Applications of Smart Material Sensors and Soft Electronics in Healthcare Wearables for Better User Compliance

Autophagy and mitophagy as potential therapeutic targets in diabetic heart condition: Harnessing the power of nanotheranostics

Autophagy and mitophagy pose unresolved challenges in understanding the pathology of diabetic heart condition (DHC), which encompasses a complex range of cardiovascular issues linked to diabetes and associated cardiomyopathies. Despite significant progress in reducing mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), heart failure remains a major cause of increased morbidity among diabetic patients. These cellular processes are essential for maintaining cellular balance and removing damaged or dysfunctional components, and their involvement in the development of diabetic heart disease makes them attractive targets for diagnosis and treatment. While a variety of conventional diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are available, DHC continues to present a significant challenge. Point-of-care diagnostics, supported by nanobiosensing techniques, offer a promising alternative for these complex scenarios. Although conventional medications have been widely used in DHC patients, they raise several concerns regarding various physiological aspects. Modern medicine places great emphasis on the application of nanotechnology to target autophagy and mitophagy in DHC, offering a promising approach to deliver drugs beyond the limitations of traditional therapies. This article aims to explore the potential connections between autophagy, mitophagy and DHC, while also discussing the promise of nanotechnology-based theranostic interventions that specifically target these molecular pathways.

Recent research trends in textile-based temperature sensors: a mini review

In this review, the current state of research on textile-based temperature sensors is explored by focusing on their potential use in various applications. The textile-based sensors show various advantages including flexibility, conformability and seamlessness for the wearer. Integration of the textile-based sensors into clothes or fabric-based products enables continuous and sensitive monitoring of change in temperature, which can be used for various medical and fitness applications. However, there are lacks of comprehensive review on the textile-based temperature sensors. This review introduces various types of textile-based temperature sensors, including resistive, thermoelectric and fibre-optical sensors. In addition, the challenges that need to be addressed to fully realise their potential, which include improving sensitivity and accuracy, integrating wireless communication capabilities, and developing low-cost fabrication techniques. The technological advances in textile-based temperature sensors to overcome the limitations will revolutionize wearable devices requiring function of temperature monitoring.

Smart Detecting and Versatile Wearable Electrical Sensing Mediums for Healthcare

A rapidly expanding global population and a sizeable portion of it that is aging are the main causes of the significant increase in healthcare costs. Healthcare in terms of monitoring systems is undergoing radical changes, making it possible to gauge or monitor the health conditions of people constantly, while also removing some minor possibilities of going to the hospital. The development of automated devices that are either attached to organs or the skin, continually monitoring human activity, has been made feasible by advancements in sensor technologies, embedded systems, wireless communication technologies, nanotechnologies, and miniaturization being ultra-thin, lightweight, highly flexible, and stretchable. Wearable sensors track physiological signs together with other symptoms such as respiration, pulse, and gait pattern, etc., to spot unusual or unexpected events. Help may therefore be provided when it is required. In this study, wearable sensor-based activity-monitoring systems for people are reviewed, along with the problems that need to be overcome. In this review, we have shown smart detecting and versatile wearable electrical sensing mediums in healthcare. We have compiled piezoelectric-, electrostatic-, and thermoelectric-based wearable sensors and their working mechanisms, along with their principles, while keeping in view the different medical and healthcare conditions and a discussion on the application of these biosensors in human health. A comparison is also made between the three types of wearable energy-harvesting sensors: piezoelectric-, electrostatic-, and thermoelectric-based on their output performance. Finally, we provide a future outlook on the current challenges and opportunities.

Research on the Factors Affecting the Adoption of Smart Aged-Care Products by the Aged in China: Extension Based on UTAUT Model

With the rapid development of network technology and smart technology, smart aged-care products are becoming increasingly valued for their ability to help the aged actively cope with the challenges of aging. However, seniors face challenges in using smart aged-care products for many reasons, which reduces their willingness to adopt them. As a result, the sustainable development of smart aged-care products is constrained. This study combined the unified theory of technology acceptance and use, perceived risk theory and perceived cost theory, and reconstructed a research model that investigated the adoption of smart aged-care products by the elderly in China. Questionnaires were given to older Chinese adults in this study, and 386 valuable responses were received. The findings of the structural equation model (SEM) analysis are as follows: (1) performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence were positively related to the behavioral intention of seniors to use smart aged-care products; (2) perceived cost and perceived risk were negatively related to the behavioral intention of seniors to use smart aged-care products; (3) perceived risk indirectly affected use behavior through behavioral intentions; (4) facilitating conditions did not have a significant impact on the use behavior of seniors in adopting smart aged-care products. Based on the empirical results, this study sought to improve the use behavior of the aged in relation to the adoption of smart aged-care products, and provided suggestions to improve the overall service quality and sustainability of those products.