On-Body Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters through Innovative Designs and Conformable Structures.

Recent advancements in wearable technology have improved lifestyle and medical practices, enabling personalized care ranging from fitness tracking, to real-time health monitoring, to predictive sensing. Wearable devices serve as an interface between humans and technology; however, this integration is far from seamless. These devices face various limitations such as size, biocompatibility, and battery constraints wherein batteries are bulky, are expensive, and require regular replacement. On-body energy harvesting presents a promising alternative to battery power by utilizing the human body's continuous generation of energy. This review paper begins with an investigation of contemporary energy harvesting methods, with a deep focus on piezoelectricity. We then highlight the materials, configurations, and structures of such methods for self-powered devices. Here, we propose a novel combination of thin-film composites, kirigami patterns, and auxetic structures to lay the groundwork for an integrated piezoelectric system to monitor and sense. This approach has the potential to maximize energy output by amplifying the piezoelectric effect and manipulating the strain distribution. As a departure from bulky, rigid device design, we explore compositions and microfabrication processes for conformable energy harvesters. We conclude by discussing the limitations of these harvesters and future directions that expand upon current applications for wearable technology. Further exploration of materials, configurations, and structures introduce interdisciplinary applications for such integrated systems. Considering these factors can revolutionize the production and consumption of energy as wearable technology becomes increasingly prevalent in everyday life.

Design of a Wearable System to Capture Physiological Data to Monitor Surgeons' Stress During Surgery.

The mental and physiological stress experienced by surgeons during operations has been identified as an important human factor that impacts surgical performance and patient safety. It is crucial to objectively measure and quantify surgeons' stress via physiological signals in order to enhance the understanding of how stress contributes to surgical outcomes. Current clinical and consumer devices for monitoring bio signals are not well adapted for use in the operating room; therefore, we designed an unobtrusive system, that measures select signals that correlate with stress and stores the data for integration into a data processing pipeline. Herein, we present a proof-of-concept device that captures data from ECG, EMG, EDA, and IMU sensors and initial testing results.

Esclerosis múltiple en pediatría / Multiple sclerosis in children at Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez: an 11 year experience

Introducción. La esclerosis múltiple (EM) es una enfermedad desmielinizante, autoinmune e inflamatoria. El diagnóstico en la edad pediátrica constituye un reto para el clínico, ya que su incidencia es rara y su presentación clínica puede asumir diferentes formas. La combinación de factores virales y genéticos determinan su presencia. Los criterios diagnósticos han sufrido modificaciones periódicamente, debido a los cambios en el conocimiento de la patofisiología, el advenimiento de nuevas tecnologías y la necesidad de hacer un diagnóstico temprano que permita iniciar el tratamiento para modificar su evolución. Objetivo: caracterizar a los pacientes con diagnóstico de EM atendidos durante el período de 1994 a 2005 en el Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez. Material y métodos. Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo de pacientes con diagnóstico de EM de ambos sexos, en edades comprendidas entre los 2 y 15 años, donde se valoraron las características clínicas, los estudios de gabinete e imagen y la evolución clínica. Resultados. Se estudió un total de 10 pacientes (9 del sexo femenino) con inicio de síntomas de 11 años en promedio. Las manifestaciones clínicas iniciales más frecuentes fueron: cefalea, alteraciones visuales y hemiparesia corporal. Los potenciales evocados visuales estuvieron alterados en 100% de los casos. La resonancia magnética de cráneo mostró lesiones desmielinizantes manifestadas como regiones hipodensas. Todos los pacientes presentaron recaída con diversas manifestaciones neurológicas, las principales fueron: hemiparesia y disminución de la agudeza visual. Conclusiones. La EM en edad pediátrica es una entidad poco frecuente, caracterizada por incapacidad neurológica, además de largas estancias hospitalarias y gran impacto en el entorno familiar. Ante la sospecha diagnóstica, su estudio y tratamiento oportuno pueden mejorar su evolución y disminuir el número de secuelas.

Introduction. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disorder characterized by a demyelinating, autoimmune and inflammatory process of the nervous system. MS in childhood, like in adults, is believed to involve a complex interaction between environmental triggers (such as infections), genetic predisposition, and an abnormal autoimmune response. Because multiple sclerosis is not common in children, diagnosis represents a great challenge. For this reason, a better understanding of the pathophysiology of MS and the advent of new imaging techniques have helped to improve earlier diagnosis and treatment. Objective: describe patients with MS attended in the Hospital Infantil de Mexico in the period between 1994 and 2005. Material and methods. A retrospective study in patients with MS of both genders, between 2-15 years of age, evaluating the clinical symptoms, laboratory and imaging studies and the evolution of the disease. Results. A total of 10 patients (9 females) were evaluated with starting symptoms at 11 years of age. The most salient clinical manifestations were headache, visual disorders and hemiparesis. The visual evoked potentials were abnormal in all children. The MRI studies showed abnormalities including hypodense regions in several areas of the brain. All the patients reported relapses with multiple neurological manifestations, the most common were hemiparesia and loss of visual acuity. Conclusions. MS was once considered to be a rare disease in childhood. Nowadays, the recognition of pediatric MS is increasing. Early diagnosis may permit the initiation of treatment for acute attacks, relapses and progression of the disease.