Advancements in flexible biomechanical energy harvesting for smart health applications.

Advancing flexible electronics enables timely smart health management and diagnostic interventions. However, current health electronics typically rely on replaceable batteries or external power sources, requiring direct contact with the human skin or organs. This setup often results in rigid and bulky devices, reducing user comfort during long-term use.

Piezoelectric Hydrogels: Hybrid Material Design, Properties, and Biomedical Applications.

Hydrogels show great potential in biomedical applications due to their inherent biocompatibility, high water content, and resemblance to the extracellular matrix. However, they lack self-powering capabilities and often necessitate external stimulation to initiate cell regenerative processes. In contrast, piezoelectric materials offer self-powering potential but tend to compromise flexibility.

Hypouricemic effects of anthocyanin extracts of purple sweet potato on potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricemia in mice.

Gout is a clinical syndrome in which tissue damage is induced by a chronic metabolic disorder associated with increased concentrations of uric acid in the blood. The study investigated the hypouricemic effects of anthocyanin extracts from purple sweet potato (APSP), and allopurinol, on serum uric acid levels in hyperuricemic mice. It was found that administration of a single oral dose of 100 mg/kg APSP to such animals reduced the serum uric acid concentration to 4.

The anti-inflammatory action of fermented soybean products in kidney of high-fat-fed rats.

Soybean has many compounds with a variety of biological properties that potentially benefit human health; among them, isoflavones have inhibitory effects on lipid oxidation in adipose tissue. In this study, we examined two Korean traditional fermented soybean products--doenjang (DNJ) and cheonggukjang (CGJ)--for their ability to suppress redox-sensitive nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) activation in the kidney of rats fed a high-fat diet. Sprague-Dawley rats, 4 weeks old, were fed soybean, DNJ, or CGJ (1 g/kg/day) with a 20% fat diet for 6 weeks.

Anti-obesity and hypolipidemic effects of black soybean anthocyanins.

The effect of anthocyanins extracted from black soybean (Glycine max L.) seed coats on body weight, adipose tissue weight, and serum lipids was evaluated in rats fed a high fat diet (HFD). Rats were raised on a normal diet (ND) (based on the AIN-93M diet), HFD (ND supplemented with 16% lard oil), HFD containing 10% black soybean, and HFD containing 0.