Magnetophoretic slider assay for electrochemical detection of SARS-cov-2 nucleocapsid protein in nasal swab samples.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for rapid and sensitive diagnostic tools. In this work, the Magnetophoretic Slider Assay (MeSA) was integrated with electrochemical detection (eMeSA) using screen-printed carbon electrodes for the first time for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (NP). A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed on streptavidin-labeled magnetic beads (MBs).

Cost-effective quantification of uric acid using niobium oxide and graphene oxide-modified pencil-drawn electrodes on PVC substrates.

This study introduces a cost-effective approach for quantifying uric acid (UA), the main antioxidant species in human physiology and implicated in inflammatory regulation. Using a PVC substrate and pencil drawing technique, electrodes were fabricated and modified with niobium oxide and graphene oxide a straightforward "drop casting" method. The nanostructures of the substrate, electrode, and modified electrode were evaluated using SEM images.

Calibration-Free Analysis with Chronoamperometry at Microelectrodes.

Analytical methods are crucial for monitoring and assessing the concentration of important chemicals, and there is now a growing demand for methodologies that allow miniaturization, require lower sample volumes, and enable real-time analysis in the field. Most electroanalytical techniques depend on calibrations or standards, and this has several limitations, ranging from matrix interference, to stability problems, time required, cost and waste. Therefore, strategies that do not require standards or calibration curves greatly interest the analytical chemistry community.

Glycosylated flavonoid kaempferitrin: Electroanalytical detection and the proposal of an oxidation mechanism supported by quantum chemical calculations.

In this work, the electrochemical behavior of the glycosylated flavonoid kaempferitrin was studied, and an electroanalytical methodology was developed for its determination in infusions of Bauhinia forficata using a boron-doped diamond electrode (BDD). The electrochemical behavior of the flavonoid was studied by cyclic voltammetry, and two irreversible oxidation peaks at 0.80 and 1.

A home-made nanoporous gold microsensor for lead(II) detection in seawater with high sensitivity and anti-interference properties.

A nanoporous gold microelectrode (NPG-μE) was fabricated and used for Pb(II) detection in seawater samples square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV). The Au microelectrode (Au-μE) was fabricated by embedding a gold microfiber into a Pasteur pipette, and its surface was further modified by an anodization-electrochemical reduction (A-ECR) method, yielding the NPG-μE. The fabricated electrodes were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) for electrochemical and structural morphological investigations.

Unusual dark-field hyperspectral and confocal Raman microscopy features of a nanoporous gold electrode coated with porphyrazine complex.

Nanoporous gold electrodes are of great interest in electroanalytical chemistry, because of their unusual activity and large surface area. The electrochemical activity can be further improved by coating with molecular catalysts such as the tetraruthenated cobalt-tetrapyridylporphyrazines investigated in this work. The plasmonic enhancement of the scattered light at the nanoholes and borders modifies the electrode's optical characteristics, improving the transmission through the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect.

Electrochemical microfluidic immunosensor with graphene-decorated gold nanoporous for T-2 mycotoxin detection.

T-2 is one of the most potent cytotoxic food-borne mycotoxins. In this work, we have developed and characterized an electrochemical microfluidic immunosensor for T-2 toxin quantification in wheat germ samples. T-2 toxin detection was carried out using a competitive immunoassay method based on monoclonal anti-T-2 antibodies immobilized on the poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microfluidic central channel.

A Kinetic Approach to Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC): Restoring Order to the Antioxidant Activity of Hydroxycinnamic Acids and Fruit Juices.

This study introduces a kinetic model that significantly improves the interpretation of the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. Our model accurately simulates and fits the bleaching kinetics of fluorescein in the presence of various antioxidants, achieving high correlation values (R > 0.99) with the experimental data.

Link Workers in Social Prescribing for Young People Work: A Case Study From Sheffield Futures.

Introduction: Social Prescribing has an established recognition regarding the benefits provided to the health-related social needs of adults, but little is known about how the intervention addresses young people's needs. There is optimism regarding the central role of two core mechanisms that allows social prescribing to be effective, such as the empathetic role of Link Workers and the connection with community resources.This paper aims to describe the role played by Link Workers working a Social Prescribing intervention targeting young people.

Barriers and facilitators to social prescribing in child and youth mental health: perspectives from the frontline.

There is growing interest in the role of Social Prescribing (SP) to help promote mental well-being and support individuals with mental health difficulties. Yet, implementation of SP to children and young people (CYP) has proved slow and underdeveloped compared with adult populations. Understanding the barriers and facilitators will help key stakeholders to better embed SP for CYP into practice.

Patterning (Electro)chemical Treatment-Free Electrodes with a 3D Printing Pen.

A simple fabrication method to make electrochemical sensors is reported. The electrodes were fabricated with a commercial filament based on polylactic acid and carbon black (PLA/CB). They were engineered with a three-dimensional (3D) printing pen and poly(methyl methacrylate) template.

Caffeine Release from Magneto-Responsive Hydrogels Controlled by External Magnetic Field and Calcium Ions and Its Effect on the Viability of Neuronal Cells.

Caffeine (CAF) is a psychostimulant present in many beverages and with rapid bioabsorption. For this reason, matrices that effectuate the sustained release of a low amount of CAF would help reduce the intake frequency and side effects caused by high doses of this stimulant. Thus, in this study, CAF was loaded into magnetic gelatin/alginate (Gel/Alg/MNP) hydrogels at 18.

Multiple Pulse Amperometry-An Antifouling Approach for Nitrite Determination Using Carbon Fiber Microelectrodes.

Nitrite is a ubiquitous pollutant in modern society. Developing new strategies for its determination is very important, and electroanalytical methods present outstanding performance on this task. However, the use of bare electrodes is not recommended because of their predisposition to poisoning and passivation.

Do people perceive benefits in the use of social prescribing to address loneliness and/or social isolation? A qualitative meta-synthesis of the literature.

Social prescribing is a means by which clinical services can link individuals who have psychological, social and/or practical needs with non-clinical services within their local community. There is a lack of empirical evidence investigating whether social prescribing helps such individuals and which interventions are the most effective and accepted by them to address their loneliness. This meta-synthesis aimed to synthesise findings from qualitative studies exploring experiences of people (of any age) who participated in any social prescribing intervention aimed at loneliness and/or social isolation to ascertain whether they felt it helped address loneliness/isolation and the potential mechanisms by which this might occur.

Factors affecting the sustainability of community mental health assets: A systematic review.

Resources and activities offered by Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations could play a key role in supporting communities with their mental health. Whilst policy makers have become increasingly interested in using such asset-based approaches to improve mental health and well-being, the sustainability of these approaches remains underresearched. In this review, we explored the factors affecting the sustainability of community mental health assets.

Highly sensitive and selective nanostructured microbiosensors for glucose and lactate simultaneous measurements in blood serum and in vivo in brain tissue.

Highly sensitive and selective nanostructured lactate and glucose microbiosensors for their in vivo simultaneous determination in rat brain were developed based on carbon fiber microelectrodes (CFM) modified with nanoporous gold (NPG) using the Dynamic Hydrogen Bubble Template (DHBT) method. Electrodeposition of platinum nanoparticles (PtNP) onto the NPG film enhances the sensitivity and the electrocatalytic properties towards HO detection. The nanostructured microelectrode platform was modified by glucose oxidase (GOx) and lactate oxidase (LOx) enzyme immobilization.

Cilostazol and Tocopherol in the Management of Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw: New Insights From a Case Report.

Several treatment protocols for medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) have been published. Despite the efficacy of surgical therapy of approximately 90% as primary therapy, the role of other agents, such as drug administration, should not be underestimated. Based on previous experience with osteoradionecrosis, the association of pentoxifylline and tocopherol has shown encouraging results in MRONJ patients.

Fabrication of dendritic nanoporous gold via a two-step amperometric approach: Application for electrochemical detection of methyl parathion in river water samples.

In this work, nanoporous gold (NPG) was prepared according to three different approaches, such as (i) anodization-electrochemical reduction (A-ECR, NPG), (ii) dynamic hydrogen bubble template (DHBT, NPG), and (iii) the combination of both methods (NPG). Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were used to investigate the structural morphology and the electrochemical behavior of the fabricated materials. The NPG electrode showed a large amount of surface defects and/or edges, greater electrochemical surface area (2.

Unveiling the contribution of the reproductive system of individual Caenorhabditis elegans on oxygen consumption by single-point scanning electrochemical microscopy measurements.

Metabolic analysis in animals is usually either evaluated as whole-body measurements or in isolated tissue samples. To reveal tissue specificities in vivo, this study uses scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) to provide localized oxygen consumption rates (OCRs) in different regions of single adult Caenorhabditis elegans individuals. This is achieved by measuring the oxygen reduction current at the SECM tip electrode and using a finite element method model of the experiment that defines oxygen concentration and flux at the surface of the organism.

One-step enzyme-free dual electrochemical immunosensor for histidine-rich protein 2 determination.

In the present work, we describe a novel one-step enzyme-free dual electrochemical immunosensor for the determination of histidine-rich protein 2 (Ag-HRP2), a specific malaria biomarker. A gold electrode (GE) was functionalized with the HRP2 antibody (Ab-HRP2) using dihexadecyl phosphate (DHP) polymer as an immobilization platform. The Ab-HRP2/DHP/GE sensor was characterized by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy.

Sandwich-Type Electrochemical Paper-Based Immunosensor for Claudin 7 and CD81 Dual Determination on Extracellular Vesicles from Breast Cancer Patients.

This study is focused on identifying novel epithelial markers in circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) through the development of a dual sandwich-type electrochemical paper-based immunosensor for Claudin 7 and CD81 determination, as well as its validation in breast cancer (BC) patients. This immunosensor allows for rapid, sensitive, and label-free detection of these two relevant BC biomarkers. Under optimum conditions, the limit of detection for Claudin 7 was 0.