Rapid Microfluidic Biosensor for Point-of-Care Determination of Rheumatoid Arthritis via Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Antibody Detection.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes extensive damage to multiple organs and tissues and has no known cure. This study introduces a microfluidic detection platform that combines a microfluidic reaction chip with a micro-spectrometer to accurately detect the anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (anti-CCP Ab) biomarker, commonly associated with arthritis. The surface of the microfluidic reaction chip is functionalized using streptavidin to enable the subsequent immobilization of biotinylated-labeled cyclic citrullinated peptide (biotin-CCP) molecules through a streptavidin-biotin reaction.

A Comparative Study on the Microstructures, Mineral Content, and Mechanical Properties of Non-Avian Reptilian Eggshells.

We analyze 214 freshly laid eggs belonging to 16 species across three orders of Class Reptilia. Using mechanical compression tests, we measure each egg's absolute stiffness (, unit: N m) and relative stiffness ( number). The effective Young's modulus, , was obtained by combining experimental and numerical methods.