Portable Infrared-Based Glucometer Reinforced with Fuzzy Logic

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic condition characterized by high blood glucose levels owing to decreased insulin production or sensitivity. Current diagnostic approaches for gestational diabetes entail intrusive blood tests, which are painful and impractical for regular monitoring. Additionally, typical blood glucose monitoring systems are restricted in their measurement frequency and need finger pricks for blood samples. This research study focuses on the development of a non-invasive, real-time glucose monitoring method based on the detection of glucose in human tears and finger blood using mid-infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The proposed solution combines a fuzzy logic-based calibration mechanism with an IR sensor and Arduino controller. This calibration technique increases the accuracy of non-invasive glucose testing based on MID absorbance in fingertips and human tears. The data demonstrate that our device has high accuracy and reliability, with an error rate of less than 3%, according to the EGA. Out of 360 measurements, 97.5% fell into zone A, 2.2% into zone B, and 0.3% into zone C of the Clarke Error Grid. This suggests that our device can give clinically precise and acceptable estimates of blood glucose levels without inflicting any harm or discomfort on the user.

Passive Articulated and Non-Articulated Ankle-Foot Orthoses for Gait Rehabilitation: A Narrative Review

The aim of this work was to study the different types of passive articulated and non-articulated ankle-foot orthoses for gait rehabilitation in terms of working principles, control mechanisms, features, and limitations, along with the recent clinical trials on AFOs. An additional aim was to categorize them to help engineers and orthotists to develop novel designs based on this research. Based on selected keywords and their composition, a search was performed on the ISI Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, Scopus, and PubMed databases from 1990 to 2022. Forty-two studies met the eligibility criteria, which highlighted the commonly used types and recent development of passive articulated and non-articulated ankle-foot orthoses for foot drop. Orthotists and engineers may benefit from the information obtained from this review article by enhancing their understanding of the challenges in developing an AFO that meets all the requirements in terms of ease of use, freedom of movement, and high performance at a relatively low cost.

Biomechanical Assessment of Endodontically Treated Molars Restored by Endocrowns Made from Different CAD/CAM Materials

The aim of this study was to evaluate the deflection and stress distribution in endodontically treated molars restored by endocrowns from different materials available for the computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technique using three-dimensional finite element analysis. The models represented extensively damaged molars restored by endocrowns from the following materials: translucent zirconia; zirconia-reinforced glass ceramic; lithium disilicate glass ceramic; polymer-infiltrated ceramic network (PICN) and resin nanoceramic. Axial and oblique loadings were applied and the resulting stress distribution and deflection were analyzed. The Mohr-Coulomb (MC) ratio was also calculated in all models. The translucent zirconia endocrown showed the highest stress concentration within it and the least stress in dental structures. The resin nanoceramic model was associated with the greatest stress concentration in dental tissues, followed by the PICN model. Stress was also concentrated in the distal region of the cement layer. The MC ratio in the cement was higher than 1 in the resin nanoceramic model. Oblique loading caused higher stresses in all components and greater displacement than axial loading, whatever the material of the endocrown was. The translucent zirconia model recorded deflections of enamel and dentin (38.4 µm and 35.7 µm, respectively), while resin nanoceramic showed the highest stress concentration and displacement in the tooth-endocrown complex.