Dual surrogate imprinting: an innovative strategy for the preparation of virus-selective particles.

This work involves the preparation of dual surrogate-imprinted polymers (D-MIPs) for the capture of SARS-CoV-2. To achieve this goal, an innovative and novel dual imprinting approach using carboxylated-polystyrene (PS-COOH) nanoparticles with a diameter of 100 nm and a SARS-CoV-2 Spike-derived peptide was carried out at the surface of amine-functionalized silica (PS-NH) microspheres with a diameter of 500 nm. Firstly, PS-COOH nanoparticles with the same size and spherical shape as the SARS-CoV-2 virus were employed to form hemispherical indentations (HI) at the surface of the PS-NH microspheres (obtaining dummy particle-imprinted polymers, HI-MIPs).

Innovative Infrared Spectroscopic Technologies for the Prediction of Deoxynivalenol in Wheat.

Mycotoxin contamination in cereals is a global food safety concern. One of the most common mycotoxins in grains is deoxynivalenol (DON), a secondary metabolite produced by the fungi and . Exposure to DON can lead to adverse health effects in both humans and animals including vomiting, dizziness, and fever.

Infrared Spectroscopic Electronic Noses: An Innovative Approach for Exhaled Breath Sensing.

Gastric cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, requiring the urgent development of innovative diagnostic tools for early detection. This study presents an integrated infrared spectroscopic electronic nose system, a novel device that combines infrared (IR) spectroscopy and electronic nose (eNose) concepts for analyzing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath. This system was calibrated using relevant gas mixtures and then tested during a feasibility study involving 26 gastric cancer patients and 32 healthy controls using chemometric analyses to distinguish between exhaled breath profiles.

A Review on Long COVID Screening: Challenges and Perspectives Focusing on Exhaled Breath Gas Sensing.

Long COVID (LC) is a great global health concern, affecting individuals recovering from SARS-CoV-2 infection. The persistent and varied symptoms across multiple organs complicate diagnosis and management, and an incomplete understanding of the condition hinders advancements in therapeutics. Current diagnostic methods face challenges related to standardization and completeness.

Multidomain Protein-Urea Interactions: Differences in Binding Behavior Lead to Different Destabilization Tendencies for Monoclonal Antibodies.

We study the influence of urea on the stability of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in combination with differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF). We show that a denaturing cosolute such as urea binds strongly to the protein, which can lead to denaturation and enhanced aggregation behavior at high temperatures. The interaction between protein and urea crucially depends on the surface properties of the individual mAb domains and therefore affects the general binding to the protein differently.

Rational design based on multi-monomer simultaneous docking for epitope imprinting of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

Among biomimetic strategies shaping engineering designs, molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) technology stands out, involving chemically synthesised receptors emulating natural antigen-antibody interactions. These versatile 'designer polymers' with remarkable stability and low cost, are pivotal for in vitro diagnostics. Amid the recent global health crisis, we probed MIPs' potential to capture SARS-CoV-2 virions.

Decoding the mannose receptor-mAb interaction: the importance of high-mannose N-glycans and glycan-pairing.

During the development process of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), it is crucial to control (critical) quality attributes such as N-glycosylation influencing pharmacokinetics (PK) and Fc effector functions. Previous reports have shown that mAbs containing high-mannose N-glycans are cleared faster from blood circulation, leading to reduced half-lives. The high-mannose N-glycan content of mAbs can be influenced during the cell culture process by factors such as cell lines, process conditions, and media.

Intelligent Microcontroller-Based Infrared Attenuated Total Reflection Spectroscopy for High-Throughput Screening and Discrimination of Foodborne Fungi.

Food safety became one of the most critical issues owing to the large expansion of international trading and emission of various pollutants in air, water and soil. Fungal contamination of food and feed has attracted most of the attention in the last decade because of the emerging analytical tools that facilitate the detection and discrimination of fungal species in imported foodstuff, seeds, grains, plants, meats …etc. In this work, we give an insight on the application of integrated attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and artificial-intelligence algorithms to the determination and discrimination of fungal species/strains which potentially infect plants, seeds and grains.

Development of super nanoantimicrobials combining AgCl, tetracycline and benzalkonium chloride.

In this work, we demonstrate that a simple argentometric titration is a scalable, fast, green and robust approach for producing AgCl/antibiotic hybrid antimicrobial materials. We titrated AgNO into tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) aqueous solution, thus forming AgCl/TCH in a one-step procedure. Furthermore, we investigated the one-pot synthesis of triply synergistic super-nanoantimicrobials, combining an inorganic source of Ag ions (AgCl), a disinfecting agent (benzyl-dimethyl-hexadecyl-ammonium chloride, BAC) and a molecular antibiotic (tetracycline hydrochloride, TCH).

Comprehensive analysis and characterization of glycan pairing in therapeutic antibodies and Fc-containing biotherapeutics: Addressing current limitations and implications for N-glycan impact.

N-glycosylation of the Fc part is a (critical) quality attribute of therapeutic antibodies and Fc-containing biotherapeutics, that impacts their stability, immunogenicity, pharmacokinetics, and effector functions. Current glycosylation analysis methods focus on the absolute amounts of glycans, neglecting the apparent glycan distribution over the entirety of proteins. The combination of the two Fc N-glycans, herein referred to as glyco-pair, therefore remains unknown, which is a major drawback for N-glycan impact assessment.

Prediction of Deoxynivalenol Contamination in Wheat via Infrared Attenuated Total Reflection Spectroscopy and Multivariate Data Analysis.

The climate crisis further exacerbates the challenges for food production. For instance, the increasingly unpredictable growth of fungal species in the field can lead to an unprecedented high prevalence of several mycotoxins, including the most important toxic secondary metabolite produced by spp., i.

Ultratrace eNose Sensing of VOCs toward Breath Analysis Applications Utilizing an eNose-Based Analyzer.

This proof-of-principle study presents the ability of the recently developed iLovEnose to measure ultratrace levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in simulated human breath based on the combination of multiple gas sensors. The iLovEnose was developed by our research team as a test bed for gas sensors that can be hosted in three serially connected compact low-volume and temperature-controlled compartments. Herein, the eNose system was equipped with conventional semiconducting metal oxide (MOX) gas sensors using a variety of base technologies providing 11 different sensor signals that were evaluated to determine six VOCs of interest at eight low to ultralow concentration levels (i.

Laser-irradiating infrared attenuated total reflection spectroscopy of articular cartilage: Potential and challenges for diagnosing osteoarthritis.

Objective: A prototype infrared attenuated total reflection (IR-ATR) laser spectroscopic system designed for classification of human cartilage tissue according to its histological health status during arthroscopic surgery is presented. Prior to real-world applications, this so-called osteoarthritis (OA) scanner has been tested at conditions revealing the challenges associated with complex sample matrices and the accordingly obtained sparse spectral datasets.

Methods: studies on human knee cartilage samples at different contact pressures (i.

Rational design of MIPs for the detection of Myxovirus resistance protein A (MxA), a biomarker for viral infection.

Accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective patient care and the containment of antimicrobial resistance outbreaks. The intricate challenge of distinguishing bacterial from viral infections, coupled with limited diagnostic tools and overlapping symptoms has driven the utilization of molecular imprinting techniques. This study focuses on developing cost-effective, chemically stable antibody analogs for the interferon-induced protein myxovirus resistance protein A (MxA).

Fabrication of Low-Cost Miniaturized Gas Cells via SLA 3D-Printing for UV-Based Gas Sensors.

The use of 3D-printing technology for producing optical devices (i.e., mirrors and waveguides) remains challenging, especially in the UV spectral regime.

Impact of Urea on Monoclonal Antibodies: Multiple Destabilization and Aggregation Effects for Therapeutic Immunoglobulin G Proteins.

We performed nano differential scanning fluorimetry (nanoDSF) measurements of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in urea gradient solutions under thermal unfolding. Our results show that the denaturing effect of urea on individual IgG domains can be monitored via a linear mapping of thermal shift curves to the corresponding urea concentrations. Assignment of IgG domains to each thermal shift curve allows for a reliable differentiation of the underlying mechanisms.

An Algebraic Blueprint for Predicting Turnover Numbers and Endpoints in Photocatalysis.

The front cover artwork is provided by the Institute of Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry and the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry I at Ulm University within the Collaborative Research Center TRR 234 CataLight. The image shows an algebraic approach to generically calculate and predict the turnover number (TON) and the endpoint of photocatalytic hydrogen gas evolution experiments. Read the full text of the Research Article at 10.

Sensing Liquid- and Gas-Phase Hydrocarbons via Mid-Infrared Broadband Femtosecond Laser Source Spectroscopy.

In this study, we demonstrate the combination of a tunable broadband mid-infrared (MIR) femtosecond laser source separately coupled to a ZnSe crystal horizontal attenuated total reflection (ATR) sensor cell for liquid phase samples and to a substrate-integrated hollow waveguide (iHWG) for gas phase samples. Utilizing this emerging light source technology as an alternative MIR radiation source for Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy opens interesting opportunities for analytical applications. In a first approach, we demonstrate the quantitative analysis of three individual samples, ethanol (liquid), methane (gas), and 2-methyl-1-propene (gas), with limits of detection of 0.

An Algebraic Blueprint for Predicting Turnover Numbers and Endpoints in Photocatalysis.

Photocatalysis is a contemporary research field given that the world's fossil energy resources including coal, mineral oil and natural gas are finite. The vast variety of photocatalytic systems demands for standardized protocols facilitating an objective comparison. While there are commonly accepted performance indicators such as the turnover number (TON) that are usually reported, to date there is no unified concept for the determination of TONs and the endpoint of the reaction during continuous measurements.

The Detection of Colorectal Cancer through Machine Learning-Based Breath Sensor Analysis.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy and the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. While CRC screening is already part of organized programs in many countries, there remains a need for improved screening tools. In recent years, a potential approach for cancer diagnosis has emerged via the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using sensor technologies.

Thin-Film Waveguide Laser Spectroscopy: A Novel Platform for Bacterial Analysis.

Bacterial sensing based on quantum cascade laser spectroscopy coupled with diamond or gallium arsenide thin-film waveguides is a novel analytical tool for gaining high-resolution infrared spectroscopic information of planktonic and sessile bacteria, as shown in the present study for . During observation periods of up to 24 h, diamond and gallium arsenide thin-film waveguide laser spectroscopy was compared to information obtained via conventional Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The proliferation behavior of at those surfaces was complementarily investigated using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.

Rapid discrimination of Lentilactobacillus parabuchneri biofilms via in situ infrared spectroscopy.

Microbial contamination in food industry is a source of foodborne illnesses and biofilm-related diseases. In particular, biogenic amines (BAs) accumulated in fermented foods via lactic acid bacterial activity exert toxic effects on human health. Among these, biofilms of histamine-producer Lentilactobacillus parabuchneri strains adherent at food processing equipment surfaces can cause food spoilage and poisoning.

Graphene-enhanced quantum cascade laser infrared spectroscopy using diamond thin-film waveguides.

Diamond thin-film waveguides were combined with quantum cascade lasers augmented by drop-casted graphene enabling surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy. Enhancing the signal provides access to an even more pronounced vibrational signature suitable for analytical scenarios where only a small sample volume and/or low analyte concentration levels are prevalent. To demonstrate the utility of this concept, taurine was investigated as a model analyte.

application of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer in rheumatoid arthritis rat model.

A magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer (MMIP) was synthesised and tested for an rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rat model. Magnetite coated with mesoporous silica (FeO@mSi) was used as core for surface imprinting, dopamine was used as monomer and methotrexate (MTX) was loaded directly during polymerisation. The amount of MTX loaded on MMIPs reached 201.