Suélia de Siqueira Rodrigues Fleury Rosa

A system for treatment of diabetic foot ulcers using led irradiation and natural latex

Introduction: We developed and tested a new system for inducing the healing of diabetic foot ulcers. The system relies on the regenerative properties of its two components: an insole with a sheet of natural latex and a device that contains a matrix of light emitting diodes with wavelength of 635 nm. Methods The electronic and latex based devices were developed, and a four weeks test was performed in one control group (CG) of five ulcers and one experimental group (EG) of eight ulcers. The CG was treated with a standard approach, based on a silver-releasing foam dressing, and the EG was treated with the system under test. For each ulcer, an index for quantifying the percentage ulcer recovery, named CRU(%), has been calculated; a CRU(%) = 0% means no healing, and a CRU(%) = 100% means total healing. Results There were statistically significant increases of CRU(%) of 51.8% (p = 0.022), for the CG, and of 78.4% (p < 0.001), for the EG. The increase in the EG was higher than the increase in the CG, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The results showed that the proposed method had, for these particular sets of ulcers, faster healing rates, than for the standard method. Conclusion The results hint that the proposed method seems promising as a future treatment method. However, the technique must undergo further testing before it can be considered for extensive clinical applications.

Robustness analysis of an air heating plant and control law by using polynomial chaos

This paper presents a robustness analysis of an air heating plant with a multivariable closed-loop control law by using the polynomial chaos methodology (MPC). The plant consists of a PVC tube with a fan in the air input (that forces the air through the tube) and a mass flux sensor in the output. A heating resistance warms the air as it flows inside the tube, and a thermo-couple sensor measures the air temperature. The plant has thus two inputs (the fans rotation intensity and heat generated by the resistance, both measured in percent of the maximum value) and two outputs (air temperature and air mass flux, also in percent of the maximal value). The mathematical model is obtained by System Identification techniques. The mass flux sensor, which is nonlinear, is linearized and the delays in the transfer functions are properly approximated by non-minimum phase transfer functions. The resulting model is transformed to a state-space model, which is used for control design purposes. The multivariable robust co...

Prosthesis for Flow Control in the Esophagus as a New Technique for the Treatment of Obesity

© 2012 Rosa et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Prosthesis for Flow Control in the Esophagus as a New Technique for the Treatment of Obesity

Development of radiofrequency ablation device for surgical hepatocellular carcinoma treatment in agreement with Brazilian standards

Introduction: Many studies have been carried out on the main causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to identify suitable diagnosis methods and treatments to combat the disease. However, high equipment costs and the lack of hepatic-ablation technologies manufactured in Brazil encourage the design and implementation of a solution based on normative principles. Methods: The analysis and description of equipment features were the first steps in defining the design requirements and constraints. Equipment functionalities were evaluated with three assays set by NBR-IEC 60601-2-2. Results: The assays of output control adjustment accuracy, output control adjustment monotonicity, and signal quality evaluation using the crest factor (CF) for the equipment showed thresholds superior to the aforementioned standard. Conclusion: State-of-the-art studies have contributed the equipment construction. The construction process was validated by assays to ensure the equipment functionality with raw materials at acceptable costs. The test results showed the superiority of the equipment in relation to the assays proposed by the standard NBR-IEC 60601-2-2. However, to convert the prototype into a commercial product, other analyses are necessary.

Algoritmo de Busca em Vizinhança Variável para Determinação de Controle Otimizado para a População de Aedes aegypti

O controle populacional do mosquito Aedes aegypti na fase aquatica e uma pratica comum no Brasil. Agentes sanitarios removem criadouros dos mosquitos e/ou aplicam larvicidas em varios locais das cidades. Mas estas praticas, alem de muito caras para os orgaos de vigilância sanitaria, sao muitas vezes realizadas de forma insuficiente. Portanto, neste trabalho propomos um modelo de otimizacao multiobjetivo visando determinar estrategias otimizadas para o controle do mosquito, visando utilizar o minimo possivel de controle aquatico e que manter a populacao de mosquitos em um nivel minimo. Para resolucao deste modelo foi proposto um algoritmo heuristico baseado em busca em vizinhanca variavel (VNS-Variable neighborhood search). Ao final sao apresentadas simulacoes computacionais.

Infusion Pump: Bond Graph Mathematical Modeling for Blood Pressure Control

This article presents a proposal for a mathematical modeling based on Bond Graph (BG) technique to simulate a continuous infusion pump. It presents a mathematical model that controls the infusion of medication to control the Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP), in which there should be a linear pattern and a very small error range in order to obtain the effectiveness of the procedure. For this, it uses dynamic modern control techniques knowledge of the mechanical parameters, for analyzing the pressure data and process control via an electronically controlled infusion pump. This study has two objectives: i) identification of the mathematical model of the infusion procedure by a bomb and ii) Fuzzy Controller. The contribution of this study is to present the mathematical model, with refinements based on prior knowledge of the phenomena involved and dynamic control analysis of the mathematical model with the use of fuzzy control.

Análise do deslocamento do bolo alimentar: comparação entre o esôfago saudável e modelo de megaesôfago chagásico

Objective: to study the dynamics of the human esophagus behavior when affected by Chagas disease. Methods: a mass-spring-damper model was proposed to model the food through the esophagus during peristaltic action. After that, parameters were recalculated to simulate a chagasic megaesophagus. Results: the velocity and displacement curves from both models were analyzed and the dynamic differences between the healthy organ and the ill one, identified. According to the results obtained, the food displacement in a chagasic megaesophagus type II (3 centimeters dilated) is just 11.84% of the displacement in a healthy esophagus. Conclusion: Chagas disease generates a velocity close to zero and a high dampering in the downwards curve of the bolus whose displacement cannot return to its initial state, due to aperistalses, which proves the food bolus retention. With the introduction of the proposed organic control system, an approximation of the curves that remained with dynamic behavior close to the model of the healthy organ was obtained, minimizing the retention of the food.

Development of remote monitoring system for biomedical equipment

Introduction: Videolaparoscopy is an effective technique to access the body cavities. This technique maintains a minimal invasive impact in relation to other surgical procedures. However, in order to accomplish this technique it is necessary to have trained health professionals and an appropriate, robust set of equipment. The objective of this article is to present and describe a remote monitoring system which was developed to monitor and assistance precision biomedical equipment, such as the ones used for videolaparoscopy. This monitoring system, VERA, implements a collaborative methodology between health professionals and equipment maintenance professionals. The system was designed using the 3C model to provide the collaborative characteristics. Moreover, the development and implementation used web technologies. Throughout this process, modeling of the VERA system included conceptual and technical methods such as wireframes, site map and user interaction modeling. The VERA system allowed a collaborative work environment for the technical assistance team (for maintenance purposes) and the health professional responsible for the videolaparoscopy. The steps developed so far reveal that the system developed through the 3C model contributes to the creation of a collaborative environment in the remote monitoring of videolaparoscopic medical equipment. This, in turn, allows the technical assistance team to carry out diagnostic and maintenance with celerity, making it possible to ensure precise and efficient procedures in the Brazilian Unified Health System.

An approach of the exact linearization techniques to analysis of population dynamics of the mosquito Aedes aegypti

Dengue fever, chikungunya and zika are caused by different viruses and mainly transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. These diseases have received special attention of public health officials due to the large number of infected people in tropical and subtropical countries and the possible sequels that those diseases can cause. In severe cases, the infection can have devastating effects, affecting the central nervous system, muscles, brain and respiratory system, often resulting in death. Vaccines against these diseases are still under development and, therefore, current studies are focused on the treatment of diseases and vector (mosquito) control. This work focuses on this last topic, and presents the analysis of a mathematical model describing the population dynamics of Aedes aegypti, as well as present the design of a control law for the mosquito population (vector control) via exact linearization techniques and optimal control. This control strategy optimizes the use of resources for vector control, and focuses on the aquatic stage of the mosquito life. Theoretical and computational results are also presented.

Characterization of Natural Latex Membranes: A Proposal for Amblyopia Treatment

The ophthalmic dysfunction amblyopia, commonly known as lazy eye, is characterized by decreased vision in one eye due to improper development in childhood. The aim of this study was to obtain and characterize natural rubber membranes and to assess their utility as an eye film capable of altering the passage of light. The latex membranes were produced using the Van Gogh method and the deposition technique and were analyzed by physical and chemical methods to determine the properties of latex natural rubber membranes that were heat-treated at 40‑70°C. The membranes were characterized an all of them have been tested using different equipment for the physical and chemical analysis of the biomaterials. We report here a new approach to the treatment of patients with amblyopia using latex membranes.