We present a proof-of-concept demonstration of an all-printed temporary tattoo-based glucose sensor for noninvasive glycemic monitoring. The sensor represents the first example of an easy-to-wear flexible tattoo-based epidermal diagnostic device combining reverse iontophoretic extraction of interstitial glucose and an enzyme-based amperometric biosensor. In-vitro studies reveal the tattoo sensor's linear response toward physiologically relevant glucose levels with negligible interferences from common coexisting electroactive species. The iontophoretic-biosensing tattoo platform is reduced to practice by applying the device on human subjects and monitoring variations in glycemic levels due to food consumption. Correlation of the sensor response with that of a commercial glucose meter underscores the promise of the tattoo sensor to detect glucose levels in a noninvasive fashion. Control on-body experiments demonstrate the importance of the reverse iontophoresis operation and validate the sensor specificity. This preliminary investigation indicates that the tattoo-based iontophoresis-sensor platform holds considerable promise for efficient diabetes management and can be extended toward noninvasive monitoring of other physiologically relevant analytes present in the interstitial fluid.

Ultrasound (US)-powered nanowire motors based on nanoporous gold segment are developed for increasing the drug loading capacity. The new highly porous nanomotors are characterized with a tunable pore size, high surface area, and high capacity for the drug payload. These nanowire motors are prepared by template membrane deposition of a silver-gold alloy segment followed by dealloying the silver component. The drug doxorubicin (DOX) is loaded within the nanopores via electrostatic interactions with an anionic polymeric coating. The nanoporous gold structure also facilitates the near-infrared (NIR) light controlled release of the drug through photothermal effects. Ultrasound-driven transport of the loaded drug toward cancer cells followed by NIR-light triggered release is illustrated. The incorporation of the nanoporous gold segment leads to a nearly 20-fold increase in the active surface area compared to common gold nanowire motors. It is envisioned that such US-powered nanomotors could provide a new approach to rapidly and efficiently deliver large therapeutic payloads in a target-specific manner.

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The electrochemical reduction of lansoprazole was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and direct current and differential pulse polarography. The reduction potential was -1.32 V vs. Ag/AgCl with a dropping mercury electrode in a supporting electrolyte consisting of phosphate buffer (pH 9.0)-tetramethylammonium iodide (4 + 1). The reversibility of the electrode reaction and the type of limiting current were studied. The temperature coefficient and the diffusion constant were determined. A mechanism for the electrode reaction was proposed. A new simple and sensitive differential pulse polarographic method was also developed for the quantification of lansoprazole. A linear calibration graph was obtained in the range 0.04-11.35 micrograms ml-1. The limit of detection was 0.03 microgram ml-1 and the intra- and inter-day precisions were 0.84-2.32 and 0.72-3.09%, respectively. The developed method was applied to six different commercial pharmaceutical capsule preparations containing enteric-coated granules. The relative standard deviations ranged from 1.36 to 2.85%. Recovery studies for the accuracy of the method were performed by adding a synthetic mixture to known amounts of lansoprazole and the mean recovery was 100.45%. The data obtained from commercial preparations were compared with those from a published spectrophotometric method. No difference was found statistically.