Lanthanide/Cu2-xSe Nanoparticles for Bacteria-Activated NIR-II Fluorescence Imaging of Infection.

A material system enabling specific NIR-II fluorescence imaging of Gram-positive bacteria is described. The material system is based on the electrostatic binding of Cu2-xSe and vancomycin-modified NaGdF4:Nd,Yb@NaGdF4 downconversion nanoparticles (DCNPs), the fluorescence of which is weak owing to the spectral overlap of Cu2-xSe absorption with the DCNP NIR emission. The presence of Gram-positive bacteria precisely disconnects the bond between vancomycin-modified DCNPs and Cu2-xSe, thus enabling a strong fluorescent signal. In vivo studies show that the material system can be specifically activated at the site of Gram-positive bacterial infection but is essentially nonfluorescent in the area of Gram-negative bacterial infection.

ZnCuInSe/Au/TiO2 sandwich nanowires-based photoelectrochemical biosensor for ultrasensitive detection of kanamycin.

A highly selective and sensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensing platform was developed for kanamycin assay based on the aptamer modified sandwich-structured ZnCuInSe/Au/TiO2 nanowires. Sandwiched between the TiO2 nanowires and the ZnCuInSe quantum dot (QDs) layer, the Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) serves as a plasmonic photosensitizer and an electron relay, which expand the light absorption range and facilitates the charge transfer. Also, ZnCuInSe QDs, a broad spectrum photosensitizer can capture visible light, which enhance the photocurrent density response. Through the Au-S bond and Cu-S bond, the HS-aptamer were immobilized on the ZnCuInSe/Au/TiO2 nanowires as a recognition unit for kanamycin. The proposed sensing platform showed excellent assay performance for kanamycin with a linear response range from 0.2 to 250 nM, and high selectivity. By changing the recognizers, the proposed sensing platform could be easily extended to detect other biomolecules, and may have a promising application in bioanalysis.

Bi, Fe, and Ti ternary co-doped ZrO2 nanocomposites as a mass spectrometry matrix for the determination of bisphenol A and tetrabromobisphenol A in tea.

Bi, Fe, and Ti ternary co-doped ZrO2 (BFT-ZrO2) nanocomposites have been prepared by a sol-gel process and used as both adsorbent and matrix for the enrichment and determination of small molecules by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS). The BFT-ZrO2 nanocomposites not only can selectively enrich a wide variety of low-mass toxic pollutants but can also be used as an excellent matrix to enhance the laser desorption/ionization efficiency with low background noise and uniform co-crystalline film. Low limits of detection (LODs) (0.1 pg mL-1 for bisphenol A (BPA), 2 pg mL-1 for tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), 0.1 pg mL-1 for alizarin (AZ), 0.001 pg mL-1for bisphenol S (BPS), 0.01 pg mL-1 for indigo blue (ID), 0.01 pg mL-1 for pentachlorophenol (PCP), 100 pg mL-1 for estradiol (E2), 0.001 pg mL-1 for cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), 0.1 pg mL-1 for crystal violet (CV), 1 pg mL-1 for malachite green (MG), 0.01 pg mL-1 for rhodamine B (RhB), and 0.01 pg mL-1 for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were achieved. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of shot-to-shot are 9.4-24% and of sample-to-sample 5.2-17%. The BFT-ZrO2 matrix was successfully applied to the determination of TBBPA and BPA in tea samples. This method shows a new strategy for determination of toxic compounds in tea. Graphical abstract.

[Objective assessment of nasal function changes after revision endoscopic sinus surgery in patients with recurrent sinusitis].

Objective:To investigate the objective evaluation system of nasal function changes in patients with recurrent sinusitis after revision endoscopic sinus surgery. Method:Sixty patients with recurrent sinusitis underwent revision endoscopic sinus surgery. The Lund-Kennedy endoscopic sinus score and Lund-Mackay paranasal sinus CT score were performed before surgery, 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery. The saccharin test was used to evaluate the nasal mucosa ciliary moving function（nasal mucosal ciliary motor velocity） before surgery, 6 and 12 months after surgery. The correlation of objective evaluation indexes before and after surgery was analyzed. Result:The Lund-Kennedy endoscopic sinus score and Lund-Mackay paranasal sinus CT score of patients 3, 6, 12 months after surgery were lower than those before surgery（P<0.05）; The Lund-Kennedy endoscopic sinus score and Lund-Mackay paranasal sinus CT score of patients 6 and 12 months after surgery were lower than those 3 months after surgery（P<0.05）; The Lund-Kennedy endoscopic sinus score and Lund-Mackay paranasal sinus CT score of patients 12 months after surgery were lower than those 6 months after surgery（P<0.05）. The nasal mucosal ciliary motor velocity of patients 6 and 12 months after surgery was lower than that before surgery（P<0.05）; The nasal mucosal ciliary motor velocity of patients 12 months after surgery was lower than that 6 months after surgery（P<0.05）. The Lund-Kennedy endoscopic sinus score was positively correlated with Lund-Mackay paranasal sinus CT score in patients before surgery, 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery（P<0.05）; The Lund-Kennedy endoscopic sinus score was negatively correlated with nasal mucosal ciliary motor velocity in patients before surgery, 6 and 12 months after surgery（P<0.05）; The Lund-Mackay paranasal sinus CT score was negatively correlated with nasal mucosal ciliary motor velocity in patients before surgery, 6 and 12 months after surgery（P<0.05）. Conclusion:There is good correlation among the Lund-Kennedy endoscopic sinus score, the Lund-Mackay paranasal sinus CT score and the nasal mucosal ciliary motor velocity in patients with recurrent sinusitis before and after revision endoscopic sinus surgery. This study establishes an objective evaluation system for evaluating the changes in nasal function with these three indexes as the main body.

Increased IL-22 level in allergic rhinitis significantly correlates with clinical severity.

BACKGROUND: IL-22 regulates various processes and has been linked to diverse effects. However, the importance of IL-22 in the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis (AR) remains poorly understood. This study sought to evaluate the levels of IL-22 and IL-17A in AR patients and their association with clinical severity ofN AR. METHODS: Thirty-six AR patients and 22 normal controls were enrolled in this study. The frequencies of IL-22(+), IL-17A(+), and IL-9(+) T helper (Th) cells in peripheral blood of AR patients and normal controls were examined by flow cytometry. Serum levels of IL-22 and IL-17A in AR patients and normal controls were determined by ELISA. The clinical relevance of the percentages of IL-22(+) and IL-17A(+) Th cells as well as serum IL-22 and IL-17A levels were evaluated. RESULTS: The frequencies of IL-22(+) and IL-17A(+) Th cells, but not IL-9(+) Th cells, were significantly increased compared with those in normal controls (p < 0.05). Frequencies of IL-22(+) and IL-17A(+) Th cells in peripheral blood of AR patients significantly correlated with visual analog scale scores of nasal symptoms (nasal congestion and rhinorrhea; p < 0.05). Moreover, the serum levels of IL-22 and IL-17A were significantly increased compared with those in normal controls (p < 0.05) and significantly correlated with the levels of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae specific IgE in AR patients. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that IL-22 as well as IL-17A may play an important role in the regulation of Th2-skewed inflammation in AR patients.

Correlation analysis of prognostic and pathological features of patients with chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps following endoscopic surgery.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic value of pathological indicators to predict the efficacy of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with nasal polyps. A total of 53 patients with CRS with nasal polyps, who had undergone endoscopic surgery at least one year before, were surveyed for their clinical symptoms. Surgical specimen biopsies were consulted and related pathological indicators were measured. The association between the main symptoms of CRS with nasal polyps following ESS and pathological indicators were statistically analyzed. The main symptoms of patients with CRS with nasal polyps following ESS were nasal congestion, thick nasal discharge, rhinorrhea or sneezing. Goblet cells are associated with the symptoms of sneezing and thick nasal discharge, pathological gland formation is associated with dizziness, and the degree of tissue edema is associated with post-nasal discharge (P<0.05). Pathological indicators aid the prediction of the efficacy of nasal ESS in patients with CRS with nasal polyps.

[Clinical analysis of 111 patients with non-invasive fungal rhino-sinusitis].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment course and clinical effect of non-invasive fungal rhino-sinusitis, and to investigate the diagnostic and treating methods and factors affecting the clinical outcome. METHOD: A retrospective study was conducted on 111 patients who were diagnosed with noninvasive fungal rhino-sinusitis from 2005 to 2009 in our department. Clinical symptoms, endoscopic and CT examinations, surgical methods, surgical outcomes and the treatment of the recurrent cases were reviewed. RESULT: Eighty-six cases were reassured of the non-invasive fungal rhino-sinusitis by means of clinical symptoms, endoscopic and CT examinations. All the patients who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery showed satisfying clinical effect and no complications occurred. During the follow-up, recurrence was found in 12 cases 1 to 5 years postoperatively, and 7 were cured after medication and debridement under endoscope in outpatient department while the clinical outcome of the other 5 was unsatisfactory. CONCLUSION: Non-invasive fungal rhino-sinusitis is distinctive in endoscopic and CT examination which is different from common chronic rhino-sinusitis, and endoscopic sinus surgery is an effective treatment for the disease. Radical debridement and successful drainage of the nasal sinus is the key factor affecting the effect of the treatment and clinical outcome.