Application Of Electrical Stimulation Research Articles

Application of electrostimulation and magnetic stimulation in patients with optic neuropathy: A mechanistic review.

Visual impairment caused by optic neuropathies is irreversible because retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the specialized neurons of the retina, do not have the capacity for self-renewal and self-repair. Blindness caused by optic nerve neuropathies causes extensive physical, financial, and social consequences in human societies. Recent studies on different animal models and humans have established effective strategies to prevent further RGC degeneration and replace the cells that have deteriorated. In this review, we discuss the application of electrical stimulation (ES) and magnetic field stimulation (MFS) in optic neuropathies, their mechanisms of action, their advantages, and limitations. ES and MFS can be applied effectively in the field of neuroregeneration. Although stem cells are becoming a promising approach for regenerating RGCs, the inhibitory environment of the CNS and the long visual pathway from the optic nerve to the superior colliculus are critical barriers to overcome. Scientific evidence has shown that adjuvant treatments, such as the application of ES and MFS help direct thetransplanted RGCs to extend their axons and form new synapses in the central nervous system (CNS). In addition, these techniques improve CNS neuroplasticity and decrease the inhibitory effects of the CNS. Possible mechanisms mediating the effects of electrical current on biological tissues include the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines, improvement of microcirculation, stimulation of cell metabolism, and modification of stem cell function. ES and MFS have the potential to promote angiogenesis, direct axon growth toward the intended target, and enhance appropriate synaptogenesis in optic nerve regeneration.

Current advances of chlorinated organics degradation by bioelectrochemical systems: a review.

Chlorinated organic compounds (COCs) are typical refractory organic compounds, having high biological toxicity. These compounds are a type of pervasive pollutants that can be present in polluted soil, air, and various types of waterways, such as groundwater, rivers, and lakes, posing a significant threat to the ecological environment and human health. Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are an effective strategy for the degradation of bio-refractory compounds. BESs improve the waste treatment efficiency through the application of weak electrical stimulation. This review discusses the processes of BESs configurations and degradation performances in different environmental media including wastewater, soil, waste gas and groundwater. In addition, the degradation mechanisms and performance-enhancing additives are summarized. The future challenges and perspectives on the development of BES for COCs removal are briefly discussed.

Electrical Stimulation and Motor Function Rehabilitation in Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) often leads to devastating motor impairments, significantly affecting the quality of life of affected individuals. Over the last decades, spinal cord electrical stimulation seems to have encouraging effects on the motor recovery of impacted patients. This review aimed to identify clinical trials focused on motor function recovery through the application of epidural electrical stimulation, transcutaneous electrical stimulation, and functional electrical stimulation. Several clinical trials met these criteria, focusing on the impact of the aforementioned interventions on walking, standing, swimming, trunk stability, and upper extremity functionality, particularly grasp. After a thorough PubMed online database research, 37 clinical trials were included in this review, with a total of 192 patients. Many of them appeared to have an improvement in function, either clinically assessed or recorded through electromyography. This review outlines the various ways electrical stimulation techniques can aid in the motor recovery of SCI patients. It stresses the ongoing need for medical research to refine these techniques and ultimately enhance rehabilitation results in clinical settings.

Prospect of value and application of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation to control blood pressure in proactive healthcare perspective.

Hypertension is a global problem threatening human health and life. Although there are many antihypertensive drugs, the low compliance of medication affects its efficacy, and the effect in regulating hypertension has become increasingly prominent. Focusing on the new trend of proactive healthcare management, in the present paper, we made a summary about the status and existing problems of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) in the regulation of blood pressure, and put forward some suggestions, such as selecting acupoints based on classical acupuncture theory to highlight the advantages of TEAS to control blood pressure as a whole, optimizing and screening the parameters of TEAS in the regulation of blood pressure, expanding the research observation indexes etc. We also made a prospect about its future application, hoping to provide new ideas for the proactive regulation, whole-process regulation and integrated regulation of blood pressure.

Analysis of the Improvement Effect of Combined Application of Oral Rehabilitation Training and Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Pediatric Swallowing Disorders

Pediatric swallowing disorders are common yet often overlooked neuro-muscular system diseases that significantly impact the quality of life and development of affected children. This study aims to explore the effect of combined application of oral rehabilitation training and neuromuscular electrical stimulation on improving pediatric swallowing disorders. Children meeting the inclusion criteria for swallowing disorders were divided into control and experimental groups based on different intervention protocols. The experimental group received combined oral rehabilitation training and neuromuscular electrical stimulation, while the control group received only oral rehabilitation training. Results showed that the intervention was more effective in the experimental group, with shorter recovery time for normal swallowing function and improved nutritional status and quality of life. This study provides scientific evidence for clinical treatment of pediatric swallowing disorders. In conclusion, the combined application of oral rehabilitation training and neuromuscular electrical stimulation effectively improves pediatric swallowing disorders, with superior efficacy compared to single treatment methods. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanism of action and optimize treatment protocols to enhance the therapeutic outcomes and prognosis of pediatric swallowing disorders.

Synergistic Effect of Electrical and Biochemical Stimulation on Human iPSC-Derived Neural Differentiation in a Microfluidic Electrode Array Chip.

Neural differentiation is crucial for advancing our understanding of the nervous system and developing treatments for neurological disorders. The advanced methods and the ability to manipulate the alignment, proliferation, and differentiation of stem cells are essential for studying neuronal development and synaptic interactions. However, the utilization of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for disease modeling of neurodegenerative conditions may be constrained by the prolonged duration and uncontrolled cell differentiation required for functional neural cell differentiation. Here, we developed a microfluidic chip to enhance the differentiation and maturation of specific neural lineages by placing aligned microelectrodes on the glass surface to regulate the neural differentiation of human iPSCs. The utilization of electrical stimulation (ES) in conjunction with neurotrophic factors (NF) significantly enhanced the efficiency in generating functional neurons from human iPSCs. We also observed that the simultaneous application of NF and ES to human iPSCs promoted their differentiation and maturation into functional neurons while increasing synaptic interactions. Our research demonstrated the effect of combining NF and ES on human iPSC-derived neural differentiation.

Analysis on the Effect of Yiqi Huoxue Decoction Combined with Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in Improving ICU-Acquired Debility in Mechanically Ventilated Patients

To investigate the effect of Yiqi Huoxue decoction combined with neuromuscular electrical stimulation on improving intensive care unit (ICU) acquired debility in mechanically ventilated patients. Methods: 50 patients who were admitted to the ICU and received mechanical ventilation treatment in our hospital from June 2022 to June 2023 and were complicated with ICU-acquired neurasthenia were selected, and randomly grouped using the randomized envelope method into two groups: a control group with 25 patients who received neuromuscular electrical stimulation alone; observation group with 25 patients who received the traditional Chinese medicine Yiqi Huoxue decoction. Comparison indexes: treatment efficiency, degree of emotional recovery (APACHE Ⅱ score), muscle strength status (MRC score), motor status (FAC rating), and self-care ability (BI index score). Results: The treatment efficiency of patients in the observation group patients was higher as compared to those in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the comparison of the results of the scores (ratings) of each index between the two groups before treatment (P > 0.05). After the treatment, the APACHE Ⅱ scores of patients in the observation group were significantly lower as compared to those in the control group, while the MRC scores, FAC ratings, and BI index scores were higher in the observation group than those of the control group patients (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The combined application of Yiqi Huoxue decoction and neuromuscular electrical stimulation in the treatment of patients with ICU-acquired neurasthenia complicated by mechanical ventilation significantly enhanced the clinical efficacy, the patient’s muscle strength, motor status, and ability of self-care. Hence, it has high application value and is worthy to be popularized.

Effects of medium voltage electrical stimulation on initial pH decline and quality parameters during ageing and frozen storage of Nellore beef

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of medium voltage electrical stimulation (ES) at three different intensities, 200 V (Treatment 200 V, T200), 300 V (Treatment 200 V, T300), and 400 V (Treatment 400 V, T400) on the initial pH decline in post mortem muscle and the quality parameters on M. longissimus thoracis - Nellore beef, both throughout the ageing process and during frozen storage. The colour, cooking loss, and shear force parameters for samples of aged beef were determined. Additional parameters, like thaw loss, pH, and lipid oxidation were also analyzed for the frozen storage. The shear force and cooking loss decreased and colour parameters increased in Nellore beef ES compared with CON on ageing time (14 days). At frozen storage, quality parameters like pH, a*, and b* were reduced over time, and no negative effect on lipid oxidation was found. Electrical stimulation at 200 V demonstrated effectiveness for decreasing shear force to Nellore beef (M. longissimus thoracis) during frozen storage. The application of medium voltage electrical stimulation can contribute to improved quality and tenderness in Nellore beef, both during ageing and frozen storage conditions.

Difunctional Microelectrode Arrays for Single-Cell Electrical Stimulation and pH Detection.

Due to its direct effect on biomolecules and cells, electrical stimulation (ES) is now widely used to regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and neurostimulation and is even used in the clinic for pain relief, treatment of nerve damage, and muscle rehabilitation. Conventional ES is mostly studied on cell populations, but the heterogeneity of cancer cells results in the inability to access the response of individual cells to ES. Therefore, detecting the extracellular pH change (ΔpHe) after ES at the single-cell level is important for the application of ES in tumor therapy. In this study, cellular ΔpHe after periodic impulse electrostimulation (IES) was monitored in situ by using a polyaniline (PANI)-modified gold microelectrode array. The PANI sensor had excellent sensitivity (53.68 mV/pH) and linear correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.999) over the pH range of 5.55-7.41. The cells showed different degrees of ΔpHe after the IES with different intervals and stimulation potential. A shorter pulse interval and a higher stimulation potential could effectively enhance stimulation and increase cellular ΔpHe. At 0.5 V potential stimulation, the cellular ΔpHe increased with decreasing pulse interval. However, if the pulse interval was long enough, even at a higher potential of 0.7 V, there was no significant additional ΔpHe due to the insufficient stimulus strength. Based on the above conclusions, the prepared PANI microelectrode arrays (MEAs) were capable of stimulating and detecting single cells, which contributed to the deeper application of ES in tumor therapy.

The effect of electrical stimulation on skin vulnerability to irritants.

Electrical stimulation (ES) is a widely used technique in the medical field for various purposes. The effect of ES on several skin properties has been investigated; however, its effect on skin vulnerability to irritants remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of ES application on skin vulnerability to external irritants. An experimental study on 12 healthy male subjects (Mean±SD, 22.9±3.6 years) who completed the study. The subjects were free of skin abnormalities in the volar aspect of both forearms. Three areas were allocated to each forearm and marked as areas 1, 2, and A in the treated forearm, and areas 3, 4, and B in the control forearm. ES was applied to the volar aspect of the treated forearm for 30min three times a week, for 2 weeks. The effect of ES on skin vulnerability was investigated using 5% and 0.5% sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) patches applied to both treated and control forearms. The skin response to irritants was evaluated using transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and a visual erythema score 24h after patch removal. Compared to the control forearm, ES increased skin permeability and erythema in response to external irritants (SLS), as measured by the visual analog score (Z=2.75, p=0.006) and TEWL (p<0.05), respectively. ES escalates skin reactions to low concentrations of irritant substances, such as SLS, in the area between the two electrodes. This emphasizes the use of this substance, and similar irritants should be avoided in areas treated with ES.

Functional electrical stimulation to enhance reactive balance among people with hemiparetic stroke.

Individuals with stroke demonstrate a twofold higher fall incidence compared to healthy counterparts, potentially associated with deficits in reactive balance control, which is crucial for regaining balance from unpredictable perturbations to the body. Moreover, people with higher stroke-related motor impairment exhibit greater falls and cannot recover balance during higher perturbation intensities. Thus, they might need supplemental agents for fall prevention or even to be included in a perturbation-based protocol. Functional electrical stimulation is a widely used clinical modality for improving gait performance;however, it remains unknown whether it can enhance or interfere with reactive balance control. We recruited twelve ambulatory participants with hemiparetic stroke (61.48 ± 6.77years) and moderate-to-high motor impairment (Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Leg Assessment ≤ 4/7). Each participant experienced 4 unpredicted paretic gait-slips, with and without functional electrical stimulation (provided 50-500ms after perturbation) in random order. The paretic quadriceps muscle group was chosen to receive electrical stimulation, considering the role of support limb knee extensors for preventing limb-collapse. Outcomes includingprimary (laboratory falls), secondary (reactive stability, vertical limb support) and tertiary (compensatory step length, step initiation, execution time) measureswere compared between the two conditions. Participants demonstrated fewer falls, higher reactive stability, and higher vertical limb support (p < 0.05) following gait-slips with functional electrical stimulation compared to those without. This was accompanied by reduced step initiation time and a longer compensatory step (p < 0.05). The application of functional electrical stimulation to paretic quadriceps following gait-slips reduced laboratory fall incidence with enhanced reactive balance outcomes among people with higher stroke-related motor impairment. Our results lay the preliminary groundwork for understanding the instantaneous neuromodulatory effect of functional electrical stimulation in preventing gait-slip falls, future studies could test its therapeutic effect on reactive balance. Clinical registry number: NCT04957355.

The Effect of Epidural Electrical Stimulation Application in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a significant cause of disability, affecting both children and adults worldwide. These injuries can arise from various conditions, including traumatic, vascular, tumor-related, infection-related, inflammatory (such as multiple sclerosis), or neurodegenerative (like motor neuron disease) origins. Among these, traumatic spinal cord injuries caused by reasons like falls and traffic accidents stand out, particularly in developed countries. Epidural electrical stimulation (EES) was initially used to inhibit chronic pain. Subsequent studies have shown its effectiveness in individuals with SCI. In research spanning from the past to the present, EES applications have been utilized for activities such as motor function improvement, sensory enhancement, bowel functions, increased sexual functionality, and regulating heart rhythms in people with SCI. However, the exact impact of EES remains inconclusive at present and is still a subject of debate.

Electrical stimulation: a novel therapeutic strategy to heal biological wounds.

Electrical stimulation (ES) has emerged as a powerful therapeutic modality for enhancing biological wound healing. This non-invasive technique utilizes low-level electrical currents to promote tissue regeneration and expedite the wound healing process. ES has been shown to accelerate wound closure, reduce inflammation, enhance angiogenesis, and modulate cell migration and proliferation through various mechanisms. The principle goal of wound management is the rapid recovery of the anatomical continuity of the skin, to prevent infections from the external environment and maintain homeostasis conditions inside. ES at the wound site is a compelling strategy for skin wound repair. Several ES applications are described in medical literature like AC, DC, and PC to improve cutaneous perfusion and accelerate wound healing. This review aimed to evaluate the primary factors and provides an overview of the potential benefits and mechanisms of ES in wound healing, and its ability to stimulate cellular responses, promote tissue regeneration, and improve overall healing outcomes. We also shed light on the application of ES which holds excellent promise as an adjunct therapy for various types of wounds, including chronic wounds, diabetic ulcers, and surgical incisions.

Application of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation in perioperative gynecology

Application of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation in perioperative gynecology

Electrical vestibular stimulation as a tool for treatment of bilateral vestibular loss. Literature review

The review of the literature on RSCI and PubMed databases presents methods of electrical vestibular stimulation to improve vestibular function in patients with bilateral vestibulopathy. The variants of stimulation of peripheral vestibular structures, such as vestibular implantation, noise galvanic vestibular stimulation are described. The perspectives of development of this direction, advantages of application of electrical stimulation in the future, as well as current limitations that do not currently allow to use these methods in clinical practice are shown.

An Energy-Efficient Wireless Power Receiver With One-Step Adiabatic-Bipolar-Supply Generating for Implantable Electrical Stimulation Applications.

This paper presents an energy-efficient wireless power receiver for implantable electrical stimulation applications, which can achieve one-step adiabatic bipolar-supply that is generated by a hybrid single-stage dual-output regulating (SSDOR) rectifiers. The structure using only four switches overcomes the disadvantages that the two output voltage values in the traditional dual-output rectifiers are close to each other. A constant-current (CC) controlled adiabatic dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) technique is proposed to minimize the voltage headroom of the stimulating drivers and improve the stimulation efficiency significantly. In addition, the receiver adopts only one general constant on-time (COT) low-frequency control to adjust the stimulation current, reducing both the power consumption and the complexity of the control circuits. The proposed receiver has been fabricated in a 0.18 μm BCD process with ±6 V voltage compliance and 2.5 mA maximum stimulating current. With a current range from ±1.5 mA to ±2.5 mA, the measured maximum average headroom voltage is only 80 mV and the peak total efficiency of the receiver is 85.6 %. The functionalities of the proposed receiver have been successfully verified through in vitro experiments.

Posterior tibial nerve electrical stimulation in chronic constipation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to investigate posterior tibial nerve electrical stimulation application methods in patients with chronic constipation. Posterior tibial nerve electrical stimulation is a management procedure for chronic constipation. A comprehensive search was conducted on Ovid, PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library based on the PICO formation of the study. All randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies in which patients with chronic constipation were treated with transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS) or percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) were included in this study. Two independent reviewers screened all titles, abstracts, and full texts. The selected studies' quality was assessed critically using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklists. The data synthesis was conducted using Review Manager Software. Out of 1016 records, 11 studies were included in this study. The results showed that TTNS was effective in improving constipation symptoms (SMD: -1.52, CI 95%: -2.81 to -0.22, p< 0.0001) and reducing defecation time of patients with chronic constipation (SMD: -0.86, CI 95%: -1.60 to -0.13, p= 0.17). Additionally, PTNS was found to improve the quality of life of these patients (SMD: -1.32, CI 95%: -2.05 to -0.59, p< 0.00001). Both TTNS and PTNS can be effective interventions for chronic constipation. To suggest a definitive and standard treatment plan, further research is needed to determine optimal parameters for TTNS and PTNS applications.

Current Study on Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease

This paper emphasizes the evolution and application of neural electrical stimulation in the context of Parkinson's disease. During the last several decades, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) has become a highly successful viable treatment choice for patients with advanced stages of PD and other motor disorders. DBS utilizes a device similar to a pacemaker to administer constant electrical signals to targeted regions within the brain to help patient relieve the symptoms. The DBS has been involved in the rehabilitation process of more than 80000 people, and most of them are patients with PD. Based on the specific symptoms show by patients, several targets have been approved as effective DBS targets for patients with PD. These include subthalamic nucleus (STN), globus pallidus internus (GPi), ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim), and pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN). Hence, understanding the applications and evolution of DBS techniques have significant importance for future studies of PD and brain functions.

Analysis of the Effect and Efficiency of Transcutaneous Acupoint Electrical Stimulation in the Treatment of Chronic Pelvic Pain in the Sequelae of Pelvic Inflammatory Diseases

Objective: To analyze the effect of transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation in the treatment of chronic pelvic pain following sequelae of pelvic inflammatory diseases. Methods: Fifty cases of chronic pelvic pain patients with sequelae of pelvic inflammatory diseases, who visited the hospital between June 2022 and June 2023, were selected and randomly divided into the experimental group and control group using a computerized lottery method. The control group received treatment with painkillers, while the experimental group underwent transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation. Symptoms, signs, and pain levels were observed before and after the treatment, and clinical effects between the two groups were compared. Results: Patients in the experimental group exhibited lower PPI, VAS, PRI, and other pain scores compared to the control group (P &lt; 0.05). Moreover, symptoms and signs scores in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group (P &lt; 0.05). Following treatment, the quality-of-life scores for patients in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (P &lt; 0.05). The experimental group had a higher overall treatment effective rate of 96% as compared to the control group (76%; P &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: The application of transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation significantly reduced the degree of pelvic pain in patients with sequelae of pelvic inflammatory diseases. This intervention enhanced the overall clinical effect and promoted an improvement in the patient’s quality of life.

A wearable self-powered microneedle system based on conductive drugs for infected wound healing: A new electrical stimulation delivery strategy

Electrical stimulation from wearable triboelectric nanogenerators is promising for wound treatment, but has limitations in healing infected wounds due to its restricted bactericidal efficacy. While combining triboelectric nanogenerators with antibacterial drugs is an effective approach, it faces challenges such as drug-loading content, patient compliance, and biosafety. Here, a wearable, self-powered microneedle system based on conductive drugs is developed for infected wounds through antimicrobial treatment and electrically stimulated tissue repair, in which the electrical stimulation is conducted by the designed drugs. The drug is synthesized through covalent bonding between levofloxacin and carbon quantum dots, eliminating bacteria effectively and endowing the microneedle patch with excellent conductivity. The electrical stimulation from a triboelectric nanogenerator delivered to the wound tissue promotes cell migration, cell proliferation, and collagen deposition. Infected-wound mice models demonstrate that the synergistic action of drugs and electrical stimulation in this system is more effective in promoting the healing of wounds than the sole application of either electrical stimulation or drugs. This study presents an innovative strategy for the treatment of infected wounds and paves the way for new approaches in wearable electronic devices for wound therapy.