A Comparative Analysis of Prehospital Emergency Treatments: Midazolam Intramuscularly, Diazepam Enema, and Chloral Hydrate Enema for Pediatric Convulsions.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of prehospital emergency treatments using midazolam (MDL) intramuscularly, diazepam (DZP) enema, and chloral hydrate (CH) enema in managing pediatric convulsions.

Methods: A comparative observational study was conducted, and a total of 140 children with acute convulsions treated with prehospital anti-convulsions at Qinhuangdao First Hospital's emergency department between June 2015 and May 2019 were included in this study. The children were categorized based on the prehospital anti-convulsion measures received: group M (n = 48) received MDL intramuscularly, group D (n = 46) received DZP enema, and group C (n = 46) received CH enema.

Recognition Receptor for Methylated Arginine at the Single Molecular Level.

Among the various types of post-translational modifications (PTMs), methylation is the simple functionalized one that regulates the functions of proteins and affects interactions of protein-protein and protein-DNA/RNA, which will further influence diverse cellular processes. The methylation modification has only a slight effect on the size and hydrophobicity of proteins or peptides, and it cannot change their net charges at all, so the methods for recognizing methylated protein are still limited. Here, we designed a recognition receptor consisting of a α-hemolysin (α-HL) nanopore and polyamine decorated γ-cyclodextrin (amγ-CD) to differentiate the methylation of peptide derived from a heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein at the single molecule level.

Chiral superstructure of aragonite similar to shell induced by CTAB's adsorption chirality.

A twisted dumbbell-like chiral superstructure can be easily assembled in aragonite under the co-action of CTAB and Mg, producing a microstructure that is very similar to that of shell. Asymmetric adsorption of the CTAB head group on aragonite, namely "adsorption chirality", is the reason for the chiral assembly.

Preparation and Stability of Monodisperse Amorphous CaCO Microspheres of High Hardness and Sphericity.

Using amorphous CaCO (ACC) to biomimic the crustacean exoskeleton and optimize the physical and chemical properties of the polymeric phase of ACC holds great promise. Controlling the ACC morphology and stability is key in this process. For this article, monodisperse ACC microspheres, with a high sphericity of 0.

Biomimetic Molecular Clamp Nanopores for Simultaneous Quantifications of NAD and NADH.

NADH/NAD is pivotal to fundamental biochemistry research and molecular diagnosis, but recognition and detection for them are a big challenge at the single-molecule level. Inspired by the biological system, here, we designed and synthesized a biomimetic NAD/NADH molecular clamp (MC), octakis-(6-amino-6-deoxy)-γ-cyclomaltooctaose, and harbored in the engineered α-HL(M113R) nanopore, forming a novel single-molecule biosensor. The single-molecule measurement possesses high selectivity and a high signal-to-noise ratio, allowing to simultaneously recognize and detect for sensing NADH/NAD and their transformations.

Crowding-Induced DNA Translocation through a Protein Nanopore.

A crowded cellular environment is highly associated with many significant biological processes. However, the effect of molecular crowding on the translocation behavior of DNA through a pore has not been explored. Here, we use nanopore single-molecule analytical technique to quantify the thermodynamics and kinetics of DNA transport under heterogeneous cosolute PEGs.

Hybridization chain reaction (HCR) for amplifying nanopore signals.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the blood is an important biomarker for noninvasive diagnosis, assessment, prediction and treatment of cancer. However, sensing performance of solid nanopore is limited by the fast kinetics of small DNA targets and unmatched dimensions. Here, we combines hybridization chain reaction (HCR) with nanopore detection to translate the presence of a small DNA target to characteristic nanopore signals of a long nicked DNA polymer.

Nanopore biphasic-pulse biosensor.

Nanopores as artificial biomimetic nanodevices are of great importance for their applications in biosensing, nanomedicine and bioelectronics. However, it remains a challenge to detect small biomolecules especially small-sized proteins with high sensitivity and selectivity. In the article, we report a simple and efficient method for small-sized protein detection by constructing biphasic-pulse nanopore biosensor.

Single-molecule porphyrin-metal ion interaction and sensing application.

It remains a significant challenge to study the interactions between metal ions and porphyrin molecules at single ion level. Here, we constructed a nanopore-based sensing for label-free and real-time analysis of the interaction between Cu and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)-porphyrin (TPPS). The results demonstrate that emerging electronic signatures of the Cu-TPPS complex that is completely different form the original free TPPS were observed in the α-hemolysin (α-HL) nanopore.

Nanopore Single-Molecule Analysis of Metal Ion-Chelator Chemical Reaction.

Metal ions play critical roles in wide range of biochemical and physiological processes, but they can cause toxicity if excessive ingestion or misregulation. Chelating agents offer an efficient mean for metal ions intoxication and therapeutics of diseases. Studies on metal ion-chelator interactions are important for understanding the reaction mechanism and developing new specific metal chelator drugs.

Metal-organic complex-functionalized protein nanopore sensor for aromatic amino acids chiral recognition.

Chiral recognition at single-molecule level for small active molecules is important, as exhibited by many nanostructures and molecular assemblies in biological systems, but it presents a significant challenge. We report a simple and rapid sensing strategy to discriminate all enantiomers of natural aromatic amino acids (AAA) using a metal-organic complex-functionalized protein nanopore, in which a chiral recognition element and a chiral recognition valve were equipped. A trifunctional molecule, heptakis-(6-deoxy-6-amino)-β-cyclodextrin (amβCD), was non-covalently lodged within the nanopore of an α-hemolysin (αHL) mutant, (M113R)-αHL.

Tetramethylammonium-filled protein nanopore for single-molecule analysis.

Nanopore technology, as the simplest and most inexpensive single-molecule tool, is being intensively developed. In nanopore stochastic sensing, KCl and NaCl have traditionally been employed as pore-filled electrolytes for recording the change of ion conductance in nanopores triggered by analyte translocation through the pore. However, some challenges limit its further advance.

Nanopore single-molecule analysis of DNA-doxorubicin interactions.

Anticancer activity and toxicity of doxorubicin (Dox) are associated with its DNA intercalation. To understand the role in gene regulation and the drug mechanism, it is a challenge to detect the DNA-Dox interaction at the single-molecule level without the use of laborious, time-consuming labeling assays and an error-prone amplification method. Here, we utilized the simplest and cheapest, yet highly sensitive, single-molecule nanopore technology to investigate the DNA-Dox interaction and explore in situ the intercalative reaction kinetics.

A rapid and sensitive detection of HBV DNA using a nanopore sensor.

Nanopore analysis has emerged as the simplest single-molecule technique. We combined DNA probes with a nanopore electrochemical sensor for the rapid and sensitive detection of pathogenic DNA. The novel nanopore biosensor allows the single-base discrimination and detection of picomolar DNA in serum samples.

Studies on the interactions of copper and zinc ions with β-amyloid peptides by a surface plasmon resonance biosensor.

The aggregation of β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) into fibrils plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Metal ions including copper and zinc are closely connected to the precipitation and toxicity of Aβ. In this study, a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor was constructed to investigate the interactions between Aβ and metal ions.

Simultaneous determination of dihydroxybenzene positional isomers by capillary electrochromatography using gold nanoparticles as stationary phase.

The paper describes the enhanced separation of o-, m-, p-dihydroxybenzene by capillary electrochromatography (CEC) using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as stationary phase. The effect of the AuNPs concentration upon separation was investigated. The experimental parameters, including separation voltage, pH, and concentration of running buffer, were optimized.

Determination of fumaric and maleic acids with stacking analytes by transient moving chemical reaction boundary method in capillary electrophoresis.

The paper presents an on-line transient moving chemical reaction boundary (MCRB) method for simply but efficiently stacking analytes in capillary electrophoresis (CE). The CE technique was developed for a rapid determination of fumaric and maleic acid. Based on the theory of MCRB, Effects of several important factors such as the pH and concentration of running buffer and the conditions of stacking analytes were investigated to acquire the optimum conditions.