit of treatment, epidemiology, and its connection with the very similar conditions chronic subdural hematoma (SDH) and hygroma (SDHy). Aim: To gain thorough epidemiological data about external hydrocephalus in infants. To explore the long-term consequences of external hydrocephalus, both with and without treatment. To examine the pathophysiology of external hydrocephalus and chronic SDH/SDHy, and their relation to and importance in the investigation of infants with suspected abusive head trauma (AHT). Methods: Papers 1-4 are based on a cohort of infants diagnosed with idiopathic external hydrocephalus in a relatively well-defined population in Southern Norway during the period 1994-2003. Papers 1 and 3 explored the epidemiology, clinical features, and radiology of external hydrocephalus in this cohort. In papers 2 and 4, long-term neurocognitive and psychosocial functioning were evaluated using neuropsychological tests and questionnaires. Paper 5 is a literature survey exploring the pathophysiology behind external hydrocephalus and chronic SDH. Paper 6 is also a review, focusing on the existing knowledge about bridging veins, thrombosis, and its role in AHT diagnostics. Paper 7 is based on a cohort of infants with SDH and alleged AHT. Clinical and neuroimaging findings are explored. Results: The incidence of idiopathic external hydrocephalus was 0.4 per 1000 live births, with a large male preponderance (86.4 %) (paper 1). The main symptom was a large and/or rapidly increasing head circumference, with a mean age at debut of 3.4, range 0-7 months. Neuroimaging showed lateral ventricle enlargement in most cases, with neuroimaging characteristics persisting beyond one year of age (paper 3). The results on neuropsychological tests were compared with the normative mean (paper 2). Performance IQ and verbal fluency in children with prior external hydrocephalus were better than the normative mean, while attention span, psychomotor speed, executive functions, and fine motor functions were poorer. On quality of life, the children scored themselves better than the normative mean, while the parents scored the children poorer on the school subscore. Operated children performed poorer than non-operated ones on two tests of psychomotor speed. For some of the patients, various cognitive and social problems were reported (paper 4). Reviewing the literature, the similarities between external hydrocephalus and chronic SDH were discussed, such as neuroimaging and fluid characteristics, and sex and age distribution. A birth-related perinatal SDH was suggested as a common etiological condition (paper 5). A thorough literature review covering radiological studies, autopsy studies and biomechanical studies could not support the suggestion that neuroimaging signs of thrombosis are markers of bridging vein rupture, and thus AHT (paper 6). Infants with chronic SDH and alleged AHT had a male preponderance and low mortality, and were associated with external hydrocephalus and stretched bridging veins. Infants with acute SDH, subarachnoid hemorrhage, or hypoxic-ischemic injury, seemed to comprise distinct groups (paper 7). Conclusions: Infantile external hydrocephalus occurs in 0.4 of 1000 live births, which is around half of all infants with primary hydrocephalus, and has a marked male preponderance. Although most children with external hydrocephalus seem to do well when growing up, a non-negligible number of patients struggle in various areas, especially related to school functioning. Treatment with a shunting procedure does not seem to improve outcome. As the epidemiological and neuroimaging features of external hydrocephalus and chronic SDH are similar, a common etiology seems plausible. A small SDH during birth could be one possible common cause. External hydrocephalus should also be kept in mind when investigating infants with chronic SDH and alleged AHT. Our results both question the neuroimaging “evidence” of bridging vein rupture, and show that an underlying external hydrocephalus can mimic symptoms and findings of suspected AHT.Doktorgradsavhandlin

Head impact effects in Small Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (sRPAS) collisions: Gender specific risks and vulnerable population protection

This study focuses on supporting the development of safety regulations for vulnerable populations during drone to head impacts. First, the small female head and neck model was compared to cadaveric data. Then, combined with lab’s previous work, gender-based disparities in head impact responses were highlighted, with small females experiencing higher injury risk metrics, despite lower skull von Mises stress. Beyond small females, children of various ages and their head responses during impacts were also analyzed. In addition to the previously developed quadcopter drone model, a new Mavic Pro drone model was developed, and this model was integrated with human head models during comparison against cadaveric data. The Mavic Pro, despite its lower weight, demonstrated higher injury risks compared to the previously studied Phantom 3. Overall, in this study head kinematics, head injury criteria (HIC), rotational velocities, and brain strains were analyzed, indicating potential risks for vulnerable populations. These findings underscore the need for tailored safety measures, regulatory guidelines, and comprehensive injury prevention strategies in the field of drone operations