N-aminomorpholine-functionalized bromine-doped carbon dots for hypochlorous acid detection in foods and imaging in live cells.

Hypochlorous acid (HClO) is used in food preservation. However, excessive HClO can deteriorate nutritional composition of food, compromise its quality, and potentially induce various diseases. Consequently, the development of multifunctional fluorescent probes for the sensitive and selective detection of HClO is highly anticipated for food safety. In this work, we designed a nanoprobe using N-aminomorpholine (AM)-functionalized bromine-doped carbon dots (Br-CDs-AM) for sensing HClO. This nanoprobe exhibits pH stability, strong resistance to photobleaching, superior long-term photostability (12 weeks), high sensitivity (19.3 nM), and an ultrarapid response (8 s) for detecting HClO residues in food matrices with percentage recovery (96.5 %-108 %) and RSDs less than 5.34 %. In addition, extremely low cytotoxicity and outstanding biocompatibility enable the nanoprobe to be used primarily for lysosome tracking and rapidly visualizing HClO in live cells. Thus, this study provides a new pathway to design unconventional nanoprobes for food safety assessment and subcellular organelle-specific imaging HClO.

An endo-functionalized molecular cage for selective potentiometric determination of creatinine.

Potentiometric ion-selective electrodes (ISEs), which rely on selective and lipophilic ionophores, are commonly employed in clinical diagnostics. However, there are very limited specific ionophores for the detection of creatinine, a critical biomarker for renal function assessment. In the present research, we designed and synthesized an endo-functionalized cage, which is able to selectively bind the creatininium cation (K a = 8.6 × 105 M-1) through the formation of multiple C-H⋯O and N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds and cation⋯π interactions. ISEs prepared with this host show a Nernstian response to creatinine and exhibit excellent selectivity and a low detection limit of 0.95 µM. In addition, the creatinine levels in urine or plasma samples determined by our sensor are consistent with those analyzed using enzymatic assay on a Cobas c702. The method is simple, fast and accurate, and amenable to clinical detection of creatinine levels.

Amide naphthotube as a novel supramolecular sequestration agent for tetracaine and decamethonium.

RATIONALE: Anesthetics are widely used for optimizing surgical conditions, postoperative pain management, and treating various chronic pain conditions. Tetracaine and decamethonium are representative drugs of local anesthetics and neuromuscular blocking agents, respectively. However, overdose and toxicity of the drugs always lead to serious adverse events. Thus, there is a strong demand for effective antidotes. METHODS: The binding interactions of amide naphthotubes with tetracaine and decamethonium were systematically studied using 1H NMR, ITC, and DFT calculations. The antidotal effects of amide naphthotube to tetracaine toxicity were assessed in vitro and in vivo, and the mechanism of detoxification was explored at a cellular level. Additionally, mouse models were established to evaluate the reversal activities of amide naphthotube on decamethonium-induced mortality and muscle relaxation, and the reversal mechanism was investigated through pharmacokinetic experiments. RESULTS: We have demonstrated that the anti-isomer of amide naphthotube exhibits significant binding affinities towards tetracaine (K a = 1.89×107 M-1) and decamethonium (K a = 1.01×107 M-1) in water. The host displayed good biocompatibility both in vitro and in vivo. The administration of amide naphthotube following tetracaine overdose in mouse models notably increased the overall survival rate, indicating its effective antidotal properties. The host could reverse the tetracaine-induced Na+ channels blockage at the cellular level. Moreover, the injection of amide naphthotube also reversed the mortality and paralysis induced by decamethonium in mouse models following a pharmacokinetic mechanism. CONCLUSION: An emerging artificial receptor, amide naphthotube, has strong binding affinities towards tetracaine and decamethonium. It functions as a supramolecular antidote for tetracaine poisoning and a reversal agent for decamethonium by selectively sequestering these compounds in vivo.

Study on the Effect of Different Doses of Hydromorphone on the Time Response and Postoperative Analgesia of Ropivacaine in Ultrasound-Guided Suprailiac Fascia Inguinal Block.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of different doses of hydromorphone under the guidance of ultrasound on ropivacaine blocking the superior inguinal iliac fascia and postoperative analgesia. METHODS: From January 2020 to June 2021, 90 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I-II patients undergoing elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) were selected and randomly divided into 3 groups, 30 patients in each one. Ultrasound-guided superior inguinal iliac fascia block was performed in the patients of the 3 groups before operation. The L group: 0.3% ropivacaine 30 ml; the H1 group: 0.3% ropivacaine + 25 µg/kg hydromorphone 30 ml; the H2 group: 0.3% ropivacaine + 50 µg/kg hydromorphone 30 ml. The time until the occurrence of pain, pain intensity, sufentanil remedial dose, the number of PCIA presses, and effective times were compared among the 3 groups. The VAS and Ramsay scores of 3 groups were recorded at 12 h, 24 h, 36 h, and 48 h after operation. RESULTS: The time from the end of surgery to the appearance of pain in the H2 group was higher than that in the H1 group and the L group, and the time in the H1 group was higher than that in the L group (P < 0.05). The VAS score in the H2 group was lower than that in the H1 group and the L group, and the VAS score in the H1 group was lower than that in the L group (P < 0.05). The VAS scores of 12 h, 24 h, 36 h, and 48 h after operation in the H2 group were lower than those of the H1 group and the L group, and the H1 group was lower than the L group (P < 0.05). The Ramsay scores at 12 h, 24 h, 36 h, and 48 h after operation in the H2 group and the H1 group were higher than those in the L group (P < 0.05), and the difference was not statistically significant in the H2 group and the H1 group (P > 0.05). The remedial dosage of sufentanil, times of PCIA compression, and effective times in the H2 group were lower than those in the H1 group and the L group, and the level in the H1 group was lower than that in the L group (P < 0.05). The incidence rates of adverse reactions in the L group, the H1 group, and the H2 group were 13.33%, 23.33%, and 30.00%, respectively. There was no significant difference in the incidence rate of adverse reactions among the 3 groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: 25 µg/kg and 50 µg/kg hydromorphone used in the ultrasound-guided superior inguinal iliac fascia block can enhance the time effect of ropivacaine and improve analgesic effects, with good safety. In addition, time effect and analgesic effect of 50 µg/kg hydromorphone in enhancing ropivacaine were more obvious.

Influence of Dexmedetomidine on Diaphragm Function and Postoperative Outcomes in ICU Patients with Mechanical Ventilation.

OBJECTIVE: To probe into the influence of dexmedetomidine (DEX) on diaphragm function and postoperative outcomes of mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: 84 patients with mechanical ventilation (MV) in the ICU of our hospital were selected as the research participants, including 38 patients in the control group (CG) sedated with midazolam (MZ) and 46 patients in the research group (RG) with DEX sedation. Ramsay sedation score, visual analogue scale (VAS), and restlessness score (RS) were used to evaluate their state before sedation (T0), as well as 2 h (T1), 6 h (T2), and 24 h (T3) after sedation, and the alterations of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded. Serum cortisol (Cor), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin- (IL-) 1ß, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured before and 24 h after sedation. The end-inspiratory diaphragm thickness (DTei) and end-expiratory diaphragm thickness (DTee) were measured within 2 h after the initiation of MV and 5 min after the spontaneous breathing test (SBT), and the diaphragm thickening fraction (DTF) was calculated. Finally, the ventilator weaning, MV time, and the incidence of adverse reactions (ADs) of the two groups were counted. RESULTS: T0 and T3 witnessed no distinct difference in Ramsay, VAS, and RS scores between the two arms (P > 0.05), but at T1 and T2, RG had better sedation state and lower VAS and RS scores than CG (P < 0.05), with more stable vital signs (P < 0.05). After sedation, the contents of oxidative stress and inflammatory factors in RG were lower, while DTee, DTei, and DTF were higher, versus CG (P < 0.05). Moreover, RG presented higher success rate of first ventilator weaning, less MV time, and lower incidence of ADs than CG (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: DEX is effective in mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU, which can protect patients against diaphragm function damage, improve the success rate of ventilator weaning, and benefit the postoperative outcome, with excellent and rapid sedation effect and less stress damage to patients.