Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 37 in total

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  1. Zourmand A, Mirhassani SM, Ting HN, Bux SI, Ng KH, Bilgen M, et al.
    Biomed Eng Online, 2014;13:103.
    PMID: 25060583 DOI: 10.1186/1475-925X-13-103
    The phonetic properties of six Malay vowels are investigated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to visualize the vocal tract in order to obtain dynamic articulatory parameters during speech production. To resolve image blurring due to the tongue movement during the scanning process, a method based on active contour extraction is used to track tongue contours. The proposed method efficiently tracks tongue contours despite the partial blurring of MRI images. Consequently, the articulatory parameters that are effectively measured as tongue movement is observed, and the specific shape of the tongue and its position for all six uttered Malay vowels are determined.Speech rehabilitation procedure demands some kind of visual perceivable prototype of speech articulation. To investigate the validity of the measured articulatory parameters based on acoustic theory of speech production, an acoustic analysis based on the uttered vowels by subjects has been performed. As the acoustic speech and articulatory parameters of uttered speech were examined, a correlation between formant frequencies and articulatory parameters was observed. The experiments reported a positive correlation between the constriction location of the tongue body and the first formant frequency, as well as a negative correlation between the constriction location of the tongue tip and the second formant frequency. The results demonstrate that the proposed method is an effective tool for the dynamic study of speech production.
  2. Zamhuri A, Lim GP, Ma NL, Tee KS, Soon CF
    Biomed Eng Online, 2021 Apr 01;20(1):33.
    PMID: 33794899 DOI: 10.1186/s12938-021-00873-9
    MXene is a recently emerged multifaceted two-dimensional (2D) material that is made up of surface-modified carbide, providing its flexibility and variable composition. They consist of layers of early transition metals (M), interleaved with n layers of carbon or nitrogen (denoted as X) and terminated with surface functional groups (denoted as Tx/Tz) with a general formula of Mn+1XnTx, where n = 1-3. In general, MXenes possess an exclusive combination of properties, which include, high electrical conductivity, good mechanical stability, and excellent optical properties. MXenes also exhibit good biological properties, with high surface area for drug loading/delivery, good hydrophilicity for biocompatibility, and other electronic-related properties for computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Due to the attractive physicochemical and biocompatibility properties, the novel 2D materials have enticed an uprising research interest for application in biomedicine and biotechnology. Although some potential applications of MXenes in biomedicine have been explored recently, the types of MXene applied in the perspective of biomedical engineering and biomedicine are limited to a few, titanium carbide and tantalum carbide families of MXenes. This review paper aims to provide an overview of the structural organization of MXenes, different top-down and bottom-up approaches for synthesis of MXenes, whether they are fluorine-based or fluorine-free etching methods to produce biocompatible MXenes. MXenes can be further modified to enhance the biodegradability and reduce the cytotoxicity of the material for biosensing, cancer theranostics, drug delivery and bio-imaging applications. The antimicrobial activity of MXene and the mechanism of MXenes in damaging the cell membrane were also discussed. Some challenges for in vivo applications, pitfalls, and future outlooks for the deployment of MXene in biomedical devices were demystified. Overall, this review puts into perspective the current advancements and prospects of MXenes in realizing this 2D nanomaterial as a versatile biological tool.
  3. Yahya N, Kamel NS, Malik AS
    Biomed Eng Online, 2014;13(1):154.
    PMID: 25421914 DOI: 10.1186/1475-925X-13-154
    Ultrasound imaging is a very essential technique in medical diagnosis due to its being safe, economical and non-invasive nature. Despite its popularity, the US images, however, are corrupted with speckle noise, which reduces US images qualities, hampering image interpretation and processing stage. Hence, there are many efforts made by researches to formulate various despeckling methods for speckle reduction in US images.
  4. Wong JW, Chiew YS, Desaive T, Chase JG
    Biomed Eng Online, 2022 Feb 09;21(1):11.
    PMID: 35139858 DOI: 10.1186/s12938-022-00983-y
    BACKGROUND: Surges of COVID-19 infections have led to insufficient supply of mechanical ventilators (MV), resulting in rationing of MV care. In-parallel, co-mechanical ventilation (Co-MV) of multiple patients is a potential solution. However, due to lack of testing, there is currently no means to match ventilation requirements or patients, with no guidelines to date. In this research, we have developed a model-based method for patient matching for pressure control mode MV.

    METHODS: The model-based method uses a single-compartment lung model (SCM) to simulate the resultant tidal volume of patient pairs at a set ventilation setting. If both patients meet specified safe ventilation criteria under similar ventilation settings, the actual mechanical ventilator settings for Co-MV are determined via simulation using a double-compartment lung model (DCM). This method allows clinicians to analyse Co-MV in silico, before clinical implementation.

    RESULTS: The proposed method demonstrates successful patient matching and MV setting in a model-based simulation as well as good discrimination to avoid mismatched patient pairs. The pairing process is based on model-based, patient-specific respiratory mechanics identified from measured data to provide useful information for guiding care. Specifically, the matching is performed via estimation of MV delivered tidal volume (mL/kg) based on patient-specific respiratory mechanics. This information can provide insights for the clinicians to evaluate the subsequent effects of Co-MV. In addition, it was also found that Co-MV patients with highly restrictive respiratory mechanics and obese patients must be performed with extra care.

    CONCLUSION: This approach allows clinicians to analyse patient matching in a virtual environment without patient risk. The approach is tested in simulation, but the results justify the necessary clinical validation in human trials.

  5. Wan Ahmad WS, Zaki WM, Ahmad Fauzi MF
    Biomed Eng Online, 2015;14:20.
    PMID: 25889188 DOI: 10.1186/s12938-015-0014-8
    Unsupervised lung segmentation method is one of the mandatory processes in order to develop a Content Based Medical Image Retrieval System (CBMIRS) of CXR. The purpose of the study is to present a robust solution for lung segmentation of standard and mobile chest radiographs using fully automated unsupervised method.
  6. Uwamahoro R, Sundaraj K, Subramaniam ID
    Biomed Eng Online, 2021 Jan 03;20(1):1.
    PMID: 33390158 DOI: 10.1186/s12938-020-00840-w
    This research has proved that mechanomyographic (MMG) signals can be used for evaluating muscle performance. Stimulation of the lost physiological functions of a muscle using an electrical signal has been determined crucial in clinical and experimental settings in which voluntary contraction fails in stimulating specific muscles. Previous studies have already indicated that characterizing contractile properties of muscles using MMG through neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) showed excellent reliability. Thus, this review highlights the use of MMG signals on evaluating skeletal muscles under electrical stimulation. In total, 336 original articles were identified from the Scopus and SpringerLink electronic databases using search keywords for studies published between 2000 and 2020, and their eligibility for inclusion in this review has been screened using various inclusion criteria. After screening, 62 studies remained for analysis, with two additional articles from the bibliography, were categorized into the following: (1) fatigue, (2) torque, (3) force, (4) stiffness, (5) electrode development, (6) reliability of MMG and NMES approaches, and (7) validation of these techniques in clinical monitoring. This review has found that MMG through NMES provides feature factors for muscle activity assessment, highlighting standardized electromyostimulation and MMG parameters from different experimental protocols. Despite the evidence of mathematical computations in quantifying MMG along with NMES, the requirement of the processing speed, and fluctuation of MMG signals influence the technique to be prone to errors. Interestingly, although this review does not focus on machine learning, there are only few studies that have adopted it as an alternative to statistical analysis in the assessment of muscle fatigue, torque, and force. The results confirm the need for further investigation on the use of sophisticated computations of features of MMG signals from electrically stimulated muscles in muscle function assessment and assistive technology such as prosthetics control.
  7. Singh VA, Nagalingam J, Saad M, Pailoor J
    Biomed Eng Online, 2010;9:48.
    PMID: 20831801 DOI: 10.1186/1475-925X-9-48
    Sterilization and re-usage of tumour bone for reconstruction after tumour resection is now gaining popularity in the East. This recycle tumour bone needs to be sterilized in order to eradicate the tumour cells before re-implantation for limb salvage procedures. The effect of some of these treatments on the integrity and sterility of the bone after treatment has been published but there has yet been a direct comparison between the various methods of sterilization to determine the one method that gives the best tumour kill without compromising the bone's structural integrity.
  8. Singh V, Elamvazuthi I, Jeoti V, George J, Swain A, Kumar D
    Biomed Eng Online, 2016;15:13.
    PMID: 26838596 DOI: 10.1186/s12938-016-0129-6
    Anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) is considered as the weakest ankle ligament that is most prone to injuries. Ultrasound imaging with its portable, non-invasive and non-ionizing radiation nature is increasingly being used for ATFL diagnosis. However, diagnosis of ATFL injuries requires its segmentation from ultrasound images that is a challenging task due to the existence of homogeneous intensity regions, homogeneous textures and low contrast regions in ultrasound images. To address these issues, this research has developed an efficient ATFL segmentation framework that would contribute to accurate and efficient diagnosis of ATFL injuries for clinical evaluation.
  9. Shahzad A, Saad MN, Walter N, Malik AS, Meriaudeau F
    Biomed Eng Online, 2014;13:109.
    PMID: 25087016 DOI: 10.1186/1475-925X-13-109
    Subcutaneous veins localization is usually performed manually by medical staff to find suitable vein to insert catheter for medication delivery or blood sample function. The rule of thumb is to find large and straight enough vein for the medication to flow inside of the selected blood vessel without any obstruction. The problem of peripheral difficult venous access arises when patient's veins are not visible due to any reason like dark skin tone, presence of hair, high body fat or dehydrated condition, etc.
  10. Selvaraj J, Murugappan M, Wan K, Yaacob S
    Biomed Eng Online, 2013;12:44.
    PMID: 23680041 DOI: 10.1186/1475-925X-12-44
    Identifying the emotional state is helpful in applications involving patients with autism and other intellectual disabilities; computer-based training, human computer interaction etc. Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, being an activity of the autonomous nervous system (ANS), reflect the underlying true emotional state of a person. However, the performance of various methods developed so far lacks accuracy, and more robust methods need to be developed to identify the emotional pattern associated with ECG signals.
  11. Razak NA, Osman NA, Gholizadeh H, Ali S
    Biomed Eng Online, 2014;13:108.
    PMID: 25085005 DOI: 10.1186/1475-925X-13-108
    The interface pressure between the residual limb and prosthetic socket has a significant effect on an amputee's satisfaction and comfort. This paper presents the design and performance of a new prosthetic socket that uses an air splint system.
  12. Ramli MI, Hamzaid NA, Engkasan JP, Usman J
    Biomed Eng Online, 2023 May 22;22(1):50.
    PMID: 37217941 DOI: 10.1186/s12938-023-01103-0
    BACKGROUND: Over the decades, many publications have established respiratory muscle training (RMT) as an effective way in improving respiratory dysfunction in multiple populations. The aim of the paper is to determine the trend of research and multidisciplinary collaboration in publications related to RMT over the last 6 decades. The authors also sought to chart the advancement of RMT among people with spinal cord injury (SCI) over the last 60 years.

    METHODS: Bibliometric analysis was made, including the publications' profiles, citation analysis and research trends of the relevant literature over the last 60 years. Publications from all time frames were retrieved from Scopus database. A subgroup analysis of publications pertinent to people with SCI was also made.

    RESULTS: Research on RMT has been steadily increasing over the last 6 decades and across geographical locations. While medicine continues to dominate the research on RMT, this topic also continues to attract researchers and publications from other areas such as engineering, computer science and social science over the last 10 years. Research collaboration between authors in different backgrounds was observed since 2006. Source titles from non-medical backgrounds have also published articles pertinent to RMT. Among people with SCI, researchers utilised a wide range of technology from simple spirometers to electromyography in both intervention and outcome measures. With various types of interventions implemented, RMT generally improves pulmonary function and respiratory muscle strength among people with SCI.

    CONCLUSIONS: While research on RMT has been steadily increasing over the last 6 decades, more collaborations are encouraged in the future to produce more impactful and beneficial research on people who suffer from respiratory disorders.

  13. Ooi JH, Lim R, Seng H, Tan MP, Goh CH, Lovell NH, et al.
    Biomed Eng Online, 2024 Feb 20;23(1):23.
    PMID: 38378540 DOI: 10.1186/s12938-024-01202-6
    PURPOSE: Non-invasive, beat-to-beat variations in physiological indices provide an opportunity for more accessible assessment of autonomic dysfunction. The potential association between the changes in these parameters and arterial stiffness in hypertension remains poorly understood. This systematic review aims to investigate the association between non-invasive indicators of autonomic function based on beat-to-beat cardiovascular signals with arterial stiffness in individuals with hypertension.

    METHODS: Four electronic databases were searched from inception to June 2022. Studies that investigated non-invasive parameters of arterial stiffness and autonomic function using beat-to-beat cardiovascular signals over a period of > 5min were included. Study quality was assessed using the STROBE criteria. Two authors screened the titles, abstracts, and full texts independently.

    RESULTS: Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria. A comprehensive overview of experimental design for assessing autonomic function in terms of baroreflex sensitivity and beat-to-beat cardiovascular variabilities, as well as arterial stiffness, was presented. Alterations in non-invasive indicators of autonomic function, which included baroreflex sensitivity, beat-to-beat cardiovascular variabilities and hemodynamic changes in response to autonomic challenges, as well as arterial stiffness, were identified in individuals with hypertension. A mixed result was found in terms of the association between non-invasive quantitative autonomic indices and arterial stiffness in hypertensive individuals. Nine out of 12 studies which quantified baroreflex sensitivity revealed a significant association with arterial stiffness parameters. Three studies estimated beat-to-beat heart rate variability and only one study reported a significant relationship with arterial stiffness indices. Three out of five studies which studied beat-to-beat blood pressure variability showed a significant association with arterial structural changes. One study revealed that hemodynamic changes in response to autonomic challenges were significantly correlated with arterial stiffness parameters.

    CONCLUSIONS: The current review demonstrated alteration in autonomic function, which encompasses both the sympathetic and parasympathetic modulation of sinus node function and vasomotor tone (derived from beat-to-beat cardiovascular signals) in hypertension, and a significant association between some of these parameters with arterial stiffness. By employing non-invasive measurements to monitor changes in autonomic function and arterial remodeling in individuals with hypertension, we would be able to enhance our ability to identify individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Understanding the intricate relationships among these cardiovascular variability measures and arterial stiffness could contribute toward better individualized treatment for hypertension in the future.

    SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO ID: CRD42022336703. Date of registration: 12/06/2022.

  14. Mustapha A, Hussain A, Samad SA, Zulkifley MA, Diyana Wan Zaki WM, Hamid HA
    Biomed Eng Online, 2015;14:6.
    PMID: 25595511 DOI: 10.1186/1475-925X-14-6
    Content-based medical image retrieval (CBMIR) system enables medical practitioners to perform fast diagnosis through quantitative assessment of the visual information of various modalities.
  15. Mohamad Saberi FN, Sukumaran P, Ung NM, Liew YM
    Biomed Eng Online, 2022 Dec 03;21(1):83.
    PMID: 36463182 DOI: 10.1186/s12938-022-01055-x
    Tooth demineralization is one of the most common intraoral diseases, encompassing (1) caries caused by acid-producing bacteria and (2) erosion induced by acid of non-bacterial origin from intrinsic sources (e.g. stomach acid reflux) and extrinsic sources (e.g. carbonated drinks). Current clinical assessment based on visual-tactile examination and standardized scoring systems is insufficient for early detection. A combination of clinical examination and technology is therefore increasingly adapted. This paper reviews various procedures and technologies that have been invented to diagnose and assess the severity of tooth demineralization, with focus on optical coherence tomography (OCT). As a micron-resolution non-invasive 3D imaging modality, variants of OCT are now available, offering many advantages under different working principles for detailed analytical assessment of tooth demineralization. The roles, capabilities and impact of OCT against other state-of-the-art technologies in both clinical and research settings are described. (139 words).
  16. Mat Zin S, Md Rasib SZ, Suhaimi FM, Mariatti M
    Biomed Eng Online, 2021 Feb 06;20(1):17.
    PMID: 33549118 DOI: 10.1186/s12938-021-00854-y
    The tongue and hard palate play an essential role in the production of sound during continuous speech. Appropriate tongue and hard palate contacts will ensure proper sound production. Electropalatography, also known as EPG, is a device that can be used to identify the location of the tongue and hard palate contact. It can also be used by a speech therapist to help patients who have a speech disorder. Among the group with the disease are cleft palate, Down syndrome, glossectomy, and autism patients. Besides identifying the contact location, EPG is a useful medical device that has been continuously developed based on the patient's needs and treatment advancement. This article reviews the technology of electropalatography since the early introduction of the device. It also discusses the development process and the drawbacks of the previous EPG systems, resulting in the EPG's upgraded system and technology. This review suggests additional features that can be useful for the future development of the EPG. The latest technology can be incorporated into the EPG system to provide a more convenient method. There are some elements to be considered in the development of EPG's new technology that were discussed in this study. The elements are essential to provide more convenience for the patient during speech therapy. New technology can accelerate the growth of medical devices, particularly on the development of speech therapy equipment that should be based on the latest technological advancements available. Thus, the advanced EPG system suggested in this article may expand the usage of the EPG and serve as a tool to provide speech therapy treatment services and not limited to monitoring only.
  17. Malik AS, Khairuddin RN, Amin HU, Smith ML, Kamel N, Abdullah JM, et al.
    Biomed Eng Online, 2015;14:21.
    PMID: 25886584 DOI: 10.1186/s12938-015-0006-8
    Consumer preference is rapidly changing from 2D to 3D movies due to the sensational effects of 3D scenes, like those in Avatar and The Hobbit. Two 3D viewing technologies are available: active shutter glasses and passive polarized glasses. However, there are consistent reports of discomfort while viewing in 3D mode where the discomfort may refer to dizziness, headaches, nausea or simply not being able to see in 3D continuously.
  18. Major VJ, Chiew YS, Shaw GM, Chase JG
    Biomed Eng Online, 2018 Nov 12;17(1):169.
    PMID: 30419903 DOI: 10.1186/s12938-018-0599-9
    BACKGROUND: Mechanical ventilation is an essential therapy to support critically ill respiratory failure patients. Current standards of care consist of generalised approaches, such as the use of positive end expiratory pressure to inspired oxygen fraction (PEEP-FiO2) tables, which fail to account for the inter- and intra-patient variability between and within patients. The benefits of higher or lower tidal volume, PEEP, and other settings are highly debated and no consensus has been reached. Moreover, clinicians implicitly account for patient-specific factors such as disease condition and progression as they manually titrate ventilator settings. Hence, care is highly variable and potentially often non-optimal. These conditions create a situation that could benefit greatly from an engineered approach. The overall goal is a review of ventilation that is accessible to both clinicians and engineers, to bridge the divide between the two fields and enable collaboration to improve patient care and outcomes. This review does not take the form of a typical systematic review. Instead, it defines the standard terminology and introduces key clinical and biomedical measurements before introducing the key clinical studies and their influence in clinical practice which in turn flows into the needs and requirements around how biomedical engineering research can play a role in improving care. Given the significant clinical research to date and its impact on this complex area of care, this review thus provides a tutorial introduction around the review of the state of the art relevant to a biomedical engineering perspective.

    DISCUSSION: This review presents the significant clinical aspects and variables of ventilation management, the potential risks associated with suboptimal ventilation management, and a review of the major recent attempts to improve ventilation in the context of these variables. The unique aspect of this review is a focus on these key elements relevant to engineering new approaches. In particular, the need for ventilation strategies which consider, and directly account for, the significant differences in patient condition, disease etiology, and progression within patients is demonstrated with the subsequent requirement for optimal ventilation strategies to titrate for patient- and time-specific conditions.

    CONCLUSION: Engineered, protective lung strategies that can directly account for and manage inter- and intra-patient variability thus offer great potential to improve both individual care, as well as cohort clinical outcomes.

  19. Lee JWW, Chiew YS, Wang X, Mat Nor MB, Chase JG, Desaive T
    Biomed Eng Online, 2022 Feb 11;21(1):13.
    PMID: 35148759 DOI: 10.1186/s12938-022-00981-0
    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Mechanical ventilation (MV) is the primary form of care for respiratory failure patients. MV settings are based on general clinical guidelines, intuition, and experience. This approach is not patient-specific and patients may thus experience suboptimal, potentially harmful MV care. This study presents the Stochastic integrated VENT (SiVENT) protocol which combines model-based approaches of the VENT protocol from previous works, with stochastic modelling to take the variation of patient respiratory elastance over time into consideration.

    METHODS: A stochastic model of Ers is integrated into the VENT protocol from previous works to develop the SiVENT protocol, to account for both intra- and inter-patient variability. A cohort of 20 virtual MV patients based on retrospective patient data are used to validate the performance of this method for volume-controlled (VC) ventilation. A performance evaluation was conducted where the SiVENT and VENT protocols were implemented in 1080 instances each to compare the two protocols and evaluate the difference in reduction of possible MV settings achieved by each.

    RESULTS: From an initial number of 189,000 possible MV setting combinations, the VENT protocol reduced this number to a median of 10,612, achieving a reduction of 94.4% across the cohort. With the integration of the stochastic model component, the SiVENT protocol reduced this number from 189,000 to a median of 9329, achieving a reduction of 95.1% across the cohort. The SiVENT protocol reduces the number of possible combinations provided to the user by more than 1000 combinations as compared to the VENT protocol.

    CONCLUSIONS: Adding a stochastic model component into a model-based approach to selecting MV settings improves the ability of a decision support system to recommend patient-specific MV settings. It specifically considers inter- and intra-patient variability in respiratory elastance and eliminates potentially harmful settings based on clinically recommended pressure thresholds. Clinical input and local protocols can further reduce the number of safe setting combinations. The results for the SiVENT protocol justify further investigation of its prediction accuracy and clinical validation trials.

  20. Latifi MH, Ganthel K, Rukmanikanthan S, Mansor A, Kamarul T, Bilgen M
    Biomed Eng Online, 2012;11:23.
    PMID: 22545650 DOI: 10.1186/1475-925X-11-23
    Effective fixation of fracture requires careful selection of a suitable implant to provide stability and durability. Implant with a feature of locking plate (LP) has been used widely for treating distal fractures in femur because of its favourable clinical outcome, but its potential in fixing proximal fractures in the subtrochancteric region has yet to be explored. Therefore, this comparative study was undertaken to demonstrate the merits of the LP implant in treating the subtrochancteric fracture by comparing its performance limits against those obtained with the more traditional implants; angle blade plate (ABP) and dynamic condylar screw plate (DCSP).
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