Proceedings of the IEEE Investigates Advances and Challenges in Global Health Care
Piscataway, NJ (PRWEB) April 08, 2015 -- Despite scientific and technological advances in medicine in recent years, we still face enormous health care challenges in the 21st century in developing and under-developed countries. The latest special issue of Proceedings of the IEEE, the most highly cited general interest journal in electrical engineering and computer science, is dedicated to exploring the obstacles and opportunities before us.
Major diseases that threaten us today impact far more arenas than simply health care. Issues such as the AIDS pandemic and antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis touch on myriad aspects of life, including political, economic, social, biomedical and beyond. Major measures are needed to address comprehensive prevention and treatment programs, and success in solving global health care problems will require the research and developments of engineers and scientists. Under the guidance of guest editors Metin Akay and Toshiyo Tamura, this issue explores wide-ranging topics, such as global health care systems, financing, delivery and management, technology, ethics and more.
Some of the papers in this special issue of Proceedings of the IEEE include:
“Microfluidics and Nanotechnology for Detection of Global Infectious Diseases,” by Damhorst et al. With the emergence of microfluidics and nanotechnologies, there’s a need for the tools of the sub-millimeter scale to overcome the shortcomings of existing tools and meet the worldwide need for simple, accessible diagnostic tests. This paper also explores the urgent need for the commercialization and translation of micro and nanotechnology-based diagnostics for HIV, TB and malaria. These technologies will make an impact in the lives of millions of people in the world’s poorest regions, who are disproportionately impacted by these life-threatening infectious diseases.
“Advances in Nanotechnology and Microfluidics for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Diagnostics,” by Tasoglu et al. Recent advances in nanotechnology and microfluidics potentially enable new approaches for HPV diagnosis. This paper discusses the limitations of the currently used methods for rapid and inexpensive testing in large population groups and developing countries. It also discusses the urgent need for innovative and inexpensive diagnostic methods and platforms based on the integration of merging nanotechnologies and sensing methodologies for HPV diagnosis in clinics.
“Wearable Sensors for Healthier Pregnancies,” by Penders et al. This paper evaluates wearable sensors as an enabling technology to motivate healthier lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy and reduce the risk of lifestyle-related pregnancy complications in both developing and developed countries. It also integrates wearable sensor technologies, behavior change and pregnancy monitoring to promote healthy pregnancies within the context of behavior change.
“Diagnostic Tools for Lab-on-chip Applications Based on Coherent Imaging Microscopy,” by Merola et al. This paper discusses the need and importance of the development of miniaturized devices that are able to provide fast and reliable testing for clinical diagnosis. It gives an in-depth review of the optofluidic imaging platform based on the integration of some powerful optical techniques to Lab-on-Chip (LoC) for rapid diagnosis, with the main emphasis on the feasibility of a multi-purpose optofluidic imaging platform. The proposed platform can be used to manipulate cells, measure biophysical parameters and provide long- term cost-effective health care solutions.
“Biomedical Applications of Untethered Mobile Milli/Micro-Robots,” by Sitti et al. This paper presents in-depth reviews of small-scale untethered mobile robots with applications in medicine to overcome difficulties with conventional medical devices that fall short without an invasive intervention. It discusses the minimally invasive applications of untethered mobile milli/micro-robots for treatments in clinics.
“Advances in Smartphone-Based Point-of-Care Diagnostics,” by Xu et al. This paper focuses on the state-of-the-art advances in smartphone-based POC diagnostics to detect and collect the desired signals both in vivo tests and in vitro tests. Since smartphones are widely available and affordable, they will be very essential tools for POC diagnostics in both developing and developed countries.
To learn about all of these concepts, and more, visit the Proceedings of the IEEE website.
About the Proceedings of the IEEE
Founded in 1912 and first published in early 1913, (originally as Proceedings of the IRE), Proceedings of the IEEE is the most highly cited general interest journal in electrical engineering and computer science. This journal provides the most in-depth tutorial and review coverage of the technical developments that shape our world, enlisting the help of guest editors and authors from the best research facilities, leading edge corporations and universities around the world. For more information on Proceedings of the IEEE and the latest ideas and innovative technologies, visit http://www.ieee.org/proceedings.
Lauren Russ, Connect Communications, http://www.ieee.org/proceedings, 773-868-0966, [email protected]
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