Surface-enhanced Raman scattering nanotag of tunable ZIF-8 shell-encapsulated magnetic core-plasmonic satellites for disentangling chemical enhancement from electromagnetic enhancement.

To enhance the stability of Raman reporters, these reporters were trapped in a metal organic framework (MOF) exoskeleton that was grown and compressed on FeO@Au core-satellites, producing recyclable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanotags. Furthermore, encapsulation of Raman reporters in the assembled MOF-based nanocomposites was divided into two types of patterns, pre-enrichment and post-enrichment, in order to disentangle chemical enhancement of charge transfer (CT) from electromagnetic enhancement (EM) in SERS. Hence, to demonstrate the effect of encapsulation, a typical non-thiolated Raman reporter, for example crystal violet (CV) trapped in a core-satellite nanoassembly-based zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) shell, was selected.

Associations between tumor necrosis factor alpha gene -238 G/A and -308 G/A polymorphisms and the risk of pneumoconiosis: update of a meta-analysis.

Objectives: Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) gene (-238 G/A [rs361525] and -308 G/A [rs1800629]) polymorphisms have been extensively studied in relation to various diseases, several epidemiologic studies have been performed to investigate the associations of TNF-α gene polymorphisms with pneumoconiosis; however, the results of these studies were not entirely consistent. In an effort to clarify earlier inconclusive results, we performed this meta-analysis of case-control genetic association studies.

Methods: We identified eligible studies by searching the relevant databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CBMdisc, CNKI, and Google Scholar, until February 15, 2013.