Portable hydrogel test kit integrated dual-emission coordination polymer nanocomposite for on-site detection of organophosphate pesticides.

It is of great significance to on-site detection of organophosphate pesticides (OPs) for pollution monitoring and poisoning estimation. Herein, we developed a portable hydrogel test kit for on-site detection of OPs, which is based on the integration of agarose hydrogel with dual-emission coordination polymers (CPs) nanocomposite comprised of Ru(bpy) and zinc (II)-based CPs (ZnCPs) loaded with thioflavin T (ThT). Different from Ru(bpy) with stable fluorescence in acidic environment, ThT@ZnCPs is highly sensitive to H, which destroys the structure of ZnCPs as a host and quenches ThT@ZnCPs fluorescence.

Nucleotide-Based Lanthanide Coordination Polymer Nano-Probe for Turn-On Fluorescence Sensing of Zn2+ in Serum.

Background: Water-dispersed lanthanide coordination polymers (LCPs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their superiority in bioanalysis. However, so far, most of the reported LCPs, due to the employment of water-insoluble and toxic organic molecules as ligands, are only competent in organic solution or the gaseous phase. Therefore, the construction of a water-dispersed, LCP-based, especially LCP nanoparticle (LCPNP)-based, sensor is still lacking and challenging.

All-in-One Luminescent Lanthanide Coordination Polymer Nanoprobe for Facile Detection of Protein Kinase Activity.

This study developed a novel luminescent assay for kinase activity using metal-organic coordination polymer nanoparticles (Tb/ATP-Zn) as the probe. Tb/ATP-Zn, self-assembled by adenosine triphosphate (ATP), Zn, and Tb, is non-luminescent. Protein kinase A (PKA) can catalyze the transformation of ATP within Tb/ATP-Zn nanoparticles to adenosine diphosphate (ADP), which in turn effectively sensitizes the luminescence of Tb.

Establishment and validation of a novel droplet digital PCR assay for ultrasensitive detection and dynamic monitoring of EGFR mutations in peripheral blood samples of non-small-cell lung cancer patients.

Background: Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR)-based blood detection of EGFR mutations plays significant roles in the individualized therapy of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, a standard assay that is approved by health authorities is still lacking. Additionally, the proper application of this method in clinical settings also needs further investigation.

Co-delivery of chlorantraniliprole and avermectin with a polylactide microcapsule formulation.

Improving drug utilization of water-based pesticide formulations is facile and feasible to efficiently avoid serious pesticide residues and reduce the resulting environmental pollution. A co-delivery system of two- or multi-pesticides within one formulation could enhance drug efficiency and decrease usage amounts of pesticides due to the synergistic effect of the loaded multiple pesticides. Herein, we reported a porous polylactide (PLA) microcapsule formulation for co-delivery of avermectin (Av) and chlorantraniliprole (CAP).

"Sample-to-Answer" Detection of Rare ctDNA Mutation from 2 mL Plasma with a Fully Integrated DNA Extraction and Digital Droplet PCR Microdevice for Liquid Biopsy.

The "sample-to-answer" integration and automation of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based liquid biopsy using digital PCR (dPCR) has been hampered by the complicated operations of liquids with volumes ranging from milliliter samples to nanoliter droplets. On the basis of a "3D extensible" design paradigm proposed previously, an integrated droplet digital PCR (IddPCR) microdevice was successfully developed to automate the entire process of liquid biopsy, from the extraction of ctDNA in 2 mL of plasma using magnetic beads to the generation, amplification, and screening of over 30 000 droplets for detection. A series of reagent mixing structures, including macro-, meso-, and micromixers, was designed to enable efficient reagent handling and mixing at different volume scales.

A "quasi" confocal droplet reader based on laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) cytometry for highly-sensitive and contamination-free detection.

Highly-sensitive and contamination-free droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) is an enabling technology and widely needed for accurate quantification of nucleic acid in clinical applications. In this paper, a novel droplet reader was developed by combining a "quasi" confocal laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) cytometry with a delicate microfluidic chip design. The droplets with a size of 90 μm was illuminated at an out-of-focus position by two aligned laser beams to generate maximum fluorescent signal.

A density-watershed algorithm (DWA) method for robust, accurate and automatic classification of dual-fluorescence and four-cluster droplet digital PCR data.

Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) is a single-molecule amplification technology with broad applications in precision medicine and clinical diagnosis. Dual-fluorescence and four-cluster ddPCR (two/four-ddPCR) assay is an effective way to quantify copy numbers. Currently, two/four-ddPCR data are usually classified with manual thresholds.

A pilot study investigating preferred background sounds during mindfulness meditation: What would you like to hear?

Background: Music and meditation have affirmative effects on the parasympathetic nervous system.

Objective: To investigate individual preferences for background sounds during meditation, using a series of paired, forced-choice comparisons.

Method: Interventions included music with a distinct melody (one sample) and without a distinct melody (MWDM) (three samples), nature sounds with embedded alpha brainwave pulses (one sample), alpha brainwave pulses alone (one sample), and silence.

Lanthanide Functionalized Metal-Organic Coordination Polymer: Toward Novel Turn-On Fluorescent Sensing of Amyloid β-Peptide.

Metal-organic coordination polymers (MOCPs) have been emerging as very attractive nanomaterials due to their tunable nature and diverse applications. Herein, using Tb as the luminescence center, 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate (BTC) as building block and Cu as the signal modulator as well as a recognition unit, we propose a novel and effective lanthanide functionalized MOCP (LMOCP) fluorescent sensor (Cu-BTC/Tb) for amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) monomer, a biomarker for Alzheimer disease (AD). Specifically, Cu-BTC/Tb, created by postsynthesis modification strategy under room temperature, is almost nonemissive due to the quenching effect of Cu in the MOCP, exhilaratingly, the presence of Aβ triggered a significant emission enhancement of Cu-BTC/Tb assay due to the high binding affinity of Aβ for Cu and the subsequent suppression of the quenching effect.

Noninvasive and Accurate Detection of Hereditary Hearing Loss Mutations with Buccal Swab Based on Droplet Digital PCR.

Hereditary hearing loss is a common clinical neurosensory disorder in humans and has a high demand for genetic screening. Current screening techniques using peripheral blood or dried blood spots (DBSs) are invasive. Therefore, this study aims to develop a noninvasive and accurate detection method for eight hotspot deafness-associated mutations based on buccal swab and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR).

Impact of In-Person and Virtual World Mindfulness Training on Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder.

Mindfulness meditation training has been shown to reduce stress and improve short-term memory for military personnel. However, no studies have investigated the effects of in-person and virtual world (VW) mindfulness training on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms. In this study, U.

Development of a Chlorantraniliprole Microcapsule Formulation with a High Loading Content and Controlled-Release Property.

Microcapsule formulations have been widely developed and used in agriculture to improve pesticide utilization and reduce environmental pollution. However, commercial formulations of chlorantraniliprole (CAP) are only traditional formulations due to poor solubility of CAP in organic solvents. Here, adopting a solid in oil in water (S/O/W) double-emulsion method combined with premix membrane emulsion, we successfully constructed CAP microcapsule formulations with a high loading content.

Lanthanide coordination polymer probe for time-gated luminescence sensing of pH in undiluted human serum.

Lanthanide coordination polymers (LCPs) have emerged as fascinating materials because of their specific structure and properties. In this work, utilizing hydrosoluble biomolecule of guanosine-5'-monophosphate (GMP) as bridging linker, lanthanide terbium ions (Tb) as metal nodes, and silver ions (Ag) as sensitizers, we synthesized a pH responsive luminescent lanthanide CP probe of Tb/GMP/Ag. The probe possesses high luminescence due to the sensitization of Ag; While in alkaline solutions, Ag in Tb/GMP/Ag immediately binds to OH, forming AgO precipitation and resulting in a distinct fluorescence quenching of Tb/GMP/Ag.

Personal resilience and coping Part II: Identifying resilience and coping among U.S. military service members and veterans with implications for work.

Background: U.S. military personnel face challenging situations including frequent deployments, family separations, and exposure to war.

Personal resilience and coping with implications for work. Part I: A review.

Background: Interest in resilience has increased in recent years. The U.S.

A water-soluble and retrievable ruthenium-based probe for colorimetric recognition of Hg(II) and Cys.

A new ruthenium-based complex 1 [(bis(4,4'-dimethylphosphonic-2,2'-bipyridine) dithiocyanato ruthenium (II))] was developed as a colorimetric probe for the detection of Hg(II) and Cys (Cysteine). The obtained compound 1 can give interconversional color changes upon the alternating addition of Hg(II) and Cys in 100% aqueous solution. The specific coordination between NCS groups with Hg(II) can lead to the formation of 1-Hg(2+) complex, which can induce a remarkable spectral changes of probe 1.

Construction of a controlled-release delivery system for pesticides using biodegradable PLA-based microcapsules.

Conventional pesticides usually need to be used in more than recommended dosages due to their loss and degradation, which results in a large waste of resources and serious environmental pollution. Encapsulation of pesticides in biodegradable carriers is a feasible approach to develop environment-friendly and efficient controlled-release delivery system. In this work, we fabricated three kinds of polylactic acid (PLA) carriers including microspheres, microcapsules, and porous microcapsules for controlled delivery of Lambda-Cyhalothrin (LC) via premix membrane emulsification (PME).

Smart lanthanide coordination polymer fluorescence probe for mercury(II) determination.

Lanthanide coordination polymers (LCPs) have recently emerged as attractive biosensor materials due to their flexible components, high tailorable properties and unique luminescence features. In this work, we designed a smart LCP probe of Tb-CIP/AMP {(CIP, ciprofloxacin) (AMP, adenosine monophosphate)} for Hg(2+) detection by using lanthanide ions as metal nodes, CIP as ligand molecule, and AMP as bridging linker and recognition unit. Tb-CIP/AMP emits strong green luminescence due to the inclusion of AMP, which withdraws the coordinated water molecules and shields Tb(3+) from the quenching effect of O-H vibration in water molecules.

Preparation of uniform starch microcapsules by premix membrane emulsion for controlled release of avermectin.

In recent years, starch microparticles have gained interest in many fields. However, low production, uncontrollable size, and varying size distribution hinder their practical application. Here, we adopt a premix membrane emulsification (PME) method to prepare starch microcapsules at high production rates.

Uniform PEGylated PLGA Microcapsules with Embedded Fe3O4 Nanoparticles for US/MR Dual-Modality Imaging.

Well-designed agents for enhanced multimodal imaging have attracted great interests in recent years. In this work, we adopted a premix membrane emulsification (PME) method to prepare uniform PEGylated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microcapsules (MCs) with superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in the shell (Fe3O4@PEG-PLGA MCs) for ultrasound (US)/magnetic resonance (MR) bimodal imaging. Compared to Fe3O4@PLGA MCs without PEGylation, Fe3O4@PEG-PLGA MCs could more stably and homogeneously disperse in physiological solutions.

Isoniazid conjugated poly(lactide-co-glycolide): long-term controlled drug release and tissue regeneration for bone tuberculosis therapy.

Bone tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most common extrapulmonary TB. Effective integration of chemotherapy and bone regeneration is an optimal solution for bone TB therapy. Herein, we produce a composite scaffold drug delivery system fabricated with an isoniazid conjugated star poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA-INH4) and β-TCP.

Nucleotide/Tb coordination polymer as a luminescent nanosensor: synthesis and sensing of iron(ii) in human serum.

Metal organic coordination polymers have emerged as a new class of functional nanomaterials because of their flexible components and diverse architecture. Here, we report the synthesis of a luminescent sensing nucleotide/Tb coordination polymer by the self-assembly of a biomolecule nucleotide, a lanthanide ion and a functional ligand 1,10-phenanthroline. Due to the incorporation of 1,10-phenanthroline as both a sensitizer and a recognition unit, the luminescence of this coordination polymer was enhanced 32 times, and exhibited excellent selectivity and sensitivity to the iron(ii) ions.

Responsive lanthanide coordination polymer for hydrogen sulfide.

Metal organic coordination polymers have received great attention because of their flexible compositions and architecture. Here, we report the design and synthesis of a responsive lanthanide coordination polymer (LCP) for hydrogen sulfide (H2S), utilizing self-assembling of biomolecule nucleotide with luminescent terbium ion (Tb(3+)) and sensitizing silver ion (Ag(+)) in aqueous solution. LCP is highly fluorescent due to the inclusion of Ag(+) ions, which sensitized the fluorescence of Tb(3+) ions.

Upconversion nanoparticle-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay for Cr(III) ions in urine.

A novel assay of chromium(III) ion based on upconversion fluorescence resonance energy transfer was designed and established. Lysine-capped NaYF(4):Yb/Er upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and dimercaptosuccinic acid-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were used as the energy donor and acceptor, respectively. They were bound together via electrostatic interaction, resulting in the quenching of the fluorescence of UCNPs by AuNPs.