Profile of immunological biomarkers in Behcet's syndrome: a large-scale single-center real-world study.

Behcet's syndrome (BS) is a vasculitis characterized by immune dysregulation. Biomarkers are valuable for assessing clinically atypical pathogenesis. We aimed to investigate the distribution of different biomarkers and their effects on the clinical features of patients with BS in a large-scale, real-world study.

2.4 kW 1045 nm narrow-spectral-width monolithic single-mode CW fiber laser by using an FBG-based MOPA configuration.

A 24 kW narrow-spectral-width near-diffraction-limited monolithic fiber laser system at ${\sim}{1045.2}\;{\rm{nm}}$ in a fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-based master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) configuration is demonstrated in this paper. The near-diffraction-limited beam quality (${{\rm{M}}^2}\sim{1.

Density Functional Theory-Assisted Electrochemical Assay Manipulated by a Donor-Acceptor Structure toward Pharmaceutical Diagnostic.

Oxidative stress is a state of stress injury, which leads to the pathogenesis of most neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, this is also one of the main reasons for the loss of dopaminergic neurons and the abnormal content of dopamine (DA). In the past decades, a number of studies have found that acetaminophen (AP) is metabolized and distributed in the brain when it is used as a neuroprotective compound.

An electrochemical thrombin aptasensor based on the use of graphite-like CN modified with silver nanoparticles.

An electrochemical aptasensor for thrombin is introduced that makes use of a nanohybrid composed of silver nanoparticles and graphite-like carbon nitride (Ag-g-CN). The material has a large surface and good biocompatibility. AgNPs are modified directly on the surface of g-CN via chemical reduction.

The synergistic effect of Au-COF nanosheets and artificial peroxidase Au@ZIF-8(NiPd) rhombic dodecahedra for signal amplification for biomarker detection.

Here, a new type of signal amplification strategy is proposed employing Au nanoparticle (AuNP)-functionalized covalent organic framework (Au-COF) nanosheets and AuNP functionalized ZIF-8(NiPd) (Au@ZIF-8(NiPd)) rhombic dodecahedra nanocomposites for sandwich electrochemical sensor construction. The peroxidase mimics Au@ZIF-8(NiPd) took the place of natural enzymes in enzyme-assisted amplification strategies, both acting as catalysts for HO reduction for signal amplification, and serving as ideal nanocarriers for signal probe anchoring. The cancer biomarker thrombin (TB) was selected as the target.

Charge Transfer Platform and Catalytic Amplification of Phenanthroimidazole Derivative: A New Strategy for DNA Bases Recognition.

Research about DNA composition has been concentrated on DNA damage in the past few decades. However, it still remains a great challenge to construct a rapid, facile, and accurate approach for simultaneously monitoring four DNA bases, guanine (G), adenine (A), thymine (T), and cytosine (C). Herein, a novel electrochemical sensor based on phenanthroimidazole derivative, 2-(4-bromophenyl)-1-phenyl-1-phenanthro[9,10-]-imidazole (PPI), is successfully fabricated by a simple electrochemical method.

AuPt/MOF-Graphene: A Synergistic Catalyst with Surprisingly High Peroxidase-Like Activity and Its Application for HO Detection.

Here, we report ZIF-8-reduced graphene oxide (ZIF-8-rGO)-supported bimetallic AuPt nanoparticles (AuPtNPs) as a novel peroxidase mimic for high-sensitivity detection of HO in neutral solution. ZIF-8-graphene oxide (ZIF-8-GO) is first synthesized via a simple wet-chemistry process and subsequently immobilized with AuPtNPs via a reduction method. The resultant AuPt/ZIF-8-rGO shows enhanced peroxidase-like catalytic activity and it is applied for the electrochemical detection of HO in a wide concentration range, from 100 nM to 18 mM, with a very low detection limit of 19 nM (S/N = 3).

New Strategy for Ultrasensitive Aptasensor Fabrication: D-A-D Constitution as a Charge Transfer Platform and Recognition Element.

Over the past decade, various sensing systems based on aptamers have attracted a great deal of studies directed at designing highly selective biosensors. In this paper, we described a new-style electrochemical aptamer sensor (aptasensor) via a donor-acceptor link substrate, which was characterized by electrochemical methods and other helpful characterization instruments. Molecules with D-A-D configuration always undergo an intrinsic signal amplification due to the elongation of the π-electron conjugation.

A bioinspired antifouling zwitterionic interface based on reduced graphene oxide carbon nanofibers: electrochemical aptasensing of adenosine triphosphate.

An antifouling electrochemical aptasensor for ATP is described that has a zwitterionic self-assembled sensing interface on a glassy carbon electrode modified with a reduced graphene oxide carbon nanofiber (GO-CNF). The GO-CNF was first modified by self-polymerization of dopamine which provided a platform for simultaneously self-assembly of the ATP aptamer and cysteine. By using hexacyanoferrate as the electrochemical probe, in the presence of ATP, the aptamer strands fold around ATP molecules, thus leading to the variation of the electrochemical signal.

Facile synthesis of 3D N-doped porous carbon nanosheets as highly active electrocatalysts toward the reduction of hydrogen peroxide.

Constructing three-dimensional (3D) conductive frameworks with high specific surface areas and porous structures is indispensable for their applications as electrocatalysts. In this work, we illustrate for the first time that 3D N-doped porous carbon nanosheets (3D-NS), which are synthesized via a facile one-pot pyrolysis reaction using glucose and melamine as raw materials, can serve as high performance and green electrocatalysts for the reduction of H2O2. Moreover, a series of 3D-NS samples with a controllable content of nitrogen were obtained by adjusting the calcination temperature.

Signal amplification strategy for biomarkers: Structural origins of epitaxial-growth twinned nanocrystals and D-π-A type polymers.

The combination of nanoparticles and biomarkers yields functional nanostructured biointerface, which is playing a notable role in biotechnology development. Due to the 5-fold twined structure in the Au-Pt star-shaped decahedra not only allowed it to act as efficient scaffold for immobilization of antibody, but it also exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity toward HO reduction, the nanocrystal as the efficient signal transduction label is first employed to construct an electrochemical immunosensor. Donor-π-Acceptor (D-π-A) linking fashion generates a dipolar push-pull system and assures superior intramolecular charge transfer.

Analysis of mode-hop free tuning of folded cavity grating feedback lasers.

We analytically study an external cavity laser structure including a folded cavity. A steering mirror is utilized in the folded cavity to deflect the intracavity laser beam. A mode-hop free tuning range of ∼400  GHz can be achieved by control of the steering mirror, and a fast tuning rate is expected because of the small mass of the steering mirror.

Nurse eggs form through an active process of apoptosis in the spionid Polydora cornuta (Annelida).

The production of nurse eggs is fundamental to poecilogony in some species of spionid annelids. In species such as Polydora cornuta, nurse-egg production varies among females and ingestion of nurse eggs varies among young, resulting in a form of poecilogony with divergent phenotypes for females (e.g.

Elastic properties of the cell wall of Aspergillus nidulans studied with atomic force microscopy.

Currently, little is known about the mechanical properties of filamentous fungal hyphae. To study this topic, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to measure cell wall mechanical properties of the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Wild type and a mutant strain (deltacsmA), lacking one of the chitin synthase genes, were grown in shake flasks.

Purification and characterization of mannitol dehydrogenase and identification of the corresponding cDNA from the head blight fungus, Gibberella zeae (Fusarium graminearum).

The mannitol-2-dehydrogenase (MtDH) from Gibberella zeae was purified and the corresponding cDNA identified. Purification of MtDH was accomplished using a combination of ammonium sulfate fractionation, anion exchange and dye-ligand chromatography. Final purification was achieved following electroelution from a native gel.

Integrated bioprocessing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using green fluorescent protein as a fusion partner.

In this study, we examine the use of green fluorescent protein (GFP) for monitoring a hexokinase (HXK)-GFP fusion protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for various events including expression, degradation, purification, and localization. The fusion, HXK-EK-GFP-6 x His, was constructed where the histidine tag (6 x His) would allow for convenient affinity purification, and the enterokinase (EK) cleavage site would be used for separation of HXK from GFP after affinity purification. Our results showed that both HXK and GFP remained active in the fusion and, more importantly, that there was a linear correlation between HXK activity and GFP fluorescence.

Impediments to secretion of green fluorescent protein and its fusion from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

While it has been demonstrated that GFP-tagged proteins were transported to their correct cellular compartments in most cells, attempts to secrete GFP/GFP-fusion through the default secretory pathway have not been as successful. In an attempt to induce secretion of GFP and Hexokinase (HXK)-GFP fusion in Saccharomycescerevisiae, we have cloned constructs that employed four different yeast secretion signal sequences, i.e.

Physiological and environmental aspects of ascospore discharge in Gibberella zeae (anamorph Fusarium graminearum).

We investigated ascospore discharge in the perithecial fungus, Gibberella zeae. In a wind tunnel study that simulated constant rain and varying day and night lengths, the rate of ascospore release was approximately 8-30% greater under light than in complete darkness. Under constant light, ascospore discharge occurred at maximal rates at relative humidity levels greater than 92%.