monitoring of quorum sensing signalling molecules using a SERS chip with a micro -chamber array.

The monitoring of quorum sensing (QS) signal molecules in bacterial biofilms is crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial biofilms. In this work, a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) chip integrated with functional units of bacterial biofilms and SERS detection is proposed for the monitoring of pyocyanine, an important signal molecule and biomarker secreted by . The SERS chip was composed of a top self-assembled nano-silver SERS substrate layer, a PDMS layer containing a micro-chamber array and bottom quartz layer.

Peripheral Inflammation is accompanied by Cerebral Hypoperfusion in Mice.

Introduction: Chronic pain is a disabling condition that is accompanied by neuropsychiatric comorbidities such as anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline. While the peripheral alterations are well-studied, we lack an understanding of how these peripheral changes can result in long-lasting brain alterations and the ensuing behavioral phenotypes. This study aims to quantify changes in cerebral blood perfusion using laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) in the murine Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) model of unilateral peripheral inflammation.

Demethyleneberberine Alleviates Pulmonary Fibrosis through Disruption of USP11 Deubiquitinating GREM1.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal and chronic interstitial lung disease. Intricate pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis and only two approved medications with side effects and high cost bring us the challenge of fully understanding this lethal disease and urgency to find more safe and low-cost therapeutic alternatives.

Purpose: Demethyleneberberine (DMB) has been demonstrated to have various anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifibrosis and anti-cancer bioactivities.

Suppression of hepatocellular carcinoma progression by long noncoding RNA apolipoprotein C1 pseudogene via the regulation of the microRNA-106b-PTEN axis.

Background: Numerous researches have reported that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in tumor development and progression. LncRNA apolipoprotein C-I pseudogene 1 (), a pseudogene located in 19q13.2 between apolipoprotein C-I and apolipoprotein C-IV, is involved in a variety of diseases.

Demethyleneberberine alleviates Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced acute pneumonia by inhibiting the AIM2 inflammasome and oxidative stress.

Background: Acute pneumonia induced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa is characterized by massive infiltration of inflammatory cell and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which lead to severe and transient pulmonary inflammation and acute lung injury. However, P.aeruginosa infection is resistant to multiple antibiotics and causes high mortality in clinic, the search for alternative prophylactic and therapeutic strategies is imperative.

Enrichment and detection of VEGF in blood samples on a microfluidic chip integrated with multifunctional units.

In this paper, a multifunctional microfluidic chip integrated with a centrifugal separation zone, aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) mixing zone and enrichment detection zone was proposed and fabricated. An automatic and efficient separation and quantitative analysis method for vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (VEGF) in whole blood samples was established with the designed microfluidic chip. A blood sample was divided into blood cells and plasma in the centrifugation zone.

Blood quality evaluation on-chip classification of cell morphology using a deep learning algorithm.

The quality of red blood cells (RBCs) in stored blood has a direct impact on the recovery of patients treated by blood transfusion, which directly reflects the quality of blood. The traditional means for blood quality evaluation involve the use of reagents and multi-step and time-consuming operations. Here, a low-cost, multi-classification, label-free and high-precision method is developed, which combines microfluidic technology and a deep learning algorithm together to recognize and classify RBCs based on morphology.

Direct separation and enumeration of CTCs in viscous blood based on co-flow microchannel with tunable shear rate: a proof-of-principle study.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), which have extremely low density in whole blood, are an important indicator of primary tumor metastasis. Isolation and enumeration of these cells are critical for clinical applications. Separation of CTCs from massive blood cells without labeling and addition of synthetic polymers is challenging.

Detection of VEGF in Whole Blood by Differential Pulse Voltammetry Based on a Centrifugal Microfluidic Chip.

For the rapid and sensitive detection of vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (VEGF) in clinical blood samples, a microfluidic sensing chip that integrates a centrifugal separation pretreatment unit and a composite nanosensing film was proposed in this paper. An efficient sensing strategy and method was established. The blood sample was first separated and extracted by centrifugal force on the centrifugal microfluidic chip within 5 min after injection.

Detection of prostate specific antigen in whole blood by microfluidic chip integrated with dielectrophoretic separation and electrochemical sensing.

The efficient detection of cancer markers has faced many challenges, such as severe interference, complicated and time-consuming operation, low sensitivity and so on. In this paper, a microfluidic chip integrated with electrodes for dielectrophoretic (DEP) separation, microchannels for electrochemical nanoprobes binding and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) detection was proposed for the sensitive and rapid detection of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in whole blood. The functional units, which could realize cell separation, PSA derivatization (binding of electrochemical nanoprobes), capture and detection, were integrated on the microfluidic chip.

High-performance surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy chip integrated with a micro-optical system for the rapid detection of creatinine in serum.

To improve the sensitivity of disease biomarker detection, we proposed a high-performance surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) chip integrated with a micro-optical system (MOS). The MOS, which is based on the micro-reflecting cavity and the micro-lens, optimizes the optical matching characteristics of the SERS substrate and the Raman detection system, and greatly improves the SERS detection sensitivity by improving the collection efficiency of the Raman scattering signal. A uniform single layer of silver nanoparticles on a gold film was prepared as the SERS substrate using a liquid-liquid interface self-assembly method.

Self-assembled nano-Ag/Au@Au film composite SERS substrates show high uniformity and high enhancement factor for creatinine detection.

Serum creatinine is a key biomarker for the diagnosis and monitoring of kidney disease. Rapid and sensitive creatinine detection is thus important. Here, we propose a high-performance nano-Ag/Au@Au film composite SERS substrate for the rapid detection of creatinine in human serum.

Identification of genetic variations associated with drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer patients undergoing systemic treatment.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is characterized by relatively rapid response to systemic treatments yet inevitable resistance and predisposed to distant metastasis. We thus aimed at performing sequencing analysis to determine genomic events and underlying mechanisms concerning drug resistance in NSCLC. We performed targeted sequencing of 40 medication-relevant genes on plasma samples from 98 NSCLC patients and analyzed impact of genetic alterations on clinical presentation as well as response to systemic treatments.

Study of biochip integrated with microelectrodes modified by poly-dopamine-co-chitosan composite gel for separation, enrichment and detection of microbes in the aerosol.

As the urgent need for rapid detection of airborne microbes in a specific environment, a biochip which was integrated with the functions of enrichment and detection was designed and developed. It was composed of cover plate, copper microelectrodes modified with poly-dopamine-co-chitosan (PDA-co-CS) composite gel, sealing washer and substrate containing copper sheet electrode. The microbes were enriched due to the good ventilation efficiency and adhesion of the PDA-co-CS composite gel.

Association of Epstein-Barr virus infection with peripheral immune parameters and clinical outcome in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) with peripheral blood immune cell counts and clinical outcomes in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. In a retrospective design, 146 patients with NPC at stage IV were enrolled in this study. The association of EBV status with peripheral blood immune cell counts, distant metastases, and long-term survival in patients with advanced NPC were determined.

Tannic acid-modified silver nanoparticles for enhancing anti-biofilm activities and modulating biofilm formation.

The formation of bacterial biofilms is a key factor in the emergence of chronic infections due to the strong resistance of biofilms to conventional antibiotics. There is an urgent need to develop an effective strategy to control the formation of biofilms. In this study, a nanocomposite of tannic acid and silver (Tannin-AgNPs) was designed and successfully prepared based on the quorum sensing (QS) inhibitory activity of tannic acid and the anti-bacterial activity of silver.

In Situ Detection of Endotoxin in Bacteriostatic Process by SERS Chip Integrated Array Microchambers within Bioscaffold Nanostructures and SERS Tags.

In order to achieve real-time and in situ detection of endotoxin, which is an important and significant clinical test index, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) chip integrated array microchambers within bioscaffold nanostructures and a SERS monitoring strategy were proposed in this paper. After sputtering of nanogold on the cicada wing, which was selected as a natural template, and polydimethylsiloxane bonding, array-type chambers within bioscaffold nanostructures were prepared for in situ bacterial culture and monitoring of endotoxin in the bacteriostasis process by SERS. Meanwhile, the SERS tag modified with the DNA aptamer was prepared and added into this complex biochemical reaction to further improve the sensitivity and selectivity.

A novel arthritis model induced by wind, damp, cold and heat in female rats.

Animal models are in constant development to benefit scientific research. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is considered a very complex disease due to its complicated pathogenesis, and patients with rheumatic disease around the world are still unable to obtain effective, simple and curable treatment. In order to obtain a clear insight into the pathogenesis of RA, a rat model was established based on the concept of syndrome in Traditional Chinese Medicine by simulating the conditions of RA as much as possible via the change in the physical conditions wind, damp, cold and heat (WDCH).

Peptide PD29 treats bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting the TGF-β/smad signaling pathway.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is an end-stage change in lung disease characterized by fibroblast proliferation, massive extracellular matrix (ECM) aggregation with inflammatory damage, and severe structural deterioration. PD29 is a 29-amino acid peptide which has the potential to alleviate PF pathogenesis via three mechanisms: anti-angiogenesis, inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase activities, and inhibition of integrins. In this study, fibrotic lung injuries were induced in SD rats by a single intratracheal instillation of 5 mg/kg bleomycin (BLM).

Natural Killer Cells may Exert Antidepressant-like Effects in Mice by Controlling the Release of Inflammatory Factors.

Depression or stress is reportedly related to the overflow of inflammatory factors in the body and T cells were reported to play important roles in balancing the release of inflammatory factors through vagus nerve circuit. However, few works have been conducted to find if natural killer (NK) cells can also exert the similar function in the reported vagus nerve circuit as T cells and if there was any relationship between depression and this function. In the present study, the behavioral tests on BALB/c mice indicated that the depressant-like symptoms could be improved and simultaneously the concentrations of inflammatory factors in peripheral blood could be reduced significantly by adoptively transferring NK cells into stressed BALB/c mice.

Sensitivity of non-small cell lung cancer to erlotinib is regulated by the Notch/miR-223/ pathway.

Recent evidence supports a role for microRNA-223 (miR-223) in modulating tumor cell sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs; however, its role in cellular resistance to the effects of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) used in treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains to be elucidated. The levels of miR-223 in parental cell line (HCC827) and erlotinib resistant HCC827 cell line (HCC827/ER) were detected by qRT-PCR. HCC827/ER cells were treated with MK-2206 to block the Akt signaling pathway or RO4929097 to block the Notch signaling pathway, and then transfected with an miR-223 inhibitor or interference expression plasmid of F-Box/WD repeat-containing protein 7 (FBXW7) or insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R).

The differences in colonic mucosal microbiota between normal individual and colon cancer patients by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the differences in the intestinal composition between normal individuals and colon cancer patients.

Methods: To establish the criteria for screening a normal individual for colon cancer, human colonic biopsies were obtained at routine colonoscopy. For patients with colon cancer, samples were obtained from cancerous regions.