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Levodopa is the standard medication clinically prescribed to patients afflicted with Parkinson's disease. In particular, the monitoring and optimization of levodopa dosage are critical to mitigate the onset of undesired fluctuations in the patients' physical and emotional conditions such as speech function, motor behavior, and mood stability. The traditional approach to optimize levodopa dosage involves evaluating the subjects' motor function, which has many shortcomings due to its subjective and limited quantifiable nature. Here, we present a wearable sweat band on a nanodendritic platform that quantitatively monitors levodopa dynamics in the body. Both stationary iontophoretic induction and physical exercise are utilized as our methods of sweat extraction. The sweat band measures real-time pharmacokinetic profiles of levodopa to track the dynamic response of the drug metabolism. We demonstrated the sweat band's functionalities on multiple subjects with implications toward the systematic administering of levodopa and routine management of Parkinson's disease.

Recent technological advancements in wearable sensors have made it easier to detect sweat components, but our limited understanding of sweat restricts its application. A critical bottleneck for temporal and regional sweat analysis is achieving uniform, high-throughput fabrication of sweat sensor components, including microfluidic chip and sensing electrodes. To overcome this challenge, we introduce microfluidic sensing patches mass fabricated via roll-to-roll (R2R) processes. The patch allows sweat capture within a spiral microfluidic for real-time measurement of sweat parameters including [Na+], [K+], [glucose], and sweat rate in exercise and chemically induced sweat. The patch is demonstrated for investigating regional sweat composition, predicting whole-body fluid/electrolyte loss during exercise, uncovering relationships between sweat metrics, and tracking glucose dynamics to explore sweat-to-blood correlations in healthy and diabetic individuals. By enabling a comprehensive sweat analysis, the presented device is a crucial tool for advancing sweat testing beyond the research stage for point-of-care medical and athletic applications.

Wearable devices for health monitoring and fitness management have foreseen a rapidly expanding market, especially those for noninvasive and continuous measurements with real-time display that provide practical convenience and eliminated safety/infection risks. Herein, a self-powered and fully integrated smartwatch that consists of flexible photovoltaic cells and rechargeable batteries in the forms of a "watch strap", electrochemical glucose sensors, customized circuits, and display units integrated into a "dial" platform is successfully fabricated for real-time and continuous monitoring of sweat glucose levels. The functionality of the smartwatch, including sweat glucose sensing, signal processing, and display, can be supported with the harvested/converted solar energy without external charging devices. The Zn-MnO2 batteries serve as intermediate energy storage units and the utilization of aqueous electrolytes eliminated safety concerns for batteries, which is critical for wearable devices. Such a wearable system in a smartwatch fashion realizes integration of energy modules with self-powered capability, electrochemical sensors for noninvasive glucose monitoring, and in situ and real-time signal processing/display in a single platform for the first time. The as-fabricated fully integrated and self-powered smartwatch also provides a promising protocol for statistical study and clinical investigation to reveal correlations between sweat compositions and human body dynamics.

Background: Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), a stress‐responsive cytokine from transforming growth factor superfamily, is highly expressed in mammalian tissues, including pancreas, stomach and intestine under pathological conditions. In particular, elevated levels of GDF15 might play an important role in the development and progression of various gastrointestinal cancers (GCs), suggesting its potential as a promising target for disease prediction and treatment. Methods: In this review, systematic reviews addressing the role of GDF15 in GCs were updated, along with the latest clinical trials focussing on the GDF15‐associated digestive malignancies. Results: The multiple cellular pathways through which GDF15 is involved in the regulation of physiological and pathological conditions were first summarized. Then, GDF15 was also established as a valuable clinical index, functioning as a predictive marker in diverse GCs. Notably, latest clinical treatments targeting GDF15 were also highlighted, demonstrating its promising potential in mitigating and curing digestive malignancies. Conclusions: This review unveils the pivotal roles of GDF15 and its potential as a promising target in the pathogenesis of GCs, which may provide insightful directions for future investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs) have generated extensive research attention for stationary energy storage, due to their advantaged superiority in terms of inherent safety, low cost, and eco‐friendliness. However, uncontrollable dendrite growth and side reactions of the Zn anode affect the cycle life of ZIBs. Conventional separators are almost ineffective in inhibiting these issues. Herein, a chitin nanofiber membrane separator is developed to tackle these issues via a simple, low‐cost, and scalable strategy. The obtained separator exhibits abundant zincophilic functional groups, homogeneous nanopores, and excellent mechanical properties, which facilitate the desolvation of hydrated Zn2+ ions, improve the Zn2+ transference number, and homogenize the ion flux, simultaneously. Moreover, the separator can also reduce the deposition barrier, and accelerate Zn2+ deposition kinetics. Therefore, Zn dendrites and harmful side reactions are effectively and synchronously suppressed, enabling the assembled ZIBs with an ultralong cycle life and good rate capability. Impressively, the assembled Zn‐MnO2 pouch cell exhibits excellent stability and safety under various external damages. The above highlights mark a significant step toward the practical application of ZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]