Simulation Analysis of Deformation Control for Magnetic Soft Medical Robots

Dear Editor,This letter presents a biocompatible cross-shaped magnetic soft robot and investigates its deformation mode control strategy through COMSOL modeling and simulation.Magnetic soft robots offer novel avenues for precise treatment within intricate regions of the human body.

Biomimetic delivery of signals for bone tissue engineering

Bone tissue engineering is an exciting approach to directly repair bone defects or engineer bone tissue for transplantation.Biomaterials play a pivotal role in providing a template and extracellular environment to support regenerative cells and promote tissue regeneration. A variety of signaling cues have been identified to regulate cellular activity, tissue development, and the healing process. Numerous studies and trials have shown the promise of tissue engineering, but successful translations of bone tissue engineering research into clinical applications have been limited, due in part to a lack of optimal delivery systems for these signals. Biomedical engineers are therefore highly motivated to develop biomimetic drug delivery systems, which benefit from mimicking signaling molecule release or presentation by the native extracellular matrix during development or the natural healing process. Engineered biomimetic drug delivery systems aim to provide control over the location, timing, and release kinetics of the signal molecules according to the drug's physiochemical properties and specific biological mechanisms. This article reviews biomimetic strategies in signaling delivery for bone tissue engineering, with a focus on delivery systems rather than specific molecules. Both fundamental considerations and specific design strategies are discussed with examples of recent research progress, demonstrating the significance and potential of biomimetic delivery systems for bone tissue engineering.

Multidrug dissolvable microneedle patch for the treatment of recurrent oral ulcer

Recurrent oral ulcer is a painful oral mucosal disorder that affects 20%of the world’s population.The lack of a radical cure due to its unknown underlying cause calls for innovative symptomatic treatments.This work reports a hyaluronic acid-based dissolvablemicroneedle patch(ROUMNpatch,short for recurrent oral ulcer microneedle)loaded with dexamethasone acetate,vitamin C and tetracaine hydrochloride for the treatment of recurrent oral ulcers.The ROUMN patch shows enhancement in both the anti-inflammatory effect elicited by dexamethasone and the pro-proliferation effect of vitamin C.In vitro experiments show that ROUMN has a higher efficiency in suppressing lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced interleukin-6(IL-6)expression than dexamethasone alone.Cell proliferation and migrationwere also significantly promoted byROUMNcompared to vitamin C alone.The healing-promoting effect of ROUMN was also verified in vivo using an acetic acid-cauterized oral ulcer model in rats.ROUMN as a treatment accelerated the healing process of oral ulcers,shortening the total healing time to 5 days compared with the 7 days required by treatment using watermelon frost,a commonly used over-the-counter(OTC)drug for oral ulcers.The rapid dissolution of the hyaluronic acid-based microneedles and the superior healing-promoting effect of the drug combination could lead to a broad application prospect of the ROUMN patch in the treatment of recurrent oral ulcers.

Fast optical wavefront engineering for controlling light propagation in dynamic turbid media

While propagating inside the strongly scattering biological tssue,photons lose their incident directions beyond one transport mean free path(TMFP,~1 millimeter(mm)),which makes it challenging to achieve optical focusing or clear imaging deep inside tissue.By manipulating many degrees of the incident optical wavefront,the latest optical wavefront engineering(WFE)technology compensates the wavelfront distortions caused by the scattering media and thus is toward breaking this physical limit,bringing bright perspective to many applications deep inside tissue,eg,high resolution functional/molecular imaging,optical excitation(optogenetics)and optical tweezers.However,inside the dynamic turbid media such as the biological tissue,the wavefront distortion is a fast and continuously changing process whose decorrelation rate is on timescales from milliseconds(ms)to microseconds(μs),or even faster.This requires that the WFE technology should be capable of beating this rapid process.In this review,we discuss the major challenges faced by the WFE technology due to the fast decorrelation of dynamic turbid media such as living tissue when achieving light focusing/imaging and summarize the research progress achieved to date to overcome these challenges.

Functionalized carbon dots for corrosion protection:Recent advances and future perspectives

Metal corrosion causes significant economic losses,safety issues,and environmental pollution.Hence,its prevention is of immense research interest.Carbon dots(CDs)are a new class of zero-dimensional carbon nanomaterials,which have been considered for corrosion protection applications in recent years due to their corrosion inhibition effect,fluorescence,low toxicity,facile chemical modification,and cost-effectiveness.This study provides a comprehensive overview of the synthesis,physical and chemical properties,and anticorrosion mechanisms of functionalized CDs.First,the corrosion inhibition performance of different types of CDs is introduced,followed by discussion on their application in the development of smart protective coatings with self-healing and/or self-reporting properties.The effective barrier formed by CDs in the coatings can inhibit the spread of local damage and achieve self-healing behavior.In addition,diverse functional groups on CDs can interact with Fe^(3+)and H^(+)ions generated during the corrosion process;this interaction changes their fluorescence,thereby demonstrating self-reporting behavior.Moreover,challenges and prospects for the development of CD-based corrosion protection systems are also presented.

3D Free-Standing Carbon Nanofibers Modified by Lithiophilic Metals Enabling Dendrite-Free Anodes for Li Metal Batteries

Li metal with high-energy density is considered as the most promising anode for the next-generation rechargeable Li metal batteries;however,the growth of Li dendrites seriously hinders its practical application.Herein,3D free-standing carbon nanofibers modified by lithiophilic metal particles(CNF/Me,Me=Sn,Fe,Co)are obtained in situ by the electrospinning method.Benefiting from the lithophilicity,the CNF/Me composite may effectively prevent the formation of Li dendrites in the Li metal batteries.The optimized CNF/Sn–Li composite electrode exhibits a stable cycle life of over 2350 h during Li plating/stripping.When matched with typical commercial LiFePO_(4)(LFP)cathode,the LFP//CNF/Sn–Li full cell presents a high initial discharge specific capacity of 139 mAh g^(−1)at 1 C,which remains at 146 mAh g^(−1)after 400 cycles.When another state-of-the-art commercial LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)(NCM(811))cathode is used,the assembled NCM//CNF/Sn–Li full cell shows a large initial specific discharge capacity of 206 mAh g^(−1)at substantially enhanced 10 C,which keeps at the good capacity of 99 mAh g^(−1)after 300 cycles.These results are greatly superior to the counterparts with Li as the anodes,indicating the great potential for practical utilization of the advanced CNF/Sn–Li electrode.

Deep learning method for cell count from transmitted-light microscope

Automatic cell counting provides an effective tool for medical research and diagnosis.Currently,cell counting can be completed by transmitted-light microscope,however,it requires expert knowledge and the counting accuracy which is unsatisfied for overlapped cells.Further,the image-translation-based detection method has been proposed and the potential has been shown to accomplish cell counting from transmitted-light microscope,automatically and effectively.In this work,a new deep-learning(DL)-based two-stage detection method(cGAN-YOLO)is designed to further enhance the performance of cell counting,which is achieved by combining a DL-based fluorescent image translation model and a DL-based cell detection model.The various results show that cGAN-YOLO can effectively detect and count some different types of cells from the acquired transmitted-light microscope images.Compared with the previously reported YOLO-based one-stage detection method,high recognition accuracy(RA)is achieved by the cGAN-YOLO method,with an improvement of 29.80%.Furthermore,we can also observe that cGAN-YOLO obtains an improvement of 12.11%in RA compared with the previously reported image-translation-based detection method.In a word,cGAN-YOLO makes it possible to implement cell counting directly from the experimental acquired transmitted-light microscopy images with high flexibility and performance,which extends the applicability in clinical research.

A simple Bessel module with tunable focal depth and constant resolution for commercial two-photon microscope

The volumetric imaging of two-photon microscopy expands the focal depth and improves the throughput,which has unparalleled superiority for three-dimension samples,especially in neuroscience.However,emerging in volumetric imaging is still largely customized,which limits the integration with commercial two-photon systems.Here,we analyzed the key parameters that modulate the focal depth and lateral resolution of polarized annular imaging and proposed a volumetric imaging module that can be directly integrated into commercial two-photon systems using conventional optical elements.This design incorporates the beam diameter adjustment settings of commercial two-photon systems,allowing flexibility to adjust the depth of focus while maintaining the same lateral resolution.Further,the depth range and lateral resolution of the design were verified,and the imaging throughput was demonstrated by an increase in the number of imaging neurons in the awake mouse cerebral cortex.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy in non-invasive neuromodulation

Non-invasive cerebral neuromodulation technologies are essential for the reorganization of cerebral neural networks,which have been widely applied in the field of central neurological diseases,such as stroke,Parkinson’s disease,and mental disorders.Although significant advances have been made in neuromodulation technologies,the identification of optimal neurostimulation paramete rs including the co rtical target,duration,and inhibition or excitation pattern is still limited due to the lack of guidance for neural circuits.Moreove r,the neural mechanism unde rlying neuromodulation for improved behavioral performance remains poorly understood.Recently,advancements in neuroimaging have provided insight into neuromodulation techniques.Functional near-infrared spectroscopy,as a novel non-invasive optical brain imaging method,can detect brain activity by measuring cerebral hemodynamics with the advantages of portability,high motion tole rance,and anti-electromagnetic interference.Coupling functional near-infra red spectroscopy with neuromodulation technologies offe rs an opportunity to monitor the cortical response,provide realtime feedbac k,and establish a closed-loop strategy integrating evaluation,feedbac k,and intervention for neurostimulation,which provides a theoretical basis for development of individualized precise neuro rehabilitation.We aimed to summarize the advantages of functional near-infra red spectroscopy and provide an ove rview of the current research on functional near-infrared spectroscopy in transcranial magnetic stimulation,transcranial electrical stimulation,neurofeedback,and braincomputer interfaces.Furthermore,the future perspectives and directions for the application of functional near-infrared spectroscopy in neuromodulation are summarized.In conclusion,functional near-infrared spectroscopy combined with neuromodulation may promote the optimization of central pellral reorganization to achieve better functional recovery form central nervous system diseases.

Titanium mesh for bone augmentation in oral implantology: current application and progress

Guided bone regeneration(GBR)is an effective and simple method for bone augmentation,which is often used to reconstruct the alveolar ridge when the bone defect occurs in the implant area.Titanium mesh has expanded the indications of GBR technology due to its excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility,so that the GBR technology can be used to repair alveolar ridges with larger bone defects,and can obtain excellent and stable bone augmentation results.Currently,GBR with titanium mesh has various clinical applications,including different clinical procedures.Bone graft materials,titanium mesh covering methods,and titanium mesh fixing methods are also optional.Moreover,the research of GBR with titanium mesh has led to multifarious progresses in digitalization and material modification.This article reviews the properties of titanium mesh and the difference of titanium mesh with other barrier membranes;the current clinical application of titanium mesh in bone augmentation;common complications and management and prevention methods in the application of titanium mesh;and research progress of titanium mesh in digitization and material modification.Hoping to provide a reference for further improvement of titanium mesh in clinical application and related research of titanium mesh.

Design of a Lightweight Force-Feedback Glove with a Large Workspace

A wearable force-feedback glove is a promising way to enhance the immersive sensation when a user interacts with virtual objects in virtual reality scenarios.Design challenges for such a glove include allowing a large fingertip workspace,providing a desired force sensation when simulating both free-and constrained-space interactions,and ensuring a lightweight structure.In this paper,we present a forcefeedback glove using a pneumatically actuated mechanism mounted on the dorsal side of the user’s hand.By means of a triple kinematic paired link with a curved sliding slot,a hybrid cam-linkage mechanism is proposed to transmit the resistance from the pneumatic piston rod to the fingertip.In order to obtain a large normal component of the feedback force on the user’s fingertip,the profile of the sliding slot was synthesized through an analysis of the force equilibrium on the triple kinematic paired link.A prototype five-fingered glove with a mass of 245 g was developed,and a wearable force-measurement system was constructed to permit the quantitative evaluation of the interaction performance in both free and constrained space.The experimental results confirm that the glove can achieve an average resistance of less than 0.1 N in free-space simulation and a maximum fingertip force of 4 N in constrained-space simulation.The experiment further confirms that this glove permits the finger to move freely to simulate typical grasping gestures.

Bioinspired Functional Surfaces for Medical Devices

Medical devices are a major component of precision medicine and play a key role in medical treatment,particularly with the rapid development of minimally invasive surgery and wearable devices.Their tissue contact properties strongly affect device performance and patient health(e.g.,heat coagulation and slipperiness on surgical graspers).However,the design and optimization of these device surfaces are still indistinct and have no supporting principles.Under such conditions,natural surfaces with various unique functions can provide solutions.This review summarizes the current progress in natural functional surfaces for medical devices,including ultra-slipperiness and strong wet attachment.The underlying mechanisms of these surfaces are attributed to their coupling effects and featured micronano structures.Depending on various medical requirements,adaptable designs and fabrication methods have been developed.Additionally,various medical device surfaces have been validated to achieve enhanced contact properties.Based on these studies,a more promising future for medical devices can be achieved for enhanced precision medicine and human health.

Therapeutic potential of neuromodulation for demyelinating diseases

Neuromodulation represents a cutting edge class of both invasive and non-invasive therapeutic methods which alter the activity of neurons.Currently,several different techniques have been developed-or are currently being investigated–to treat a wide variety of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.Recently,in vivo and in vitro studies have revealed that neuromodulation can also induce myelination,meaning that it could hold potential as a therapy for various demyelinating diseases including multiple sclerosis and progressive multifocal leukencepalopathy.These findings come on the heels of a paradigm shift in the view of myelin's role within the nervous system from a static structure to an active co-regulator of central nervous system plasticity and participant in neuron-mediated modulation.In the present review,we highlight several of the recent findings regarding the role of neural activity in altering myelination including several soluble and contact-dependent factors that seem to mediate neural activitydependent myelination.We also highlight several considerations for neuromodulatory techniques,including the need for further research into spatiotemporal precision,dosage,and the safety and efficacy of transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation,an emerging neuromodulation technology.As the field of neuromodulation continues to evolve,it could potentially bring forth methods for the treatment of demyelinating diseases,and as such,further investigation into the mechanisms of neuron-dependent myelination as well as neuro-imaging modalities that can monitor myelination activity is warranted.

Feasibility study of wave-motion milling of carbon fiber reinforced plastic holes

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic(CFRP)has been applied in aeronautics,aerospace,automotive and medical industries due to its superior mechanical properties.However,due to its difficult-to-cut characteristic,various damages in twist drilling and chip removal clog in core drilling could happen,inevitably reducing hole quality and hole-manufacturing efficiency.This paper proposes the wave-motion milling(WMM)method for CFRP hole-manufacturing to improve hole quality.This paper presents a motion path model based on the kinematics of the WMM method.The wave-motion cutting mode in WMM was analyzed first.Then,comparison experiments on WMM and conventional helical milling(CHM)of CFRP were carried out under dry conditions.The results showed that the hole surface quality of the CFRP significantly improved with a decrease of 18.1%–36%of Ra value in WMM compared to CHM.WMM exerted a significantly weaker thrust force than that of CHM with a reduction of 12.0%–24.9%and 3%–7.7%for different axial feed per tooth and tangential feed per tooth,respectively.Meanwhile,the hole exit damages significantly decreased in WMM.The average tear length at the hole exit in WMM was reduced by 3.5%–29.5%and 35.5%–44.7%at different axial feed per tooth and tangential feed per tooth,respectively.Moreover,WMM significantly alleviated tool wear.The experimental results suggest that WMM is an effective and promising strategy for CFRP hole-manufacturing.

EXPERIMENT AND RESEARCH ON DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATIONS OF ANODIC ALUMINA MEMBR-ANE FOR USE IN HEMODIALYSIS

Objective The correlation between various formative conditions and the pore characterizationsof the anodic alumina membrane is investigated to seek the optimal conditions for the formation of anodic aluminamembrane. Methods High purity aluminum foils are used as the starting materials. The anodization is conduc-ted in three types of electrolytes, 3% sulfuric acid, 5% sulfuric acid and 2. 7% oxalic acid, respectively, with dif-ferent voltages at for 48h. The characterizations of the pore size, the effective porosity and the pore porosity areobserved and determined by scanning electron microscopy. The hydraulic conductances of the membranes are meas-ured to confirm that the pores are open and evaluate the permselectivity of the membranes. Results The experi-mental result shows that the ordered pore arrays are obtained for oxidation under our experimental conditions. Withthe increasing of the voltage, the pore size and pore porosity increased significantly (P <0.05) , while the effectiveporosity decreased significantly (P <0.05) with the same electrolyte. The pore size formed in 3% sulfuric acid or5% sulfuric acid is much smaller than in 2. 7% oxalic acid as an electrolyte. The hydraulic conductance of anodicalumina membrane that formed under our experimental condition is higher than those of the membranes are availablecurrently used in clinical. Conclusion The results suggest that the optimal conditions for the formation of anodicalumina membrane that used in hemodialysis are in 3% or 5% sulfuric acid with 12. 5V to 17. 5V at for 48h.

From oral formulations to drug-eluting implants:using 3D and 4D printing to develop drug delivery systems and personalized medicine

Since the start of the Precision Medicine Initiative by the United States of America in 2015,interest in personalized medicine has grown extensively.In short,personalized medicine is a term that describes medical treatment that is tuned to the individual.One possible way to realize personalized medicine is 3D printing.When using materials that can be tuned upon stimulation,4D printing is established.In recent years,many studies have been exploring a new field that combines 3D and 4D printing with therapeutics.This has resulted in many concepts of pharmaceutical devices and formulations that can be printed and,possibly,tailored to an individual.Moreover,the first 3D printed drug,Spritam®,has already found its way to the clinic.This review gives an overview of various 3D and 4D printing techniques and their applications in the pharmaceutical field as drug delivery systems and personalized medicine.

Haptic display for virtual reality: progress and challenges

Immersion, interaction, and imagination are three features of virtual reality (VR). Existing VR systems possess fairly realistic visual and auditory feedbacks, and however, are poor with haptic feedback, by means of which human can perceive the physical world via abundant haptic properties. Haptic display is an interface aiming to enable bilateral signal communications between human and computer, and thus to greatly enhance the immersion and interaction of VR systems. This paper surveys the paradigm shift of haptic display occurred in the past 30 years, which is classified into three stages, including desktop haptics, surface haptics, and wearable haptics. The driving forces, key technologies and typical applications in each stage are critically reviewed. Toward the future high-fidelity VR interaction, research challenges are highlighted concerning handheld haptic device, multimodal haptic device, and high fidelity haptic rendering. In the end, the importance of understanding human haptic perception for designing effective haptic devices is addressed.

BIOMEDICAL OPTOACOUSTICS

Optoacoustics is a promising modality for biomedical imaging,sensing,and monitoring with high resolution and contrast.In this paper,we present an overview of our studies for the last two decades on optoacoustic effects in tissues and imaging capabilities of the optoacoustic technique.In our earlier optoacoustic works we studied laser ablation of tissues and tissue-like media and proposed to use optoacoustics for imaging in tissues.In mid-90s we demonstrated detection of optoacoustic signals from tissues at depths of up to several centimeters,well deeper than the optical diffusion limit.We then obtained optoacoustic images of tissues both in vitro and in vivo.In late 90s we studied optoacoustic monitoring of thermotherapy:hyperthermia,coagulation,and freezing.Then we proposed and studied optoacoustic monitoring of blood oxygenation,hemoglobin concentration,and other physiologic parameters.

Brief review on learning-based methods for optical tomography

Learning-based methods have been proved to perform well in a variety of areas in the biomedical field,such as biomedical image segmentation,and histopathological image analysis.Deep learning,as the most recently presented approach of learning-based methods,has attracted more and more attention.For instance,massive researches of deep learning methods for image reconstructions of computed tomography(CT)and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)have been reported,indicating the great potential of deep learning for inverse problems.Optical technology-related medical imaging modalities including diffuse optical tomography(DOT),fluorescence molecular tomography(FMT),bioluminescence tomography(BLT),and photo-acoustic tomography(PAT)are also dramatically innovated by introducing learning-based methods,in particular deep learning methods,to obtain better reconstruction results.This review depicts the latest researches on learning based optical tomography of DOT,FMT,BLT,and PAT.According to the most recent studies,learning-based methods applied in the field of optical tomography are categorized as kernel-based methods and deep learning methods.In this review,the former are regarded as a sort of conventional learning-based methods and the latter are subdivided into model-based methods,post-processing methods,and end-to-end methods.Algorithm as well as data acquisition strategy are discussed in this review.The evaluations of these methods are summarized to ilustrate the performance of deep learning-based reconstruction.

Amplitude modulation excitation for cancellous bone evaluation using a portable ultrasonic backscatter instrumentation

The ultrasonic backscatter(UB)has the advantage of non-invasively obtaining bone density and structure,expected to be an assessment tool for early diagnosis osteoporosis.All former UB measurements were based on exciting a short single-pulse and analyzing the ultrasonic signals backscattered in bone.This study aims to examine amplitude modulation(AM)ultrasonic excitation with UB measurements for predicting bone characteristics.The AM multiple lengths excitation and backscatter measurement(AM-UB)functions were integrated into a portable ultrasonic instrument for bone characterization.The apparent integrated backscatter coefficient in the AM excitation(AIB_(AM))was evaluated on the AM-UB instrumentation.The correlation coefficients of the AIB_(AM) estimating volume fraction(BV/TV),structure model index(SMI),and bone mineral density(BMD)were then analyzed.Significant correlations(|R|=0.82-0.93,p<0.05)were observed between the AIB_(AM),BV/TV,SMI,and BMD.By growing the AM excitation length,the AIB_(AM) values exhibit more stability both in 1.0-MHz and 3.5-MHz measurements.The recommendations in AM-UB measurement were that the avoided length(T1)should be lower than AM excitation length,and the analysis length(T2)should be enough long but not more than AM excitation length.The authors conducted an AM-UB measurement for cancellous bone characterization.Increasing the AM excitation length could substantially enhance AIB_(AM) values stability with varying analyzed signals.The study suggests the portable AM-UB instrument with the integration of real-time analytics software that might provide a potential tool for osteoporosis early screening.