Unusual body weight loss due to primary hyperparathyroidism: A case study with literature review.

Brown tumors (osteitis fibrosa cystica) are rare pathognomonic signs that occur in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Brown tumors can exist in multiple bones and can easily be misdiagnosed as a metastatic tumor or multiple myeloma. It is also localized in the forearm, humerus, and leg. The symptoms of hypercalcemia, pathologic fracture, and bodyweight loss may increase the diagnostic difficulty of brown tumors because multiple myeloma and bone metastasis also show the same symptoms. We studied a 68-year-old woman who had experienced unusual bodyweight loss in the past 6 months (56kg-40kg) and bone pain. She went to the hospital after a fall with a complaint of bone pain. An X-ray revealed a left bubbly-like cystic change and multiple fractures at the left ulna midshaft. Upon investigation, the level of intact parathyroid hormone was ascertained to be 1800 (normal: 10-60) pg/ml. Microscopically, the tumor demonstrated a benign bone lesion and was compatible with osteitis fibrosa cystica due to PHPT. The parathyroid scan (Tc-99 m sestamibi) indicated right parathyroid hyperplasia, which was later confirmed by a parathyroidectomy. She was diagnosed with osteitis fibrosa cystica associated with PHPT due to a parathyroid adenoma. PHPT can be presented with multiple fractures, bone pain, and bodyweight loss. Therefore, if a patient presents these symptoms, PHPT should be considered.

Newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus in a human immunodeficiency virus-infected patient with antiretroviral therapy-induced immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes that develops in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients who receive antiretroviral therapy (ART) is usually type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); however, autoimmune diabetes, such as type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) can also develop in this population. After treatment with ART, patients might experience clinical deterioration following an increase in the CD4 cell count, which is termed immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). Here, we describe an HIV-infected patient on ART who developed T1DMat due to IRIS, highlighting the clinical complexity in diagnosis and treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: A 36-year-old man infected with HIV had a nadir CD4 cell count of 15.53/µL before medication, which increased to 429.09/µL after 9 months of regular ART. The fasting serum glucose at 9 months was between 96 mg/dL and 117 mg/dL. After 11 months of ART, the patient was admitted to hospital for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and Graves' disease (GD). Noninsulin antidiabetics (NIADs) were prescribed following the resolution of DKA. However, poor glycemic control was noted despite well-titrated NIADs. Further investigation demonstrated poor pancreatic beta cell function and elevated anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (anti-GAD) and anti-tyrosine phosphatase-like insulinoma antigen 2 (anti-IA2) titers. According to the results, he was diagnosed with T1DM and received multiple daily injections(MDI) of insulin. The regimen of MDI was insulin degludec as basal insulin and insulin aspart as prandial insulin. After MDI therapy, his glycemic control was improved. CONCLUSION: In this case, T1DM was ascribed to IRIS. Although this phenomenon has been demonstrated in previous case reports, further study is necessary to realize the mechanism of this association. Therefore, we emphasize that when HIV-infected patients on ART experience an unstable blood glucose level and abnormal thyroid function, physicians should consider T1DM and GD associated with ART-induced IRIS to reduce the subsequent complications and more serious endocrine dysfunction.

Two-phase dual-signal-readout immunosensing platform based on multifunctional carbon nano-onions for ovarian cancer biomarker detection.

In order to detect early tumor markers and gain valuable time for treatment, there is an urgent need to develop a fast, cheap, and ultrasensitive multi-reading sensing platform. Herein, a solid/liquid two-phase dual-output biosensor was explored based on a sensitized sonochemiluminescence (SCL) strategy and a multifunctional carbon nano-onion (CNO) probe. It is clear that ultrasonic radiation caused the formation of hydroxyl radicals (˙OH), triggering the SCL signal of the emitter lucigenin (Luc2+). Meanwhile, titanium carbide nanodots and ethanol were used to enhance the SCL signal, and an astonishingly linear enhancement of the SCL intensity was produced with increasing ethanol concentration. More importantly, the CNOs, with their excellent photothermal properties and adsorption capacity, can output both the temperature signal and an enhanced SCL strength from the solid-liquid phase. Through inter-calibration of the signals from the two-phases, this biosensor shows excellent analytical performance for the detection of the ovarian cancer biomarker, human epididymis-specific protein 4, from 10-5 to 10 ng mL-1 with a low detection limit of 3.3 fg mL-1. This work not only provides a novel two-phase signal-output mode that broadens the scope of multiperformance joint applications of CNOs, but also enriches the quantitative detection of point-of-care testing.

Optical and Acoustic Synergetic Sensing Platform Enabled by a Pyrene-Based Conjugated Polymer Self-Circulating Amplified System for Lung Cancer Detection.

A stable and reusable electrochemiluminescent (ECL) signal amplification strategy was proposed through a pyrene-based conjugated polymer (Py-CP) triggered self-circulating enhancement system. Specifically, the delocalized conjugated π-electrons of Py-CPs made it an excellent coreactant to arouse the initial ECL signal improvement of Ru(phen)32+, but the subsequent signal reduction was attributed to the consumption of Py-CPs, in which this stage was called the signal sensitization evoking phase (SSEP). Then, the maximum use of ECL luminescence of Ru(phen)32+ produced in the SSEP was made to irradiate the photosensitizer Py-CPs for in situ producing numerous ·OH, and a stronger and more stable ECL response stage defined as the signal sensitization stabilize phase was reached. Encouragingly, the incorporation of Nb2C MXene quantum dots with an exceptional physicochemical property not only foreshortens the SSEP for quickly acquiring a stable ECL signal but also introduces the photoacoustic (PA) transduce mechanism for achieving dual-signal outputting. Ultimately, the portable and miniaturized ECL-PA synergetic sensing platform based on the closed-bipolar electrode realized sensitive let-7a detection in a wide linear range from 10-9 to 10-2 nM with a low detection limit of 3.3 × 10-10 nM and also demonstrated good selectivity, excellent stability, and high reliability. The successful application of an innovative signal transduction mechanism and dexterous coupling modality will provide new insights for advancing the development of flexible analytical devices.

Long-Lasting Electret Melt-Blown Nonwoven Functional Filters Made of Organic/Inorganixc Macromolecular Micron Materials: Manufacturing Techniques and Property Evaluations.

Melt-blown nonwoven fabrics for filtration are usually manufactured using polypropylene, but after a certain time period the middle layer of the mask may have a reduced effect on adsorbing particles and may not be easily stored. Adding electret materials not only increases storage time, but also shows in this study that the addition of electret can improve filtration efficiency. Therefore, this experiment uses a melt-blown method to prepare a nonwoven layer, and adds MMT, CNT, and TiO2 electret materials to it for experiments. Polypropylene (PP) chip, montmorillonite (MMT) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) powders, and carbon nanotube (CNT) are blended and made into compound masterbatch pellets using a single-screw extruder. The resulting compound pellets thus contain different combinations of PP, MMT, TiO2, and CNT. Next, a hot pressor is used to make the compound chips into a high-poly film, which is then measured with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The optimal parameters are yielded and employed to form the PP/MMT/TiO2 nonwoven fabrics and PP/MMT/CNT nonwoven fabrics. The basis weight, thickness, diameter, pore size, fiber covering ratio, air permeability, and tensile property of different nonwoven fabrics are evaluated in order to have the optimal group of PP-based melt-blown nonwoven fabrics. According to the results of DSC and FTIR measurements, PP and MMT, CNT, and TiO2 are completely mixed, and the melting temperature (Tm), crystallization temperature (Tc) and endotherm area are changed accordingly. The difference in enthalpy of melting changes the crystallization of PP pellets, which in turn changes the fibers. Moreover, the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy results substantiate that PP pellets are well blended with CNT and MMT, according to the comparisons of characteristic peaks. Finally, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation suggests that with a spinning die temperature of 240 °C and a spinning die pressure lower than 0.01 MPa, the compound pellets can be successfully formed into melt-blown nonwoven fabrics with a 10-micrometer diameter. The proposed melt-blown nonwoven fabrics can be processed with electret to form long-lasting electret melt-blown nonwoven filters.

A case report: Marfan syndrome with X trisomy and FBN1 and SDHB mutations.

BACKGROUND: Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a rare autosomal dominant connective tissue disorder affecting the cardiovascular, skeletal, and ophthalmic systems. This report aimed to describe a novel genetic background and treatment prognosis of MFS. CASE PRESENTATION: A proband was initially diagnosed with bilateral pathologic myopia and suspected MFS. We performed whole exome sequencing and found a pathogenic nonsense FBN1 mutation in the proband, which confirmed the diagnosis of MFS. Notably, we identified a second pathogenic nonsense mutation in SDHB, which increased the risk of tumours. In addition, the proband karyotype was X trisomy, which may cause X trisomy syndrome. At the 6-month follow-up after posterior scleral reinforcement surgery, the proband's visual acuity improved significantly; however, myopia was still progressing. CONCLUSIONS: We report a rare case of MFS with a X trisomy genotype, a mutation in FBN1 and a mutation in SDHB for the first time, and our findings could be helpful for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

Iodine nutritional status is not a direct factor in the prevalence of the BRAFV600E mutation in papillary thyroid cancer.

Objective: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) accounts for approximately 85%-90% of all thyroid cancers. Of the iodine-metabolizing genes, BRAFV600E is a highly specific target for PTC and may have a reciprocal causative relationship with iodide-metabolizing genes. Materials and methods: In this study, we performed a data analysis of selected quantitative studies to determine the relationship between iodine nutritional status and the prevalence of the BRAF600E mutation in patients with PTC. Five studies were selected for meta-analysis based on the selection criteria. Results: A total of 2,068 patients were divided into three groups: low (urinary iodine concentration [UIC] < 100 µg/L), adequate (UIC 100-200 µg/L), and high (UIC ≥ 200 µg/L). The results were obtained using RevMan software, and the pooled odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using Mantel-Haenszel statistics with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The OR for the prevalence of the BRAFV600E mutation between the high and adequate groups was 1.25 (95% CI 0.64-2.43, p = 0.51), and the OR between the low and adequate groups was 0.98 (95% CI 0.42-2.31, p = 0.96). The BRAFV600E mutation risk did not change significantly at different levels of iodine nutrition (p = 0.33) in statistical analyses. Conclusion: We conducted preliminary research on dietary iodine intake and the BRAFV600E mutation in PTC. The results suggested that abnormal iodine intake might not directly influence the prevalence of the BRAFV600E mutation in these patients. Further research into the associations between dietary iodine intake and the BRAFV600E mutation in PTC, including the underlying mechanisms, is required.

Iodine nutritional status is not a direct factor in the prevalence of the BRAFV600E mutation in papillary thyroid cancer

ABSTRACT Objectives: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) accounts for approximately 85%-90% of all thyroid cancers. Of the iodine-metabolizing genes, BRAFV600E is a highly specific target for PTC and may have a reciprocal causative relationship with iodide-metabolizing genes. Materials and methods: In this study, we performed a data analysis of selected quantitative studies to determine the relationship between iodine nutritional status and the prevalence of the BRAF600E mutation in patients with PTC. Five studies were selected for meta-analysis based on the selection criteria. Results: A total of 2,068 patients were divided into three groups: low (urinary iodine concentration [UIC] < 100 μg/L), adequate (UIC 100-200 μg/L), and high (UIC ≥ 200 μg/L). The results were obtained using RevMan software, and the pooled odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using Mantel-Haenszel statistics with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The OR for the prevalence of the BRAFV600E mutation between the high and adequate groups was 1.25 (95% CI 0.64-2.43, p = 0.51), and the OR between the low and adequate groups was 0.98 (95% CI 0.42-2.31, p = 0.96). The BRAFV600E mutation risk did not change significantly at different levels of iodine nutrition (p = 0.33) in statistical analyses. Conclusion: We conducted preliminary research on dietary iodine intake and the BRAFV600E mutation in PTC. The results suggested that abnormal iodine intake might not directly influence the prevalence of the BRAFV600E mutation in these patients. Further research into the associations between dietary iodine intake and the BRAFV600E mutation in PTC, including the underlying mechanisms, is required.

Modular and Noncontact Wireless Detection Platform for Ovarian Cancer Markers: Electrochemiluminescent and Photoacoustic Dual-Signal Output Based on Multiresponse Carbon Nano-Onions.

An electrochemiluminescent (ECL)-photoacoustic (PA) dual-signal output biosensor based on the modular optimization and wireless nature of a bipolar electrode (BPE) was constructed. To further simplify the detection process, the BPE structure was designed as three separate units: anode ECL collection, cathode catalytic amplification, and intermediate functional sensing units. Specifically, the anode unit was placed with Eosin Yellow, a cheap and effective ECL reagent, and the cathode unit was a laser-induced polyoxometalate-graphene electrode, which was helpful to enhance the anode ECL signal. The intermediate functional sensing unit consisted of a temperature-sensitive conductive film. Further, using a carbon nano-onion nanocomposite with excellent absorption performance in the near-infrared region as a signal tag not only leads to changes in the electrical conductivity of the film through heat transfer and thus affects the ECL signal but also produces a strong PA response. With this design, PA and ECL signals can be output simultaneously. This work not only realizes multiple modularization processes in the design of sensors but also implements the diversification of signal output modes, which will enrich the joint research field of ECL detection technology and other new detection methods.

Photothermal-Induced Electrochemical Interfacial Region Regulation Enables Signal Amplification for Dual-Mode Detection of Ovarian Cancer Biomarkers.

Detection sensitivity of an electrochemical immunosensor mainly depends on the accessible distance toward the sensing interface; regulating the electrochemical interfacial region thereon is an effective strategy for signal amplification. Herein, a photothermal-regulated sensing interface was designed based on a near-infrared (NIR)-responsive hydrogel probe for ultrasensitive detection of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4). Silver nanoparticle-deposited graphene oxide nanosheet (AgNPs@GO) hybrids as electrochemical signal tags and a photothermal transducer, which were encapsulated in the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) hydrogel, were used to develop the NIR-responsive GO@AgNPs-pNIPAM hydrogel probe. Under NIR light irradiation, the excellent photothermal effect of AgNPs@GO hybrids not only rapidly converted NIR light into heat for temperature readout but also triggered the shrinkage behavior of the hydrogel for electrochemical signal amplification. Compared with the conventional sandwich immunoassay, the shrinkage behavior of the hydrogel signal probe endowed itself with interface regulation capability to improve the electrochemical reaction efficiency; on the basis of ensuring the extended outer Helmholtz plane (OHP) region, the proposed photothermal-induced interface regulation also shortened the OHP, leading to higher sensitivity. Moreover, the obtained dual-mode signals provided satisfactory accuracy for the detection of tumor markers. Therefore, this detection scheme provided an opportunity for the broad applications of the photothermal effect in clinical diagnosis.

Design and application of proximity hybridization-based multiple stimuli-responsive immunosensing platform for ovarian cancer biomarker detection.

The development of convenient and sensitive multi-readout immunoassay is crucial but highly challenged for meeting the demand of exactness and diversity in early clinical diagnosis. Herein, a split-type multiple stimuli-responsive biosensor was outlined combined with the outstanding superiority of luminol probe-based electrochemiluminescence (ECL) strategy, mimicking enzyme-mediated colorimetric system and portable photothermal effect-induced temperature sensing. Especially, versatile MoS2 nanosheets (MoS2 NSs) with distinguished property not only acted as dual-promoter to improve the cathodic ECL of luminol because of its good electrocatalytic activity for dissolved O2 and favorable photothermal effect for elevating electrode temperature, but also used as nanozyme to regulate subsequent split-type visual colorimetric sensing due to its peroxidase-like activity for the generation of oxidized 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) in ABTS-H2O2 colorimetric system. More importantly, the green oxidized ABTS (ABTS•+) also exhibited strong near-infrared (NIR) laser-triggered photothermal performance, which can be innovatively employed as sensitive photothermal agent for converting biological signals into temperature under the irradiation of NIR laser, accomplishing more simpler temperature quantitative detection by a portable thermometer. Furthermore, on account of the affinity discrepancy of MoS2 NSs to single-stranded and double-stranded nucleic acids, a label-free proximity hybridization-based multifunctional assay platform was proposed for target detection with human epididymis-specific protein 4 (HE4) as model protein, demonstrating good analytical performances. Significantly, this innovative work not only enriches the foundational study of multi-model biosensing based on the unitary material but also provides an unambiguous guideline for exploring more accurate and simpler point-of-care diagnosis.

Dual-modality probe based on black phosphorous and NiFe2O4 NTs for electrochemiluminescence and photothermal detection of ovarian cancer marker.

An electrochemiluminescence and photothermal immunosensor based on a dual-modality integrated probe was proposed for sensitive and reliable detection of lipolysis stimulated lipoprotein receptor (LSR), a new biomarker of ovarian cancer. Black phosphorous quantum dots (BPQDs) possess fascinating electrochemical property and unique photothermal effect, which could not only enhance ECL signal of N-(4-aminobutyl)-N-ethylisoluminol (ABEI) through accelerating dissolved O2 evolution but also realize temperature signal output by converting laser energy into heat. Furthermore, NiFe2O4 nanotubes (NiFe2O4 NTs) have large specific surface area and favorable adsorption ability, which could increase the immobilized amount of ABEI and BPQDs, further strengthening ECL and temperature signal. As a result, a dual-mode immunosensor was constructed and realized ECL and temperature dual signal to detect LSR, making the results more reliable. This work provided a new thought for the development of sensitive and accurate sensors and was expected to employ for determination of other biomarkers.

A multiple mixed TiO2 mesocrystal junction based PEC-colorimetric immunoassay for specific recognition of lipolysis stimulated lipoprotein receptor.

A flexible two-step photoelectrochemical (PEC)-colorimetric immunoassay was proposed for ultrasensitive detection of lipolysis stimulated lipoprotein receptor (LSR) which is found to be closely related to ovarian cancer (OC). In this paper, the Cu nanoclusters (CuNCs) enhanced multiple mixed TiO2 mesocrystals junction (MMMJ) was fabricated via effective combination of multiple different phases TiO2 mesocrystals (Anatase and Rutile) layers and used as a sensing platform. The strong interaction between different phases layers caused multiple amplification of signal and introduction of Cu NCs further improve PEC properties and catalytic activity to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) what can catalyze lecuo-methylene blue (lecuo-MB) from colorless to blue. As antibody and target antigen captured onto the MMMJ in turn, both PEC properties and catalytic activities were inhibited, leading to decreased photocurrent responses and multiply vivid color variations in lecuo-MB functionalized colorimetric films. Thus, a versatile dual-modal sensing system was developed just by utilizing enhanced MMMJ as a photoelectrode and lecuo-MB as a color change reporter molecule for PEC and colorimetric monitoring of target. Combing all of these advantages, the designed dual-modal immunoassay considerately reduced false positive or negative results during the measurement, and the unique approach for MMMJ construction may also provide a valuable guidance for designing other mixed phase junctions with superior PEC performance.

A mimotope peptide-based dual-signal readout competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay for non-toxic detection of zearalenone.

In this study, a mimotope peptide-based non-toxic photoelectrochemical (PEC) competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) was established for ultrasensitive detection of zearalenone (ZEN) with dual-signal readout. Using the phage display technique (PDT), a mimotope peptide of ZEN could be harvested by selecting a peptide from a phage-display peptide library, which avoided using mycotoxin itself and minimized potential damage to operators. The tyramine-modified rutile TiO2 mesocrystals (Tyr-RMC) with outstanding PEC properties were utilized as reporter units to label the mimotope peptide. The fabricated peptide@Tyr-RMC probe could anchor on the antibody-modified electrode via competitive immune recognition of free target ZEN. When subjected to catalysis of HRP-H2O2, the Tyr-RMC composite was deposited at the enzyme reaction site, causing rolling circle extension of the reporter unit chains. By merit of the brilliant signal amplification effect of tyramine signal amplification (TSA), dramatically enhanced photocurrent response and enormously increased electrochemical impedance could be determined. Combining all of these advantages, the developed dual-signal readout non-toxicity immunoassay could effectively decrease environmental interference. Also, the designed dual-signal readout biosensor demonstrated a wide linear range between 10-6 and 1 ng mL-1 with a low detection limit of 1 × 10-6 ng mL-1, which provides a valuable reference for developing highly efficient, secure and sensitive detection methods and indicates promising applicability in food testing.

An ultrasensitive ratiometric electrochemiluminescence immunosensor combining photothermal amplification for ovarian cancer marker detection.

Signal amplification strategies play important functions in the development of highly sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensing system. Herein, a photothermal enhanced ratiometric ECL immunosensor was proposed for the detection of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), an ovarian cancer biomarker. Mesoporous SiO2 (ms-SiO2) and carbon nanohorns (CNHs) was served as carrier of ECL emitter carbon nitride nanosheet (g-C3N4) and anodic ECL emitter polymer dots (Pdots), respectively. The large specific area of ms-SiO2 and CNHs improved the loading capacity of g-C3N4 and Pdots, enhancing ECL signals. Furthermore, CNHs was innovatively utilized as thermal convert unit to increase the electrode surface temperature, which benefited from its extraordinary photothermal property at 808 nm that can convert laser energy into heat for elevating the temperature, further amplified ECL signal. The delicately designed ECL immunosensor exhibited excellent sensitivity to HE4 detection with wide linear range from 1.0 × 10-5 to 10 ng/mL and low detection limit of 3.3 × 10-6 ng/mL. This work not only provided an effective way to develop highly sensitive ECL immunosensor but could attract more attention on the application of photothermal material in the ECL field.

Effects of Different Types of Water and Nitrogen Fertilizer Management on Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Yield, and Water Consumption of Paddy Fields in Cold Region of China.

Water management and nitrogen (N) fertilizers are the two main driving factors of greenhouse gas emissions. In this paper, two irrigation modes, controlled irrigation (CI) and flood irrigation (FI), and four nitrogen fertilizer levels (N0: 0, N1:,85, N2:,110, and N3:,135 kg·hm-2) were set to study the effect of different irrigation modes and N fertilizer amount on greenhouse-gas emissions of paddy fields in cold region by using the static chamber-gas chromatograph method; yield and water consumption were also analyzed. The results showed that, compared with FI, CI significantly reduced CH4 emissions by 19.42~46.94%, but increased N2O emissions by 5.66~11.85%. Under the two irrigation modes, N fertilizers could significantly increase N2O emissions, but the CH4 emissions of each N treatment showed few differences. Compared with FI, appropriate N application under CI could significantly increase grain number per spike, seed-setting rate, and 1000-grain weight, thus increasing yield. Under the two irrigation modes, water consumption increased with the increase of N application rate, and the total water consumption of CI was significantly lower than that of FI. The global warming potential (GWP) of CI was significantly smaller than that of FI. The trend of GWP in each treatment was similar to that of CH4. Through comprehensive comparison and analysis of water productivity (WP), gas emission intensity (GHGI), and the yield of each treatment, we found that CI+N2 treatment had the highest WP (2.05 kg·m-3) and lowest GHGI (0.37 kg CO2-eq·kg-1), while maintaining high yield (10224.4 kg·hm-2). The results of this study provide an important basis for guiding high yield, water-savings, and emission reduction of paddy fields in cold regions.

A highly sensitive peptide-based biosensor using NiCo2O4 nanosheets and g-C3N4 nanocomposite to construct amplified strategy for trypsin detection.

Here, a simple electrochemical biosensor was proposed based on the specific recognition between trypsin and peptide. Initially, NiCo2O4-PAMAM nanocomposite was casted on the bare electrode to achieve the electrochemical signal amplification in 0.1 mM [Ru(NH3)6]3+ solution owing to the great electronic conductivity and high electrochemical activity induced by the special structure of NiCo2O4 nanosheets (Ni3+ cations in octachedral sites of the Co3O4). Subsequently, a declined electrochemical signal was obtained when g-C3N4 labeled peptide composites were anchored on the electrode. However, after trypsin was added into solution and incubated with the biosensor, the electrochemical signal was re-promoted. Therefore, the as-synthesized biosensor could realize the sensitive detection of trypsin by virtue of the specific recognition between trypsin and peptide. As a result, the developed peptide-based exhibited a linear range from 10-10 to 10-4 mg mL-1 with an ultralow detection limit of 10-10 mg mL-1, providing sensitive analytical performance and acceptable application potential in clinical test and disease diagnosis due to its high stability, excellent selectivity, acceptable reproducibility and accurate signal output.

Combined electrochemiluminescent and electrochemical immunoassay for interleukin 6 based on the use of TiO2 mesocrystal nanoarchitectures.

A dual-responsive sandwich-type immunosensor is described for the detection of interleukin 6 (IL-6) by combining electrochemiluminescent (ECL) and electrochemical (EC) detection based on the use of two kinds of TiO2 mesocrystal nanoarchitectures. A composite was prepared from TiO2 (anatase) mesocages (AMCs) and a carboxy-terminated ionic liquid (CTIL) and then placed on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). In the next step, the ECL probe Ru(bpy)3(II) and antibody against IL-6 (Ab1) were immobilized on the GCE. Octahedral anatase TiO2 mesocrystals (OAMs) served as the matrix for immobilizing acid phosphatase (ACP) and secondary antibody (Ab2) labeled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) to form a bioconjugate of type Ab2-HRP/ACP/OAMs. It was self-assembled on the GCE by immunobinding. 1-Naphthol, which is produced in-situ on the surface of the GCE due to the hydrolysis of added 1-naphthyl phosphate by ACP, is oxidized by HRP in the presence of added H2O2. This results in an electrochemical signal (typically measured at 0.4 V vs. Ag/AgCl) that increases linearly in the 10 fg·mL-1 to 90 ng·mL-1 IL-6 concentration range with a detection limit of 0.32 fg·mL-1. Secondly, the oxidation product of 1-naphthol quenches the ECL emission of Ru(bpy)32+. This leads to a decrease in ECL intensity which is linear in the 10 ag·mL-1 to 90 ng·mL-1 concentration range, with a detection limit of 3.5 ag·mL-1. The method exhibits satisfying selectivity and good reproducibility which demonstrates its potential in clinical testing and diagnosis. Graphical abstract A dual-responsive sandwich-type immunosensor was fabricated for the detection of interleukin 6 by combining electrochemiluminescence and electrochemical detection based on the use of two kinds of TiO2 mesocrystal nanoarchitectures.

Photoelectrochemical biosensor constructed using TiO2 mesocrystals based multipurpose matrix for trypsin detection.

Herein, a delicate photoelectrochemical biosensor for quantitative detection of trypsin was successfully established by virtue of polyethylenimine-sensitized TiO2 mesocrystal as the photoactive matrix integrated with Boron-doped carbon quantum dots labeled peptide as the signal amplification tags. Specifically, polyethylenimine with fine photo-stability was introduced here as the electron transporting layer to reduce the energy barrier of TiO2 mesocrystal, thereby facilitating the carriers transfer and improving the photocurrent response. Moreover, the Boron-doped carbon dots-peptide bioconjugates could noticeably decrease the photocurrent due to the competitively light harvesting by Boron-doped carbon dots and the steric hindrance of peptide chains, leading to less light energy arriving at the TiO2 mesocrystal and hindering the electrons transfer between the electrolyte and electrode. The anchored conjugates synergistically promoted the decline of photocurrent signal, evidently enhancing the sensitivity of this detection protocol. When trypsin was incubated, the photoelectric signal was obviously re-promoting because arginine-containing peptide chains could be specifically cleaved by trypsin and the Boron-doped carbon quantum dots was affranchised from the electrode, making the most of the previous suppression effects released. Therefore, the intensity of photocurrent signal was proportional to the trypsin concentration in a wide linger range from 1×10-7mg/mL to 1.0mg/mL. This practical and elegant "on-off-on" biosensor with high sensitivity offered a promising scheme to monitor various proteases and the inhibitors screening for early diagnoses of different diseases.

A Potentiometric Addressable Photoelectrochemical Biosensor for Sensitive Detection of Two Biomarkers.

It is a great challenge to fabricate multiplex and convenient photoelectrochemical biosensors for ultrasensitive determination of biomarkers. Herein, a fascinating potentiometric addressable photoelectrochemical biosensor was reported for double biomarkers' detection by varying the applied bias in the detection process. In this biosensor, the nanocomposite of cube anatase TiO2 mesocrystals and polyamidoamine dendrimers modified a dual disk electrode as an excellent photoelectrochemical sensing matrix. Subsequently, two important biomarkers in serum for prostate cancer, prostate-specific antigen and human interleukin-6, were immobilized onto the different disks of modified electrode via glutaraldehyde bridges. Then another two photosensitizers, graphitic-carbon-nitride-labeled and CS-AgI-labeled different antibodies, were self-assembled onto the electrode surface by a corresponding competitive immune recognition reaction. The change in photocurrent with the target antigen concentration at different critical voltages enables us to selectively and quantitatively determine targets. The results demonstrated that this potentiometric addressable photoelectrochemical biosensing strategy not only has great promise as a new point-of-care diagnostic tool for early detection of prostate cancer but also can be conveniently expanded to multiplex biosensing by simply change biomarkers. More importantly, this work provides an unambiguous operating guideline of multiplex photoelectrochemical immunoassay.