Journal of Biomimetics, Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering Vol. 66

Abstract: The lack of adherence to medical treatment is a critical issue affecting millions of people worldwide, compromising the efficacy of treatments and elevating healthcare costs. This study introduces an open-source IoT system, featuring an automatic pill and water dispenser with a medication adherence analyzer, designed to enhance patient adherence, ensuring safe and simplified medication management. The system aims to improve treatment adherence by offering a simpler medication process and by providing real-time adherence metrics to the patient through a web application. The PillWise Medication System, comprising the Pill Dispenser, the AquaWiser, and the Pill Widget, is designed to automate the medication dispensing process, synchronized water dispensation, and a monitoring application. Its straightforward design and portability render it a viable and secure solution for medication management, potentially enhancing patient compliance and offering critical adherence data to users and healthcare providers. This system is cost-effective and simpler to produce than other automated dispensers, boasting scalability, portability, and ease of use, which may enhance patients’ adherence and provide essential adherence information. The implementation of this system has the potential to significantly improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs by enhancing medication management and facilitating their administration.

Abstract: This research focuses on addressing the scarcity of personalized and affordable prostheses in Honduras by designing and developing a functional prosthesis for a thumb. The general objective was to design a model suitable for 3D printing adapted to the specific needs of a patient who had her index and thumb fingers amputated. To achieve this, an integral methodology was employed, ranging from an exhaustive literature review of current solutions to detailed material evaluations, including interviews with patients and medical experts, SolidWorks modeling, and simulations. The result was the successful design of a functional prosthesis prototype, with the selection of intentionally 3D printable materials to ensure comfort and functionality. In conclusion, this research demonstrates the viability of addressing the scarcity of personalized prostheses through innovative approaches and comprehensive design methodologies, with a focus on effectiveness and streamlining the process.

Abstract: This project arises in response to the to the various investigations found that have pointed out the difficulties that Deaf people have faced in the sports field due to the communication barriers they have with referees. The ASH board of directors has confirmed this fact and this is the problem identified. In addition, several studies support the difficulty of concentration among athletes. The proposal consists of a device for athletes placed on a wristband, which emits vibrations when the referee's whistle is blown. It seeks to improve the performance of the Deaf player by obtaining instant communication with the referees. For this project, a qualitative approach has been used to collect data on the experience of Deaf players in sport. For its construction, materials were needed such as the ESP8266-01 modules, a vibrating motor, a push button, transistor and batteries. In this case, each of the modules, connected to the transmitter or receiver, used the Wi-Fi network as a means of wireless communication between them. In addition, tools such as SolidWorks, Fusion 360 and Arduino IDE were used for programming, since HTTP was used as a communication protocol between the modules. Finally, the prototype obtained has been validated by comparing it with a previously developed device and performing maximum range and instantaneous response tests. As a result, it has been improved compared to the existing ones, the design was adjusted to improve and change the components used, size and ergonomics. Furthermore, the tests were successful, and the device functioned correctly.

Abstract: The neurological rehabilitation focuses on enhancing functional recovery and improving the quality of life for people who have experienced injuries or diseases affecting the central or peripheral nervous system. This functional recovery includes a follow up of the kinematics of the patients limbs. The use of a open source software such as OpenSim, has been previously proposed as a tool for kinematic analysis, this software allows for highly specialized 3D musculoskeletal modeling, facilitates kinematic analysis and the assessment of force and angles in the lower and upper limbs of the human body. In this context, the propose of this research was to test the reliability of OpenSim for kinematic analysis during neurological rehabilitation. For this goal, the Motricity Index test was done by a group of three healthy participants, this values were used for comparison to the stroke patient who is currently undergoing neurological rehabilitation process. The results demonstrates all the limitations in the range of motion of the patient in comparison to the healthy group due his motor issues, such as muscle spasticity and weakness. This research shows the advantages and limitations of this software and its application in neurological rehabilitation. The goal is to contribute to the development of effective and personalized therapeutic strategies to improve the recovery process for these patients.

Abstract: Lung cancer diagnosis involves a detection strategy to determine the specific location of the abnormality and its likelihood whether cancerous or non-cancerous. In existing methods such as Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle extraction (EBUS-TBNA) method requires specific equipment and trained operators. The limits in biomarker discovery begin with sample collection, transportation, representative tissue processing, reference standards, assay sensitivity and specificity. Liquid biopsy method requires tissue biopsy for initial diagnosis and may increase the likelihood of false negatives and false positives. To overcome these challenges, initially in this paper, three detectors are trained for nodule detection i.e. You Only Look Once version 3 (YOLOv3), YOLOv4 and YOLOv5. YOLOv3 achieved precision of 72%, recall of 75%, mean Average Precision (mAP) of 70%, F1 Score of 0.73 and Giga Floating-Point Operations (GFLOPs) of 30. In contrast, YOLOv4 achieved 85% precision, 70% recall, 80% mAP, F1 score of 0.76 and 65 GFLOPs. On the other hand, YOLOv5 achieved precision of 90%, recall of 80%, mAP of 85%, F1 Score of 0.85 and FLOPs of 217. These three detectors also faced few challenges like complexity, have high computation time and low performance. So, to overcome the problems of YOLO based methods, a modified YOLOv5 model has been proposed for the automatic detection of lung nodules in CT scans. Key modifications include enhanced feature extraction layers and customized anchor boxes tailored for small nodule detection. These modifications demonstrate the model's potential for reliable and efficient lung cancer screening, aligning with the manuscript's focus on advancing detection techniques through customized YOLOv5 enhancements. The modified model achieves a 90% precision, 85% recall, 88% mAP, 0.87 F1 score and 35.2 GFLOPs. These results represent an improvement in accuracy and increase in sensitivity compared to the standard YOLOv5 model. Also, GFLOPs have been reduced which demonstrates low computing requirement for the proposed model. The proposed model could be further used as clinical tool for lung cancer diagnosis.

Abstract: In order to help patients with wrist injuries to carry out recovery training, a simple and portable parallel 3-RSR wrist rehabilitation mechanism was introduced in order to achieve the expected therapeutic effect. Firstly, the parallel 3-RSR wrist rehabilitation mechanism is described. Taking the parallel mechanism as the research object, the degree of freedom is calculated and the pose is solved by analytical method, which verifies the rationality of the mechanism motion. Then, based on the boundary search method, the reachable workspace of the parallel wrist rehabilitation mechanism is analyzed, and the relevant workspace map is drawn. Finally, considering the reasonable optimization of the structural size of the workspace, the results show that the optimized reachable attitude workspace is significantly larger than the initial workspace. This study provides a theoretical reference for the ontology design of rehabilitation institutions.

Abstract: The main purpose of this study is to synthesize hair conditioners using natural essence sources and determine the fluid properties of hair conditioners. The essence obtained from Picea pungens glauca (Blue Spruce Pine) leaves using Soxhlet extraction via ethanol was used to formulate a hair conditioner. Picea pungens, native to North America, are resistant to wind and air pollution and are grown in many regions. It has a strong flavor due to the terpenes in the leaf extracts. Here, we formulated a hair conditioner with these extracts, and then the physical and chemical features of the conditioners were examined. Characterization studies were done by viscometer, gas chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. On the other hand, the shear rate and viscosity values were used to determine whether the synthesized creams were Newtonian or non-Newtonian. The conditioners were determined to be Newtonian fluids based on the results obtained.

Abstract: As medical technology continues to advance, concerns about associated risks to both patients and healthcare providers arise. Ensuring high-quality healthcare delivery stands as a paramount objective for every healthcare institution. Among the essential attributes required to meet this goal is the safety of all stakeholders. Nevertheless, numerous instances arise wherein unintended incidents occur involving healthcare personnel during the delivery of patient care. This study utilized a mixed-methods approach incorporating interviews, observations, and statistical analysis to investigate the occurrence of adverse events related to medical equipment in hospitals. The findings reveal that, despite 84% of surveyed nursing personnel indicating no experience with adverse events caused by medical equipment, factors such as inadequate preventive maintenance, lack of training, budget constraints, and staff shortages support the need for the development of patient safety support tools, as all the aforementioned factors increase the likelihood of unintentional errors during patient care. Based on these findings, a tailored reporting tool was developed to streamline the documentation of equipment failures and adverse events within hospitals. Designed based on identified needs and characteristics, this tool aims to facilitate timely notification of critical events, especially those with the potential to impact patient safety.

Abstract: The existence of cybersecurity regulations in Honduras aimed at safeguarding clinical data remains uncertain, leaving the populace’s health information vulnerable due to the absence of robust legal frameworks. This study sheds light on the current landscape concerning health information protection in the country, underscoring its profound impact on securing medical information systems and the realm of Internet of Things (IoT). It underscores the potential of blockchain technology to provide an innovative solution to address security challenges in this domain. Employing a systematic approach, the research delineates a timeline to elucidate the evolution of legal measures against cybercrime in Honduras, consolidating pertinent governmental documents associated with cybersecurity and the protection of medical data. Furthermore, it underscores the healthcare sector’s susceptibility to cyber threats and the primary privacy apprehensions pertaining to IoT applications in medicine. The study concludes that Honduras lacks a dedicated data protection statute, posing a significant impediment to cybersecurity regulatory efforts. This legal void impedes the effective implementation of measures to safeguard clinical information and shield it from potential cyber risks amidst the proliferation of IoT initiatives and healthcare-related ventures. Nonetheless, this circumstance may present an opportunity for the adoption of technologies such as blockchain. By enabling the establishment of tailored regulatory frameworks, blockchain can adapt to its unique attributes, thereby facilitating its integration in fortifying clinical data protection and enhancing overall cybersecurity protocols.