Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the Medium-Chain Dehydrogenase/Reductase Superfamily of Trichosporon asahii and Its Involvement in the Regulation of Fluconazole Resistance.

The medium-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (MDR) superfamily contains many members that are widely present in organisms and play important roles in growth, metabolism, and stress resistance but have not been studied in Trichosporon asahii. In this study, bioinformatics and RNA sequencing methods were used to analyze the MDR superfamily of T. asahii and its regulatory effect on fluconazole resistance. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and T. asahii, and 73 MDRs were identified, all of which contained NADPH-binding motifs. T. asahii contained 20 MDRs that were unevenly distributed across six chromosomes. T. asahii MDRs (TaMDRs) had similar 3D structures but varied greatly in their genetic evolution at different phylum levels. RNA-seq and gene expression analyses revealed that the fluconazole-resistant T. asahii strain upregulates xylitol dehydrogenase, and downregulated alcohol dehydrogenase and sorbitol dehydrogenase concluded that the fluconazole-resistant T. asahii strain was less selective toward carbon sources and had higher adaptability to the environment. Overall, our study contributes to our understanding of TaMDRs, providing a basis for further analysis of the genes associated with drug resistance in T. asahii.

An epidermal electronic system for physiological information acquisition, processing, and storage with an integrated flash memory array.

Epidermal electronic systems that simultaneously provide physiological information acquisition, processing, and storage are in high demand for health care/clinical applications. However, these system-level demonstrations using flexible devices are still challenging because of obstacles in device performance, functional module construction, or integration scale. Here, on the basis of carbon nanotubes, we present an epidermal system that incorporates flexible sensors, sensor interface circuits, and an integrated flash memory array to collect physiological information from the human body surface; amplify weak biosignals by high-performance differential amplifiers (voltage gain of 27 decibels, common-mode rejection ratio of >43 decibels, and gain bandwidth product of >22 kilohertz); and store the processed information in the memory array with performance on par with industrial standards (retention time of 108 seconds, program/erase voltages of ±2 volts, and endurance of 106 cycles). The results shed light on the great application potential of epidermal electronic systems in personalized diagnostic and physiological monitoring.

A Flexible Integrated Bending Strain and Pressure Sensor System for Motion Monitoring.

Flexible sensors have attracted increasing research interest due to their broad application potential in the fields of human-computer interaction, medical care, sports monitoring, etc. Constructing an integrated sensor system with high performance and being capable of discriminating different stimuli remains a challenge. Here, we proposed a flexible integrated sensor system for motion monitoring that can measure bending strain and pressure independently with a low-cost and simple fabrication process. The resistive bending strain sensor in the system is fabricated by sintering polyimide (PI), demonstrating a gauge factor of 9.54 and good mechanical stability, while the resistive pressure sensor is constructed based on a composite structure of silver nanowires (AgNWs) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-expandable microspheres with a tunable sensitivity and working range. Action recognition is demonstrated by attaching the flexible integrated sensor system on the wrist with independent strain and pressure information recorded from corresponding sensors. It shows a great application potential in motion monitoring and intelligent human-machine interfaces.

A Tubular Flexible Triboelectric Nanogenerator with a Superhydrophobic Surface for Human Motion Detecting.

The triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a newly arisen technology for mechanical energy harvesting from the environment, such as raindrops, wind, tides, and so on. It has attracted widespread attention in flexible electronics to serve as self-powered sensors and energy-harvesting devices because of its flexibility, durability, adaptability, and multi-functionalities. In this work, we fabricated a tubular flexible triboelectric nanogenerator (TF-TENG) with energy harvesting and human motion monitoring capabilities by employing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as construction material, and fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) films coated with Cu as the triboelectric layer and electrode, serving in a free-standing mode. The tube structure has excellent stretchability that can be stretched up to 400%. Modifying the FEP films to obtain a superhydrophobic surface, the output performance of TF-TENG was increased by at least 100% compared to an untreated one. Finally, as the output of TF-TENG is sensitive to swing angle and frequency, demonstration of real-time monitoring of human motion state was realized when a TF-TENG was worn on the wrist.

Sensation and Perception of a Bioinspired Flexible Smart Sensor System.

The somatosensory system helps the human body to become aware of various stimuli and to interact with its surroundings. Humans are able to identify and to process abundant sensory information quickly due to their unique perception characteristics. As the largest sensory organ, skin has a large number of discrete receptors to sense and to transform stimuli of touch, pressure, pain, temperature, etc. into electrical signals, which are preprocessed at various levels before reaching the brain, greatly reducing the computational burden on the central nervous system. In addition, the conduction speed varies for different stimulus information, which simplifies the parallel processing of a variety of information. In this Perspective, we discuss a bioinspired design for a flexible smart sensor system by simulating the human somatosensory system. In this design, sensors with selective responses, signals separated in time sequences, and hierarchical information processing are adopted to optimize the sensing and perceiving processes, to reduce power consumption, and to improve the speed of a flexible smart sensor system.

Recent Advances in Flexible and Stretchable Sensing Systems: From the Perspective of System Integration.

Biological signals generated during various biological processes are critically important for providing insight into the human physiological status. Recently, there have been many great efforts in developing flexible and stretchable sensing systems to provide biological signal monitoring platforms with intimate integration with biological surfaces. Here, this review summarizes the recent advances in flexible and stretchable sensing systems from the perspective of electronic system integration. A comprehensive general sensing system architecture is described, which consists of sensors, sensor interface circuits, memories, and digital processing units. The subsequent content focuses on the integration requirements and highlights some advanced progress for each component. Next, representative examples of flexible and stretchable sensing systems for electrophysiological, physical, and chemical information monitoring are introduced. This review concludes with an outlook on the remaining challenges and opportunities for future fully flexible or stretchable sensing systems.

Tunable, Ultrasensitive, and Flexible Pressure Sensors Based on Wrinkled Microstructures for Electronic Skins.

Flexible pressure sensors play an important role in electronic skins (E-Skins), which mimic the mechanical forces sensing properties of human skin. A rational design for a pressure sensor with adjustable characteristics is in high demand for different application scenarios. Here, we present tunable, ultrasensitive, and flexible pressure sensors based on compressible wrinkled microstructures. Modifying the morphology of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microstructure enables the device to obtain different sensitivities and pressure ranges for different requirements. Furthermore, by intentionally introducing hollow structures in the PDMS wrinkles, our pressure sensor exhibits an ultrahigh sensitivity of 14.268 kPa-1. The elastic microstructure-based capacitive sensor also possesses a very low detectable pressure limit (1.5 Pa), a fast response time (<50 ms), a wide pressure range, and excellent cycling stability. Implementing respiratory monitoring and vocalization recognition is realized by attaching the flexible pressure sensor onto the chest and throat, respectively, showing its great application potential for disease diagnosis, monitoring, and other advanced clinical/biological wearable technologies.

[Experimental and clinical research on the effect of keyouling on condyloma acuminatum and adjustment of cellular immunity function].

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the mechanism of the traditional Chinese medicine Keyouling oral liquid in the treatment of condyloma acuminatum(CA) and the adjustment of cellular immunity function. METHODS: The IL-18 and TNF-alpha levels of peripheral serum and wart tissue of patterned rats and CA patients exposed to Keyouling were determined by means of double-antibody sandwich ELISA, and the NK cellular activity of the spleen of the patterned rats and that of the peripheral blood of the CA patients exposed to Keyouling were determined by means of 3H-TdR isotype release. RESULTS: The IL-18 and TNF-alpha levels, the NK cellular activity of the high-dosage group showed significant difference from those of the pattern group and low-dosage group in animal experiment(P < 0.05); the IL-18 and TNF-alpha levels of peripheral serum and wart tissues, and the NK cellular activity of the peripheral blood of the treatment group showed significant difference from those of the control group after treatment(P < 0.01, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Keyouling oral liquid has significant positive adjusting effect, which can markedly ameliorate the cellular immunadeficiency of the patterned animals and reinforce the cellular immunocompetence of CA patients.