Realistic Human Model Research Articles

Compact triple-band implantable antenna for multitasking medical devices

Abstract This paper presents a compact implantable antenna’s design, fabrication, and measurement for biotelemetry applications. The proposed design with the size of 255 mm3 provides a triple-band operation that covers all the Medical Implant Communication Service (MICS: 402 MHz), Medical Device Radiocommunications Service (MedRadio: 405 MHz), and Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM: 433, 915 and 2450 MHz) bands simultaneously. The compact structure with triple- band performance is essentially achieved by using a spiral-like radiator loaded with meandered and internal gear-shaped elements excited by a vertical coaxial probe feed. Also, the slots-loaded partial ground plane is utilized to improve impedance matching at the desired frequency bands. The design and analysis of the antenna were carried out using the Ansoft HFSS software in a homogenous skin model and the CST Microwave Studio in a realistic human model. The proposed antenna was fabricated to validate the simulated results, and characteristics of its return loss and radiation patterns were measured in minced pork meat. Moreover, realized gains and specific absorption rate (SAR) values of the antenna were numerically computed using the simulators. Based on the simulated and measured results, the proposed antenna performance was found to be comparable to the limited number of multiband implantable antenna designs reported in the recent literature.

Realistic Human Mobility Model for Opportunistic Networks

Within the opportunistic wireless network research community, the evaluation of a new network protocol depends almost entirely on simulation. Using simulation enables a researcher to test a wide variety of scenarios at a low cost compared to using a real system. In opportunistic networks, the mobil

A Novel Wideband and Multi-band Implantable Antenna Design for Biomedical Telemetry

In this work, a novel multi-tracks wideband and multi-band miniaturized antenna design for implanted medical devices biomedical telemetry is proposed. This antenna entirely covers seven frequency bands which are the bands (401−406) MHz of the Medical Device Radiocommunications Service (MedRadio), the three bands (433.1−434.8), (868.0−868.6), and (902.8−928.0) MHz of the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM), and the three bands (608−614) MHz, and (1.395−1.400) and (1.427−1.432) GHz of the Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS). The antenna possesses a compact full size of (19.5 × 12.9 × 0.456) mm3. The antenna miniaturization and impedance bandwidth enhancement are achieved using two techniques: the patch slotting and insertion of open-end slots in the ground plane, respectively. Prototype of proposed antenna with multi-tracks has been fabricated and tested in free space. The comparison between the simulated and measured reflection coefficient has been done and found in good agreement with each other. Furthermore, simulations of the proposed antenna implanted in the underneath the scalp in a realistic human model shows a wideband operation from 0.19 to 0.94 GHz, and from 1.38 to 1.54 GHz corresponding to return loss (S11 ≤ −10 dB). Link budget calculation is performed to specify the range of telemetry considering both Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) restrictions and effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) limitations. The designed implantable antenna with full ground plane presents an appropriate reflection coefficient for muscle implantation. Furthermore, the designed implanted muscle antenna may be also suitable for skin implantation.

Restitution Slope Affects the Outcome of Dominant Frequency Ablation in Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: CUVIA-AF2 Post-Hoc Analysis Based on Computational Modeling Study.

IntroductionAlthough the dominant frequency (DF) localizes the reentrant drivers and the maximal slope of the action potential duration (APD) restitution curve (Smax) reflects the tendency of the wave-break, their interaction has never been studied. We hypothesized that DF ablation has different effects on atrial fibrillation (AF) depending on Smax.MethodsWe studied the DF and Smax in 25 realistic human persistent AF model samples (68% male, 60 ± 10 years old). Virtual AF was induced by ramp pacing measuring Smax, followed by spatiotemporal DF evaluation for 34 s. We assessed the DF ablation effect depending on Smax in both computational modeling and a previous clinical trial, CUVIA-AF (170 patients with persistent AF, 70.6% male, 60 ± 11 years old).ResultsMean DF had an inverse relationship with Smax regardless of AF acquisition timing (p < 0.001). Virtual DF ablations increased the defragmentation rate compared to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) alone (p = 0.015), especially at Smax <1 (61.5 vs. 7.7%, p = 0.011). In post-DF ablation defragmentation episodes, DF was significantly higher (p = 0.002), and Smax was lower (p = 0.003) than in episodes without defragmentation. In the post-hoc analysis of CUVIA-AF2, we replicated the inverse relationship between Smax and DF (r = −0.47, p < 0.001), and we observed better rhythm outcomes of clinical DF ablations in addition to a PVI than of empirical PVI at Smax <1 [hazard ratio 0.45, 95% CI (0.22–0.89), p = 0.022; log-rank p = 0.021] but not at ≥ 1 (log-rank p = 0.177).ConclusionWe found an inverse relationship between DF and Smax and the outcome of DF ablation after PVI was superior at the condition with Smax <1 in both in-silico and clinical trials.

Slow Breathing Exercise with Multimodal Virtual Reality: A Feasibility Study.

Many studies have shown that slow breathing training is beneficial for human health. However, several factors might discourage beginners from continuing their training. For example, a long training period is generally required for benefit realization, and there is no real-time feedback to trainees to adjust their breathing control strategy. To raise the user’s interest in breathing exercise training, a virtual reality system with multimodal biofeedback is proposed in this work. In our system, a realistic human model of the trainee is provided in virtual reality (VR). At the same time, abdominal movements are sensed, and the breathing rate can be visualized. Being aware of the breathing rate, the trainee can regulate his or her breathing to achieve a slower breathing rate. An additional source of tactile feedback is combined with visual feedback to provide a more immersive experience for the trainees. Finally, the user’s satisfaction with the proposed system is reported through questionnaires. Most of the users find it enjoyable to use such a system for mediation training.

Human Tissues Parameters and Resolution for Accurate Simulations of Wearable Antennas

In this paper, a wearable antenna on a textile substrate is designed and the effect of a realistic human wrist model on the antenna performance is investigated at 2.4 and 5.8 GHz using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method and CST. The antenna is re-tuned to mitigate the undesired effects caused by the wrist model and is optimized for on-wrist performance to operate at two frequency bands. Numerical results show that the effect of the wrist tissues on the antenna performance is less at 5.8 GHz than at 2.4 GHz and the antenna maximum gain decreases when it is placed on the wrist, but the radiation pattern is more directive. The simulation performance of the FDTD and CST are compared to show their simulation capabilities.

A Complete In Vitro Toxicological Assessment of the Biological Effects of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles: From Acute Toxicity to Multi-Dose Subchronic Cytotoxicity Study.

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are of significant relevance due to their unique properties, which have been exploited for widespread applications. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2-NPs) are one of most exploited ENM in the industry due to their excellent catalytic and multi-enzyme mimetic properties. Thus, the toxicological effects of these ENMs should be further studied. In this study, the acute and subchronic toxicity of CeO2-NPs were assessed. First, an in vitro multi-dose short-term (24 h) toxicological assessment was performed in three different cell lines: A549 and Calu3 were used to represented lung tissue and 3T3 was used as an interstitial tissue model. After that, a sub-chronic toxicity assessment (90 days) of these NPs was carried out on a realistic and well-established reconstituted primary human airway epithelial model (MucilAir™), cultured at the Air–Liquid Interface (ALI), to study the long-term effects of these particles. Results showed minor toxicity of CeO2-NPs in acute exposures. However, in subchronic exposures, cytotoxic and inflammatory responses were observed in the human airway epithelial model after 60 days of exposure to CeO2-NPs. These results suggest that acute toxicity approaches may underestimate the toxicological effect of some ENMs, highlighting the need for subchronic toxicological studies in order to accurately assess the toxicity of ENM and their cumulative effects in organisms.

Automated generation of consistent, diverse and structurally realistic graph models

In this paper, we present a novel technique to automatically synthesize consistent, diverse and structurally realistic domain-specific graph models. A graph model is (1) consistent if it is metamodel-compliant and it satisfies the well-formedness constraints of the domain; (2) it is diverse if local neighborhoods of nodes are highly different; and (1) it is structurally realistic if a synthetic graph is at a close distance to a representative real model according to various graph metrics used in network science, databases or software engineering. Our approach grows models by model extension operators using a hill-climbing strategy in a way that (A) ensures that there are no constraint violation in the models (for consistency reasons), while (B) more realistic candidates are selected to minimize a target metric value (wrt. the representative real model). We evaluate the effectiveness of the approach for generating realistic models using multiple metrics for guidance heuristics and compared to other model generators in the context of three case studies with a large set of real human models. We also highlight that our technique is able to generate a diverse set of models, which is a requirement in many testing scenarios.

Input Impedance Analysis of Wearable Antenna and Experimental Study with Real Human Subjects: Differences between Individual Users

In human body communication (HBC) systems, radio-frequency signals are excited in the human body through a wearable antenna comprised of electrodes that are in contact with the surface of the body. The input impedance characteristics of these antennas are important design parameters for increasing transmission efficiency and reducing signal reflection, similar to other wireless circuits. In this study, we discuss variations of input impedance characteristics of a wearable antenna prototype caused by differences among real human subjects. A realistic human arm model is used for simulations, and the analytical results obtained are compared to measured data obtained from real human subjects, in a range from 1 to 100 MHz. The simulations of input impedance characteristics from antennas worn on the wrists of male and female models with dry and wet skin conditions show that the impedance variation between genders is small. The moisture condition of the skin has little influence on frequencies exceeding several MHz. Measurements with a proto-type wearable antenna and 22 real human subjects reveal that HBC is robust against the variations of individual users from the viewpoint of the voltage standing wave ratio. Moreover, a simplified rectangular prism model is proposed to analyze the thickness of body tissues. Comparisons of measured input impedances indicate that individual differences in impedance are mainly due to differences in the thickness of skin and fat layers. The model also enables us to design the antenna prototype without multiple subject experiments.

SAR and temperature distributions in a database of realistic human models for 7 T cardiac imaging.

PurposeTo investigate inter‐subject variability of B 1 +, SAR and temperature rise in a database of human models using a local transmit array for 7 T cardiac imaging.MethodsDixon images were acquired of 14 subjects and segmented in dielectric models with an eight‐channel local transmit array positioned around the torso for cardiac imaging. EM simulations were done to calculate SAR distributions. Based on the SAR distributions, temperature simulations were performed for exposure times of 6 min and 30 min. Peak local SAR and temperature rise levels were calculated for different RF shim settings. A statistical analysis of the resulting peak local SAR and temperature rise levels was performed to arrive at safe power limits.ResultsFor RF shim vectors with random phase and uniformly distributed power, a safe average power limit of 35.7 W was determined (first level controlled mode). When RF amplitude and phase shimming was performed on the heart, a safe average power limit of 35.0 W was found. According to Pennes' model, our numerical study suggests a very low probability of exceeding the absolute local temperature limit of 40 °C for a total exposure time of 6 min and a peak local SAR of 20 W/kg. For a 30 min exposure time at 20 W/kg, it was shown that the absolute temperature limit can be exceeded in the case where perfusion does not change with temperature.ConclusionSafe power constraints were found for 7 T cardiac imaging with an eight‐channel local transmit array, while considering the inter‐subject variability of B 1 +, SAR and temperature rise.

Diagnosing and monitoring pleural effusion using parametric electrical impedance tomography - a computational 3D model and preliminary experimental results

PurposeDiagnosing and monitoring pleural effusion (PE) is challenging due unsuitability of existing modalities. In the present study, a novel parametric electrical impedance tomography (pEIT) technique, tailored to a clinically feasible system to diagnose PE is presented. MethodsAn electrical impedance tomography (EIT) numeric solver was applied to a 3D realistic normal model and five PE models to simulate sets of surface measurements. Simulations were triggered by a series of eight independent projections using five electrodes positioned around the thorax. The relative changes in the potential between the PE models and the normal model were assessed and the error in the estimated PE volume was examined at varying signal to noise ratio (SNR) levels. For experimental feasibility, measurements were performed in four healthy subjects and were correlated with the potentials that were calculated from the normal model. ResultsRelative potential changes were notable (reached until ~55%) and increased with the increasing PE volumes. Maximal error of ± 20 [mL] was obtained for SNR levels >50 [dB]. The feasibility real measurements in healthy subjects showed a strong linear correlation (R2 > 0.85) and a successful diagnosis for all subjects. ConclusionThe proposed technique can estimate PE volumes from a redundant set of measurements in a realistic 3D human model and may be utilized for monitoring PE patients.

Modeling and Simulation of a Human Knee Exoskeleton's Assistive Strategies and Interaction.

Exoskeletons are increasingly used in rehabilitation and daily life in patients with motor disorders after neurological injuries. In this paper, a realistic human knee exoskeleton model based on a physical system was generated, a human–machine system was created in a musculoskeletal modeling software, and human–machine interactions based on different assistive strategies were simulated. The developed human–machine system makes it possible to compute torques, muscle impulse, contact forces, and interactive forces involved in simulated movements. Assistive strategies modeled as a rotational actuator, a simple pendulum model, and a damped pendulum model were applied to the knee exoskeleton during simulated normal and fast gait. We found that the rotational actuator–based assistive controller could reduce the user's required physiological knee extensor torque and muscle impulse by a small amount, which suggests that joint rotational direction should be considered when developing an assistive strategy. Compared to the simple pendulum model, the damped pendulum model based controller made little difference during swing, but further decreased the user's required knee flexor torque during late stance. The trade-off that we identified between interaction forces and physiological torque, of which muscle impulse is the main contributor, should be considered when designing controllers for a physical exoskeleton system. Detailed information at joint and muscle levels provided in this human–machine system can contribute to the controller design optimization of assistive exoskeletons for rehabilitation and movement assistance.

Proposal of selective wedge instillation of pulmonary surfactant for COVID-19 pneumonia based on computational fluid dynamics simulation

BackgroundThe most important target cell of SARS-CoV-2 is Type II pneumocyte which produces and secretes pulmonary surfactant (PS) that prevents alveolar collapse. PS instillation therapy is dramatically effective for infant respiratory distress syndrome but has been clinically ineffective for ARDS. Nowadays, ARDS is regarded as non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema with vascular hyper-permeability regardless of direct relation to PS dysfunction. However, there is a possibility that this ineffectiveness of PS instillation for ARDS is caused by insufficient delivery. Then, we performed PS instillation simulation with realistic human airway models by the use of computational fluid dynamics, and investigated how instilled PS would move in the liquid layer covering the airway wall and reach to alveolar regions.MethodsTwo types of 3D human airway models were prepared: one was from the trachea to the lobular bronchi and the other was from a subsegmental bronchus to respiratory bronchioles. The thickness of the liquid layer covering the airway was assigned as 14 % of the inner radius of the airway segment. The liquid layer was assumed to be replaced by an instilled PS. The flow rate of the instilled PS was assigned a constant value, which was determined by the total amount and instillation time in clinical use. The PS concentration of the liquid layer during instillation was computed by solving the advective-diffusion equation.ResultsThe driving pressure from the trachea to respiratory bronchioles was calculated at 317 cmH2O, which is about 20 times of a standard value in conventional PS instillation method where the driving pressure was given by difference between inspiratory and end-expiratory pressures of a ventilator. It means that almost all PS does not reach the alveolar regions but moves to and fro within the airway according to the change in ventilator pressure. The driving pressure from subsegmental bronchus was calculated at 273 cm H2O, that is clinically possible by wedge instillation under bronchoscopic observation.ConclusionsThe simulation study has revealed that selective wedge instillation under bronchoscopic observation should be tried for COVID-19 pneumonia before the onset of ARDS. It will be also useful for preventing secondary lung fibrosis.

Heating of hip joint implants in MRI: The combined effect of RF and switched-gradient fields.

PurposeTo investigate how the simultaneous exposure to gradient and RF fields affects the temperature rise in patients with a metallic hip prosthesis during an MRI session.MethodsIn silico analysis was performed with an anatomically realistic human model with CoCrMo hip implant in 12 imaging positions. The analysis was performed at 1.5 T and 3 T, considering four clinical sequences: turbo spin‐echo, EPI, gradient‐echo, and true fast imaging sequence with steady precession. The exposure to gradient and RF fields was evaluated separately and superposed, by adopting an ad hoc computational algorithm. Temperature increase within the body, rather than specific absorption rate, was used as a safety metric.ResultsWith the exception of gradient‐echo, all investigated sequences produced temperature increases higher than 1 K after 360 seconds, at least for one body position. In general, RF‐induced heating dominates the turbo spin‐echo sequence, whereas gradient‐induced heating prevails with EPI; the situation with fast imaging sequence with steady precession is more diversified. The RF effects are enhanced when the implant is within the RF coil, whereas the effects of gradient fields are maximized if the prosthesis is outside the imaging region. Cases for which temperature‐increase thresholds were exceeded were identified, together with the corresponding amount of tissue mass involved and the exposure time needed to reach these limits.ConclusionThe analysis confirms that risky situations may occur when a patient carrying a hip implant undergoes an MRI exam and that, in some cases, the gradient field heating may be significant. In general, exclusion criteria only based on whole‐body specific absorption rate may not be sufficient to ensure patients’ safety.

An X-Band Dielectric Rod Antenna for Subdermal Tumor Heating to Assist Electroporation-Mediated DNA Delivery

An end-fire dielectric rod antenna is proposed as a heating device for integration with an array of electroporation electrodes in order to enable efficient delivery of DNA into the cells that comprise subcutaneous tumors. A 5-7 °C temperature elevation of tumors that are located near the fat-muscle boundary and 3-7 mm below the skin surface can be achieved in a short period of time without damaging surrounding tissues. This capability is demonstrated through a combination of a directional antenna applicator operating at 8 GHz, and utilization of forced air cooling of the outer surface (skin layer). The directionality of the antenna is improved by cladding its high permittivity core with 3D printed, low permittivity dielectric material. Experimental data using a pork skin-fat-muscle tissue show that the desired temperature elevation at the tumor location is obtained after 2.5 W RF illumination for 3 minutes, which is in good agreement with electro-thermal simulations. With the addition of realistic human body model parameters to the same simulation setup, the results indicate that tumors can be uniformly heated with 3 minutes of illumination at 2.5 W input power while keeping the surrounding healthy tissues at a safe temperature.

Integration of Sub-6-GHz and mm-Wave Bands With a Large Frequency Ratio for Future 5G MIMO Applications

The integration of sub-6-GHz and millimeter-wave (mm-wave) bands has become an important issue for future fifth generation (5G) wireless communications owing to their large frequency ratios. This paper proposes a compact-size dual-function antenna operating at 3.5 GHz and the mm-wave band (28 GHz) for 5G mobile applications using a frequency reconfigurability technique. The proposed antenna comprises a microstrip patch linked with a meandered radiating structure through a radio frequency PIN diode to achieve frequency reconfigurability between the two bands. A significant size reduction up to 15.3 mm × 7.2 mm × 0.508 mm for the proposed antenna was achieved using a meandered line structure and truncated ground plane. To enhance the functionality, 8 × 8 multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) with possible long- and short-edge antenna placement configurations were demonstrated. The system exhibited satisfactory MIMO characteristics with wide decoupling -10 dB bandwidths of 7.4% and 4.8% at the low- and high-frequency bands, respectively, without utilizing any external decoupling structure. The simulated results were validated using fabricated prototypes, and good agreement was observed. Additionally, a safety analysis based on the specific absorption rate and power density at the prescribed frequency bands was conducted using a realistic human model, and the results were found to be in accordance with the safety guidelines. Owing to the integration of sub-6-GHz and mm-wave bands in a single compact structure with a large frequency ratio and good MIMO performance, the proposed antenna system is suitable for future 5G mobile handheld devices.

Characterizing Cochlear implant artefact removal from EEG recordings using a real human model

Electroencephography (EEG) recordings from CI listeners are contaminated by electrical artefacts that make it difficult to extract neural responses. Previously, we have removed these artefacts by means of interpolation and spatial filtering. However, the extent to which this method can effectively reduce electrical artefacts has not been fully investigated. Here, we assessed the effectiveness of interpolation and spatial filtering to remove electrical artefacts using recordings from a human head specimen implanted with a CI.•Electrical artefacts were obtained using amplitude-modulated (AM'ed) pulse trains presented at several pulse rates (100-to-902 pps) or using high rate pulse trains (902 pps) in which either a pair of electrodes or AM frequencies alternated periodically at a rate of 1Hz.•By adding auditory change complex (ACC), auditory steady-state response (ASSR), or auditory change following response (AC-FR) template waveforms to the contaminated recordings, we show that interpolation allows for effective artefact removal for pulse rates below 400 pps whilst interpolation and spatial filtering are effective at higher pulse rates, with minimal distortions for ACC and AC-FR, and with a degree of amplitude- and phase-distortions for ASSR.•Recordings from CI listeners agreed with simulations, demonstrating that reliable responses can be recovered.

MRSaiFE: An AI-based Approach Towards the Real-Time Prediction of Specific Absorption Rate.

The purpose of this study is to investigate feasibility of estimating the specific absorption rate (SAR) in MRI in real time. To this goal, SAR maps are predicted from 3T- and 7T-simulated magnetic resonance (MR) images in 10 realistic human body models via a convolutional neural network. Two-dimensional (2-D) U-Net architectures with varying contraction layers and different convolutional filters were designed to estimate the SAR distribution in realistic body models. Sim4Life (ZMT, Switzerland) was used to create simulated anatomical images and SAR maps at 3T and 7T imaging frequencies for Duke, Ella, Charlie, and Pregnant Women (at 3, 7, and 9 month gestational stages) body models. Mean squared error (MSE) was used as the cost function and the structural similarity index (SSIM) was reported. A 2-D U-Net with 4 contracting (and 4 expanding) layers and 64 convolutional filters at the initial stage showed the best compromise to estimate SAR distributions. Adam optimizer outperformed stochastic gradient descent (SGD) for all cases with an average SSIM of 90.5∓3.6 % and an average MSE of 0.7∓0.6% for head images at 7T, and an SSIM of >85.1∓6.2 % and an MSE of 0.4∓0.4% for 3T body imaging. Algorithms estimated the SAR maps for 224×224 slices under 30 ms. The proposed methodology shows promise to predict real-time SAR in clinical imaging settings without using extra mapping techniques or patient-specific calibrations.

A Fast Volume Integral Equation Solver With Linear Basis Functions for the Accurate Computation of EM Fields in MRI

A stable volume integral equation (VIE) solver based on polarization/magnetization currents is presented, for the accurate and efficient computation of the electromagnetic (EM) scattering from highly inhomogeneous and high contrast objects. We employ the Galerkin method of moments to discretize the formulation with discontinuous piecewise linear basis functions on uniform voxelized grids, allowing for the acceleration of the associated matrix-vector products in an iterative solver, with the help of FFT. Numerical results illustrate the superior accuracy and more stable convergence properties of the proposed framework, when compared against standard low-order (piecewise constant) discretization schemes and a more conventional VIE formulation based on electric flux densities. Finally, the developed solver is applied to analyze complex geometries, including realistic human body models, typically used in modeling the interactions between EM waves and biological tissue.

Compact SIW-Based Self-Quadruplexing Antenna for Wearable Transceivers

This letter proposes a low-profile substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity backed self-quadruplexing antenna for wearable transceivers. The full-mode circular SIW cavity is split into four unequal quarter-mode SIW (QMSIW) cavities using the two slots on the upper layer of the cavity. The proposed antenna uses C-shaped and arc-shaped slots of different dimensions in each QMSIW resonator to operate at wireless local area network bands (3.5, 4.9, 5.4, and 5.8 GHz). The measured gains are 4.4, 5.07, 5.40, and 5.7 dBi at 3.5, 4.9, 5.4, and 5.8 GHz, respectively. The antenna is simulated and optimized inside a 48 $\times \text{76}\times$ 21 mm3 rectangular device by keeping the device on the chest of a realistic human model. The proposed antenna has unidirectional radiation patterns in all four operating bands with low backward radiations. Thus, it has low specific absorption rate at all four operating bands.