Showing papers in "IEEE Pulse in 2014"
TL;DR: An app for everything: if you want to know if you got a good night's sleep last night, well, now there's also an app for that.
Abstract: When it comes to health and fitness, there's an app for just about everything. Want to track how many steps you've taken today? There's an app for that. Want to track the calories you've consumed? There's an app for that, too. And, if you want to know if you got a good night's sleep last night, well, now there's also an app for that.
22 citations
TL;DR: Hans Berger published the first human electroencephalograph recording in 1924 and noted that when a person fell asleep, the alpha rhythm disappeared, which remains the primary marker for defining sleep onset.
Abstract: Hans Berger published the first human electroencephalograph (EEG) recording in 1924 [1]. He used a device called the string galvanometer to record brain waves on a light-sensitive plate. The fluctuating potential difference from the scalp oscillated at eight to 13 cycles per second (alpha rhythm) when an individual closed his or her eyes and remained relaxed but awake. Berger noted that when a person fell asleep, the alpha rhythm disappeared. Amazingly, to this day, the alpha rhythm disappearance remains the primary marker for defining sleep onset. Years later, Carl Ludwig invented a kymograph (the ?wave writer?) that used a stylus to record electroencephalographic oscillation on a rotating drum. Later, an alternative approach evolved so that the brain wave recordings were inked onto a roll or fan-folded continuous paper strip moving at a constant speed. Mechanical engineers gradually improved the drive mechanisms for moving paper by using rotating sprockets, pinch rollers, and pressure plates. Gear mechanisms were also incorporated to permit speed changes.
15 citations
TL;DR: Nanopore sequencing is now becoming a reality, but since the concept was introduced, other technologies have reduced sequencing costs by several orders of magnitude, raising the bar for success.
Abstract: For those following DNA sequencing trends closely, nanopores have been something of a buzzword for a number of years, representing a theoretical platform for fast, cheap, and ubiquitous DNA sequencing. Nanopore sequencing is now becoming a reality, but since the concept was introduced, other technologies have reduced sequencing costs by several orders of magnitude, raising the bar for success.
13 citations
TL;DR: The increase in diabetes is a major threat to health and economic development in the 21st century, and net losses in national income from diabetes amount to hundreds of billions of international dollars in China and India.
Abstract: The increase in diabetes is a major threat to health and economic development in the 21st century, as stated by the United Nation?s Millennium Development Goals. In 2013, 380 million people worldwide had diabetes, and almost 600 million are expected to have it by 2035. Diabetes is the major cause of nontraumatic amputation and blindness in developed countries. It is also an expensive disease. In the United States, one in five dollars for health care is spent on diabetes. Net losses in national income from diabetes amount to hundreds of billions of international dollars in China and India. Clearly, novel therapies are required.
11 citations
TL;DR: The pervasiveness of communication technologies, especially the telecom revolution in India, brought the required outlook and encouragement for young people in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs.
Abstract: student community, especially the young people in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs, university students, and young professionals. The pervasiveness of communication technologies, especially the telecom revolution in India, brought the required outlook and encouragement for young
11 citations
TL;DR: Screening for diabetes is hardly ever done in rural regions, resulting in a much larger burden of undiagnosed diabetes and potentially leading to higher rates of diabetes-related complications due to delayed diagnosis and/or improper treatment.
Abstract: In developing countries like India, noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes have already replaced communicable diseases as the major cause of death. According to the recent Indian Council of Medical Research?s India Diabetes study, an estimated 62.4 million people in India have diabetes [1]. With increasing urbanization and industrialization, we can only expect this number to grow. Moreover, all diabetes efforts in India are currently focused in urban areas, while 70% of India?s population lives in rural locations. The lack of awareness due to illiteracy, lack of trained professionals (doctors and paramedical staff trained in diabetes), limited access to health care due to problems with transport and infrastructure, and unaffordability due to poverty are some of the major obstacles to delivering diabetes health care to rural regions. Screening for diabetes is hardly ever done in rural regions, resulting in a much larger burden of undiagnosed diabetes and potentially leading to higher rates of diabetes-related complications due to delayed diagnosis and/or improper treatment.
11 citations
TL;DR: Back in 2004, Scott Johnson, a type 1 diabetic, could find plenty of online information about the symptoms and complications of the disease, but what he couldn't find was anything written by someone actually living with his disease.
Abstract: Back in 2004, Scott Johnson, a type 1 diabetic, could find plenty of online information about the symptoms and complications of the disease that prevents his body from producing the blood-sugar-regulating hormone insulin. What he couldn?t find was anything written by someone actually living with his disease. So he started his own blog, eventually attracting thousands of page views a month. His blog became a place where he could share stories with other diabetics and find support, encouragement, and even a sense of normalcy.
10 citations
TL;DR: It is understood now that sleep of sufficient length and quality is required for good health, particularly true for infants and children, who have the added physiologic task of growth and development, as compared to their adult counterparts.
Abstract: We understand now that sleep of sufficient length and quality is required for good health. This is particularly true for infants and children, who have the added physiologic task of growth and development, as compared to their adult counterparts. Sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBDs) are common in childhood and if unrecognized and not treated can result in significant morbidity. For example, children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can exhibit behavioral, mood, and learning difficulties. If left untreated, alterations in the function of the autonomic nervous system and a chronic inflammatory state result, contributing to the risk of heart disease, stroke, glucose intolerance, and hypertension in adulthood.
9 citations
TL;DR: The emphasis is on functional interoperability of medical devices and hospital systems to create a fully interconnected medical institution where data are seamlessly linked between and among devices and systems, particularly EHRs.
Abstract: Smart technology is a major topic for hospitals today, and it?s all about gathering, sharing, and using information with the lofty aspirations of improving care while also cutting costs. The emphasis is on functional interoperability of medical devices and hospital systems to create a fully interconnected medical institution where data are seamlessly linked between and among devices and systems, particularly electronic health records (EHRs). But the question remains, is it worth the investment in the end?
9 citations
TL;DR: In 1979, a Hebrew University biochemist named Yechezkel Barenholz teamed with Alberto Gabizon, a newly minted Ph.D. from the Weizmann Institute of Science, to find a better way to give chemotherapeutic doxorubicin to patients with cancer.
Abstract: In 1979, a Hebrew University biochemist named Yechezkel Barenholz teamed with Alberto Gabizon, a newly minted Ph.D. from the Weizmann Institute of Science, to find a better way to give chemotherapeutic doxorubicin to patients with cancer.
8 citations
TL;DR: The group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells in the body is what defines cancer, and the number of individuals affected each year continues to climb, with an estimated world population of 7.119 billion individuals.
Abstract: The group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells in the body is what defines cancer, and the number of individuals affected each year continues to climb. In the United States, for example, the American Cancer Society reported that men have slightly less than a one-in-two chance of developing cancer sometime in their lives, while women have a little more than a one-in-three risk of developing cancer. These figures for 2013 alone translate to an estimated 1,660,290 new cancer cases, resulting in approximately 580,350 deaths?almost 1,600 people per day, or one every 54 seconds. With an estimated world population of 7.119 billion individuals, of which the U.S. population represents only 4.45%, one can easily realize the importance of finding new or improved treatment modalities for cancer.
TL;DR: Sleep disordered breathing in children ranges from snoring, to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome, which has a prevalence of 2-3% in the general population, and in some groups, such as those with Down syndrome, a combination of these factors comes into play.
Abstract: Sleep disordered breathing in children ranges from snoring, which has a prevalence of 12%, to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome, which has a prevalence of 2?3% in the general population [1]. The underlying causes of pediatric OSA are extremely complex. There are bony structural influences, as seen in craniofacial abnormalities, and soft tissue abnormalities, such as a large tongue, redundant soft tissue, or compliance/collapsibility issues. In some groups, such as those with Down syndrome, a combination of these factors comes into play.
TL;DR: Transforming diamond sizes from the micron regime into a few billionths of a meter probably doesn't increase their value in jewelry, but it certainly adds an extraordinary value in numerous physical science, engineering, and medical applications.
Abstract: Transforming diamond sizes from the micron regime into a few billionths of a meter probably doesn't increase their value in jewelry, but it certainly adds an extraordinary value in numerous physical science, engineering, and medical applications. Nanodiamonds are generally defined as synthetic diamond materials that have crystalline or feature sizes (e.g., grain or particle sizes) between 1 and 100 nm (10-9-10-7 m) and include two forms: particulate (zero-dimensional) and thin film (two-dimensional). Figure 1 shows particulate nanodiamond (PND) and nanodiamond thin films under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). Because the nanodiamond thin film is actually composed of nanosized columnar crystals or grains, the material is usually called nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) or ultra-NCD (UNCD, grains sizes <;10 nm).
TL;DR: A patient or visited a loved one in the hospital, it is likely that you have experienced one or more of the following scenarios:
Abstract: If you?ve been a patient or visited a loved one in the hospital, it is likely that you have experienced one or more of the following scenarios:
TL;DR: The design of an intelligent medical home has started to reestablish centralized monitoring capabilities within the hospital, enabling clinical staff to dynamically follow up, interact, and assess patient progress, allowing for early warning of potentially undesirable or dangerous patient trends.
Abstract: Simply put, an intelligent hospital is one that works better and smarter. It?s better because it?s resourceful, creative, and perceptive about what patients and doctors need, and it?s smarter because it?s astute and inventive when it comes to weaving together diverse technologies to enhance patient care. Driven not only by new regulatory requirements but by financial constraints and reductions in staff that require us to do more with less, institutions must now reevaluate their operational processes at all levels. And, while technology is important in an intelligent hospital, it?s not the only focus. Facility design is also critical, including infrastructure and room design conducive to optimizing the management of patients, supplies, and devices.
TL;DR: The purpose of this article is to review the existing model-based techniques for phenotyping of sleep apnea, and some of the emerging methodologies, under a unified modeling framework known as graphical models, and the hope is that the graphical model perspective provides insight into the future development of techniques for model- based phenotypesing.
Abstract: Sleep apnea is a multifactorial disease with a complex underlying physiology, which includes the chemoreflex feedback loop controlling ventilation. The instability of this feedback loop is one of the key factors contributing to a number of sleep disorders, including Cheyne?Stokes respiration and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). A major limitation of the conventional characterization of this feedback loop is the need for labor-intensive and technically challenging experiments. In recent years, a number of techniques that bring together concepts from signal processing, control theory, and machine learning have proven effective for estimating the overall loop gain of the respiratory control system (see Figure 1) and its major components, chemoreflex gain and plant gain, from noninvasive time-series measurements of ventilation and blood gases. The purpose of this article is to review the existing model-based techniques for phenotyping of sleep apnea, and some of the emerging methodologies, under a unified modeling framework known as graphical models. The hope is that the graphical model perspective provides insight into the future development of techniques for model-based phenotyping. Ultimately, such approaches have major clinical relevance since strategies to manipulate physiological parameters may improve sleep apnea severity. For example, oxygen therapy or drugs such as acetazolamide may be used to reduce chemoreflex gain, which may improve sleep apnea in selected patients.
TL;DR: If ever an industry was in need of both incremental and disruptive innovation, it is today?s health care industry, where investments in fundamental R&D translate into products, services, and procedures that improve the health and well-being of people around the world.
Abstract: If ever an industry was in need of both incremental and disruptive innovation, it is today?s health care industry. Realizing the full potential of innovation across the spectrum of health care environments is critical to address the well-documented, emerging global crisis generated by the aging of the population, the obligation to increase access for all to the best standard of care, and the societal imperative to contain costs. In addition, as budgets at funders such as the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.K. National Health Service (NHS), and others are increasingly constrained, it is more important than ever to increase the efficiency and effectiveness with which investments in fundamental R&D translate into products, services, and procedures that improve the health and well-being of people around the world.
TL;DR: The study of the microbiome has mushroomed as researchers excitedly explore what makes up these huge populations of microbes in and on the authors' bodies, exactly what they are doing there, and how they can be manipulated to promote health and combat disease.
Abstract: The human body is a microbe's playground: interspersed among the 37 trillion cells of the human body are at least ten times as many bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea. That amounts to 100 times as many microbial genes as human genes. Although the benefits of microbes were not unknown to science, the human microbiome's importance, and in some cases its necessity to human health, is a notion that is taking center stage and generating a surfeit of questions. In the past few years, the study of the microbiome has mushroomed as researchers excitedly explore what makes up these huge populations of microbes in and on our bodies, exactly what they are doing there, and how they can be manipulated to promote health and combat disease.
TL;DR: There is a crisis that is impacting health care in the Arab nations of the Middle East and in north and west Africa: six countries in this region are on the top-ten list worldwide in terms of diabetes prevalence and the likelihood that between 41% to 62% of the population is suffering from undiagnosed diabetes.
Abstract: There is a crisis that is impacting health care in the Arab nations of the Middle East and in north and west Africa: six countries in this region are on the top-ten list worldwide in terms of diabetes prevalence Comprising 22 countries with a total population of 350 million people, these nations constitute only about 5% of the total world population Yet, nearly 20% of the people in Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are diabetic Not to be forgotten is the likelihood that between 41% (Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE) to 62% (Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, occupied Palestine, Sudan, and Tunisia) of the population is suffering from undiagnosed diabetes Currently, nearly 10% of all adult deaths in Arab countries are related to the complications of diabetes This disproportionate prevalence of diabetes within the Arab nations undoubtedly has long-term health implications that will manifest in several ways unless social norms regarding diet and exercise change, along with a serious effort to reconsider government priorities
TL;DR: A large population of people who suffer from sleep disorders is unaware of the condition and remains undiagnosed, creating a need (and desire) to self-monitor, but sleep screening is generally cumbersome and complex, requiring multiple wearable sensors (and associated wires) and experts to interpret the large volumes of data.
Abstract: The impact of poor and disrupted sleep on an individual is significant, affecting the quality of life physiologically, psychologically, and financially. It is estimated that a large population of people who suffer from sleep disorders is unaware of the condition and remains undiagnosed [1], creating a need (and desire) to self-monitor. However, sleep screening is generally cumbersome and complex, requiring multiple wearable sensors (and associated wires) and experts to interpret the large volumes of data.
TL;DR: A large number of people in Europe have experienced some kind of mental disorder, such as psychotic disorder, major depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, social phobia, and somatoform disorder.
Abstract: Mental disorders, characterized by impaired emotional and mood balance, are common in the West. Recent surveys have found that millions of people (age 18?65) have experienced some kind of mental disorder, such as psychotic disorder, major depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, social phobia, and somatoform disorder [1]. Specifically, in 2010, 164.8 million people in Europe were affected by such illnesses [1].
TL;DR: When Stanford researchers administered lisinopril, a common, inexpensive, and relatively safe high blood pressure medication, to mice crippled by MS-like inflammatory nerve damage, it reversed their paralysis.
Abstract: Several years ago, Stanford University researchers stumbled across something unexpected. In the course of examining the autopsied brain tissue of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a team in Lawrence Steinman?s laboratory noticed significantly elevated levels of angiotensin enzymes and receptors, better known for their role in hypertension. This led them to believe that perhaps an angiotensin inhibitor, such as lisinopril, a common, inexpensive, and relatively safe high blood pressure medication, might effectively reduce the damaging flareups of MS. In fact, when they administered the drug to mice crippled by MS-like inflammatory nerve damage, it reversed their paralysis.
TL;DR: Nathaniel Kleitman and colleagues at the University of Chicago in the 1950s were the first to show the existence of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and began the process of opening the authors' eyes to the complex physiological processes that occur during sleep.
Abstract: Despite the fact that we spend nearly one third of our lives asleep, surprisingly little was known about sleep until the 20th century. Now, sleep medicine is firmly established as a significant branch of medical practice, taking its roots strongly from the work of Nathaniel Kleitman and colleagues at the University of Chicago in the 1950s. They were the first to show the existence of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep?commonly associated with ?dreaming?and began the process of opening our eyes to the complex physiological processes that occur during sleep.
TL;DR: Long-duration spaceflight has deleterious effects on organisms adapted to life in Earth?s gravity, including cardiovascular and musculoskeletal alterations, neurovestibular and sensorimotor adaptation, immune dysfunction, delayed wound healing in soft tissues, and incomplete fracture repair in bones.
Abstract: Long-duration spaceflight has deleterious effects on organisms adapted to life in Earth?s gravity. For humans, some of these effects are relatively minor, rapidly resolved, and well understood. For example, going from Earth gravity to weightlessness can cause disorientation and nausea (space sickness), whereas returning to Earth after getting used to microgravity can cause orthostatic intolerance (various symptoms that manifest when standing but abate when sitting back down). Other effects of living in space are more persistent and potentially debilitating. Stemming from many organ systems responding to reduced gravity, these effects include cardiovascular and musculoskeletal alterations, neurovestibular and sensorimotor adaptation, immune dysfunction, delayed wound healing in soft tissues, and incomplete fracture repair in bones.
TL;DR: When Eric Migicovsky was unable to raise money from investors for his Pebble e-watch, he took the idea to the crowdfunding Web site Kickstarter and by the time his company had closed its campaign, 70,000 people had contributed a whopping US$10.2 million to see his smartwatch realized.
Abstract: Funding any business venture can be daunting, especially for entrepreneurs, who must sometimes raise millions of dollars from private investors to launch a new idea. Eric Migicovsky, CEO of Pebble Technology, found a way around this problem. When Migicovsky was unable to raise money from investors for his Pebble e-watch, a device with the ability to connect to Android and iPhone smartphones using Bluetooth technology, he took the idea to the crowdfunding Web site Kickstarter. By the time his company had closed its campaign, 70,000 people had contributed a whopping US$10.2 million to see his smartwatch realized. Migicovsky is not the only one to enjoy wild success by turning to the masses for money. At the time of this writing, the makers of the Star Citizen video game surpassed Pebble Technology by raising more than US$2.1 million in funding on Kickstarter and more than US$15 million on its own site using the WordPress crowdfunding plug-in called IgnitionDeck. The game is planned for release in ?December 2014.
TL;DR: Imagine you were out on a small boat, 100 mi from shore, with a few friends, and one of them begins coughing hard and complaining of aches and pains and chills, which might signal the onset of the flu.
Abstract: Suppose you were out on a small boat, 100 mi from shore, with a few friends. Suddenly, one of them begins coughing hard and complaining of aches and pains and chills. It could just be the start of a bad cold, but he also seems to be running a fever, which might signal the onset of the flu. But it could also be something more serious, like bacterial pneumonia, that might require hospital care. How would you know?
TL;DR: Every night, around the world, 7 billion people lie down to sleep, their eyes close, their bodies relax, and their brain waves begin to smooth from the chaos of wakefulness into slower, synchronized waves.
Abstract: Every night, around the world, 7 billion people lie down to sleep. Their eyes close, their bodies relax, and their brain waves begin to smooth from the chaos of wakefulness into slower, synchronized waves. As their thoughts begin to lose coherence, a part of the brain called the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus, located deep behind the eyes, begins to blanket the nervous system in quieting chemicals like gamma-aminobutyric acid and galanin, shutting down the networks of wakefulness and turning off the body?s awareness of the world around it. It is the most important part of these people?s days.
TL;DR: Because hyperendemic obesity and epidemic diabetes have proved intractable thus far, there is a prevailing notion that they constitute a complex problem.
Abstract: Because hyperendemic obesity and epidemic diabetes have proved intractable thus far, there is a prevailing notion that they constitute a complex problem. Depending on the magnitude and direction of forces applied, a heavy rock may prove quite intractable to lifting. This does not make rock lifting complicated; it just makes it hard.
TL;DR: If the goal is ultimately to create a healthier, more vibrant global society, there is no other choice but to innovate, and radically.
Abstract: When it comes to BME today, innovation might just be the most important buzzword around. That?s not because it happens to be the trend of the day across industries already; it?s because in the face of skyrocketing health care costs, a rapidly aging global population, and multiplying cases of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, we have no other choice. If our goal is ultimately to create a healthier, more vibrant global society, we must innovate?and radically.
TL;DR: One of the biggest health problems in the world is also one of the most solvable; new collaboration-inspired technologies address this devastating problem: foot ulcers among people who have diabetes.
Abstract: One of the biggest health problems in the world is also one of the most solvable. Yet, millions of people continue to be afflicted every year, spend time in hospitals for costly treatment, and, in many cases, become permanently disabled when one of their limbs has to be amputated (see ?The Diabetic Foot Epidemic?). Some motivated medical, engineering, and other professionals, however, envision a better future where new collaboration-inspired technologies address this devastating problem: foot ulcers among people who have diabetes.