APPLICATIONS

OF

MATHEMATICS IN MEDICAL SCIENCE

Made By:- Ashish Chotani

X-A
 INDEX

• Lithotripsy - A Medical Application of the Ellipse

• What is ellipse?
• What is lithotripsy?
• How does a lithotripter work?

• Other Applications of mathematics in Medicine

• ECG and Biosignal processing

• Predicting infectious diseases
• Biostatistics
• Bioinformatics
• Mathematical Biology or Biomathematics

• Bibiliography
 WHAT IS AN ELLIPSE?

The ellipse is a very special and practical conic section. One important property of the ellipse is
its reflective property. If you think of an ellipse as being made from a reflective material then a
light ray emitted from one focus will reflect off the ellipse and pass through the second focus.
 What is lithotripsy?
Reflective property of ellipse is not only true for light rays, but also for other forms of energy,
including shockwaves.
Shockwaves generated at one focus will reflect off the ellipse and pass through the second
focus. This characteristic, unique to the ellipse, has inspired a useful medical application. Medical
specialists have used the ellipse to create a device that effectively treats kidney stones and
gallstones. A lithotripter uses shockwaves to successfully shatter a painful kidney stone (or
gallstone) into tiny pieces that can be easily passed by the body. This process is known as
lithotripsy
 HOW DOES A LITHOTRIPTER WORK?
The lithotripter machine has a half ellipsoid shaped piece that rests opening to the
patient’s side. An ellipsoid is a three dimensional representation of an ellipse. In order for
the lithotripter to work using the reflective property of the ellipse, the patient’s stone must
be at one focus point of the ellipsoid and the shockwave generator at the other focus.

The patient is laid on the table and moved into position next to the lithotripter. Doctors
use a fluoroscopic x-ray system to maintain a visual of the stone. This allows for accurate
positioning of the stone as a focus. Because the stone is acting as one of the focus points,
it is imperative that the stone be at precisely the right distance from the focus located on
the lithotripter. This is essential in order for the shockwaves to be directed onto the stone.
• Other Applications of Mathematics in Medicine
• ECG and Biosignal processing
• Predicting infectious diseases
• Biostatistics
• Bioinformatics
• Mathematical Biology or Biomathematics
 ECG and Biosignal processing
Everyday millions of Electrocardiograms (ECGs) are recorded, a single 24h ECG contains about
100,000 heart beats. It is practically impossible that a medical doctor can look through all these
data to filter out events of diagnostic relevance. Not only would precious time be lost, in addition
there is the danger that the alertness would drop quite fast and important events would be
overlooked.

A solution is offered by software packages that support the medical doctor in ECG data analysis.
With it’s aid the essential characteristics of the ECG are revealed and the most important parts of
the data stream are highlighted.

Today mathematical methods together with the implemented software are indispensable tools for
good biosignal analysis.
Maths Can Help Us Fight Infectious Diseases
Epidemics make interesting news stories. Dramatic
headlines are often accompanied by pictures of
healthcare workers in full-body protective equipment
or laboratory researchers at microscopes.

What does not feature, however, are pictures of

the mathematicians working behind the scenes to
understand and predict how infections spread.

Mathematical models are used to create a

simplified representation of infection spread in a
population and to understand how an infection
may progress in the future. These predictions can
help us to use public health resources such as
hospital space or a vaccination programme more
effectively.

For example, knowing how many people in a

population are likely to become infected can tell
hospitals how much space and resources they will
need to allocate for treatment.
 Biostatistics

Biostatistics is the use of statistical methods to help researchers define a problem

that needs to be solved, gather data, analyze the data, draw conclusions, and
publish their results.

It is sometimes known as biometry.

Biostatisticians commonly work in the fields of medicine, public health, biology,

agriculture, and forestry. They collect data from populations and look for meaning
in the data.
Some examples of questions that biostatisticians
might refine and then investigate are:
•Does coffee reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes?

•Does a specific medication lower the LDL cholesterol level in the blood?

•Does walking improve lower body strength in seniors?

•Does the presence of a certain pesticide on produce increase the risk of cancer?

•Does a specific nutrient increase the lifespan of AIDS patients?

When we read the results of clinical trials telling us that a particular nutrient or
medication is beneficial or detrimental in some way, the conclusion has been
reached by statistical analysis.
 Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is the management and analysis of information in biology or medicine with
the aid of a computer. It's an interdisciplinary subject that requires a knowledge of
biology, math, computer science, and information technology.

Bioinformatics is often used in the fields of molecular biology and genetics. As scientists
are gathering more information about genomes and the molecules in cells,
bioinformatics is becoming increasingly important in dealing with the data. (A "genome"
is the complete genetic information of an organism.)
Computers not only store information in databases but also allow researchers around the
world to access the data that they need, such as the complicated structure of a
particular protein or the gene map for a chromosome. A "gene map" indicates where
specific genes are located on chromosomes. The data can be extremely useful. For
example, it's helping scientists to understand the processes that occur in cells during
disease.

Just as in biostatistics and epidemiology, while collecting data in bioinformatics is

important, it's not the only goal of the discipline. Interpreting the data is very important.
New math formulas and algorithms are being designed to extract meaning from the
data. An "algorithm" is the series of steps that a computer performs as it carries out its
programmed task.

People who want to work in the bioinformatics field need at least a master's degree, but
a PhD degree is preferable
 Mathematical Biology or
Biomathematics

Mathematical biology is sometimes known as biomathematics. Like bioinformatics, it's

an interdisciplinary field involving biology, math, and the use of computers.

Biomathematicians use mathematical models to explain biological phenomena. For

example, they are trying to create models that describe wound healing, tumor
behavior, the behavior of social insects, the spread of infectious diseases, and the
movement of cells.

If mathematical models are accurate, they can be used to make predictions. They
may enable us to discover things that we didn't know about a natural phenomenon.
Parameters can be altered and the results observed sooner in a mathematical model
created on a computer than when using live organisms or their cells. In some cases
the models are already useful. They should become even more helpful as we
discover further information about the phenomena that they describe and then
update the models. The continuing increase in computer abilities should be very
beneficial in both bioinformatics and mathematical biology.
 Bibliography

1. http://theconversation.com/how-maths-can-help-us-fight-
infectious-diseases-44848

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2464875/Simil
ar

3. https://www.bartleby.com/essay/The-Use-of-Mathematics-in-
the-Medical-P3CEWWZVJ

4. https://owlcation.com/stem/Careers-that-Combine-Biology-
and-Mathematics
THANK YOU