Frontiers in medical technology最新文献

{"title":"Mamba-enhanced codebook learning with anatomical constraints for liver and tumor segmentation in 3D CT volumes.","authors":"Yanfei Teng, Xiang Li, Zhenpeng Chen, Shunlin Guo","doi":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1708094","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1708094","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Precise delineation of the liver and its tumors in 3D CT scans plays a vital role in clinical diagnosis and therapeutic planning. However, current deep learning approaches frequently struggle with tumor heterogeneity, varying lesion sizes, and ambiguous boundaries, which can limit their effectiveness. To address these issues, we propose an end-to-end hierarchical network that effectively integrates multi-scale context modeling, global relational learning, and structured feature representation. First, a multi-scale texture encoder is designed to capture tumor characteristics across different spatial resolutions. To model long-range dependencies across slices, we introduce a global relational representation module built upon the emerging Mamba architecture, enabling efficient and directional context aggregation in 3D volumes. Second, to enhance feature compactness and stability, we propose a learnable codebook module that quantizes high-dimensional features into a finite set of semantic prototypes, promoting discriminative representation learning while suppressing redundancy. Furthermore, anatomical prior knowledge-specifically, the spatial constraint that tumors must reside within the liver-is incorporated via an inclusion loss, which explicitly regularizes the segmentation outputs. Comprehensive experiments on the public LiTS dataset show that our method attains state-of-the-art results, surpassing existing methods in Dice score, volumetric overlap error (VOE), and boundary metrics (ASD and 95HD). Ablation analyses confirm the individual contribution of each module, demonstrating the architecture's effectiveness for accurate and reliable liver and tumor segmentation.</p>","PeriodicalId":94015,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in medical technology","volume":"8 ","pages":"1708094"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13039022/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147611058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction: Making the invisible visible: integrated visualization and automated quantification of thrombus deformation during mechanical thrombectomy.","authors":"Marielle Ernst, Felizitas Sommer, Michael Bartl, Christian H Riedel, Philip Langer","doi":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1799255","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1799255","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmedt.2026.1704010.].</p>","PeriodicalId":94015,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in medical technology","volume":"8 ","pages":"1799255"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13036793/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147597254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Structure and legibility of informed consent for clinical practice in Ecuador.","authors":"Cristina Elisabeth Urgilés-Barahona, Xavier Astudillo-Romero, Gloria Carrión, Diego Gómez-Correa, Weneper Rojas, Alfonsina Benavides","doi":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1774341","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1774341","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Informed consent is an essential process in healthcare. It is a right endorsed by the Universal Declaration of Bioethics and Human Rights and allows people to make free and informed decisions about their health. The structure of the informed consent forms is evaluated in accordance with the regulations established in the Management Model for the Application of Informed Consent in Health Care in Ecuador.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. The assessment instruments were developed based on current national regulations. A total of 482 informed consent forms from 62 health institutions in the country were evaluated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compliance with the structure established by national regulations is heterogeneous, ranging from 74.46% to 94.87%. Although these values suggest a relatively high level of adherence, they are insufficient to ensure fully informed decision-making that guarantees both patient autonomy and safety. Readability was 45.23%, which made it difficult to understand properly.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Informed consent in the Ecuadorian context presents deficiencies in compliance with its structure, which compromises its completeness, and a significant gap in its legibility, which compromises informed decision-making and limits the exercise of patient-centred medical practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":94015,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in medical technology","volume":"8 ","pages":"1774341"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13013494/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147523305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Feasibility and safety of electrohydraulic acoustic therapy for treatment of hypertension in patients with chronic kidney disease.","authors":"Aleksandra Kukla, Alex Slutzker, Alexandra Perez Alterman, Petar Veruovic, Michael Glikson, Shuli Silberman, Amir Lerman, Lilach O Lerman, Talya Wolak","doi":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1735319","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1735319","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Uncontrolled hypertension is common in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Electro-hydraulic acoustic therapy (eHAT) is a non-invasive treatment that may lower blood pressure (BP), but its safety and efficacy in CKD remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate eHAT's feasibility and safety in this population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this single-arm, prospective, single-center proof-of-concept study, CKD patients received six eHAT treatments over three weeks. BP was assessed in-office (attended and unattended) at baseline and at 4-, 12-, 24-, and 48-weeks post-treatment. Ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) was performed at baseline, 12, and 48 weeks. The primary endpoint was change in systolic office BP (OBP) from baseline to 12 weeks. Secondary endpoints included additional BP measurements, kidney function, and safety.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fifteen patients completed all follow-ups. At 12 weeks, mean systolic OBP decreased by 9.73 mmHg (SD 14.77; <i>p</i> = 0.0032) and remained significantly lower at 24 weeks (-7.67 mmHg; <i>p</i> = 0.0335) and 48 weeks (-19.40 mmHg; <i>p</i> < 0.0001). Diastolic OBP reductions were significant at 12 (<i>p</i> = 0.0413) and 48 weeks (<i>p</i> = 0.0022). By 12 weeks, 26% of participants reduced the number or dose of antihypertensive medications. Kidney function remained stable throughout. No safety signals were detected.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our study highlights the feasibility and tolerability of eHAT in patients with CKD and HTN. Nonetheless, due to the small sample size and lack of a control group, these findings should be considered preliminary.</p>","PeriodicalId":94015,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in medical technology","volume":"8 ","pages":"1735319"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12992220/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147482878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and kinetic evaluation of vitamin C-loaded contact lenses prepared by a simple soaking technique.","authors":"Novan Rifky Lutfhyansyah, Haider Butt","doi":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1759039","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1759039","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Conventional ocular drug delivery systems are often limited by low bioavailability and short residence times at the ocular surface, motivating the development of alternative delivery platforms. In this study, vitamin C-loaded contact lenses were prepared using a simple soaking technique and systematically evaluated. Two commercial lenses, Senofilcon A and Hilafilcon B, were immersed in vitamin C solutions, and their loading efficiency, release kinetics, stability, water content, and oxygen permeability were investigated. Vitamin C release was quantified using UV-Vis spectrometry and analyzed using zero-order, first-order, Higuchi, and Korsmeyer-Peppas models. Hilafilcon B exhibited higher vitamin C loading and cumulative release (∼14 µg/mL) than Senofilcon A (∼10 µg/mL), consistent with its higher hydrophilicity and equilibrium water content (∼56% compared to ∼29%). Kinetic analysis indicated that the vitamin C release from both lenses was best described by the Korsmeyer-Peppas model (Hilafilcon B, <i>n</i> = 0.610; Senofilcon A, <i>n</i> = 0.783), suggesting anomalous transport behavior. Vitamin C stability was strongly influenced by storage conditions, with refrigerated storage improving stability, while UV exposure accelerated degradation. Overall, these findings demonstrate that vitamin C incorporation via soaking provides a straightforward approach for developing antioxidant-loaded contact lenses with potential relevance for ocular drug delivery.</p>","PeriodicalId":94015,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in medical technology","volume":"8 ","pages":"1759039"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12979516/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147470604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fostering equity in precision health through diverse 3D facial data.","authors":"Saumya Jamuar, Richard Palmer, Zi Qiang Teo, Stuart Lee, Petra Helmholz, Shermaine Chan, Gareth Baynam","doi":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1717535","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1717535","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The promise of precision medicine lies in its ability to provide greater diagnostic accuracy and customized therapy by filtering out patients less likely to benefit from it. Our study focuses on the importance of reducing uncertainty in interpretation of individuals 3D facial data to support more equitable precision medicine applications. The Human Genome Project and subsequent advances in sequencing have led to the creation of vast genetic datasets, predominantly representing individuals of European origin. However, there is a significant underrepresentation of individuals of African, Asian, and Indigenous ancestries.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study involved 1,218 participants from various genetic ancestries backgrounds, with a focus on the paediatric population of Chinese genetic ancestry. The study subjects underwent 3D facial photogrammetry in outpatient department setting and with the aid of Cliniface software growth curves were obtained to produce reference statistics of 3D facial norms.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results showed measurable and distinct facial differences in children with Chinese genetic ancestry when compared with other groups representing different genetic ancestries highlighting the need for population diversity and inclusion enrichment in genetic databases. Also, these facial differences and markers are uniquely poised to be correlated in clinic as disease specific digital biomarkers with further investigation and validation in conditions such as hereditary angioedema.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The study underscores the importance of creating larger datasets involving more diverse genetic ancestry groups to enhance the evidence base for advanced and equitable disease diagnosis, treatment monitoring, prognostication and customized drug development.</p>","PeriodicalId":94015,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in medical technology","volume":"8 ","pages":"1717535"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12960132/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147380255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early and accelerated access programs for medical devices in the European Union: mapping regulatory derogations and national schemes.","authors":"Baptiste Haon, Mira Hartmann, Sanae Akodad, Hilde Stevens, Lise Rochaix","doi":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1729631","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1729631","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Early access programs (EAPs) can provide patients with medical devices before full market access in urgent or high unmet-need situations. Unlike pharmaceuticals, the European Union (EU) has no harmonised early-access framework for medical devices, resulting in fragmented national practices. We use <i>EAP</i> as an umbrella term for two overlapping categories with distinct objectives: (1) <i>early access in the strict sense</i>, authorising exceptional pre-market use under defined conditions; and (2) <i>accelerated access</i>, aiming to shorten time to routine access by streamlining regulatory, reimbursement, or evidence-generation pathways. We map and compare these mechanisms across the 27 EU Member States (MS).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a qualitative document-based analysis of peer-reviewed literature, grey literature (policy papers, regulatory guidance), and legal sources (EU legislation, national laws) published up to June 2025. We searched PubMed and Google Scholar, consulted Eur-Lex, and reviewed national competent authority websites. Search terms (English and local languages, then translated) combined \"medical device\" with \"early access,\" \"accelerated access,\" \"compassionate use,\" and \"derogation,\" plus \"EU\" or MS names. Documents were included if they described mechanisms enabling early use of medical devices. We synthesised and compared key program characteristics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified early and accelerated access pathways at EU level and within MS. EU law provides derogations from CE-marking requirements, notably Article 59 of the EU Medical Device Regulation (EU MDR), allowing national authorisation of non-CE-marked devices in exceptional circumstances. The EU MDR also enables the use of custom-made devices and certain in-house manufactured devices by health institutions without full CE marking. Nationally, at least half of MS operate compassionate or expanded access schemes for devices, and some implement reimbursement or evidence-development mechanisms (e.g., France's <i>forfait innovation</i>) to support early use while generating decision-relevant data.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Early access to medical devices in Europe relies on EU regulatory derogations and heterogeneous national schemes. The landscape remains fragmented and unevenly documented. We recommend: (1) a more structured EU-level route for high-risk and combination products, (2) lifecycle-based national schemes integrating regulatory and payer access, (3) measures to reduce inequities and administrative barriers, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, and (4) improved transparency and standardised data collection on implemented pathways.</p>","PeriodicalId":94015,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in medical technology","volume":"8 ","pages":"1729631"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12946103/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147328660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From basic biology to engineered therapies: the keratinocyte stem cell playbook.","authors":"Adnan Uddin, Mohamad Rahmani, Abdulrahim Sajini","doi":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1763067","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmedt.2026.1763067","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Keratinocyte stem cells (KSCs) are the principal drivers of epidermal renewal, barrier maintenance, and wound repair. Their ability to alternate between self-renewal and differentiation is orchestrated by tightly integrated extrinsic and intrinsic programs that ensure tissue stability while enabling rapid regeneration after injury. This review synthesizes current understanding of KSC homeostasis through a unified framework of three interdependent \"fate locks\"-the identity switch (ΔNp63 ↔ Notch/IRF6-KLF4/GRHL3/OVOL), the cell-cycle lock (E2F/MYC ↔ p21/p27-RB), and the mechanotransduction lock (YAP/TAZ ↔ Hippo/LATS). We summarize how niche-derived cues-integrins/ECM, EGFR, Wnt, Notch, Ca² ⁺/CaSR, and TGF-<i>β</i>-interface with intrinsic timers such as asymmetric division, DNMT1-UHRF1-mediated epigenetic memory, the DNA-damage response, proteostasis/autophagy, and redox signaling to steer keratinocyte fate. Building on this biological foundation, we categorize current methods for isolation and xeno-free expansion of primary human keratinocytes, emphasizing advances in defined media, feeder-free substrates, and biomimetic culture surfaces. We further review 3D and organotypic models, hydrogel-based delivery systems, and the growing portfolio of keratinocyte-derived clinical products used in wound healing. Finally, we highlight emerging applications extending beyond cutaneous repair-including immunomodulation, pigment restoration, ocular and mucosal regeneration, and acellular exosome-based therapeutics.</p>","PeriodicalId":94015,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in medical technology","volume":"8 ","pages":"1763067"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12920450/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147273007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anthropometry and diagnostic aware deep learning for exercise assessment.","authors":"Karla Miriam Reyes Leiva, Pavla Nikelova, Martin Cerny","doi":"10.3389/fmedt.2025.1725661","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmedt.2025.1725661","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Correct technique during strength exercises such as squats and Romanian deadlifts (RDLs) is fundamental for performance and injury prevention.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We introduce ADA (Anthropometry and Diagnostic Aware), a multimodal deep-learning framework that integrates IMU kinematics with anthropometric and diagnostic features to classify movement quality and predict movement related risk.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Seventeen-sensor IMU data were collected from 15 healthy subjects performing correct and incorrect squat and RDL trials. A CNN-LSTM branch processed kinematic sequences and a fully connected branch processed static anthropometric/diagnostic inputs; feature fusion used attention weighting.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Incorporating anthropometry and diagnostic context increased sequence-level accuracy from 86.5% (kinematics only) to 94.8% (ADA) and enabled binary risk prediction at 97.8%. Personalized (transfer learning) fine tuning further improved accuracies (mean gains 3%-5% depending on window length).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>ADA demonstrates that subject-specific static features improve movement quality classification and risk stratification, supporting wearable-based personalized feedback in training and rehabilitation.</p>","PeriodicalId":94015,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in medical technology","volume":"7 ","pages":"1725661"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12920488/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147272966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drug-loaded nanoparticles reduced platelet aggregation and blood coagulation.","authors":"Sarah Majin, Afrida Malik, Pratima Poudel, E Vincent S Faustino, Nubia Zuverza-Mena, John Hwa, Seyedtaghi Takyar, Susan Shea, Kagya A Amoako","doi":"10.3389/fmedt.2025.1690389","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmedt.2025.1690389","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Surface-induced thrombosis remains a significant limitation of blood-contacting medical devices, driven primarily by platelet activation and rapid clot formation. Nitric oxide (NO), a potent endogenous antiplatelet agent, has therefore inspired the development of targeted NO-delivery strategies to mitigate device-associated thrombosis. In this study, nitric oxide-releasing antiplatelet lipid nanoparticles (anti-PLT LNPs) were formulated and characterized for their physicochemical properties and NO-release kinetics. Their platelet aggregation inhibition was evaluated in vitro, while mammalian cell biocompatibility and effects on whole-blood coagulation were evaluated using activated clotting time (ACT) measurements. Anti-PLT LNPs exhibited sustained and measurable NO release after 22 weeks of storage and demonstrated high mammalian cell biocompatibility. The nanoparticles inhibited platelet aggregation by up to 84.4% (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and significantly prolonged whole-blood clotting time, resulting in up to a threefold increase in ACT (<i>p</i> < 0.05). These findings indicate that NO-releasing anti-PLT LNPs effectively suppress platelet activation and coagulation while maintaining biocompatibility, offering a customizable and targeted approach to mitigate surface-induced thrombosis in blood-contacting medical devices.</p>","PeriodicalId":94015,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in medical technology","volume":"7 ","pages":"1690389"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12913426/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146228659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}