Computer methods and programs in biomedicine
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Comput Methods Programs Biomed · Oct 2020
Incorporating pulse wave velocity into model-based pulse contour analysis method for estimation of cardiac stroke volume.
Stroke volume (SV) and cardiac output (CO) are important metrics for hemodynamic management of critically ill patients. Clinically available devices to continuously monitor these metrics are invasive, and less invasive methods perform poorly during hemodynamic instability. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) could potentially improve estimation of SV and CO by providing information on changing vascular tone. This study investigates whether using PWV for parameter identification of a model-based pulse contour analysis method improves SV estimation accuracy. ⋯ Incorporating PWV for dynamic Z parameter identification through either the Bramwell-Hill equation or the water hammer equation does not appreciably improve the 3-element windkessel pulse contour analysis model's prediction of SV during hemodynamic changes compared to the constant-Z method.
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Comput Methods Programs Biomed · Sep 2020
Transfer learning using a multi-scale and multi-network ensemble for skin lesion classification.
Skin cancer is among the most common cancer types in the white population and consequently computer aided methods for skin lesion classification based on dermoscopic images are of great interest. A promising approach for this uses transfer learning to adapt pre-trained convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for skin lesion diagnosis. Since pre-training commonly occurs with natural images of a fixed image resolution and these training images are usually significantly smaller than dermoscopic images, downsampling or cropping of skin lesion images is required. This however may result in a loss of useful medical information, while the ideal resizing or cropping factor of dermoscopic images for the fine-tuning process remains unknown. ⋯ We confirm that the image size has an effect on skin lesion classification performance when employing transfer learning of CNNs. We also show that image cropping results in better performance compared to image resizing. Finally, a straightforward ensembling approach that fuses the results from images cropped at six scales and three fine-tuned CNNs is shown to lead to the best classification performance.
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Comput Methods Programs Biomed · Aug 2020
The effect of non-fusion dynamic stabilization on biomechanical responses of the implanted lumbar spine during whole-body vibration.
Non-fusion dynamic stabilization surgery is increasingly popular for treating degenerative lumbar disc disease. However, changes in spine biomechanics after application of posterior dynamic fixation devices during whole-body vibration (WBV) remain unclear. The study aimed to examine the effects of non-fusion dynamic stabilization on biomechanical responses of the implanted lumbar spine to vertical WBV. ⋯ This study may be helpful to understand variations in vibration characteristics of the lumbar spine after application of non-fusion dynamic stabilization system.
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Comput Methods Programs Biomed · Aug 2020
The effect of cardiac output on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of propofol during closed-loop induction of anesthesia.
Intraoperative hemodynamic stability is essential to safety and post-operative well-being of patients and should be optimized in closed-loop control of anesthesia. Cardiovascular changes inducing variations in pharmacokinetics may require dose modification. Rigorous investigational tools can strengthen current knowledge of the anesthesiologists and support clinical practice. We quantify the cardiovascular response of high-risk patients to closed-loop anesthesia and propose a new application of physiologically-based pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PBPK-PD) simulations to examine the effect of hemodynamic changes on the depth of hypnosis (DoH). ⋯ Significant CO drops produce increased predicted plasma concentrations corresponding to deeper anesthesia, which is potentially dangerous for elderly patients. PBPK-PD model simulations allow studying and quantifying these effects to improve clinical practice.
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Comput Methods Programs Biomed · Jul 2020
Entropy optimized Darcy-Forchheimer nanofluid (Silicon dioxide, Molybdenum disulfide) subject to temperature dependent viscosity.
Background In this research communication, entropy optimized Darcy-Forchheimer flow with magnetohydrodynamic over a stretched surface is considered. Here Molybdenum disulfide (MOS2) and Silicon dioxide (SiO2) are taken as a nanoparticles and Propylene glycol as a continuous phase liquid. Electrically conducting fluid is considered and flow is generated via stretched surface of sheet. ⋯ From obtained results it is observed that temperature field increases versus higher thermal Biot number for both nanoparticles. It is also observed that the thermal field is more in presence of Molybdenum disulfide as compared to Silicon dioxide, because the thermal conductivity of Molybdenum disulfide is higher than Silicon dioxide. Entropy generation and Bejan number show contrast impact versus higher estimations of Brinkman number versus both nanoparticles.