The influence of inspiratory muscle training combined with the Pilates method on lung function in elderly women: A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: Aging is progressive, and its effects on the respiratory system include changes in the composition of the connective tissues of the lung that influence thoracic and lung compliance. The Powerbreathe® K5 is a device used for inspiratory muscle training with resistance adapted to the level of the inspiratory muscles to be trained. The Pilates method promotes muscle rebalancing exercises that emphasize the powerhouse. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of inspiratory muscle training combined with the Pilates method on lung function in elderly women. METHODS: The participants were aged sixty years or older, were active women with no recent fractures, and were not gait device users. They were randomly divided into a Pilates with inspiratory training group (n=11), a Pilates group (n=11) and a control group (n=9). Spirometry, manovacuometry, a six-minute walk test, an abdominal curl-up test, and pulmonary variables were assessed before and after twenty intervention sessions. RESULTS: The intervention led to an increase in maximal inspiratory muscle strength and pressure and power pulmonary variables (p<0.0001), maximal expiratory muscle strength (p<0.0014), six-minute walk test performance (p<0.01), and abdominal curl-up test performance (p<0.00001). The control group showed no differences in the analyzed variables (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest inspiratory muscle training associated with the Pilates method provides an improvement in the lung function and physical conditioning of elderly patients.

Influences of the signal border extension in the discrete wavelet transform in EEG spike detection

Abstract Introduction The discrete wavelet transform is used in many studies as signal preprocessor for EEG spike detection. An inherent process of this mathematical tool is the recursive wavelet convolution over the signal that is decomposed into detail and approximation coefficients. To perform these convolutions, firstly it is necessary to extend signal borders. The selection of an unsuitable border extension algorithm may increase the false positive rate of an EEG spike detector. Methods In this study we analyzed nine different border extensions used for convolution and 19 mother wavelets commonly seen in other EEG spike detectors in the literature. Results The border extension may degrade an EEG spike detector up to 44.11%. Furthermore, results behave differently for distinct number of wavelet coefficients. Conclusion There is not a best border extension to be used with any EEG spike detector based on the discrete wavelet transform, but the selection of the most adequate border extension is related to the number of coefficients of a mother wavelet.

Pulmonary crackle characterization: approaches in the use of discrete wavelet transform regarding border effect, mother-wavelet selection, and subband reduction

Introduction Crackles are discontinuous, non-stationary respiratory sounds and can be characterized by their duration and frequency. In the literature, many techniques of filtering, feature extraction, and classification were presented. Although the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is a well-known tool in this area, issues like signal border extension, mother-wavelet selection, and its subbands were not properly discussed. Methods In this work, 30 different mother-wavelets 8 subbands were assessed, and 9 border extension modes were evaluated. The evaluations were done based on the energy representation of the crackle considering the mother-wavelet and the border extension, allowing a reduction of not representative subbands. Results Tests revealed that the border extension mode considered during the DWT affects crackle characterization, whereas SP1 (Smooth-Padding of order 1) and ASYMW (Antisymmetric-Padding (whole-point)) modes shall not be used. After DWT, only 3 subbands (D3, D4, and D5) were needed to characterize crackles. Finally, from the group of mother-wavelets tested, Daubechies 7 and Symlet 7 were found to be the most adequate for crackle characterization. Discussion DWT can be used to characterize crackles when proper border extension mode, mother-wavelet, and subbands are taken into account.

Galvanic vestibular stimulator for fMRI studies

INTRODUCTION: Areas of the brain that are associated with the vestibular system can be activated using galvanic vestibular stimulation. These areas can be studied through a combination of galvanic vestibular stimulation with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In order to provide an appropriate sequence of galvanic stimulation synchronous with the MRI pulse sequence, a specific electronic device that was built and assessed is presented. METHODS: The electronic project of the GVS is divided in analog and digital circuits. The analog circuits are mounted in an aluminum case, supplied by sealed batteries, and goes inside the MRI room near to the feet of the subject. The digital circuits are placed in the MRI control room. Those circuits communicate through each other by an optical fiber. Tests to verify the GVS-MRI compatibility were conducted. Silicone (in-house) and Ag/AgCl (commercial) electrodes were evaluated for maximum balance and minimal pain sensations. fMRI experiments were conducted in eight human volunteers. RESULTS: GVS-MRI compatibility experiments demonstrate that the GVS did not interfere with the MRI scanner functionality and vice versa. The circular silicone electrode was considered the most suitable to apply the galvanic vestibular stimulation. The 1 Hz stimulation sinusoid frequency produced the biggest balance and the less pain sensations when compared to 2 Hz. The GVS was capable of eliciting activation in the precentral and postcentral gyri, in the central sulcus, in the supplementary motor area, in the middle and inferior frontal gyri, in the inferior parietal lobule, in the insula, in the superior temporal gyrus, in the middle cingulate cortex, and in the cerebellum. CONCLUSION: This study shows the development and description of a neurovestibular stimulator that can be safely used inside the MRI scanner room without interfering on its operation and vice versa. The developed GVS could successfully activate the major areas involved with multimodal functions of the vestibular system, demonstrating its validity as a stimulator for neurovestibular research. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that shows the development and the construction of a galvanic vestibular stimulator that could be safely used inside the MRI room.

Fusão 3D de imagens de MRI/CT e termografia / 3D image fusion using MRI/CT and infrared images

INTRODUÇÃO: A termografia por imagem infravermelha (IR) é uma técnica para diagnóstico não-invasiva que permite a avaliação e quantificação de variações de temperatura na superfície da pele. Apesar de fornecer informações significativas para auxiliar no diagnóstico médico, esta técnica não permite avaliar det alhes anatômicos da região sendo analisada. Este artigo apresenta uma nova metodologia para realizar a fusão entre diferentes modalidades de imagens, tais como ressonância magnética (MRI) ou tomografia computadorizada por raios X (CT), juntamente com imagens de termografia infravermelha. MÉTODOS: Para a construção do modelo 3D, primeiramente são adquiridas as imagens por ressonância magnética (MRI) ou tomografia computadorizada (CT) e um conjunto de imagens térmicas da região de interesse. Em seguida, realiza-se o registro utilizando as projeções 2D (dos planos tomográficos) com as imagens térmicas. Após o registro, as imagens térmicas são combinadas e projetadas sobre o modelo 3D das imagens de MRI ou CT. RESULTADOS: O resultado é uma imagem 3D que combina informação de duas modalidades de imagens médicas diferentes. A combinação dessas duas modalidades de imagens médicas disponibiliza uma nova técnica de imagem 3D que agrupa informações anatômicas (MRI ou CT) e funcionais (variações de temperatura na superfície do corpo). CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados obtidos até o momento com essa nova metodologia indicam que ela pode auxiliar em diagnósticos médicos.

INTRODUCTION: Infrared (IR) thermal imaging is a non-invasive and diagnostic technique that allows evaluation and quantification based on the temperature changes of the skin surface. It provides significant information for clinical diagnosis; however this technique does not present the anatomical details of the region under inspection. In this work, it is presented an innovative image fusion method between different imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance images (MRI) or X-ray computed tomography (CT), together with IR thermal images. METHODS: Firstly, in order to build the 3D model, the MRI or CT images and the IR thermal images (from the region of interest) are acquired. Then, based on the tomographic planes (image slices), the 2D projections are generated, and the IR images are registered accordingly. Next, the already registered IR set of images are combined and projected over the 3D MRI or CT model. RESULTS: The result is a 3D fused image that combines the information contents from the two different medical imaging modalities. The combination of these two medical imaging modalities offers a new 3D imaging technique that combines anatomical (MRI or CT) and functional (the body's surface temperature) information. CONCLUSION: The results obtained up to now with this new methodology indicate that it can aid in medical diagnosis.

Avaliação da qualidade de imagens de equipamentos de ultrassom modo B / Image quality evaluation of B-mode ultrasound equipment

Este trabalho teve por objetivo o desenvolvimento e avaliação da eficácia de um protocolo de controle de qualidade de imagens geradas por equipamentos de ultrassom operando no modo B, que fosse de fácil implementação e que utilizasse um único objeto de testes. O protocolo proposto foi avaliado em 25 equipamentos de ultrassom utilizados em medicina obstétrica, ginecologia e clínica médica, selecionados em várias clínicas e hospitais de Curitiba, Brasil. Somente modelos de equipamentos que suportavam os três tipos padrões de transdutores (convexo, linear e endocavitário) foram incluídos nos testes. No entanto, em alguns dos equipamentos, nem todos os transdutores estavam disponíveis, totalizando 72 transdutores avaliados durante os testes. Um objeto de testes de uso geral foi utilizado para avaliar os seguintes parâmetros: resoluções laterais e axiais, profundidade de visualização e exatidão das distâncias medidas, entre outras. O protocolo foi implementado em duas partes: uma envolvendo a inspeção física do equipamento/monitor e outra para avaliação dos transdutores. Entre os resultados obtidos, pode-se destacar a efetividade e simplicidade do protocolo proposto, o qual é completamente baseado em um único objeto de testes. Considerando as normas e relatórios técnicos utilizados, para aproximadamente 86% dos transdutores avaliados, falhas foram detectadas em um ou mais indicadores de qualidade de imagem. Os resultados obtidos estão de acordo com outros estudos realizados no Brasil, mostrando que um grande número de equipamentos utilizados diariamente em clínicas e hospitais apresenta um ou mais parâmetros fora dos limites estabelecidos em normas técnicas, tornando difícil o diagnóstico médico e, consequentemente, submetendo o paciente a riscos.

This study aims the development of a quality control protocol of images generated by B-mode ultrasound equipment, being of simple implementation and making use of a single phantom, as well as the evaluation of the proposed protocol effectiveness. The proposed protocol was evaluated on 25 ultrasound equipment used in obstetric medicine, gynaecology and medical clinic, selected from several clinics and hospitals of Curitiba, Brazil. Only systems with three standard transducers (convex, linear and endocavitary types) should be selected, however for some units not all of them were available, thus a total of 72 transducers were tested. A general purpose phantom was used to evaluate the following parameters: lateral and axial resolution, deepness of visualization and accuracy between distances, among others. The protocol was implemented in two parts: one involving the physical inspection of the equipment/monitor and another for the transducers evaluation. Among the results obtained, one is highlighted by the effectiveness and simplicity of the proposed protocol, which is completely based on a single phantom. Considering the utilized standards and technical reports, for approximately 86% of the evaluated transducers, some kind of failure or problem was detected in one or more image quality indicators. The results, inaccordance to those obtained by other authors in Brazil, showed that agreat number of equipment used daily in clinics and hospitals present one or more parameters out of the standards, making the medical diagnosis difficult and consequently submitting the patient to risks.

Sistema automático para contagem de colônias em placas de Petri / Automatic system for colonies counting in Petri dishes

Esse trabalho apresenta o projeto e os testes de um protótipo de um instrumento simples, compacto e de baixo custo, para a contagem de Unidades Formadoras de Colônias (UFCs) em placas de petri. O protótipo é composto por um sistema de iluminação, uma câmera CCD, uma placa de aquisição de vídeo e um microcomputador IBM/PC ou compatível. O sistema de iluminação com LEDs é inovador e possibilita a aquisição de imagens das placas de petri com excelente contraste entre as colônias e o background. Essa característica possibilitou o desenvolvimento de um algoritmo de processamento digital de imagens simples, rápido e eficaz. O programa adquire e calcula a média de vinte imagens de uma placa de petri e utiliza o método background subtraction para separar as colônias de bactérias do restante da imagem e atenuar pequenas diferenças de iluminação. A imagem é então limiarizada e as UFCs contadas com um algoritmo recursivo capaz de localizar e determinar a dimensão, em pixels, de cada uma das colônias. Os resultados dos vários testes realizados durante o desenvolvimento demonstraram que o instrumento é capaz de contar as UFCs com área superior a 0,8mm2, sendo que o coeficiente de correlação entre os resultados obtidos com o método de contagem convencional e a contagem feita pelo protótipo é superior a 0,99