Advances in Biomedical Engineering Research (ABER)

Neurodegenerative disease occurs due to deterioration of cells specially the myelin sheath of the neurons; of brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. The economic and social burden of neurodegenerative diseases is massive and rising too rapidly. Among several of different neurodegenerative disorders, present work is focused on the three most common; Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. Although the most consistent risk factor for developing a neurodegenerative disorders is increasing age, it has been observed that the symptoms of all the three diseases overlap with each other, clinically and pathologically. Therefore, their practical classification is quite challenging and thus needing an automated tool to classify them. In the present model, backpropagation artificial neural network (ANN) has been designed to classify neurodegenerative disorders according to their symptoms. The 27:70:3 architecture of ANN has been used to predict the clinical outcome …

This study investigates the effects of polymer chain length on the mechanical properties of gas foamed poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA). Gas foamed structures were composed of PEGDA MW 700, MW 3400, or MW 10k. Combinations of short (lower MW) and long PEGDA (higher MW) chains created polymer structures with increased strength and stiffness compared to structures composed of a given longer PEGDA chain. Gas foamed PEGDA hydrogels are structurally and mechanically suitable for evaluating cells in 3D culture. SEM images show an interconnected pore structure. Gas foamed PEGDA is also cytocompatible. High cell viability was observed on collagen type I infused polymer structures. Changes in PEGDA chain sizes neither degraded cell viability nor impeded gas foaming. The mechanical tunability of gas foamed porous PEGDA makes it an effective tool for evaluating cellular response to static mechanical properties in 3D.

Central nervous system of mammals is known to be highly vulnerable to the environmental stimulus, including radio-waves. The aim of this work is to evaluate the chronic effect (one hour daily for 21 days) of low power radio frequency of 1 KHz square wave modulated 2.45 GHz on the electroencephalogram (EEG) in animal model. Experiments were carried out on male rats (n=10), weighing 100(20) gm and age of 9-10 weeks divided in two groups: (i) control (n=4) and (ii) experimental (n=6). After 21 day of experiments, three hours of single channel bipolar EEG signals were recorded from parietal cortex of rats’ brain on 22nd day continuously, under anesthetized condition (Urethane anesthesia: 1.6 gm/kg of body weight, i.p.). The power spectra of the EEG signals were calculated for analysis of changes in EEG frequency spectrum. The core body temperature was also recorded and evaluated for the thermal nature of the exposure. Student t-test was applied to the EEG spectral results as well as on tem…

There is a lack of information on the effects of repeated administration of volatile anesthetics. Effects of repeated inhalation of enflurane, halothane, isoflurane and sevoflurane, on anesthetic effects and brain neurochemicals were investigated in mice. A simplified but quantitative anesthetic apparatus was employed which estimated the minimal alveolar concentration (MAC, ED50) of enflurane, halothane, isoflurane and sevoflurane to be 1.51, 1.29, 1.10 and 1.65 % (at 1 atm), respectively. Test compounds were administered by inhalation until complete anesthesia was established and then kept for one additional min at 1.73 or 2.16 MAC enflurane (0.4 or 0.5 ml), 1.61 or 2.69 MAC halothane (0.3 or 0.5 ml), 1.38 or 2.30 MAC isoflurane (0.3 or 0.5 ml) or 1.88 or 2.36 MAC sevoflurane (0.4 or 0.5 ml) once per day for 5 consecutive days, recording induction time and recovery time. In addition, rotarod performance (see “Materials and Methods”) was tested each day prior to administration of anest…