Precise pathogen quantification by CRISPR-Cas: a sweet but tough nut to crack.

Pathogen detection is increasingly applied in medical diagnosis, food processing and safety, and environmental monitoring. Rapid, sensitive, and accurate pathogen quantification is the most critical prerequisite for assessing protocols and preventing risks. Among various methods evolved, those based on clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated proteins (Cas) have been developed as important pathogen detection strategies due to their distinct advantages of rapid target recognition, programmability, ultra-specificity, and potential for scalability of point-of-care testing (POCT).

Acoustofluidic precise manipulation: Recent advances in applications for micro/nano bioparticles.

Acoustofluidic technologies that integrate acoustic waves and microfluidic chips have been widely used in bioparticle manipulation. As a representative technology, acoustic tweezers have attracted significant attention due to their simple manufacturing, contact-free operation, and low energy consumption. Recently, acoustic tweezers have enabled the efficient and smart manipulation of biotargets with sizes covering millimeters (such as zebrafish) and nanometers (such as DNA).

Association between lower neutrophil-to-albumin ratio and early neurological improvement in patients with acute cerebral infarction after intravenous thrombolysis.

Elevated neutrophil counts and decreased albumin levels have been linked to an unfavorable prognosis in acute cerebral infarction (ACI). The objective of this study is to explore the correlation between the neutrophil-to-albumin ratio (NAR) and the early neurological improvement (ENI) of ACI patients following intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). ACI patients who underwent IVT between June 2019 and June 2023 were enrolled.

Intensive Ambulance-Delivered Blood-Pressure Reduction in Hyperacute Stroke.

Background: Treatment of acute stroke, before a distinction can be made between ischemic and hemorrhagic types, is challenging. Whether very early blood-pressure control in the ambulance improves outcomes among patients with undifferentiated acute stroke is uncertain.

Methods: We randomly assigned patients with suspected acute stroke that caused a motor deficit and with elevated systolic blood pressure (≥150 mm Hg), who were assessed in the ambulance within 2 hours after the onset of symptoms, to receive immediate treatment to lower the systolic blood pressure (target range, 130 to 140 mm Hg) (intervention group) or usual blood-pressure management (usual-care group).

Microwave-Enabled Fast Preparation of a Metal-Organic Framework Hybrid Membrane for Filtration-Enhanced Simultaneous Separation and Detection of Aflatoxin B.

Mycotoxin contamination in food and the environment seriously harms human health. Sensitive and timely detection of mycotoxins is crucial. Here, we report a dual-functional hybrid membrane with absorptivity and responsiveness for fluorescent-quantitative detection of mycotoxin aflatoxin B (AFB).

Tuning the Dynamic Reaction Balance of CRISPR/Cas12a and RPA in One Pot: A Key to Switch Nucleic Acid Quantification.

Excavating nucleic acid quantitative capabilities by combining clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and isothermal amplification in one pot is of common interest. However, the mutual interference between CRISPR cleavage and isothermal amplification is the primary obstacle to quantitative detection. Though several works have demonstrated enhanced detection sensitivity by reducing the inhibition of CRISPR on amplification in one pot, few paid attention to the amplification process and even dynamic reaction processes between the two.

Association between fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio and functional prognosis of 3 months in patients with acute ischemic stroke after intravenous thrombolysis.

Background: The presence of high fibrinogen and low albumin levels in serum is associated with a negative prognosis in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR), a new inflammatory biomarker, may provide better prognostic insights in patients with AIS than separate evaluation of fibrinogen or albumin. The objective of this investigation is to examine the correlation between FAR and 3-month functional prognosis after intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in AIS patients.

CRISPR-Cas12a-Mediated Hue-Recognition Lateral Flow Assay for Point-of-Need Detection of .

Nucleic acid detection of pathogens in a point-of-need (PON) manner is of great significance yet remains challenging for sensitive and accurate visual discrimination. Here, we report a CRISPR-Cas12a-mediated lateral flow assay for PON detection of () that is a prevailing pathogen disseminated through tainted food. The variation of the fluorescence color of the test line is exploited to interpret the results, enabling the discrimination between positive and negative samples on the basis of a hue-recognition mechanism.

Label-Free Sequence-Specific Visualization of LAMP Amplified via DNA Machine Produces G-Quadruplex DNAzyme.

is one of four key global causes of diarrhea, and in humans, it is generally contracted through the consumption of contaminated food. It is necessary to develop an accurate, simple, and rapid method to monitor in the early phase. Herein, we developed a sequence-specific visualization method based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for the detection of in milk.

Enzymatic Catalysis in Size and Volume Dual-Confined Space of Integrated Nanochannel-Electrodes Chip for Enhanced Impedance Detection of Salmonella.

Nanochannel-based confinement effect is a fascinating signal transduction strategy for high-performance sensing, but only size confinement is focused on while other confinement effects are unexplored. Here, a highly integrated nanochannel-electrodes chip (INEC) is created and a size/volume-dual-confinement enzyme catalysis model for rapid and sensitive bacteria detection is developed. The INEC, by directly sandwiching a nanochannel chip (60 µm in thickness) in nanoporous gold layers, creates a micro-droplet-based confinement electrochemical cell (CEC).

Recent advances in determination applications of emerging films based on nanomaterials.

Sensitive and facile detection of analytes is crucial in various fields such as agriculture production, food safety, clinical diagnosis and therapy, and environmental monitoring. However, the synergy of complicated sample pretreatment and detection is an urgent challenge. By integrating the inherent porosity, processability and flexibility of films and the diversified merits of nanomaterials, nanomaterial-based films have evolved as preferred candidates to meet the above challenge.

Acoustofluidic black holes for multifunctional in-droplet particle manipulation.

Acoustic black holes offer superior capabilities for slowing down and trapping acoustic waves for various applications such as metastructures, energy harvesting, and vibration and noise control. However, no studies have considered the linear and nonlinear effects of acoustic black holes on micro/nanoparticles in fluids. This study presents acoustofluidic black holes (AFBHs) that leverage controlled interactions between AFBH-trapped acoustic wave energy and particles in droplets to enable versatile particle manipulation functionalities, such as translation, concentration, and patterning of particles.

Improving the Prehospital Identification and Acute Care of Acute Stroke Patients: A Quality Improvement Project.

Background: There are a large number of stroke patients in China, and there is currently a lack of prehospital acute stroke care training programs.

Aim: To develop a prehospital emergency medical service (PEMS) training program to improve the prehospital identification and acute care of acute stroke.

Methods: Forty prehospital emergency doctors whose service stations are located within a 10 km radius from Shanghai Pudong New Area Medical Emergency Service Center took this course on November 13, 2014.

Rapid, Visual, and Sequence-Specific Detection of in Egg Liquid with vis-NEAA, a CRISPR/Cas12 Empowered New Strategy.

is one of the main pathogenic factors that cause foodborne diseases. Rapid and accurate detection of in food is of great importance to ensure food safety. Nicking enzyme-assisted amplification (NEAA) is one of the promising isothermal amplification methods finishing the in vitro amplification in ∼10 min; however, it suffers from nonspecific amplification a lot (∼70% products are noises).

Label-Free Colorimetric Method for Detection of by Trimming the G-Quadruplex DNAzyme with CRISPR/Cas12a.

(), which may cause gastrointestinal disorders in humans, is a pathogen commonly found in seafood. There are many methods for detecting , yet they have some shortcomings, such as high cost, labor-intensiveness, and complicated operation, which are impractical for resource-limited settings. Herein, we present a sequence-specific, label-free, and colorimetric method for visual detection of .

Engineering DNA G-quadruplex assembly for label-free detection of Ochratoxin A in colorimetric and fluorescent dual modes.

Colorimetric and fluorescent methods for Ochratoxin A (OTA) detection are convenient and well received. However, the pigments and autofluorescence originated from food matrices often interfere with detection signals. We have developed a strategy with colorimetric and fluorescent dual modes to solve this challenge.

Recent progress in visual methods for aflatoxin detection.

Aflatoxins (AFs) contamination in food and agricultural products poses a significant threat to human health. Sensitive and accurate detection of AFs provides a strong guarantee for ensuring food safety. Conventional chromatographic-based or mass spectrum methods, which rely on bulky instrument and skilled personnel, are not suitable for on-site surveillance.

Visual detection of in vitro nucleic acid replication by submicro- and nano-sized materials.

The rapid growth of in vitro nucleic acid replication has offered a powerful tool for clinical diagnosis, food safety detection and environmental monitorning. Successful implementation of various isothermal nucleic acid amplification methods enables rapid replication of target sequences without the participant of a thermal cycler. Point-of-need analysis possesses great superiorities in user-friendly, instant results analysis, low manufacturing, and consumable costs.

A Water-Stable Luminescent Metal-Organic Framework for Rapid and Visible Sensing of Organophosphorus Pesticides.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown considerable prospects for sensing pesticide residues. However, the low stability of MOFs in water hinders them from testing food and environmental samples. Herein, we report an easy and cost-efficient synthesis of a water-stable zirconium luminescent MOF (Zr-LMOF) and its application for rapid, sensitive, and in situ detection of organophosphorous pesticides (OPPs).

A water-stable luminescent metal-organic framework for effective detection of aflatoxin B1 in walnut and almond beverages.

Sensitive and rapid detection of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) without using antibody or biomolecular modifications in water is achieved using a novel water-stable luminescent metal-organic framework (LMOF) termed Zr-CAU-24. The 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl) benzene (HTCPB)-based LMOF with high water-stability has demonstrated drastic fluorescence fading in the presence of AFB1. The detection limit for AFB1 using this porous nanomaterial reaches as low as 19.

Hapten-Grafted Programmed Probe as a Corecognition Element for a Competitive Immunosensor to Detect Acetamiprid Residue in Agricultural Products.

We have developed an effective competitive electrochemical immunosensor assay based on hapten-grafted programmed probe (HGPP) as a corecognition element for highly sensitive and selective detection of acetamiprid. Starting with the synthesis of hapten, HGPP was prepared using carboxyl group in the hapten and amino group in the 5' end of the programmed probe through covalent conjugation. Acetamiprid present in samples competes with HGPP to bind with capture antibody on the electrodes by specific recognition interaction.

Positive effects of an oil adjuvant on efficacy, dissipation and safety of pyrimethanil and boscalid on greenhouse strawberry.

Methylated vegetable oil adjuvants can enhance initial deposition and decrease the required dosages of pesticides sprayed on plants, so an oil adjuvant mixed with fungicides were used to prevent and control gray mold in greenhouse strawberry. As the persistence and dietary exposure risks from fungicides on strawberries after using adjuvants have not been assessed, the efficacy, dissipation and safety of pyrimethanil and boscalid in the presence and absence of a methylated vegetable oil adjuvant were evaluated. To better describe the actual use of fungicides in greenhouse strawberry, twice repeated application of fungicides were conducted follower by an optimized QuEChERS pre-treatment method.

High-throughput multipesticides residue analysis in earthworms by the improvement of purification method: Development and application of magnetic Fe O -SiO nanoparticles based dispersive solid-phase extraction.

As a key representative organism, earthworms can directly illustrate the influence of pesticides on environmental organisms in soil ecosystems. The present work aimed to develop a high-throughput multipesticides residue analytical method for earthworms using solid-liquid extraction with acetonitrile as the solvent and magnetic material-based dispersive solid-phase extraction for purification. Magnetic Fe O nanoparticles were modified with a thin silica layer to form Fe O -SiO nanoparticles, which were fully characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and vibrating sample magnetometry.