Design, Fabrication and Testing of a Piezoresistive-Based Tactile Sensor for Minimally Invasive Surgery

Minimally invasive robotic surgery (MIRS) has become a preferred method for patients for the last two decades, thanks to its crucial advantages over classical open surgeries. Although MIRS has some advantages, it has a few drawbacks. Since MIRS technology includes performing surgery through small incisions using long slender tools, one of the main drawbacks of MIRS becomes the loss of direct contact with the patient’s body in the site of operation. Therefore, the surgeon loses the sense of touch during the operation which is one of the important tools to investigate the health condition of the treated tissue. This paper presents a novel piezoresistive-based multifunctional tactile sensor that is able to measure the contact force, relative hardness of the contact object, and the position of a hidden lump at the same time. A prototype of the designed sensor has been fabricated, simulated, analyzed, and tested numerically and experimentally. The experiments have been performed on hyperelastic materials, which are silicone rubber samples with different hardness values that resemble different biological tissues. The ability of the sensor to measure the contact force and relative hardness of the contact objects is tested with several experiments. A finite element (FE) model has been built in COMSOL Multiphysics (v3.4) environment to simulate both the mechanical behavior of the silicone rubber samples, and the interaction between the sensor and the silicone rubbers. Both numerical and experimental analysis proved the capability of the sensor to distinguish between different silicone rubber samples

A New Approach for Modeling Piezoresistive Force Sensors Based on Semiconductive Polymer Composites

Semiconductive polymer composites are used in a wide range of sensors and measurement devices. This paper discusses the development of a model and a new theoretical formulation for predicting piezoresistive behavior in semiconductive polymer composites, including their creep behavior and contact resistance. The relationship between electrical resistance and force applied to the piezoresistive force sensor can be predicted by using the proposed theoretical formulation. In order to verify the proposed formulation, the piezoresistive behavior of Linqstat, a carbon-filled polyethylene, was modeled mathematically. In addition, some experimental tests, such as thermo gravitational analysis and SEM, have been performed on Linqstat to find the volume fraction and size of carbon particles, which are essential for modeling. In addition, on a fabricated force sensor using Linqstat, a force versus resistance curve was obtained experimentally, which verified the validity and reliability of the proposed formulation

Investigation of Leukemia Frequency in Children of Qazvin Province and its Correlation with Gender, Age, and Blood Groups between 2006-2016

Background: About 8 percent of all cancers in human population are related to leukemia and it is one of the most common malignancies in children. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of age, gender and blood group types with the frequency of leukemia among the children with leukemia in Qazvin province during the 2006 to 2016.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis. Investigated population was 110 children and adolescents under 18 years in the hospitals of Qazvin province. The date collecting method was through review of medical records of the patients and their analysis performed by using SPSS version 16.Results: According to data from this study, leukemia ALL-L1 is more frequent in Qazvin than other types of leukemia, and children with ages 0-5 years was more than other age groups. This disorder is more common in boys than girls, and among the patients, the people who has A and O blood groups, and Rh + are the most abundant.Conclusion: such factors like age, gender and blood groups can use as prognostic factors in children leukemia. So that leukemia in children less than 5 years old is more than any other age. In addition to that; the incidence of leukemia ALL-L1 reduced with increasing age in the general population in Qazvin and number of boys with leukemia is more than girls

Developing Framework and Strategies for Capacity Building to Apply Evidence-Informed Health Policy-Making in Iran: Mixed Methods Study of SAHSHA Project

BACKGROUND: SASHA, which stands for "evidence-informed health policy-making (EIHP)" in Persian, is a national project to draw a roadmap for strengthening EIHP in Iran. As a part of SASHA, this research aimed to develop evidence-based and context-aware policy options for increasing the capacity of decision-makers to apply EIHP in Iran. METHODS: This was a qualitative study, which was informed by a literature review of pull efforts' capacity building programs. Based on the review, we developed policy options and validated them through an expert panel that involved twelve experts. Data were analyzed using a content analysis method. RESULTS: We extracted data from 11 articles. The objectives of capacity building programs were: single-skill development, personal/professional development, and organizational development. According to these objectives, the contents and training methods of the programs vary. Capacity building programs have shown positive impacts on individual knowledge/attitudes to use EIHP. However, the impacts of programs at the organizational or the health system level remain under-researched. We followed several threads from the literature review through to the expert panel that included training the management team, instead of training managers, training for problem-solving skills, and designing tailored programs. Barriers of capacity building for EIHP regard the context of the health system (weak accountability and the widespread conflict of interest) and healthcare organizational structures (decision support systems, knowledge management infrastructures, and lack of management team). Experts suggested interventions on the barriers, particularly on resolving the conflict of interests before launching new programs. A proposed framework to increase the capacity of health policy-makers incorporates strategies at three levels: capacity building program, organizational structure, and health system context. CONCLUSION: To prepare the context of Iranian healthcare organizations for capacity building programs, the conflict of interests needs to be resolved, decision-makers should be made more accountable, and healthcare organizations need to provide more knowledge management infrastructures and decision support systems

Global investments in pandemic preparedness and COVID-19: development assistance and domestic spending on health between 1990 and 2026

Background The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted gaps in health surveillance systems, disease prevention, and treatment globally. Among the many factors that might have led to these gaps is the issue of the financing of national health systems, especially in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), as well as a robust global system for pandemic preparedness. We aimed to provide a comparative assessment of global health spending at the onset of the pandemic; characterise the amount of development assistance for pandemic preparedness and response disbursed in the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic; and examine expectations for future health spending and put into context the expected need for investment in pandemic preparedness. Methods In this analysis of global health spending between 1990 and 2021, and prediction from 2021 to 2026, we estimated four sources of health spending: development assistance for health (DAH), government spending, out-of-pocket spending, and prepaid private spending across 204 countries and territories. We used the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s Creditor Reporting System (CRS) and the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database (GHED) to estimate spending. We estimated development assistance for general health, COVID-19 response, and pandemic preparedness and response using a keyword search. Health spending estimates were combined with estimates of resources needed for pandemic prevention and preparedness to analyse future health spending patterns, relative to need. Findings In 2019, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, US$9·2 trillion (95$7·3 trillion (95% UI 7·2–7·4) in 2019; 293·7 times the $24·8 billion (95$43·1 billion in development assistance was provided to maintain or improve health. The pandemic led to an unprecedented increase in development assistance targeted towards health; in 2020 and 2021, $1·8 billion in DAH contributions was provided towards pandemic preparedness in LMICs, and$37·8 billion was provided for the health-related COVID-19 response. Although the support for pandemic preparedness is 12·2% of the recommended target by the High-Level Independent Panel (HLIP), the support provided for the health-related COVID-19 response is 252·2% of the recommended target. Additionally, projected spending estimates suggest that between 2022 and 2026, governments in 17 (95% UI 11–21) of the 137 LMICs will observe an increase in national government health spending equivalent to an addition of 1% of GDP, as recommended by the HLIP. Interpretation There was an unprecedented scale-up in DAH in 2020 and 2021. We have a unique opportunity at this time to sustain funding for crucial global health functions, including pandemic preparedness. However, historical patterns of underfunding of pandemic preparedness suggest that deliberate effort must be made to ensure funding is maintained

Assessment of Stressors among the students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences through Life Change Unit (LCU)

Introduction: Students of Medical sciences are exposed to various stressors threatening their health. This research was done to measure stressors by the Life Change Unit (LCU) among students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This cross – sectional descriptive, analytical study was performed on 189 students in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The research tool was a self-made questionnaire consisting 54 items related to life change and also demographic information and stress symptoms during the last year. Data analysis was performed through SPSS 18 and using t-test and ANOVA. Results: The most stressing factors were intrapersonal stressors. There was a significant correlation between LCU stressors and the respondents’ educational program (P=0.003), year of entrance (P=0.004) and gender (P=0.001). Conclusion: TUMS students, mostly, medical and nursing students, were seriously exposed to stressors. Benefiting from student advisory centers and improving the students’ self confidence to decrease the stress of students are recommended. Keywords: Stress, Medical Sciences Students, Life Change Uni