Illegal wildlife trade is a growing problem internationally. Poaching of animals not only leads to the extinction of populations and species but also has serious consequences for ecosystems and economies. This study introduces a molecular marker system that authorities can use to detect and substantiate wildlife trafficking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOwing to fast SARS-CoV-2 mutations, biosensors employing antibodies as biorecognition elements have presented problems with sensitivity and accuracy. To face these challenges, antibodies can be replaced with the human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2), where it has been shown that the affinity between ACE-2 and the receptor binding domain (RBD) increases with the emergence of new variants. Herein, we report on Ni-doped ZnO nanorod electrochemical biosensors employing an ACE-2 peptide (IEEQAKTFLDKFNHEAEDLFYQS-NH) as a biorecognition element for detecting Spike (S) Wild-Type (WT) protein.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCreatine is essential for ATP regeneration in energy-demanding cells. Creatine deficiency results in severe neurodevelopmental impairments. In the brain, creatine is synthesized locally by oligodendrocytes to supply neighboring neurons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: With the approval of disease-modifying treatments for 5q-spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), there is an increasing need for biomarkers for disease course and therapeutic response monitoring. Radially sampled Averaged Magnetization Inversion Recovery Acquisitions (rAMIRA) MR-imaging enables spinal cord (SC) gray matter (GM) delineation and quantification in vivo. This study aims to assess SC GM atrophy in patients with 5q-SMA and its associations with clinical disability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn our prior research, polymer nanoparticles (NPs) containing tobramycin displayed robust antibacterial efficacy against biofilm-embedded () and (. ) cells, critical pathogens in cystic fibrosis. In the current study, we investigated the deposition of a nanoparticulate carrier composed of poly(d,l-lactic--glycolic acid) (PLGA) and poly(ethylene glycol)--PLGA (PEG-PLGA) that was either covalently bonded with cyanine-5-amine (Cy5) or noncovalently bound with freely embedded cationic rhodamine B (RhB), which served as a drug surrogate.
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