Thursday, 5 December 2013

Applied Engineering

The debate over whether Medical applications are more useful or Engineering
applications has been silenced by the Applied Engineering applications
in Medical Science.
The X-ray machine causes the x-rays to pass through the body and the resulting
image is able to help diagnose the ailment. The accelerated electrons when
decelerated by collision with the body emit electromagnetic waves that are imaged.
The ECG or the electrocardiogram machine  helps in detecting cardiovascular
disease. The voltage between electrodes attached to the body is plotted as ECG
waves and analyzed.
The CT scan or Computed Tomography machine sends a fan of photons through
the body and the resulting attenuation of the beams is measured in the form of
ionizing radiation. It is useful in patient contour and allows  in homogeneities .
The MRI or magneto resonance imaging machine uses strong magnetic fields
and radio waves to form images to study the anatomy of the  body.
The Ultrasonography machine uses sound echo in the form of reverse piezoelectric
effect and the resulting electric field helps in the study of organs.
The Infrared imaging machine uses infrared waves to form images of the body.
The Color Doppler machine helps visualize the blood flow in the heart.
The color coded Doppler information creates a 2D image.
 Positron emission tomography (PET) is a functional imaging technique that produces a
three-dimensional image of functional processes in the body. The system detects pairs of gamma rays emitted indirectly by a positron-emitting radionuclide (tracer), which is introduced into the body on a biologically active molecule.
In photo-acoustic imaging, non-ionizing laser pulses are delivered into biological tissues (when radio frequency pulses are used, the technology is referred to as thermoacoustic imaging). Some of the delivered energy will be absorbed and converted into heat, leading to transient thermoelastic expansion and thus wideband (e.g. MHz) ultrasonic emission. The generated ultrasonic waves are then detected by ultrasonic transducers to form images.
Fluorescence microscopy is an ideal technique for examining fixed and living specimen. Using the phenomenon that certain materials emit energy detectable as visible light when excited with the light of a specific wavelength, fluorescence imaging allows for the selective and specific detection of molecules at small concentrations with a good signal-to-noise ratio.
Upconversion fluorescence imaging technique with excitation in the near-infrared (NIR) region has been used for imaging of biological cells and tissues. This has several advantages, including absence of photo-damage to living organisms, very low auto-fluorescence, high detection sensitivity, and high light penetration depth in biological tissues
Cerenkov luminescence imaging is an emerging imaging modality, similar to bio-luminescence imaging, that captures
visible photons emitted by Cherenkov radiation.
...These breakthroughs in science are wonderful interfacing between
Medical Science and Engineering and one wants more...