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from the Will-folks-get-tired-of-constant-needling?-Ha!-Ha! dept.
Microneedles are a few hairsbreadths wide and can sip the clear fluid between cells in the middle layer of skin. This is below the topmost layer of dead skin cells and above the layer of skin where veins and nerves reside. The clear, colorless fluid is called interstitial fluid and is similar to blood plasma.
Microneedles continuously sample interstitial fluid to track physiological conditions
The microneedles can contain minuscule sensors or extract the interstitial fluid for further testing. Because microneedles are tiny and don't go very deep, they're practically painless.
[...] Continual sampling of important biomarkers in this interstitial fluid could help monitor and diagnose many diseases and disorders. These markers include electrolytes, salts such as potassium and sodium that get out of balance during dehydration; glucose, a sugar that diabetics need to monitor constantly; and lactose, a potential marker of physical exhaustion or life-threatening sepsis.
(Score: 2, Informative) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Tuesday October 03 2017, @02:28PM
I'm sure you are all familiar with Microneedle's 1986 album "Sap and Impurify", but you may not know that their drummer was incapacitated the whole time they recorded it, recovering from a particularly turbulent bout of Tartan's Testicular Tremor. All the percussion on the album was therefore performed by long-time Microneedle fan Rob Wobble, better known as Big Bob Joob of the Necrotic Nipples.