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With an ideal comfort level, sensitivity, reliability, and user‐friendliness, wearable sensors are making great contributions to daily health care, nursing care, early disease discovery, and body monitoring. Some wearable sensors are imparted with hierarchical and uneven microstructures, such as microneedle structures, which not only facilitate the access to multiple bio‐analysts in the human body but also improve the abilities to detect feeble body signals. In this paper, we present the promising applications and latest progress of functional microneedles in wearable sensors. We begin by discussing the roles of microneedles as sensing units, including how the signals are captured, converted, and transmitted. We also introduce the microneedle‐like structures as power units, which depend on triboelectric or piezoelectric effects, etc. Finally, we summarize the cutting‐edge applications of microneedle‐based wearable sensors in biophysical signal monitoring and biochemical analyte detection, and provide critical thinking on their future perspectives. The integration of microneedle structures can significantly improve the performances of wearable electronics and greatly promote their developments. This review outlines different types of functional microneedle‐integrated wearable electronics, including electrochemical biosensors, capacitive biosensors, triboelectric biosensors and so on. The most advanced applications of these novel wearable electronics, such as gesture monitoring and biomarker detecting, are also discussed.

Periodontal lesions are common and frustrating diseases that impact life quality. Efforts in this aspect aim at developing local drug delivery systems with better efficacy and less toxicity. Herein, inspired by the sting separation behavior of bees, we conduct novel reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive detachable microneedles (MNs) that carry antibiotic metronidazole (Met) for controllable periodontal drug delivery and periodontitis treatment. Benefiting from the needle-base separation ability, such MNs can penetrate through the healthy gingival to reach the gingival sulcus's bottom while offering minimal impact to oral function. Besides, as the drug-encapsulated cores were protected by poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) shells in MNs, the surrounding normal gingival tissue is not affected by Met, resulting in excellent local biosafety. Additionally, with the ROS-responsive PLGA-thioketal-polyethylene glycol MN tips, they can be unlocked to release Met directly around the pathogen under the high ROS in the periodontitis sulcus, bringing about improved therapeutic effects. Based on these characteristics, the proposed bioinspired MNs show good therapeutic results in treating a rat model with periodontitis, implying their potential in periodontal disease.

As extensively distributed tissues throughout the human body, glands play a critical role in various physiological processes. Therefore, the construction of biomimetic gland models in vitro has aroused great interest in multiple disciplines. In the biological field, the researchers focus on optimizing the cell sources and culture techniques to reconstruct the specific structures and functions of glands, such as the emergence of organoid technology. From the perspective of biomedical engineering, the generation of biomimetic gland models depends on the combination of engineered scaffolds and microfluidics, to mimic the in vivo environment of glandular tissues. These engineered stratagems endowed gland models with more biomimetic features, as well as a wide range of application prospects. In this review, we first describe the biomimetic strategies for constructing different in vitro gland models, focusing on the role of microfluidics in promoting the structure and function development of biomimetic glands. After summarizing several common in vitro models of endocrine and exocrine glands, the applications of gland models in disease modelling, drug screening, regenerative medicine, and personalized medicine are enumerated. Finally, we conclude the current challenges and our perspective of these biomimetic gland models.

Considerable efforts have been devoted to treating gastric ulcers. Attempts in this field tend to develop drug delivery systems with prolonged gastric retention time. Herein, we develop novel Chinese herb pollen-derived micromotors as active oral drug delivery system for treating gastric ulcer. Such Chinese herb pollen-derived micromotors are simply produced by asymmetrically sputtering Mg layer onto one side of pollen grains. When exposed to gastric juice, the Mg layer can react with the hydrogen ions, resulting in intensive generation of hydrogen bubbles to propel the micromotors. Benefiting from the autonomous motion and unique spiny structure, our micromotors can move actively in the stomach and adhere to the surrounding tissues. Besides, their special architecture endows the micromotors with salient capacity of drug loading and releasing. Based on these features, we have demonstrated that our Chinese herb pollen-derived micromotors could effective deliver berberine hydrochloride and show desirable curative effect on the gastric ulcer model of mice. Therefore, these Chinese herb pollen-derived micromotors are anticipated to serve as promising oral drug delivery carriers for clinical applications. [Display omitted] •Chinese herb pollens were decorated with magnesium to form micromotors.•These novel micromotors can move actively in the stomach due to bubble generation.•Spiny structure of pollens enables better adherence to the stomach wall.•The micromotors exhibit salient capacity of drug loading and releasing.•These novel micromotors show desirable curative effect on the gastric ulcer.

Glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone have shown promising therapeutic effects in conquering oral ulcers. Challenges in this area are focused on enhancing the localized curative effects and responsive release. Herein, we presented a novel MXene‐integrated responsive hydrogel microneedle delivering dexamethasone to promote the healing of oral ulceration. By loading MXene, the hydrogel microneedles enable NIR (Near Infrared)‐responsive release of the inner dexamethasone for inflammation control and tissue regeneration. In addition, the MXene‐induced local hyperthermia could inhibit the bacteria, preventing the possible infection of ulcer lesions in the oral cavity. Based on these features, we demonstrated that our strategy could relieve local inflammation, promote tissue reconstruction, and accelerate wound healing in rat oral ulcer models. Overall, these NIR‐responsive MXene‐integrated hydrogel microneedles show significant promise in promoting ulcer healing and bring new ways for oral disease treatment. The MXene‐integrated responsive hydrogel microneedles enable NIR‐responsive release of the inner dexamethasone for inflammation control and tissue regeneration in the oral ulcer site. In addition, the MXene‐induced local hyperthermia could inhibit the bacteria, preventing the possible infection for ulcer lesions and showing significant promise in promoting ulcer healing.

Hair follicle undergoes cyclical regeneration that relies on the spatiotemporal coordination of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions and multiple signaling pathways. However, hair follicle homeostasis is susceptible to disruption by various endogenous and exogenous factors, leading to hair loss diseases like androgenetic alopecia and scarring alopecia. Traditional pharmacological treatments and surgical transplantation still face challenges in meeting clinical demands because of unstable therapeutic efficacy, limited donor resources, and postoperative complications. In this condition, biomedical engineering has advanced hair follicle regeneration from “replacement therapy” to “functional reconstruction” by integrating interdisciplinary approaches such as stem cell technology, tissue engineering, and modern engineering technology. This review systematically summarizes the latest advancements in biomedical engineering technology in the realm of hair follicle regeneration. We first elucidate hair follicles' structure, cyclic regulatory mechanisms, and main impact factors. Subsequently, we evaluate the advanced in vivo hair follicle regeneration strategies, including cell transplantation, cell reprogramming, biomaterial delivery and other strategies. We then focus on the in vitro hair follicle organoids’ success construction and their applications in hair growth, drug screening, disease modeling and mechanistic studies. Finally, we critically discuss the technical limitations and prospects in this field, providing a theoretical framework for the innovation of future regenerative medicine. [Display omitted] •Hair follicles' structure, cyclic regulatory mechanisms, and main impact factors are summarized.•The advanced in vivo hair follicle regeneration strategies are evaluated.•The in vitro hair follicle organoids' success construction and their applications are introduced.•The technical limitations and prospects in this field are critically discussed.•A theoretical framework for the innovation of future hair regenerative medicine is provided.

Both traumatic and non‐traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCIs) can be categorized as damages done to our central nervous system (CNS). The patients' physical and mental health may suffer greatly because of traumatic SCI. With the widespread use of motor vehicles and increasingly aged population, the occurrence of SCI is more frequent than before, creating a considerable burden to global public health. The regeneration process of the spinal cord is hampered by a series of events that occur following SCI like edema, hemorrhage, formation of cystic cavities, and ischemia. An effective strategy for the treatment of SCI and functional recovery still has not been discovered; however, recent advances have been made in bioengineering fields that therapies based on cells, biomaterials, and biomolecules have proved effective in the repair of the spinal cord. In the light of worldwide importance of treatments for SCI, this article aims to provide a review of recent advances by first introducing the physiology, etiology, epidemiology, and mechanisms of SCI. We then put emphasis on the widely used clinical treatments and bioengineering strategies (cell‐based, biomaterial‐based, and biomolecule‐based) for the functional regeneration of the spinal cord as well as challenges faced by scientists currently. This article provides scientists and clinicians with a comprehensive outlook on the recent advances of preclinical and clinical treatments of SCI, hoping to help them find keys to the functional regeneration of SCI. Spinal cord injury is still an intricate accident for clinicians to handle. By reviewing recent advances on cell and tissue engineering, we aim to provide an insight into the most forefront neuroprotective and neuroregenerative strategies in order to predict where the field is going in the future. We hope that this review will help accelerate the clinical transformation of SCI regeneration strategies.

Childhood cancer treatments often impair male fertility due to gonadotoxic effects. While in vitro culture of prepubertal testis tissue offers a potential solution to preserve fertility, producing sufficient sperm remains a major barrier. To address this, we developed a hydrogel microneedle‐based culture system, which is used to culture mouse testes from 5 days postpartum (dpp) and establish a model of ‘whole testicular spermatogonia pool’ (WTSP). This system promotes over fourfold expansion of undifferentiated spermatogonia, compared to declining numbers during in vivo development. Transplantation of WTSP into nude mice doubled spermatids count per tubule compared to conventional whole testes transplantation. Furthermore, in vitro meiosis induction of WTSP significantly enhanced spermatid proportion, thus generating fertile offspring. Using this system, we also cultured the gonads harvested from aborted human male fetuses and observes significant proliferation of spermatogonia. Lastly, it is shown that the cellular states of the WTSP closely resemble those of 5 dpp mouse testes, and the role of EPHA2 in promoting spermatogonia proliferation by activating the PI3K‐AKT‐mTOR pathway. In conclusion, the WTSP offers a promising method for preserving fertility in prepubertal male cancer patients by maintaining and expanding spermatogonia extracted before treatment. A hydrogel microneedle‐based system enables whole testicular cultivation, supporting spermatogonial proliferation and enhancing spermatogenesis in vitro. This ‘whole testicular spermatogonia pool’ (WTSP) significantly increases spermatid production and fertility potential in mice. This system also promotes spermatogonial expansion in human fetal testes, offering a promising strategy for fertility preservation in prepubertal male cancer patients.

Summary The sodium cation (Na+) is the predominant cation with deleterious effects on crops in salt‐affected agricultural areas. Salt tolerance of crop can be improved by increasing shoot Na+ exclusion. Therefore, it is crucial to identify and use genetic variants of various crops that promote shoot Na+ exclusion. Here, we show that a HKT1 family gene ZmNC3 (Zea mays L. Na+ Content 3; designated ZmHKT1;2) confers natural variability in shoot‐Na+ accumulation and salt tolerance in maize. ZmHKT1;2 encodes a Na+‐preferential transporter localized in the plasma membrane, which mediates shoot Na+ exclusion, likely by withdrawing Na+ from the root xylem flow. A naturally occurring nonsynonymous SNP (SNP947‐G) increases the Na+ transport activity of ZmHKT1;2, promoting shoot Na+ exclusion and salt tolerance in maize. SNP947‐G first occurred in the wild grass teosinte (at a allele frequency of 43%) and has become a minor allele in the maize population (allele frequency 6.1%), suggesting that SNP947‐G is derived from teosinte and that the genomic region flanking SNP947 likely has undergone selection during domestication or post‐domestication dispersal of maize. Moreover, we demonstrate that introgression of the SNP947‐G ZmHKT1;2 allele into elite maize germplasms reduces shoot Na+ content by up to 80% and promotes salt tolerance. Taken together, ZmNC3/ZmHKT1;2 was identified as an important QTL promoting shoot Na+ exclusion, and its favourable allele provides an effective tool for developing salt‐tolerant maize varieties.

The present study aims to answer the questions concerning whether composition tasks or blank-filling tasks better facilitate vocabulary learning, which aspect of vocabulary knowledge is enhanced, whether the benefits can be retained over two weeks, and which task is more suitable to foreign language classrooms facing the challenge of time constraints. The four vocabulary tasks examined in this study are single blank filling, triple blank filling, blank filling of a summary, and summary writing. Three aspects of vocabulary knowledge (meaning, form, and use) were detected through three test forms (passive recall, active recall, and sentence production) conducted on two test schedules (immediately after a reading instruction and 2 weeks later). The time each task demanded for completion and students' perceptions of the tasks' benefits were also investigated. (Contains 3 tables.)