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In order to improve the living standards of diabetes patients and reduce the negative health effects of this disease, the medical community has been actively searching for more effective treatments. In recent years, an artificial pancreas has emerged as an important approach to managing diabetes. Despite these recent advances, meeting the requirements for miniaturized size, accurate sensing and large-volume pumping capability remains a great challenge. Here, we present a novel miniaturized artificial pancreas based on a long microtube sensor integrated with an ultrasonic pump. Our device meets the requirements of achieving both accurate sensing and high pumping capacity. The artificial pancreas is constructed based on a long microtube that is low cost, painless and simple to operate, where the exterior of the microtube is fabricated as a glucose sensor for detecting diabetes and the interior of the microtube is used as a channel for delivering insulin through an ultrasonic pump. This work successfully achieved closed-loop control of blood glucose and treatment of diabetes in rats. It is expected that this work can open up new methodologies for the development of microsystems, and advance the management approach for diabetes patients. [Display omitted] • We report a miniature artificial pancreas with accuracy and high pumping capacity. • The artificial pancreas is based on a long microtube sensor and an ultrasonic pump. • This work realized a closed-loop control of blood glucose levels in diabetic rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of novel diabetes monitoring sensors is important for the diabetes management of millions of diabetic patients. This work reports a flexible filamentary continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor. A multilayer CGM sensor has been constructed on titanium filament with low cost and ease of use. The sensor, made of flexible material, offers better adaptability and comfort than traditional rigid filament CGM sensors, allowing continuous monitoring of subcutaneous blood glucose levels to provide patients with treatment strategies. The performance and reliability of the sensor were verified through rat experiments. The trend of the increase and decrease of the detected current was generally consistent with the actual blood glucose, and the detected values were located in regions A and B of the Clarke error grid. The results show that the sensor has the advantages of high sensitivity, high accuracy and fast response speed, which is suitable for monitoring the blood glucose level for a long time and has a broad application prospect in diabetes monitoring, exercise monitoring, health management and clinical application. [Display omitted] • This work reports a flexible filamentary continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor. • A multilayer CGM sensor has been constructed on titanium filament with low cost and ease of use. • The performance of the sensor was verified through rat experiments with high reliability and accuracy. • The sensor has high sensitivity, high accuracy and fast response for monitoring interstitial glucose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of new bioelectronic platforms could provide exciting new opportunities for clinical analysis, environmental monitoring, and defense. Wearable adhesive tapes could adhere to skin to be in close contact with sweat that consists of many healthcare-related proteins, small molecules, and ions, and thus could function as unique platforms for the sensor construction. Here, we show for the first time the construction of wearable adhesive tape-based smart biosensing systems, and their determinations of lactate and glucose. The sensor is built by printing carbon graphite and Ag/AgCl inks on an adhesive tape to function as the working, reference, and counter electrodes, followed by the immobilization of lactate oxidase or glucose oxidase on the working electrode. The sensor shows a sensitive and broad detection range from micromolar to millimolar, and a quick measuring time of within 5 min for the determination of lactate or glucose. It is expected that these results could open up exciting new avenues for the development of novel wearable sensors, and toward advanced sweat-sensor applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of a simple directly wearable approach for the rapid, specific and sensitive determination of biomarkers is of great importance to a variety of biomedical applications. Dental floss can provide a unique device platform for sensing of oral biomarkers. We show here for the first time the development of a smart dental floss for biosensing of glucose. The sensor was made by painting carbon graphite ink and Ag/AgCl ink on dental floss. Via the immobilization of glucose oxidase, we show the detection of glucose with a detection range of 0.048 mM to 19.5 mM and a response time of about 2 min. It is expected that our results could provide new exciting opportunities for the development of various flexible smart sensing devices in oral health applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a new biosensing platform for the direct detection of analytes in beverages can offer significant, new opportunities for medical science, microbiology, nutrition studies, and the food industry. Cork stoppers are widely used for beverage bottles, and the stopper’s inner sides can be in direct contact with beverages. Here, we show for the first time the development of an amperometric biosensor on a cork with a two electrode configuration containing carbon nanotube as working electrode and Ag/AgCl as reference electrode. The sensor displays sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide. Via the immobilization of alcohol oxidase, the sensor can detect ethanol. We anticipate that these results could offer exciting opportunities for the fundamental studies of non-conventional biosensors, as well as provide a wide range of applications in the food and beverage industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of new bioelectronic sensors could enable significant advances in clinical analysis, environmental monitoring, and defense. Cotton fabric is a wearable material, which can contact the skin closely. Here, we demonstrate for the first time the development of a wearable amperometric biosensor on a cotton fabric for the detection of lactate. The sensor is constructed by printing carbon graphite ink and Ag/AgCl ink on a cotton fabric as the working, reference, and counter electrode. Via the immobilization of lactate oxidase, the sensor shows a sensitive detection of lactate with a detection range of 0.05–1.5 mM and a rapid measuring time of around 5 min. We anticipate that these results could open exciting opportunities for fundamental studies and practical applications of wearable bioelectronics in areas ranging from healthcare to defense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In clinical practice, sera creatinine level is regarded as a crucial biomarker for the diagnosis, staging and monitoring of kidney disease. An amperometric biosensor is rapid, accurate, and cost-effective, with a portability and a simple operation. Herein, we report for the firsttime a disposable, printed amperometric biosensor for the clinical evaluation of creatinine in renal function detection. The sensor is constructed based on Prussian blue/carbon-graphite paste as the working electrode and the immobilization of creatinine amidohydrolase, creatine amidinohydrolase and sarcosine oxidase. The creatinine biosensor shows a linear detection range from 0.05 to 1.4 mM with a detection time of about 3 min. In addition, the sensor shows a high stability that can maintain above 86% of the initial activity after being stored for over 4 months. Moreover, the sensor shows almost the same results as those with the Jaffe method for measuring the real blood samples. We anticipate that the creatinine biosensor could be widely used in the medical and healthcare areas, especially for at-home testing and onsite medical examinations. [Display omitted] • The work reports for the first time the development of a disposable, miniaturized and cost-effective creatinine biosensor. • The biosensor shows an accurate, sensitive and rapid determination of serum creatinine in renal function detection. • The biosensor demonstrates a similar detection performance to the Jeff Method that is used in hospital. • The biosensor exhibits a great potential for the at-home testing and the on-site medical examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uric acid and creatinine are essential biomarkers for many diseases, such as gout, hyperuricemia, kidney diseases and heart diseases. Electrochemical biosensors are promising candidates for detecting uric acid and creatinine. However, the sensors always suffer from low stability that would limit their practical applications. In this work, we report a new multilayer enzyme matrix to enhance the room-temperature storage stabilities of uric acid and creatinine biosensors significantly. The enzymes are first dropped on the electrode surface directly, then a layer of glutaraldehyde was deposited on the surface of the enzyme layer, and after that, another layer of a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) composite was further placed on the surface of the glutaraldehyde layer, with drying in between. The stabilities of uric acid and creatinine biosensors were enhanced significantly, and the sensors can maintain highly stable sensing performance for over 4 months with a storage at room temperature. It is anticipated that this work could open new avenues for the practical applications of the uric acid and creatinine biosensors. [Display omitted] • The work reports a new multilayer enzyme matrix to enhance the room-temperature storage stabilities of biosensors. • The method is based on a sequential deposition of enzyme, glutaraldehyde, and polyvinyl alcohol/poly(ethylene glycol). • The sensors can maintain highly stable sensing performance for over 4 months with a storage at room temperature. • The sensors can perform accurate detection of uric acid and creatinine in whole blood samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of new bioelectronic platforms for direct interactions with oral fluid could open up significant opportunities for healthcare monitoring. A tongue depressor is a widely used medical tool that is inserted into the mouth, where it comes into close contact with saliva. Glucose is a typical salivary biomarker. Herein, we report—for the first time—a tongue depressor-based biosensor for the detection of glucose in both phosphate buffer and real human saliva. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are attractive electronic materials, with excellent electrochemical properties. The sensor is constructed by printing CNTs and silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) to form three electrodes in an electrochemical cell: Working, reference, and counter electrodes. The enzyme glucose oxidase (GOD) is immobilized on the working electrode. The glucose detection performance of the sensor is excellent, with a detection range of 7.3 μM to 6 mM. The glucose detection time is about 3 min. The discretion between healthy people's and simulated diabetic patients' salivary samples is clear and easy to tell. We anticipate that the biosensor could open up new opportunities for the monitoring of salivary biomarkers and advance healthcare applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a simple and direct approach for interfacing a sensor and a target analyte is of great interest for fields such as medical diagnosis, threat detection, food quality control, and environmental monitoring. Gloves provide a unique interface for sensing applications. Here, we show for the first time the development of wearable carbon nanotube (CNT)-based amperometric biosensors painted onto gloves as a new sensing platform, used here for the determination of lactate. Three sensor types were studied, configured as: two CNT electrodes; one CNT electrode, and an Ag/AgCl electrode, and two CNT electrodes and an Ag/AgCl electrode. The sensors are constructed by painting the electrodes using CNT or Ag/AgCl inks. By immobilizing lactate oxidase onto the CNT-based working electrodes, the sensors show sensitive detections of lactate. Comparison of sensor performance shows that a combination of CNT and Ag/AgCl is necessary for highly sensitive detection. We anticipate that these findings could open exciting avenues for fundamental studies of wearable bioelectronics, as well as practical applications in fields such as healthcare and defense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a simple and direct approach for sensitive, specific, and rapid detection of metabolic compounds is of great importance for a variety of biological, medical, and food applications. Tubes are a highly portable and accessible container shape which are widely used for scientific research in cell biology and chemical synthesis, and which are also of great use in domestic health care applications. Here, we show for the first time the development of a tube-based painted amperometric biosensor for the detection of glucose and lactate. The sensor was prepared by printing carbon graphite and silver/silver chloride inks on the interior wall of the tube and then immobilizing glucose oxidase or lactate oxidase on the sensor. The sensor showed a sensitive, rapid, and reliable detection of glucose and lactate. We anticipate that these results could open new avenues for the development of painted biosensors, and toward advanced biosensor applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]