Gergely Makan

Assessment of respiratory mechanics with forced oscillations in healthy newborns

Lung function data in healthy newborn infants are scarce largely due to lack of suitable techniques, although data for developmental and prenatal exposure studies are much needed. We have modified the forced oscillation technique (FOT) for the measurement of respiratory mechanical impedance (Zrs) in unsedated sleeping infants in the first 3 days of life.

Tidal changes in respiratory resistance are sensitive indicators of airway obstruction in children

Rationale Individual assessment of airway obstruction in preschool-age children requires sensitive and specific lung function methods with low demand of cooperation. Although the forced oscillation technique (FOT) is feasible in young children, conventional measurements of respiratory impedance (Zrs) have limited diagnostic power in individuals. Objective To find descriptors of within-breath Zrs that are sensitive indicators of airway obstruction during tidal breathing in children. Methods Zrs was measured with (i) a standard multifrequency FOT (4–26 Hz) to assess the mean values of resistance and reactance for whole breaths and (ii) a 10 Hz signal to track the within-breath changes. Various Zrs measures obtained in healthy children (n=75) and those with acute wheeze (n=31) were investigated with receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis. The cut-off values obtained for airway obstruction were then tested in children with recurrent wheeze (n=20) before and after administration of salbutamol. Results The largest area under the ROC curve (0.95) was observed for the tidal changes of resistance between the zero-flow values (ΔR). The ΔR cut-off value of 1.42 hPa s/L detected airway obstruction with sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 89% in children with acute wheeze and distinguished children with recurrent wheeze (16/20 above the cut-off value) from healthy children (22/23 below the cut-off value). Furthermore, ΔR significantly decreased after salbutamol in wheezy children but remained unchanged in healthy children. Conclusions New lung function measure ΔR is able to detect airway obstruction with high sensitivity and specificity and is suitable for use in lung function testing in young children.

Real-time analysis of mechanical and electrical resonances with open-source sound card software

We present an easily reproducible, open-source, sound card based experimental set-up to support transfer function measurement. Our system is able to visualize the signals of mechanical and electrical resonances and their spectra in real time. We give a brief description of the system, and show some examples of electrical and mechanical resonance experiments that are supported by the system. The theoretical background, experimental set-up, component selection and digital signal processing are all discussed, and more detailed information (building instructions, software download) is provided on a dedicated web page (www.noise.inf.u-szeged.hu/edudev/RealTimeAnalysisOfResonances/). The experimental set-up can support the undergraduate and graduate education of students of physics, physics education and engineering by means of experimental demonstrations and laboratory exercises. The very low cost, high efficiency and transparent system provides a scalable experimental environment that can be easily built in several instances.

Airway dynamics in COPD patients by within-breath impedance tracking: effects of continuous positive airway pressure

Tracking of the within-breath changes of respiratory mechanics using the forced oscillation technique may provide outcomes that characterise the dynamic behaviour of the airways during normal breathing. We measured respiratory resistance (Rrs) and reactance (Xrs) at 8 Hz in 55 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and 20 healthy controls, and evaluated Rrs and Xrs as functions of gas flow (V′) and volume (V) during normal breathing cycles. In 12 COPD patients, additional measurements were made at continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) levels of 4, 8, 14 and 20 hPa. The Rrs and Xrs versus V′ and V relationships displayed a variety of loop patterns, allowing characterisation of physiological and pathological processes. The main outcomes emerging from the within-breath analysis were the Xrs versus V loop area (AXV) quantifying expiratory flow limitation, and the tidal change in Xrs during inspiration (ΔXI) reflecting alteration in lung inhomogeneity in COPD. With increasing CPAP, AXV and ΔXI approached the normal ranges, although with a large variability between individuals, whereas mean Rrs remained unchanged. Within-breath tracking of Rrs and Xrs allows an improved assessment of expiratory flow limitation and functional inhomogeneity in COPD; thereby it may help identify the physiological phenotypes of COPD and determine the optimal level of respiratory support. Within-breath changes in mechanics reflect flow limitation, lung inhomogeneity and pressure support impact in COPD http://ow.ly/zjEr306bzDo

IoT framework for Fluctuation Enhanced Sensing

Today, Internet of Things (IoT) is an important and very popular technical and research area, as IoT systems provide opportunity to continuously monitor our environment in a cost-effective way. One really important parameter is the quality of the air since it significantly influences comfort and health. Fluctuation Enhanced Sensing (FES) is a promising method to increase the selectivity and sensitivity of the sensors, however, most of the current implementations are not optimized for energy efficient embedded systems. In our current publication we will present a complete wireless sensor node system based on Wi-Fi communication. We describe in detail how can the data processing be shared between the sensor nodes and the server in order to provide a highly reliable and responsive system while minimizing energy consumption. We believe that the framework we built is a significant step that makes it possible for fluctuation based sensing methods to be used in everyday life. Beyond gas sensing, our method can be used in further noise diagnostic based applications and seamlessly fits into the concept of IoT.