For probing deep organs of the body using electrical impedance, the conventional method is to use Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT). However, this would be a sophisticated machine and will be very expensive when a full 3D EIT is developed in the future. Furthermore, for most low income countries such expensive devices may not deliver the benefits to a large number of people. Therefore, this paper suggests the use of simpler techniques like Tetrapolar Impedance Measurement (TPIM) or Focused Impedance Method (FIM) in probing deeper organs. Following a method suggested earlier by one of the authors, this paper studies the possibility of using TPIM and FIM for the stomach. Using a simplified model of the human trunk with an embedded stomach, a finite element simulation package, COMSOL, was used to obtain transfer impedance values and percentage contribution of the stomach region in the total impedance. For this work, judicious placement of electrodes through qualitative visualizations based on point sensitivity equations and equipotential concepts were made, which showed that reasonable contribution of the stomach region is possible through the use of TPIM and FIM. The contributions were a little over 20% which is of similar order of the cross-sectional area percentage of the stomach with respect to that of the trunk. For the case where the conductivity of the stomach region was assumed about 4 times higher, the contributions increased to about 38%. Through further studies this proposed methods may contribute greatly in the study of deeper organs of the body.
Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is an important indicator of the nutritional index, particularly of children in low resource countries of the world. It is a significant anthropometric tool with simple cut-off values which is easy to implement in large scale screening measurements. A conventional MUAC device is essentially an insertion strap and has many merits over other anthropometric measurements techniques, but a lack of reproducibility in measurements is its leading problem since the measurement depends on how strongly a person pulls the strap around an arm of the subject. The aim of the present study is to minimize this reproducibility problem. For this the existing MUAC device has been modified using a short length of an elastic band to provide a constant tension while measuring, making it a Constant Tension MUAC device. Using both the MUAC devices (conventional and CT-MUAC), data were collected from seven subjects by 70 observers (10 observers measuring one subject). Statistical analyses showed that the CT-MUAC device gives a significant improvement with less variability over the conventional device. Thus, the new CT-MUAC device has the potential for improved detection of malnutrition throughout the world. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Physics Vol.11 No.1 2018 P 26-37
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