Digital multimeter-based portable photoelectrochemical immunoassay with enzyme-catalyzed precipitation for screening carbohydrate antigen 125.

The degree of the carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA-125) level in serum is positively correlated with the severity of ovarian cancer. In this study, a facile photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunoassay was devised for sensitive detection of CA-125 employing enzyme-catalyzed precipitation to weaken the photocurrent of hollow porous InO nanotubes incorporating CdS nanoparticles. Upon the addition of the target analyte, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enriches as a result of the formation of the sandwich immunocomplex, which can catalyze the conversion of 4-chloro1-naphthol (4-CN) to benzo-4-chlorohexadienone (4-CD) employing HO as a cofactor.

Ultrasensitive fluorescence immunoassay of pepsinogen I based on enzyme-triggered decomposition of AuNCs/MnO.

Gastric cancer is a prevalent malignant tumor of the gastrointestinal tract accompanied by a high mortality rate; therefore, early gastric cancer screening is critical for improving patient survival. In this study, we present a facile fluorescence immunoassay for highly sensitive screening of pepsinogen I (PG I) based on a one-pot biomimetic mineralization process for the synthesis of gold nanocluster-anchored manganese dioxide (AuNCs/MnO) nanosheets. MnO first quenches the fluorescence of AuNCs through the Förster resonance energy transfer effect, whereas the introduction of ascorbic acid (AA) leads to the decomposition of MnO and rapidly recovers the fluorescence of AuNCs.

NLISA versus enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay: Nanozyme-linked immunosorbent array based on platinum sub-nanocluster nanozyme for α-fetoprotein detection.

Rapid and accurate identification of tumor metabolic markers is important for early tumor diagnosis and individualized treatment. Here, a stable monodisperse sub-nanometer platinum (Pt) material was developed as a highly efficient nanozyme with a specific activity of peroxidase as high as 20.86 U mg through the growth of in situ domain-limited Pt quantum dots via the polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone.

Rolling circle amplification (RCA) -based biosensor system for the fluorescent detection of miR-129-2-3p miRNA.

Herein, a versatile fluorescent bioanalysis platform for sensitive and specific screening of target miRNA (miR-129-2-3p) was innovatively designed by applying target-induced rolling circle amplification (RCA) for efficient signal amplification. Specifically, miR-129-2-3p was used as a ligation template to facilitate its ligation with padlock probes, followed by an RCA reaction in the presence of phi29 DNA polymerase. The dsDNA fragments and products were stained by SYBR Green I and then detected by fluorescence spectrophotometry.

Ion-selective electrode-based potentiometric immunoassays for the quantitative monitoring of alpha-fetoprotein by coupling rolling cycle amplification with silver nanoclusters.

Potentiometric immunoassays have been utilized for the quantitative detection of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in hepatocellular carcinoma, but most of them involve low sensitivity and enzyme labels, and thus are unfavorable for routine use. In this work, we report the proof-of-concept of a sensitive and powerful ion-selective potentiometric sensing method for AFP detection with an amplified signal readout. This potentiometric immunoassay mainly contains a silver nanocluster-functionalized single-stranded DNA (AgNC-DNA), a short DNA primer and two antibodies.

Isolation and evaluation of strong endogenous promoters for the heterologous expression of proteins in Pichia pastoris.

Background: The heterologous expression of biosynthetic pathway genes for pharmaceutical or fine chemical production usually requires to express more than one gene in the host cells. In eukaryotes, the pathway flux is typically balanced by controlling the transcript levels of the genes involved. It is difficult to balance the stoichiometric fine-tuning of the reaction steps of the pathway by acting on one or two promoters.

DNA walker-amplified signal-on electrochemical aptasensors for prostate-specific antigen coupling with two hairpin DNA probe-based hybridization reaction.

Electrochemical aptasensing systems have been developed for screening low-abundance disease-related proteins, but most of them involve multiple washings and multi-step separation during measurements, and thus are disadvantageous for routine use. In this work, an innovative and simple electrochemical aptasensing platform was designed for the voltammetric detection of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in biological fluids without any washing and separation steps. This system mainly included a PSA-specific aptamer, a DNA walker and two hairpin DNA probes (, thiolated hairpin DNA1 and ferrocene-labeled hairpin DNA2).

Biomimetic -mineralized multifunctional nanoflowers for anodic-stripping voltammetric immunoassay of rehabilitation-related proteins.

C-reactive proteins (CRPs; an acute-phase protein) in patients with initial acute cerebral infarction neurological rehabilitation prediction have a significant correlation. In this work, a simple and sensitive anodic-stripping voltammetric (ASV) immunosensing system was innovatively designed for the quantitative screening of target CRPs using biomimetic-mineralized bifunctional antibody-Cu(PO) nanoflowers as molecular tags. In this system, a monoclonal anti-CRP antibody-anchored microtiter plate was utilized to specifically capture target CRPs from the sample.

Codon pair optimization (CPO): a software tool for synthetic gene design based on codon pair bias to improve the expression of recombinant proteins in Pichia pastoris.

Background: Codon optimization is a common method to improve protein expression levels in Pichia pastoris and the current strategy is to replace rare codons with preferred codons to match the codon usage bias. However, codon-pair contexts have a profound effect on translation efficiency by influencing both translational elongation rates and accuracy. Until now, it remains untested whether optimized genes based on codon pair bias results in higher protein expression levels compared to codon usage bias.

Sensitive pH-responsive point-of-care electrochemical immunoassay for influenza A (H1N1) virus using glucose oxidase-functionalized TiC-MXene nanosheets.

Influenza A (H1N1) virus is a serious health threat and potential leading cause of death around the world during the processes of immunity and inflammation. Herein a sensitive pH-responsive point-of-care (POC) electrochemical immunoassay was designed for the quantitative monitoring of H1N1 influenza virus using glucose oxidase (GOx) and secondary antibody-functionalized TiC-MXene nanosheets. The assay was carried out on the basis of the sandwich-type immunoreaction in the capture antibody-coated microplate.

Analysis of the expression, function, prognosis and co-expression genes of DDX20 in gastric cancer.

DDX20 (DEAD-box polypeptide 20) is implicated in many cellular processes involving alteration of RNA secondary structure. The role of DDX20 in gastric cancer is still unknown. In the research, the expression of DDX20 and the functional roles of DDX20 in gastric cancer were detected.

Loss of miR-146b-3p Inhibits Perivascular Adipocyte Browning with Cold Exposure During Aging.

Purpose: Pathological changes of the perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) are directly associated with increased risk of age-related vascular diseases. MicroRNAs regulate adipocyte biological functions including adipogenic differentiation and white adipocyte browning. The present study aims to determine whether miR-146b-3p is involved in the regulation of perivascular adipocyte browning during aging.

Oxygen Vacancies in ZnO Nanosheets Enhance CO Electrochemical Reduction to CO.

As electron transfer to CO is generally considered to be the critical step during the activation of CO , it is important to develop approaches to engineer the electronic properties of catalysts to improve their performance in CO electrochemical reduction. Herein, we developed an efficient strategy to facilitate CO activation by introducing oxygen vacancies into electrocatalysts with electronic-rich surface. ZnO nanosheets rich in oxygen vacancies exhibited a current density of -16.

Introduction of carbon-boron atomic groups as an efficient strategy to boost formic acid production toward CO electrochemical reduction.

Introducing C-B diatomic groups in carbon-doped hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) flakes resulted in high activity and selectivity for HCOOH in CO2 electroreduction. The activation of CO2 was prone to occur on B atoms while the activation of the proton occurred on C atoms. The volcano-type relation of Faradaic efficiency for HCOOH production over carbon content originates from the balance of H* and COOH* intermediates in carbon-doped h-BN catalysts.

MicroRNA-146b-3p regulates the development and progression of cerebral infarction with diabetes through RAF1/P38MAPK/COX-2 signaling pathway.

Diabetes has been considered as an independent risk factor for cerebral infarction. However, the pathological mechanism of cerebral infarction with diabetes (DMCI) is still rarely known. In this study, we try to explore the relationship between microRNA-146b-3p (miR-146b-3p) and DMCI patients.

Electrochemical promotion of catalysis over Pd nanoparticles for CO reduction.

Electrochemical promotion of catalysis (EPOC) has been shown to accelerate the rate of many heterogeneous catalytic reactions; however, it has rarely been reported in low-temperature aqueous electrochemical reactions. Herein, we report a significant EPOC effect for the CO reduction to generate formate over Pd nanoparticles (NPs) in a 1 M KHCO aqueous solution. By applying a negative potential over differently-sized Pd NPs, the rate of formate production is greatly improved as compared to that at an open-circuit voltage, with a rate enhancement ratio ranging from 10 to 143.

Enhancing CO Electroreduction with the Metal-Oxide Interface.

The electrochemical CO reduction reaction (CORR) typically uses transition metals as the catalysts. To improve the efficiency, tremendous efforts have been dedicated to tuning the morphology, size, and structure of metal catalysts and employing electrolytes that enhance the adsorption of CO. We report here a strategy to enhance CORR by constructing the metal-oxide interface.

Correction: Electrochemical promotion of catalysis over Pd nanoparticles for CO reduction.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C6SC04966D.].

Valsartan decreases platelet activity and arterial thrombotic events in elderly patients with hypertension.

Background: Angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT 1 R) antagonists are extensively used for blood pressure control in elderly patients with hypertension. This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effects of AT 1 R antagonist valsartan on platelet aggregation and the occurrence of cardio-cerebral thrombotic events in elderly patients with hypertension.

Methods: Two-hundred and ten patients with hypertension and aged > 60 years were randomized to valsartan (n = 140) or amlodipine (n = 70) on admission.

Short hairpin RNA targeting of fibroblast activation protein inhibits tumor growth and improves the tumor microenvironment in a mouse model.

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a specific serine protease expressed in tumor stroma proven to be a stimulatory factor in the progression of some cancers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of FAP knockdown on tumor growth and the tumor microenvironment. Mice bearing 4T1 subcutaneous tumors were treated with liposome-shRNA complexes targeting FAP.

In-vitro study of the effect of casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium fluoride phosphate on iatrogenic damage to enamel during orthodontic adhesive removal.

Introduction: White-spot lesions (WSL) might be susceptible to mechanical damage during orthodontic bracket and adhesive removal. The aims of this in-vitro study were to investigate enamel loss on bracket and adhesive removal when the brackets were surrounded by WSL and to determine the effect of remineralizing these lesions with a 1% (w/v) casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium fluoride phosphate (CPP-ACFP) solution before bracket and adhesive removal.

Methods: Precoated metal mandibular incisor brackets were centrally bonded onto polished third molars and WSL produced by exposure to a demineralization buffer for 4, 12, and 30 days (n = 20 per group).

Remineralization of enamel subsurface lesions by chewing gum with added calcium.

Objectives: Chewing sugar-free gum has been shown to promote enamel remineralization. Manufacturers are now adding calcium to the gum in an approach to further promote enamel remineralization. The aim of this study was to compare the remineralization efficacy of four sugar-free chewing gums, two containing added calcium, utilizing a double-blind, randomized, crossover in situ model.

Remineralization of enamel subsurface lesions in situ by the use of three commercially available sugar-free gums.

Background: Commercially available sugar-free chewing gums have been claimed to provide oral health benefits.

Aim: The aim of this randomized, double-blind crossover in situ study was to compare the efficacy of three commercially available sugar-free chewing gums: Trident White, Orbit, and Orbit Professional, in remineralizing enamel subsurface lesions in situ.

Design: Specimens containing enamel subsurface lesions were sectioned into test and control half-slabs with the test half-slabs inserted into removable palatal appliances.

Increased remineralization of tooth enamel by milk containing added casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate.

Casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium phosphate nano-complexes (CPP-ACP) in chewing gum, lozenges and mouthrinses have been shown to re-mineralize enamel subsurface lesions in human in situ experiments. The aim of this double-blind, randomized clinical study was to investigate the capacity of CPP-ACP added to bovine milk to re-mineralize enamel subsurface lesions in situ. Ten subjects drank milk containing either 2.