Analysis of cobalt phosphide (CoP) nanorods designed for non-enzyme glucose detection.

The nanorods of cobalt phosphide have been prepared and evaluated as an electrocatalyst for non-enzyme glucose detection. The nanorods were used to modify the surface of an electrode and detect glucose without the help of an enzyme for the first time. The crystal structure and composition of cobalt phosphide were identified by XRD and XPS, respectively, and the morphology of the as-prepared samples was observed by FESEM and TEM. The electrochemical measurement results indicate that the CoP-based sensor exhibits excellent catalytic activity and a far lower detection potential compared to bare GCE. Specifically, the electrocatalytic mechanism of CoP in the detection of glucose was proposed based on a series of physical characterization methods, electrochemical measurements, and theoretical calculations.

Nanostring-cluster hierarchical structured Bi2O3: synthesis, evolution and application in biosensing.

In the present study, a simple strategy was developed to fabricate a new Bi2O3 nanostring-cluster hierarchical structure. Precursor microrods composed of Bi(C2O4)OH were initially grown under hydrothermal conditions. After calcination in air, Bi(C2O4)OH microrods were carved into unique string-cluster structures by the gas produced during the decomposition process. To explain the formation mechanism, the effects of pyrolysis temperature and time on the morphology of the as-prepared samples were investigated and are discussed in detail. It was discovered that the nanostring-cluster-structured Bi2O3 consists of thin nanoplatelet arrays, which is advantageous for glucose enzyme immobilization and for designing biosensors. The resulting Bi2O3 structure showed an excellent capability in the modification of electrode surfaces in biosensors by enhancing the sensitivity, with good specificity and response time. Such qualities of a biosensor are ideal characteristics for glucose sensing performance and allow for further explorations of its application in other fields.

pH-controllable synthesis of unique nanostructured tungsten oxide aerogel and its sensitive glucose biosensor.

This work presents a controllable synthesis of nanowire-networked tungsten oxide aerogels, which was performed by varying the pH in a polyethyleneimine (PEI)-assisted hydrothermal process. An enzyme-tungsten oxide aerogel co-modified electrode shows high activity and selectivity toward glucose oxidation, thus holding great promise for applications in bioelectronics.

A case of primary hepatic stromal tumour misdiagnosed as a liver cyst.

Primary hepatic stromal tumours are very rare and there are only sporadic reports in the literature. Due to the lack of specificity in their clinical manifestations and imaging features, these tumours are easily misdiagnosed. This current report presents a case of primary liver stromal tumour that was misdiagnosed as a liver cyst. The 72-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital due to right upper abdomen fullness and discomfort for more than 2 weeks. Colour Doppler ultrasonography and enhanced computed tomography examinations revealed a cystic mass in the right lobe of the liver. The preoperative diagnosis was a liver cyst and the laparoscopic fenestration was performed. The pathological examination demonstrated that it was a primary hepatic stromal tumour. Gastroenteroscopy was performed postoperatively and no lesions were found in the gastrointestinal tract. Imatinib mesylate was given orally as the salvage therapy and a radical operation was planned at the patient's request. This current case serves as a reminder that clinicians should consider the possibility that it could be a primary hepatic stromal tumour rather than a hepatic cyst. A multidisciplinary team is necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with a primary hepatic stromal tumour.

Tailoring pore structures with optimal mesopores to remarkably promote DNA adsorption guiding the growth of active Mn3(PO4)2 toward sensitive superoxide biomimetic enzyme sensors.

The great challenge in preparing a biomimetic enzyme sensor is to have sensitivity and selectivity equal to or better than its corresponding biological sensor. Porous electrodes possess a large surface area and are often used to greatly improve the sensor sensitivity. However, how to tailor the pore structure, especially the pore size distribution to further improve the sensitivity and selectivity of a biomimetic sensor, has not been investigated yet. The superoxide anion (O2˙-) plays essential roles in various biological processes and is of importance in clinical diagnosis and life science research. It is generally detected by the superoxide dismutase enzyme. Herein, we delicately tailor the pore structure of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) by pyrolysis to obtain an optimal mesopore structure for strong adsorption of DNA, followed by guiding the growth of Mn3(PO4)2 as a biomimetic enzyme toward highly sensitive detection of O2˙-. The Mn3(PO4)2-DNA/CNF sensor achieves the best sensitivity among the reported O2˙- sensors while possessing good selectivity. The enhancement mechanism is also investigated, indicating that the mesopore ratio of CNFs plays an essential role in the high sensitivity and selectivity due to their strong adsorption of DNA for guiding the growth of a large amount of uniform sensing components, Mn3(PO4)2, toward high sensitivity and selectivity. The biomimetic sensor was further used to in situ monitor O2˙- released from human keratinocyte cells and human malignant melanoma cells under drug stimulation, showing high sensitivity to real-time quantitative detection of O2˙-. This work provides a highly sensitive in situ real-time biomimetic O2˙- sensor for applications in biological research and diagnosis, while shedding light on the enhancement mechanism of the pore structure, especially the pore size distribution of a porous electrode for high performance sensing processes.