Bhaskar Mohan Murari

Prospects and limitations of non-invasive blood glucose monitoring using near-infrared spectroscopy

Abstract Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder which can lead to severe complications and affect all vital organs. The occurrence of complications due to diabetes can be prevented by regular monitoring and maintaining the blood glucose level in the normal range. Most of the commercially available devices for glucose measurement are invasive or minimally invasive. Invasive devices used for blood glucose monitoring are inconvenient and painful whereas minimal invasive devices have limited time span and stability. Thus, there is a need of an economic, compact, painless and convenient non-invasive device which can promote frequent blood testing which help in control of blood glucose level. In this paper various methods of glucose monitoring are reviewed and overall emphasis is laid on the development of NIRS (near-infrared spectroscopy) based non-invasive glucose monitoring. The motivation of this review is to demonstrate the prospects, limitations and technical challenges for development of NIRS based non-invasive blood glucose measurement system.

Near-infrared LED based non-invasive blood glucose sensor

Diabetes is a metabolic pathological condition of concern, which affects vital organs of body if not diagnosed and treated on time. Regular monitoring of blood glucose is important to avoid complication of diabetes. Commonly used glucose measurement methods are invasive which generally involves finger puncturing. These methods are painful and frequent pricking cause calluses on the skin and have risk of spreading infectious diseases. Therefore there is need to develop a non-invasive monitoring system which can measure blood glucose continuously without much problem. The present work is focused on development of non-invasive blood glucose measurement sensor system using Near-infrared (NIR) technique. Initially in-vitro glucose measurement prototype is developed using continuous wave (CW) from NIR LED (940 nm) to check the sensitivity of the system for different glucose concentrations. Later a Sensor patch was designed using LED and a photodiode to observe diffused reflectance spectra of blood from the human forearm. Diffused reflectance spectra of the subjects obtained with this technique was also compared with commercially available invasive finger tip gluco-meter. The results are promising and show the potential of using NIR for glucose measurement.

A Cloud Based Architecture for Optimal Utilization of Resources in Educational Institutions

Technology has been transforming the education in 21st century to a great extent. The increase in use of technology in educational institutions including schools, colleges, and universities is enabling students to become 21st century learners and fostering the process of research and innovation. A huge amount computing resources are required in educational institutions to meet these demands. However, in most of the cases, the computing resources in an organization are not being completely utilized due to various reasons. Adopting some of the latest technologies can improve resource utilization and simultaneously provide other benefits. In recent years, cloud computing has been an emerging technology playing a great role in technology deployment scenarios, making technology more efficient and convenient to use. In this paper, we propose a cloud based architecture that enables maximum utilization of resources and improves the accessibility of information to students, thereby enhancing the learning experience. An architecture based on hybrid cloud model can be a perfect fit, with lot of benefits. The proposed architecture is explained with its benefits, and the security issues, implementation scenarios are discussed.

Engineering challenges and the future prospects of transcatheter mitral valve replacement technologies: a comprehensive review of case studies

ABSTRACT Introduction: Catheter based Interventional procedures have become an indispensable treatment option for patients contraindicated for surgical heart valve replacement . The broad spectrum of disease that affect the mitral valve have increased the need for a transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) device. As complex as the mitral valve anatomy is, so are challenges in the development of a TMVR device. Areas covered: This review article analyses the challenges in the development of the TMVR device from an engineering perspective of material and device design. The major sections in this paper discusses the engineering challenges in the development of TMVR device, material & design considerations, surface coating, present and future of TMVR, delivery catheter specifications and commercial prospects of the TMVR. This article highlights the current status in the development of each of the devices based on the outcome clinical trials and case studies. The literature analysis was carried out using the keywords search. Expert commentary: This section concludes with the need for collaborative efforts from the medical and engineering expertise for the successful development of TMVR device. Overcoming the anatomical challenges with engineering innovations would create new frontier in TMVR technologies.

A practical approach of revitalizing K-12 education in 21 st century

Education shows a great impact in the life of an individual. In present time, students are expected to become 21st century learners to fulfill the demands of 21st century. Many strategies are developed and are being implemented in developed countries so that the skills acquired by students from education makes a positive impact in changing markets. But, the implementation of these methods in developing countries is a tedious task due to wide disparity in education systems. In this paper, few activities that significantly help in acquiring 21st century skills and an approach for implementation of these activities are proposed.

Levenberg–Marquardt-Based Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Measurement System

ABSTRACT The present work focuses on the development of non-invasive blood glucose measurement device to revolutionize diabetes management and reduce severe complications associated with it. A low cost, painless and non-invasive blood glucose measurement system is designed using near-infrared (NIR) LED and four photodiodes for the purpose. NIR light emitted by LED passes through the skin and is detected by photodiodes after attenuation. The detector converts the attenuated light into a voltage signal. The interference due to background noise generated by human skin is removed by taking floating or internal reference. The voltage signal obtained from the photodiodes is calibrated using Levenberg–Marquardt-based Artificial Neural Network to obtain the glucose concentration. The accuracy of proposed prototype was examined by comparing non-invasively predicted data with invasively measured reference data. It is observed that all measurements lie in A and B zones of Clarke error grid and thus clinically accurate.

Modified sol–gel processed silica matrix for gel electrophoresis applications

Modified sol–gel processed silica matrices were prepared to explore the possibilities of using these matrices for electrophoresis applications. The sol–gel was prepared at room temperature using tetraethyl orthosilicate as a precursor at different molar ratios (R = 4, 16, 32 and 64) in the presence of sodium phosphate buffer. The sol–gel derived from R = 32 formed smooth and transparent gel, and showed high transmittance value (97%) compared to other molar ratios. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy studies of gel matrix (R-32) confirmed randomly distributed interstitial space of variable size (30–60 nm) with slit like openings on the gel surface. The R = 32-based matrix internal and surface characteristics were suitable for gel electrophoresis. Therefore, sol–gel electrophoresis was carried out using gel matrix (R = 32) on molecular markers and pre-stained proteins (08–220 kDa). The silica gel matrix allowed migration as well as separation of proteins based on their molecular weights. The results were compared with standard gels (agarose and polyacrylamde). The aim of the work to prepare a silica matrix suitable for gel electrophoresis which could be utilised to develop electrophoresis-based point-of-care technologies for clinical diagnostics.Graphical AbstractSchematic illustration of sol–gel electrophoresis (SoGE), showing different stages of sol–gel preparation and its utilisation for separation of proteins 8–220 kDa.

Design of Low Cost Blood Glucose Sensing System Using Diffused Reflectance Near-Infrared Light

The present work proposes a low cost and portable Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Measurement (NIGM) system based on Near-infrared (NIR) light. In vitro system using single LED (940 nm) with an array of photodetectors is fabricated. Regression analysis is carried out to study the relationship between detector output voltage and actual glucose concentration. Low RMSEC (reflectance: 12.87 mg/dl, transmittance: 15 mg/dl) of in vitro measurement motivated to design a sensor patch for non-invasive in vivo glucose measurement. The accuracy of our indigenous device was tested by comparing non-invasively estimated blood glucose with invasively measured blood glucose. To estimate the glucose concentration from the detector voltage signal an ADAptive Linear NEuron (ADALINE) based Neural Network structure is used. The calibration model is prepared using data of 10 non-diabetic subjects. The observed RMSEP was 14.92 mg/dl with correlation coefficient (0.87) in the case of In vivo experiment. The prediction of glucose concentration is in the clinically acceptable region of the standard Clark Error Grid (CEG). The proposed design of NIR light based glucose measurement can be used to develop an NIGM system.

Transdermal delivery of polidocanol from sol–gel patch: ex vivo skin permeation studies using iontophoresis for the treatment of varicose veins

AbstractA polidocanol (POL) doped sol–gel patch based transdermal iontophoretic drug delivery system (TIDDS) for the treatment of varicose veins is presented in this paper. The sol–gel surface morphology and internal microstructure were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A timer based iontophoretic current supply unit was indigenously designed to deliver low current (5 mA) for drug delivery. Two silver electrodes delivered current to the sol–gel patch. It was observed that the drug dispersed in the sol–gel matrix diffused through solvent-filled capillary channels under the influence of the applied current. In vitro release profile of POL was tested on albino rat skin. The rate of delivery through the skin was evaluated by fluorescence spectroscopy measurements. The results indicated that the sol–gel patch under the influence of iontophoretic current allowed controlled release of the POL. Thus the sol–gel patch can be an efficient and an effective non-invasive alternative to deliver POL using iontophoresis to treat the region affected by varicose veins to reduce pain. Schematic representation of sol-gel based transdermal iontophoresis drug delivery system.HighlightsA sol-gel processed silica matrix for iontophoresis based drug delivery of Polidocanol (drug widely used for the treatment of varicose veins) is reported.The novel sol-gel matrix provided a suitable environment to the drug molecule and allowed the sustained release of drug under the influence of current.A novel sol-gel iontophoresis drug delivery system can be utilized for controlled drug delivery in future to treat varicose veins to reduce pain.The paper should be of interest to readers in the area of novel materials and drug delivery applications.

Enhancing professionalism among engineering students through involvements in technical societies.

A student chapter can be considered to be a miniature enterprise; however without the latters major financial risks. Involvement in the student chapter of a professional society like IEEE at undergraduate level plays a pivotal role in the overall professional development of the student by keeping the students informed about the various career possibilities. A student chapter shapes the hitherto naive students into industry ready professionals and to suitable candidates for some of the best grad schools worldwide. This assertion has been discussed in-depth taking the example of IEEE EMBS Student Branch chapter of VIT University. It has been described how the entire process, - starting from inception of an idea to its materialization in to an activity, has shaped the volunteers and participants into better professionals.