搜索结果：Biomedical instrumentation & technology

Bulbar urethral stricture is the narrowing of the bulbar segment of the urethra, which causes urinary symptoms and difficulty in voiding. Surgical urethroplasty is the gold standard treatment, but usually the first-line treatment is using either a simple (uncoated) balloon, a rigid dilator, or performing direct vision internal urethrotomy, which uses a blade or laser to make a cut in the stricture. Treatment with a balloon that is coated with paclitaxel has been offered as a second-line treatment when the stricture recurs. This health technology assessment looked at how safe, effective, and cost-effective paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation is for adults with recurrent bulbar urethral stricture. It also looked at the budget impact of publicly funding paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation and at the experiences, preferences, and values of people with bulbar urethral stricture. We performed a systematic literature search and reviewed the clinical evidence and the economic evidence. We assessed the risk of bias in the study using RoB 2 and JBI tools and the quality of the body of clinical evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group criteria. We developed a probabilistic state-transition (Markov) model to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis over the 5-year horizon from a public payer perspective. We compared urethral dilation with the paclitaxel-coated balloon catheter to usual care (i.e., endoscopic management represented by a mix of urethral dilation procedures and direct vision internal urethrotomy) for adult males with recurrent bulbar urethral strictures. We also analyzed the 5-year budget impact of publicly funding this technology in eligible adult males in Ontario. To contextualize the potential value of paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation, we aimed to speak with adults and care partners in Ontario who had lived experience with bulbar urethral strictures, including those with and without direct experience with this procedure. There is currently no evidence for head-to-head comparison between paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation and direct vision internal urethrotomy (the most common treatment method for bulbar recurrent urethral stricture in Ontario) or between paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation and surgical urethroplasty (the gold standard treatment). We identified 1 randomized controlled trial that compared outcomes of treatment with paclitaxel-coated balloon with other endoscopic methods in patients with short bulbar urethral stricture (≤ 3 cm; ROBUST III trial). This trial used Kaplan-Meier analysis and reported a statistically significant difference in freedom from repeat intervention at 1 year, favouring the intervention group (GRADE: Low). However, this estimate was likely skewed by the fact that there were participants in the intervention group who failed the treatment but did not undergo reintervention. These cases were excluded (censored) from the analysis, which made the intervention look more effective than it might actually be. Furthermore, outcomes for each of the various endoscopic methods included in the control group were not analyzed individually. Paclitaxel-coated balloon treatment may improve bothersome urinary symptoms and urine flow rate (GRADE: Low). Sexual function was not affected by the treatment in either group (GRADE: Moderate). The rate of hematuria and dysuria during the first month after treatment was higher in the intervention group than in the control group (GRADE: Moderate).We identified 2 economic studies which found that paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation was potentially cost saving at 5 years compared with usual endoscopic procedures. However, these studies were not directly applicable to the Ontario context. Our economic evaluation from the Ministry of Health perspective found that, compared with usual care over 5 years, paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation could be less costly (mean: -$1,476.44; 95%; credible interval [CrI]: -$3,217.15 to $112.40 per person) and more effective (showing a decrease in the recurrence of urethral strictures at 5 years; mean: 69%; 95% CrI: 68% to 70%). In the reference case analysis, the new treatment was cost-saving about 97% of the time. However, currently published clinical evidence that informed modeling of the effectiveness of this technology was limited and of low quality. In scenario analyses, the cost-effectiveness results were sensitive to changes in the effectiveness of paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation, duration of time horizon, and device cost.The 5-year budget impact of publicly funding paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation in eligible males is potentially cost saving, with net savings of about $0.74 million from treating 2,747 adult males in Ontario. Assuming a high rate of the procedure uptake from 50% in year 1 to 100% in year 5, we found additional costs of about $0.28 million in the first year of funding and annual savings for the remaining years ranging between $0.02 million and $0.58 million.The people with bulbar urethral strictures with whom we spoke reported hesitancy about undergoing urethroplasty and viewed paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation favourably due to it being a minimally invasive procedure. Barriers to access included lack of awareness of the procedure, the out of pocket cost when accessing it through a private clinic, and distance from hospitals or clinics performing the procedure. There is currently no evidence for head-to-head comparison between paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation and direct vision internal urethrotomy or between paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation and surgical urethroplasty. While freedom from reintervention in ROBUST III trial favoured the intervention group, this may have been overestimated. However, paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation may improve urinary symptoms and urine flow rate. The rate of hematuria and dysuria during the first month after treatment was higher in the intervention group than in the control group.Paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation may be more effective and less costly than usual care for adult males with unsuccessfully treated recurrent and symptomatic bulbar urethral strictures. We estimate that publicly funding paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation in Ontario may result in cost savings of about $0.74 million over the next 5 years. Our economic analysis results remain uncertain and ought to be interpreted with caution because of limitations and low quality of the currently published clinical evidence. People with recurrent bulbar urethral strictures reported viewing paclitaxel-coated balloon dilation favourably because it is minimally invasive, but noted barriers to access.

Soft robotic systems have become a promising technology in the biomedical field due to their higher safety, dexterity and adaptability compared to traditional rigid robotic systems. This review focuses on recent advances in soft robotic systems applied to surgical assistance and rehabilitation. In surgery, soft grippers and flexible endoscopes show better adaptability, dexterity, and miniaturization, enabling safer and more precise manipulation of delicate tissues. In rehabilitation, wearable soft devices show great potential to help patients with neurological injuries to regain movement. Key innovations in actuation technology are examined, along with recent advances in multifunctional, self-healing, and environmentally responsive materials. Meanwhile, sensing systems are evolving from unimodal sensing to multimodal fusion, self-perception, and sense-drive integration, enabling robots to sense the body state and external environment with higher accuracy and realize closed-loop control. Finally, this paper points out that soft robots still face key challenges such as material durability, biosafety, and stability during clinical translation. In the future, the focus should be on the construction of systems with self-diagnosis, self-adaptive adjustment and closed-loop control, and promote the efficient landing and personalized application of soft robots from experimental research to real medical scenarios.

Miniaturization has emerged as a major technological trajectory in robotic surgery, encompassing single-port systems, flexible endoscopic platforms, capsule robotics, and microrobots designed to reduce surgical trauma and improve procedural precision. Despite rapid growth in this area, no previous bibliometric study has comprehensively mapped miniaturization as an integrated technological and clinical evolution across robotic surgery. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically analyze the global research landscape, collaboration patterns, thematic evolution, and emerging technological trends in miniaturized robotic surgery using advanced bibliometric and science-mapping approaches. A bibliometric analysis of 1,775 original articles indexed in the Elsevier Scopus database between 1996 and 2026 was conducted using Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace to evaluate publication trends, collaboration networks, thematic evolution, citation bursts, and emerging technological trajectories. The literature demonstrated rapid expansion, with an annual growth rate of 17.1%, involving 6,293 authors across 492 sources and an international collaboration rate of 21.93%. The United States dominated scientific productivity and citation impact, followed by China, South Korea, Italy, and Germany. Thematic and cluster analyses identified robotic surgery, single-port systems, minimally invasive surgery, and medical robotics as the principal research domains. Citation-burst and trending-topic analyses revealed a temporal transition from capsule endoscopy, image-guided systems, and flexible robotics toward clinically deployable single-port robotic surgery, da Vinci SP platforms, partial nephrectomy, and postoperative pain. Highly cited studies emphasized continuum robotics, magnetic actuation, microrobotics, and biohybrid robotic systems, highlighting increasing convergence between robotic surgery, biomedical engineering, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology. Miniaturization has evolved into a mature and rapidly expanding research domain characterized by strong technological convergence and increasing clinical translation. Current trends indicate a shift from feasibility-driven innovation toward intelligent, precision-oriented, and patient-centered robotic interventions.

Electroporation is a biophysical phenomenon in which cell membranes are transiently permeabilized under an applied electric field, and it can be used for the intracellular delivery of a wide range of molecules, including nucleic acids, proteins, and drugs, and for the inactivation of cells. Microfluidic electroporation has emerged as an advanced platform offering precise control over electric field distribution, enhanced delivery efficiency, and reduced sample consumption. This chapter reviews recent advances in microfluidic electroporation with a focus on device configurations, operational mechanisms, and biomedical applications. In addition to experimental progress, we provide a theoretical foundation and also numerical simulation methods to understand electroporation at the cellular and molecular levels. Models describing the formation and expansion of hydrophilic pores in lipid membranes are introduced, including formulations based on membrane energetics and induced transmembrane potential (TMP), and the energy balance between line tension and membrane surface tension governs pore dynamics. Moreover, critical thresholds for reversible and irreversible electroporation are discussed. Additionally, a unified multiscale perspective linking electric field distribution, pore formation, and molecular transport is presented to guide the design and optimization of electroporation devices. By integrating modeling insights with microfluidic technology, this chapter aims to support the rational development of next-generation therapeutic, diagnostic, and cell handling tools.

Single-cell proteomics (SCP) reveals cellular heterogeneity and biological insights inaccessible to bulk analysis. Existing limitations are cost, sample loss during processing, and accessibility to state-of-the-art instrumentation. We describe a label-free SCP methodology in human tissue, combining FACS, oil-immersion cell handling, mass spectrometry, and neural-network-derived spectral libraries, which address these issues. We tested this methodology in a skin tumor syndrome, CYLD cutaneous syndrome (CCS), assessing tumor heterogeneity. Using a Bruker timsTOF HT platform, we quantified >4,000 proteins, averaging ∼700 per cell, through a cost-effective pipeline without specialised liquid handling infrastructure. By using preexisting bioinformatic tools from the scRNA-seq field, we implemented a robust analysis methodology, discriminating between macrophages, dendritic cells, and tumor keratinocytes, in an unbiased analysis of 419 CCS tumor cells. We validated the biological accuracy of cell annotations by cross referencing with each cell's FACS markers. Furthermore, we identified a novel CCS tumor-associated macrophage population, which carried a tumor microenvironment remodelling signature. Our findings demonstrate an accessible SCP technology capable of yielding novel biological discoveries in clinical tissue.

Plasma separation plays an indispensable role in clinical diagnosis and therapeutic applications, since plasma contains critical biomarkers including proteins and nucleic acids, while interference from the color of red blood cells may compromise the accuracy of biomedical detection. Conventional methods, such as centrifugation, are effective but require specialized equipment, skilled personnel, and significant time, making them impractical for point-of-care testing (POCT) in resource-limited settings. The advent of microfluidic plasma separation techniques has successfully addressed the inherent drawbacks of conventional centrifugation approaches. Herein, we propose a rope-skipping microfluidic centrifugation (RSMC) plasma separation method, aiming to better accommodate POCT scenarios. Specifically, a blood-loaded tube was first secured to the skipping-rope device, and the RSMC device was then rotated manually at about 200 rpm speed. Driven by centrifugal force, efficient plasma separation was achieved without the need for electricity or sophisticated instrumentation. Experimental results demonstrated 67.3% plasma yield with 99.99% purity within 5 min, exceeding the performance of existing manual alternatives like fidget-spinner centrifuges. And the plasma separation system can also achieve pre-processing of large volumes of whole blood samples (∼mL). Moreover, the blood glucose recovery rate of plasma reached as high as 98.3% with this method, which was nearly comparable to that obtained using a standard centrifuge. The RSMC method is characterized by its simplicity, high cost-effectiveness, and ease of operation, making it particularly suitable for POCT applications in resource-limited settings.

Autonomous robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) has emerged as a promising objective in biomedical technology, further enhanced by miniaturization toward microrobotic-assisted surgery (μ-RAS). This reduction in scale promises minimally invasive, partially or fully automated surgical procedures, with the potential to reduce patient recovery times, lower medical costs, and enable previously unavailable procedural options. This perspective highlights the specific advances in RAS that potentially map to the microscale (μ-RAS), organized across five surgical domains: endovascular, endoluminal, laparoscopic, ophthalmic, and orthopedic. We examine both clinical demands and technological advances in surgical robotics and identify the key innovations required for progress across these surgical fields. Our contribution is distinct in combining the perspectives of both surgical experts and bioengineering innovators, outlining a roadmap for the advancement and eventual integration of autonomous RAS and μ-RAS into mainstream surgical practice.

Digital health offers opportunities to facilitate symptom assessments and communication for children with cancer, particularly after discharge. However, access to these tools must be established to ensure that they effectively support the user. PicPecc (Pictorial Support in Person-Centered Care for Children) is a mobile health tool developed to enable children to remotely assess symptoms and communicate with health care professionals. Understanding access to PicPecc is essential for evaluating its use in pediatric oncology. The aim was to test a digital intervention with PicPecc in pediatric oncology care through the lens of access to technology. This study uses a triangulation approach to determine access to digital technology through an intervention, PicPecc outside hospital. Fourteen children (6-17 y), 5 parents, and 6 nurses from 2 pediatric oncology units in Sweden participated. Children were encouraged to use PicPecc for 2 weeks (achieving a median of 14, IQR 9.75-16 days) following hospital discharge to assess pain, nausea, sleep disturbances, and feelings using an assessment scale, pictures, personal notes, and a chat function. Nurses monitored assessments and responded via the administrative interface. Access was analyzed through interviews and an instrument, and by recording the consumption of PicPecc. Data analysis was based on the 5 dimensions of access (availability, accessibility, accommodation, affordability, and acceptability). The intervention, PicPecc outside hospital, supported availability by enabling children to communicate symptoms in a safe and structured way. Children and parents mentioned feeling safe when they were discharged from the hospital, and nurses perceived it as a valuable complement to follow-up after discharge. PicPecc outside hospital was generally accessible, although initial challenges with log-in procedures related to the PIN code were common. Barriers related to accommodation included interpreting the scale and obtaining an overview of assessments. Affordability was high, as internet access and device availability were not barriers; however, children's motivation varied depending on symptom burden. Acceptability was strong among children up to 12 years of age, who appreciated the design and gaming function, while the older children found the visual design less age-appropriate. Access to the mobile health tool, PicPecc outside hospital, appears promising for supporting remote symptom assessment in pediatric oncology, particularly among children up to 12 years of age. However, identified barriers, such as motivational factors and integration into the health care system, need to be addressed.

Ion valence state analysis in aqueous solutions is of critical importance as the oxidation state of metal ions governs their chemical reactivity, environmental behavior, and biological effects. Conventional spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques are often limited by low selectivity, poor applicability, complex and lengthy sample preparation, or requiring bulky or expensive instrumentation. Here, we use the functional relationship between triboelectric charge transfer and trajectory position as triboelectric spectroscopy (TES), for the rapid and efficient identification of metal ion valence states in aqueous solution. By analyzing the peaks positions and corresponding magnitudes of charge transfer in TES, we successfully identified 15 different valence states across seven metal elements, achieving a detection accuracy above 90% with detection limits down to the ppb level. Most importantly, this work advances the fundamental understanding of liquid-solid contact electrification by identifying key physicochemical factors (ion valence and nanoparticle surface states) that govern the spatial distribution of charge transfer, helping to address a key unresolved scientific question&#x2500;the origin of the non-uniform, peak-like charge transfer distribution. The information derived from TES offers a broadly applicable, ultrafast (<0.6 s), non-destructive, low-cost, and portable analytical tool for assessing the oxidation states of metal elements, including both ions and suspended nanoparticles in liquid, demonstrating significant potential for analytical chemistry, real-time environmental monitoring, and biomedical diagnostics.

Portable gait analysis technology for assessing mobility and balance among older adults in community environments remains an underutilized resource, often due to lack of field validation. To address this gap, we used a mixed-validation approach to evaluate a commercially available portable pressure tile system in terms of measurement accuracy: is it true enough to be believed; and sensitivity: can it detect age-related changes in balance and mobility? Thirty healthy adults were recruited in two cohorts of fifteen: YA&#x2009;=&#x2009;19-64 years of age, and OA&#x2009;=&#x2009;65&#x2009;+&#x2009;years of age, to perform a battery of standing and locomotor tasks (static stand&#x2009;=&#x2009;SS, five-times sit-to-stand&#x2009;=&#x2009;STS, step-up/step-down task&#x2009;=&#x2009;SUSD with dominant and non-dominant lead) using a dual elevation, two-tile, StepScan&#x2122; pressure tile system placed upon in-floor mounted AMTI&#x2122; force platforms for simultaneous data acquisition. Common parameters for balance and stepping analysis were extracted from centre-of-pressure (CoP) kinematics from both systems and analyzed in terms of absolute agreement between systems (paired t-tests and Intra-Class Correlation, ICC(2,k)) and ability to discriminate by age group (independent t-tests and Pearson R2). Agreement between systems was high (<5mm error, ICC&#x2009;>&#x2009;.9) for most measures, and a small but statistically significant decline in balance and mobility performance was detected in the OA cohort compared to the YA cohort (R2&#x2009;=&#x2009;.2, p&#x2009;<&#x2009;.05). We conclude that portable, modular, pressure tile systems such as StepScan&#x2122; are sufficiently accurate and sensitive for quantifying age-related changes in balance and mobility. Larger scale studies are needed to determine the potential for integrating this technology into routine clinical workflow.

Shoulder arthroplasty has evolved substantially in surgical technique, implant design, and indications. Careful coordination across the patient care pathway remains central to optimizing outcomes. Concurrently, rapid advances in digital health, wearable technologies, smart implants, and intraoperative innovations are being explored across orthopedics, with emerging applications in shoulder arthroplasty. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on digital technologies relevant to shoulder arthroplasty, with particular attention to the strength and origin of the available data. A structured review of recent literature was performed, including primary studies in shoulder arthroplasty as well as relevant evidence extrapolated from hip and knee arthroplasty. Areas examined included CT-based 3D planning, navigation, patient-specific instrumentation, robotics, augmented/mixed reality, mobile health (mHealth) platforms, wearable devices, tele-rehabilitation, sensor-enabled implants, and artificial intelligence (AI). In shoulder arthroplasty, digital planning tools, navigation systems, and patient-specific instrumentation have demonstrated improvements in implant positioning accuracy in selected studies; however, evidence linking these technologies to superior long-term clinical outcomes remains limited. Robotic systems and augmented reality applications are in early investigational phases. Postoperative digital health tools, including tele-rehabilitation and wearable monitoring, have shown non-inferior functional outcomes compared with conventional care in hip and knee arthroplasty, with only preliminary and pilot data currently available in shoulder populations. Sensor-enabled implants and AI-based predictive models represent emerging areas of research, but external validation, workflow integration, and cost-effectiveness analyses remain insufficient. Digital and smart health technologies in shoulder arthroplasty are evolving and largely investigational. While early findings and extrapolated evidence from other arthroplasty domains suggest potential benefits in planning accuracy, patient engagement, and outcome monitoring, robust shoulder-specific clinical validation is limited. Further prospective studies are required before widespread clinical adoption can be recommended. This narrative review synthesizes emerging evidence in this field, which is currently dominated by feasibility studies, technical reports, and early-phase clinical investigations, with limited high-level outcome data specific to shoulder arthroplasty.

Spatial transcriptomics remains limited by cost, equipment burden, and inefficient detection of predefined low-abundance targets in small regions of interest (ROIs). We present GLASS-seq (Gel-anchored, Ligation-Assisted, Scalable Spatial sequencing), a hydrogel-embedded, probe-ligation biosensing platform that converts in situ RNA recognition into digital sequencing readouts at &#x223c;100&#x202f;&#x3bc;m lateral resolution without specialized instrumentation. Target-specific split probes hybridize and are joined by SplintR ligase only upon correct dual recognition; the ligation products are reversibly immobilized within a polyacrylamide network via acrylamide-tagged anchors to limit diffusion through staining, imaging, and microdissection. A minimal PCR appends spatial X/Y barcodes to generate ROI-indexed libraries. Across mouse tissues, GLASS-seq achieved high capture fidelity (>96% correct probe-pair recovery), robust read retention to correct sequences (&#x2248;81%), strong reproducibility (r&#x202f;&#x2265;&#x202f;0.98), with high signal-to-background against stringent negatives (-ligase, -anchor, single-arm, mismatch). In brain sections, a 731-gene panel profiled 212 grid-sampled ROIs at 500&#x202f;&#x3bc;m spacing using operator-guided grid dissection, yielding contiguous domains aligned with gross neuroanatomy and strong concordance with public ISH atlases (r&#x202f;=&#x202f;0.85) under modest sequencing (&#x223c;0.42&#x202f;Gb per ROI) and a representative per-section cost of &#x223c;$512. The workflow is compatible with immunofluorescence and in situ hybridization, and generalizes to heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney. Together, by framing in situ ligation and hydrogel anchoring as an arrayed molecular biosensor with sequencing as the digital transducer, GLASS-seq provides a robust, economical, and scalable approach for regional spatial RNA quantification suited for large cohorts and translational use.

Leucine (Leu) is a promising biomarker for metabolic health and muscle growth, offering significant potential for assessing physical well-being. Sweat sensors for Leu detection eliminate the reliance on invasive blood analysis and the sophisticated, large-scale instrumentation. Current sweat sensors, however, are complex to fabricate, exhibit low sensitivity toward nonelectroactive Leu, require intense exercise or thermal/chemical stimulation to generate sweat, and lack reusability. This work reports a flexible, highly sensitive, and reusable sweat sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymers, Prussian blue nanoparticles, and laser-induced graphene. When integrated with a highly permeable porous Poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel for convenient and rapid collection of instantaneous sweat secreted from the fingertip, the sensor can continuously detect Leu with high sensitivity (7641 nA mm-2 per decade), low detection limit (10 nM), and excellent repeatability. This flexible biosensing patch offers a promising strategy for noninvasive sweat Leu analysis and wearable health monitoring, showing potential for assessing health status related to obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and muscle loss.

Biosensors play a crucial role in modern diagnostics, where simple, portable systems can enable rapid on-site testing. Here, we introduce a direct imaging-based biosensor capable of reconstructing spectral shifts from transmission images without the need for a spectrometer. By introducing a continuous geometry gradient in a dielectric metasurface, we spatially encode distinct resonance wavelengths across the device, enabling quasi-continuous spectral readout from a single camera image. Our platform achieves a high-quality factor and fine 0.1&#x2009;nm spectral step size across a broad 30&#x2009;nm spectral window within a 300&#x2009;&#xb5;m footprint, without spectroscopic instrumentation. This direct imaging-based approach exhibits high sensitivity with a figure of merit of 67.2 per refractive index unit and enables label-free detection of both proteins and DNA, reaching a limit of detection down to 388 picomolar. This spectrometer-free biosensor presents a compact sensing platform with a clear pathway toward a potentially more cost-effective implementation than conventional optical refractometric sensors, enabled by a simplified optical architecture facilitating molecular testing beyond specialized laboratory settings.

Polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) are promising candidates for fabricating three-dimensional (3D) micro/nanodevices. However, their advancement has been constrained by a persistent challenge in that precursor simplicity, high-fidelity shaping of complex 3D architectures, and superior mechanical properties in the final ceramic are incompatible. To overcome this, an extremely simple photosensitive preceramic resin comprising only polycarbosilane and a photoinitiator is proposed to fabricate high-precision 3D PDC microstructures with intricate geometries and exceptional mechanical performance. A process involving prebaking and two-photon polymerization forms stable 3D preceramic polymer networks, which after pyrolysis yield defect-free amorphous SiOC ceramics exhibiting high shape fidelity and low linear shrinkage (28% at 1000 &#xb0;C). The ceramics show temperature-dependent mechanical properties, with micropillar compressive strength reaching 6.41 GPa (1000 &#xb0;C) and 7.55 GPa (1200 &#xb0;C). Leveraging these properties, lightweight high-strength mechanical metamaterials with 20% relative density are fabricated, achieving a compressive strength of 0.54 GPa and a failure strain exceeding 10%. Functional microneedle arrays are also produced, highlighting their potential for biomedical applications. This work establishes a reliable and straightforward route from an extremely simple precursor to high-performance PDC micro/nano devices, showcasing promising prospects for applications in advanced microsystems and lightweight metamaterials.

The efficient separation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from peripheral blood components is crucial for enhancing cancer diagnostics, developing targeted therapeutic approaches, and facilitating detailed cellular-level analyses. Inertial microfluidic channels have gained recognition as a highly promising platform owing to their straightforward design, capability to operate at high flow rates, and reliance on intrinsic hydrodynamic forces rather than external fields. However, unresolved issues persist, including the need to improve separation efficiency, sample purity, and processing throughput, while also reducing the cost of device fabrication. This study addresses these issues by introducing a novel microchannel design with strategically placed obstacles optimized through finite element method (FEM) simulations to achieve superior separation performance. The findings highlight the enhanced performance of an innovative inertial microfluidic platform incorporating rhomboid-shaped structures, specifically engineered to optimize the separation of CTCs. At an inlet flow rate of 0.33 mL/min, numerical simulations demonstrated that the rhomboid obstacle geometry achieved complete separation efficiency and purity (100%), surpassing the performance of other geometrical configurations. Experimental validation using MCF-7 and white blood cells (WBCs) further corroborated the simulation outcomes, yielding a separation efficiency of 98.3 &#xb1; 1.7% and a purity of 95.7 &#xb1; 3.8%. Optimal performance was achieved with 15 obstacle steps, where fewer steps led to significant drops in efficiency and purity. The design is cost-effective due to its reduced microchannel length, simplified geometry, and compatibility with standard fabrication techniques, while maintaining efficient throughput and high cell viability. The novel microchannel design represents a balanced performance in terms of throughput, separation efficiency, and device compactness. By integrating obstacle-based flow dynamics and computational optimization, the device offers a scalable solution for cancer diagnostics and cellular research. This work sets a new benchmark in particle separation technologies, contributing to advancements in biomedical and tissue engineering applications.

Accurate measurement of height-averaged flow velocity from scalar signal transport is important for shallow microfluidic velocimetry. Conventional scalar imaging velocimetry (SIV) is sensitive to scalar-field noise, while deep neural network-assisted SIV (DNN-SIV) requires extensive labeled velocity data and may exhibit limited generalizability to unseen flow conditions. This study aims to develop an unsupervised physics-informed framework for accurately reconstructing pulsatile flow velocity from concentration signals in a shallow microfluidic channel. Multiscale Perturbation-Enhanced Physics-Informed Neural Network (MPE-PINN) was proposed by decomposing the scalar transport process into steady and pulsatile components and embedding the corresponding perturbation-based governing equations into the loss function. This method was evaluated using numerically generated concentration fields under different scalar transport and flow conditions, and its performance was compared with a conventional PINN using mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), convergence behavior, and noise robustness. Results show that MPE-PINN maintains MAPEs below 1% over a broad operating range with concentration signal frequency fC &#x2264; 2 Hz and flow frequency fQ &#x2264; 1.6 Hz. The proposed method also shows improved robustness under noisy concentration fields and better preservation of pulsatile velocity features than the conventional PINN. These results demonstrate that MPE-PINN provides an accurate and robust unsupervised approach for pulsatile velocity extraction in shallow microfluidic channels, offering practical potential for microfluidic flow characterization and biomedical lab-on-a-chip applications.

Ischemic heart disease remains the leading cause of cardiovascular mortality globally, with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) representing its most critical clinical manifestation. Although the standard 12-lead electrocardiogram is the diagnostic cornerstone for ACS, its utility is limited by the intermittent nature of recording and the requirement for clinical infrastructure, potentially leading to delayed diagnosis or missed atypical acute ischemic events. Advances in sensor technology have enabled the development of wearable electrocardiogram devices capable of continuous, ambulatory monitoring. This review examines the current landscape of wearable technologies for ACS detection, categorizing them into smartwatches, handheld monitors, patch-based systems, and textile-based garments. We evaluate the diagnostic performance of these modalities, highlighting that single-lead devices offer convenience, whereas multilead configurations are essential for the accurate localization of acute ischemia and the reduction of false negatives. Furthermore, we address critical challenges impeding clinical adoption, including signal fidelity amidst motion artifacts, the lack of large-scale validation studies, and challenges in integrating data into clinical workflows. Finally, we discuss future directions, emphasizing the role of multimodal sensing-combining electrophysiology with biochemical or mechanical sensors-and artificial intelligence in ushering in a new era of personalized monitoring for ACS.

Arthroscopic repair of osteochondral (OC) defects using injectable hydrogels remains highly challenging due to the high-pressure, water-filled environment of the joint during arthroscopic surgery. Conventional hydrogels exhibit slow gelation kinetics, prolonged setting times, poor adhesion to wet tissues, and insufficient mechanical strength, rendering them prone to washout throughout the procedure. To address these limitations, we incorporated a small amount of transglutaminase (TG) and synthetic lithium silicate nanoplatelets (SN) into a gelatin-oxidized starch (GelS) precursor and evaluated the regenerative performance of the resulting hydrogel under simulated arthroscopic conditions. In vivo, the hydrogels were implanted into osteochondral defects in rats to assess their repair efficacy. The GelS-TG-SN hydrogel demonstrated ultrafast enzymatic gelation, robust underwater adhesion, and significantly enhanced mechanical strength. It was cytocompatible, displayed anti-inflammatory activity, and supported context-dependent dual-lineage differentiation of Synovial-derived stem cells (SDSCs) chondrogenesis in a cartilage-like niche and PI3K-Akt-mediated osteogenesis in a vascular-like niche. Following 8-week implantation, it enabled coordinated regeneration of cartilage and subchondral bone, recapitulating native osteochondral architecture. The GelS-TG-SN nanocomposite hydrogel offers a compelling strategy for effective osteochondral regeneration in arthroscopic surgical environments. This hydrogel platform offers an elegant and clinically accessible solution for arthroscopic osteochondral repair. Its ultrafast gelation-achieved in under one minute-combined with resilient adhesion under constant irrigation enables seamless intraoperative application without auxiliary instrumentation. By capitalizing on the body's intrinsic osteochondral gradient, a single injection orchestrates synchronized regeneration of cartilage and subchondral bone. Such integration of procedural simplicity with inherent regenerative bioactivity underscores its promise as a genuinely "one-step" therapy ready for clinical translation.