Efficient RF-to-DC Converters for Biomedical Implantable Devices

The power management section associated with the biomedical circuit is very crucial and should be optimally designed for optimal utilization of power. This work discusses the different power shaping or conversion circuits that had been taken for their performance analysis. The two-performance metrics power conversion efficiency and susceptibility against the wireless power transfer have been taken to investigate the operational performance of the biomedical circuits against the input signal strength and operating frequencies. Simulated results confirm the CNFET-based circuit performance is very good at a small value of input voltage 0.6V and a broad range of operating frequency (953 MHz). Therefore, a CNFET-based circuit can be used suitably in implantable devices with optimum power utilization and a remote powering mechanism over the RF link

Multi-Modal Data Fusion in Enhancing Human-Machine Interaction for Robotic Applications: A Survey

Human-machine interaction has been around for several decades now, with new applications emerging every day. One of the major goals that remain to be achieved is designing an interaction similar to how a human interacts with another human. Therefore, there is a need to develop interactive systems that could replicate a more realistic and easier human-machine interaction. On the other hand, developers and researchers need to be aware of state-of-the-art methodologies being used to achieve this goal. We present this survey to provide researchers with state-of-the-art data fusion technologies implemented using multiple inputs to accomplish a task in the robotic application domain. Moreover, the input data modalities are broadly classified into uni-modal and multi-modal systems and their application in myriad industries, including the health care industry, which contributes to the medical industry's future development. It will help the professionals to examine patients using different modalities. The multi-modal systems are differentiated by a combination of inputs used as a single input, e.g., gestures, voice, sensor, and haptic feedback. All these inputs may or may not be fused, which provides another classification of multi-modal systems. The survey concludes with a summary of technologies in use for multi-modal systems.Comment: Planning to add more change

Conjunctival cytology in glaucomatous patients using long-term topical therapy

<b>Background:</b> Long-term use of antiglaucoma drugs induces adverse changes on the conjunctival surface. <b> Aim:</b> To evaluate the cytological changes in the conjunctival scrape smears of patients receiving long-term antiglaucoma medication and their histopathological correlation. <b> Materials and Methods:</b> Conjunctival scrape smears were taken from the eyes of patients on long-term antiglaucoma therapy for over three months (<i>n</i> = 75), patients taking antiglaucoma medication for less than three months (<i>n</i> = 100) and from glaucomatous patients in whom trabeculectomy was done as a primary procedure. Inflammatory cell counts, fibroblasts, and the degree of metaplasia were then evaluated both cytologically and histologically. The <i>t</i>-test was used to determine the predictive values of these parameters for the surgical outcome of trabeculectomies. <b> Results:</b> Long-term use of antiglaucoma therapy leads to a higher stage of metaplasia with an increase in the number of fibroblasts, subepithelial collagen deposition, and inflammatory infiltrate within the substantia propria of the conjunctiva. <b> Conclusions:</b> Long-term antiglaucoma medications induce a significant degree of metaplasia in the conjunctival surface that adversely affects the outcome of filtration surgery

FIMBISAE: A Multimodal Biometric Secured Data Access Framework for Internet of Medical Things Ecosystem

Information from the internet of medical things (IoMT) domain demands building safeguards against illegitimate access and identification. Existing user identification schemes suffer from challenges in detecting impersonation attacks which leave systems vulnerable and susceptible to misuse. Significant advancement has been achieved in the domain of biometrics and health informatics. This can take a step ahead with the usage of multimodal biometrics for the identification of healthcare system users. With this aim, the proposed work explores the fingerprint and iris modality to develop a multimodal biometric data identification and access control system for the healthcare ecosystem. In the proposed approach, minutiae-based fingerprint features and a combination of local and global iris features are considered for identification. Further, an index space based on the dimension of the feature vector is created, which gives a one-dimensional embedding of the high-dimensional feature set. Next, to minimize the impact of false rejection, the approach considers the possible deviation in each element of the feature vector and then stores the data in possible locations using the predefined threshold. Besides, to reduce the false acceptance rate, linking of the modalities has been done for every individual data. The modality linking thus helps in carrying out an efficient search of the queried data, thereby minimizing the false acceptance and rejection rate. Experiments on a chimeric iris and fingerprint bimodal database resulted in an average of 95% reduction in the search space at a hit rate of 98%. The results suggest that the proposed indexing scheme has the potential to substantially reduce the response time without compromising the accuracy of identification

Neuroprotective efficacy of Nardostachys jatamansi and crocetin in conjunction with selenium in cognitive impairment

Oxidative stress leads to complex biochemical alterations, and has been implicated in the progressive loss of learning and memory. Supplementing and boosting the endogenous antioxidant defense system could impede the progression of various types of neurodegeneration. In the present study, we have investigated the neuroprotective efficacy of a low-dose combination of certain promising and powerful natural antioxidants in an experimental model of cognitive impairment.Combined pretreatmentwith the extract ofNardosatchys jatamansi (N), crocetin (C) and selenium(Se) as sodium selenite (N, 200 mg/kg + C, 25 μg/kg + Se, 0.05 mg/kg body weight) for 15 days led to improved behavioral outcomes in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced cognitive impairment in rats. While intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of STZ resulted in the significant elevation ofmarkers of oxidative stress and depletion of endogenous antioxidant defense system in the vehicle-pretreated group, these markers of oxidative stress and antioxidant enzymatic as well as nonenzymatic defense lines were attenuated in the group pretreated with the combination of antioxidants (NCSe). NCSe pretreatment markedly improved the performance of animals in passive avoidance test and Morris water maze (MWM) tasks, significantly reduced the level of TBARS, and elevated the content of glutathione and activities of antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase and catalase).Our study reflects the synergistic potential of the above combination and concludes that amultimodal approach could be beneficial rather than a singular intervention. © Springer-Verlag 2012

Sesamin attenuates behavioral, biochemical and histological alterations induced by reversible middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rats

Restoration of blood flow to an ischemic brain region is associated with generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with consequent reperfusion injury. ROS cause lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, and DNA damage, all of which are deleterious to cells. So diminishing the production of free radicals and scavenging them may be a successful therapeutic strategy for the protection of brain tissue in cerebral stroke. The present study investigated the neuroprotective effect of sesamin (Sn) to reduce brain injury after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The middle cerebral artery (MCA) of adult male Wistar rat was occluded for 2 h and reperfused for 22 h. Sesamin is the most abundant lignan in sesame seed oil is a potent antioxidant. Sesamin (30 mg/kg) was given orally twice, 30 min before the onset of ischemia and 12 h after reperfusion. The initial investigations revealed that sesamin reduced the neurological deficits in terms of behavior and reduced the level of thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), and protein carbonyl (PC) in the different areas of the brain when compared with the MCAO group. A significantly depleted level of glutathione and its dependent enzymes (glutathione peroxidase [GPx] and glutathione reductase [GR]) in MCAO group were protected significantly in MCAO group treated with sesamin. The present study suggests that sesamin may be able to attenuate the ischemic cell death and plays a crucial role as a neuroprotectant in regulating levels of reactive oxygen species in the rat brain. Thus, sesamin may be a potential compound in stroke therapy. © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved