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Existing flexible electronics are planar, nonbreathable, and easily damaged. In this work, authors introduce a new paradigm of free-form three-dimensional integrated circuits assembled on a single textile thread for ultimate flexibility. Transistors are assembled as daisy chain on a thread and utilize deep eutectic solvent gels, or eutectogels as nonvolatile, breathable, and repairable dielectric for gating organic electrochemical transistor. The eutectogels provide stable transistor performance without the need for encapsulation, are air permeable to the skin, and make the Organic Eutectogel Gated Electrochemical Transistor (OEGET) a promising candidate for wearable electronics. Complex analog integrated circuits, such as single stage and multi-stage amplifiers can be realized on a single thread which can bend out of the plane of stretching for true three-dimensional flexibility. An all-thread based wearable that uses a thread-based strain sensor and thread-based integrated circuit for eye motion and respiration monitoring is also presented.

Purpose The PRKCQ and REL genes are said to be associated with multiple autoimmune diseases. This study investigated the association between these genes and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome in Han Chinese. Methods A two-stage case−control study was performed on three single nucleotide polymorphisms ([SNPs] rs4750316, rs11258747, and rs947474) of the PRKCQ gene and three SNPs (rs842647, rs702873, and rs13031237) of the REL gene using PCR–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLPs) in a total of 859 patients with VKH syndrome and 1,542 healthy controls. Variables such as extraocular presentations were assessed. The data were analyzed using chi-square analysis, and corrected for multiple comparisons with the Bonferroni method. Results We found a decreased frequency of the GC genotype and the C allele of rs4750316 in patients with VKH syndrome when the GG genotype or G allele was used as a reference, respectively (GC genotype: P =2.45e-10, odds ratio [OR]=0.37, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.28–0.51; C allele: P=8.79e-10, OR=0.41, 95% CI=0.31–0.55). The genotypic and allelic frequencies of rs11258747, rs947474, rs842647, rs702873, and rs13031237 were not statistically significantly different between patients with VKH syndrome and controls. Stratification analysis indicated that the PRKCQ rs4750316 polymorphism was associated with patients with VKH syndrome experiencing headache, alopecia, poliosis, tinnitus, and dysacusia, but no statistically significant association of the other five SNPs was found. Conclusions The PRKCQ rs4750316 polymorphism may be a susceptibility factor for VKH syndrome pathogenesis and extraocular presentations, indicating that PRKCQ may be involved in the pathogenesis and extraocular presentations of VKH syndrome through the T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling pathway.

To investigate whether esmolol could improve clinical outcome and tissue oxygen metabolism by controlling heart rate (HR) in patients with septic shock.A single-center double-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted. The patients suffering from septic shock received 6-hour early goal directed herapy (EGDT) with pulmonary artery wedge pressure ≥ 12 mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa) or central venous pressure CVP) ≥ 12 mmHg requiring norepinephrine to maintain mean arterial pressure (MAP) ≥ 65 mmHg and HR ≥ 95 bpm admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of Guangdong General Hospital from September 2013 to September 2014 were enrolled. They were randomly divided into esmolol group and control group by computer-based random number generator. All patients received conventional basic treatment, while those in the esmolol group received in addition persistent esmolol infusion by micro pump with dosage of 0.05 mg · kg(-1) · min(-1) with the dosage adjusted to maintain HR lower than 100 bpm within 24 hours. The patients in control group did not receive drug intervention for HR. The primary end-points consisted of length of stay in ICU and 28-day mortality. The secondary end-points included hemodynamic parameters [HR, MAP, CVP, cardiac index (CI), stroke volume index (SVI), systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI)] and tissue oxygen metabolism parameters [central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2), lactate level (Lac)] before and 24, 48, 72 hours after the treatment.A total of 48 patients with septic shock were enrolled with 24 patients in esmolol group and 24 in control group. (1) The primary end-points: compared with control group, the length of stay in the ICU in the esmolol group was significantly shortened (days: 13.75 ± 8.68 vs. 21.70 ± 6.06, t = 3.680, P = 0.001), and 28-day mortality was significantly lowered [25.0% (6/24) vs. 62.5% (15/24 ), χ2 = 6.857, P = 0.009]. (2) The secondary end-points: there were no significant difference in the hemodynamic and tissue metabolism parameters before treatment between two groups. No significant difference was found between before and after treatment of all above parameters in control group. HR and Lac in the esmolol group were obviously declined, SVI, SVRI, SCvO2 were gradually increased, but no significant difference in MAP, CVP, and CI was found. Compared with the control group, HR in the esomolol group was significantly lowered (bpm: 84.4 ± 3.5 vs. 111.2 ± 7.2, P0.01), SVRI and ScvO2 were significantly increased from 24 hours [SVRI (kPa · s · L(-1) ·m(-2)): 137.9 ± 1.6 vs. 126.9 ± 1.3, ScvO2: 0.652 ± 0.017 vs. 0.620 ± 0.017, both P0.01]; SVI was significantly increased (mL/m2: 39.9 ± 2.2 vs. 36.8 ± 1.7, P0.01) and Lac level significantly declined from 48 hours (mmol/L: 2.8 ± 0.3 vs. 3.4 ± 0.3, P0.01).The results demonstrate that HR controlled by a titrated esmolol infusion given to septic shock patients was associated with an improvement in tissue metabolism, reduction in the length of ICU stay and lowering of 28-day mortality.