Multicolor-Assay-on-a-Chip Processed by Robotic Operation (MACpro) with Improved Diagnostic Accuracy for Field-Deployable Detection.

The ability to deploy decentralized laboratories with autonomous and reliable disease diagnosis holds the potential to deliver accessible healthcare services for public safety. While microfluidic technologies provide precise manipulation of small fluid volumes with improved assay performance, their limited automation and versatility confine them to laboratories. Herein, we report the utility of multicolor assay-on-a-chip processed by robotic operation (MACpro), to address this unmet need. The MACpro platform comprises a robot-microfluidic interface and an eye-in-hand module that provides flexible yet stable actions to execute tasks in a programmable manner, such as the precise manipulation of the microfluidic chip along with different paths. Notably, MACpro shows improved detection performance by integrating the microbead-based antibody immobilization with enhanced target recognition and multicolor sensing via Cu2+-catalyzed plasmonic etching of gold nanorods for rapid and sensitive analyte quantification. Using interferon-gamma as an example, we demonstrate that MACpro completes a sample-to-answer immunoassay within 30 min and achieves a 10-fold broader dynamic range and a 10-fold lower detection limit compared to standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (0.66 vs 5.2 pg/mL). MACpro extends the applications beyond traditional laboratories and presents an automated solution to expand diagnostic capacity in diverse settings.

Assessment of Pulmonary Arteries Hemodynamics and Its Relationship With Cardiac Remodeling and Myocardial Fibrosis in Athletes With Four-Dimensional Flow MRI.

BACKGROUND: Exercise-induced cardiac remodeling (CR) and myocardial fibrosis (MF) can increase cardiovascular risk in athletes. Early detection of pulmonary arterial hemodynamics parameters among athletes may be beneficial in optimizing the frequency of clinical follow-ups. PURPOSE: To analyze the hemodynamics of pulmonary arteries and its relationship with CR and MF in athletes using four-dimensional (4D) flow MRI. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. POPULATION: One hundred twenty-one athletes (median age, 24 years; mean exercise per week 10 hours, for mean of 5 years) and twenty-one sedentary healthy controls (median age, 25 years; exercise per week <3 hours, irregular pattern). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: True fast imaging with steady state free precession, time-resolved 3D Cartesian phase-contrast, and phase sensitive inversion recovery late gadolinium enhancement sequences at 3.0 T. ASSESSMENT: CR was defined as any cardiac parameters exceeding the 99th percentile upper reference limits, encompassing ventricular function, bi-atrium and bi-ventricle diameters, and ventricular wall thickness. MF was visually evaluated by three independent radiologists. 4D flow parameters were assessed in the main, right, and left pulmonary arteries (MPA, RPA, and LPA, respectively) and compared between different groups. Four machine learning (ML) models were developed to differentiate between athletes with and without CR and/or MF. STATISTICAL TESTS: Univariate analysis was used to compare groups. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess the performance of the ML models. RESULTS: Athletes had significantly higher WSSmax in the MPA, RPA, and LPA than controls. Athletes with CR and/or MF (N = 30) had significantly lower RPmax from MPA to RPA than those without (N = 91). Among the ML models, the gradient boosting machine model had the highest performance, with an AUC of 0.90. CONCLUSION: The pulmonary arterial hemodynamics parameters could differentiate CR and/or MF in athletes, which may be potential to assist in optimizing frequency of follow-up. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Objective Findings on the K-Doped g-C3N4 Photocatalysts: The Presence and Influence of Organic Byproducts on K-Doped g-C3N4 Photocatalysis.

The thermal-condensation method is widely used for the synthesis of K-doped g-C3N4 photocatalysts, but the presence of organic byproducts in the resultant products is often overlooked in previous reports. Here, we demonstrated the universal presence of organic byproducts in K-doped g-C3N4 synthesized by typical thermal condensation of KOH/melamine, KOH/dicyandiamide, or KOH/urea. Taking the K-doped g-C3N4 photocatalysis for the degradation of dimethyl phthalate as an example, the negative influence of the organic byproducts on K-doped g-C3N4 photocatalysis was confirmed. Specifically, the organic byproducts can be gradually dissolved into the photocatalytic system of K-doped g-C3N4 as new and stable pollutants. Based on the solubility investigations on the byproducts in several solvents, hot-water washing was demonstrated to be a relatively effective approach to remove the organic byproducts from K-doped g-C3N4. The formation of organic byproducts during the synthesis of K-doped g-C3N4 could be ascribed to the fact that the presence of K salts in melamine, dicyandiamide, or urea molecules results in their insufficient thermal condensation into expected g-C3N4. The present work provides objective information about the K-doped g-C3N4 photocatalysts and reminds researchers about the influence of the organic byproducts on the applications of the other impurity-doped g-C3N4 photocatalysts.

Application of Three-Dimensional Printing Technology in the Orbital Blowout Fracture Reconstruction.

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical outcomes of orbital blowout fracture repair by using the three-dimensional (3D) printing-assisted fabrication of individual titanium mesh. Clinical and radiologic data were analyzed for 12 patients with orbital floor and/or medial wall fractures. Lower eyelid incision was used to expose the fractures. Preoperative computed tomographic data were input into an imaging software to rebuild a 3D orbit and mirror the unaffected side into the affected side to replace the demolished orbit. A resin model of the reshaped orbit was generated and used to develop an individual titanium mesh for repairing the fractured orbital. The surgical results were assessed by value of enophthalmos and a comparison of preoperative and postoperative orbital volume difference. All patients had a successful treatment outcome without any complications. Clinical significant enophthalmos were not observed after treatment, and diplopia were solved within 2 weeks postoperative. No extraocular muscle limitation was observed. Postoperative computed tomography scans demonstrated appropriate positioning of titanium mesh and there was no implant displacement. The postoperative orbital volume and enophthalmos difference between the 2 eyes decreased significantly than preoperative (P < 0.001). Three-dimensional printing-assisted fabrication of individual titanium mesh is appropriate for use in orbital blowout fracture.

Optimization of ZnAl/Chitosan Supra-Nano Hybrid Preparation as Efficient Antibacterial Material.

The menace of antimicrobial resistance continues to increase and hence the need to discover new antibiotics, especially alternative and effective sources such as hybrid organic-inorganic, organic-organic materials, and other combinations. In this study, an antimicrobial hybrid supra-nano material was prepared by the bi-titration synthesis method of chitosan (CS) and ZnAl layered double hydroxide. Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), thermogravimetric and differential thermal gravimetric (TGA/DTG), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses indicated that the ZnAl/CS hybrid exhibited low crystallinity with high thermal stability. The results of ZnAl/CS characterization showed the characteristic properties of the individual components ZnAl and CS, indicating a successful preparation of the ZnAl/CS hybrid. The antibacterial tests revealed that the ZnAl/CS hybrid possessed an enhanced antimicrobial effect against both Escherichia coli (E. coli, MTCC 739) and Penicilliumcyclopium (P. cyclopium, AS 3.4513). Under the central composite design (CCD) of the response surface methodology (RSM) tool, the parameters of the hybrid synthesis reaction were optimized and the result obtained was as follows: reaction pH was 11.3, reagent Zn/Al ratio was 3.27, and chitosan concentration was 1.07 g/L. After optimization, it was found that the antibacterial activity of ZnAl/CS was strengthened against E. coli as evidenced by a widening of the inhibition zone of about 41.6%. The antibacterial activity of ZnAl/CS was mainly due to the reactivation of the antibacterial activity of CS associated with the release of Zn2+ and Al3+ metal ions in addition to ZnO, Al2O3, and ZnAl2O4 compounds resulting from the method of preparation.