Among a variety of existing modalities for noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS), low-intensity pulsed transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is a promising technique to precisely stimulate deep brain structures due to its high spatial specificity and superior penetration depth. While tFUS is gaining momentum as an emerging NIBS technique, an advisable biosafety-associated combination of sonication parameters including duty cycle and power input remains to be explored. In this study, biosafety of low-intensity pulsed tFUS using various sonication parameters was evaluated by measuring acoustic intensities and temperature variations across a piece of real human skull. The results showed that ISPTA above 480 mW/cm^2 is likely to induce an excessive temperature rise for a sonication duration of 160 seconds. Also, the skull base effect and ultrasound transducer self-heating effect should be noted during the sonication. Based on the findings in this study, an initial biosafety guide was discussed for the future investigation of ultrasound-mediated NIBS.
Blood pressure is recognized as an important sign for managing hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. It is thus important and essential to continuously monitor blood pressure in our daily life. In this study, a novel flexible piezo-composite ultrasonic transducer is reported for continuous blood pressure monitoring in radial artery. The flexible transducer is theoretical designed and fabricated by using PZT-5H/PDMS 1-3 composite. The performance of blood pressure monitoring is characterized, which is based on detecting blood vessel diameter variations in the cardiac cycle.
The aim of this research study is to develop a flexible ultrasound transducer capable of determining the blood volume flow. Currently, there are a few different methods of measuring fluid flow inside a vessel using ultrasound. In Doppler shift and time transit flowmeters, a wedge has been used to mount a piezoelectric transducer in order to create a known angle between the direction of fluid flow and the direction of generated wave propagation. In general, the flat nature of piezoelectric transducers has restricted the application of this method to mounting surfaces with known geometry. However, in a recent study, a flexible piezo-composite ultrasonic transducer was developed using PZT-5H and a passive polymer matrix (PDMS). Due to the flexibility of this unique transducer, it can be mounted on surfaces of unknown and varying geometry. In the context of measuring the blood flow rate in a human vessel, the transducer can be integrated into a wearable device capable of determining the orientation and position of the vessel’s path using wave time of flight. In this article, we measured a flow speed using the flexible transducer embedded on a curved surface of a tissue-mimicking material, in which water flows through an artificial flow vessel aligned in a known angular direction. Then, the velocity of the flowing medium in the vessel is estimated by using the Doppler shift method. The experimental results will provide the fundamental background for application of the flexible transducer to the wearable device capable of measuring the blood flow and the pressure.
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