High-Performance Hydrogel Sensors Enabled Multimodal and Accurate Human-Machine Interaction System for Active Rehabilitation.

Human-machine interaction (HMI) technology shows an important application prospect in rehabilitation medicine, but it is greatly limited by the unsatisfactory recognition accuracy and wearing comfort. Here, this work develops a fully flexible, conformable, and functionalized multimodal HMI interface consisting of hydrogel-based sensors and a self-designed flexible printed circuit board. Thanks to the component regulation and structural design of the hydrogel, both electromyogram (EMG) and forcemyography (FMG) signals can be collected accurately and stably, so that they are later decoded with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI). Compared with traditional multichannel EMG signals, the multimodal human-machine interaction method based on the combination of EMG and FMG signals significantly improves the efficiency of human-machine interaction by increasing the information entropy of the interaction signals. The decoding accuracy of the interaction signals from only two channels for different gestures reaches 91.28%. The resulting AI-powered active rehabilitation system can control a pneumatic robotic glove to assist stroke patients in completing movements according to the recognized human motion intention. Moreover, this HMI interface is further generalized and applied to other remote sensing platforms, such as manipulators, intelligent cars, and drones, paving the way for the design of future intelligent robot systems.

Design of stretchable and self-powered sensing device for portable and remote trace biomarkers detection.

Timely and remote biomarker detection is highly desired in personalized medicine and health protection but presents great challenges in the devices reported so far. Here, we present a cost-effective, flexible and self-powered sensing device for H2S biomarker analysis in various application scenarios based on the structure of galvanic cells. The sensing mechanism is attributed to the change in electrode potential resulting from the chemical adsorption of gas molecules on the electrode surfaces. Intrinsically stretchable organohydrogels are used as solid-state electrolytes to enable stable and long-term operation of devices under stretching deformation or in various environments. The resulting open-circuit sensing device exhibits high sensitivity, low detection limit, and excellent selectivity for H2S. Its application in the non-invasive halitosis diagnosis and identification of meat spoilage is demonstrated, emerging great commercial value in portable medical electronics and food security. A wireless sensory system has also been developed for remote H2S monitoring with the participation of Bluetooth and cloud technologies. This work breaks through the shortcomings in the traditional chemiresistive sensors, offering a direction and theoretical foundation for designing wearable sensors catering to other stimulus detection requirements.

Functionalized Hydrogel-Based Wearable Gas and Humidity Sensors.

Breathing is an inherent human activity; however, the composition of the air we inhale and gas exhale remains unknown to us. To address this, wearable vapor sensors can help people monitor air composition in real time to avoid underlying risks, and for the early detection and treatment of diseases for home healthcare. Hydrogels with three-dimensional polymer networks and large amounts of water molecules are naturally flexible and stretchable. Functionalized hydrogels are intrinsically conductive, self-healing, self-adhesive, biocompatible, and room-temperature sensitive. Compared with traditional rigid vapor sensors, hydrogel-based gas and humidity sensors can directly fit human skin or clothing, and are more suitable for real-time monitoring of personal health and safety. In this review, current studies on hydrogel-based vapor sensors are investigated. The required properties and optimization methods of wearable hydrogel-based sensors are introduced. Subsequently, existing reports on the response mechanisms of hydrogel-based gas and humidity sensors are summarized. Related works on hydrogel-based vapor sensors for their application in personal health and safety monitoring are presented. Moreover, the potential of hydrogels in the field of vapor sensing is elucidated. Finally, the current research status, challenges, and future trends of hydrogel gas/humidity sensing are discussed.

Ultrahigh-response hydrogen sensor based on PdO/NiO co-doped In2O3 nanotubes.

Hydrogen can be regarded as an ideal type of secondary energy considering its potential for achieving renewable and sustainable development due to water being its sole combustion product and its possible production by solar energy-based water electrolysis. Monitoring the presence and concentration of hydrogen during production, transportation, and application requires a hydrogen gas sensor with high response, high selectivity, and fast response and recovery times. In an attempt to meet these requirements, NiO and PdO are used in the co-doping of In2O3 nanotubes by subsequent electrospinning and impregnation under UV irradiation. The fabricated hydrogen gas sensor demonstrates an ultrahigh response of 487.52, a fast response time of 1 s and high selectivity at an operating temperature of 160 °C, which characteristics are superior to reported monometal-doped hydrogen sensors. The remarkable gas sensing performance could be attributed to the synergistic effect of the resistance modulation, the chemical sensitization of PdO, and the catalytic effect of NiO. This study demonstrates that co-doping of PdO and NiO on In2O3 nanotubes is an effective way to improve hydrogen sensing characteristics more effectively than doping with PdO or NiO alone, and provides a potential application for the fast and accurate detection of hydrogen.

Ex-situ XPS analysis of yolk-shell Sb2O3/WO3 for ultra-fast acetone resistive sensor.

The preparation of fast, highly responsive and reliable gas sensing devices for the detection of acetone gas is considered to be a key challenge for the development of accurate disease diagnosis systems through exhaled respiratory gases. In the paper, yolk shell Sb2O3/WO3 is synthesized and its gas sensing performance was studied by static test system. Special, the maximum response value of 1:1 Sb2O3/WO3 yolk-shell (WO3-1 YSL) sensor to 100 ppm acetone can reach as high as 50.0 at 200 â„ƒ. And it also exhibits excellent response/recover time (4 s/5 s), low detection limit (2 ppm) and superior selectivity towards acetone. More importantly, in mixed selective gas test, the sensor shows high selectivity towards acetone. And the mechanism is analyzed by ex-situ XPS. The excellent gas-sensing performance can be attributed to unique yolk-shell structure, which facilitates the rapid transport of charge carriers from the surface to the bulk and provides more active sites for gas adsorption and desorption; the heterojunction between of Sb2O3 and WO3, which promotes oxygen pre-adsorption on the surface and increasing the interfacial potential; the increased oxygen vacancies which allowing more chemisorbed oxygen to form.

Surgical Treatment for Odontoid Fractures in Patients with Long-Standing Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Report of 3 Cases and Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is classified as a chronic inflammatory seronegative rheumatic arthritis. Patients with AS are more likely to sustain a fracture of the cervical spine compared with the general population. Most fractures occur in the lower cervical spine and manifest at the level of the intervertebral disc. There have been few reports about the surgical treatment for upper cervical spine fractures in patients with AS, especially odontoid fractures. We present 3 cases of odontoid fracture in patients with long-standing AS. METHODS: Odontoid fracture with atlantoaxial displacement was identified on radiologic imaging in 3 patients. In 1 patient, fracture was a missed diagnosis after initial trauma, and the fracture and displacement were discovered 3 months later owing to aggravation of symptoms. Posterior occipitocervical fusion with iliac autograft was performed under general anesthesia in all cases. RESULTS: All 3 patients recovered postoperatively without any complications related to surgery. Cervical radiographs obtained at 12-month follow-up demonstrated healed fracture and replacement of the atlantoaxial joint. CONCLUSIONS: Odontoid fracture with atlantoaxial dislocation in patients with long-standing AS is uncommon. Clinicians must be cautious in assessing such patients with any episode of trauma. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging can be helpful in demonstrating occult odontoid fractures. Posterior occipitocervical fusion with internal fixation may benefit these patients, although at the cost of sacrificing the last motion segment.

The Cancer Mutation D83V Induces an α-Helix to ß-Strand Conformation Switch in MEF2B.

MEF2B is a major target of somatic mutations in non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Most of these mutations are non-synonymous substitutions of surface residues in the MADS-box/MEF2 domain. Among them, D83V is the most frequent mutation found in tumor cells. The link between this hotspot mutation and cancer is not well understood. Here we show that the D83V mutation induces a dramatic α-helix to ß-strand switch in the MEF2 domain. Located in an α-helix region rich in ß-branched residues, the D83V mutation not only removes the extensive helix stabilization interactions but also introduces an additional ß-branched residue that further shifts the conformation equilibrium from α-helix to ß-strand. Cross-database analyses of cancer mutations and chameleon sequences revealed a number of well-known cancer targets harboring ß-strand favoring mutations in chameleon α-helices, suggesting a commonality of such conformational switch in certain cancers and a new factor to consider when stratifying the rapidly expanding cancer mutation data.