July/August 2021

Wearable Sensors: Fundamentals, Implementation and Applications, 2nd ed.

Author(s)3: Paul King
Wearable Sensors: Fundamentals, Implementation and Applications, 2nd ed. 150 150 IEEE Pulse
This text is a well-referenced fairly comprehensive overview of the current state of the art involving wearable sensors and relevant applications in (mainly) human health monitoring in applications from medicine to sports. The text is organized into six sections containing a total of 22 chapters contributed by some 78(!) researchers from 13 countries. It is aimed at “Practicing engineers in the area of medical and wearable devices, academic researchers, undergraduate and graduate students.” A review of the text, by sections, follows. read more

Are Viruses Just Spores?

Author(s)3: Art Johnson
Are Viruses Just Spores? 150 150 IEEE Pulse
Something amazing happened early in the history of the Earth. Molecules were formed that had the unusual capacity to reproduce. And, not only that, but these molecules reproduced to the limit of the resources available and competed with other, similar, molecules to utilize every available reserve necessary to their growth and reproduction. These molecules were nucleic acids. read more

Novel Health Risk Alert System for Occupational Safety in Hot Environments

Author(s)3: Hiroyoshi Togo, Akimasa Hirata
Novel Health Risk Alert System for Occupational Safety in Hot Environments 1000 667 IEEE Pulse
The last century has seen a gradual increase in global average temperatures—a phenomenon that has come to be known as global warming. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has reported that 2020 was one of the three warmest years on record and that the global average temperature was ~1.2 oC above preindustrial (1850–1900) levels. Adverse effects on health resulting from global warming are important issues to consider, as health risks associated with such extreme heat are anticipated. read more

Harnessing Another Tool for Treating Brain Cancer

Author(s)3: Cynthia Weber
Harnessing Another Tool for Treating Brain Cancer 1000 596 IEEE Pulse
In the United States alone, an estimated 700,000 people have been diagnosed and are living with a brain tumor, and it is estimated that approximately 84,000 people will receive a tumor diagnosis in 2021 [1]. Fortunately, the majority of these tumors will be benign; on average only 30% of all brain tumors are malignant. For patients with malignant tumors, the current five-year survival rate is 36% with an average 31% ten-year survival rate [2], but for those diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM)—one of the most deadly and treatment-resistant cancers—the patient survival rate falls to a low 7.2% and the median life-span after diagnosis is only eight months. GBM is the most common primary malignant brain tumor, even as an increasing numbers of cancer patients are diagnosed with brain metastases (secondary brain tumors), where the cancer has traveled to the brain from another part of the body. read more

Reproductive Health in the Time of COVID

Author(s)3: Jennifer Berglund
Reproductive Health in the Time of COVID 1000 662 IEEE Pulse
In spring 2020, the pandemic began shutting down the world—restaurants, colleges, even entire cities felt emptied and closed. A cloud of uncertainty lingered over most parts of the world and altered our daily schedules and tasks. But for a wide segment of society, it wasn’t the toilet paper, or the masks, or the isolation from their families that hurt the worst—it was the sudden uncertainty around one of the most fundamental aspects of our lives: reproduction. read more

Bioprinting Marches Forward With New Technology

Author(s)3: Leslie Mertz
Bioprinting Marches Forward With New Technology 1000 563 IEEE Pulse
With the advent of additive manufacturing and a flurry of new-generation, three-dimensional (3D) printers that hit the market in the early 2000s, biomedical innovators began envisioning the technology as a way to replace damaged or diseased tissue and organs with on-demand, printed parts [1]–[3]. The path from vision to reality was not quite as quick or easy as many anticipated, but research groups today are making headway to keep the technology moving toward its goal. read more

Probing the Future of Psychedelics for Mental Health

Author(s)3: Summer Allen
Probing the Future of Psychedelics for Mental Health 1000 822 IEEE Pulse
Mounting evidence suggests that psychedelics may be useful for treating a range of different neuropsychiatric conditions that currently have limited treatment options. On May 4–6, 2021, leaders from academia and industry discussed a variety of issues related to the development and adoption of psychedelic drugs for different conditions during the virtual Psychedelic Therapeutics and Drug Development Conference. Selected topics from the conference are presented below. read more

Targeting the Gut to Treat the Brain

Author(s)3: Mary Bates
Targeting the Gut to Treat the Brain 1000 563 IEEE Pulse
Only ten years ago, the idea that bacteria in your gut could affect your brain and behavior was seen as a fringe theory. But today, it is well-established that the trillions of microbes in the gastrointestinal tract—collectively known as the gut microbiome—profoundly influence the brain. Now, researchers are working to harness the power of the gut microbiome to develop new treatments for brain disorders. read more