Publicēti raksti (ASI) / Published Articles
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Browsing Publicēti raksti (ASI) / Published Articles by Author "Cugmas, Blaž"
Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- ItemBiophotonics in veterinary medicine: the first steps toward clinical translation(SPIE, 2019-02-20) Cugmas, Blaž; Spīgulis, JānisIn this paper, we analyzed the current situation and the potential of biophotonics and biomedical optics in veterinary medicine. Promising optical techniques such as optical coherence tomography, pulse oximeter, and hyperspectral imaging have been clinically translated into human medicine. But even though human and small animal medicine share personalized and state-of-the-art approach, biophotonics remains rarely exploited in the canine and feline medicine. However, there are some biophotonics studies in veterinary oncology which addressed tumor diagnosis (skin and subcutaneous tumors), prognosis (lymphoma), and therapy (clear surgical margins). Visible and near-infrared spectroscopy served for measuring various physiological parameters related to circulation, and photobiomodulation therapy was often used for the management of wounds, skin conditions, and orthopedic problems. In the research, the most popular clinically translated technique is thermography which was applied for the diagnosis of orthopedic problems and diseases as infections and hyperthyroidism. The future optical devices for small animals such as dogs and cats should be robust and resilient to damage (e.g., due to biting, chewing), offering user-friendly and short measurements. In veterinary oncology, biophotonics could replace invasive fine-needle aspiration procedure. The potential of a pulse oximeter for pet monitoring has yet to be explored. What is more, photobiomodulation efficiency should be tested in an extensive clinical (in vivo) study. The technique would be very beneficial in dentistry which currently requires expensive and risky anesthesia.
- ItemChallenges in automated estimation of capillary refill time in dogs(SPIE, 2018-02-20) Cugmas, Blaž; Spīgulis, JānisCapillary refill time (CRT) is a part of the cardiorespiratory examination in dogs. Changes in CRT can reflect pathological conditions like shock or anemia. Visual CRT estimation has low repeatability; therefore, optical systems for automated estimation have recently appeared. Since existing systems are unsuitable for use in dogs, we designed a simple, small and portable device, which could be easily used at veterinary clinic. The device was preliminarily tested on several measurement sites in two dogs. Not all measurement sites were suitable for CRT measurements due to underlying tissue optical and mechanical properties. The CRT measurements were possible on the labial mucosa, above the sternum and on the digit where CRT was in the range of values, retrieved from the color video of the visual CRT measurement. It seems that light penetration predominantly governs tissue optical response when the pressure is applied. Therefore, it is important to select a proper light, which reaches only superficial capillaries and does not penetrate deeper. Blue or green light is probably suitable for light skin or mucosa, on the other hand, red or near-infrared might be used for skin with pigmented or thick epidermis. Additionally, further improvements of the device design are considered, like adding a calibrated spring, which would insure application of consistent pressure.
- ItemClinical evaluation of automated capillary refill time estimation in dogs and cats(SPIE, 2019-02-26) Cugmas, Blaž; Štruc, Eva; Spīgulis, JānisIn this study, we clinically evaluated a pulse oximeter-based device for automated capillary refill time (CRT) estimation in dogs and cats. CRT can reveal conditions like shock or anemia in dogs and cats. However, visual CRT estimation has low repeatability, and the available optical systems for automated estimation are not suitable for pets. We evaluated a custom-made portable CRT measuring device on various measurement sites of 12 dogs and 11 cats with parallel visual CRT estimation on the gum by treating veterinarian. The capillary refill was also recorded by a video camera for reference. The visual and video procedures were moderately correlated with the coefficient of 0.61; visual CRT values were on average for 0.18 s longer than the reference. On average, ~32% of measurements with the proposed device were successful. The rest failed due to excessive pigmentation, motion artifacts, and other pressure-induced effects. The measurement sites of the metacarpal pad, digit, and tail were moderately correlated with the reference values with coefficients of 0.53, 0.58, and 0.42, respectively.
- ItemColor constancy in dermatoscopy with smartphone(SPIE, 2017-12-07) Cugmas, Blaž; Pernuš, Franjo; Likar, BoštjanThe recent spread of cheap dermatoscopes for smartphones can empower patients to acquire images of skin lesions on their own and send them to dermatologists. Since images are acquired by different smartphone cameras under unique illumination conditions, the variability in colors is expected. Therefore, the mobile dermatoscopic systems should be calibrated in order to ensure the color constancy in skin images. In this study, we have tested a dermatoscope DermLite DL1 basic, attached to Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone. Under the controlled conditions, jpeg images of standard color patches were acquired and a model between an unknown device-dependent RGB and a device independent Lab color space has been built. Results showed that median and the best color error was 7.77 and 3.94, respectively. Results are in the range of a human eye detection capability (color error ≈ 4) and video and printing industry standards (color error is expected to be between 5 and 6). It can be concluded that a calibrated smartphone dermatoscope can provide sufficient color constancy and can serve as an interesting opportunity to bring dermatologists closer to the patients.
- ItemPhotoplethysmography in dogs and cats: a selection of alternative measurement sites for a pet monitor(IOP Publishing, 2019-01-22) Cugmas, Blaž; Štruc, Eva; Spīgulis, JānisObjective: Photoplethysmography (PPG) is an increasingly popular health and well-being tool for monitoring heart rate and oxygen saturation. Due to the pigmentation and hairiness of dogs and cats, a pulse oximeter is routinely placed solely on the tongue. As this approach is feasible only for pet monitor use during surgical procedures, we investigate PPG signal quality on several other measurement sites that would be better tolerated by conscious animals. Approach: Acquired PPG signals are analyzed by four signal quality indices: mean baseline, signal power, kurtosis, and tolerance score. Main results: In dogs, the metacarpus and tail can be substituted for oral pulse oximeter placement since both measurement sites exhibited high PPG signal kurtosis and were considered well-tolerated. In cats, the digit could be used with some limitations. Significance: Pet monitors with pulse oximeter probes adjusted to promising measurement sites could enable veterinarians and owners to monitor animals when fully awake.
- ItemPoor optical stability of molecular dyes when used as absorbers in water-based tissue-simulating phantoms(SPIE, 2019-02-27) Cugmas, Blaž; Naglič, Peter; Menachery, Sunil Paul Matthew; Pernuš, Franjo; Likar, BoštjanBiomedical optical systems and models can be easily validated by the use of tissue-simulating phantoms. They can consist of water-based turbid media which often include inks (India ink and molecular dyes) as absorbers. Optical stability of commonly exploited inks under the influence of light, pH changes and the addition of TiO2 and surfactant, was studied. We found that the exposure to ultraviolet and visible light can crucially affect the absorption properties of molecular dyes. On average, absorption peaks decreased by 47.3% in 150 exposure hours. Furthermore, dilution can affect ink’s pH and by that, its decay rate under light exposure. When TiO2 was added to the phantoms, all molecular dyes decayed rapidly. Photocatalytic nature of TiO2 can be partially avoided by selecting TiO2 with surface and crystal structure modification. Surfactant, normally present in the phantoms with polystyrene spheres, can cause absorption peak shifts up to 20 nm and amplitude changes of 29.6%. Therefore, it is crucial to test the optical stability of inks in the presented manner before their exploitation in water-based phantoms.
- ItemSkimager for the objective erythema estimation in atopic dogs(International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), 2020-02-19) Cugmas, Blaž; Olivry, Thierry; Olivrī, Alla; Spīgulis, JānisIn this study, the severity of canine skin erythema was assessed objectively for the first time. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common canine inflammatory and pruritic skin disease associated with an allergic reaction to exogenous allergens. The monitoring of skin erythema over time with lesion severity scales like the CADESI-4 is an essential diagnostic and research tool, especially for clinical trials. Currently, the erythema assessment is subjective due to visual estimation. In our study, we calculated the erythema index (EI) in 14 atopic dogs based on the analysis of multispectral skin images taken with the Skimager device. The relationship between the EI and a visual erythema estimation was modeled by linear regression with the first-order polynomial. The coefficient of determination (r squared) reached 0.81. Based on such high correlation, we conclude that optical measurements could replace the visual estimation of erythema in atopic dogs and, thus, improve the validity of skin lesion severity scales in dogs.