Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interfaces (RPNIs) encompass neurotized muscle grafts employed for the purpose of amplifying peripheral nerve electrical signaling. The aim of this investigation was to undertake an analysis of the extant literature concerning animal models utilized in the context of RPNIs. A systematic review of the literature of RPNI techniques in animal models was performed in line with the PRISMA statement using the MEDLINE/PubMed and Embase databases from January 1970 to September 2023. Within the compilation of one hundred and four articles employing the RPNI technique, a subset of thirty-five were conducted using animal models across six distinct institutions. The majority (91%) of these studies were performed on murine models, while the remaining (9%) were conducted employing macaque models. The most frequently employed anatomical components in the construction of the RPNIs were the common peroneal nerve and the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle. Through various histological techniques, robust neoangiogenesis and axonal regeneration were evidenced. Functionally, the RPNIs demonstrated the capability to discern, record, and amplify action potentials, a competence that exhibited commendable long-term stability. Different RPNI animal models have been replicated across different studies. Histological, neurophysiological, and functional analyses are summarized to be used in future studies.

Knee injuries are among the most common health problems in the world. They not only affect people who practice sports, but also those who lead a rather sedentary life. Factors such as age, weight, working and leisure activities can affect the health of the knees, causing disorders such as inflammation, edema, deterioration of cartilage and osteoarthritis. Although for the diagnosis and treatment of the various pathologies it is always advisable to contact orthopedists and specialized structures, it would often be useful to monitor the state of health of the knees in order to evaluate the healing (or worsening) process and the effects of sport/motion activities or rehabilitation. In this perspective, a portable knee health monitoring system was developed to be used at home or in gyms and sports environments in general. Besides requiring a simple custom front end, the system relies on a PC audio board capable of a sampling rate of 192 kHz to perform bioimpedance measurements at frequencies in excess of 50 kHz. A simple numerical calibration procedure allows to obtain high accuracy while maintaining low hardware complexity. The software developed for the operation of the system is freely available to any researcher willing to experiment with the bioimpedance measurement approach we propose, ensuring the conditions of portability and low complexity. Primary (intracellular and extracellular resistances and cell membrane capacitance) and secondary (real and imaginary parts of the total impedance) bioimpedance parameters can be obtained and analyzed through direct measurements with reference to an equivalent circuit model. The functionality of the system has been tested on nine subjects with different well-known health conditions, providing encouraging results in terms of the ability to correlate bioimpedance measurements to the health status of the knees. If proper clinical trials were to confirm our preliminary results, a system such as the one we propose could be used for fast and frequent monitoring of knee joints, thus possibly reducing the frequency at which complex and expensive medical exams, sometimes involving long waiting lists, must be performed.

This paper analyses the performance impact caused by the selection of a node to act as a switch in a PLC network using PRIME (PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution) standard. This performance is measured in terms of application data message roundtrip. Additionally, a decision algorithm is proposed in order to identify the most favorable switch, fulfilling a gap left open in the aforementioned standard. This decision is based on path cost information transmitted by the nodes. Moreover, a modification for the definition of these costs is proposed with the purpose of enhancing the algorithm's accomplishments. In order to replicate the performance of a PRIME's network, a co-simulation framework that combines Matlab and OMNeT++ has been used. This architecture allows for taking into account both physical phenomena and control and application message management. Simulated topologies emulate a general European low-voltage network. Results show that, by using the proposed algorithm and costs definitions, the overall network performance is enhanced.

PLC is gaining prominence as a solution for Smart Grid developments. However, several aspects still require further research and analysis. Among the different solutions, PRIME (PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution) standard is one of the most popular and extended implementations. This paper analyses the performance impact caused by the polling strategy utilized in an auto meter reading (AMR) process for a PRIME PLC network. In particular, the number of connections that the master node is able to manage simultaneously is studied. The time required to read all the meters in the network is utilized as performance metric. In order to replicate the performance of a PRIME's network, a co-simulation framework that combines Matlab and OMNeT++ has been used. This architecture allows to take into account both physical phenomena and control and application message management. Simulated topologies represent a general European low-voltage network. Results highlight the importance of selecting an adequate number of simultaneous connections in order to optimize the use of the channel.

The most common method used to pick up biomedical signals is through metallic electrodes coupled to the input of high-gain, low-noise amplifiers. Unfortunately, electrodes, amongst other effects, introduce an undesired contact resistance and a contact potential. The contact potential needs to be rejected since it would otherwise cause the saturation of the input stage of the amplifiers, and this is almost always obtained by inserting a simple RC high-pass filter in the input signal path. The contact resistance needs to be estimated to ensure that it does not impair correct measurements. Methods exist for estimating the contact resistance by dynamically modifying the input network configuration, but because of the presence of the input RC filter, long transients are induced any time a switch occurs between different input configurations, so that the measurement time may become unacceptably long. In this paper, we propose a new topology for a DC removal network at the input of the differential signal amplifier that results in an AC filter whose time constant can be continuously changed by means of a control voltage. As such, we can speed up the recovery from transients by setting very short time constants (during the input resistance estimation process) while maintaining the ability to obtain very low cut-in frequencies by setting a much larger time constant during actual measurements. A prototype of the system was built and tested in order to demonstrate the advantage of the approach we propose in terms of reduced measurement time.

Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring is a set of monitoring techniques that reads electrical activity generated by the nervous system structures during surgeries. In non-trivial surgeries, neurophysiologists require a significant number of electrical signals to be picked up to check the effects of the surgeon’s actions in real time or to confirm that the correct nerves are selected. As a result, cabling the patient in the operating room can become cumbersome. The proposed WIONM module solves part of the problem by converting a good part of those cables into a wireless connection that is substantially transparent to the human operator and the existing medical instrumentation.