Smart medicine最新文献

Tissue adhesives have raised much attention from scientists in recent years. They have been extensively utilized in various medical fields, such as wound closure, due to the advantages of being simple, time-saving, and avoiding the problems and complications associated with surgical sutures. Besides, the tissue adhesives can absorb wound exudates and promote tissue repair. The rapid evolution in the field of tissue adhesives has resulted in the development of various adhesives with excellent mechanical properties and superior functions. However, many challenges still restrict their use in numerous clinical applications. In this paper, we present an up-to-date review of tissue adhesives for wound closure. We mainly discussed the fundamental design requirements for the adhesives, the fabrication of tissue adhesives, and the application of tissue adhesives on skin healing, corneal patch, and gastrointestinal tissues. We then highlighted the current challenges and unmet needs and delineated potential new clinical development directions for future adhesives. The progress in tissue adhesives will provide novel approaches for wound management and has the potential to supply effective treatments for a variety of medical applications.

With an ideal comfort level, sensitivity, reliability, and user-friendliness, wearable sensors are making great contributions to daily health care, nursing care, early disease discovery, and body monitoring. Some wearable sensors are imparted with hierarchical and uneven microstructures, such as microneedle structures, which not only facilitate the access to multiple bio-analysts in the human body but also improve the abilities to detect feeble body signals. In this paper, we present the promising applications and latest progress of functional microneedles in wearable sensors. We begin by discussing the roles of microneedles as sensing units, including how the signals are captured, converted, and transmitted. We also introduce the microneedle-like structures as power units, which depend on triboelectric or piezoelectric effects, etc. Finally, we summarize the cutting-edge applications of microneedle-based wearable sensors in biophysical signal monitoring and biochemical analyte detection, and provide critical thinking on their future perspectives.

The liver is a multifunctional organ and the metabolic center of the human body. Most drugs and toxins are metabolized in the liver, resulting in varying degrees of hepatotoxicity. The damage of liver will seriously affect human health, so it is very important to study the prevention and treatment of liver diseases. At present, there are many research studies in this field. However, most of them are based on animal models, which are limited by the time-consuming processes and species difference between human and animals. In recent years, liver-on-chips have emerged and developed rapidly and are expected to replace animal models. Liver-on-chips refer to the use of a small number of liver cells on the chips to simulate the liver microenvironment and ultrastructure in vivo. They hold extensive applications in multiple fields by reproducing the unique physiological functions of the liver in vitro. In this review, we first introduced the physiology and pathology of liver and then described the cell system of liver-on-chips, the chip-based liver models, and the applications of liver-on-chips in liver transplantation, drug screening, and metabolic evaluation. Finally, we discussed the currently encountered challenges and future trends in liver-on-chips.

Ionic skins are developed to mimic the mechanical properties and functions of natural skins. They have demonstrated substantial advantages to serve as the crucial interface to bridge the gap between humans and machines. The first-generation ionic skin is a stretchable capacitor comprising hydrogels as the ionic conductors and elastomers as the dielectrics, and realizes pressure and strain sensing through the measurement of the capacitance. Subsequent advances have been made to improve the mechanical properties of ionic skins and import diverse functions. For example, ultrahigh stretchability, strong interfacial adhesion, self-healing, moisturizing ability, and various sensing capabilities have been achieved separately or simultaneously. Most ionic skins are attached to natural skins to monitor bio-electrical signals continuously. Ionic skins have also been found with significant potential to serve as a smart drug-containing reservoir, which can release drugs spatially, temporally, and in a controllable way. Herein, this review focuses on the design and fabrication of ionic skins, and their applications related to smart medicine. Moreover, challenges and opportunities are also discussed. It is hoped that the development of bio-inspired ionic skins will provide a paradigm shift for self-diagnosis and healthcare.