Kaunas University of Technology

Scientists have revealed that low-frequency ultrasound influences blood parameters. The findings suggest that ultrasound's effect on haemoglobin can improve oxygen's transfer from the lungs to bodily tissues. The research was undertaken on 300 blood samples collected from 42 pulmonary patients. Research conducted by a team of scientists from Kaunas universities, Lithuania, revealed that low-frequency ultrasound influences blood parameters. The findings suggest that ultrasound's effect on haemoglobin can improve oxygen's transfer from the lungs to bodily tissues. The research was undertaken on 300 blood samples collected from 42 pulmonary patients. The samples were exposed to six different low-frequency ultrasound modes at the Institute of Mechatronics of Kaunas University of Technology (KTU). The changes in 20 blood parameters were registered using the blood analysing equipment at the laboratories of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU). For the prediction of ultrasound exposure, artificial intelligence, i.e. analysis of variance (ANOVA), non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis method and machine learning algorithms were applied. The calculations were made at the KTU Artificial Intelligence Centre. The use of non-pharmaceutical treatment improves oxygen circulation and reduces blood pressure KTU professors Vytautas Ostasevicius and Vytautas Jurenas say that the ongoing research papers are related to blood platelet aggregation. The research of the KTU team revealed that the ultrasound's impact on blood parameters is not limited to the platelet count -- it also affects red blood cells (RBC), which can result in better oxygen circulation and lowered blood pressure. "During exposure to low-frequency ultrasound, aggregated RBCs are dissociated into single RBCs, whose haemoglobin molecules interact with oxygen over the entire surface area of RBCs, which is larger than that of aggregated RBCs and improves oxygen saturation in blood. The number of dissociated single RBCs per unit volume of blood decreases due to the spaces between them, compared to aggregates, which reduces blood viscosity and affects blood pressure," explains Prof Ostasevicius, the Head of KTU Institute of Mechatronics. The scientists claim that the effect of ultrasound on the haemoglobin in RBCs was higher than its impact on platelet aggregation, which is responsible for blood clotting. Their findings have been supported by an additional analysis made at the LSMU Laboratory of Molecular Cardiology. "This means that low-frequency ultrasound can be potentially used for improving oxygen saturation in lungs for pulmonary hypertension patients. Keeping in mind the recent COVID-19 pandemic, we see a huge potential in exploring the possibilities of our technology further," says Prof Ostasevicius. Partnership between medical and engineering scientists In medicine, high-frequency ultrasound from 2 to 12 MHz is used for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. "Acoustic waves emitted by high-frequency ultrasound have a limited penetration depth into the body, so external tissues are more affected by high-frequency ultrasound than internal organs. Low-frequency ultrasound acoustic waves, penetrate deeper into the internal organs with a more uniform sound pressure distribution," explains Prof Jurenas. There are numerous applications for ultrasound in medical settings. "For example, focused ultrasonic waves are used to break kidney stones, and to kill cancer cells. Maybe ultrasound can be used to activate certain medications. Or, to alleviate the delivery of antibiotics to the inflamed areas?" says Prof J?r?nas. The technology used in the above-described study is only one illustration of many successful working partnerships between engineers and physicians. For example, just recently, the researchers of KTU Institute of Mechatronics have created the frame for immobilising the Gamma Knife radiosurgery patients at the Clinics of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. "We believe, that using the know-how of different areas one can achieve greater results," say KTU researchers about interinstitutional and interdisciplinary cooperation.

Scientists provide additional evidence that intracranial pressure plays an important role in normal-tension glaucoma, which accounts for up to 50 per cent of all glaucoma cases. A recent clinical study demonstrates that low intracranial pressure correlates with impaired patient visibility, especially in the nasal zone. An international team of researchers led by Lithuanian scientists provide additional evidence that intracranial pressure plays an important role in normal-tension glaucoma, which accounts for up to 50 per cent of all glaucoma cases. A recent clinical study demonstrates that low intracranial pressure correlates with impaired patient visibility, especially in the nasal zone. Glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness for people over the age of 60, is caused by optic nerve damage. Often, increased pressure inside the eye (called intraocular pressure or IOP) is detected in glaucoma patients. However, not all people with ocular hypertension develop glaucoma. Moreover, glaucoma can develop in cases of normal IOP. A so-called normal tension glaucoma (NTG) prevalence among patients in the global population ranges from 30 to 90 per cent according to different studies. "Contemporary medicine has methods to treat elevated eye pressure and to slow or even stop the damage to the optic nerve. However, these methods do not work in the case of normal tension glaucoma. There is a growing awareness among the scientific community, that glaucoma is a condition caused by two pressures -- inside the eye and the skull," says professor Arminas Ragauskas from Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania. Ragauskas, the Head of the Health Telematics Science Institute at KTU, is the inventor of the non-invasive intracranial pressure measurement technology, used in the study described below. He goes on to explain that anatomically, the optic nerve is connected to the brain, and is surrounded by the cerebrospinal fluid. Both intracranial pressure (ICT), which is pressure inside our skull, measured in the cerebrospinal fluid, and intraocular pressure (IOP) can affect the condition of the optic nerve. Recently, researchers have focused on the balance between the two pressures, i.e. translaminar pressure difference (TPD) and its connection to glaucoma development. A clinical study revealed possible links between brain pressure and glaucoma 80 early-stage normal tension glaucoma (NTG) patients were enrolled in a recent study conducted by researchers from Lithuanian, Israeli and American universities. The subjects were selected from the 300 NTG patients referred to the Eye Clinic at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences between January and October 2018. Several measurements including intraocular (IOP), intracranial pressures (ICP), and visual field perimetry were recorded during the study. The translaminar pressure difference (TPD) was calculated according to the formula TPD = IOP -- ICP. The visual field was divided into five zones: nasal, temporal, peripheral, central, and paracentral. The study revealed several statistically significant correlations between intracranial pressure, TPD, and visual field changes. The higher the TPD, the more significant damages to the patient's visual field were registered. The most significant visual field losses occurred in the nasal zone. "Visual field loss means only one thing -- a person is becoming blind. That's why it is so important to understand the causes of this condition and to reverse it. We are all aware of the dire outcome," says Prof Ragauskas. Researchers conclude that higher TPD could be estimated as a risk factor for the negative development of normal tension glaucoma. As translaminar pressure difference is calculated by subtracting ICP from IOP, the lower the intracranial pressure measure, the higher the TPD. Thus, in normal-tension glaucoma, lowered intracranial pressure is a possible risk factor. Technology invented in Lithuania used in the study "The idea that brain pressure is related to the visual field is not new. Several years ago, we conducted a series of experiments studying the links between visual field and intracranial pressure, using the non-invasive technology developed here, at KTU. In the conferences that followed, I saw how our new idea was met with excitement by the international community of ophthalmologists," says Prof Ragauskas. Intracranial pressure's correlation with glaucoma opens new avenues for medical professionals to research the reason and possible treatment of this pathology. Also, in recent years, evidence supporting this hypothesis poured in from science groups working around the world. Prof Ragauskas says that his research has, directly and indirectly, contributed to the growing pool of data on the topic. In the above-described study, the intracranial pressure measurement was obtained via a two-depth Transcranial Doppler (Vittamed UAB, Lithuania) developed by Prof Ragauskas' team at the Kaunas University of Technology labs. Unlike the usual intracranial pressure measuring procedure, which involves the drilling of a small-sized hole into the patient's skull, Prof Ragauskas' invention allows measuring brain pressure non-invasively through the eye using ultrasound. Various industrial applications of the invention were patented in the US and Europe. "We are not competing with invasive methods, but heading towards an entirely new direction. At the moment, I see that ophthalmology is the field where our technology is needed most, and we are using it for research purposes. However, we are constantly developing our invention and have recently patented a couple of new applications, which might be used in other contexts where measuring intracranial pressure is crucial. For example, in long-term space missions," says KTU professor Ragauskas.

Parkinson’s disease remains one of the most dreaded neurodegenerative disorders to affect the human race. An early diagnosis of the disease can be quite challenging, but a new study has revealed one symptom that can help spot the disease in its early stages: a change in speech. A recent study by researchers from Kaunas University of Technology reports that alteration in speech can be an indicator used in the early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. They also report that despite these alterations being hard to detect by the human ear, with the right tools and systems in place, they can be picked up on. Parkinson’s is often regarded as the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, right behind Alzheimer’s disease, affecting over 10 million people worldwide. It affects the central nervous system, particularly the motor system, and manifests as unintended and uncontrollable movements like hand tremors, muscle stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. To diagnose Parkinson’s, a neurological examination and a proper physical examination to detect the signs and symptoms of the disease are required. The authors believe that this system of diagnosis only detects the condition when in a more advanced stage and for this reason, they developed a new system to detect the disease a little earlier. They do caution, however, that their system isn’t ready to replace the routine system just yet. “We are not creating a substitute for a routine examination of the patient – our method is designed to facilitate early diagnosis of the disease and to track the effectiveness of treatment,” says Rytis Maskeliūnas, a researcher at Kaunas University of Technology, Faculty of Informatics and lead author of the study. Study Methodology The study was based on distinguishing between the speech patterns of healthy individuals and individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. 104 participants without Parkinson’s and 61 participants diagnosed with Parkinson’s provided voice samples of a balanced Lithuanian sentence in a soundproof room. Artificial intelligence was then used to analyze speech signals and patterns of both groups of participants. Results Upon comparison, participants with early-stage Parkinson’s spoke in a quieter, monotonous, and less expressive manner compared to healthy participants. Their speech was also observed to be more fragmented. The results also report these changes to speech being difficult to detect by the human ear, particularly in the early stages. As the disease advances, however, speech becomes more impaired as stuttering becomes more pronounced as well as slurred pronunciation of words and the loss of pauses between words. “So far, our approach is able to distinguish Parkinson’s from healthy people using a speech sample. This algorithm is also more accurate than previously proposed,” explains Kipras Pribuišis, lecturer at the Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences faculty of medicine. Although premature at this point as more data will be required for more definitive results, a system of diagnosis like this one would have unimaginable impacts on the management of Parkinson’s. With early diagnosis comes early intervention which would better help manage the neurological disease.