On the feasibility of using motor imagery EEG-based brain-computer interface in chronic tetraplegics for assistive robotic arm control: a clinical test and long-term post-trial follow-up.

STUDY DESIGN: Survey and long-term clinical post-trial follow-up (interviews/correspondence) on nine chronic, post spinal cord injury (SCI) tetraplegics. OBJECTIVE: To assess feasibility of the use of Electroencephalography-based Brain-Computer Interface (EEG-BCI) for reaching/grasping assistance in tetraplegics, through a robotic arm. SETTINGS: Physical and (neuromuscular) Rehabilitation Medicine, Cardiology, Neurosurgery Clinic Divisions of TEHBA and UMPCD, in collaboration with 'Brain2Robot' (composed of the European Commission-funded Marie Curie Excellence Team by the same name, hosted by Fraunhofer Institute-FIRST), in the second part of 2008. METHODS: Enrolled patients underwent EEG-BCI preliminary training and robot control sessions. Statistics entailed multiple linear regressions and cluster analysis. A follow-up-custom questionnaire based-including patients' perception of their EEG-BCI control capacity was continued up to 14 months after initial experiments. RESULTS: EEG-BCI performance/calibration-phase classification accuracy averaged 81.0%; feedback training sessions averaged 70.5% accuracy for 7 subjects who completed at least one feedback training session; 7 (77.7%) of 9 subjects reported having felt control of the cursor; and 3 (33.3%) subjects felt that they were also controlling the robot through their movement imagination. No significant side effects occurred. BCI performance was positively correlated with beta (13-30 Hz) EEG spectral power density (coefficient 0.432, standardized coefficient 0.745, P-value=0.025); another possible influence was sensory AIS score (range: 0 min to 224 max, coefficient -0.177, standardized coefficient -0.512, P=0.089). CONCLUSION: Limited but real potential for self-assistance in chronic tetraplegics by EEG-BCI-actuated mechatronic devices was found, which was mainly related to spectral density in the beta range positively (increasing therewith) and to AIS sensory score negatively.

Numerical simulation of LDL mass transfer in a common carotid artery under pulsatile flows.

Symmetrical 30-60% stenosis in carotid artery with a semi-permeable wall under steady/unsteady flows for Newtonian/non-Newtonian fluids is investigated numerically. The results show that the unsteadiness of blood flow, blood pressure rise and LDL component size increase the luminal concentration, LC, of the surface. The maximum LC occurring immediately after the separation point and the non-Newtonian fluid predicts higher LDL accumulation. LC decreased as the recirculation length is increased and reaches maximum at 40% stenosis. This process is used to estimate the time-dependent growth of the arterial wall.

[Susceptibility of clinically-isolated problem pathogenic bacteria to broad spectrum antibiotics]. / Cesitli hastalik materyallerinden izole edilen bakterilerin genis spektrumlu antibiyotiklere duyarliliklari.

The action of broad-spectrum antibiotics investigated by disc diffusion method on 636 problem bacteria such as S. aureus, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, E. coli, Proteus that isolated from various clinical specimens. The highest and lowest ratio of susceptibility were as follows: S. aureus were found sensitive 90% to Netilmicin, 27% to Piperacillin, Enterobacter species 78% to Netilmicin, 25% to Piperacillin, Klebsiella 69% to Amikacin, 20% to Piperacillin, Pseudomonas 66% to Amikacin, 5% to Amoxicillin-Clavulanic acid, E.coli 68% to Netilmicin and Ceftriaxone, 32% to Piperacillin, Proteus 70% to Netilmicin, 43% to Piperacillin, S.epidermidis 90% to Amoxicillin-Clavulanic acid, 60% to Piperacillin.

[Antibacterial effect of cefoperazone]. / Cefoperazone'nun antibakteriyel etkisi.

Seven hundreds fifty three strains of pathogen microorganisms were investigated for in-vitro sensitivity of cefoperazone and of some other wide spectrum antibiotics. Cefoperazone has found to have very wide spectrum of inhibition against frequently isolated microorganisms from clinical specimens.

[A parasitological study of the nursery of a medical school]. / Erciyes üniversitesi tip fakültesi kres ve ana okulunda parazitolojik bir arastirma.

Sixty-two stool samples obtained from 0-6 years-old children in Nursery of medical Faculty were examined for intestinal parasites in 1982 and 1983. In addition, for the purpose of detection of Enterobiase incidence, cellophane swab technique was also applied. It has observed that total parasite incidence were 66.6% in 1932 and 44.8% in 1933. It has been indicated that the highest infection rate was belong to two parasites namely E. vermicularis (25.8%) and G. lamblia (17.7%).