Blood glucose (BG) concentration of the human body serves as an important index for diagnosis of diabetes, and its detection methods need to be more efficient due to high mortality rates for diabetes. Typical household BG meters are invasive products based on electrochemistry and rely on finger pricks to procure blood, which might result in skin damage and bacterial infections. Moreover, such BG meters can only detect the BG concentration at a certain time while ignoring the BG level at other times. Recently, to achieve microinvasive, noninvasive and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) by detecting body fluid, such as sweat or tears, the research direction has been gradually developing toward wearable devices. This review discusses the glucose detection mechanism of various electrochemical and optical glucose sensors, and briefly analyzes their advantages and challenges. Additionally, wearable products based on various principles that have appeared on the market are also summarized. Furthermore, based on the analysis, this review proposes a design concept for future research directions.
Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the major cause of end-stage renal disease in diabetic patients. Zicao, a well-known Chinese traditional medicine, has attracted much attention due to its beneficial effects in various medical fields. In this study, we attempted to investigate the effects and mechanisms of action of acetylshikonin, the main ingredient of Zicao, on renal dysfunction in DN. Our results showed that administration with acetylshikonin not only decreased blood urea nitrogen, urine creatinine and the mean kidney-to-body weight ratio in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice, but also restored the loss of body weight, whereas the blood glucose was not changed. Masson's trichrome staining showed that acetylshikonin treatment resulted in a marked decrease in kidney fibrosis from diabetic mice. The increased expression of fibrosis proteins, such as plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), connective tissue growth factor, and collagen III and IV, were reduced after acetylshikonin administration. In addition, the expressions of interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and infiltration of macrophages in kidney tissues were decreased in acetylshikonin-treated diabetic mice. Acetylshikonin led to a reduction of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) expression and Smad-2/3 phosphorylation, as accompanied by increased Smad7 expression. Furthermore, in vitro treatment with acetylshikonin markedly attenuated TGF-β1-induced the PAI-1, collagen III and IV, and Smad-2/3 phosphorylation in HK2 immortalized human proximal tubule epithelial cells. Acetylshikonin also prevented epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition induced by TGF-β1. Collectively, our study provides evidences that acetylshikonin attenuates renal fibrosis though inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway, suggesting that acetylshikonin may be a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of DN.
BackgroundNonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, for which there is currently no safe and effective drug for therapy. In this study, we explored the effects of taurine, tea polyphenols (TPs), or a combination thereof, on NASH rats.MethodsRats were divided into a normal group, a high-fat diet induced model group and a treatment group (including taurine, TPs, or taurine + TPs treatment for 8 weeks). Twelve weeks later, all rats were sacrificed, and serum transaminase, lipid and lipopolysaccharide levels and hepatic oxidative stress levels were determined. Histological changes were evaluated.ResultsIn NASH rats, hepatocyte damage, lipid disturbance, oxidative stress and elevated lipopolysaccharide levels were confirmed. Taurine treatment alleviated hepatocyte damage and oxidative stress. TPs treatment improved lipid metabolism and increased hepatic antioxidant activity. The therapeutic effects of taurine + TPs treatment on hepatocyte damage, lipid disturbance, and oxidative stress were superior to those of taurine and TPs treatment, respectively. Taurine, TPs and their combination all decreased serum lipopolysaccharide levels in NASH rats, but the combination of the compounds caused these levels to decrease more significantly than taurine or TPs treatment alone.ConclusionTaurine combined with TPs treatment could relieve NASH by alleviating hepatocyte damage, decreasing oxidative stress and improving lipid metabolism and gut flora disturbance partly. Taurine and TPs combination may act as a new effective medicine for treating NASH patients.
The present study aimed to investigate dietary vitamin intake levels and their association with the prevalence of obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia in centenarians in China. From June 2014 to December 2016, a total of 992 centenarians aged >99 years (177 males and 815 females; age range, 100-115 years) were enrolled through household visits in the cities and rural areas of Hainan province. Details regarding food intake were recorded by continuous collection of 7-day food frequency and 24-h dietary review, and dietary vitamin intake levels were calculated according to the Chinese Food Composition Table. The deficiency rates of vitamin A (VA), VE, VB 1 , VB 2 , niacin and VC among the centenarians were relatively high and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) was 53.67% (519/967). The dietary intake levels of VA, VE and PP were significantly higher among the healthy centenarians than among the centenarians with MS (P<0.05). Compared with the lowest quartiles (Q 1) of dietary vitamin intake, higher dietary intake levels of VA (Q 4) [odds ratio (OR)=0.72; 95% CI: 0.38, 0.99], VE (Q 3) (OR=0.61; 95% CI=0.36, 0.88) and VB 2 (Q 4) (OR=0.51; 95% CI: 0.32, 0.81) were associated with a reduced risk of hypertension (P<0.05). However, higher dietary intake levels of VA, VE, VB 2 and PP were associated with increased risks of central obesity, hyperglycemia and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. A high prevalence of MS and vitamin deficiency were detected among the centenarians and these two items were associated with each other. It was indicated that specific vitamins are necessary for certain centenarians.
Flexible wearable pressure sensors play a pivotal role in healthcare monitoring, disease prevention, and humanmachine interactions. However, their narrow sensing ranges, low detection sensitivities, slow responses, and complex preparation processes restrict their application in smart wearable devices. Herein, a capacitive pressure sensor with high sensitivity and flexibility that uses an ionic collagen fiber material as the dielectric layer is proposed. The sensor exhibits a high sensitivity (5.24 kPa−1), fast response time (40 ms), long-term stability, and excellent repeatability over 3000 cycles. Because the sensor is resizable, flexible, and has a simple preparation process, it can be flexibly attached to clothes and the human body for wearable monitoring. Furthermore, the practicality of the sensor is proven by attaching it to different measurement positions on the human body to monitor the activity signal.
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