Rapid and on-site wireless immunoassay of respiratory virus aerosols via hydrogel-modulated resonators

Rapid and accurate detection of respiratory virus aerosols is highlighted for virus surveillance and infection control. Here, we report a wireless immunoassay technology for fast (within 10 min), on-site (wireless and battery-free), and sensitive (limit of detection down to fg/L) detection of virus antigens in aerosols. The wireless immunoassay leverages the immuno-responsive hydrogel-modulated radio frequency resonant sensor to capture and amplify the recognition of virus antigen, and flexible readout network to transduce the immuno bindings into electrical signals. The wireless immunoassay achieves simultaneous detection of respiratory viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, influenza A H1N1 virus, and respiratory syncytial virus for community infection surveillance. Direct detection of unpretreated clinical samples further demonstrates high accuracy for diagnosis of respiratory virus infection. This work provides a sensitive and accurate immunoassay technology for on-site virus detection and disease diagnosis compatible with wearable integration.

Wireless and battery-free wearable biosensing of riboflavin in sweat for precision nutrition

Nutrition assessment is crucial for dietary guidance and prevention of malnutrition. Recent endeavors in wearable biochemical sensors have enabled real-time, in situ analysis of nutrients in sweat. However, the monitoring of riboflavin, an indispensable vitamin B involved in energy metabolism, remains challenging due to its trace level and variations in the sweat matrix. Herein, we report a wireless, battery-free, and flexible wearable biosensing system for the in situ monitoring of sweat riboflavin. Highly sensitive and selective electrochemical voltammetric detection is realized based on the synergistic effect of electrodeposited reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) with a low detection limit of 1.2 nM. The fully integrated system is capable of sweat sampling with the microfluidic patch, real-time riboflavin analysis and pH calibration with the flexible electrode array, as well as wirelessly simultaneous near field communication (NFC) energy harvesting and data transmission with the flexible circuit and a smartphone. On-body human sweat analysis demonstrates high accuracy cross-validated with gold-standard measurements, and reveals a strong correlation between sweat and urine riboflavin levels. The proposed wearable platform opens up attractive possibilities for noninvasive nutrient tracking, providing strong potential for personalized dietary guidance towards precision nutrition.

Injury-Admission Time is an Independent Risk Factor for Deep Vein Thrombosis in Older Patients with Osteoporotic Hip Fracture

BACKGROUND Deep vein thrombosis is a common pre- and post-operative complication in older patients with osteoporotic hip fractures. Pre-operative thrombus can increase the risk of surgery. This study examined the association between the time from fracture to admission (injury-admission time) and deep vein thrombosis in older patients with osteoporotic hip fractures. MATERIAL AND METHODS Doppler ultrasound screening of deep lower-extremity veins was performed in patients with osteoporotic hip fractures between June 2019 and December 2021. Clinical data, including medical history, injury-admission time, and laboratory tests, were collected retrospectively. RESULTS Of the 439 patients, deep vein thrombosis was found in 139 (31.66%). The injury-admission time was significantly longer in the thrombosis group, which was positively associated with deep vein thrombosis (odds ratio 1.010, 95% confidence interval 1.003-1.017). The area under the curve to predict deep vein thrombosis was 0.619. The best cut-off value, sensitivity, and specificity were 21 h, 46.76%, and 75%, respectively. When the injury-admission period exceeded 21 h, the prevalence of deep vein thrombosis was 45.8% and the thrombosis incidence was significantly higher than in the <21 h group (24.9%). CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that screening for deep vein thrombosis should be routinely performed for patients with osteoporotic hip fractures, particularly for those with injury-admission time ≥21 h.

Comparative experimental study of the biomechanical properties of retrograde tibial nailing and distal tibia plate in distal tibia fracture

Objective: A biomechanical comparative analysis was conducted to evaluate the retrograde tibial nailing (RTN) and distal tibia plate techniques for the treatment of distal tibia fractures. Methods: Fourteen fresh adult tibia specimens were selected, consisting of seven males and seven females aged 34-55 years. The specimens were randomly divided into two groups (Group A and Group B) using a numerical table method, with seven specimens in each group. Group A underwent internal fixation of distal tibial fractures using RTN, while Group B received internal fixation using a plate. The axial compression properties of the specimens were tested in the neutral positions under pressures of 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 N. Additionally, the torsional resistance of the two groups was assessed by subjecting the specimens to torques of 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 N m. Results: At pressures of 400 and 500 N, the axial compression displacement in Group A (1.11 ± 0.06, 1.24 ± 0.05) mm was significantly smaller than that in Group B (1.21 ± 0.08, 1.37 ± 0.11) mm (p = 0.023, 0.019). Moreover, at a pressure of 500 N, the axial compression stiffness in Group A (389.24 ± 17.79) N/mm was significantly higher than that of the control group (362.37 ± 14.44) N/mm (p = 0.010). When subjected to torques of 4 and 5 N m, the torsion angle in Group A (2.97° ± 0.23°, 3.41° ± 0.17°) was significantly smaller compared to Group B (3.31° ± 0.28°, 3.76° ± 0.20°) (p = 0.035, 0.004). Furthermore, at a torque of 5 N m, the torsional stiffness in Group A (1.48 ± 0.07) N m/° was significantly higher than that in Group B (1.36 ± 0.06) N·m/° (p = 0.003). Conclusion: The results obtained from the study demonstrate that the biomechanical performance of RTN outperforms that of the distal tibial plate, providing valuable biomechanical data to support the clinical implementation of RTN.

A new nomogram prediction model for pulmonary embolism in older hospitalized patients

Purpose

Diagnosing pulmonary embolism (PE) in older adults is relatively difficult because of the atypical clinical symptoms of PE in older adults accompanied by multiple complications. This study aimed to establish a nomogram model to better predict the occurrence of PE in older adults.

Methods

Data were collected from older patients (≥65 years old) with suspected PE who were hospitalized between January 2012 and July 2021 and received confirmatory tests (computed tomographic pulmonary angiography or ventilation/perfusion scanning). The PE group and non-PE (control) group were compared using univariable and multivariable analyses to identify independent risk factors. A nomogram prediction model was constructed with independent risk factors and verified internally. The effectiveness of the nomogram model, Wells score, and revised Geneva score was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).

Results

In total, 447 eligible older patients (290 PE patients and 157 non-PE patients) were enrolled. Logistic regression analysis revealed nine independent risk factors: smoking, inflammation, dyspnea, syncope, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, indirect bilirubin, uric acid, left atrial diameter, and internal diameter of the pulmonary artery. The AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of the nomogram prediction model were 0.763 (95 % confidence interval, 0.721-0.802), 74.48 %, and 67.52 %, respectively. The nomogram showed superior AUC compared to the Wells score (0.763 vs. 0.539, P < 0.0001) and the revised Geneva score (0.763 vs. 0.605, P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

This novel nomogram may be a useful tool to better recognize PE in hospitalized older adults.

Using Functionalized Liposomes to Harvest Extracellular Vesicles of Similar Characteristics in Dermal Interstitial Fluid

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are used by living cells for the purpose of biological information trafficking from parental-to-recipient cells and vice versa. This back-and-forth communication is enabled by two distinct kinds of biomolecules that constitute the cargo of an EV: proteins and nucleic acids. The proteomic-cum-genetic information is mediated by the physiological state of a cell (healthy or otherwise) as much as modulated by the biogenesis pathway of the EV. Therefore, in mirroring the huge diversities of human communications, the proteins and nucleic acids involved in cell communications possess seemingly near limitless diversities, and it is this characteristic that makes EVs so highly heterogeneous. Currently, there is no simple and reliable tool for the selective capture of heterogeneous EVs and the delivery of their undamaged cargo for research in extracellular protein mapping and spatial proteomics studies. Our work is a preliminary attempt to address this issue. We demonstrated our approach by using antibody functionalized liposomes to capture EVs from tumor and healthy cell-lines. To characterize their performance, we presented fluorescence and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) results, TEM images, and Western blotting analysis for EV proteins. We also extracted dermal interstitial fluid (ISF) from healthy individuals and used our functionalized synthetic vesicle (FSV) method to capture EVs from their proteins. We constructed three proteomic sets [EV vs ISF, (FSV+EV) vs ISF, and (FSV+EV) vs EV] from the EV proteins and the free proteins harvested from ISF and compared their differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). The performance of our proposed method is assessed via an analysis of 1095 proteins, together with volcano plots, heatmap, GO annotation, and enriched KEGG pathways and organelle localization results of 213 DEPs.

[Surgical management for the perforation of digestive tract with intraabdominal infection]

Perforation of digestive tract with intra-abdominal infection is one of the common causes of emergency surgery. After the resection with intestine, primary anastomosis or stoma remains a subject of debate. With the continuous improvement of surgical technology and the need to improve patients' quality of life, primary anastomosis is supposed to be the most ideal surgery. However, the rate of stoma is still high due to concerns about postoperative anastomotic leakage. This paper summarizes the surgical treatment of intra-abdominal infection caused by gastrointestinal perforation in recent years, and discuss the best operation plan according to the perforation location and etiology. We also discuss a variety of treatment methods for the prevention of anastomotic leakage (perioperative management, gastrointestinal anastomosis, enteric lavage decompression and other techniques) to improve the primary anastomosis, improve the quality of life of patients and reduce the medical burden.

Smartphone-based portable photoelectrochemical biosensing system for point-of-care detection of urine creatinine and albumin

Creatinine and albumin are crucial biomarkers for health monitoring and their ratio in urine is an effective approach for albuminuria assessment. Herein, to address the challenges of point-of-care and efficient analysis of the biomarkers simultaneously, we developed a fully integrated handheld smartphone-based photoelectrochemical biosensing system. A miniaturized printed circuit board included a potentiostat for photocurrent measurements and single-wavelength light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for photo-excitation, which was controlled with a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄)/chitosan nanocomposites were modified on a transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode as photoactive materials. Creatinine was detected through chelate formation with copper ion probes, while albumin was recognized specifically by an antigen-antibody reaction based on immunoassay. The biosensing system demonstrated good linearity and high sensitivity, with detection ranges of 100 μg mL^-1 to 1500 μg mL^-1 for creatinine, and 9.9 μg mL^-1 to 500 μg mL^-1 for albumin. Spiked artificial urine samples with different concentrations were tested to confirm the practical validity of the biosensing system, where an acceptable recovery rate ranged from 98.7% to 105.3%. This portable photoelectrochemical biosensing platform provides a convenient and cost-effective method for biofluid analysis, which has an extensive prospect in point-of-care testing (POCT) for mobile health.

All-MXene-Printed RF Resonators as Wireless Plant Wearable Sensors for In Situ Ethylene Detection

Printed flexible electronics have emerged as versatile functional components of wearable intelligent devices that bridge the digital information networks with biointerfaces. Recent endeavors in plant wearable sensors provide real-time and in situ insights to study phenotyping traits of crops, whereas monitoring of ethylene, the fundamental phytohormone, remains challenging due to the lack of flexible and scalable manufacturing of plant wearable ethylene sensors. Here the all-MXene-printed flexible radio frequency (RF) resonators are presented as plant wearable sensors for wireless ethylene detection. The facile formation of additive-free MXene ink enables rapid, scalable manufacturing of printed electronics, demonstrating decent printing resolution (2.5% variation), ≈30000 S m^-1 conductivity and mechanical robustness. Incorporation of MXene-reduced palladium nanoparticles (MXene@PdNPs) facilitates 1.16% ethylene response at 1 ppm with 0.084 ppm limit of detection. The wireless sensor tags are attached on plant organ surfaces for in situ and continuously profiling of plant ethylene emission to inform the key transition of plant biochemistry, potentially extending the application of printed MXene electronics to enable real-time plant hormone monitoring for precision agriculture and food industrial management.

A Multimodal Sensing CMOS Imager Based on Dual-Focus Imaging

Advanced machine intelligence is empowered not only by the ever-increasing computational capability for information processing but also by sensors for collecting multimodal information from complex environments. However, simply assembling different sensors can result in bulky systems and complex data processing. Herein, it is shown that a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) imager can be transformed into a compact multimodal sensing platform through dual-focus imaging. By combining lens-based and lensless imaging, visual information, chemicals, temperature, and humidity can be detected with the same chip and output as a single image. As a proof of concept, the sensor is equipped on a micro-vehicle, and multimodal environmental sensing and mapping is demonstrated. A multimodal endoscope is also developed, and simultaneous imaging and chemical profiling along a porcine digestive tract is achieved. The multimodal CMOS imager is compact, versatile, and extensible and can be widely applied in microrobots, in vivo medical apparatuses, and other microdevices.

Wireless, noninvasive therapeutic drug monitoring system for saliva measurement toward medication management of schizophrenia

As an efficient patient management tool of precision medicine, decentralized therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) provides new vision for therapy adherence and health management of schizophrenia in a convenient manner. To dispense with psychologically burdensome blood sampling and to achieve real-time, noninvasive, and continual circulating tracking of drugs with narrow therapeutic window, we study the temporal metabolism of clozapine, an antipsychotic with severe side effect, in rat saliva by a wireless, integrated and patient-friendly smart lollipop sensing system. Highly sensitive and efficient sensing performance with acceptable anti-biofouling property was realized based on the synergistic effect of electrodeposited reduced graphene oxide and ionic liquids in pretreatment-free saliva with low detection limit and good accuracy cross-validated with conventional method. On this basis, continual salivary drug levels with distinctive pharmacokinetics were found in different routes of drug administration. Pilot experiment reveals a strong correlation between blood and saliva clozapine and a positive relationship between drug dosage and salivary drug level, indicating potential applications presented by noninvasive saliva analysis towards patient-centered and personalized pharmacotherapy and adherence management via proposed smart lollipop system.

Comparison the treatment of anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament anatomical repair and syndesmosis screw fixation for syndesmotic injuries in ankle fracture

BACKGROUND

The fixation method of syndesmotic injuries in ankle fractures remains controversial. The goal of the study was to compare radiographic and clinical outcomes between anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (AITFL) anatomical repair with syndesmosis screw fixation in syndesmotic injuries.

METHODS

We analyzed 62 patients who were treated with AITFL anatomical repair or syndesmosis screw fixation for syndesmotic injuries in an advanced teaching hospital between March 2016 and March 2019. Fixation was performed with AITFL anatomical repair in 30 patients (AAR group) and syndesmosis screw in 32 patients (SS group). Radiographic evaluations were the differences in mean anterior and posterior (A difference and P difference) tibiofibular distance between injured and uninjured ankle computed tomography (CT) scan at 6 months postoperatively. Clinical evaluation of patients was done using the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle Hindfoot Score, the Olerud-Molander Ankle (OMA) score and visual analogue scale (VAS) score at 1, 3, 6 months and 1, 2 years postoperatively.

RESULTS

The A difference and P difference on CT was no differences (1.6 ± 0.8 mm, 1.3 ± 0.7 mm vs. 1.5 ± 0.7 mm, 1.2 ± 0.7 mm) between the two groups (All of P > 0.05). The AAR group had higher mean AOFAS score (65.6 ± 5.9, 82.3 ± 4.2, 87.6 ± 5.6 vs. 61.8 ± 5.2, 79.1 ± 4.0, 83.8 ± 4.9; P = 0.008, 0.003, 0.007) and higher mean OMA score (45.7 ± 8.7, 79.2 ± 6.5, 84.1 ± 5.3 vs. 40.4 ± 7.3, 74.8 ± 6.3, 80.3 ± 5.8; P = 0.012, 0.009, 0.010)) at 1, 3 and 6 months postoperatively. The AAR group had lower mean VAS scores (2.6 ± 1.2, 1.7 ± 0.7 vs. 3.4 ± 1.2, 2.2 ± 1.1; P = 0.018, 0.038) at 1 and 3 months postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study suggest that the AITFL anatomical repair technique could effectively improve ankle function during daily activity. Therefore, AITFL anatomical repair technique is expected to become a better fixation method for syndesmotic injuries.

High-Performance Stretchable Thermoelectric Generator for Self-Powered Wearable Electronics

Wearable thermoelectric generators (TEGs), which can convert human body heat to electricity, provide a promising solution for self-powered wearable electronics. However, their power densities still need to be improved aiming at broad practical applications. Here, a stretchable TEG that achieves comfortable wearability and outstanding output performance simultaneously is reported. When worn on the forehead at an ambient temperature of 15 °C, the stretchable TEG exhibits excellent power densities with a maximum value of 13.8 µW cm^-2 under the breezeless condition, and even as high as 71.8 µW cm^-2 at an air speed of 2 m s^-1 , being one of the highest values for wearable TEGs. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that this stretchable TEG can effectively power a commercial light-emitting diode and stably drive an electrocardiogram module in real-time without the assistance of any additional power supply. These results highlight the great potential of these stretchable TEGs for power generation applications.

Evaluation of metagenomic next-generation sequencing diagnosis for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients

BACKGROUND

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) can occur in both immunocompromised and non-immunocompromised hosts, and early diagnosis of IPA is difficult. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a novel non-migratory pathogen detection method; however, utilising this method for IPA diagnosis is challenging due to the current lack of a unified clinical interpretation standard following Aspergillus detection using mNGS.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the accuracy of IPA diagnosis by positive bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) mNGS results in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients.

METHODS

We retrospectively included patients with confirmed pulmonary infections having a BALF mNGS result of Aspergillus reads ≥1. We compared the accuracy of using mNGS for IPA diagnosis in patients with different immune statuses based on the revised EORTC/MSG criteria.

RESULTS

Overall, 62 mNGS Aspergillus-positive patients were divided into two groups: with (41) and without IPA (21). In univariate logistic regression analysis, immunocompromised function, fever, halo sign on CT image, and multiple masses or nodules were associated with mNGS Aspergillus-positive IPA diagnosis. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, immunocompromised function (OR = 6.68, 95% CI: 1.73-25.87, p = .006) and a halo sign (OR = 7.993, 95% CI: 2.07-30.40, p = .003) were independent risk factors. The concordance rate of IPA diagnosis was significantly higher in immunocompromised patients [82.1% (23/28)] than in non-immunocompromised patients [52.9% (18/34); p = .016].

CONCLUSIONS

For immunocompromised patients, a combination of mNGS testing and lung CT imaging can be used for IPA diagnosis. However, caution is required in IPA diagnosis based on positive mNGS results in non-immunocompromised patients.

MXene-based wireless facemask enabled wearable breath acetone detection for lipid metabolic monitoring

Breath acetone (BrAC) detection presents a promising scheme for noninvasive monitoring of metabolic health due to its close correlation to diets and exercise-regulated lipolysis. Herein, we report a Ti₃C₂T_x MXene-based wireless facemask for on-body BrAC detection and real-time tracking of lipid metabolism, where Ti₃C₂T_x MXene serves as a versatile nanoplatform for not only acetone detection but also breath interference filtration. The incorporation of in situ grown TiO₂ and short peptides with Ti₃C₂T_x MXene further improves the acetone sensitivity and selectivity, while TiO₂-MXene interfaces facilitate light-assisted response calibration. To further realize wearable breath monitoring, a miniaturized flexible detection tag has been integrated with a commercially available facemask, which enables facile BrAC detection and wireless data transmission. Through the hierarchically designed filtration-detection-calibration-transmission system, we realize BrAC detection down to 0.31 ppm (part per million) in breath. On-body breath tests validate the facemask in dynamically monitoring of lipid metabolism, which could guide dieter, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts to arrange diets and exercise activities. The proposed wearable platform opens up new possibility toward the practice of breath analysis as well as daily lipid metabolic management.

Comparative analysis of MVD and RHZ in the treatment of primary glossopharyngeal neuralgia: A clinical report on 61 cases

Objective

Clinical data on 61 patients (grouped by their treatment with MVD or RHZ) with glossopharyngeal neuralgia were analyzed retrospectively. A summary analysis of the effective rate and surgical complications of MVD and RHZ in the treatment of glossopharyngeal neuralgia was performed to observe the new surgical options for GN.

Method

From March 2013 to March 2020, 63 patients with GN were admitted to our hospital by the professional group of cranial nerve diseases. Two patients diagnosed with tongue and pharynx pain secondary to tongue cancer and upper esophageal cancer, respectively were excluded from the group. The remaining patients all met the diagnosis of GN, some of them were treated with MVD and others were treated with RHZ. The pain relief rate, long-term results, and complications of the patients in the two groups were well-organized and analyzed.

Result

Of the 61 patients, 39 were treated with MVD and 22 were treated with RHZ. In the early-stage patients (the first 23 patients), all of them were operated on with the MVD procedure except one patient without vascular compression. In the later-stage patients, MVD was performed for evident single arterial compression according to the intraoperative situation. And for compression of arteries with greater tension or PICA + VA complex compression, RHZ was performed. It was also performed in cases where vessels with tight adhesions to the arachnoid and nerves could not be easily separated, or where it was easy to damage the perforating arteries after separating the blood vessels, causing vasospasm, which affects the blood supply to the brainstem and cerebellum. RHZ was also performed if there was no clear vascular compression. The efficiency of both groups was 100%. In the MVD group, one case recurred 4 years after the initial operation, and RHZ was performed for reoperation. Complications related to the operation included one case of swallowing and coughing in the MVD group, and three cases in the RHZ group; two cases of uvula not centering in the MVD group, and five cases in the RHZ group. There was 2 patients in RHZ group lost taste in 2/3 of the backing of the tongue, though these symptoms mostly disappeared or decreased after follow-up. One patient in the RHZ group had developed tachycardia by the time of the long-term follow-up, but whether it was related to the surgery is still uncertain. In terms of serious complications, there were two cases of postoperative bleeding in the MVD group. Based on the clinical characteristics of the patients' bleeding, it was judged that the cause of the bleeding was ischemia and was related to an intraoperative injury to the penetrating artery of the PICA artery and vasospasm.

Conclusion

MVD and RHZ are effective methods for the treatment of primary glossopharyngeal neuralgia. MVD is recommended for cases where vascular compression is clear and easy to handle. However, for cases with complex vascular compression, tight vascular adhesions, difficult separation, and without clear vascular compression, RHZ could be performed. Its efficiency is equivalent to MVD, and there is no significant increase in complications such as cranial nerve disorders. There are few cranial nerve complications that seriously affect the quality of life of patients. RHZ helps to reduce the risk of ischemia and bleeding during surgery by reducing the risk of arterial spasms and injury to the penetrating arteries by separating the vessels due to separation of vessels during MVD. At the same time, it may reduce the postoperative recurrence rate.

Visual-Olfactory Synergistic Perception Based on Dual-Focus Imaging and a Bionic Learning Architecture

The synergistic interaction of vision and olfaction is critical for both natural and artificial intelligence systems to recognize and adapt to complex environments. However, current bioinspired systems with visual and olfactory sensations are mostly assembled with separate and heterogeneous sensors, inevitably leading to bulky systems and incompatible datasets. Here, we demonstrate on-chip integration of visual and olfactory sensations through a dual-focus imaging approach. By combining lens-based visual imaging and lensless colorimetric imaging, a target object and its odor fingerprint can be captured with a single complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor imager, and the obtained multimodal images are analyzed with a bionic learning architecture for information fusion and perception. To demonstrate the capability of this system, we adapted it to food detection and achieved 100% accuracy in identifying meat freshness and category with a 10 s sampling time. In addition to the highly integrated sensor design, our approach exhibits superior accuracy and efficiency in object recognition, providing a promising approach for robotic sensing and perception.

The influence of gaze direction on time perception: From the perspective of social perception

Gazing is important during communication, which is a type of body language that differs from culture to culture. The present study investigated the influence of direct and averted gaze directions on the perceived duration of gazing among same-race and other-race faces. The gaze direction effect, in which direct-gazing faces were perceived to be longer than averted-gazing faces were, was found in the same-race condition but not in the other-race condition. The results could promote our understanding of the underlying mechanism of the gaze direction effect based on the perception of interpersonal social interaction.

Electronically powered drug delivery devices: considerations and challenges

INTRODUCTION

Electronically powered drug delivery devices enable a controlled drug release route for a more convenient and painless way with reduced side effects. The current advances in microfabrication and microelectronics have facilitated miniaturization and intelligence with the integration of sensors and wireless communication modules. These devices have become an essential component of commercialized on-demand drug delivery.

AREAS COVERED

This review aims to provide a concise overview of current progress in electronically powered drug devices, focusing on delivery strategies, manufacturing techniques, and control circuit design with specific examples.

EXPERT OPINION

The application of electronically powered drug delivery systems is now considered a feasible therapeutic approach with improved drug release efficiency and increased patient comfort. It is anticipated that these technologies will gradually fulfill clinical needs and resolve commercialization challenges in the future. This review discusses the current advances in electronic drug delivery devices, especially focusing on designing strategies to achieve an effective drug release, as well as the perspectives and challenges for future applications in clinical therapy.

The development of wearable technologies and their potential for measuring nutrient intake: Towards precision nutrition

Appropriate food intake and nutritional status are crucial for the maintenance of health and disease prevention. Conventional dietary assessment is mainly based on comparisons of nutrient intakes with reference intakes, failing to meet the needs of personalised nutritional guidance based on individual nutritional status. Given their capability of providing insights into health information non-invasively in real time, wearable technologies offer great opportunities for nutrition monitoring. Nutrient metabolic profiles can be monitored immediately and continuously which could potentially offer the possibility for the tracking and guiding of nutrient intake. Here, we review and highlight the recent advances in wearable sensors from the perspective of sensing technologies for nutrient detection in biofluids. The integration of biosensors with wearable devices serves as an ideal platform for the analysis of biofluids including sweat, saliva and tears. The wearable sensing systems applied to the analysis of typical nutrients and important metabolites are demonstrated in terms of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals and others. Taking advantage of their high flexibility and lightweight, wearable sensors have been widely developed for the in situ quantitative detection of metabolic biomarkers. The technical principles, detection methods and applications are summarised. The challenges and future perspectives for wearable nutrition monitoring devices are discussed including the need to better determine relationships among nutrient metabolic profile, nutrient intake and food intake. With the development of materials, sensing techniques and manufacturing processes, wearable technologies are paving the way towards personalised precision nutrition, although there is still a long way to go before they can be utilised for practical clinical applications. Joint research efforts between nutrition scientists, doctors, engineers and sensor researchers are essential to further accelerate the realisation of reliable and practical wearable nutrition monitoring platforms.

Smartphone-Based Electrochemical Systems for Glucose Monitoring in Biofluids: A Review

As a vital biomarker, glucose plays an important role in multiple physiological and pathological processes. Thus, glucose detection has become an important direction in the electrochemical analysis field. In order to realize more convenient, real-time, comfortable and accurate monitoring, smartphone-based portable, wearable and implantable electrochemical glucose monitoring is progressing rapidly. In this review, we firstly introduce technologies integrated in smartphones and the advantages of these technologies in electrochemical glucose detection. Subsequently, this overview illustrates the advances of smartphone-based portable, wearable and implantable electrochemical glucose monitoring systems in diverse biofluids over the last ten years (2012-2022). Specifically, some interesting and innovative technologies are highlighted. In the last section, after discussing the challenges in this field, we offer some future directions, such as application of advanced nanomaterials, novel power sources, simultaneous detection of multiple markers and a closed-loop system.

A‑kinase interacting protein 1 regulates the cell proliferation, invasion, migration and angiogenesis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma cells and affects the ERK/c‑Myc signaling pathway by binding to Rac1

A-kinase interacting protein 1 (AKIP1) has previously been demonstrated to be overexpressed in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) tissues and is associated with patient prognosis. The aim of the present study was to explore whether AKIP1 can affect the proliferation, invasion, migration and angiogenesis of ccRCC cells via its interaction with Rac1. Furthermore, the influence of AKIP1 and therefore Rac1 on the expression of the downstream ERK/cellular (c)-Myc signaling pathway was explored. The interaction between AKIP1 and Rac1 was determined using co-immunoprecipitation. The mRNA and protein expression levels of AKIP1 and Rac1 in normal renal epithelial cell lines and ccRCC cell lines were detected using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blotting, respectively. The transfection efficiency of small interfering RNA-AKIP1 and the Rac1 overexpression vector were also confirmed using RT-qPCR and western blotting. The viability, proliferation, invasion and migration of ccRCC cells following transfection were analyzed using the Cell Counting Kit-8, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine staining, Transwell and wound healing assays, respectively. The tube formation ability of HUVECs was assessed using the tube formation assay. The protein expression levels of proliferation, invasion, migration and tube-formation-associated proteins as well as proteins associated with the ERK/c-Myc signaling pathway, were detected via western blotting. The results demonstrated that AKIP1 expression levels were increased in ccRCC cell lines. AKIP1 knockdown inhibited the proliferation, invasion and migration of ccRCC cells and HUVEC tube-formation. In addition, AKIP1 was demonstrated to bind to Rac1 in ccRCC cells and AKIP1 downregulation inhibited Rac1 expression. Furthermore, Rac1 overexpression reversed the effects of AKIP1 knockdown on ccRCC cells. AKIP1 knockdown also suppressed the ERK/c-Myc signaling pathway, which was reversed by Rac1 overexpression. In conclusion, AKIP1 knockdown potentially suppressed the proliferation, invasion, migration and angiogenesis of ccRCC cells and inhibited the ERK/c-Myc signaling pathway by binding to Rac1.

Recent Advances in Intelligent Wearable Medical Devices Integrating Biosensing and Drug Delivery

The primary roles of precision medicine are to perform real-time examination, administer on-demand medication, and apply instruments continuously. However, most current therapeutic systems implement these processes separately, leading to treatment interruption and limited recovery in patients. Personalized healthcare and smart medical treatment have greatly promoted research on and development of biosensing and drug-delivery integrated systems, with intelligent wearable medical devices (IWMDs) as typical systems, which have received increasing attention because of their non-invasive and customizable nature. Here, the latest progress in research on IWMDs is reviewed, including their mechanisms of integrating biosensing and on-demand drug delivery. The current challenges and future development directions of IWMDs are also discussed.

Kinesin family member 15 can promote the proliferation of glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is one of the most dangerous tumors for patients in clinical practice at present, and since glioblastoma originates from the brain, it will have a serious impact on patients. Therefore, more effective clinical therapeutic targets are still needed at this stage. Kinesin family member 15 (KIF15) promotes proliferation in several cancers, but its effect on glioblastoma is unclear. In this study, differentially expressed gene analysis and network analysis were performed to identify critical genes affecting glioma progression. The samples were divided into a KIF15 high-expression group and KIF15 low-expression group, and the association between FIK15 expression level and clinical characteristics was summarized and analyzed by performing medical data analysis; the effect of KIF15 on glioblastoma cell proliferation was detected by employing colony formation and MTT assays. The effect of KIF15 on tumor growth in mice was determined. It was found that KIF15 was a potential gene affecting the progression of glioblastoma. In addition, KIF15 was highly expressed in glioblastoma tumor tissues, and KIF15 was correlated with tumor size, clinical stage and other clinical characteristics. After the KIF15 gene was knocked out, the proliferation ability of glioblastoma was significantly inhibited. KIF15 also contributed to the growth of glioblastoma tumors in mice. Therefore, we found KIF15 to be a promising clinical therapeutic target.

Smartphone-based label-free photoelectrochemical sensing of cysteine with cadmium ion chelation

As an important amino acid, cysteine is related to the development of various diseases. The quantitative detection of cysteine is of great significance for both disease diagnosis and treatment. The current labeling methods mainly rely on fluorescent probes, making it difficult for quantitative cysteine detection in point-of-care testing (POCT). In this study, we proposed a label-free method for cysteine quantification by novel photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensing using a specific ion chelation probe. An indium tin oxide electrode loaded with nanoscale graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) was used as the PEC electrode and gold nanoparticle modification was performed to further promote the charge transfer efficiency for enhanced photocurrent detection. Cadmium ions (Cd²⁺) were employed as the specific ion chelation probe for cysteine detection, and the formed Cd²⁺/cysteine chelate complex served as the electron acceptor for sensitive PEC sensing under low-power LED illumination. A portable PEC system was developed for quantitative detection of cysteine by integrating the PEC sensor, a self-designed detection circuit and a smartphone. The detected photocurrents changed linearly with the cysteine concentrations ranging from 0 μM to 40 μM, and the limit of detection is calculated to be 9.2 μM. To demonstrate the capability of this system, cysteine in spiked urine samples was quantified with a recovery rate of 96.1%-100.57%. This system provides high portability, sufficient accuracy and sensitivity, and greatly reduces the complexity and cost of point-of-care cysteine detection.

MUC21 induces the viability and migration of glioblastoma via the STAT3/AKT pathway

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a malignant tumor with one of the fastest increasing morbidity and mortality rates. As such, more therapeutic targets need to be developed to combat this disease. Mucin 21 (MUC21) is a human counterpart of mouse epiglycanin and mediates multiple cellular functions. However, its possible effects on GBM and its possible mechanism remain unclear. The current study aimed to clarify the role or MUC21 in the progression of GBM by performing a series of in vitro assays, including Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, wound closure, transwell, and in vivo assays. In the present study, the aberrantly high expression of MUC21 in human GBM tissues and cell lines was observed and it was revealed that it was associated with the clinicopathological feature, tumor recurrence, in patients with GBM. MUC21 promoted the viability and motility of GBM cells in vitro and stimulated tumor growth in vivo. It was further confirmed that MUC21 promoted the progression of GBM via the STAT3/AKT pathway and it was considered that MUC21 could serve as a promising target for the treatment of GBM.

Label-Free Sensing of Cysteine through Cadmium Ion Coordination: Smartphone-Based Electrochemical Detection

The detection of biologically important compounds such as cysteine remains a challenge for monitoring body metabolism. This work proposes a transition metal ion coordination-based label-free cysteine sensor with smartphone-based square wave voltammetry sensing system for the point-of-care testing (POCT). In the sensing system, potential excitation and current measurements were accomplished by a miniaturized and integrated circuit board with a smartphone to wirelessly control the system via Bluetooth. The electrochemical currents changed with the cysteine concentrations ranging from 0 μM to 200 μM with a linearity correlation coefficient of 0.9915. The limit of detection was as low as 0.0149 μM for cysteine. The smartphone-based system provides an effective strategy for cysteine detection, and it can also serve as a promising portable sensing platform for the analysis of other small molecules.

Artificial Intelligent Olfactory System for the Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease

Background: Currently, Parkinson's disease (PD) diagnosis is mainly based on medical history and physical examination, and there is no objective and consistent basis. By the time of diagnosis, the disease would have progressed to the middle and late stages. Pilot studies have shown that a unique smell was present in the skin sebum of PD patients. This increases the possibility of a noninvasive diagnosis of PD using an odor profile. Methods: Fast gas chromatography (GC) combined with a surface acoustic wave sensor with embedded machine learning (ML) algorithms was proposed to establish an artificial intelligent olfactory (AIO) system for the diagnosis of Parkinson's through smell. Sebum samples of 43 PD patients and 44 healthy controls (HCs) from Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China, were smelled by the AIO system. Univariate and multivariate methods were used to identify the significant volatile organic compound (VOC) features in the chromatograms. ML algorithms, including support vector machine, random forest (RF), k nearest neighbor (KNN), AdaBoost (AB), and Naive Bayes (NB), were used to distinguish PD patients from HC based on the VOC peaks in the chromatograms of sebum samples. Results: VOC peaks with average retention times of 5.7, 6.0, and 10.6 s, respectively, corresponding to octanal, hexyl acetate, and perillic aldehyde, were significantly different in PD and HC. The accuracy of the classification based on the significant features was 70.8%. Based on the odor profile, the classification had the highest accuracy and F1 of the five models with 0.855 from NB and 0.846 from AB, respectively, in the process of model establishing. The highest specificity and sensitivity of the five classifiers were 91.6% from NB and 91.7% from RF and KNN, respectively, in the evaluating set. Conclusions: The proposed AIO system can be used to diagnose PD through the odor profile of sebum. Using the AIO system is helpful for the screening and diagnosis of PD and is conducive to further tracking and frequent monitoring of the PD treatment process.

Smartphone-Based Electrochemical System for Biosensors and Biodetection

With the advantages of high popularity, convenient operation, open-source operation systems, high resolution imaging, and excellent computing capabilities, smartphones have been widely used as the core of detection system for calculation, control, and real-time display. Hence, smartphones play an important role in electrochemical detection and optical detection. Smartphone-based electrochemical systems were combined with screen-printed electrode and interdigital electrodes for in situ detection. The electrodes were modified with biomaterials, chemical materials, and nanomaterials for biosensors and biodetection, such as 3-amino phenylboronic acid nanocomposites, graphene, gold nanoparticles, zinc oxide nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, proteins, peptides, and antibodies. With the modified electrodes, the smartphone-based impedance system was used to detect acetone, bovine serum albumin, human serum albumin, and trinitrotoluene, while smartphone-based amperometric system was employed to monitor glucose, ascorbic acid, dopamine, uric acid, and levodopa. The smartphone-based electrochemical system for biosensors and biodetection has provided miniaturized and portable alternative for diagnosis, which is promising to find application in point-of-care testing (POCT).

Bio-electron transfer modulated localized surface plasmon resonance biosensing with charge density monitoring

The analysis of reactant at different regions of the bioreaction interface is significant for the study on the influence of interface condition on bioreaction. In this study, we proposed a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) biosensing platform for local charge density monitoring and corresponding analytes detection based on the bio-electron transfer modulation of plasmon resonance. Core-shell nanocomposites of polyaniline coated gold nanoparticles were synthesized for the enhanced sensitivity of plasmon resonance to applied electric potential. Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) substrates modified with the nanocomposites were used as LSPR chip for optical and electrochemical measurements simultaneously. The charge sensitivity of LSPR was verified with external electric potential modulation theoretically and experimentally. Through layer-by-layer self-assembly immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOD) on the LSPR chips, the charge transfer monitoring during the bioreaction of glucose catalysis was further demonstrated based on the bio-electron transfer modulation of LSPR. By equivalent circuit method, the charge density of the LSPR chip were detected with optical extinction peak shifts, and the limit of detection was about 0.51 μC/cm². This bio-electron transfer modulated LSPR provides a promising approach for the detection of spatial charge densities and the evaluation of bioreaction substances at different region of single chip.

Electrochemistry Coupling Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance for Biochemical Detection

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) associated with metal nanostructures has developed into highly useful sensor techniques. LSPR spectroscopy often shows absorption peaks which could be used for biomedical detection. Here we report nanoplasmonic sensors using LSPR on nanostructures such as nanoparticles, nanocups, and nanocones to recognize biomolecular. These sensors can be modified for quantitative detection of explosives and evaluation of enzymatic activity. Electrochemical LSPR sensors can also be designed by coupling electrochemistry and LSPR spectroscopy measurements for biochemical detection. Multiple sensing information can be obtained and electrochemical LSPR property can be investigated for biosensors. In some applications, the electrochemical LSPR biosensor can be used to quantify heavy metal ions, neurotransmitters, and sialic acid. The biosensors exhibit better performance than those of conventional optical LSPR measurements. With multitransducers, the nanoplasmonic biosensor can provide a promising approach for biochemical detection in environmental monitoring, healthcare diagnostics, and food quality control.

Smartphone-based photoelectrochemical biosensing system with graphitic carbon nitride/gold nanoparticles modified electrodes for matrix metalloproteinase-2 detection

Photoelectrochemical analysis has been widely used in the field of biosensing due to its high sensitivity and strong anti-interference ability. Herein, a portable and versatile smartphone-based photoelectrochemical biosensing platform was developed for the rapid and on-site biomedical analysis. In the system, light excitation and photocurrent measurements were accomplished by a miniaturized and integrated circuit board. Smartphone with a specifically designed application was utilized to wirelessly control the system via Bluetooth. For photoelectrochemical sensor, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) and gold nanoparticles loaded on indium tin oxide electrodes were utilized as photoactive materials and signal amplification elements, respectively. The gold nanoparticles were also used to immobilized matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) specific cleavage peptide that modified with bovine serum albumin (BSA) on the terminal. In the presence of MMP-2, the peptide was specifically hydrolyzed and cleaved. Thus, parts of the peptide chain and BSA were detached from the electrode resulting in the decrease of steric hindrance and the increase of photoelectrochemical currents. The photocurrents changed linearly with the logarithm of MMP-2 concentrations ranging from 1 pg/mL to 100 ng/mL in both buffer and artificial serum with correlation coefficient of 0.9943 and 0.9698. The limit of detections were as low as 0.48 pg/mL in buffer and 0.55 pg/mL in artifical serum. It indicated that the biosensor has good linearity and high sensitivity, which also verified the effectiveness of the portable instrument. This system provides a pioneering solution for the development of miniaturized and portable photoelectrochemical analysis instruments used for the field monitoring of different analytes.

Electrochemical and optical biosensors based on multifunctional MXene nanoplatforms: Progress and prospects

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides, carbonitrides, and nitrides (MXene) have emerged as a rising family of atomic layered nanomaterials which undergoes intensive investigations in interdisciplinary applications. The large surface-to-volume ratio, excellent mechanical strength, desirable biocompatibility, along with tunable electronic and optical properties, render 2D MXenes exceptional attractive as versatile nanoplatforms for biosensing. Herein, advanced progress and novel paradigms of MXene-based biosensors are reviewed, focusing on the combination of MXenes with various detection techniques that promotes target recognition and signal transducing. Regarding the nature of transducing signals, MXene-based biosensors are categorized into two groups where MXenes serve as electrical platforms or optical platforms, respectively. The merits of MXenes are critically compared with other 2D materials to illustrate the distinctive advantages of MXenes in biosensing, while challenges such as environmental vulnerability was discussed to guide the sensor design. Facing with the rapid development of wearable electronics and internet of medical things, as well as escalating demanding in precision medicine, perspectives are provided to elucidate the potential of MXenes in propelling advances in these trending biomedical applications.

Erratum: Azimuthal Anisotropy of K_{S}^{0} and Λ+Λ[over ¯] Production at Midrapidity from Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s]_{NN}=130 GeV [Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 132301 (2002)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.132301.

Erratum: Azimuthal Anisotropy at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider: The First and Fourth Harmonics [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 062301 (2004)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.062301.

Rapid detection of trace Salmonella in milk using an effective pretreatment combined with droplet digital polymerase chain reaction

Salmonella is one of the most dangerous food-borne pathogens around the world to cause a threat to humans and it is urgent to develop the rapid detection method of trace Salmonella in food. Although many advanced techniques have been widely applied to shorten the detection time, the pretreatment method usually used of traditional enrichment and plate culturing to separate Salmonella are complicated and time-consuming. Herein, we developed an effective pretreatment method based on in situ enrichment culture with an immunomagnetic separation step, combined with droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) technology to achieve rapid detection of trace Salmonella in milk, which allowed detecting as low as 10^-1 CFU/mL level of Salmonella. It took 8 h to perform the entire testing process from pretreatment to ddPCR detection and analysis. The pretreatment method could be a suitable platform integrating with many detection techniques for the rapid detection of trace Salmonella.

Diagnostic and prognostic significance of aberrant miR-652-3p levels in patients with acute decompensated heart failure and acute kidney injury

Objective

This study aimed to examine a novel microRNA (miR-652-3p) biomarker to improve early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and to evaluate the survival predictive value of miR-652-3p.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the data of 196 patients with ADHF, including 65 who developed AKI during hospitalization. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) levels were measured in serum and urine samples. Real-time quantitative PCR was applied to evaluate miR-652-3p mRNA expression. The diagnostic performance of miR-652-3p was examined using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The prognostic value of miR-652-3p was also analyzed.

Results

Serum and urinary NGAL and miR-652-3p levels were elevated in patients with ADHF and AKI. Serum and urinary miR-652-3p expression had diagnostic value in predicting AKI onset in patients with ADHF, and it had improved diagnostic performance when used with NGAL. Patients with AKI and high miR-652-3p levels had a high failure rate of renal recovery and poor 180-day survival.

Conclusion

Serum and urinary miR-652-3p may be a candidate biomarker for early diagnosis of AKI in patients with ADHF and for predicting the prognosis of AKI. The combination of NGAL and miR-652-3p may accurately predict AKI onset in ADHF.

Sequential ubiquitination of NLRP3 by RNF125 and Cbl-b limits inflammasome activation and endotoxemia

Aberrant NLRP3 inflammasome activation contributes to the development of endotoxemia. The importance of negative regulation of NLRP3 inflammasomes remains poorly understood. Here, we show that the E3 ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b is essential for preventing endotoxemia induced by a sub-lethal dose of LPS via a caspase-11/NLRP3-dependent manner. Further studies show that NLRP3 undergoes both K63- and K48-linked polyubiquitination. Cbl-b binds to the K63-ubiquitin chains attached to the NLRP3 leucine-rich repeat domain (LRR) via its ubiquitin-associated region (UBA) and then targets NLRP3 at K496 for K48-linked ubiquitination and proteasome-mediated degradation. We also identify RNF125 as an additional E3 ubiquitin ligase that initiates K63-linked ubiquitination of the NLRP3 LRR domain. Therefore, NLRP3 is sequentially ubiquitinated by K63- and K48-linked ubiquitination, thus keeping the NLRP3 inflammasomes in check and restraining endotoxemia.

Comparison of Clinical Value between Right Distal Radial Artery Access and Right Radial Artery Access in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography or Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Objective: To compare the feasibility and safety between right distal radial artery access and right radial artery access in patients undergoing coronary angiography (CAG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Methods: On the basis of arterial access, 113 patients who underwent CAG or PCI in Kunshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between January and October 2018 were divided into two groups: a right distal radial artery group (52 patients) and a right radial artery group (61 patients). We collected general information, the number of puncture attempts, access times, postoperative compression time, and complications.Results: The general characteristics, rate of successful radial artery puncture, and rate of successful catheter placement in the two groups were not different. The right radial artery group had fewer puncture attempts (1.26±0.44 times vs. 2.19±0.53 times, P=0.001) and a shorter access time (3.23±0.86 min vs. 4.77±1.49 min, P=0.001) than the right distal radial artery group. However, the postoperative compression time in the right distal radial artery group was shorter (3.44±0.9 h vs. 7.16±1.21 h, P=0.001). Two cases of bleeding, four cases of hematoma, and one case of artery occlusion in the right radial artery group and one case of hematoma in the right distal artery group occurred before discharge. The rate of total complications in the right distal radial artery group was lower than in the right radial artery group (1.93% vs. 11.48%, P=0.048).Conclusion: CAG or PCI through the right distal radial artery is feasible and safe.

Detection of Bitter Taste Molecules Based on Odorant-Binding Protein-Modified Screen-Printed Electrodes

Bitter taste substances commonly represent a signal of toxicity. Fast and reliable detection of bitter molecules improves the safety of foods and beverages. Here, we report a biosensor using an easily accessible and cost-effective odorant-binding protein (OBP) of Drosophila melanogaster as a biosensitive material for the detection of bitter molecules. Based on the theoretical evaluation of the protein-ligand interaction, binding energies between the OBP and bitter molecules were calculated via molecular docking for the prediction and verification of binding affinities. Through one-step reduction, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were deposited on the screen-printed electrodes for improving the electrochemical properties of electrodes. After the electrodes were immobilized with OBPs via layer-by-layer self-assembly, typical bitter molecules, such as denatonium, quinine, and berberine, were investigated through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The bitter molecules showed significant binding properties to the OBP with linear response concentrations ranging from 10^-9 to 10^-6 mg/mL. Therefore, the OBP-based biosensor offered powerful analytic techniques for the detection of bitter molecules and showed promising applications in the field of bitter taste evaluation.

MicroRNA-423-5p as a biomarker for early diagnosis and outcome prediction of acute kidney injury in patients with acute decompensated heart failure

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical significance of serum and urinary microRNA-423-5p in the prediction of acute kidney injury onset and survival in patients with acute decompensated heart failure.

METHODS

A total of 180 acute decompensated heart failure patients, including 57 acute kidney injury cases and 123 non-acute kidney injury cases, were included in this study. Serum and urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, a biomarker of renal injury of acute kidney injury, was detected using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Expression of microRNA-423-5p in serum and urine samples was examined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The clinical significance of microRNA-423-5p was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.

RESULTS

The levels of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and microRNA-423-5p in serum and urine samples were elevated in patients with acute kidney injury compared with the non-acute kidney injury cases (all P < 0.05). Serum and urinary microRNA-423-5p had relatively high predictive performance for acute kidney injury onset in acute decompensated heart failure patients, and this predictive value was more significant when combined with urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin. In addition, serum and urinary elevated levels of microRNA-423-5p predicted a poor 180-day survival in the acute kidney injury group.

CONCLUSION

Increased serum and urinary microRNA-423-5p can predict the occurrence of acute kidney injury in acute decompensated heart failure patients, and is associated with poor survival of acute kidney injury patients. In addition, the diagnostic value of urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin for the early screening of acute kidney injury from acute decompensated heart failure patients might be improved by considering the changes in urinary microRNA-423-5p.

Combination of lapatinib and luteolin enhances the therapeutic efficacy of lapatinib on human breast cancer through the FOXO3a/NQO1 pathway

Breast cancer is a malignant disease and a great cause of morbidity and mortality in women. The etiology of breast cancer is complex and closely related to people's living habits. Lapatinib, a tyrosine-kinase inhibitor, blocks the activation of the HER1 and HER2 tyrosine kinase to inhibit the activation of downstream signaling pathways and thus inhibit tumor survival and proliferation. This study aimed to explore to the combination of lapatinib and luteolin on human breast cancer. The combination of lapatinib and luteolin increased the sensitivity of SKBR-3, BT-474 and ZR-75-1 cells. This combination equally up-regulated the expression of FOXO3a and NQO1 and their downstream target genes Bim, GADD45, P21, and the phosphorylation level of FOXO3a protein decreased. The mice transplanted with BT-474 cells, the volume of subcutaneous tumors in the luteolin group, lapatinib group, and lapatinib + luteolin group were significantly smaller than the control group. The results of Western blot showed that in tumor tissues of mice transplanted with BT-474 cells, the expression levels of FOXO3a and NQO1 protein in the luteolin group, lapatinib group, and lapatinib + luteolin group were all obviously upregulated, the mice transplanted with ZR-75-1 cells exhibited similar results. These data suggest that the combination of lapatinib and luteolin may inhibit HER2⁺ human breast cancer by significantly increasing the expression of FOXO3a and NQO1, two key genes in HER2⁺ human breast cancer xenografts.

Prognostic value of cerebral infarction coefficient in patients with massive cerebral infarction

OBJECTIVE

We proposed the concept of the cerebral infarction coefficient, which is cerebral infarction volume/brain volume. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of the cerebral infarction coefficient in patients with massive cerebral infarction (MCI).

METHODS

According to the modified Rankin score, 71 patients with acute MCI were divided into good prognosis and poor prognosis groups. Clinical and imaging data of the two groups were collected and univariate analysis was carried out. If there were significant differences in the data between the two groups, binary logistic regression analysis was performed.

RESULTS

The poor prognosis group had a significantly higher cerebral infarction volume, cerebral infarction coefficient, and D-dimer levels, older age, the highest body temperature, a higher rate of a history of atrial fibrillation, and a lower rate of a history of hypertension compared with the good prognosis group (all P < 0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the cerebral infarction coefficient was an independent risk factor for a poor prognosis of patients with MCI (P < 0.05, 95 % confidence interval, 2.091, 42.562), and the odds ratio was 8.506. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the cerebral infarction coefficient was 0.753. When the cut-off value was 7.8 %, the sensitivity of predicting a poor prognosis of patients with MCI was 92.5 %.

CONCLUSION

The cerebral infarction coefficient may have predictive value in determining the prognosis of patients with MCI.

Electrochemical modeling and evaluation for textile electrodes to skin

BACKGROUND

With the development of wearable health-monitoring technologies, a variety of textile electrodes have been produced and applied by researchers. However, there are no universal and effective methods even testing platforms for evaluating the skin-electrode electrochemical interface for textile electrodes because different human bodies have different skin characteristics.

METHODS

An electrochemical modeling and evaluation for textile electrodes to skin was proposed, and two electrochemical evaluation platforms (EEP) were set up based on two simulated skin models (SSM). First, skin-electrode electrochemical interface (SEEI) models for traditional wet electrodes and textile electrodes were analyzed. Based on the SEEI models and YY/T 0196-2005 (Chinese YY/T pharmaceutical industry standard for disposable ECG electrode), three skin-electrode electrochemical characteristics (SEEC), including skin-electrode static impedance (SESI), skin-electrode alternating current impedance (SEAI), and skin-electrode polarization voltage (SEPV), were proposed. Then, three electrochemical evaluation methods for textile electrodes to skin were proposed and analyzed, which were the correlation between SEEC and skin-electrode contact pressure (SECP), skin-electrode relative movement (SERM), and conduction loss of active signals (CLAS). Finally, an electrochemical evaluation platform was set up based on an active simulated skin model (ASSM) and passive simulated skin model (PSSM).

RESULTS

9 feature parameters based on the passive electrochemical evaluation platform (PEEP) and 11 feature parameters based on the active electrochemical evaluation platform (AEEP) were obtained for evaluating textile electrodes. And four kinds of textile electrode characteristics including SEEC, SECP, SERM, and CLAS were quantitatively measured based on the electrochemical evaluation platform, and the testing accuracy and range for these characteristics were measured separately. Finally, correlation between SEEC and SECP for 10 kinds of textile electrode samples was studied, and 14 electrochemical characteristics and four skin-electrode contact pressure characteristics were extracted. Experimental results showed that significant correlations were found between six SEEC characteristics and SECP characteristics, and the correlation coefficient between ACI_3 and USECP was the highest. And the polarization voltages of most dry electrode samples showed a downward trend with the increase of contact pressure.

CONCLUSIONS

The electrochemical evaluation platform yielded effective experimental data and could provide strong support for the evaluation and application of textile electrodes, which was also effective in evaluating other bioelectric electrodes such as 3M electrode, stainless steel electrode, dry electrode and microneedle electrode.