Biomedical Engineering

Source: Peiman Shahbeigi-Roodposhti and Sina Shahbazmohamadi, Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut Optical microscopes have been around for centuries, and while they reached their theoretical limitation of resolution decades ago, new equipment and techniques, such as confocal and digital image processing, have created new niches within the field of optical imaging. The best optical microscopes will typically have a resolution down to 200 nm in ideal...

Source: Peiman Shahbeigi-Roodposhti and Sina Shahbazmohamadi, Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is an instrument that uses an electron beam to nondestructively image and characterize conductive materials in a vacuum. As an analogy, an electron beam is to the SEM as light is to the optical microscope. The difference is that the electron microscope yields images of much higher resolution and magnification. The...

Source: Peiman Shahbeigi-Roodposhti and Sina Shahbazmohamadi, Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut Nanoparticles have been increasingly used research towards targeted drug delivery and controlled drug release. While most of these particles have been developed as polymeric or liposomal particles because of their biocompatibility, there is a trend in current research toward the use of metallic and magnetic nanoparticles. These metallic nanoparticles...

Source: Amelia R. Adelsperger, Evan H. Phillips, and Craig J. Goergen, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana High-frequency ultrasound systems are used to acquire high resolution images. Here, the use of a state-of-the-art system will be demonstrated to image the morphology and hemodynamics of small pulsatile arteries and veins found in mice and rats. Ultrasound is a relatively inexpensive, portable, and versatile method for the noninvasive...

Source: Hannah L. Cebull1, Arvin H. Soepriatna1, John J. Boyle2 and Craig J. Goergen1 1Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 2Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, Missouri The mechanical behavior of soft tissues, such as blood vessels, skin, tendons, and other organs, are strongly influenced by their composition of elastin and collagen, which provide elasticity and strength. The fiber...

Source: Gurneet S. Sangha and Craig J. Goergen, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) is an emerging biomedical imaging modality that utilizes light generated acoustic waves to obtain compositional information from tissue. PAT can be used to image blood and lipid components, which is useful for a wide variety of applications, including cardiovascular and tumor imaging. Currently used imaging techniques have inherent...

Source: Frederick W. Damen and Craig J. Goergen, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana In this video, high field, small-bore magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with physiological monitoring is demonstrated to acquire gated cine loops of the murine cardiovascular system. This procedure provides a basis for assessing left-ventricular function, visualizing vascular networks, and quantifying motion of organs due to respiration. Comparable small animal...

Source: Joseph C. Muskat, Vitaliy L. Rayz, and Craig J. Goergen, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana The objective of this video is to describe recent advancements of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations based on patient- or animal-specific vasculature. Here, subject-based vessel segmentations were created, and, using a combination of open-source and commercial tools, a high-resolution numerical solution was determined within a flow model.

Source: Arvin H. Soepriatna1, Kelsey A. Bullens2, and Craig J. Goergen1 1 Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 2 Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana Near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging is an exciting optical technique that utilizes fluorescent probes to visualize complex biomolecular assemblies in tissues. NIRF imaging has many advantages over conventional imaging methods for noninvasive imaging of diseases.

Source: Hamna J. Qureshi and Craig J. Goergen, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana Here we will highlight the key similarities and differences of noninvasive blood pressure measurement techniques between humans and rodents and examine the engineering principles that govern blood pressure. The principles that govern current cuff technology to acquire systolic and diastolic pressures will also be discussed. Commercially available cuffs that connect...

Source: Peiman Shahbeigi-Roodposhti and Sina Shahbazmohamadi, Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut An electrocardiograph is a graph recorded by electric potential changes occurring between electrodes placed on a patient's torso to demonstrate cardiac activity. An ECG signal tracks heart rhythm and many cardiac diseases, such as poor blood flow to the heart and structural abnormalities. The action potential created by contractions of the heart wall...

Source: Peiman Shahbeigi-Roodposhti and Sina Shahbazmohamadi, Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut For over 4000 years, sutures have been used as a medical intervention. The earliest records indicate linen was the biomaterial of choice. Catgut, which is still in use today, was reportedly used to treat gladiators around 150 AD. Today, there are numerous materials being used for sutures. Sutures are classified by their composition (natural or...

Source: Peiman Shahbeigi-Roodposhti and Sina Shahbazmohamadi, Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut It's a little-known fact that the discovery and (inadvertent) use of X-rays garnered the first ever Nobel Prize in Physics. The famous X-ray image of Dr. Röntgen's wife's hand from 1895 that sent shock waves through the scientific community looks like most modern day 2D medical X-ray images. Though it is not the newest technology, X-ray absorption...

Source: Lindsey K. Lepley1,2, Steven M. Davi1, Timothy A. Butterfield3,4 and Sina Shahbazmohamadi5, 1Department of Kinesiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT; 2Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT; 3Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY; 4Center for Muscle Biology, Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY; 5Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Connecticut,...

Source: Alycia G. Berman, James A. Schaber, and Craig J. Goergen, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana Here we will demonstrate the fundamentals of single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) imaging using mice. The technique involves injecting a radionuclide into a mouse, imaging the animal after it is distributed throughout the body, and then reconstructing the produced images to create a volumetric dataset. This can...