An integrated and paper-based microfluidic system employing LAMP-CRISPR and equipped with a portable device for simultaneous detection of pathogens.

Point-of-care testing methods are essential for the large-scale diagnosis and monitoring of bacterial infections. This study introduces an integrated platform designed for the simultaneous detection of pathogenic bacteria. Users can simply inject samples into the system, which then conducts the entire procedure in a fully automated manner, eliminating the need for external power sources, all within 60 min or less.

The monitoring of B lymphocytes in non-lymphoma patients following rituximab treatment.

RTX was initially used for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treatment and has been used in the clinical treatment of various autoimmune diseases as well as in antirejection and immune induction therapy for kidney transplant recipients. Following RTX treatment, the time for B cell regeneration varies among patients, but there is no unified recommendation for the frequency of B cell monitoring. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of periodic monitoring of peripheral blood B lymphocytes in individualized immunotherapy following rituximab (RTX) treatment in patients with different diseases.

Novel Multimode Assay Based on Asymmetrically Competitive CRISPR and Raman Barcode Spectra for Multiple Hepatocellular Carcinoma Biomarkers Detection.

Commercial pregnancy test strips (PTS) possess the advantages of lower price, higher stability, and better repeatability and have been popularized to integrate with novel sensing strategies to detect other disease biomarkers, which accelerates the commercialization process of those novel sensing strategies. However, the current integration of novel sensing strategies into commercial PTS still faced the problems of insufficient quantification, low sensitivity, and lack of multiple detection capabilities. Hence, we proposed the concept of "visual classification recognition, spectral signal subdivision" for multiple hepatocellular carcinoma biomarkers (miRNA122 and miRNA233) detection with dual signals based on asymmetric competitive CRISPR (acCRISPR) and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy coupling with PTS, named the acCRISPR-PTS-SERS assay.

Gas Empowered Dual-Cascade Strategy for Augmented Single-Atom Nanotherapies.

Single-atom nanotherapies have received numerous attention in malignant oncotherapy. However, the insufficient enzyme substrate and the upregulation of heat shock proteins during therapeutic interventions are seldom concurrently noticed. Herein, a novel gas empowered dual-cascade synergistic treatment strategy is demonstrated with domino effect, which can sequentially reinforce single-atom nanozyme (SAzyme)-based enzymatic therapeutics and mild photothermal therapy (PTT) (< 45 °C).

Dihydromyricetin ameliorate postmenopausal osteoporosis in ovariectomized mice: Integrative microbiomic and metabolomic analysis.

The gut microbiota may help mitigate bone loss linked to postmenopausal osteoporosis by affecting the immune and inflammatory responses and the gut-bone axis. Dihydromyricetin (DMY), a natural flavonoid, has some anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the amelioration of bone loss in ovariectomized (OVX) mice treated with various doses of DMY.

A Novel SERS Label-Free Sensing Strategy for DON and NIV: A DFT Study on the Interaction between DON/NIV and Ag/Au.

In this study, we propose a novel label-free detection strategy based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for detecting deoxynivalenol (DON) and nivalenol (NIV), analyzing the interactions between these fungal toxins and Ag/Au substrates using density functional theory (DFT). The DFT calculation results indicate that the oxygen atoms in DON and NIV molecules exhibit high electronegativity, suggesting that they can serve as active sites in interaction with the metal surfaces in the SERS effect. By constructing DON/NIV-Ag/Au complex models and evaluating their binding energies, we demonstrate the formation of stable complexes, showing characteristic frequency shifts, broadening, and selective enhancement in theoretical Raman spectra.

Tea saponin-Zein binary complex as a quercetin delivery vehicle: preparation, characterization, and functional evaluation.

In this study, in order to solve the application problems of poor water solubility and low bioavailability of quercetin, we prepared a nano-delivery system with core-shell structure by anti-solvent method, including a hydrophilic shell composed of tea saponin and a hydrophobic core composed of Zein, which was used to improve the delivery efficiency and biological activity of quercetin. Through the optimal experiments, the loading rate and encapsulation rate of nanoparticles reached 89.41 % and 7.

Single-shot intensity diffraction tomography via polarization-multiplexed LED illumination.

We present a single-shot intensity diffraction tomography method via polarization-multiplexed LED illumination. Three LED elements covered with 0°, 45°, and 135° linear polarizers, respectively, are lit up simultaneously to illuminate the sample with illumination angles matching the numerical aperture of the objective. The scattering field of the sample is recorded on a single intensity image with a polarization sensor, and three intensity images corresponding to the three LED elements are decoupled from the intensity image by using a pre-calibrated intensity transform matrix.

Interplay between gut microbiota and tryptophan metabolism in type 2 diabetic mice treated with metformin.

Unlabelled: Tryptophan (TRP) metabolites have been identified as potent biomarkers for complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, it remains unclear whether the therapeutic effect of metformin in T2DM is related to the modulation of TRP metabolic pathway. This study aims to investigate whether metformin affects TRP metabolism in T2DM mice through the gut microbiota.

Hybrid chain reaction nanoscaffold-based functional nucleic acid nanomaterial cascaded with rolling circle amplification for signal enhanced miRNA let-7a detection.

A novel functional nucleic acid (FNA) nanomaterial based on hybrid chain reaction (HCR) nanoscaffolds is proposed to solve the problem of time superposition and repeated primer design in sensitive miRND detection using cascade amplification technique. Rolling circle amplification (RCA) was cascaded with the prepared FNA nanomaterials for miRNA let-7a (as a model target) sensitive detection by lateral flow assay (LFA). Under the optimal conditions, the proposed RCA-FNA-LFA assay demonstrated the specificity and accuracy for miRNA let-7a detection with a detection limit of 1.

Insights into the interplay between gut microbiota and lipid metabolism in the obesity management of canines and felines.

Obesity is a prevalent chronic disease that has significant negative impacts on humans and our companion animals, including dogs and cats. Obesity occurs with multiple comorbidities, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and osteoarthritis in dogs and cats. A direct link between lipid metabolism dysregulation and obesity-associated diseases has been implicated.

Mapping and Candidate Gene Analysis of the Low-Temperature-Sensitive Albino Gene in Rice Seedlings.

Chloroplasts are organelles responsible for photosynthesis in plants, providing energy for growth and development. However, the genetic regulatory mechanisms underlying early chloroplast development in rice remain incompletely understood. In this study, we identified a rice seedling thermosensitive chlorophyll-deficient mutant, , and the genetic analysis of two F populations suggested that this trait may be controlled by more than one pair of alleles.

Interfacial Hydrogen-Bond Interactions Driven Assembly toward Polychromatic Copper Nanoclusters.

Constructing versatile metal nanoclusters (NCs) assemblies through noncovalent weak interactions between inter-ligands is a long-standing challenge in interfacial chemistry, while compelling interfacial hydrogen-bond-driven metal NCs assemblies remain unexplored so far. Here, the study reports an amination-ligand o-phenylenediamine-coordinated copper NCs (CuNCs), demonstrating the impact of interfacial hydrogen-bonds (IHBs) motifs on the luminescent behaviors of metal NCs as the alteration of protic solvent. Experimental results supported by theoretical calculation unveil that the flexibility of interfacial ligand and the distance of cuprophilic Cu···Cu interaction between intra-/inter-NCs can be tailored by manipulating the cooperation between the diverse IHBs motifs reconstruction, therewith the IHBs-modulated fundamental structure-property relationships are established.

Integrated High-Throughput Centrifugal Microfluidic Chip Device for Pathogen Detection On-Site.

An integrated and high-throughput device for pathogen detection is crucial in point-of-care testing (POCT), especially for early diagnosis of infectious diseases and preventing the spread of infection. We developed an on-site testing platform that utilizes a centrifugal microfluidic chip and automated device to achieve high-throughput detection. The low-power (<32 W), portable (220 mm × 220 mm × 170 mm, 4 kg) device can complete bacterial lysis, nucleic acid extraction and purification, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) reaction, and real-time fluorescence detection.

The Effect of Type 2 Resistant Starch and Indole-3-Propionic Acid on Ameliorating High-Fat-Diet-Induced Hepatic Steatosis and Gut Dysbiosis.

Owing to the interplay of genetic and environmental factors, obesity has emerged as a significant global public health concern. To gain enhanced control over obesity, we examined the effects of type 2 resistant starch (RS2) and its promoted microbial-derived metabolite, indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), on hepatic steatosis, antioxidant activity, and gut microbiota in obese mice. Neither RS2 nor low-dose IPA (20 mg kg) exhibited a reduction in body weight or improved glucose and lipid metabolism in post-obesity state mice continuously fed the high-fat diet (HFD).

Lymph Node-on-Chip Technology: Cutting-Edge Advances in Immune Microenvironment Simulation.

Organ-on-a-chip technology is attracting growing interest across various domains as a crucial platform for drug screening and testing and is set to play a significant role in precision medicine research. Lymph nodes, being intricately structured organs essential for the body's adaptive immune responses to antigens and foreign particles, are pivotal in assessing the immunotoxicity of novel pharmaceuticals. Significant progress has been made in research on the structure and function of the lymphatic system.

Endogenous AND Logic DNA Nanomachine for Highly Specific Cancer Cell Imaging.

Intracellular cancer-related biomarker imaging strategy has been used for specific identification of cancer cells, which was of great importance to accurate cancer clinical diagnosis and prognosis studies. Localized DNA circuits with improved sensitivity showed great potential for intracellular biomarkers imaging. However, the ability of localized DNA circuits to specifically image cancer cells is limited by off-site signal leakage associated with a single-biomarker sensing strategy.

Logic Signal Amplification System for Sensitive Electrochemiluminescence Detection and Subtype Identification of Cancer Cells.

Achieving sensitive detection and accurate identification of cancer cells is vital for diagnosing and treating the disease. Here, we developed a logic signal amplification system using DNA tetrahedron-mediated three-dimensional (3D) DNA nanonetworks for sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection and subtype identification of cancer cells. Specially designed hairpins were integrated into DNA tetrahedral nanostructures (DTNs) to perform a catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) reaction in the presence of target microRNA, forming hyperbranched 3D nanonetworks.

Polysaccharides Enhance the Preventive Efficacy of Heat-Inactivated WX-94 against High-Fat-High-Sucrose-Induced Liver Injury and Gut Dysbacteriosis.

() is an efficacious probiotic that could reduce inflammation and prevent metabolic disorders. Here, we innovatively found that polysaccharides (PKP) promoted proliferation and increased stability of WX-94 (a probiotic strain showing anti-inflammation potentials) in simulated digestive fluids . PKP was composed of galactose, glucose, mannose, and arabinose.

A Graphene Composite Film Based Wearable Far-Infrared Therapy Apparatus (GRAFT) for Effective Prevention of Postoperative Peritoneal Adhesion.

Postoperative peritoneal adhesion (PPA) is the most frequent complication after abdominal surgery. Current anti-adhesion strategies largely rely on the use of physical separating barriers creating an interface blocking peritoneal adhesion, which cannot reduce inflammation and suffers from limited anti-adhesion efficacy with unwanted side effects. Here, by exploiting the alternative activated macrophages to alleviate inflammation in adhesion development, a flexible graphene-composite-film (F-GCF) generating far-infrared (FIR) irradiation that effectively modulates the macrophage phenotype toward the anti-inflammatory M2 type, resulting in reduced PPA formation, is designed.

Dietary potential of the symbiotic fungus for the larvae of a nonsocial fungus-cultivating weevil .

Unlabelled: Many insect taxa cultivate fungi for food. Compared to well-known fungus cultivation in social insects, our knowledge on fungus cultivation in nonsocial insects is still limited. Here, we studied the nutritional potentials of the fungal cultivar, , for the larvae of its nonsocial insect farmer, , a specialist on Japanese knotweed .

Fucoidan from Ascophyllum nodosum and Undaria pinnatifida attenuate SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro and in vivo by suppressing ACE2 and alleviating inflammation.

The global healthcare challenge posed by COVID-19 necessitates the continuous exploration for novel antiviral agents. Fucoidans have demonstrated antiviral activity. However, the underlying structure-activity mechanism responsible for the inhibitory activity of fucoidans from Ascophyllum nodosum (FUCA) and Undaria pinnatifida (FUCU) against SARS-CoV-2 remains unclear.