Hardness changing tactile displays for simulating the feel of organic tissues.

Physical interaction with patients, for example conducted as part of a diagnostic examination or surgical procedure, provides clinicians with a wealth of information about their condition. Simulating this interaction is of great interest to researchers in both haptics and medical education, and the development of softness changing tactile interfaces is important in recreating the feel of different soft tissues. This paper presents designs for a variety of novel electromechanical and electromagnetic mechanisms for controlling particle jamming-based, hardness changing tactile displays, intended to allow medical trainees to experience these physical interactions in a range of simulation settings such as clinical skills teaching laboratories.

3D Reconstruction and Virtual Reality Is an Acceptable and Feasible Method for Addressing Body Image in Bariatric Metabolic Surgery.

Background: Patients living with obesity continue to experience body image dissatisfaction following bariatric metabolic surgery. The underlying reasons are poorly understood but may be due to unmet expectations. Negative body image perception following metabolic surgery leads to poorer psychological and clinical outcomes.

Validation of a Tool-Based Visual Anorectal Examination Advanced Simulator for the Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer.

Rectal examination through proctoscopy or rigid sigmoidoscopy is a common investigation in clinical practice. It is an important diagnostic tool for the workup and management of anorectal pathologies. Performing the examination can be daunting not only for patients but also for junior doctors.

Medical education and physician training in the era of artificial intelligence.

With the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-powered chatbots, the landscape of medicine and healthcare is on the brink of significant transformation. This perspective delves into the prospective influence of AI on medical education, residency training and the continuing education of attending physicians or consultants. We begin by highlighting the constraints of the current education model, challenges in limited faculty, uniformity amidst burgeoning medical knowledge and the limitations in 'traditional' linear knowledge acquisition.

Harnessing the potential of large language models in medical education: promise and pitfalls.

Objectives: To provide balanced consideration of the opportunities and challenges associated with integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) throughout the medical school continuum.

Process: Narrative review of published literature contextualized by current reports of LLM application in medical education.

Conclusions: LLMs like OpenAI's ChatGPT can potentially revolutionize traditional teaching methodologies.

Acceptability of Automated Robotic Clinical Breast Examination: Survey Study.

Background: In the United Kingdom, women aged 50 to 70 years are invited to undergo mammography. However, 10% of invasive breast cancers occur in women aged ≤45 years, representing an unmet need for young women. Identifying a suitable screening modality for this population is challenging; mammography is insufficiently sensitive, whereas alternative diagnostic methods are invasive or costly.

Readiness of Health Care Professionals in Singapore to Teach Online and Their Technology-Related Teaching Needs: Quantitative Cross-sectional Pilot Study.

Background: With the increasing acceptance of face-to-face classes transitioning to web-based learning due to COVID-19, there is an increasing need to have educators trained and equipped to teach online. The ability to teach in-person may not necessarily mean that one is ready teach in a web-based environment.

Objective: The objective of our study was to investigate the readiness of health care professionals in Singapore to teach online and their technology-related teaching needs.

Towards Instant Calibration in Myoelectric Prosthetic Hands: A Highly Data-Efficient Controller Based on the Wasserstein Distance.

Prosthetic hand control research typically focuses on developing increasingly complex controllers to achieve diminishing returns in pattern recognition of muscle activity signals, making models less suitable for user calibration. Some works have investigated transfer learning to alleviate this, but such approaches increase model size dramatically-thus reducing their suitability for implementation on real prostheses. In this work, we propose a novel, non-parametric controller that uses the Wasserstein distance to compare the distribution of incoming signals to those of a set of reference distributions, with the intended action classified as the closest distribution.

Mycofumigation of postharvest blueberries with volatile compounds from Trichoderma atroviride IC-11 is a promising tool to control rots caused by Botrytis cinerea.

Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of the gray mold, is a filamentous fungus that infects blueberries and can cause important production losses in postharvest storage. Considering that the use of synthetic fungicides is not allowed on blueberries in postharvest conditions, alternative and natural strategies are needed to control gray mold. The objective of this work was to evaluate the capability of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by Trichoderma atroviride IC-11 to control B.

The current and possible future role of 3D modelling within oesophagogastric surgery: a scoping review.

Background: 3D reconstruction technology could revolutionise medicine. Within surgery, 3D reconstruction has a growing role in operative planning and procedures, surgical education and training as well as patient engagement. Whilst virtual and 3D printed models are already used in many surgical specialities, oesophagogastric surgery has been slow in their adoption.

Current and future role of three-dimensional modelling technology in rectal cancer surgery: A systematic review.

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) modelling technology translates the patient-specific anatomical information derived from two-dimensional radiological images into virtual or physical 3D models, which more closely resemble the complex environment encountered during surgery. It has been successfully applied to surgical planning and navigation, as well as surgical training and patient education in several surgical specialties, but its uptake lags behind in colorectal surgery. Rectal cancer surgery poses specific challenges due to the complex anatomy of the pelvis, which is difficult to comprehend and visualise.

[Update on neuroendocrine tumors].

Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETs) encompass a wide variety of tumors arising from neuroendocrine cells, which produce bioactive substances. The incidence of NETs increased significantly lately, becoming one of the most common tumors of the digestive tract. Their clinical presentation is as diverse as their capacity for hormone production.

Current and possible future role of 3D modelling within oesophagogastric surgery: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction describes the generation of either virtual or physically printed anatomically accurate 3D models from two-dimensional medical images. Their implementation has revolutionised medical practice. Within surgery, key applications include growing roles in operative planning and procedures, surgical education and training, as well as patient engagement and education.

Virtual Reality Simulator for Pediatric Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair.

Due to the small space environment, the learning curve of pediatric laparoscopic procedures is steep and requires excellent procedural skills. These are mainly gained through an apprenticeship on real patients. Computer-based virtual reality (VR) simulators offer a safe, cost-effective, and configurable training environment free from ethical and patient safety issues.

Development and Validation of a Virtual Reality Haptic Femoral Nailing Simulator.

Objective: To create a virtual reality (VR) femoral nailing simulator combining haptics and image intensifier functionality and then carry out validation studies to assess its educational value.

Design: The simulator consisted of a 3D virtual environment, a haptic device and 3D printed drill handle and a VR headset. The environment was created using a video game development engine, interfaced with plugins to allow haptic feedback and image intensifier functionality.

Rehabilitation Exergames: Use of Motion Sensing and Machine Learning to Quantify Exercise Performance in Healthy Volunteers.

Background: Performing physiotherapy exercises in front of a physiotherapist yields qualitative assessment notes and immediate feedback. However, practicing the exercises at home lacks feedback on how well patients are performing the prescribed tasks. The absence of proper feedback might result in patients performing the exercises incorrectly, which could worsen their condition.

Augmented Reality System for Digital Rectal Examination Training and Assessment: System Validation.

Background: Digital rectal examination is a difficult examination to learn and teach because of limited opportunities for practice; however, the main challenge is that students and tutors cannot see the finger when it is palpating the anal canal and prostate gland inside the patients.

Objective: This paper presents an augmented reality system to be used with benchtop models commonly available in medical schools with the aim of addressing the problem of lack of visualization. The system enables visualization of the examining finger, as well as of the internal organs when performing digital rectal examinations.

Quantitating skill acquisition with optical ultrasound simulation.

Objective: To investigate and compare the effect of simulator training on quantitative scores for ultrasound-related skills for trainees with novice level ultrasound experience and expert ultrasound operators.

Methods: Three novice (comprising of 11, 32, 23 participants) and one expert (10 participants) subgroups undertook an ultrasound simulation training session. Pre- and post-training test scores were collected for each subgroup.

Effectiveness of technology-enhanced simulation in teaching digital rectal examination: a systematic review narrative synthesis.

Background: Digital rectal examination (DRE) is a challenging examination to learn.

Objective: To synthesise evidence regarding the effectiveness of technology-enhanced simulation (TES) for acquiring DRE skills.

Study Selection: EMBASE, Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane, Web of Knowledge (Science and Social Science), Scopus and IEEE Xplore were searched; the last search was performed on 3 April 2019.

Toward a Common Framework and Database of Materials for Soft Robotics.

To advance the field of soft robotics, a unified database of material constitutive models and experimental characterizations is of paramount importance. This will facilitate the use of finite element analysis to simulate their behavior and optimize the design of soft-bodied robots. Samples from seventeen elastomers, namely Body Double™ SILK, Dragon Skin™ 10 MEDIUM, Dragon Skin 20, Dragon Skin 30, Dragon Skin FX-Pro, Dragon Skin FX-Pro + Slacker, Ecoflex™ 00-10, Ecoflex 00-30, Ecoflex 00-50, Rebound™ 25, Mold Star™ 16 FAST, Mold Star 20T, SORTA-Clear™ 40, RTV615, PlatSil Gel-10, Psycho Paint, and SOLOPLAST 150318, were subjected to uniaxial tensile tests according to the ASTM D412 standard.

Qualitative evaluation of asthma services for young people: a sequential simulation study.

Background: Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood and an important preventable cause of mortality in children and young people (CYP). Few studies have brought together CYP and health professionals to understand the patient perspective of routine asthma care. We sought to explore how young people engage with routine asthma care in North West London through sequential simulation.