Ratiometric Electrochemical Detection of Interleukin-6 Using Electropolymerized Methylene Blue and a Multi-Walled Carbon-Nanotube-Modified Screen-Printed Carbon Electrode.

Herein, we report a ratio-based electrochemical biosensor for the detection of interleukin-6 (IL-6). We electropolymerized methylene blue (MB) on the surface of screen-printed carbon electrodes; introduced an internal reference signal probe; modified the carboxylate multi-walled carbon nanotubes on the electrode surface to increase the electrochemically active area; and finally linked the amino-modified IL-6 aptamer to the electrode surface through the Schiff base reaction, with bovine serum albumin (BSA) added to mask non-specific adsorption. After adding IL-6 to the samples, the signal of I remained almost unchanged, while the signal of I[Fe(CN)] decreased with increasing IL-6 concentration.

Real-Time Fluorescence Visualization of the Dynamic Distribution of Zn Ions during Osteoblast Differentiation.

The differentiation and maturation of osteoblasts are essential for bone formation. Zn plays a crucial role in cell differentiation and is involved in osteogenic differentiation. The concentration and distribution of Zn in the nucleus and cytoplasm indicate the differentiation states of osteoblasts.

A hydrogel sensor based on cellulose nanofiber/polyvinyl alcohol with colorimetric-fluorescent bimodality for non-invasive detection of urea in sweat.

The concentration of urea in sweat serves as a valuable indicator of an individual's overall health. In this study, we present a novel hydrogel sensor (BAF-CPu), based on cellulose nanofiber and polyvinyl alcohol, designed to achieve non-invasive in situ and highly sensitive detection of urea in sweat by combining the dual-mode response of colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescence techniques. The bright red fluorescent gold‑copper bimetallic nanoclusters and green fluorescent fluorescein isothiocyanate-modified cellulose nanofibers endowed BAF-CPu with proportional fluorescence responsive properties.

Application of biomacromolecule-based passive penetration enhancement technique in superficial tumor therapy: A review.

Transdermal drug delivery (TDD) has shown great promise in superficial tumor therapy due to its noninvasive and avoidance of the first-pass effect. Especially, passive penetration enhancement technique (PPET) provides the technical basis for TDD by temporarily altering the skin surface structure without requiring external energy. Biomacromolecules and their derived nanocarriers offer a wide range of options for PPET development, with outstanding biocompatibility and biodegradability.

A novel FA1-targeting fluorescent probe for specific discrimination and identification of human serum albumin from bovine serum albumin.

A novel probe C1 combining benzothiazole with a spiropyran section was developed for the specific detection of human serum albumin (HSA). The molecular docking suggested that the sulphonic acid group modification allowed C1 to form specific hydrogen bonds with lysine (Lys137) at fatty acid site 1 (FA1) of HSA, thus enabling fluorescence differentiation between HSA and BSA.

Engineering a hyaluronic acid-encapsulated tumor-targeted nanoplatform with sensitized chemotherapy and a photothermal effect for enhancing tumor therapy.

Chemotherapy remains one of the most widely used cancer treatment modalities in clinical practice. However, the characteristic microenvironment of solid tumors severely limits the anticancer efficacy of chemotherapy. In addition, a single treatment modality or one death pathway reduces the antitumor outcome.

Construction of porous flower-like Ru-doped CoNiFe layered double hydroxide for supercapacitors and oxygen evolution reaction catalysts.

In recent years, ternary layered double hydroxide (LDH) has become a research hotspot for electrode materials and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst due to the enhanced synergistic effect between individual elements. However, the application of LDH is greatly limited by its low electrical conductivity and the disadvantage that nanosheets tend to accumulate and mask the active sites. Herein, a novel Ru-doped CoNiFe - LDH was prepared via a facile hydrothermal method.

The hysteresis damage of cold exposure on tissue and transcript levels in mice.

Objectives: Although cold stress-induced damage to the heart and thyroid has been reported, specific organ associations between the heart and thyroid with delayed injury mechanisms have not been investigated. In this study, we determined the damage time and transcript levels of a large number of genes in the heart and thyroid after cold exposure. Meanwhile, we analysed the relationship between heart and thyroid injury in human medical records to determine the association of delayed injury from cold exposure.

Pterostilbene upregulates MICA/B via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to enhance the capability of natural killer cells to kill cervical cancer cells.

Natural killer (NK) cells are triggered by the innate immune response in the tumor microenvironment. The extensive set of stimulating and inhibiting receptors mediates the target recognition of NK cells, and controls the strength of the effector reaction countering specific targeted cells. Yet, lacking major MHC (histocompatibility complex) MICA/B class I chain-related proteins on the membrane of tumor cells results in the failure of NK cell recognition and ability to resist NK cell destruction.

Constructing Hierarchical CoGaO-S@NiCo-LDH Core-Shell Heterostructures with Crystalline/Amorphous/Crystalline Heterointerfaces for Flexible Asymmetric Supercapacitors.

The rational design and construction of composite electrodes are crucial for overcoming the issues of poor working stability and slow ionic electron mobility of a single component. Nevertheless, it is a big challenge to construct core-shell heterostructures with crystalline/amorphous/crystalline heterointerfaces in straightforward and efficient methods. Here, we have successfully converted a portion of crystalline CoGaO into the amorphous phase by employing a facile sulfidation process (denoted as CoGaO-S), followed by anchoring crystalline NiCo-layered double hydroxide (denoted as NiCo-LDH) nanoarrays onto hexagonal plates and nucleation points of CoGaO-S, synthesizing dual-type hexagonal and flower-like 3D CoGaO-S@NiCo-LDH core-shell heterostructures with crystalline/amorphous/crystalline heterointerfaces on carbon cloth.

The construction of hierarchical assemblies with generation of chemotherapy drugs to enhance the efficacy of chemodynamic therapy for multi-modal anti-tumor treatments.

The effectiveness of chemodynamic therapy (CDT) in cancer treatment is limited by insufficient endogenous HO levels in tumor tissue and an increasing ratio of high valence metal ions. To overcome these challenges, a novel nanotherapeutic approach, named GOx-CuCaP-DSF, has been proposed. This approach involves the design of nanotherapeutics that aim to self-supply HO within cancer cells and provide a supplement of low valence metal ions to enhance the performance of CDT.

Recent Advancements in Metal and Non-Metal Mixed-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots: Synthesis and Emerging Potential Applications.

In nanotechnology, the synthesis of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) by mixed doping with metals and non-metals has emerged as an appealing path of investigation. This review offers comprehensive insights into the synthesis, properties, and emerging applications of mixed-doped CQDs, underlining their potential for revolutionary advancements in chemical sensing, biosensing, bioimaging, and, thereby, contributing to advancements in diagnostics, therapeutics, and the under standing of complex biological processes. This synergistic combination enhances their sensitivity and selectivity towards specific chemical analytes.

Research progress on the structural characterization, biological activity and product application of polysaccharides from Crataegus pinnatifida.

Crataegus pinnatifida is a plant of the Crataegus genus in the Rosaceae family and is commonly used as a food and medicinal resource. Crataegus pinnatifida polysaccharide, as one of the main active ingredients of Crataegus pinnatifida, has a variety of beneficial biological activities, such as antioxidant, hypoglycemic activity, lipid-lowering, intestinal flora regulation, promotion immune regulation, and antitumor activities. However, the extraction methods of Crataegus pinnatifida polysaccharides lack innovation, the primary structure is relatively limited, and the biological activity mechanism needs to be further explored.

Construction of SLC16A1/3 Targeted Gallic Acid-Iron-Embelin Nanoparticles for Regulating Glycolysis and Redox Pathways in Cervical Cancer.

SLC16A1 and SLC16A3 (SLC16A1/3) are highly expressed in cervical cancers and associated with the malignant biological behavior of cancer. SLC16A1/3 is the critical hub for regulating the internal and external environment, glycolysis, and redox homeostasis in cervical cancer cells. Inhibiting SLC16A1/3 provides a new thought to eliminate cervical cancer effectively.

Structural Characterization, Simulated Digestion and Anti-Aging Activities of an Acidic Polysaccharide from Salvia Miltiorrhiza.

An acidic polysaccharide (SMP) with a molecular weight (Mw) of 1.28 × 10 Da was isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza. The monosaccharide composition in molar percentages was rhamnose (Rha): galacturonic acid (GalA): galactose (Gal): arabinose (Ara) = 6.

Multisubcellular organelle-targeting nanoparticle for synergistic chemotherapy and photodynamic/photothermal tumor therapy.

The subcellular organelle-targeting strategy has attracted wide attention for a variety of reasons, including strong specificity, high accuracy, low dose administration and few side effects. It is an important and challenging task to explore the multisubcellular organelle-targeting strategy to achieve effective tumor treatment. Using bovine serum albumin as a nanoreactor, BSA/Cu/NQ/IR780/DOX nanoparticles (NPs) were constructed via drug-induced protein self-assembly.

New "Destruction Seek to Survive" Strategy Based on a Serum Albumin Assembly with a Squaraine Molecule for the Detection of Peroxynitrite.

Peroxynitrite (ONOO), a kind of active nitrogen species, plays an important role in biological systems. Overproduction of ONOO is closely related to the pathogenesis of many diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to quantify intracellular ONOO for differentiating health and disease states.

Advances in Natural Polymer-Based Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems for Tumor Therapy.

As an alternative to traditional oral and intravenous injections with limited efficacy, transdermal drug delivery (TDD) has shown great promise in tumor treatment. Over the past decade, natural polymers have been designed into various nanocarriers due to their excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and easy availability, providing more options for TDD. In addition, surface functionalization modification of the rich functional groups of natural polymers, which in turn are developed into targeted and stimulus-responsive functional materials, allows precise delivery of drugs to tumor sites and release of drugs in response to specific stimuli.

Research progress of physical transdermal enhancement techniques in tumor therapy.

The advancement and popularity of transdermal drug delivery (TDD) based on the physical transdermal enhancement technique (PTET) has opened a new paradigm for local tumor treatment. The drug can be directly delivered to the tumor site through the skin, thus avoiding the toxic side effects caused by the first-pass effect and achieving high patient compliance. Further development of PTETs has provided many options for antitumor drugs and laid the foundation for future applications of wearable closed-loop targeting drug delivery systems.

Structural characterization of a heteropolysaccharide from the fruit of Crataegus pinnatifida and its bioactivity on the gut microbiota of immunocompromised mice.

Crataegus pinnatifida is a common food in China, Europe and North America. In order to confirm polysaccharide was the material basis for C. pinnatifida to exert immune regulation.

Research progress of auxiliary groups in improving the performance of fluorescent probes.

In the design work of fluorescent probes, it is important to consider not only the factors of fluorescence properties but also the environment in which the fluorescent molecule works. This requires the design of auxiliary groups to refine the fluorescent molecule. Nowadays, more and more fluorescent molecules are not limited to the traditional fluorescent probe consisting of a fluorophore, linker arm and recognition group, but integrate the three into one, and introduce auxiliary groups where possible.

Properties of flame-retardant leaf fiber cement-based composites at high temperatures.

Flame retardant modification of leaf fibers was carried out to solve the technical problem of poor fire resistance of plant fibers and improve the utilization rate of urban fallen leaves in building materials. The modification scheme adopts three flame retardants, i.e.