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Aim: This trial assessed the efficacy and safety of 2.24 g intragastric expandable capsules twice per day versus placebo for weight management in adults with overweight or obesity. Methods: This double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study included adults with a body mass index of at least 24 kg/m2 and no more than 40 kg/m2. In total, 280 participants were recruited from six hospitals in China and were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive 2.24 g oral intragastric expandable capsules or placebo for 24 weeks. Coprimary endpoints were the percentage change in body weight from baseline and the rate of weight reduction of ≥5%, assessed using both the full analysis set and per protocol set. Results: At baseline, the mean body weight was 81.8 kg, and the mean body mass index was 29.4 kg/m2. The mean body weight change at week 24 was −4.9% with intragastric expandable capsules versus −1.9% with placebo [estimated treatment difference (ETD) −3.0%, 95% confidence interval (CI) −4.1 to −1.9; p <.001] using the full analysis set and −6.1% versus −2.5% (ETD −3.6%, 95% CI −5.0 to −2.3; p <.001), respectively, using the per protocol set. The percentage of participants who had weight loss exceeding 5% was 45.0% in the intragastric expandable capsule group versus 19.7% in the placebo group (ETD 25.3%, 95% CI 14.7‐35.9; p <.001) in the full analysis set and 55.9% versus 26.2% (ETD 29.6%, 95% CI 17.1‐42.2; p <.001), respectively, in the per protocol set. Waist circumference significantly decreased at week 24 (intragastric expandable capsules vs. placebo: −5.6 ± 8.3 cm vs. −2.9 ± 4.8 cm; p =.003). The most common adverse events associated with the use of intragastric expandable capsules were gastrointestinal disorders (intragastric expandable capsule vs. placebo, 25.0% vs. 21.9%), and most were mild and transient. Conclusions: In this 24‐week trial including participants with overweight or obesity, 2.24 g of intragastric expandable capsules twice daily led to a clinically meaningful reduction in body weight compared with placebo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microneedle containing miniature robots offer a promising route for gastrointestinal administration since their capability of transmucosal delivery and controllable drug release. However, many challenges still lie ahead such as the intricate control modes, destitute systematic theory of the locomotion and adhesion behaviors, failure due to peristalsis and fluid flow, and risk of ileus. Herein, an untethered microneedle containing robots is designed for specific colonic administration, which can dispense with control systems, achieve fast self‐orientation and adhesion onto the mucosa (<0.6 s), against physiology of peristalsis, and show low risks of obstruction. Further, the detachable layer between the microneedle and the robots can degrade under a time of 6 min, which ensures safely discharge under a small, excreted force of 20 mN induced by fluid flow. Through the optimism of microneedles, different drug release times can be achieved including 14 min, 2 days, 4 days, and 30 days, respectively. The in vivo experiments also demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the robots. These robots can serve as a versatile platform to treat diseases such as chronic inflammation and cancer of the colon to minimize invasive surgical intervention and patient suffering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ploidy manipulation is effective in seedless loquat breeding, in which flesh color is a key agronomic and economic trait. Few techniques are currently available for detecting the genotypes of polyploids in plants, but this ability is essential for most genetic research and molecular breeding. Results: We developed a system for genotyping by quantitative PCR (qPCR) that allowed flesh color genotyping in multiple tetraploid and triploid loquat varieties (lines). The analysis of 13 different ratios of DNA mixtures between two homozygous diploids (AA and aa) showed that the proportion of allele A has a high correlation (R2 = 0.9992) with parameter b [b = a1/(a1 + a2)], which is derived from the two normalized allele signals (a1 and a2) provided by qPCR. Cluster analysis and variance analysis from simulating triploid and tetraploid hybrids provided completely correct allelic configurations. Four genotypes (AAA, AAa, Aaa, aaa) were found in triploid loquats, and four (AAAA, AAAa, AAaa, Aaaa; absence of aaaa homozygotes) were found in tetraploid loquats. DNA markers analysis showed that the segregation of flesh color in all F1 hybrids conformed to Mendel's law. When tetraploid B431 was the female parent, more white-fleshed triploids occurred among the progeny. Conclusions: qPCR can detect the flesh color genotypes of loquat polyploids and provides an alternative method for analyzing polyploid genotype and breeding, dose effects and allele-specific expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]