Development of a Portable Residual Chlorine Detection Device with a Combination of Microfluidic Chips and LS-BP Algorithm to Achieve Accurate Detection of Residual Chlorine in Water.

Chlorine is widely used for sterilization and disinfection of water, but the presence of excess residual chlorine in water poses a substantial threat to human health. At present, there is no portable device which can achieve accurate, rapid, low-cost, and convenient detection of residual chlorine in water. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a device that can perform accurate, rapid, low-cost, and convenient detection of residual chlorine in water.

Effect of External Magnetic Field on the Efficacy of ADSC Transplantation in Rats with Spinal Cord Injury.

Aim: To assess the effect of intravenously injected superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPION)-labeled adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) under an external magnetic field on the efficacy of ADSC transplantation in rats with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Material And Methods: ADSCs were isolated from rats, labeled with SPIONs, and divided into magnetic and non-magnetic groups. A rat model of SCI was established, and SCI rats were randomly divided into magnetic, non-magnetic, and control groups, with ten rats in each group.

Study of Interfacial Adhesion and Re-Ir Alloy Coating in Chalcogenide Glass Molding.

Precision glass molding (PGM) has become an efficacious technique to fabricate high-precision optics. Chalcogenide (ChG) glass is increasingly used in thermal imaging, night vision, etc., because of its excellent infrared optical properties.

Hepatoid Adenocarcinoma of the Lung: A Systematic Review of the Literature From 1981 to 2020.

Objectives: We report the first case of hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the lung (HAL) with PIK3CA mutation. In addition, we analyzed data from HAL cases over the past 40 years to study its main treatment methods, prognosis, and the relationship between prognosis and the serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level before treatment.

Methods: We report a 66-year-old male case who was diagnosed with locally advanced HAL with PIK3CA mutation and carried out a systematic literature search for HAL cases documented between 1981 and 2020.

Development of Rapid and High-Precision Colorimetric Device for Organophosphorus Pesticide Detection Based on Microfluidic Mixer Chip.

The excessive pesticide residues in cereals, fruit and vegetables is a big threat to human health, and it is necessary to develop a portable, low-cost and high-precision pesticide residue detection scheme to replace the large-scale laboratory testing equipment for rapid detection of pesticide residues. In this study, a colorimetric device for rapid detection of organophosphorus pesticide residues with high precision based on a microfluidic mixer chip was proposed. The microchannel structure with high mixing efficiency was determined by fluid dynamics simulation, while the corresponding microfluidic mixer chip was designed.

Preparation of the Coupling Co-Precipitation and Impregnation Catalyst Ag/Al₂O₃ with High Catalytic Performance in Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO with C₃H.

This brief paper reported an Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst of high catalytic performance in C₃H-SCR (selective catalytic reduction with C₃H as the reducer), and demonstrated a new strategy for the preparation of high active Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst by the coupling co-precipitation and impregnation method. The results show that the coupling co-precipitation and impregnation catalyst was higher active than the usual impregnated catalyst in C₃H-SCR of NO with broad active temperature window (420-600 °C), and the highest conversions of NO achieved 91% over the coupling co-precipitation and impregnation catalyst at 500 °C. The porous structure parameter, crystal phase structure, surface acidity property and particle morphology of the Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst were characterized by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis spectra and temperature programmed desorption of ammonia (NH₃-TPD), respectively.

S100A9 promotes the proliferation and migration of cervical cancer cells by inducing epithelial‑mesenchymal transition and activating the Wnt/β‑catenin pathway.

S100 calcium‑binding protein A9 (S100A9), a member of the S100 protein family, is often upregulated in various cancers, including cervical cancer. Elevated S100A9 expression is thought to serve an important role in tumorigenesis; however, the exact role of S100A9 in the modulation of cervical cancer and the underlying molecular mechanism remain unknown. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of S100A9 on the proliferation and migration of cervical cancer cells, as well as the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects.

Recent advances in supported molecular sieve catalysts with wide temperature range for selective catalytic reduction of NO with CH.

NO is a major atmospheric pollutant that is emanated by motor vehicles, thermal power plants, and industrial boilers. Therefore, the removal of NO is a research hotspot in the exhaust gas treatment field. Numerous methods have been used to eliminate NO : the selective catalytic reduction of NO using CH as the reducing agent (CH-SCR) is an effective method to remove NO .

Fabrication of a Micro-Lens Array Mold by Micro Ball End-Milling and Its Hot Embossing.

Hot embossing is an efficient technique for manufacturing high-quality micro-lens arrays. The machining quality is significant for hot embossing the micro-lens array mold. This study investigates the effects of micro ball end-milling on the machining quality of AISI H13 tool steel used in the micro-lens array mold.

S100A6 promotes the proliferation and migration of cervical cancer cells via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Cervical cancer is the second most common gynecological cancer worldwide and remains one of the leading causes of cancer-associated mortality among women. S100A6 has been reported to be associated with the development of many types of cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of S100A6 on the proliferation, apoptosis and migration of cervical cancer cells and its underlying molecular mechanisms.

BCL6B suppresses proliferation and migration of colorectal carcinoma cells through inhibition of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

B‑cell CLL/lymphoma 6 member B (BCL6B), a BCL6‑homologous gene, has been reported to be a tumor suppressor that is silenced in a variety of human cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Although it was recently demonstrated that reduced expression of BCL6B is associated with tumor stage and lymph node metastasis in CRC, little is known on whether BCL6B contributes to CRC development, or the related underlying mechanism. The aim of the present study was to detect BCL6B expression in CRC cells, and determine the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of BCL6B in CRC development by investigating cell proliferation and migration in vitro.

Cascaded signal amplification via target-triggered formation of aptazyme for sensitive electrochemical detection of ATP.

The construction of reliable sensors for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) detection gains increasing interest because of its important roles in various enzymatic activities and biological processes. Based on a cascaded, significant signal amplification approach by the integration of the aptazymes and catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA), we have developed a sensitive electrochemical sensor for the detection of ATP. The target ATP leads to the conformational change of the aptazyme sequences and their association with the hairpin substrates to form active aptazymes, in which the hairpin substrates are cyclically cleaved by the metal ion cofactors in buffer to release the enzymatic sequences that can also bind the hairpin substrates to generate active DNAzymes.

Surface defect analysis on formed chalcogenide glass GeSeAs lenses after the molding process.

Chalcogenide glass (ChG) is increasingly used in infrared optical systems owing to its excellent infrared optical properties and scalable production using precision glass molding (PGM). However, surface scratches affected by the molding temperature and microdimples on the lens surface caused by gas release seriously impair the quality of the formed lens. To reduce these surface defects when molding GeSeAs ChG, the temperature effect must be studied, and the gas generation must be minimized, while the gas escape must be maximized.

Effects of interface thermal resistance on surface morphology evolution in precision glass molding for microlens array.

To study the effects of the interface thermal resistance on surface morphology evolution in precision glass molding (PGM) for microlens array with different mold materials, including Tungsten carbide and heat-resistant stainless steel, the glass-mold interface thermal resistance is calculated, and heat-transfer simulation of PGM based on an interface thermal resistance model at the heating stage is conducted correspondingly. The effect of flattening behavior on the glass-mold interface is explained. Then, experiments evaluating the relationship between heating time and glass surface roughness are carried out, and the glass adhesion phenomenon appearing on the heat-resistant stainless steel mold is observed and analyzed.

Click chemistry-mediated cyclic cleavage of metal ion-dependent DNAzymes for amplified and colorimetric detection of human serum copper (II).

The determination of the level of Cu plays important roles in disease diagnosis and environmental monitoring. By coupling Cu-catalyzed click chemistry and metal ion-dependent DNAzyme cyclic amplification, we have developed a convenient and sensitive colorimetric sensing method for the detection of Cu in human serums. The target Cu can be reduced by ascorbate to form Cu, which catalyzes the azide-alkyne cycloaddition between the azide- and alkyne-modified DNAs to form Mg-dependent DNAzymes.

Metallo-Toehold-Activated Catalytic Hairpin Assembly Formation of Three-Way DNAzyme Junctions for Amplified Fluorescent Detection of Hg.

Because of their irreversible toxicological impacts on the environment and human body, the development of reliable and sensitive Hg detection methods with high selectivity is of great significance. On the basis of the substantial signal amplification by metallo-toehold-triggered, catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) formation of three-way DNAzyme junctions, we have constructed a highly selective and sensitive fluorescent sensing system for the determination of Hg in different environmental water samples. The presence of the target Hg ions can lead to the generation of T-Hg-T base mismatched metallo-toeholds, which trigger the catalytic assembly of three split-DNAzyme containing hairpins to form many Mg-dependent DNAzyme junction structures upon binding to the fluorescently quenched substrate sequences.

Development of the aza-crown ether metal complexes as artificial hydrolase.

Hydrolases play a crucial role in the biochemical process, which can catalyze the hydrolysis of various compounds like carboxylic esters, phosphoesters, amides, nucleic acids, peptides, and so on. The design of artificial hydrolases has attracted extensive attention due to their scientific significance and potential applications in the field of gene medicine and molecular biology. Numerous macrocyclic metal complexes have been used as artificial hydrolase in the catalytic hydrolysis of the organic substrate.

Aptamer pseudoknot-functionalized electronic sensor for reagentless and single-step detection of immunoglobulin E in human serum.

The development of electronic sensors with minimized usage of reagents and washing steps in the sensing protocols will significantly facilitate the detection of biomolecules. In this work, by using a new pseudoknot design of the aptamer probes, the construction of an electronic sensor for reagentless and single-step detection of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in human serum is described. The pseudoknot aptamer probes are self-assembled on the disposable electrode surface.

Multiplexed electrochemical coding of DNA-protein bindings.

A simple, sensitive and multiplexed electrochemical sensor for the detection of DNA-protein binding based on the exonuclease protection strategy is described. Two electroactive species, methylene blue (MB)- and ferrocene (Fc)-labeled dsDNA probes are self-assembled on a gold electrode to prepare the sensor surface. The target proteins, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and estrogen receptor (ERα), bind to the dsDNA probes and protect the probes from digesting by exonuclease III due to the steric hindrance of the bound proteins.

The synthesis and activities of novel mononuclear or dinuclear cyclen complexes bearing azole pendants as antibacterial and antifungal agents.

A series of novel compounds containing 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane and azoles were synthesized and characterized by (1)H NMR, MS and elemental analysis. Bioactive assay manifested that some target compounds, such as 11a, 11b and 11d, displayed good and broad spectrum antimicrobial activities with relative low MIC values against most of tested strains. These dinuclear complexes gave comparable or even better antimicrobial efficiencies than the reference drugs Fluconazole and Chloromycin.

Terminal protection of small molecule-linked ssDNA for label-free and sensitive fluorescent detection of folate receptor.

In this work, based on terminal protection of folate-linked ssDNA (FA-ssDNA) and the SYBR Gold fluorescent dye, we describe the development of a label-free fluorescent strategy for the detection of folate receptors (FRs). The binding between the target FR and the FA moiety of the FA-ssDNA protects the FR bound FA-ssDNA from digesting by Exo I. The binding of SYBR Gold to the terminal protected, un-digested FA-ssDNA leads to enhanced fluorescent emission for the monitoring of FR with a detection limit of 30 pM.

Electrochemiluminescence recovery-based aptasensor for sensitive Ochratoxin A detection via exonuclease-catalyzed target recycling amplification.

Based on the recovery of the quantum dot (QD) electrochemiluminescence (ECL) and exonuclease-catalyzed target recycling amplification, the development of a highly sensitive aptasensor for Ochratoxin A (OTA) detection is described. The duplex DNA probes containing the biotin-modified aptamer are immobilized on a CdTe QD composite film-coated electrode. The presence of the OTA target leads to effective removal of the biotin-aptamers from the electrode surface via exonuclease-catalyzed recycling and reuse of OTA, which prevents the attachment of streptavidin-alkaline phosphatase (STV-ALP) through biotin-STV interaction.

Coupling of background reduction with rolling circle amplification for highly sensitive protein detection via terminal protection of small molecule-linked DNA.

In this work, by coupling background current reduction with rolling circle amplification (RCA), we describe the development of an ultrasensitive electrochemical sensing method for protein detection based on a small molecule-linked DNA terminal protection strategy. Our detection platform employs a typical streptavidin (STV)-biotin interaction system. Biotin-linked single-stranded DNA (SH-ssDNA-biotin) is self-assembled on a gold electrode to capture the target protein, STV.

Label-free and amplified aptasensor for thrombin detection based on background reduction and direct electron transfer of hemin.

In this work, we describe the development of a sensitive and label-free aptasensor for thrombin detection based on background noise reduction by exonuclease I (Exo I) and signal amplification by direct electron transfer (DET) of hemin. The thrombin binding aptamers (TBAs) are self-assembled on a sensing electrode. In the absence of the target thrombin, the TBAs are digested by Exo I, which avoids the association of hemin and significantly minimizes the background current noise.