Hybrid chain reaction and selective recognition-based homogeneous dual-fluorescence analysis of circulating tumor cells in clinical ovarian cancer samples.

Background: Oncological analysis is important in tumor diagnosis. We constructed a dual-fluorescence and binary visual analysis system for circulating tumor cells (CTCs) using the folate receptor as a biomarker, combined with hybridization chain reaction and nanomaterial amplification. This strategy integrates terminal protection, selective recognition properties of N-methyl mesoporphyrin IX and CdTe quantum dots for Cu and double-stranded templated copper nanoparticles, and inkjet printing technology.

E. coli outer membrane protein T (OmpT) nanopore for peptide sensing.

Peptide detection methods with facility and high sensitivity are essential for diagnosing disease associated with peptide biomarkers. Nanopore sensing technology had emerged as a low cost, high-throughput, and scalable tool for peptide detection. The omptins family proteins which can form β-barrel pores have great potentials to be developed as nanopore biosensor.

Integrated 16 S rRNA gene sequencing and serum metabolomics approaches to decipher the mechanism of Qingre Lidan decoction in the treatment of cholestatic liver injury.

Background: Cholestasis is a commonly occurring disorder induced by impaired bile flow, for which there is no effective treatment so far. Qingre Lidan decoction (QRLD) is a clinically used herbal compound for the long-term treatment of bile circulation disorders arising from inflammation and obstruction in the gallbladder and bile ducts. The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effect of QRLD on cholestatic liver injury and its possible mechanism.

Mechanism and Active Components of Qingre Lidan Tablets Alleviate Intrahepatic Cholestasis by Activating the Farnesoid Receptor.

Background: Qingre Lidan tablets (QLTs) are a compound preparation of Chinese medicine that have long been used clinically to treat poor bile circulation caused by the inflammation and obstruction of the gallbladder and bile duct and to relieve jaundice and other symptoms. However, its material basis and mechanism are still unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism and active components of QLTs for treating intrahepatic cholestasis (IHC) in rat models.

The preventive effects of different doses of atorvastatin on contrast-induced acute kidney injury after CT perfusion.

Background: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is a severe complication among patients receiving intravascular contrast media. The purpose of this study was to investigate the preventive effects of pretreatment of atorvastatin at intensive doses on CI-AKI after computed tomography (CT) perfusion.

Methods: The levels of serum creatinine (SCR), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), Cystatin C (CysC), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in patients were compared between the observation group receiving 40 mg/kg atorvastatin and the control group receiving 20 mg/kg atorvastatin before and 72 h after CT examination.

Automated retinal boundary segmentation of optical coherence tomography images using an improved Canny operator.

Retinal segmentation is a prerequisite for quantifying retinal structural features and diagnosing related ophthalmic diseases. Canny operator is recognized as the best boundary detection operator so far, and is often used to obtain the initial boundary of the retina in retinal segmentation. However, the traditional Canny operator is susceptible to vascular shadows, vitreous artifacts, or noise interference in retinal segmentation, causing serious misdetection or missed detection.

Fluorescence and visual immunoassay of HIV-1 p24 antigen in clinical samples via multiple selective recognitions of CdTe QDs.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection inflicts significant economic and social burdens on many countries worldwide. Given the substantial morbidity and mortality from HIV infection, there is an urgent need for accurate and early detection of the virus. In this study, immunofluorescence and visual techniques are described that detect the HIV-1 p24 antigen, which relied on selective recognition of Ag/Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and Cu/Cu using cadmium telluride quantum dots (CdTe QDs).

The short- and long-term efficacy of intravascular stenting in the treatment of intracranial artery stenosis.

Objective: To investigate the short- and long-term efficacy of intravascular stenting in the treatment of intracranial artery stenosis.

Methods: This prospective study was conducted in 132 patients who underwent intravascular stenting for intracranial artery stenosis. In the perioperative period, complications were recorded.

The structure and unzipping behavior of dumbbell and hairpin DNA revealed by real-time nanopore sensing.

Hairpin structures play an essential role in DNA replication, transcription, and recombination. Single-molecule studies enable the real-time measurement and observation of the energetics and dynamics of hairpin structures, including folding and DNA-protein interactions. Nanopore sensing is emerging as a powerful tool for DNA sensing and sequencing, and previous research into hairpins using an α-hemolysin (α-HL) nanopore suggested that hairpin DNA enters from its stem side.

Post-traumatic Growth and Related Influencing Factors in Discharged COVID-19 Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the current state of post-traumatic growth (PTG) and identify its influencing factors in discharged COVID-19 patients. PTG refers to individual experiences of significant positive change arising from the struggle with a major life crisis. This descriptive cross-sectional study used the convenient sampling method to recruit 140 discharged COVID-19 patients in Hunan, China.

Ultrasensitive Nanopore Sensing of Mucin 1 and Circulating Tumor Cells in Whole Blood of Breast Cancer Patients by Analyte-Triggered Triplex-DNA Release.

The characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) by liquid biopsy has a great potential for precision medicine in oncology. Here, a universal and tandem logic-based strategy is developed by combining multiple nanomaterials and nanopore sensing for the determination of mucin 1 protein (MUC1) and breast cancer CTCs in real samples. The strategy consists of analyte-triggered signal conversion, cascaded amplification via nanomaterials including copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuS NPs), silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), and biomaterials including DNA hydrogel and DNAzyme, and single-molecule-level detection by nanopore sensing.

Restored microRNA-133a-3p or Depleted PSAT1 Restrains Endothelial Cell Damage-Induced Intracranial Aneurysm Via Suppressing the GSK3β/β-Catenin Pathway.

It is unclear about the functional role of microRNA-133a-3p (miR-133a-3p) in intracranial aneurysm (IA). Hence, the aim of the present study was to investigate the regulatory role of miR-133a-3p on the regulation of vascular endothelial injury-induced IA through phosphoserine aminotransferase 1 (PSAT1)/glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β)/β-catenin signaling pathway. Normal intracranial arteriole tissues and IA tissues were gathered from patients with brain trauma and IA.

Rapid and highly sensitive visual detection of oxalate for metabolic assessment of urolithiasis via selective recognition reaction of CdTe quantum dots.

Urolithiasis is a common disease that affects 5% to 8.8% of the world population with high recurring frequency. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the rapid and efficient diagnostics of urolithiasis.

Rapid and simple detection of ascorbic acid and alkaline phosphatase via controlled generation of silver nanoparticles and selective recognition.

Ascorbic acid (AA) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) serve as an important coenzyme and enzyme in multiple biological metabolism reactions, respectively, and abnormal levels of these substrates have been associated with several diseases. Herein, a new and simple fluorescence strategy has been developed for AA and ALP sensing by exploiting CdTe quantum dots (QDs) as an effective signal indicator. This method is mainly based on the selective fluorescence-quenching reaction between Ag+ and CdTe QDs, as opposed to silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs); Ag+ can be reduced to Ag NPs by AA.

[Treatment of wide-necked cerebral aneurysms using stent and balloon-assisted technique].

Objective: To discuss the avail of balloon and stent-assisted Guglielmi detachable coil (GDC) placement in treatment of wide-necked cerebral aneurysm.

Methods: Eighty-seven patients with 92 wide-necked aneurysms undergone endovascular procedures using the balloon and stent-assisted remodeling technique. Respectively, appropriate Neuroform stents delivered with a 5 mm landing zone on either side of the aneurysm neck, the microcatheter entered through the interstice, aneurysms were embolized at one or several times.

[3-dimension computed tomography angiography and digital subtraction angiography in diagnosis of intracranial aneurysm: a comparative study].

Objective: To compare the appliance values off 3-dimension computed tomography (CTA) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in diagnosis of intracranial aneurysm (ICA).

Methods: Eighty-six with subarachnoid hemorrhage underwent 2-D DSA, and 3-DCTA and 3-D DSA, both including maximum intensity projection (MIP) and multiple planner reconstruction (MPR), volume rending (VR). The accuracy, misdiagnosis rate, and missed diagnosis rate of these 3 techniques were compared.