An enhanced lateral flow assay (LFA) is presented for rapid and highly sensitive detection of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) antigens with gold nanoflowers (Au NFs) as signaling markers and gold enhancement to amplify the signal intensities. First, the effect of the morphology of gold nanomaterials on the sensitivity of LFA detection was investigated. The results showed that Au NFs prepared by the seed growth method showed a 5-fold higher detection sensitivity than gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) of the same particle size, which may benefit from the higher extinction coefficient and larger specific surface area of Au NFs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPore structure heterogeneity affects sandstone porosity and permeability and thus sandstone gas productivity. A total of 17 sandstone samples collected from the northwestern margin of the Junggar Basin in Xinjiang Province are investigated in this study. The pore-fracture system distribution of target sandstones is studied by high-pressure mercury injection tests.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSo far, the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading widely worldwide. The early diagnosis of infection by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is essential to provide timely treatment and prevent its further spread. Lateral flow assays (LFAs) have the advantages of rapid detection, simple operation, low cost, ease of mass production, and no need for special devices and professional operators, which make them suitable for self-testing at home.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development of simple methods for the isolation and quantification of exosomes in biological samples is important. By using the typical two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, graphene oxide (GO), the present work first studied the interaction of liposomes with the nanocomposites formed by adsorbing HRP on the GO surface and found the presence of liposomes led to the release of HRP from the GO surface to the solution phase triggering the luminol-HO chemiluminescence (CL) reaction to emit light. Benefiting from the similarity of exosomes to liposomes in both composition and morphology aspects, the GO-HRP nanocomposites with a mass ratio of 120:1 and 160:1 were employed for the quantitative detection of exosomes in 100-fold diluted serum samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study investigated the effects of nisin combined with ε-polylysine on microorganisms and the refrigerated quality of fresh-cut jackfruit. After being treated with distilled water (control), nisin (0.5 g/L), ε-polylysine (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMelatonin treatment was investigated for the sensory quality and senescence in postharvest cattails (.) during cold storage. The 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFα-Glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs) are oral antidiabetic drugs used in the treatment of type Ⅱ diabetes. It is integral to establish methods for AGIs screening. For the detection of α-glucosidase (α-Glu) activity and screening of AGIs, a chemiluminescence (CL) platform was established based on cascade enzymatic reactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlkaline phosphatase (ALP) is an essential enzyme involved in cell phosphorus metabolism. Developing sensitive and accurate ALP quantitative assays is significant. In this study, a turn-on chemiluminescence (CL) analysis platform for the detection of ALP activity in human serum was established based on two-dimensional (2D) Fe-centered metal-organic frameworks with 1,3,5-benzene tricarboxylic acid as ligands (denoted as 2D Fe-BTC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA colorimetric method based on in-situ generation of gold nanoflowers for the detection of tetracyclines (TCs) was proposed. We found that gold nanoflowers could be formed in the HAuCl-NHOH redox reaction directly without the addition of small-sized gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) as seeds when an alkaline borax buffer solution was employed as the reaction medium. Interestingly, the shape and size of the generated gold nanoflowers were regulated with TC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Cell Infect Microbiol
March 2023
The female reproductive tract harbours hundreds of bacterial species and produces numerous metabolites. The uterine cervix is located between the upper and lower parts of the female genital tract. It allows sperm and birth passage and hinders the upward movement of microorganisms into a relatively sterile uterus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Atrophy of the reproductive tract mucosa caused by the decrease of estrogen may increase the detection rate of ASC-US in cervical cytology of post-menopausal women. In addition, other pathogenic infections and inflammation can change the cellular morphology and increase the detection rate of ASC-US. However, further studies are needed to elucidate whether the high detection rate of ASC-US in post-menopausal women leads to the high referral rate of colposcopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Cell Infect Microbiol
February 2023
Microbiota-relevant signatures have been investigated for human papillomavirus-related cervical cancer (CC), but lack consistency because of study- and methodology-derived heterogeneities. Here, four publicly available 16S rRNA datasets including 171 vaginal samples (51 CC versus 120 healthy controls) were analyzed to characterize reproducible CC-associated microbial signatures. We employed a recently published clustering approach called VAginaL community state typE Nearest CentroId clAssifier to assign the metadata to 13 community state types (CSTs) in our study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWomen who test positive for the human papillomavirus (HPV) but have normal cytology constitute the predominant subgroup of patients in the screening population in the post-vaccination era. The distribution of HPV genotypes changed dramatically, which was attributable to an increase in HPV vaccination coverage. These changes have created uncertainty about how to properly manage women with normal cytology, non-HPV16/18 infections, or persistent infections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF2, 3-dimethyl maleic acid (DMMA) was found to enhance luminol-HO chemiluminescent (CL) reactions, among which the strongest enhancement effect was observed by using polyethyleneimine-templated gold nanoclusters (PEI-Au NCs) as the catalyst. With the addition of DMMA, the CL signal of the PEI-Au NCs-catalyzed luminol-HO reaction enhanced about 630-fold, and a flash-type CL profile was obtained. Mechanism studies showed that the luminophore was still 3-aminophthalate anions in the excited state (3-APA*), and superoxide radical (O) played an important role during the CL process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Aerobic vaginitis is a common cause of vaginal discharge in reproductive-age women, increasing the risk of negative pregnancy outcomes such as premature delivery, abortion, premature rupture of membranes and stillbirth. However, the aetiology and pathogenesis of aerobic vaginitis causing negative pregnancy outcomes are still unclear, and there is no unified and standardized treatment method for aerobic vaginitis in the pregnancy period.
Methods: We conducted a literature search of published studies in the English language focusing on aerobic vaginitis and its association with adverse pregnancy outcomes utilizing PubMed and Web of Science from January 1973 through June 2021.
Wet-mount microscopy aerobic vaginitis (AV) diagnostic criteria need phase-contrast microscopy and keen microscopists, and the preservation of saline smears is less common in clinical practice. This research work developed new AV diagnostic criteria that combine Gram stain with clinical features. We enrolled 325 AV patients and 325 controls as a study population to develop new AV diagnostic criteria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Cell Infect Microbiol
November 2021
Mixed vaginitis is the simultaneous presence of at least two types of vaginitis, contributing to an abnormal vaginal milieu and leading to vaginal symptoms and signs. However, associations between symptoms and the type of mixed vaginitis have not been clearly elucidated, and research on mixed vaginitis is still in the preliminary stage. Therefore, the pathogenic mechanism of mixed vaginitis remains understudied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development of simple and sensitive detection methods for tetracyclines (TCs) is crucial for their routine detection. The present study developed a colorimetric method for the detection of TCs based on the in-situ generation of AuNPs, which were subsequently coupled with a gold staining reaction. Briefly, TCs containing phenolic groups reduce HAuCl to form gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as gold seeds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Cell Infect Microbiol
June 2021
The female reproductive tract microenvironment includes microorganisms, metabolites, and immune components, and the balance of the interactions among them plays an important role in maintaining female reproductive tract homeostasis and health. When any one of the reproductive tract microorganisms, metabolites, or immunity is out of balance, it will affect the other two, leading to the occurrence and development of diseases and the appearance of corresponding symptoms and signs, such as infertility, miscarriage, premature delivery, and gynecological tumors caused by infectious diseases of the reproductive tract. Nutrients in the female reproductive tract provide symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms with a source of nutrients for their own reproduction and utilization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFerroptotic antitumor therapy has been compromised by various intracellular antioxidants, particularly glutathione and thioredoxin. Both are cofactors of glutathione peroxide 4 (GPX4) that act against oxidative stress catalyzing the reduction of lipid peroxides. It was postulated that tailored polymer micelles could enhance ferroptotic antitumor efficacy diminishing glutathione and thioredoxin under hypoxia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemiluminescence (CL) analysis is a trace analytical method that possesses advantages including high sensitivity, wide linear range, easy operation, and simple instruments. With the development of nanotechnology, many nanomaterial (NM)-enhanced CL systems have been established in recent years and applied for the CL detection of metal ions, anions, small molecules, tumor markers, sequence-specific DNA, and RNA. This review summarizes the research progress of the nanomaterial-enhanced CL systems the past five years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance And Objective: The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the most recent literature on genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), to explore the key elements of GSM diagnosis, and the potential impact of pathophysiological changes in the vaginal milieu on vulvovaginal symptoms.
Methods: The MEDLINE database was searched, and only articles written in English were considered. Additional references were identified by hand searching the bibliographies of the included articles.
Despite the resistance of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) to targeted hormone therapy, the discovery of azobenzene combretastatin A4 (Azo-CA4) provides therapeutic opportunities for TNBC. Here, Azo-CA4 was loaded in upconverting nanocarriers that could convert near-infrared (NIR) light to UV light to activate Azo-CA4. Upon irradiation, Azo-CA4-loaded nanocarriers significantly reduced the viability of TNBC cells via both apoptosis and ferroptosis.
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