A vacuum-driven inclined hexagonal prism soft-rigid hybrid contraction actuator inspired by Kresling origami pattern and with low driving pressure, high contraction ratio, and fast response was proposed. The advantages of soft-rigid hybrid vacuum contraction actuators over conventional positive-type oscillators were investigated. Under 30 kPa vacuum pressure, the actuator can realize a torsional angle of 87°, contraction ratio of 59%, contracting response time of 0.2 s, and restoring response time of 0.42 s. The design and fabrication of the proposed actuator were discussed. A mathematical model treating all creases as a combination of linear and torsion springs, which is firstly considered compared with previously proposed models of Kresling origami-based actuators, was established to predict the output performance. The excellent output force prediction performance of the proposed method was validated experimentally. To investigate the application potential of the proposed modular actuator, six actuators were assembled on a pipe-crawling robot that can crawl in horizontal, vertical, elbow rigid pipes as well as flexible pipes with inner diameters ranging from 55 to 71 mm. The robot achieved a maximum crawling velocity of 34.8 mm/s (0.226 body lengths per second) and maximum load of 1000 g (12.5 times its own weight) in tests. Thus, the excellent application potential of the proposed actuator was validated.

Background Cervical cancer is the fourth most diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death, and it still poses a crippling threat to women’s health. China launched the National Cervical Cancer Screening Program for Rural Women in 2009, and an increasing number of cervical cancer patients have been detected. Health-related quality of life is not only the end point of cancer research but is also related to socioeconomic and clinical factors and has received an increasing amount of attention. In light of the characteristics of the Yunnan nationality, we conducted cross-sectional research to assess and explore the health-related quality of life in both Han and ethnic minority patients. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2020 to May 2021 at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University/Yunnan Cancer Hospital. Patients, including 100 Han patients and 100 ethnic minorities, were interviewed using the FACT-Cx questionnaire within 3 months of receiving treatment. Results Patients of Han ethnicity and ethnic minorities were comparable in both sociodemographic and clinical features. The total FACT-Cx scores were 139.38 ± 9.83 and 134.39 ± 13.63 in Han and ethnic minority patients, respectively (P < 0.05). Significant differences were shown in physical well-being, emotional well-being and the FACT-Cx subscale between the Han and ethnic minority groups. Independent predictors of the FACT-Cx scale were ethnicity, educational level, participation in the National Cervical Cancer Screening Program for Rural Areas (NCCSPRA) and clinical stage. Conclusions The results of our study imply that the HRQOL of Han patients is better than that of ethnic minority patients. Thus, clinicians and related health workers should pay more attention to the HRQOL of cervical cancer patients, especially for ethnic minority patients, and provide psychosocial interventions as much as possible to improve their HRQOL. Policies should also aim to strengthen health education regarding cervical cancer and expand the coverage of the NCCSPRA among those who are ethnic minorities, are older and have low educational levels.

To improve the prevalence of screening for gastric cancer in low-income areas, a low-cost endoscope based on a novel wire-driven rotary valve and water-jet mechanism is proposed. The primary component of this endoscope is a rotary valve whose core is driven by a step motor through a flexible wire, which controls the direction of the water jet. This enables it to reach any point in the workspace by controlling the valve core angle and water jet intensity. The envelope surface of the endoscope tip trajectory is likely a hemisphere. The horizontal diameter of the working space projection is approximately 350 mm, which is sufficient to observe most parts of the greater curvature of the stomach. The image-acquisition performance of the designed endoscope was satisfactory in a phantom experiment. The introduction of the novel rotary valve greatly simplifies the structure and reduces the cost of the proposed endoscope. With low cost and high portability, this endoscope provides a good alternative for early gastric cancer screening in low- and middle-income areas.