Upper trapezius muscle elasticity in cervical myofascial pain syndrome measured using real-time ultrasound shear-wave elastography.

Background: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a common cause of neck pain, which is a global public health problem. Because MPS does not present morphological changes within lesioned muscles, there are no imaging diagnostic criteria for this condition. In this study, we evaluate elasticity changes in upper trapezius muscles most frequently involved in cervical MPS using real-time ultrasound shear-wave elastography, and we examine their potential diagnostic value. Methods: We consecutively enrolled 109 right posterior neck pain patients for this prospective study. Of these, 51 were diagnosed with MPS and 58 with non-MPS in the right side of their neck. Among MPS patients, 19 fell into the 1-3 range (mild pain) for pain scores on the visual analog scale (VAS), 25 fell into the 4-6 range (moderate pain), and 7 into the 7-10 range (severe pain). MPS was diagnosed by two independent clinicians using the diagnostic criteria proposed by Simons et al. Using real-time ultrasound shear-wave elastography, we measured right trapezius mean shear-wave velocity (SWVmean). The midpoint of the line between the foramen magnum and the end of the right acromion served as measuring point. Regions of interest were scaled to span 0-8.0 m/s. Results: Trapezius SWVmean was significantly higher in MPS patients compared with non-MPS patients (P<0.001). Stratified analysis of MPS patients according to pain severity revealed similar trapezius SWVmean between mild pain and non-MPS patients (P=0.324), however SWVmean was higher in moderate and severe pain MPS patients compared with non-MPS patients (P<0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) value for upper trapezius SWVmean in MPS patients was 0.791 (95% CI: 0.703-0.863). Corresponding sensitivity and specificity values were 86.27% (95% CI: 73.7-94.3%) and 62.07% (95% CI: 48.4-74.5%). Stratified analysis of MPS patients by pain severity produced the following AUC values for trapezius SWVmean in MPS patients with mild, moderate, and severe pain: 0.578 (95% CI: 0.460-0.690), 0.899 (95% CI: 0.814-0.955), and 0.983 (95% CI: 0.914-0.999), respectively. Conclusions: Elasticity changes and increased stiffness in the trapezius occur in cervical MPS patients with moderate and severe pain. The SWVmean parameter reflecting trapezius muscle elasticity may be valuable for successful screening of cervical MPS, especially in patients with moderate and severe pain.

Near-infrared magnetic core-shell nanoparticles based on lanthanide metal-organic frameworks as a ratiometric felodipine sensing platform.

Felodipine is an effective drug to treat hypertension, but its abuse can cause bardycardia. It is significant to develop highly sensitive detection platform for felodipine to enable the efficient treatment of hypertension diseases. In this work, to highly efficiently detect felodipine, multi-emission near-infrared (NIR) hierarchical magnetic core-shell lanthanide-MOF nanoparticles, namely Nd-MOF@Yb-MOF@SiO2@Fe3O4 (NIR-1), has been synthesized by layer-by-layer (LBL) method. LBL method can adjust the optical properties of NIR-1 and expose more active sites to improve sensitivity in detection process. NIR-1 has near-infrared luminescence emission, which can efficiently avoid the interference of autofluorescence in biological tissues. Photo-luminescent (PL) experiments also reveal that NIR-1 could be used as a near-infrared ratiometric luminescent sensor for felodipine detection with high selectivity and sensitivity, the low of detection limit (LOD) is 6.39 nM in felodipine detection, which is also performed using real biological samples. In addition, NIR-1 can be used as a ratiometric thermometer could also be applied in the temperature sensing from 293 K to 343 K. Finally, detection mechanisms for felodipine and temperature sensing performance based on near-infrared (NIR) emission were also investigated and discussed in detail.

["Houxi (SI 3) communicating the governor vessel" verified with the infrared thermal imaging technology].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect on facial acupoint temperature between acupuncture at Houxi (SI 3) and Dazhui (GV 14) so as to verify "Houxi (SI 3) communicating the governor vessel" based on the infrared thermal imaging technology. METHODS: Thirty-five healthy subjects (5 cases dropped off) were collected and before-after study in the same subject was adopted. The subjects were successively assigned into a sham-acupuncture group, a Houxi group, a Wangu group and a Dazhui group. Sham-acupuncture at Houxi (SI 3) on the left, acupuncture at Houxi (SI 3) on the left, Wangu (SI 4) on the left and Dazhui (GV 14) were given respectively. One intervention was given and the needles were retained for 30 min in each group. 30 min before and after acupuncture, the infrared thermal images of the face were collected, and the facial temperature was compared among the following 5 acupoints, i.e. Yintang (GV 24+), Suliao (GV 25), Shuigou (GV 26), Duiduan (GV 27) and Chengjiang (CV 24). RESULTS: After acupuncture, the facial temperature at Yintang (GV 24+) and Chengjiang (CV 24) was increased compared before acupuncture in the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.01, P<0.05). The facial temperature at Suliao (GV 25) in the Houxi group was reduced after acupuncture (P<0.05). In the Wangu group, the temperature at Yintang (GV 24+) was increased compared before acupuncture (P<0.01). The facial temperature was increased at Duiduan (GV 27) and Chengjiang (CV 24) compared before acupuncture in the Dazhui group (P<0.01, P<0.05). The differences of facial temperature at Chengjiang (CV 24) and Suliao (GV 25) after acupuncture were larger than before acupuncture in the Houxi group and the Dazhui group (P<0.01). In comparison with the temperature at Suliao (GV 25) of the same group, the differences of facial temperature before and after acupuncture at Yintang (GV 24+), Shuigou (GV 26), Duiduan (GV 27) and Chengjiang (CV 24) were increased in the Houxi group (P<0.01, P<0.05); while, the increase was also obtained at Yintang (GV 24+), Shuigou (GV 26), Duiduan (GV 27) and Chengjiang (CV 24) in the Dazhui group (P<0.05, P<0.01). The difference of facial temperature at Yintang (GV 24+) before and after acupuncture was increased compared with Suliao (GV 25) in the Wangu group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture at Houxi (SI 3) generates a similar thermal effect as Dazhui (GV 14). It regulates and dissipates the core temperature to "govern the yang qi of the whole body".

Circ_C4orf36 Promotes the Proliferation and Osteogenic Differentiation of BMSCs by Regulating VEGFA.

Fracture healing is a complicated process containing the regulation of cellular process. It has been reported that circRNAs are involved in fracture healing. Our study aims to explore the role and mechanism of circ_C4orf36 in fracture healing. Here, we found that the expressions of Circ_C4orf36 and VEGFA were increased during osteoblast differentiation in MC3T3-E1 cells. Circ_C4orf36 overexpression could accelerate the proliferation and migration, as well as osteoblast differentiation in MC3T3-E1 cells, as well as increased ALP activity and osteogenic markers (Runx2, OCN) via upregulating VEGFA expression. Mechanistically, circ_C4orf36 facilitated the expression of VEGFA by recruiting EIF4A3. Taken together, our results elucidated that circ_C4orf6 promoted the migration, proliferation and osteoblast differentiation in BMSCs by upregulating VEGFA, which indicated that circ_C4orf36 might be a potential target in fracture healing treatment.

Solvo-thermal synthesis of a unique cluster-based nano-porous zinc(II) luminescent metal-organic framework for highly sensitive detection of anthrax biomarker and dichromate.

In this work a flexible multi-dentate 4,4'-(1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-yl) methylene-bis(benzonic acid) (H2L) ligand has been employed, a unique cluster-based nano-porous luminescent zinc(II) metal-organic framework {[Zn(µ6-L)]·(DMAC)2}n (1) (DMAC = Dimethylacetamide) has been isolated under solvo-thermal conditions. The H2L ligand adopts hexa-dentate coordination modes via one triazole nitrogen atom and four aromatic carboxylate oxygen atoms, which bridge the neighboring six-coordinated ZnII centers, leading to a three-dimensional (3D) nano-porous metal organic framework. A PLATON program analysis suggests the total potential solvent area volume is 2028.9 Å3, which occupy 62.5% percent of the unit cell volume (3248.4 Å3). PXRD Patterns of the as-synthesized samples 1 have been determined confirming the purity of the bulky samples. Photo-luminescent properties indicate strong fluorescent emissions of 1 at the room temperature. Further photo-luminescent measurements show that 1 can exhibit highly sensitive real-time luminescence sensing of anthrax biomarker dipicolinic acid (DPA) with high quenching efficiency (KSV = 1.48 × 105 M-1) and low detection limit (0.298 µM (S/N = 3)). Meanwhile 1 also exhibits highly selective and sensitive luminescence sensing for Cr2O72- ions in aqueous solutions with high quenching efficiency KSV = 1.22 × 104 L·mol-1 and low detection limit (0.023 µM (S/N = 3)). Therefore 1 can be used a unique multi-functional 3D cluster-based metal organic material in sensitive detection and effective detection of environment pollutants and biomarker molecules.

Solvothermal Preparation of a Lanthanide Metal-Organic Framework for Highly Sensitive Discrimination of Nitrofurantoin and l-Tyrosine.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been rapidly developed for their broad applications in many different chemistry and materials fields. In this work, a multi-dentate building block 5-(4-(tetrazol-5-yl)phenyl)-isophthalic acid (H3L) containing tetrazole and carbolxylate moieties was employed for the synthesis of a two-dimensional (2D) lanthanide MOF [La(HL)(DMF)2(NO3)] (DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide) (1) under solvothermal condition. The fluorescent sensing application of 1 was investigated. 1 exhibits high sensitivity recognition for antibiotic nitrofurantoin (Ksv: 3.0 × 103 M-1 and detection limit: 17.0 µM) and amino acid l-tyrosine (Ksv: 1.4 × 104 M-1 and detection limit: 3.6 µM). This work provides a feasible detection platform of 2D MOFs for highly sensitive discrimination of antibiotics and amino acids.

Hydrothermal synthesis of two-dimensional cadmium(II) micro-porous coordination material based on Bi-functional building block and its application in highly sensitive detection of Fe3+ and Cr2O72.

Metal-organic framework (MOFs), also known as porous coordination polymers (PCPs), is a new kind of crystalline porous materials, which has received extensive attention in the past few decades. As a new type of sensing material, MOFs stand out from many other traditional fluorescence sensors because of its crystal characteristics, structural diversity, stable porosity and adjustable functional characteristics. In this work, the bi-functional building block containing aromatic carboxylic acid and triazole moieties, namely 3-(1H-1,3,4-triazol-1-yl) benzoic acid, was selected as the linker to synthesize {[Cd(µ5-L)⋅I}n (1, HL = 3-(1H-1,3,4-triazol-1-yl)benzoic acid) by hydrothermal method with transition CdII metal centers. Firstly, the preliminary characterization of 1 was carried out by means of PXRD, FT-IR, and then the UV and fluorescence tests were conducted to study the fluorescence properties of 1. The crystal structure analysis indicates that CdII is the center and the ligand is bridged to form a two-dimensional porous structure. In addition, 1 has good selectivity for Fe3+ and Cr2O72-, meanwhile, it has high detection sensitivity (Ksv quenching efficiency for Fe3+: 1.2 × 104 M-1 and Cr2O72- 1.85 × 104 M-1) and low detection limit (Fe3+: 19.21 µM and Cr2O72-: 12.46 µM). The results of photoluminescence test show that 1 can detect cations and anions with high sensitivity, resist the interference of other ions, and have good reusability. As far as we know, 1 is the first example of ultra-stable two-dimensional (2D) Cadmium (II) microporous coordination material as a fluorescence sensor for Fe3+ and Cr2O72-.

Solvothermal preparation of luminescent zinc(II) and cadmium(II) coordination complexes based on the new bi-functional building block and photo-luminescent sensing for Cu2+, Al3+ and L-lysine.

In industry, over usage of Cu2+ and Al3+ will lead to toxic wastewater, which further to give serious pollution for the environment. On the other hand, L-lysine can enhance serotonin release in the amygdala, with subsequent changes in psychobehavioral responses to stress. Therefore it is the urgent problem to design a method for detecting the amount of Cu2+, Al3+, and L-lysine. In this work, through the solvothermal synthesis method, two new coordination complexes based on the new bifunctional building block 4'-(1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-yl)- [1,1'-biphenyl]-4-carboxylic acid (HL) have been synthesized, namely, [Zn(L)2·4H2O] (complex 1) and [Cd(L)2·4H2O] (complex 2). X-ray single-crystal diffractometer was used to analyze its structure, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) patterns confirmed that 1 and 2 powder's purity and 1 can keep stable during the detection process of Cu2+, Al3+, and L-lysine, respectively. Elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, infrared analysis, ultraviolet analysis and fluorescent spectrum have been used to characterize these complexes. The photo-luminescent test showed that 1 can accurately recognize Al3+ and Cu2+ among various cations. On the other hand, 1 can distinguish L-lysine among amino acid molecules. Therefore, 1 can be utilized as a multifunctional fluorescent probe for Al3+(Ksv = 1.5570 × 104 [M]-1), Cu2+(Ksv = 1.4948 × 104 [M]-1) and L-lysine (Ksv = 4.9118 × 104 [M]-1) with low detection limits (17.5 µM, 18.2 µM, 5.6 µM) respectively.

Convenient ultrasonic preparation of a water stable cluster-based Cadmium(II) coordination material and highly sensitive fluorescent sensing for biomarkers DPA and 5-HT.

In recent years, a new type of micro-porous material, namely metal organic framework material, has received more and more attention from many basic and industrial fields because these materials possess unique advantages. In this work, through the powerful sonochemical preparation method, a three-dimensional cluster-based CdII-MOFs, {[Cd(abtz)2(H2O)2]·(ClO4)2·H2O}n (1, abtz = 1-(4-aminobenzyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole) can be quickly synthesized in the facile ultrasonic method. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) measurement confirms that these bulky samples 1 (synthesized on different ultrasonic powers and ultrasonic time conditions) were pure. In addition, ultrasonic chemical time and irradiation power did not change the structure of composites materials 1. SEM and morphological changes of 1 in the ultrasonic synthesis are also determined. Moreover, 1 exhibits good stability, the structure of 1 can be maintained not just in various solvents, and in aqueous environments with pH values from 2 to 12. Photo-luminescent experiment also reveals that complex 1 has the excellent application prospect as highly sensitive sensing material for the biomarker DPA (2,6-pyridine dicarboxylic acid) and 5-HT (5-hydroxytryptamine) through the photo-luminescence "turn-on" and "turn-off" effect, respectively. Further photo-luminescent measurements also show that different ultrasonic powers and ultrasonic time can effectively induce fluorescent sensing enhancement for biomarkers DPA and 5-HT based on the water stable clustered-based cadmium(II) coordination framework.

Dual-emission CdTe quantum dot@ZIF-365 ratiometric fluorescent sensor and application for highly sensitive detection of l-histidine and Cu2.

l-histidine acts as a semi-essential amino acid, which is medically used in the treatment of gastric ulcer, anemia, allergies. However, the overuse of l-histidine will result in terrible damage to heart disease, slow growth of animals and water pollution in the environment. In addition, Cu2+ pollution is common environmental pollution in the industry. It has the characteristics of high accumulation, migration, and persistence. Given this, through the post-synthesis strategy, CdTe quantum dots (QDs) were the first time to introduce into zeolitic imidazolate framework-ZIF-365 to synthesis dual-emission hybrid material CdTe@ZIF-365 with high quantum yield. TEM mappings and N2 absorption tests are applied to confirm the combination mode between CdTe quantum dots and ZIF-365. It should be noted that CdTe@ZIF-365 can be successfully utilized as a bi-functional ratiometric sensor for highly sensitive discrimination of l-histidine and Cu2+. Firstly, CdTe@ZIF-365 is applied to a fluorescent ratiometric sensor for Cu2+ with high sensitivity (the Ksv value is 2.7417✕107 [M-1]) and selectivity in the mixed cation ions' solution. On the other hand, CdTe@ZIF-365 also behaved as the first example for an excellent ratiometric fluorescent senor for l-histidine with high sensitivity (the Ksv value is 6.0507✕108 [M-1]) and selectivity in the mixed amino acids' solutions.

Solvothermal and Ultrasonic Preparation of Two Unique Cluster-Based Lu and Y Coordination Materials: Metal-Organic Framework-Based Ratiometric Fluorescent Biosensor for an Ornidazole and Ronidazole and Sensing Platform for a Biomarker of Amoeba Liver Abscess.

Through powerful solvothermal and facile ultrasonic synthetic strategies, two unique cluster-based lanthanide Lu and Y nanoporous metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have been successfully prepared, namely, {[Lu2(L)2]·2DMF·H2O}n (Lu-MOF) and [Y(L)(DMF)0.75]n (Y-MOF) (H3L = terphenyl-3,4'',5-tricarboxylic acid). In addition, both the morphologies and nanosizes of Lu-MOF and Y-MOF materials also have been deliberately tuned by adjustable ultrasonic conditions including irradiation time (40, 60, and 80 min) and power (70 w, 100 w). Currently, it is noted that the abuse of antibiotics such as ornidazole and ronidazole leads to great damage to human health, and therefore the development of highly effective and facile detection methods for ornidazole and ronidazole is quite important. Herein, to improve the fluorescent sensing sensitivity of antibiotics, Eu3+ and Tb3+ have been introduced into Lu-MOF (under a solvothermal preparation method) to fabricate a dual-emission hybrid material Eu3+/Tb3+@Lu-MOF through a postsynthesis strategy, which can be successfully applied as a self-calibrated ratiometric fluorescent sensor for ornidazole and ronidazole with high selectivity and sensitivity (the Ksv value for ornidazole is 1.0854 × 106 [M-1], and the Ksv value for ronidazole is 1.0595 × 107 [M-1]) and low detection limit values (2.85 nM for ornidazole and 26.7 nM for ronidazole). On the other hand, amoeba liver abscess (ALA) will easily lead to irregular fever, night sweats, and other tortured symptoms; C-reactive protein autoantibody (CRP Ab) is the important biomarker for the detection of ALA. Given this, Y-MOF (under the solvothermal preparation method) also has been successfully designed to combine FAM-labeled NH-ssDNA to construct the scarcely reported excellent hybrid FAM-labeled NH-ssDNA/Y-MOF sensing platform for the highly effective discrimination of CRP Ab with excellent sensitivity and selectivity in real samples such as human serum solution.

A "turn-on" sensor based on MnO2 coated UCNPs for detection of alkaline phosphatase and ascorbic acid.

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), an extraordinary enzyme, can catalyze the dephosphorylation of small molecules, proteins and nucleic acids. ALP has been confirmed as a crucial serum diagnostic indicator, since the abnormal level of ALP is closely related to a variety of pathological processes, especially in the early diagnosis and screening of cancer. Herein, we designed a "turn-on" sensor to detect ALP and ascorbic acid (AA) based on the redox reaction between manganese dioxide (MnO2) coated upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and AA. Firstly, 2 nm sized NaYF4:Yb3+,Tm3+ UCNPs were synthesized by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. Then MnO2 coated UCNPs were prepared via electrostatic interactions between MnO2 nanosheets and UCNPs. MnO2 nanosheets could absorb blue light emitted by UCNPs near 471 nm under laser excitation at 980 nm, and so the luminescence of UCNPs was quenched based on luminescence energy transfer (LET). In the presence of AA, the luminescence was recovered again by the redox reaction between AA and MnO2 coated UCNPs. MnO2 nanosheets were reduced to Mn2+ and UCNPs were released. Furthermore, the "turn-on" sensor was applied to monitor ALP since the phosphate group of 2-phospho-l-ascorbic acid (AAP) was removed by ALP to yield AA. The bio-assay showed a good linear relationship between the restored luminescence intensities (ΔI = I-I0) and ALP concentrations ranging from 0.25 to 150 mU mL-1 with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.045 mU mL-1 and between ΔI and AA concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 250 µM with an LOD of 0.29 µM. The luminescent sensor was also successfully applied for detection of ALP and AA in human serum samples with recoveries from 94.9% to 104.6% and 99.4% to 104.9%.

Ultrasonic preparation of near-infrared emission cluster-based YbIII and NdIII coordination materials: Ratiometric temperature sensing, selective antibiotics detection and "turn-on" discrimination of l-arginine.

Currently near-infrared (NIR) luminescence of lanthanide ions has received great attention because of their unique emissions in the near-infrared region (800-1700 nm). These NIR luminescent materials behave excellent applications in many fields such as sensors and probes in optical amplification, laser systems, biological systems and organic light-emitting diodes. In this work, two new near-infrared (NIR) emission three-dimensional (3D) YbIII and NdIII cluster-based coordination materials, namely {[Yb2(L)2(DMF)(H2O)4]·(DMF)2 (H2O)}n (NIR-MOF 1) and [Nd(L)(DMF)2]n (NIR-MOF 2) (H3L = terphenyl-3,4″,5-tricarboxylic acid) have been synthesized through the facile sono-chemical preparation methods. Both the near-infrared materials 1 and 2 have been characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Further the mixed-lanthanide near-infrared emission material Nd0.35Yb0.65L (NIR-MOF 3) can also be prepared under the sono-chemical conditions. NIR-MOF 3 can be successfully applied as the ratiometric NIR-MOF-based thermometer, which should origin from the emission intensity ratio between Yb3+ (976 nm) and Nd3+ (1056 nm) in the temperature range of 308-348 K. Besides these, the micro-morphologies of NIR-MOF 1 can be deliberately tuned through different sono-chemical reaction factors (reaction time, reaction temperature and sono-chemical powers). These tuned nano-sized materials NIR-MOF 1 (100 W, 80 min) can be utilized as the fluorescent sensing material to distinguish furazolidone and sulfasalazine from other antibiotics. At the same time, NIR-MOF 2 can be applied as the first example of MOFs-based sensors for discriminating l-arginine from other amino acids through the "turn-on" mode in the near-infrared emission region.

Hydrothermal Preparation of Five Rare-Earth (Re = Dy, Gd, Ho, Pr, and Sm) Luminescent Cluster-Based Coordination Materials: The First MOFs-based Ratiometric Fluorescent Sensor for Lysine and Bifunctional Sensing Platform for Insulin and Al3.

Through the powerful hydrothermal method, five rare-earth (Re = Dy, Gd, Ho, Pr, and Sm) three-dimensional (3D) cluster-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been synthesized, namely, [Dy(L)(H2O)(DMF)] n (1), {[Gd(L)(H2O)(DMF)]·DMF} n (2), {[Ho(L)(H2O)(DMF)]·0.5DMF} n (3), {[Pr(L)(H2O)(DMF)]·0.5DMF} n (4), and {[Sm(L)(H2O)1.55(DMF)0.45]·DMF} n (5; H3L = terphenyl-3,4″,5-tricarboxylic acid), which have been determined by single crystal X-ray analyses and PXRD characterization. Structural analyses reveal that, in 1-5, these L3- ligands are linked by five different rare-earth centers, forming the iso-structural nanoporous frameworks. PXRD patterns of bulky samples 1-5 also are consistent with theoretical PXRD patterns confirming their purity. Solid state photoluminesce of free H3L and 1-5 at room temperature also has been investigated indicating strong ligand-based emissions. Besides these, fluorescent dye Rhodamine B (RhB) can be introduced into MOF1 forming the composite material RhB@MOF1 with a high quantum yield of 35%. It is noted that, through deliberately tuning the morphologies of nanoparticle MOF1 under different ultrasonic conditions, RhB@MOF1 can be utilized as the first ratiometric fluorescent sensor to effectively discriminate l- and d-lysine from other amino acid molecules with high Ksv values and low LOD values. On the other hand, 2 was for the first time to be utilized as an excellent bifunctional MOFs-based sensing platform to detect insulin and Al3+ with a low detection limit in the human serum solution.

Association of ADAMTS4 and ADAMTS5 polymorphisms with musculoskeletal degenerative diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis and systematic review was performed with the aim of investigating the association between a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motif (ADAMTS)4, AMDMTS5 polymorphisms and risk of musculoskeletal degenerative diseases. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, Wanfang and CNKI were searched from their inception until May 2018 to identify eligible studies. Data from individual studies were extracted using a standardized data collection sheet. The estimate of association between ADAMTS4, AMDMTS5 polymorphisms and risk of musculoskeletal degenerative diseases was expressed as odds ratio (OR) along with its related 95% confidence interval (95%CI) under an allelic model of inheritance. Meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 software. Subgroup-analyses by ethnicity and type of diseases were performed. RESULTS: Eight studies including ten cohorts were included in this meta-analysis. The meta-analyses results based on seven studies showed that rs226794 in ADAMTS5 gene was not associated with risk of musculoskeletal degenerative diseases (A vs. G: OR 1.07; 95%CI 0.97-1.19; P=0.16). Rs2830585 in ADAMTS5 was significantly associated with musculoskeletal degenerative diseases in only Asians (OR 1.41, 95%CI 1.18-1.68; P=0.0001), but not in Caucasians. Since only two of the collected studies referred to ADAMTS4, we did not perform meta-analysis for these comparisons. CONCLUSION: Taken together, rs226794 and rs2830585 in ADAMTS5 gene were not associated with musculoskeletal degenerative diseases in overall population, but there seemed to be an ethnicity-dependent effect of rs2830585 in the risk of musculoskeletal degenerative diseases. Insufficient evidence was found to support the association of other single nucleotide polymorphisms and musculoskeletal degenerative diseases.

Sonochemical synthesis of a multi-responsive regenerable water-stable zinc(II) fluorescent probe for highly selective, sensitive and real-time sensing of benzaldehyde, ferric ion and PH.

In this work, a novel water-stable coordination polymer with {44} network topology {[Zn(L)2(NO3)2]}n (1) (L = 4,4'-Bis(triazol-1-ylmethyl)biphenyl) has been synthesized through the hydrothermal and sonochemical approaches. 1 has been characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, UV-vis absorption spectrum and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). PXRD patterns of the as-synthesized samples 1 have confirmed the purity of the bulky samples. In the sonochemical preparation approaches, different ultrasound irradiation power and ultrasound time were also used in order to investigate the impact factor for morphology and size of nano-structured 1. Photo-luminescence studies have revealed that 1 can efficiently distinguish Fe3+ from Fe2+ and other metal ions. On the other hand, 1 also can exhibit a highly sensitive, excellently selective and real-time detection of benzaldehyde and pH through photo-luminescence quenching process. As for 1, density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) theory has been applied to calculate these spectroscopic data, the result agree with the experimental results for detection of benzaldehyde. Photo-luminescent recyclability results indicated 1 can be reused at least five times in the detection process. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a multi-responsive regenerable luminescent sensor for highly selective, sensitive and real-time sensing of Fe3+ over Fe2+, benzaldehyde and pH values.

Solvo-thermal synthesis of a unique alkaline earth-transition Ba-Cd micro-porous coordination framework as hetero-metallic luminescent sensor for Cu2+ and real-time detection of benzaldehyde.

In this work a unique hetero-metallic alkaline earth-transition Ba-Cd luminescent micro-porous metal-organic framework {[BaCd(µ6-tp)1.5(µ2-Cl)(H2O) (DMF)2]·0.75H2O}n (H2tp=terephthalic acid) (1) has been prepared under solvo-thermal conditions. In 1 infinite 1D {Ba-X-Cd} (X=O, Cl) inorganic chains are linked via these full de-pronated tp2- ligands forming a unique 3D I1O2 type micro-porous coordination framework. PXRD patterns of 1 have been determined confirming pure phases of 1. Luminescence investigations suggested that 1 exhibits highly selective and sensitive sensing for trace amounts of benzaldehyde in ethanol, which provides a facile method for real-time detection of benzaldehyde. Meanwhile 1 also exhibits highly selective and sensitive sensing for Cu2+ over other cations with high quenching efficiency Ksv value 1.15×104L·mol-1. As far as we know, 1 represents the first example of alkaline earth-transition hetero-metallic Ba-Cd micro-porous coordination framework as bi-functional luminescent probes for Cu2+ and benzaldehyde.

Anion directing self-assembly of 2D and 3D water-stable silver(i) cation metal organic frameworks and their applications in real-time discriminating cysteine and DNA detection.

Two water-stable silver(i) cation metal organic frameworks (MOFs), namely 2D MOF {[Ag(L)2]BF4}n (1) and 3D MOF {[Ag3(L)3]·(H2O)·(CF3SO3)3}n (2) (L = 1-(4-aminobenzyl)-1,2,4-triazole), have been prepared. 1 is the first example of a 2D MOF-based sensor for real-time discrimination of l- and d-cysteine from other amino acids through the quenching effect. Through deliberately tuning the nanoparticles of 2 under ultrasound conditions, these nanoparticles are, for the first time, successfully applied as an excellent DNA detecting platform.

Facile synthesis of red emitting 3-aminophenylboronic acid functionalized copper nanoclusters for rapid, selective and highly sensitive detection of glycoproteins.

As an emerging class of fluorescent probes, copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs) have been considered as an intriguing candidate for detecting biomoleculars due to their outstanding fluorescent properties, excellent biocompatibility and low cost. Herein, we fabricated bovine serum albumin (BSA) protected Cu NCs (BSA-Cu NCs) and further functionalized them with 3-aminophenylboronic acid (APBA) for selectively discerning glycoproteins. In aqueous solution, Cu(2+) ions were directly reduced into BSA-Cu NCs by hydrazine hydrate (N2H4·H2O) at room-temperature using BSA as the capping agent. The synthetic process was very rapid, simple and easy for controlling due to the lack of any other complicated procedure such as heating and adjusting the pH value of the reactive mixture. The APBA-Cu NCs showed strong fluorescent emission at 630nm in the red range. So it can effectively avoid the disturbance of auto-fluorescence in biosamples. The fluorescence of the APBA-Cu NCs was obviously quenched by glycoprotein samples. Then, the APBA-Cu NCs were employed as a probe for selective capture and sensitive detection of glycoproteins with a wide linear range of 5-220nM and a low detection limit of 2.60nM owing to the covalent reaction between the boric acid group of APBA and the cis-glycol groups of the glycoproteins. The developed method was also successfully applied to determine glycoproteins in egg white of chickens and human urine samples with quantitative spike recoveries from 95% to 104%.

catena-Poly[3,3'-diethyl-1,1'-(propane-1,3-di-yl)di(1H-imidazol-3-ium) [silver(I)-di-µ-iodido-silver(I)-di-µ-iodido]].

The title compound, {(C(13)H(22)N(4))[Ag(2)I(4)]}(n), was prepared by reaction of 1,3-bis-(N-ethyl-imidazolium-1-yl)propane iodide with silver (I) oxide. In the 3,3'-diethyl-1,1'-(propane-1,3-di-yl)di(1H-imidazol-3-ium) cation, the dihedral angle between the imidazole rings is 49.3 (1)°. In the [Ag(2)I(4)](2-) anion, each Ag(I) atom is bonded to three iodide anions, the two Ag(I) atoms and two of the iodides forming Ag(2)I(2) square-planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.01 Å) units·The remaining two iodides, which are placed on opposite sides of the square, together with their centrosymmetric counterparts, link the square-planar Ag(2)I(2) units into {[Ag(2)I(4)](2-)}(n) polymeric chains via Ag-I bonds.