Flexible Wearables for Plants.

The excellent stretchability and biocompatibility of flexible sensors have inspired an emerging field of plant wearables, which enable intimate contact with the plants to continuously monitor the growth status and localized microclimate in real-time. Plant flexible wearables provide a promising platform for the development of plant phenotype and the construction of intelligent agriculture via monitoring and regulating the critical physiological parameters and microclimate of plants. Here, the emerging applications of plant flexible wearables together with their pros and cons from four aspects, including physiological indicators, surrounding environment, crop quality, and active control of growth, are highlighted. Self-powered energy supply systems and signal transmission mechanisms are also elucidated. Furthermore, the future opportunities and challenges of plant wearables are discussed in detail.

AQUEOUS HUMOR CYTOKINE LEVELS AND REBOUND MACULAR EDEMA AFTER CONBERCEPT TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH CENTRAL RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of intravitreal conbercept (IVC) injections on the aqueous humor concentrations of angiogenic and inflammatory cytokines in patients with macular edema (ME) due to central retinal vein occlusion and to determine whether changes in cytokine levels after IVC are associated with the development of rebound ME. METHODS: Forty-nine patients with ME caused by central retinal vein occlusion were included in this retrospective study. Monthly doses of IVC were administered for three months, followed by a Pro Re Nata dosing regimen. Rebound ME was defined as ≥110% increase in the foveal thickness compared with the baseline. Whenever injections were administered, aqueous humor samples were obtained. Multiplex bead assay was used to measure seven angiogenic and inflammatory cytokines in aqueous humor samples. RESULTS: At baseline, patients with central retinal vein occlusion showed significantly higher aqueous humor concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor, placental growth factor, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, platelet-derived growth factor-AA, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-12. At 1-month and 2-month follow-up after IVC, significantly decreased concentrations of all cytokines were observed. During the 12-month follow-up period, 6 of the 49 eyes (12.2%) showed rebound ME after IVC. Patients with rebound ME showed significantly elevated levels of inflammatory but not angiogenic cytokines. CONCLUSION: Angiogenic and inflammatory cytokines were overexpressed in patients with ME caused by central retinal vein occlusion. Conbercept treatment influenced the concentrations of various inflammatory cytokines and reduced aqueous vascular endothelial growth factor and placental growth factor concentrations. Rebound ME may occur due to disruption of the balance between angiogenic and inflammatory cytokines and an accompanying excess of inflammatory cytokines but not angiogenic cytokines, after antivascular endothelial growth factor therapy.

Gallium-Based Liquid Metal Materials for Antimicrobial Applications.

The hazards caused by drug-resistant bacteria are rocketing along with the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. The development of new non-antibiotic antibacterial drugs is urgent. The excellent biocompatibility and diverse multifunctionalities of liquid metal have stimulated the studies of antibacterial application. Several gallium-based antimicrobial agents have been developed based on the mechanism that gallium (a type of liquid metal) ions disorder the normal metabolism of iron ions. Other emerging strategies, such as physical sterilization by directly using LM microparticles to destroy the biofilm of bacteria or thermal destruction via infrared laser irradiation, are gaining increasing attention. Different from traditional antibacterial agents of gallium compounds, the pronounced property of gallium-based liquid metal materials would bring innovation to the antibacterial field. Here, LM-based antimicrobial mechanisms, including iron metabolism disorder, production of reactive oxygen species, thermal injury, and mechanical destruction, are highlighted. Antimicrobial applications of LM-based materials are summarized and divided into five categories, including liquid metal motors, antibacterial fabrics, magnetic field-responsive microparticles, liquid metal films, and liquid metal polymer composites. In addition, future opportunities and challenges towards the development and application of LM-based antimicrobial materials are presented.

Comparison of the Effect of Intravitreal Conbercept and Ranibizumab on Aqueous Humor Cytokines in Central Retinal Vein Occlusion-Related Macular Edema.

Purpose: To analyze changes in the levels of angiogenic and inflammatory cytokines following the administration of intravitreal conbercept (IVC) or intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) in patients with macular edema (ME) due to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). Methods: This retrospective study was conducted between June 2015 and January 2016 in The First Hospital of China Medical University. We administered 3 consecutive monthly doses of IVC (23 eyes) or IVR (19 eyes) in 42 eyes with CRVO-ME. At each injection, we collected aqueous humor samples and used multiplex bead assays to measure 7 angiogenic and inflammatory cytokines [vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), placental growth factor (PlGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-AA, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, and interleukins (ILs)-6, 8, and 12]. Results: Visual acuity and ME improved significantly in both groups during the treatment period. Compared with the baseline, all the cytokine concentrations in the aqueous humor samples decreased significantly at 1 and 2 months after the initial dose of IVC or IVR. The improvement of visual acuity and ME and the changes of aqueous humor cytokine levels were similar in both groups. Concentrations of VEGF, PlGF, MCP-1, PDGF-AA, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-12 levels did not show significant intergroup differences after 1 month (P = 0.369, 0.312, 0.185, 0.353, 0.135, 0.487, and 0.337, respectively) and 2 months (P = 0.305, 0.376, 0.230, 0.519, 0.114, 0.960, and 0.830, respectively) of follow-up. Conclusion: IVC and IVR induced comparable improvements in clinical parameters, along with equivalent reductions in the concentrations of angiogenic and inflammatory cytokines in the aqueous humor.