A rare clinical condition associated with numerous diagnostic and treatment challenges, pregnancy-associated melanoma (PAM), is defined as melanoma diagnosed either during pregnancy or within the first year postpartum. The physiological changes in pregnancy (hormonal changes and immune modulation), along with the normal changes in the pregnant woman’s skin (skin color changes, etc.), may all hinder early detection of this disease and create concerns regarding the advancement of melanoma and the well-being of both the mother and her fetus. The purpose of this review article was to summarize the current literature on the incidence, biology, diagnostic methods and treatments of PAM, with an emphasis on comparison between the two forms of melanoma. More recent research indicates that pregnancy itself is not typically associated with decreased melanoma-specific survival rates. However, when worse results are reported, it appears that this may be more due to delays in initial diagnoses (diagnosis of cancer after delivery) or detection of cancer postpartum, as well as the increased number of stages of melanoma at which women were diagnosed at the time of their first evaluation compared to non-pregnant controls, rather than being a result of enhanced biologic aggressiveness in melanoma driven by pregnancy itself. The preclinical and translational models have suggested that pregnancy may influence melanoma biology through the mechanisms of hormonal signaling, immune system modulation and vascular remodeling; however, these mechanisms remain hypothesis-generating, and current clinical evidence does not indicate that changes in hormone levels during pregnancy negatively affect melanoma survival. Surgical excision is the mainstay of treatment and can be performed safely during pregnancy. In select patients, a sentinel lymph node biopsy may also be performed. Due to the risk of fetal harm, systemic therapy (targeted agents and/or immune checkpoint inhibitors) cannot be used for the treatment of PAM during pregnancy. Post-pregnancy treatment of PAM will follow standard melanoma treatment guidelines; however, the treatment options will need to take into consideration whether or not the patient is breastfeeding and if she desires to become pregnant again in the future. In summary, PAM will require a multidisciplinary, individualized approach to maximize oncologic outcomes while protecting the health of both the mother and her fetus. Awareness of this disease and timely diagnosis are critical to maximizing the prognosis.

The development of implantable neural interfaces is essential for enabling bidirectional communication between the nervous system and prosthetic devices, yet their evaluation still relies primarily on in vivo models which are costly, variable, and ethically constrained. Here, we report a bio-inspired artificial nerve simulator engineered as a reproducible ex vivo platform for pre-implantation testing of plug-type electrodes. The simulator is fabricated from a conductive hydrogel composite based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO), polyaniline (PANI), agarose, sucrose, and sodium chloride, with embedded conductive channels that replicate the fascicular organization and conductivity of peripheral nerves. The resulting construct exhibits impedance values of ~2.4–2.9 kΩ between electrode needles at 1 kHz, closely matching in vivo measurements (~2 kΩ) obtained in Sus scrofa domesticus nerve tissue. Its structural and electrical fidelity enables systematic evaluation of electrode–nerve contact properties, signal transmission, and insertion behavior under controlled conditions, while reducing reliance on animal experiments. This bio-inspired simulator offers a scalable and physiologically relevant testbed that bridges materials engineering and translational neuroprosthetics, accelerating the development of next-generation implantable neural interfaces.

Background/Objectives: This article brings forward a novel methodology for the intra-op approach of forearm amputation stumps to facilitate their subsequent wireless connection to a neural prosthesis. A neural prosthesis offers the amputee more motor functions compared to myoelectric prostheses, but the neural prosthesis must be connected to the patient’s stump nerves. Methods: An experimental animal study was conducted on 15 Wistar rats. Under anesthesia, the sciatic nerve was carefully dissected and preserved using a folding technique to maintain maximum length without tension. Nerves were repositioned with consideration for future use with biocompatible conduits. Morphometric measurements (nerve length, external diameter, fascicle count) were performed, followed by statistical analysis of length–diameter correlations. Results: The techniques show that the length of the nerves in the amputation stump can be preserved and integrated into the muscle masses with appropriate methods and biomaterials, which ensures the transmission of motor impulses to control the movements of a prosthesis. Fibrosis and mechanical injury have a lower risk of occurring with the nerves protected in the muscle mass. Through statistical analysis we find that sciatic nerve length and diameter have a positive correlation (r = 0.71, p = 0.003), supporting anatomic plausibility for human extrapolation of results. Conclusions: The amputation technique preserves much of the nerve length and viability and is simple to perform. Neural electrode implantation can be facilitated by folding the nerve within a large muscle mass and using biomaterial conduits. Better rehabilitation of the patient may occur with the use of a prosthesis equipped with more functions and superior control.