4 research outputs found
Telerehabilitation approach for patients with hand impairment
Purpose: Telerehabilitation is one of the newest branches of telemedicine which has been developed because patients need regular trainings outside the medical institution but still under specialist supervision. It helps maintain regularity of exercises and reduces costs. The professional and advanced systems for telerehabilitation are presented in papers however, there is still lack of development of minor systems which provide therapeutic values and are more accessible to people. Therefore we focus on a solution for hand telerehabilitation of post-stroke patients, based solely on a personal computer and camera. Methods: We focused on the manipulative hand (fingers, metacarpus, wrist) movements trainings for patients with cerebral palsy. The contact between patient and physiotherapist is provided by using web cameras and web service. Additionally the camera can be used to monitor the effectiveness of performed exercises. Computer vision system keeps track of the patient’s hand movement. The digital image processing is used to detect if the patient performs exercises correctly. Results: We created web service and software application TeleReh that provides therapeutic values for the hand impaired people. The created system was evaluated by three physiotherapists, one doctor and a cerebral palsy patient. Conclusions Our solution applies to all patients who have undergone basic rehabilitation in hospital and need to continue hand rehabilitation at home. The main advantages are: easily adaptation to the individual needs and abilities, monitoring the progress by using automatically generated reports after each training session. It is worth noticing, that discussion between IT specialists, rehabilitants and patients was necessary to achieve good results
Age-related macular degeneration - disease of the 21st century
Starcze zwyrodnienie plamki żółtej (AMD) jest chorobą cywilizacyjną XXI wieku. Charakteryzuje się tworzeniem nowych patologicznych naczyń krwionośnych, jak również ucieczką elementów morfotycznych i białek poza naczynia już istniejące, co skutkuje zapoczątkowaniem procesu zapalnego. Nieleczenie tej choroby może prowadzić do ślepoty. Ze względu na częste występowanie AMD i brak skutecznego leczenia farmakologicznego prowadzone są liczne badania w celu ulepszenia istniejących i wynalezienia nowych metod diagnostyki i leczenia tej choroby. Przeprowadzone badania kliniczne potwierdziły, że angiografia fluoresceinowa umożliwia obserwowanie postępu AMD. Dostrzegając możliwości komputerowej analizy wyników angiografii, w ramach niniejszej pracy zaprojektowano program komputerowy, który daje możliwość analizy wyników badań wykonanych za pomocą angiografii fluoresceinowej oraz testu Amslera. Szybki dostęp do bazy danych chorych na AMD ułatwi lekarzom pracę z pacjentem i zaoszczędzi cenny czas. Istotnym elementem zaproponowanego rozwiązania jest możliwość gromadzenia, przechowywania oraz analizy wyników badań pacjentów chorych na AMD.Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a twenty-first century civilization disease. It is characterized by pathological formation of new blood vessels, as well as an escape of blood cells and proteins beyond existing vessels. If untreated, the disease can lead to blindness. Due to the frequent occurrence of AMD and the lack of effective pharmacological treatment, series of studies are conducted to improve the existing and invent new methods of diagnosis and treatment. Clinical trials have confirmed that fluorescein angiography allows observation of AMD progress. A computer program was designed exploiting computer analysis of angiography result. The program allows analyzing the results of tests carried out by fluorescein angiography and Amsler test. Quick access to a database of patients with AMD will help physicians work with the patient and save valuable time. An important element of the proposed solution is the ability to collect, store, and analyze the results of studies of patients with AMD
Influence of nanocrystalline structure and surface properties of TiO2 thin films on the viability of L929 cells
In this work the physicochemical and biological properties of nanocrystalline TiO2 thin films were investigated. Thin films were prepared by magnetron sputtering method. Their properties were examined by X-ray diffraction, photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, optical transmission method and optical profiler. Moreover, surface wettability and scratch resistance were determined. It was found that as-deposited coatings were nanocrystalline and had TiO2-anatase structure, built from crystallites in size of 24 nm. The surface of the films was homogenous, composed of closely packed grains and hydrophilic. Due to nanocrystalline structure thin films exhibited good scratch resistance. The results were correlated to the biological activity (in vitro) of thin films. Morphological changes of mouse fibroblasts (L929 cell line) after contact with the surface of TiO2 films were evaluated with the use of a contrast-phase microscope, while their viability was tested by MTT colorimetric assay. The viability of cell line upon contact with the surface of nanocrystalline TiO2 film was comparable to the control sample. L929 cells had homogenous cytoplasm and were forming a confluent monofilm, while lysis and inhibition of cell growth was not observed. Moreover, the viability in contact with surface of examined films was high. This confirms non-cytotoxic effect of TiO2 film surface on mouse fibroblasts
Opatrunki biologiczne oparte na polimerach naturalnych
The article presents a method for producing a IV generation hemostatic dressing in the form of powder consisted of fibrous, which ensures a high level of security in application. The dressing material was developed on the basis of natural polymers of the polysaccharide group such as chitosan and calcium sodium alginate in the form of micro- and nanofibrids. The dressing structure, utility properties and biocompatibility (cytotoxicity, irritation and sensitization) were studied.W artykule przedstawiono metodę wytwarzania hemostatycznego opatrunku IV generacji, który gwarantuje wysoki stopień bezpieczeństwa przy aplikacji. Opatrunek posiada formę proszku fibrydowego. Do opracowania materiału opatrunkowego wykorzystane zostały polimery naturalne z grupy polisacharydów takie jak chitozan i alginian sodowo-wapniowy. Opatrunek został poddany badaniom strukturalnym, właściwościom użytkowym oraz ocenie biozgodności (cytotoksyczność, właściwości drażniące i uczulające)