A novel turn-on fluorescent probe for detection of pH in extremely acidic environment and its application.

A water-soluble turn-on fluorescent probe PNAP for pH has been designed and synthesized. PNAP was consist of pyrene as fluorophore and morpholine as receptor. Owing to the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) effect, the fluorescence of PNAP was quenched, while PNAP exhibited a remarkable "turn-on" fluorescence with the increase of acidity. Notably for its pKa of 2.15, PNAP was one of the pH fluorescent probes used in extremely acidic environments. Furthermore, PNAP also displayed good repeatability, strong anti-ion interference ability, high sensitivity and selectivity toward pH. In addition, PNAP has been successfully applied to the test strips and monitor the pH of environment water samples and realistic samples, showing its good promising prospect.

A water-soluble naphthalimide fluorescent probe for Cr2O72- and Fe3+ based on inner filter effect.

A probe 3 (2-ethoxy-N-(2-(2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethyl)-1,3-dioxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzo[de] isoquinolin-6-yl)benzamide) that could selectively respond to Cr2O72- and Fe3+ was reported in this paper. The selectivity, pH titration, concentration titration, detection limit, time dependence, quenching constant and recognition mechanism of probe 3 for Cr2O72- and Fe3+ were studied in CH3CN/HEPES buffer solution. The results showed that Cr2O72- and Fe3+ could rapidly quench the fluorescence of probe 3 through the inner filter effect (IFE). The quenching kept constant after 30 s, and the quenching constants were 7.99 × 103 L.mol-1 and 4.13 × 103 L.mol-1, respectively. The detection limits of probe 3 for Cr2O72- and Fe3+ were 1.15 µmol.L-1 and 1.95 µmol.L-1, respectively, which were lower than the maximum allowable concentrations in drinking water stipulated by EPA. The determination results of Cr2O72- and Fe3+ in water samples indicated that probe 3 could be used as a potential detection tool in practical applications.

Validation of the Oregon Scientific BPU 330 for self-monitoring of blood pressure according to the International Protocol.

OBJECTIVE: Extensive marketing of devices for self-measurement of blood pressure has created a need for purchasers to be able to satisfy themselves that such devices have been evaluated according to agreed criteria. The Oregon Scientific BPU 330 blood pressure monitor is an electronic device for upper arm measurement. This study assessed the accuracy of the Oregon Scientific BPU 330 blood pressure monitor according to the International Protocol by the Working Group on Blood Pressure Monitoring of the European Society of Hypertension for validation of blood pressure measuring devices. METHOD: 52 participants over 30 years of age were studied in the validation. Nine blood pressure measurements were taken alternately with a mercury sphygmomanometer by two observers, and by the supervisor, using the BPU 330 device. A total of 33 participants were selected for the analysis. The validation was divided into two phases. Phase 1 included 15 participants. If the device passed phase 1, 18 more participants were included. The 99 pairs of measurements were compared according to the International Protocol. The device was given a pass/fail recommendation based on its accuracy compared with the mercury standard (within 5, 10, and 15 mmHg), as well as the number met in the ranges specified by the International Protocol. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation of the difference between the mean of the observers and the BPU 330 device were 1.7 +/- 4.7 mmHg and 2.8 +/- 3.9 mmHg for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), respectively. In phase 1, the device passed with a total of 33, 43, and 44 SBP readings; 38, 44, and 45 DBP readings were within 5, 10, and 15 mmHg, respectively. In phase 2.1, 81, 95, and 96 for SBP, and 83, 95, and 98 for DBP readings fell within the zones of 5, 10, and 15 mmHg, respectively. In phase 2.2, the last phase, 28 participants fell within the zone of two of the three comparisons, lying within 5 mmHg for SBP and 29 participants for DBP. No participants fell within the zone of all three of their comparisons over 5 mmHg apart for both SBP and DBP. CONCLUSION: The BPU 330 can be recommended for self-monitoring of blood pressure in the adult population, according to the International Protocol.

[Levels of plasma interleukin-18 and interferon-gamma in patients with coronary heart disease].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of interleukin-18 (IL-18) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: The levels of plasma IL-18 and IFN-gamma in 45 patients with CHD and 30 normal volunteers were determined by enzyme linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA). The correlation between the levels of these two cytokines and the relationship between their levels and the state of CHD were analyzed. RESULTS: The plasma levels of IL-18 and IFN-gamma in patients with CHD were increased significantly when compared to those in normal controls [IL-18: (373.6+/-176.7) ng/L vs. (226.3+/-88.9) ng/L, P<0.01; IFN-gamma: (1.769+/-0.087) ng/L vs. (0.087+/-0.038) ng/L, P<0.01]. The two cytokines were positively correlated significantly (r=0.788, P<0.01)]. The plasma levels of IL-18 and IFN-gamma were significantly different in different states of CHD, and they increased with the aggravation of CHD respectively (all P<0.01). Moreover, the plasma levels of IL-18 and IFN-gamma in patients complicated with heart failure (HF) were higher than those not complicated with HF, respectively (all P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that IL-18 and IFN-gamma may participate in the pathogenesis and progression of CHD. The plasma levels of two cytokines may be used as parameters of estimation the morbid state of CHD.