The effects of breathing techniques on pain intensity of burn dressing

زمینه و هدف: درد سوختگی یکی از شدیدترین و مداوم ترین انواع درد می باشد و یکی از زمان هایی که معمولاً بیماران سوخته بیشترین میزان درد را تجربه می کنند، زمان تعویض پانسمان است. مطالعه حاضر با هدف تعیین تاثیر تکنیک های تنفسی بر شدت درد پانسمان در بیماران مبتلا به سوختگی صورت گرفت. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه کارآزمایی بالینی تعداد 68 بیمار مرد مراجعه کننده به بخش سوختگی مرکز آموزشی درمانی آیت اله کاشانی شهرکرد از طریق نمونه گیری آسان هدفمند انتخاب و سپس بطور تصادفی در یکی از گروه های مداخله یا کنترل توزیع شدند. گروه مداخله تحت مداخله تکنیک های تنفسی طی انجام پانسمان قرار گرفتند و برای گروه کنترل مراقبت روتین به اجرا در آمد. شدت درد پانسمان سوختگی در دو گروه با استفاده از ابزار سنجش درد دیداری (Visual analogue scale) ارزیابی و مقایسه گردید. یافته ها: میانگین نمره شدت درد در بدو پانسمان سوختگی در گروه مداخله 2/02±6/32 و در گروه کنترل 1/98±5/90 بود که پس از مداخله نمره شدت درد در گروه مداخله به 1/46±3/66 و در گروه کنترل به 1/38±4/80 کاهش یافت که این کاهش معنادار بود (0/04=P). نتیجه گیری: بکارگیری تکنیک های تنفس می تواند در کاهش قابل توجه شدت درد پانسمان سوختگی مؤثر باشد؛ لذا به پرستاران بخش های سوختگی و اورژانس پیشنهاد می گردد جهت تخفیف درد ناشی از پانسمان سوختگی، علاوه بر استفاده از داروهای ضد درد، بیماران را تشویق به انجام تمرینات تنفسی مکرر طی انجام پانسمان بنمایند

The effect of massage on pain intensity in patients with knee surgery by Arthroscopy technique

Background: Pain as a main social problem has involved millions of people. Surface massag is one of the effective ways for reducing pain after surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of surface massage technique on pain intensity in knee surgery patients with Arthroscopy technique. Material and Methods: This is a clinical trial study on 60 Knee surgery patientsSamples were selected using conveniencecontinuity method and then they were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. In intervention group, besides routine treatments, patients were taking surface massage technique by the researcher for 20 minutes each day and pain severity was evaluated before and after the surface stroking technique. Control group received only routine medical care and pain severity was evaluated in first and after 20 minutes. Data was analyzed by presenting descriptive and inferential statistics with using SPSS version 15 software. Results: Results showed that there was a statistical different between mean score of pain severity before and after surface massage in intervention group (p <0.001) but this difference wasn't meaningful in control group (p=0.32). Conclusion: Considering surface massage as a safe and effective intervention, it could be used as an easy, cheap and executable method for treating pain in all medical health care centers and even at patient's home

Soft pneumatic actuators with integrated resistive sensors enabled by multi-material 3D printing

The concept of soft robots has garnered significant attention in recent studies due to their unique capability to interact effectively with the surrounding environment. However, as the number of innovative soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) continues to rise, integrating traditional sensors becomes challenging due to the complex and unrestricted movements exhibited by SPA during their operation. This article explores the importance of utilising one-shot multi-material 3D printing to integrate soft force and bending sensors into SPAs. It highlights the necessity of a well-tuned and robust low-cost fabrication process to ensure the functionality of these sensors over an extended period. Fused deposition modelling (FDM) offers a cost-effective solution for embedding sensors in soft robots, directly addressing such necessity. Also, a finite element method (FEM) based on the nonlinear hyper-elastic constitutive model equipped with experimental input is developed to precisely predict the deformation and tip force of the actuators measured in experiments. The dynamic mechanical test is conducted to observe and analyse the behaviour and resistance changes of conductive thermoplastic polyurethane (CTPU) and varioShore TPU (VTPU) during a cyclic test. The flexible sensor can detect deformations in SPAs through the application of air pressure. Similarly, the force sensor exhibits the ability to detect grasping objects by detecting changes in resistance. These findings suggest that the resistance change corresponds directly to the magnitude of the mechanical stimuli applied. Thus, the device shows potential for functioning as a resistive sensor for soft actuation. Furthermore, these findings highlight the significant potential of 3D and 4D printing technology in one-shot fabrication of soft sensor-actuator robotic systems, suggesting promising applications in various fields like grippers with sensors and rehabilitation devices

Targeted dielectric coating of silver nanoparticles with silica to manipulate optical properties for metasurface applications

An epsilon-negative metamaterial (ENM) containing core@shell nanoparticles (NPs) was designed, where silver (Ag) NPs served as core and silica (SiO2) was used as spacer shell. AgNPs were synthesized in large scale, using microwave-assisted polyol method, in three average particle sizes, as 30, 54, and 61nm, with a narrow particle size distribution. Optical absorption of Ag NPs was investigated using UV–Vis spectroscopy. Their optical behavior was also theoretically predicted for different thicknesses of the SiO2 shell immersed in media of different refractive indices using the Clausius - Mossotti equation. Based on the results, optimal outputs were obtained with a SiO2 shell of 10nm in thickness encompassing 54nm Ag NPs based on the analytical model and numerical simulations here developed for core-shell structures. Then 10nm SiO2 shell was grown on 54nm Ag NPs by sol-gel synthesis. The NPs were then characterized by UV–Vis, TEM, SEM, EDX, DLS, and zeta potential analyses. The synthesized core-shell NPs can be used to establish epsilon-negative properties in polymer layers within visible range of wavelengths