Vital signal sensing and manipulation of a microscale organ with a multifunctional soft gripper.

Soft grippers that incorporate functional materials are important in the development of mechanically compliant and multifunctional interfaces for both sensing and stimulating soft objects and organisms. In particular, the capability for firm and delicate grasping of soft cells and organs without mechanical damage is essential to identify the condition of and monitor meaningful biosignals from objects. Here, we report a millimeter-scale soft gripper based on a shape memory polymer that enables manipulating a heavy object (payload-to-weight ratio up to 6400) and grasping organisms at the micro/milliscale.

Primiparous singleton women with endometriosis have an increased risk of preterm birth: Meta-analyses.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the association between women with endometriosis and risk of preterm birth.

Methods: Two reviewers independently determined all prospective cohort study, retrospective cohort study, large population based cohort study, retrospective secondary analysis, and double blinded, multicentric, observational and cohort study, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial published using PubMed, Medline, Korea Education and Research Information Service, and Scopus from March 1994 through February 2016 without language restrictions comparing obstetric outcomes women with endometriosis and women without endometriosis. The meta-analysis was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses statement.