Programming of a Portable Digital Monitoring System-Integrated DNA Aptamer Reversely Regulated Oxidase-Like Nanozyme for Real-Time Dynamic Analysis of Atmospheric Perfluorooctanoic Acid.

Timely and efficient analysis of the fluorinated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in an atmospheric environment is critical to environmental pollution traceability, early warnings, and governance. Here, a portable, reliable, and intelligent digital monitoring device for onsite real-time dynamic analysis of atmospheric perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is proposed. The sensing mechanism is attributed to the oxidase-like activity of PtCoNPs@g-C3N4 that is reversely regulated by the surface modification of a PFOA-recognizable DNA aptamer, engineering a PFOA-activated oxidase-like activity of nanozyme (Apt-PtCoNPs@g-C3N4) to combine the nonfluorescence o-phenylenediamine (OPD) as the dual-modality response system. The present PFOA interacts with its DNA aptamer and dissociates from the surface of Apt-PtCoNPs@g-C3N4, restoring the oxidase-like activity of PtCoNPs@g-C3N4 to oxidize OPD into yellow fluorescence 2,3-diphenylaniline (DAP), thereby observing a PFOA-triggered colorimetric as well as fluorescence dual-modality change. Then, a hydrogel kit-programmed Apt-PtCoNPs@g-C3N4 + OPD system is used as the sensitive element to incorporate into this homemade portable device, automatically gathering and processing the PFOA-triggered hydrogel colorimetric and fluorescence image gray values by our self-weaving software, ultimately realizing the onsite real-time dynamic analysis of atmospheric PFOA surrounding a fluorochemical production plant. This work provides a direction and theoretical foundation for designing portable onsite screening devices that cater to other atmospheric contaminants detection requirements.

Astrocytic Neuroligin-3 influences gene expression and social behavior, but is dispensable for synapse number.

Neuroligin-3 (Nlgn3) is an autism-associated cell-adhesion molecule that interacts with neurexins and is robustly expressed in both neurons and astrocytes. Neuronal Nlgn3 is an essential regulator of synaptic transmission but the function of astrocytic Nlgn3 is largely unknown. Given the high penetrance of Nlgn3 mutations in autism and the emerging role of astrocytes in neuropsychiatric disorders, we here asked whether astrocytic Nlgn3 might shape neural circuit properties in the cerebellum similar to neuronal Nlgn3. Imaging of tagged Nlgn3 protein produced by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing showed that Nlgn3 is enriched in the cell body but not the fine processes of cerebellar astrocytes (Bergmann glia). Astrocyte-specific knockout of Nlgn3 did not detectably alter the number of synapses, synaptic transmission, or astrocyte morphology in mouse cerebellum. However, spatial transcriptomic analyses revealed a significant shift in gene expression among multiple cerebellar cell types after the deletion of astrocytic Nlgn3. Hence, in contrast to neuronal Nlgn3, astrocytic Nlgn3 in the cerebellum is not involved in shaping synapses but may modulate gene expression in specific brain areas.

Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharides (CPP) intervention alleviates sterigmatocystin (STC)-induced liver injury and gut microbiota dysbiosis.

Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharides (CPP), the main active ingredient of Codonopsis pilosula, has gained significant attention as a liver-protective agent. Previous studies have demonstrated that CPP could alleviate gut microbiota dysbiosis in colitis or obese mice. However, the effects of CPP on mycotoxin-induced liver injury and gut microbiota dysbiosis are still poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective effects of CPP on sterigmatocystin (STC)-induced liver injury, as well as its regulatory effects on gut microbiota. Our results revealed that CPP intervention significantly alleviated STC-induced liver injury, as evidenced by decreased liver index, reduced liver histopathological changes, and modulation of related molecular markers. Additionally, we found that CPP could alleviate liver injury by reducing liver inflammation and oxidative stress, inhibiting hepatocyte apoptosis, and regulating lipid metabolism. Notably, we also observed that CPP could alleviate STC-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis by modulating the diversity and richness of gut microbiota, suggesting that gut microbiota modulation may also serve as a mechanism for CPP-mediated remission of liver injury. In summary, our study not only provided a new theoretical basis for understanding the hepatotoxicity of STC and the protective effects of CPP against STC-induced liver injury, but also provided new perspectives for the application of CPP in the fields of food, healthcare products, and medicine.

High-performance self-powered ultraviolet photodetector based on a ZnO/CuPc inorganic/organic heterojunction.

A self-powered photodetector (PD) based on n-type ZnO/p-type small-molecule copper(ii) phthalocyanine (CuPc) inorganic/organic heterojunction film deposited on FTO substrate was constructed by simple solution spin-coating and thermal evaporation technology. The designed heterojunction device exhibits typical photoresponse behavior under zero bias, indicating that the device possesses a self-powered characteristic. This may benefit from the formation of a built-in electric field in the heterojunction, which can effectively separate electron-hole pairs. Specifically, the optimal performances of the device appear at a wavelength of 365 nm and light intensity of 0.03 mW cm-2, achieving on/off ratio of ∼245.88 (29.88), responsivity (Rp) of ∼227.11 mA W-1 (0.39 mA W-1), detectivity (D*) of ∼7.63 × 1011 Jones (∼7.53 × 109 Jones) and EQE of ∼77.23% (0.14%) at +2 V (0 V) bias voltage. In addition, the device has potential application in weak light detection. Therefore, the construction of inorganic/organic heterojunctions may provide a feasible strategy for the development of high-performance, self-powered and wavelength-selective PDs.

A terpenoids database with the chemical content as a novel agronomic trait.

Natural products play a pivotal role in drug discovery, and the richness of natural products, albeit significantly influenced by various environmental factors, is predominantly determined by intrinsic genetics of a series of enzymatic reactions and produced as secondary metabolites of organisms. Heretofore, few natural product-related databases take the chemical content into consideration as a prominent property. To gain unique insights into the quantitative diversity of natural products, we have developed the first TerPenoids database embedded with Content information (TPCN) with features such as compound browsing, structural search, scaffold analysis, similarity analysis and data download. This database can be accessed through a web-based computational toolkit available at http://www.tpcn.pro/. By conducting meticulous manual searches and analyzing over 10 000 reference papers, the TPCN database has successfully integrated 6383 terpenoids obtained from 1254 distinct plant species. The database encompasses exhaustive details including isolation parts, comprehensive molecule structures, chemical abstracts service registry number (CAS number) and 7508 content descriptions. The TPCN database accentuates both the qualitative and quantitative dimensions as invaluable phenotypic characteristics of natural products that have undergone genetic evolution. By acting as an indispensable criterion, the TPCN database facilitates the discovery of drug alternatives with high content and the selection of high-yield medicinal plant species or phylogenetic alternatives, thereby fostering sustainable, cost-effective and environmentally friendly drug discovery in pharmaceutical farming. Database URL: http://www.tpcn.pro/.

Structure, Biological Functions, Separation, Properties, and Potential Applications of Milk Fat Globule Membrane (MFGM): A Review.

BACKGROUND: The milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) is a thin film that exists within the milk emulsion, suspended on the surface of milk fat globules, and comprises a diverse array of bioactive components. Recent advancements in MFGM research have sparked a growing interest in its biological characteristics and health-related functions. Thorough exploration and utilization of MFGM as a significant bioactive constituent in milk emulsion can profoundly impact human health in a positive manner. Scope and approach: This review comprehensively examines the current progress in understanding the structure, composition, physicochemical properties, methods of separation and purification, and biological activity of MFGM. Additionally, it underscores the vast potential of MFGM in the development of additives and drug delivery systems, with a particular focus on harnessing the surface activity and stability of proteins and phospholipids present on the MFGM for the production of natural emulsifiers and drug encapsulation materials. KEY FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS: MFGM harbors numerous active substances that possess diverse physiological functions, including the promotion of digestion, maintenance of the intestinal mucosal barrier, and facilitation of nerve development. Typically employed as a dietary supplement in infant formula, MFGM's exceptional surface activity has propelled its advancement toward becoming a natural emulsifier or encapsulation material. This surface activity is primarily derived from the amphiphilicity of polar lipids and the stability exhibited by highly glycosylated proteins.

Genetic associations with longevity are on average stronger in females than in males.

It is long observed that females tend to live longer than males in nearly every country. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we discovered that genetic associations with longevity are on average stronger in females than in males through bio-demographic analyses of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) dataset of 2178 centenarians and 2299 middle-age controls of Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study (CLHLS). This discovery is replicated across North and South regions of China, and is further confirmed by North-South discovery/replication analyses of different and independent datasets of Chinese healthy aging candidate genes with CLHLS participants who are not in CLHLS GWAS, including 2972 centenarians and 1992 middle-age controls. Our polygenic risk score analyses of eight exclusive groups of sex-specific genes, analyses of sex-specific and not-sex-specific individual genes, and Genome-wide Complex Trait Analysis using all SNPs all reconfirm that genetic associations with longevity are on average stronger in females than in males. Our discovery/replication analyses are based on genetic datasets of in total 5150 centenarians and compatible middle-age controls, which comprises the worldwide largest sample of centenarians. The present study's findings may partially explain the well-known male-female health-survival paradox and suggest that genetic variants may be associated with different reactions between males and females to the same vaccine, drug treatment and/or nutritional intervention. Thus, our findings provide evidence to steer away from traditional view that "one-size-fits-all" for clinical interventions, and to consider sex differences for improving healthcare efficiency. We suggest future investigations focusing on effects of interactions between sex-specific genetic variants and environment on longevity as well as biological function.

DDB2 and MDM2 genes are promising markers for radiation diagnosis and estimation of radiation dose independent of trauma and burns.

In the field of biodosimetry, the current accepted method for evaluating radiation dose fails to meet the need of rapid, large-scale screening, and most RNA marker-related studies of biodosimetry are concentrating on a single type of ray, while some other potential factors, such as trauma and burns, have not been covered. Microarray datasets that contain the data of human peripheral blood samples exposed to X-ray, neutron, and γ-ray radiation were obtained from the GEO database. Totally, 33 multi-type ray co-induced genes were obtained at first from the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and key genes identified by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and these genes were mainly enriched in DNA damage, cellular apoptosis, and p53 signaling pathway. Following transcriptome sequencing of blood samples from 11 healthy volunteers, 13 patients with severe burns, and 37 patients with severe trauma, 6635 trauma-related DEGs and 7703 burn-related DEGs were obtained. Through the exclusion method, a total of 12 radiation-specific genes independent of trauma and burns were identified. ROC curve analysis revealed that the DDB2 gene performed the best in diagnosis of all three types of ray radiation, while correlation analysis showed that the MDM2 gene was the best in assessment of radiation dose. The results of multiple-linear regression analysis indicated that such analysis could improve the accuracy in assessment of radiation dose. Moreover, the DDB2 and MDM2 genes remained effective in radiation diagnosis and assessment of radiation dose in an external dataset. In general, the study brings new insights into radiation biodosimetry.

Genotyping and population characteristics of the China Kadoorie Biobank.

The China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) is a population-based prospective cohort of >512,000 adults recruited from 2004 to 2008 from 10 geographically diverse regions across China. Detailed data from questionnaires and physical measurements were collected at baseline, with additional measurements at three resurveys involving ∼5% of surviving participants. Analyses of genome-wide genotyping, for >100,000 participants using custom-designed Axiom arrays, reveal extensive relatedness, recent consanguinity, and signatures reflecting large-scale population movements from recent Chinese history. Systematic genome-wide association studies of incident disease, captured through electronic linkage to death and disease registries and to the national health insurance system, replicate established disease loci and identify 14 novel disease associations. Together with studies of candidate drug targets and disease risk factors and contributions to international genetics consortia, these demonstrate the breadth, depth, and quality of the CKB data. Ongoing high-throughput omics assays of collected biosamples and planned whole-genome sequencing will further enhance the scientific value of this biobank.

[Basic Research on Therapy of Leukemia with Nanoparticles Drug Delivery System Modified by Transferrin Receptor Monoclonal Antibody].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effect of targeted drug-loaded nanoparticles modified by transferrin receptor monoclonal antibody (TfR mAb) on acute leukemia and its potential anti-tumor mechanism. METHODS: Nanoparticles drug delivery system, which was composed of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid), poly-l-lysine, polyethylene glycol, TfR mAb (TfR mAb-PLGA-PLL-PEG)-daunorubicin (DNR), was first synthesized. After drug intervention, the intracellular accumulation in leukemia HL60 cells was observed under a fluorescent microscope and concentration of DNR was determined by flow cytometry (FCM). Meanwhile, cell apoptosis rate was measured by FCM and the expression levels of apoptosis related protein Cleaved-caspase 3 was determined by Western blot. RESULTS: Under an inverted fluorescent microscope, intracellular accumulation of DNR autofluorescence in HL60 cells was observed in both TfR mAb-PLGA-PLL-PEG-DNR group and DNR group. FCM analysis showed that the intracellular concentration of DNR in TfR mAb-PLGA-PLL-PEG-DNR group was higher than that in DNR group（P<0.05）. The apoptotic rate of HL60 cells in TfR mAb-PLGA-PLL-PEG-DNR group was higher than that of DNR group（P<0.05）. Moreover, the expression levels of apoptosis-related protein Cleaved-caspase 3 in TfR mAb-PLGA-PLL-PEG-DNR group was significantly higher than that in DNR group（P<0.05）. CONCLUSION: TfR mAb-PLGA-PLL-PEG nanoparticle drug delivery system can target chemotherapy drugs to leukemia cells and enhance anticancer ability through apoptotic pathway.

Integrated Human Skin Bacteria Genome Catalog Reveals Extensive Unexplored Habitat-Specific Microbiome Diversity and Function.

The skin is the largest organ in the human body. Various skin environments on its surface constitutes a complex ecosystem. One of the characteristics of the skin micro-ecosystem is low biomass, which greatly limits a comprehensive identification of the microbial species through sequencing. In this study, deep-shotgun sequencing (average 21.5 Gigabyte (Gb)) from 450 facial samples and publicly available skin metagenomic datasets of 2069 samples to assemble a Unified Human Skin Genome (UHSG) catalog is integrated. The UHSG encompasses 813 prokaryotic species derived from 5779 metagenome-assembled genomes, among which 470 are novel species covering 20 phyla with 1385 novel assembled genomes. Based on the UHSG, the core functions of the skin microbiome are described and the differences in amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and drug resistance functions among different phyla are identified. Furthermore, analysis of secondary metabolites of the near-complete genomes further find 1220 putative novel secondary metabolites, several of which are found in previously unknown genomes. Single nucleotide variant (SNV) reveals a possible skin protection mechanism: the negative selection process of the skin environment to conditional pathogens. UHSG offers a convenient reference database that will facilitate a more in-depth understanding of the role of skin microorganisms in the skin.

A multifunctional cascade nanoreactor based on Fe-driven carbon nanozymes for synergistic photothermal/chemodynamic antibacterial therapy.

Healing bacterial chronic wounds caused by hyperglycemia is of great significance to protect the physical and mental health of diabetic patients. In this context, emerging chemodynamic therapy (CDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) with broad antibacterial spectra and high spatiotemporal controllability have flourished. However, CDT was challenged by the near-neutral pH and inadequate H2O2 surrounding the chronic wound site, while PTT showed overheating-triggered side effects (e.g., damaging the normal tissue) and poor effects on thermotolerant bacterial biofilms. Therefore, we engineered an all-in-one glucose-responsive photothermal nanozyme, GOX/MPDA/Fe@CDs, consisting of glucose oxidase (GOX), Fe-doped carbon dots (Fe@CDs), and mesoporous polydopamine (MPDA), to efficiently treat chronic diabetic wound bacterial infections and eradicate biofilms without impacting the surrounding normal tissues. Specifically, GOX/MPDA/Fe@CDs produced a local temperature (∼ 45.0°C) to enhance the permeability of the pathogenic bacterium and its biofilm upon near-infrared (NIR) 808 nm laser irradiation, which was seized to initiate endogenous high blood glucose to activate the catalytic activity of GOX on the GOX/MPDA/Fe@CD surface to achieve the simultaneous self-supplying of H2O2 and H+, cascade catalyzing •OH production via a subsequent peroxidase-mimetic activity-induced Fenton/Fenton-like reaction. As such, the in vivo diabetic wound infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was effectively healed after 12.0 days of treatment. This work was expected to provide an innovative approach to the clinical treatment of bacterially infected diabetic chronic wounds. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: An all-in-one glucose-responsive photothermal nanozyme GOX/MPDA/Fe@CDs was constructed. Cascade nanozyme GOX/MPDA/Fe@CDs self-supply H2O2 and H+ to break H2O2 and pH limits to fight bacterial infections. Synergistic chemotherapy and photothermal therapy with nanozyme GOX/MPDA/Fe@CDs accelerates healing of biofilm-infected diabetic wounds.

DBE-Net: Dual Boundary-Guided Attention Exploration Network for Polyp Segmentation.

Automatic segmentation of polyps during colonoscopy can help doctors accurately find the polyp area and remove abnormal tissues in time to reduce the possibility of polyps transforming into cancer. However, the current polyp segmentation research still has the following problems: blurry polyp boundaries, multi-scale adaptability of polyps, and close resemblances between polyps and nearby normal tissues. To tackle these issues, this paper proposes a dual boundary-guided attention exploration network (DBE-Net) for polyp segmentation. Firstly, we propose a dual boundary-guided attention exploration module to solve the boundary-blurring problem. This module uses a coarse-to-fine strategy to progressively approximate the real polyp boundary. Secondly, a multi-scale context aggregation enhancement module is introduced to accommodate the multi-scale variation of polyps. Finally, we propose a low-level detail enhancement module, which can extract more low-level details and promote the performance of the overall network. Extensive experiments on five polyp segmentation benchmark datasets show that our method achieves superior performance and stronger generalization ability than state-of-the-art methods. Especially for CVC-ColonDB and ETIS, two challenging datasets among the five datasets, our method achieves excellent results of 82.4% and 80.6% in terms of mDice (mean dice similarity coefficient) and improves by 5.1% and 5.9% compared to the state-of-the-art methods.

Mendelian randomization analyses reveal causal relationships between the human microbiome and longevity.

Although recent studies have revealed the association between the human microbiome especially gut microbiota and longevity, their causality remains unclear. Here, we assess the causal relationships between the human microbiome (gut and oral microbiota) and longevity, by leveraging bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses based on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) summary statistics of the gut and oral microbiome from the 4D-SZ cohort and longevity from the CLHLS cohort. We found that some disease-protected gut microbiota such as Coriobacteriaceae and Oxalobacter as well as the probiotic Lactobacillus amylovorus were related to increased odds of longevity, whereas the other gut microbiota such as colorectal cancer pathogen Fusobacterium nucleatum, Coprococcus, Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, and Neisseria were negatively associated with longevity. The reverse MR analysis further revealed genetically longevous individuals tended to have higher abundances of Prevotella and Paraprevotella but lower abundances of Bacteroides and Fusobacterium species. Few overlaps of gut microbiota-longevity interactions were identified across different populations. We also identified abundant links between the oral microbiome and longevity. The additional analysis suggested that centenarians genetically had a lower gut microbial diversity, but no difference in oral microbiota. Our findings strongly implicate these bacteria to play a role in human longevity and underscore the relocation of commensal microbes among different body sites that would need to be monitored for long and healthy life.

Engineering an Enzymatic Cascade Catalytic Smartphone-Based Sensor for Onsite Visual Ratiometric Fluorescence-Colorimetric Dual-Mode Detection of Methyl Mercaptan.

Precise and reliable onsite detection of methyl mercaptan (CH3SH) is of great significance for environmental surveillance. Here, we synthesized a novel blue fluorescence nanozyme CeO2@TPE with high peroxidase-like activity by employing aggregation-induced emission (AIE) tetraphenylethene (TPE) to embed into hollow CeO2 nanospheres. In the presence of ethanol oxidase (AOX) and o-phenylenediamine (OPD), we engineered an enzymatic cascade activation ratiometric fluorescence-colorimetric dual-mode system AOX/CeO2@TPE + OPD toward CH3SH. In this design, CH3SH initiated AOX catalytic activity to convert it into H2O2 for activating the peroxidase-like activity of CeO2@TPE, producing •OH for oxidizing the naked-eye colorless OPD into deep yellow 2,3-diaminophenazine (DAP) with an absorption enhancement at ∼425 nm, companied by a new emission peak at ∼550 nm to match with the intrinsic emission at ∼441 nm for observing ratiometric fluorescence response, enabling a ratiometric fluorescence-colorimetric dual-mode analysis. Interestingly, both the ratiometric fluorescence and colorimetric signals could be gathered for being converted into the hue parameter on a smartphone-based sensor, achieving the onsite visual fluorescence-colorimetric dual-mode detection of CH3SH in real environmental media with acceptable results. This study gave a novel insight into designing target-responsive enzymatic cascade activation system-based efficient and reliable dual-mode point-of-care sensors for safeguarding environmental health.

Specular Reflections Detection and Removal for Endoscopic Images Based on Brightness Classification.

Specular Reflections often exist in the endoscopic image, which not only hurts many computer vision algorithms but also seriously interferes with the observation and judgment of the surgeon. The information behind the recovery specular reflection areas is a necessary pre-processing step in medical image analysis and application. The existing highlight detection method is usually only suitable for medium-brightness images. The existing highlight removal method is only applicable to images without large specular regions, when dealing with high-resolution medical images with complex texture information, not only does it have a poor recovery effect, but the algorithm operation efficiency is also low. To overcome these limitations, this paper proposes a specular reflection detection and removal method for endoscopic images based on brightness classification. It can effectively detect the specular regions in endoscopic images of different brightness and can improve the operating efficiency of the algorithm while restoring the texture structure information of the high-resolution image. In addition to achieving image brightness classification and enhancing the brightness component of low-brightness images, this method also includes two new steps: In the highlight detection phase, the adaptive threshold function that changes with the brightness of the image is used to detect absolute highlights. During the highlight recovery phase, the priority function of the exemplar-based image inpainting algorithm was modified to ensure reasonable and correct repairs. At the same time, local priority computing and adaptive local search strategies were used to improve algorithm efficiency and reduce error matching. The experimental results show that compared with the other state-of-the-art, our method shows better performance in terms of qualitative and quantitative evaluations, and the algorithm efficiency is greatly improved when processing high-resolution endoscopy images.

A population-based study of precision health assessments using multi-omics network-derived biological functional modules.

Recent technological advances in multi-omics and bioinformatics provide an opportunity to develop precision health assessments, which require big data and relevant bioinformatic methods. Here we collect multi-omics data from 4,277 individuals. We calculate the correlations between pairwise features from cross-sectional data and then generate 11 biological functional modules (BFMs) in males and 12 BFMs in females using a community detection algorithm. Using the features in the BFM associated with cardiometabolic health, carotid plaques can be predicted accurately in an independent dataset. We developed a model by comparing individual data with the health baseline in BFMs to assess health status (BFM-ash). Then we apply the model to chronic patients and modify the BFM-ash model to assess the effects of consuming grape seed extract as a dietary supplement. Finally, anomalous BFMs are identified for each subject. Our BFMs and BFM-ash model have huge prospects for application in precision health assessment.

Photoresponsive DNA-Modified Magnetic Bead-Assisted Rolling Circle Amplification-Driven Visual Photothermal Sensing of Escherichia coli.

The development of facile, reliable, and accurate assays for pathogenic bacteria is critical to environmental pollution surveillance, traceability analysis, prevention, and control. Here, we proposed a rolling circle amplification (RCA) strategy-driven visual photothermal smartphone-based biosensor for achieving highly sensitive monitoring of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in environmental media. In this design, E. coli could specifically bind with its recognition aptamer for initiating the RCA process on a magnetic bead (MB). Owing to the cleaving of UV irradiation toward photoresponsive DNA on MB, the RCA products were released to further hybridize with near-infrared excited CuxS-modified DNA probes. As a result, the photothermal signal was enhanced by RCA, while the background was decreased by UV irradiation and magnetic separation. The correspondingly generated photothermal signals were unambiguously recorded on a smartphone, allowing for an E. coli assay with a low detection limit of 1.8 CFU/mL among the broad linear range from 5.0 to 5.0 × 105 CFU/mL. Significantly, this proposed biosensor has been successfully applied to monitor the fouling levels of E. coli in spring water samples with acceptable results. This study holds great prospects by integrating a RCA-driven photothermal amplification strategy into a smartphone to develop accurate, reliable, and efficient analytical platforms against pathogenic bacteria pollutions for safeguarding environmental health.

High-Efficiency Utilization of Waste Tobacco Stems to Synthesize Novel Biomass-Based Carbon Dots for Precise Detection of Tetracycline Antibiotic Residues.

Recycling waste biomass into valuable products (e.g., nanomaterials) is of considerable theoretical and practical significance to achieve future sustainable development. Here, we propose a one-pot hydrothermal synthesis route to convert waste tobacco stems into biomass-based N, S-codoped carbon dots (C-dots) with the assistance of carbon black. Unlike most of the previously reported luminescent C-dots, these biomass-based C-dots showed a satisfactory stability, as well as an excitation-independent fluorescence emission at ~520 nm. Furthermore, they demonstrated a pH-dependent fluorescence emission ability, offering a scaffold to design pH-responsive assays. Moreover, these as-synthesized biomass-based C-dots exhibited a fluorescence response ability toward tetracycline antibiotics (TCs, e.g., TC, CTC, and OTC) through the inner filter effect (IFE), thereby allowing for the establishment a smart analytical platform to sensitively and selectively monitor residual TCs in real environmental water samples. In this study, we explored the conversion of waste tobacco stems into sustainable biomass-based C-dots to develop simple, efficient, label-free, reliable, low-cost, and eco-friendly analytical platforms for environmental pollution traceability analysis, which might provide a novel insight to resolve the ecological and environmental issues derived from waste tobacco stems.

Plasma Exo-miRNAs Correlated with AD-Related Factors of Chinese Individuals Involved in Aß Accumulation and Cognition Decline.

Numerous studies have investigated the risk factors of Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, AD-risk factors related miRNAs were rarely reported. In this study, AD-risk factor related miRNAs of 105 Chinese individuals (45 AD patients and 60 cognitively normal controls) were investigated. The results showed that Hsa-miR-185-5p, Hsa-miR-20a-5p, and Hsa-miR-497-5p were related to AD and education, Hsa-miR-185-5p, Hsa-miR-181c-5p, Hsa-miR-664a-3p, Hsa-miR-27a-3p, Hsa-miR-451a, and Hsa-miR-320a were related to AD and depression. Target prediction of above miRNAs showed that these miRNAs were involved in the generation and clearance of amyloid-beta (Aß), important molecules related to cognition, and disease-activated microglia response to AD. It is worth noting that Hsa-miR-185-5p was related to both education and depression, whose decreased expression pattern in AD patients was alleviated by education and enhanced by depression, and participates in Aß generation and accumulation. Our results indicated that certain education and depression factors can contribute to AD progression by modulating miRNA expression, implying that preventive interventions might alter AD progression in Chinese patients.