Portable haptic device for lower limb amputee gait feedback: assessing static and dynamic perceptibility

Loss of joints and severed sensory pathway cause reduced mobility capabilities in lower limb amputees. Although prosthetic devices attempt to restore normal mobility functions, lack of awareness and control of limb placement increase the risk of falling and causing amputee to have high level of visual dependency. Haptic feedback can serve as a cue for gait events during ambulation thus providing sense of awareness of the limb position. This paper presents a wireless wearable skin stretch haptic device to be fitted around the thigh region. The movement profile of the device was characterized and a preliminary work with able-bodied participants and an above-knee amputee to assess the ability of users to perceive the delivered stimuli during static and dynamic mode is reported. Perceptibility was found to be increasing with stretch magnitude. It was observed that a higher magnitude of stretch was needed for the stimuli to be accurately perceived during walking in comparison to static standing, most likely due to the intense movement of the muscle and increased motor skills demand during walking activity

Rapid Homemade Reverse Transcriptase PCR Detection and Phylogenetic Analysis for SARS-CoV-2 Based on E and M Genes

Background & Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 spreads worldwide and needs detection systems capable of rapid diagnostic of this virus (SARS-CoV-2). The aim of this study is to design the homemade RT-PCR method for the Detection and phylogenetic analysis of this virus Material & Methods: The genes selected for diagnosis were E and M genes for this virus. PCR product was cloned in pTZ57R/T plasmid for preparation of positive control. In order to determine the sensitivity of this molecular method, the genes mentioned in the clone pTZ57R/T vector and the Limit of detection (LOD) the genes were determined and phylogenetic analysis was performed using partial E and M gene sequences. Results: PCR product was observed for E and M genes 156 and 547 bp on the Agarose gel. The LOD of the E and M gene was 60 and 82 copies. There was also a positive response to the samples of patients who were positive by other methods. Conclusions: Since this virus is considered to be the cause of a pandemic in different countries all over the world, the present study is very important as a method of rapid and low-cost molecular diagnosis for monitoring this virus. Phylogenetic analysis is necessary for epidemiological studies for the control and prevention of the disease