Parylene-based stretchable neural electrodes with serpentine interconnects

Journal of Physics Conference Series · 2024 · 2 citations

• Materials science
• Biomedical engineering
• Nanotechnology

Abstract Parylene C has rapidly gained popularity as a flexible and biocompatible material for next generation chronic probes. However, the mechanical strains attributed to the intracranial pressure and micromotion may compromise the longevity and biostability of implanted neural devices. To obtain conformable bioelectronic interfaces, it is essential to incorporate serpentine metal interconnects in flexible neural electrodes to achieve stretchability. In this paper, the influence of straight segments on the mechanical behavior of serpentine-shaped Parylene C probes has been investigated by finite element analysis. The etching performance of Parylene C with different masks are compared and the optimum masking material is the SiO 2 film grown at a low temperature by inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD). In vitro electrochemical measurements verify excellent electrode function with a low impedance of 13±0.4 kΩ at 1 kHz, which is beneficial for high-resolution neural recording.

Dietary Behavior and Its Association with Nutrition Literacy and Dietary Attitude Among Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Chemotherapy: A Multicenter Survey of Hospitals in China

Patient Preference and Adherence · 2023 · 12 citations

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Gerontology

Background: Chemotherapy often negatively impacts the nutritional status of breast cancer patients, and healthy dietary behaviors are important for patient wellbeing. With the guidance of the “Knowledge, Attitude and Practice model” (KAP model), the objective of this survey was to determine the frequency with which patients engage in healthy dietary behaviors and to explore the association between healthy dietary behaviors and nutrition literacy and dietary attitudes. Methods: This study included a total of 284 breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy from three hospitals spanning three cities in China. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect demographic and clinical characteristics as well as the Dietary Nutritional Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Questionnaire (DNKAPQ) and the Nutrition Literacy Measurement Scale for Chinese Adult (NLMS-CA). Results: Participants exhibited medium to high scores for nutrition literacy, dietary attitude and dietary behavior. Nutrition literacy ( r = 0.505, p < 0.001) and dietary attitude ( r = 0.326, p < 0.001) scores were both positively correlated with the total dietary behavior score. The total nutrition literacy score was positively correlated with the total dietary behavior score ( r = 0.286, p < 0.001). In the univariate analysis, age, body mass index, living environment, education level, monthly family income, work status, menopausal status, number of comorbidities, relapse and endocrine therapy were significantly associated with dietary behavior ( p < 0.05). In the multiple linear regression analysis, patients’ dietary behavior was significantly associated with nutrition literacy ( β = 0.449, p < 0.001) and dietary attitude ( β = 0.198, p < 0.001). These two factors accounted for 28.6% of the variation in the patients’ dietary behavior scores. Conclusion: There is an important need for targeted dietary and nutritional interventions designed and implemented by health professionals to improve dietary behaviors. Intervention design and content should take the patients’ nutrition literacy and dietary attitudes into consideration. In particular, women who are older, overweight, unemployed, and postmenopausal and live in rural areas, exhibit fewer comorbidities, have a lower family income and education level, have not relapsed and are currently receiving endocrine therapy are in urgent need of diet-specific intervention. Keywords: attitude, behavior, breast cancer, chemotherapy, dietary, nutrition literacy