Design and application of a high-precision counterweighted self-calibrating surface thermometer.

In this study, a high-precision counterweight self-calibrating surface thermometer is designed to reduce human and environmental influences on a thermocouple surface thermometer during measuring. A self-weighted spring structure based on a copper substrate is designed to ensure perfect contact between the surface thermometer and the temperature source. In conjunction, a wind guard is coupled with insulating materials to optimize the thermal exchange of the surface thermometer. Subsequently, the maximum error is reduced to ±1.5 °C by system hardware optimization. However, hardware calibration alone is insufficient. Furthermore, a back propagation neural network is employed to calibrate the surface thermometer. Temperature sensor data are collected under various surface source temperatures and airflow velocities to train the neural network. Hence, the effectiveness of the proposed Gaussian function in enhancing the measurement accuracy of the surface temperature sensor is demonstrated. The results show higher stability and repeatability in temperature measurement than thermocouple-based surface thermometers. The proposed thermometer exhibits robustness against environmental and operational variability with a maximum indication error of -0.2 °C. In contrast, the maximum error of the surface thermometer is between -2.8 and -6.8 °C. Regarding repeatability, the standard deviation with the proposed device is 0.2%, highlighting its accuracy and consistency of performance. These results can mostly be attributed to the synergistic effect of clever mechanical design and software optimization, resulting in a surface thermometer with outstanding accuracy and repeatability.

Au nanozyme-based colorimetric sensor array integrates machine learning to identify and discriminate monosaccharides.

As different monosaccharides exhibit different redox characteristics, this paper presented a novel colorimetric sensor array based on the glucose oxidase-like (GOx-like) activity of Au nanoparticles (NPs) for monosaccharides identification. AuNPs can use O2, ABTS+•, or [Ag(NH3)2]+ as an electron acceptor to catalyze the oxidation of monosaccharides in different velocity, resulting in cross-responsive signals. The current sensor array can distinguish between different monosaccharides or their mixtures through linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). Moreover, the glucose and fructose concentrations can be estimated simultaneously using a neural network regression model based on the sensor array. This method shows potential for monosaccharide detection in industrial, medical, and biological applications.

Metal-Organic Framework-Capped Gold Nanorod Hybrids for Combinatorial Cancer Therapy.

Recently, nanomaterials have attracted extensive attention in cancer-targeting therapy and as drug delivery vehicles owing to their unique surface and size properties. Multifunctional combinations of nanomaterials have become a research hotspot as researchers aim to provide a full understanding of their nanomaterial characteristics. In this study, metal-organic framework-capped gold nanorod hybrids were synthesized. Our research explored their ability to kill tumor cells by locally increasing the temperature via photothermal conclusion. The specific peroxidase-like activity endows the hybrids with the ability to disrupt the oxidative balance in vitro. Simultaneously, chemotherapeutic drugs are administered and delivered by loading and transportation for effective combinatorial cancer treatment, thereby enhancing the curative effect and reducing the unpredictable toxicity and side effects of large doses of chemotherapeutic drugs. These studies can improve combinatorial cancer therapy and enhance cancer treatment.

Propelling gold nanozymes: catalytic activity and biosensing applications.

Recently, gold nanomaterials have been rapidly developed owing to their high stability, good biocompatibility, and multifunctionality. The unique catalytic activity of gold nanomaterials has driven the emergence of the concept for a "gold nanozyme." Understanding the characteristics of gold nanozymes is crucial for improving their catalytic performance as well as expanding their applications. In this review, we provide an overview of the intrinsic enzyme-like activities of gold nanozymes, including peroxidase-, catalase-, superoxide dismutase-, and glucose oxidase-like activities, and the catalytic mechanisms involved. In addition, strategies for modulating the catalytic activity of gold nanozymes and their applications in biosensing were discussed in detail. Moreover, we highlight the current challenges of gold nanozymes and look forward to attracting more attention for propelling the developments in this field.

Outer membrane vesicles produced by coral-associated Vibrio coralliilyticus inhibit bacteriophage infection and its ecological implications.

The potential to produce and release outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) is evolutionarily conserved among bacteria, facilitating interactions between microbes. OMV release and its ecological significance have rarely been reported in coral holobionts. Here, via transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we discovered that the coral-associated strain Vibrio coralliilyticus DSM 19607 produced OMVs in culture. OMVs purified from V. coralliilyticus DSM 19607 inhibited the bacteriophage (phage) SBM1 infection of the V. coralliilyticus host, which was impaired by elevated temperature. Observation via TEM showed that sequestrating phages was a potential approach for V. coralliilyticus OMVs protection against phage infection. Furthermore, detection in coral mucus showed that interactions between membrane vesicles and phages potentially occurred in the natural environment. These results imply that OMVs regulate the coral microbiome and may have important implications for our mechanistic understanding of coral health and disease in the face of climate change.

Programmed nanocarrier loaded with paclitaxel and dual-siRNA to reverse chemoresistance by synergistic therapy.

Paclitaxel (PTX) is commonly used in clinical tumor therapy. However, chemoresistance and the inducement of tumor metastasis severely affect the efficacy of PTX. To develop a treatment strategy to reverse chemoresistance, the co-delivery of PTX and small interfering RNA with nanocarriers were programmed in this study. The carrier we have programmed exhibits excellent safety, stability, and delivery efficiency for co-delivery of siRNA and PTX. After rapid release of siRNA, PTX could be released within 72 h. The siBcl-xL and siMcl-1 inhibited cell migration decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential, and induced the release of reactive oxygen species while synergistically functioning with the antineoplastic effects of PTX. Our strategy reduced IC50 values by 2-5-fold in different cell lines, and the results of flow cytometry confirmed increased apoptosis rates and effectively inhibited cell migration. Synergistic therapy effectively reversed chemoresistance in PTX-resistant breast cancer cells. Similarly, the synergistic administration strategy showed significant sensitizing effects in vivo. Our study demonstrates the combined application of multiple synergistic antitumor administration strategies.

Engineered Polymeric Nanovector for Intracellular Peptide Delivery in Antitumor Therapy.

Objective: This study aimed to deliver a polypeptide from the Bax-BH3 domain (BHP) through the synthesis of self-assembled amphiphile nanovectors (NVs) and to assess their potential for cancer therapeutic applications and biological safety in vitro and in vivo. These findings provide valuable options for cancer intervention and a novel approach for the rational design of therapeutics. Methods: We studied the antitumor activity of BHP by preparing RGDfK-PHPMA-b-Poly (MMA-alt-(Rhob-MA)) (RPPMMRA) and encapsulating it in BHP-NV. We also performed a series of characterizations and property analyses of RPPMMRA, including its size, stability, and drug-carrying capacity. The biocompatibility of RPPMMRA was evaluated in terms of cytotoxicity and hemolytic effects. The pro-apoptotic capacity of BHP was evaluated in vitro using mitochondrial membrane potential, flow cytometry, and apoptosis visualization techniques. The potential therapeutic effects of BHP on tumors were explored using reverse molecular docking. We also investigated the in vivo proapoptotic effect of BHP-NV in a nude mouse tumor model. Results: NVs were successfully prepared with hydrated particle sizes ranging from 189.6 nm to 256.6 nm, spherical overall, and were able to remain stable in different media for 72 h with drug loading up to 15.2%. The NVs were be successfully internalized within 6 h with good biocompatibility. Neither BHP nor NV showed significant toxicity when administered alone, however, BHP-NV demonstrated significant side effects in vitro and in vivo. The apoptosis rate increased significantly from 14.13% to 66.34%. Experiments in vivo showed that BHP-NV exhibited significant apoptotic and tumor-suppressive effects. Conclusion: A targeted fluorescent NV with high drug delivery efficiency and sustained release protected the active center of BHP, constituting BHP-NV for targeted delivery. RPPMMRA demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, stability, and drug loading ability, whereas and BHP-NV demonstrated potent antitumor effects in vivo and in vitro.

Dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes from the Pearl River Estuary to adjacent coastal areas.

The spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is a growing concern over the world's various environments. Coastal environments may receive pollutants from land runoffs via estuaries. However, the impact of ARG contamination from estuarine regions to coastal areas is rarely reported. This study used high-throughput quantitative PCR to examine the diversity and abundance of ARGs in Pearl River Estuary (PRE) and adjacent coastal areas. We found that the distribution of ARGs in seawater exhibited the distance-decay phenomenon from the estuary to coastal areas, while the sediment samples did not exhibit an obvious distribution pattern. The estuarine water was found to be the hotspot of ARGs, with 74 ARG species detected and absolute abundance being 5.93 × 105 copies per mL, on average, while less species and lower abundance of ARGs were detected in coastal waters. Ordination analysis showed that estuarine ARG communities were significantly different from coastal ARG communities for water samples. SourceTracker analysis revealed that ARGs from the estuarine environment contributed only a minor fraction of ARG contamination to downstream coastal areas (1.5%-7.4% for water samples, and 0.7-1.8% for sediment samples), indicating the strong dilution effect of seawater. Mantel tests, redundancy analysis and random forest model analysis identified salinity, nutrients, microbial community structure and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) as important factors influencing ARG distribution. Partial least squares-path model revealed that, among all environmental factors, MGEs directly affected the distribution of ARGs, while other factors indirectly contributed by affecting the MGEs assemblage. Our study provides insight into the dissemination of ARGs from the PRE to adjacent coastal areas.

Au Nanozyme Driven Cascading Catalysis in Tollens' Reaction: An Insight of Glucose Oxidase-Like Mechanism.

Au nanoparticles (NPs) have been proven to be excellent glucose oxidase (GOx) mimics, which can catalyze the electrons transform pathway from glucose to oxygen. This study confirmed AuNPs can accelerate the reaction between [Ag(NH3 )2 ]+ and glucose under alkaline conditions, which is also known as the Tollens' reaction, and the possible mechanism was proposed. Here, [Ag(NH3 )2 ]+ instead of O2 acted directedly as an electron acceptor during glucose oxidation catalyzed by AuNPs, accompanied by hydrogen transfer. The as-synthesized Ag nanoparticles can also catalyze this process, similar to AuNPs, via a unique cascading catalysis mechanism in the Tollens' reaction. A simple and heatless glucose colorimetric assay can be established based on the plasmonic band of AgNPs with a liner range of 0.6-22.2 µM, and the limit of detection is 0.32 µM.