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Fan Zhang,1 Yi-Nuo Yang,2 Jin-Di Feng,2 Jing-Hui Zhao,1 Li Wan,1 Jing Che,1 Ying Yan,1 Ning-Ning Guo,1 Jia-Yu Zhang1 1Hair Medical Research Center, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Clinical Medicine, Peking University School of Medicine, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Fan Zhang, Hair Medical Research Center, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, No. 31 of Xinjiekou East Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100035, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 10 58516688, Email zhangfanzf63z@126.comObjective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a combined treatment for moderate and severe androgenetic alopecia (AGA) involving the use of electric microneedles.Methods: A total of 83 patients with moderate to severe AGA in the Department of Dermatology at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital were included in this study. The male patients were administered finasteride orally and 5% minoxidil for external use, while the female patients were given spironolactone orally or Diane-35 and 2% minoxidil for external use. All the patients were then treated via electric microneedle therapy alongside the YUFA ®medical care package (Foshan, China) once a week for 1– 28 weeks. The seven-point method and root hair measurement using a hair mirror were adopted to evaluate the efficacy and any adverse reactions of the combined treatment.Results: Eleven patients were treated for 1– 3 weeks, 60 for 4– 12 weeks, and 12 for more than 12 weeks. The efficacy evaluation using the seven-point method for 12 weeks of treatment indicated a 100% response rate, specifically, a 42.1% mild improvement rate, a 38.6% moderate improvement rate, and a 19.3% marked improvement rate. Besides, the efficacy assessment was also completed with root hair count method and the number of hair roots measured at fixed points were 148.67± 11.15, 158.13± 5.11 and 169.75± 2.06 after treatment time at 16, 20 and 24 weeks, respectively. Of note, a statistical difference in the number of hair roots could be observed during the period of week 20–week 24 (P < 0.01).Conclusion: The combined treatment of moderate to severe AGA using the electric microneedle technique has a clear effect and can effectively increase the hair density. With a simple operation and mild side effects, the technique has wide application prospects.Keywords: electric microneedles, androgenic alopecia, combined therapy, efficacy observation

With the wide application of genome editing in insects, a simple and efficient identification method is urgently needed to meet the increasing demand for mutation detection. Here, taking migratory locusts as a model system, we developed a non-invasive method to accurately identify genome-edited mutants by using DNA from insect exuviae. We compared the quantity and quality of genomic DNA from exuviae in five instar hoppers and found that the 1st instar exuviae had the highest DNA yield and content, while the 3rd instar exuviae had the best quality. Consensus genotypes were identified from genomic DNA of hoppers at different developmental stages in the same individuals. Moreover, we demonstrated that the amplification products from DNA extracted from locust exuviae are the consensus sequences with those from the hemolymph and foreleg pre-tarsus. Therefore, non-invasive samples provide the same genotyping results as minimally invasive and invasive samples of the same individuals. Furthermore, this identification method that uses genomic DNA from exuviae can be used for early screening of positive genome-edited individuals in each generation for adult crossing. In our study, the non-invasive identification method was not only simpler and provided results earlier than existing methods, but also had a better reproducibility and accuracy. This non-invasive identification approach using genomic DNA from exuviae can be adapted to meet the growing demand for genetic analysis and will find wide application in insect genome editing research.

A high-optical-resolution artificial retina system that accurately communicates with the optic nerve is the main challenge in the modern biological science and bionic field. Here, we developed a bionic artificial retina possessing phototransduction "cells" with measurements even smaller than that of the neural cells. Using the technique of micrometer processing, we constructed a pyramid-shape periodic microarray of a photoreceptor. Each "sensing cell" took advantage of polythiophene derivative/fullerene derivative (PCBM) as a photoelectric converter. Because folic acid played an essential role in eye growth, we particularly modified the polythiophene derivatives with folic acid tags. Therefore, the artificial retina could enlarge the contact area and even recognize the nerve cells to improve the consequence of nerve stimulation. We implanted the artificial retina into blinded rats' eyes. Electrophysiological analysis revealed its recovery of photosensitive function 3 months after surgery. Our work provides an innovative idea for fabricating a high-resolution bionic artificial retina system. It shows great potential in artificial intelligence and biomedicine.