Comparison of the effects of acupressure and touch on the headache caused by spinal anesthesia after cesarean section

Introduction: Post-Dural puncture headache (PDPH) is one of the common complications of spinal anesthesia, especially after cesarean section. It is better to treat this headache by non-pharmaceutical methods. One of the non-pharmaceutical pain control methods is the use of acupressure. But so far, its impact on headache after spinal anesthesia has not been studied. Therefore, this study was performed with aim to evaluate the effect of acupressure and touch on headache caused by spinal anesthesia after cesarean section. Methods: This randomized clinical trial with control group was conducted on 90 patients who underwent cesarean section by spinal anesthesia in Semnan Amir AlMomenin (A) Hospital in 2015. These patients were randomly divided into acupressure, touch and control groups. Pain severity was measured by Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Then, changes of pain severity pre and post intervention was measured and recorded. Data was analyzed by SPSS software (version 16) and Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficient tests, Kruskal-Wallis test, ANOVA and paired t-test. P0.05). After the intervention, there was a statistically significant decrease in mean pain score in acupressure and touch groups in comparison with control group (P<0.001). Also, after intervention, there was a statistically significant decrease in mean of headache scores in the acupressure group compared with touch group (P<0.001). Conclusion: Comparing with touch, acupressure was more effective for headache-relieving after spinal anesthesia in women undergoing cesarean section. Therefore, it is suggested that acupressure along with other conventional treatments be used to control and treat such headaches. © 2016, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All Rights Reserved

3D printing: an emerging tool for novel microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip applications

In the past few years, 3D printing technology has witnessed an explosive growth, penetrating various aspects of our lives. Current best-in-class 3D printers can fabricate micrometer scale objects, which has made fabrication of microfluidic devices possible. The highest achievable resolution is already at nanometer scale, which is continuing to drop. Since geometric complexity is not a concern for 3D printing, novel 3D microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip systems that are otherwise impossible to produce with traditional 2D microfabrication technology have started to emerge in recent years. In this review, we first introduce the basics of 3D printing technology for the microfluidic community and then summarize its emerging applications in creating novel microfluidic devices. We foresee widespread utilization of 3D printing for future developments in microfluidic engineering and lab-on-a-chip technology