Annals of Biomedical Engineering最新文献

{"title":"CBCT Dose Is Reduced with Angular Tube Current Modulation While Maintaining Image Quality and Reducing Photon Starvation Artifacts.","authors":"Tero Hyvärinen, Samuel Onnela, Timo Liimatainen, Sampo Ylisiurua, Jyri-Johan Paakki, Jyri Järvinen, Michaela K Bode, Miro-Pekka Jussila, Veli-Pekka Riekki, Matti Hanni, Mikael Brix","doi":"10.1007/s10439-026-04354-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-026-04354-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study evaluated whether scout-derived angular tube current modulation (ATCM) in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) can reduce radiation dose while preserving image quality. ATCM is routine in helical CT but remains absent from clinical CBCT and is largely unexplored in the literature.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A projection-based intensity-dependent noise model was developed using polymethyl methacrylate slab measurements at 80-120 kV. Posterior-anterior and lateral scout views were used to derive angle-dependent elliptical attenuation estimates and to derive per-angle current-time product profiles. ATCM was emulated using projection data acquired with a clinical CBCT system and tested using anthropomorphic phantoms and a uniform water phantom. Dose-area product (DAP), effective dose based on Monte Carlo calculations, image noise magnitude, and noise texture were compared between modulated and unmodulated reconstructions. Image quality was subjectively evaluated by five board-certified radiologists using blinded paired preference scoring (60 paired reads; 12 pairs × 5 radiologists).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>ATCM reduced DAP by up to 17% and effective dose by up to 20%, while maintaining image quality and noise texture, with improved reader preference in specific protocols. Modulated reconstructions showed reduced photon starvation artifacts in high-attenuation projection views and improved delineation of thoracic vertebra in selected protocols. Radiologists preferred ATCM in 60% of paired comparisons, most consistently for torso and jaw protocols (80 and 60% of paired comparisons, respectively).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Scout-derived ATCM for CBCT enables dose reduction while maintaining image quality, with improved reader preference in specific protocols, and reduced artifacts.</p>","PeriodicalId":7986,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Biomedical Engineering","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148886269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High Embolic Risk with Orbital Atherectomy for Calcified Peripheral Artery Disease.","authors":"Rail Gilyazov, Barbara Batista de Oliveira, Maksim Glushkov, Paul Deegan, Jason MacTaggart, Alexey Kamenskiy","doi":"10.1007/s10439-026-04370-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-026-04370-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Orbital atherectomy (OA) is used to treat heavily calcified peripheral arterial lesions, aiming to improve vessel compliance and reduce the need for high-pressure angioplasty and stenting. However, clinical data raise concerns regarding distal embolization, vessel injury, and uncertain long-term benefit. This study aimed to evaluate biomechanical and embolic effects of OA in calcified human femoropopliteal arteries (FPAs).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>OA was studied in 10 human FPAs with advanced atherosclerosis and calcification. A pulsatile flow loop approximated FPA hemodynamics. Sequential OA and balloon angioplasty (BA) were performed, followed by μCT to quantify luminal changes. Pressure and flow sensors assessed translesional pressure gradients and flow. Embolic burden was captured via 100 μm filters and quantified using image analysis. Arterial pulsatility was evaluated using duplex ultrasound and optical imaging.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>OA and BA produced additive luminal gains (0.409 mL) but frequently caused dissections. OA generated substantial embolic debris (mean area 0.386 ± 1.654 mm²), with 90% of arteries releasing fragments ≥ 1 mm and 10% > 5 mm. BA added smaller debris (0.143 ± 0.361 mm²). Translesional pressure gradients decreased in 40% of arteries, showed no improvement in 50%, and worsened in 10%. Net flow improved in 40% of arteries and was unchanged or decreased in 60%. Inner diameter (ID) pulsatility increased from 1.5 ± 0.7% to 2.3 ± 0.5%, while outer diameter pulsatility remained unchanged.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>OA improves lumen volume and ID-based pulsatility but consistently produces large emboli and vessel wall injury. These findings provide mechanistic support for the high embolic complication rates and mixed long-term clinical outcomes, emphasizing the importance of embolic protection and careful patient selection.</p>","PeriodicalId":7986,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Biomedical Engineering","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148886279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Translational Study of Using FOCM/TS Metabolites for Supporting Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis.","authors":"Halil Arici, Marie Causey, Soma Patra, Uwe Kruger, Cristopher Antonio Villegas Uribe, Raun Melmed, Craig Ciuk, Sophia Crisler, Sarah Marler, Allyson Witters-Cundiff, Sanjeev Bhadresa, John Slattery, Juergen Hahn","doi":"10.1007/s10439-026-04365-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-026-04365-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Several clinical trial studies have shown correlations between certain physiological measurements and an ASD diagnosis. Such findings, however, have generally not resulted in tangible progress toward practical translation due to a number of factors which this work seeks to address.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This paper presents a double-blind case/control trial design in which metabolic profiles, collected at two developmental pediatric clinics, were collected from children on a diagnostic waitlist for the purpose of developing a blood-based test for ASD. Besides obtaining blood samples, the children underwent gold-standard clinical evaluations, including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL), and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS). The analysis, together with a complete medical history and physical exam, allowed confirmation or ruling out of suspected ASD using DSM-5 criteria. The study was based on a cohort of 140 children between the ages of 18 and 60 months that were referred to a developmental pediatrician because of concerns in their development.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>114 of these children received an ASD diagnosis, while 26 were diagnosed with non-ASD-related developmental delays. Based on the measured metabolites, artificial intelligence-based classification algorithms allowed for an over 80% accuracy in predicting whether a sample came from a child diagnosed with ASD or not.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>While these results need to be replicated in a larger study, especially involving more children with non-ASD-related developmental delays, this work uses physiological measurements, coupled with AI, to support ASD diagnoses in a clinically relevant setting. The clinical trial that was part of this work was registered on clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04672967 and was entitled the Metabolic Autism Prediction (MAP) Study. The study was IRB approved by the Biomedical Research Alliance of New York (BRANY) IRB on August 12, 2021 (approval number: A21-10-282-888).</p>","PeriodicalId":7986,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Biomedical Engineering","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148886211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of a Sol-Gel Zirconia-Silver Coating for Titanium Implants: Assessing Biocompatibility, Osseointegration, and Enhanced Short-Term Antibacterial Efficacy.","authors":"Silvia Brogini, Francesco Paduano, Daniele Bellavia, Roberta Ruggiero, Agnese D'Agostino, Matteo Pavarini, Nina Bono, Roberto Chiesa, Marco Tatullo, Gianluca Giavaresi","doi":"10.1007/s10439-026-04350-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-026-04350-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Implant-associated infections remain a major cause of failure in titanium-based orthopedic devices, often compromising long-term clinical outcomes and necessitating revision surgeries. Surface modification strategies that provide antibacterial protection while preserving osseointegration are therefore highly desirable. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a multifunctional titanium surface capable of preventing bacterial colonization without impairing biological integration.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A titanium surface was engineered using sol-gel technology incorporating silver nanoparticles (Solgel_Ti). Antibacterial performance was assessed through microbiological analyses against Staphylococcus aureus, a clinically relevant pathogen in orthopedic implant infections. In vitro biological safety was evaluated by cytocompatibility assays and Ames's mutagenicity test. The in vivo performance of the coating was investigated using a rat femoral implantation model, with implants analyzed after 90 days through histological and histomorphometric assessments to quantify bone-to-implant contact and new bone formation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Solgel_Ti demonstrated a significant short-term antibacterial effect against S. aureus when compared with uncoated titanium controls. In vitro analyses confirmed a high biological safety profile, showing excellent cytocompatibility and no evidence of mutagenic activity. In vivo evaluations revealed that Solgel_Ti-coated implants supported effective osseointegration, with bone-to-implant contact and new bone formation comparable to those observed for unmodified titanium. No adverse tissue reactions or signs of impaired bone healing were detected.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings indicate that Solgel_Ti represents a promising dual-functional surface modification strategy that successfully combines antibacterial activity with preserved osseointegration. This approach offers a viable pathway for the development of safe, infection-resistant orthopedic implants with long-term clinical potential.</p>","PeriodicalId":7986,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Biomedical Engineering","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148879032","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predicting Craniospinal Surgery in Pediatric Achondroplasia: Benchmarking Statistical Inference and Explainable AI Under Rare-Disease Constraints.","authors":"Seifollah Gholampour, Jesse Huang, Dylan Keusch, Carolina Lopes, Aseel Masarwy, James Obayashi, Marcella Ruppert-Gomez, Christina M Sayama, Lissa C Baird, Moise Danielpour, David F Bauer","doi":"10.1007/s10439-026-04352-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-026-04352-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To develop a framework that benchmarks penalized statistical inference against explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) methods for predicting cranial and spinal surgical need in pediatric achondroplasia under small-cohort, class-imbalanced, and phenotypically heterogeneous conditions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed 34 clinical, demographic, and imaging variables in a multicenter cohort (four U.S. hospitals) of 150 pediatric patients with achondroplasia. We benchmarked penalized statistical inference (ridge regression and generalized additive models [GAMs]) against nine cost-sensitive classifiers, and applied post hoc SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) to interpret the best-performing classifier.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The stacked ensemble achieved superior test-set performance (accuracy and macro-F1 = 0.77) with stable generalization and significantly higher discrimination than the GAM baseline (cranial AUROC 0.78 vs. 0.68; spinal AUROC 0.76 vs. 0.66). Calibration was acceptable, and decision curve analysis showed positive net benefit across relevant thresholds for both outcomes. SHAP highlighted class-specific drivers: foramen magnum (FM) stenosis, hydrocephalus, family history, frontal bossing, sleep disturbance, and age for cranial surgery, and spinal stenosis, Chiari malformation, family history, back pain, FM stenosis, and age for spinal surgery. SHAP dependence patterns suggested context-dependent age attributions in relation to FM or spinal stenosis, rather than a consistent standalone age effect. Several SHAP-highlighted predictors (e.g., sleep disturbance, back pain, and age) were nonsignificant in the inferential baselines. Kaplan-Meier curves indicated earlier intervention in high-risk phenotypes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In a reproducible dual-stream benchmark, XAI improved discrimination over conventional inference by capturing clinically contextualized, complex nonlinear predictive dependencies and interactions associated with cranial and spinal surgical risk in achondroplasia using preoperative variables.</p>","PeriodicalId":7986,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Biomedical Engineering","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148879004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrated Study of the Distal Femur Biphasic Plate: Exploring In Vivo, In Vitro, and In Silico Methodologies.","authors":"Annchristin Andres, Kerstin Wickert, Michael Roland, Marcel Orth, Benedikt Braun, Tina Histing, Stefan Diebels, Tim Pohlemann","doi":"10.1007/s10439-026-04357-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-026-04357-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>An emerging concept for plate fixation of fractured bones in humans changed from absolute stability through relative stability to a new concept of a predefined range of elastic movement with mechanical amplitude limitation (\"Biphasic Plate,\" 41 medical, Bettlach, Switzerland). As this represents a novel implant design, only a few studies have investigated it so far, particularly with respect to human cadaveric specimens and in vivo patient-specific cases. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the biphasic behavior using in vitro, in silico, and in vivo methodologies concerning stress distributions under realistic boundary conditions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To test this, an implantable in vivo strain measurement system (\"Fracture Monitor,\" AO Foundation, Davos Switzerland) and a camera system are employed for experimental data acquisition, while patient monitoring captures actual boundary conditions during daily activities. Finite element simulations are performed on patient-specific 3D models generated from computed tomography imaging, allowing for detailed stress analysis. These simulations are validated through experiments on human cadaveric specimens in a custom-designed test rig by investigating the specific behavior of the biphasic plate with its two different modes (rigid and flexible).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Under axial loading, the stresses are distributed centrally; while in patient-specific cases, the stress pattern changes markedly, with maximum stresses concentrating along the lateral side of the plate.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>By the chosen biomechanical testing setup, the in silico simulations could be validated, demonstrating the ability to accurately replicate the postulated motion sequence of the biphasic plate. This iteration emphasizes both validation and reproducibility as the key outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":7986,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Biomedical Engineering","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148879018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Above-Knee Amputees' Balance and Recovery Strategies After Mediolateral Perturbations from a Cable-Driven System.","authors":"Andrew J Gunnell, Owen Winship, Adrienne E Williams, Rosemarie Murray, Gregory J Stoddard, Lukas Gabert, Tommaso Lenzi","doi":"10.1007/s10439-026-04355-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-026-04355-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aims to analyze the balance responses and foot placement strategies of above-knee amputees following controlled mediolateral perturbations and to compare these responses with those of non-amputee individuals.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We recruited eight above-knee amputees and eight non-amputee participants to walk on an instrumented treadmill while a cable-driven system delivered mediolateral perturbations to the waist. We applied perturbations at three gait timings (heel strike, late swing, and late single support), two directions (prosthesis and sound side, left and right for non-amputees), and two force magnitudes (7.5 and 15% of body weight), for a total of twelve conditions. We applied each condition once per trial and recorded five trials. We randomized the order and timing of perturbations within each trial and recorded full-body motion capture to quantify balance and recovery behavior.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Above-knee amputees fell 16 times when pulled toward their sound side and 29 times when pulled toward their prosthesis side, whereas non-amputee participants never fell. Instability increased for both groups with higher perturbation magnitudes and later gait timings. Amputees showed significantly greater instability than non-amputees during late single support and high-force pulls. Their recovery strategies also diverged during late single support, varying by pull direction. The recovery time and number of steps required to regain balance depended on both direction and magnitude.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Above-knee amputees demonstrated distinct recovery strategies and greater instability than non-amputee participants. These findings highlight the need for advancements in assistive technology to improve balance and reduce fall risk for above-knee amputees.</p>","PeriodicalId":7986,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Biomedical Engineering","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148879024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characterizing Tumor Cell Movement in Partial Differential Equation Models of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Receiving Neoadjuvant Therapy.","authors":"Casey E Stowers, Chengyue Wu, Guillermo Lorenzo, David A Hormuth, Clinton Yam, Jingfei Ma, Gaiane M Rauch, Thomas E Yankeelov","doi":"10.1007/s10439-026-04348-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-026-04348-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Approximately half of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients attain a complete response to neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). Thus, methods to predict and optimize NAT response are essential to improving patient outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Previously, mathematical models with a reaction term describing cell growth and death and a diffusion term describing cell invasion have accurately forecasted NAT response but have had limited flexibly in capturing cell movement. We investigate the relative contributions of reaction, diffusion, and advection terms in predicting TNBC response to NAT. We compare a reaction-only model to three models capturing cell movement using advection and diffusion terms that can be coupled to tissue mechanics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>When compared to a reaction-only model, the reaction-diffusion model did not improve calibration or prediction accuracy for tumor volume or cell count. For example, the median absolute difference between the predicted and measured percent change in tumor volume across the cohort was 9.1% for both models. While computationally burdensome, the reaction-diffusion-advection model provided significantly (p < 0.05) more accurate calibrations and offered a small (e.g., 4-5% reduction in tumor volume error), but not significant, improvement in predictive accuracy for non-responding patients.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These results suggest (i) a reaction-only model can provide fast predictions with equivalent accuracy to a reaction-diffusion model but cannot characterize an expanding tumor and (ii) the reaction-diffusion-advection model is the most accurate but is computationally burdensome. These insights could inform computational methods balancing the efficiency of the reaction-only model with the accuracy of the reaction-diffusion-advection model to guide clinical NAT decisions.</p>","PeriodicalId":7986,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Biomedical Engineering","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148872732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Ethics of Prompting Large Language Models in Academic Publishing.","authors":"Timothy Daly, Jaime A Teixeira da Silva","doi":"10.1007/s10439-026-04356-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-026-04356-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Here, we build on a letter published in 2023 in this journal ( https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-023-03272-4 ) on prompt engineering for academic writing. Drawing on ethics literature, both new and old, we reflect on the prompting of large language models (LLMs) from three different moral perspectives: consequentialism (the ethics of outcomes), deontology (the ethics of duties), and virtue ethics (the ethics of character). While we recognize that human authors who prompt LLMs to derive text can simplify knowledge creation, the question becomes: are prompters equivalent to authors, and should they be rewarded as such? We push back against over-reliance on prompt engineering by arguing in favor of the craft of human draft as a task worth preserving in academia to encourage authors to retain control over published content that bears their name.</p>","PeriodicalId":7986,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Biomedical Engineering","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148863444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Non-Destructive Assessment of Dentin Composite Bond Integrity using Laser Speckle Imaging and Machine Learning Regression.","authors":"Doaa Youssef, Doaa M Sadony, Mona A Sabry, Shahinaz N Hassan, Haitham Samir","doi":"10.1007/s10439-026-04342-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-026-04342-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Accurate evaluation of dentin-composite bond integrity is essential for predicting the longevity of resin-based restorations. However, conventional mechanical testing methods are destructive and do not provide a non-destructive means of assessing early interfacial changes. Owing to the complex microstructure and heterogeneous composition of dentin, reliable non-destructive assessment remains challenging. This study proposes a novel optical-machine learning framework based on laser speckle imaging for non-destructive assessment of dentin-composite interfacial bond integrity.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Different bonding protocols involving an Au NP-modified adhesive system and laser irradiation at controlled stages of the bonding procedure were investigated to produce variations in the dentin-composite interfacial conditions. Speckle patterns were collected from the bonded interface using a 632 nm He-Ne laser and morphologically processed to extract statistical features characterizing interfacial heterogeneity. Permutation-based feature importance ranking was applied using a random forest (RF) model. The top seven ranked features were subsequently used to train support vector regression (SVR) and RF models using specimen-level measurements of shear bond strength as the reference outcome.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>SVR achieved a calibration coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.914 and a test RMSE of 0.234 MPa, while RF achieved a calibration R² of 0.919 and a test RMSE of 0.228 MPa. Both models showed strong agreement between predicted and mechanically measured shear bond strength values.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Morphological laser speckle descriptors provide a promising non-destructive approach for characterizing dentin-composite interface heterogeneity under controlled in vitro conditions, supporting the potential feasibility of laser speckle imaging as an optical predictive tool for interfacial bond integrity assessment. These encourgaing results support further investigation of the proposed approach under clinically relevant conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":7986,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Biomedical Engineering","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148863379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}