Tracing the Flu Symptom Progression via a Smart Face Mask.

Respiration and body temperature are largely influenced by the highly contagious influenza virus, which poses persistent global public health challenges. Here, we present a wireless all-in-one sensory face mask (WISE mask) made of ultrasensitive fibrous temperature sensors. The WISE mask shows exceptional thermosensitivity, excellent breathability, and wearing comfort. It offers highly sensitive body temperature monitoring and respiratory detection capabilities. Capitalizing on the advances in the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, the WISE mask is further demonstrated by customized flexible circuitry, deep learning algorithms, and a user-friendly interface to continuously recognize the abnormalities of both the respiration and body temperature. The WISE mask represents a compelling approach to tracing flu symptom progression in a cost-effective and convenient manner, serving as a powerful solution for personalized health monitoring and point-of-care systems in the face of ongoing influenza-related public health concerns.

Comparison of a 2.7-mm and 3.5-mm locking compression plate for ulnar fractures: a biomechanical evaluation.

Objectives: Implant prominence after ulnar fracture fixation may be mitigated by the use of lower profile plates. The biomechanical strength and stability of 2.7-mm and 3.5-mm locking compression plates for fixation were compared. Methods: Two fracture conditions, transverse (N = 10) and oblique (N = 10), were evaluated in an in vitro study. Half of the specimens for each condition were fixed with 2.7-mm plates and the other half with 3.5-mm plates, all fixed with conventional dynamic compression mechanisms. Specimens were loaded under ±2 Nm of cyclic axial torsion, then under 10 Nm of cyclic cantilever bending, and bending to failure. Interfragmentary motion and strain were analyzed to determine construct stability as a function of fracture pattern and plate size. Results: Interfragmentary motion was significantly larger in all constructs fixed with 2.7-mm plates, compared with 3.5-mm plates (P < 0.01). The 2.7-mm constructs with transverse fractures had the greatest motion, ranging between 5° and 10° under axial rotation and 5.0-6.0 mm under bending. Motions were the lowest for 3.5-mm constructs with oblique fractures, ranging between 3.2 and 4.2 mm under bending and 2°-3.5° for axial rotation. For oblique fractures, the bending moment at ultimate failure was 31.4 ± 3.6 Nm for the 2.7-mm constructs and 10.0 ± 1.9 Nm for 3.5-mm constructs (P < 0.01). Similarly, for transverse fractures, the bending moment was 17.9 ± 4.0 Nm for the 2.7-mm constructs and 9.7 ± 1.3 Nm for the 3.5-mm constructs (P < 0.01). Conclusions: Although 3.5-mm plates were more effective at reducing fracture motion, they were consistently associated with refracture at the distal-most screw hole under load to failure. By contrast, 2.7-mm plates plastically deformed despite excessive loads, potentially avoiding a subsequent fracture. Level of Evidence: Level V.

Learning Hand Kinematics for Parkinson's Disease Assessment Using a Multimodal Sensor Glove.

Hand dysfunctions in Parkinson's disease include rigidity, muscle weakness, and tremor, which can severely affect the patient's daily life. Herein, a multimodal sensor glove is developed for quantifying the severity of Parkinson's disease symptoms in patients' hands while assessing the hands' multifunctionality. Toward signal processing, various algorithms are used to quantify and analyze each signal: Exponentially Weighted Average algorithm and Kalman filter are used to filter out noise, normalization to process bending signals, K-Means Cluster Analysis to classify muscle strength grades, and Back Propagation Neural Network to identify and classify tremor signals with an accuracy of 95.83%. Given the compelling features, the flexibility, muscle strength, and stability assessed by the glove and the clinical observations are proved to be highly consistent with Kappa values of 0.833, 0.867, and 0.937, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficients obtained by reliability evaluation experiments for the three assessments are greater than 0.9, indicating that the system is reliable. The glove can be applied to assist in formulating targeted rehabilitation treatments and improve hand recovery efficiency.