After vocal cord surgery, many patients develop stiff vocal folds that impact their ability to speak. Hydrogels can help prevent this by promoting healing, but delivering hydrogels to the vocal cords is difficult. Publishing October 29 in the Cell Press journal Device, a team of biomechanical engineers and surgeons have developed a 3D-printing soft robot that can accurately deliver hydrogels to the vocal cord surgical site to reconstruct tissues removed during surgery. The robot’s printhead is only 2.7 mm in size—the smallest bioprinter reported to date.  

States that explicitly criminalize prenatal drug use may unintentionally discourage pregnant people from seeking essential medical care, according to new research from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The study is the first to empirically test whether fear of legal repercussions leads some people with drug use disorders to give birth outside healthcare settings to avoid hospital drug testing.