RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a deadly cancer with no clinically ideal biomarkers for early diagnosis. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a user-friendly diagnostic tool for early ESCC detection. METHODS: The study encompassed three phases: discovery, verification, and validation, comprising a total of 1309 individuals. Serum autoantibodies were profiled using the HuProtTM human proteome microarray, and autoantibody levels were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Twelve machine learning algorithms were employed to construct diagnostic models, and evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The model application was facilitated through R Shiny, providing a graphical interface. RESULTS: Thirteen autoantibodies targeting TAAs (CAST, FAM131A, GABPA, HDAC1, HDGFL1, HSF1, ISM2, PTMS, RNF219, SMARCE1, SNAP25, SRPK2, and ZPR1) were identified in the discovery phase. Subsequent verification and validation phases identified five TAAbs (anti-CAST, anti-HDAC1, anti-HSF1, anti-PTMS, and anti-ZPR1) that exhibited significant differences between ESCC and control subjects (P < 0.05). The support vector machine (SVM) model demonstrated robust performance, with AUCs of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.82-0.89) in the training set and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.78-0.88) in the test set. For early-stage ESCC, the SVM model achieved AUCs of 0.83 (95% CI: 0.79-0.88) in the training set and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.77-0.90) in the test set. Notably, promising results were observed for high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, with an AUC of 0.87 (95% CI: 0.77-0.98). The web-based implementation of the early ESCC diagnostic tool is publicly accessible at https://litdong.shinyapps.io/ESCCPred/ . CONCLUSION: This study provides a promising and easy-to-use diagnostic prediction model for early ESCC detection. It holds promise for improving early detection strategies and has potential implications for public health.
RESUMEN
PURPOSE: The relationship between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and pancreatic cancer has been well studied but remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the association between circulating 25(OH)D and pancreatic cancer by using a meta-analytic approach. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and Wed of Science databases were searched through October 15, 2022. A random or fixed-effects model was used to estimate the pooled odds ratio (OR), risk ratio (RR), hazard ratio (HR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: A total of 16 studies including 529,917 participants met the inclusion criteria, of which 10 reported incidence and 6 reported mortality. For the highest versus lowest categories of circulating 25(OH)D, the pooled OR of pancreatic cancer incidence in case-control studies was 0.98 (95% CI 0.69-1.27), and the pooled HRs of pancreatic cancer mortality in cohort and case-control studies were 0.64 (95% CI 0.45-0.82) and 0.78 (95% CI 0.62-0.95), respectively. The leave-one-out sensitivity analyses found no outliers and Galbraith plots indicated no substantial heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: Evidence from this meta-analysis suggested that high circulating 25(OH)D levels may be associated with decreased mortality but not incidence of pancreatic cancer. Our findings may provide some clues for the treatment of pancreatic cancer and remind us to be cautious about widespread vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of pancreatic cancer.
Asunto(s)
Estudios Observacionales como Asunto , Neoplasias Pancreáticas , Vitamina D , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/sangre , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/epidemiología , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/mortalidad , Humanos , Vitamina D/sangre , Vitamina D/análogos & derivados , Factores de Riesgo , IncidenciaRESUMEN
We disclose a peculiar rotational propulsion mechanism of Ray sperms enabled by its unusual heterogeneous dual helixes with a rigid spiral head and a soft tail, named Heterogeneous Dual Helixes (HDH) model for short. Different from the conventional beating propulsion of sperm, the propulsion of Ray sperms is from both the rotational motion of the soft helical tail and the rigid spiral head. Such heterogeneous dual helical propulsion style provides the Ray sperm with high adaptability in viscous solutions along with advantages in linearity, straightness, and bidirectional motion. This HDH model is further corroborated by a miniature swimming robot actuated via a rigid spiral head and a soft tail, which demonstrates similar superiorities over conventional ones in terms of adaptability and efficiency under the same power input. Such findings expand our knowledge on microorganisms' motion, motivate further studies on natural fertilization, and inspire engineering designs.
Asunto(s)
Espermatozoides/fisiología , Viscosidad , Humanos , Masculino , Modelos Biológicos , Motilidad Espermática/fisiología , Cola del Espermatozoide/fisiología , Espermatozoides/química , Espermatozoides/citologíaRESUMEN
Timely and accurate detection of viruses is crucial for infection diagnosis and treatment. However, it remains a challenge to develop a portable device that meets the requirement of being portable, powerless, user-friendly, reusable, and low-cost. This work reports a compact ∅30 × 48 mm portable powerless isothermal amplification detection device (material cost â¼$1 USD) relying on LAMP (Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification). We have proposed chromatographic-strip-based microporous permeation technology which can precisely control the water flow rate to regulate the exothermic reaction. This powerless heating combined with phase-change materials can maintain a constant temperature between 50 and 70 °C for a duration of up to 49.8 min. Compared with the conventional methods, it avoids the use of an additional insulation layer for heat preservation, greatly reducing the size and cost. We have also deployed a color card and a corresponding algorithm to facilitate color recognition, data analysis, and storage using a mobile phone. The experimental results demonstrate that our device exhibits the same limit of detection (LOD) as the ProFlex PCR for SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus samples, with that for both being 103 copies/µL, verifying its effectiveness and reliability. This work offers a timely, low-cost, and easy way for respiratory infectious disease detection, which could provide support in curbing virus transmission and protecting the health of humans and animals, especially in remote mountainous areas without access to electricity or trained professionals.
Asunto(s)
COVID-19 , Técnicas de Amplificación de Ácido Nucleico , SARS-CoV-2 , Técnicas de Amplificación de Ácido Nucleico/instrumentación , Técnicas de Amplificación de Ácido Nucleico/métodos , SARS-CoV-2/aislamiento & purificación , SARS-CoV-2/genética , Humanos , COVID-19/diagnóstico , COVID-19/virología , Técnicas de Diagnóstico Molecular/instrumentación , Técnicas de Diagnóstico Molecular/métodos , Técnicas de Diagnóstico Molecular/economía , Límite de DetecciónRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease that requires precise diagnosis for effective treatment. However, the diagnostic value of carbohydrate antigen 19 - 9 (CA19-9) is limited. Therefore, this study aims to identify novel tumor-associated autoantibodies (TAAbs) for PDAC diagnosis. METHODS: A three-phase strategy comprising discovery, test, and validation was implemented. HuProt™ Human Proteome Microarray v3.1 was used to screen potential TAAbs in 49 samples. Subsequently, the levels of potential TAAbs were evaluated in 477 samples via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in PDAC, benign pancreatic diseases (BPD), and normal control (NC), followed by the construction of a diagnostic model. RESULTS: In the discovery phase, protein microarrays identified 167 candidate TAAbs. Based on bioinformatics analysis, fifteen tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) were selected for further validation using ELISA. Ten TAAbs exhibited differentially expressed in PDAC patients in the test phase (P < 0.05), with an area under the curve (AUC) ranging from 0.61 to 0.76. An immunodiagnostic model including three TAAbs (anti-HEXB, anti-TXLNA, anti-SLAMF6) was then developed, demonstrating AUCs of 0.81 (58.0% sensitivity, 86.0% specificity) and 0.78 (55.71% sensitivity, 87.14% specificity) for distinguishing PDAC from NC. Additionally, the model yielded AUCs of 0.80 (58.0% sensitivity, 86.25% specificity) and 0.83 (55.71% sensitivity, 100% specificity) for distinguishing PDAC from BPD in the test and validation phases, respectively. Notably, the combination of the immunodiagnostic model with CA19-9 resulted in an increased positive rate of PDAC to 92.91%. CONCLUSION: The immunodiagnostic model may offer a novel serological detection method for PDAC diagnosis, providing valuable insights into the development of effective diagnostic biomarkers.
RESUMEN
An easy to prepare nickel-coordinated mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (Ni-mpg-CN) was introduced as a heterogeneous photocatalyst, which efficiently accelerated the photocatalytic C-N cross-coupling of (hetero)aryl bromides and aliphatic amines, delivering the desired monoaminated products in good yields. In addition, the concise synthesis of the pharmaceutical tetracaine was accomplished in the final stage, further highlighting the practical applicability.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: A potential inflammatory biomarker, soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) has been utilized to assist the prognostic assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients; however, outcomes have been inconsistent. The prognostic relevance of suPAR as a predictor of CAD patient adverse outcomes was therefore examined. METHODS: Research articles published as of 1 January 2022 were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, the Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. All-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and other major cardiovascular events (nonfatal myocardial infarction, heart failure or stroke) were analysed as a subset of relevant studies' results. We calculated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each study. The broad EQUATOR guidelines were conformed. Risk of bias was assessed with ROBINS-I tool. RESULTS: In total, this analysis included nine studies including 14,738 CAD patients. All included studies made a correction for certain potential confounders. However, risk of bias ranged from moderate to critical. When the ROBINS-I tool was used. Patients with CAD that exhibited increased suPAR levels had a substantially higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 2.24; 95% CI 1.97-2.55) or cardiovascular mortality (HR = 2.02; 95% CI 1.58-2.58), but not of developing other major cardiovascular events (HR = 1.63; 95% CI 0.86-3.11). Considerable heterogeneity across studies was observed in our meta-analyses, but no significant publication bias was detected. CONCLUSION: In patients with coronary disease, suPAR may have prognostic value for both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality but not for other major cardiovascular events.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedad de la Arteria Coronaria , Receptores del Activador de Plasminógeno Tipo Uroquinasa , Humanos , Pronóstico , Biomarcadores , Modelos de Riesgos ProporcionalesRESUMEN
Heterogeneous Brønsted acidic catalysts such as phosphoric acids are the conventional activators for organic transformations. However, the photocatalytic performance of these catalysts is still rarely explored. Herein, a novel Zr-based metal-organic framework Zr-MOF-P with phosphoric acids as a heterogeneous photocatalyst has been fabricated, which shows high selectivity and reactivity towards the photo-oxidation of sulfides under white light illumination. A mechanism study indicates that the selective oxygenation of sulfides occurs with triplet oxygen rather than common reactive oxygen species (ROS). When Zr-MOF-P is irradiated, the hydroxyl group of phosphoric acid is converted into oxygen radical, which takes an electron from the sulfides, and then the activated substrates react with the triplet oxygen to form sulfoxides, avoiding the destruction of the catalysts and endowing the reaction with high substrate compatibility and fine recyclability.
Asunto(s)
Estructuras Metalorgánicas , Sulfuros , Oxidación-Reducción , Especies Reactivas de Oxígeno , Oxígeno , Ácidos FosfóricosRESUMEN
Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are programmable deformable materials that can respond to physical fields such as light, heat, and electricity. Photothermal-driven LCE has the advantages of accuracy and remote control and avoids the requirement of high photon energy for photochemistry. In this review, we discuss recent advances in photothermal LCE materials and investigate methods for mechanical alignment, external field alignment, and surface-induced alignment. Advances in the synthesis and orientation of LCEs have enabled liquid crystal elastomers to meet applications in optics, robotics, and more. The review concludes with a discussion of current challenges and research opportunities.
Asunto(s)
Elastómeros , Cristales Líquidos , Elastómeros/química , Electricidad , Cristales Líquidos/química , Óptica y FotónicaRESUMEN
The valorization of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) to fine chemicals is one of the most promising approaches for CO2 capture and utilization. Herein we demonstrated a series of porous organometallic polymers could be employed as highly efficient and recyclable catalysts for this purpose. Synergetic effects of specific surface area, iridium content, and CO2 adsorption capability are crucial to achieve excellent selectivity and yields towards N-formylation of diverse amines with CO2 and H2 under mild reaction conditions even at 20â ppm catalyst loading. Density functional theory calculations revealed not only a redox-neutral catalytic pathway but also a new plausible mechanism with the incorporation of the key intermediate formic acid via a proton-relay process. Remarkably, a record turnover number (TON=1.58×106 ) was achieved in the synthesis of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), and the solid catalysts can be reused up to 12 runs, highlighting their practical potential in industry.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Pathological cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy, the common features of left ventricular remodeling, often progress to heart failure. Forkhead box transcription factor P1 (Foxp1) in endothelial cells (ECs) has been shown to play an important role in heart development. However, the effect of EC-Foxp1 on pathological cardiac remodeling has not been well clarified. This study aims to determine the role of EC-Foxp1 in pathological cardiac remodeling and the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Foxp1 EC-specific loss-of-function and gain-of-function mice were generated, and an angiotensin II infusion or a transverse aortic constriction operation mouse model was used to study the cardiac remodeling mechanisms. Foxp1 downstream target gene transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) was confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase assays. Finally, the effects of TGF-ß1 blockade on EC-Foxp1 deletion-mediated profibrotic and prohypertrophic phenotypic changes were further confirmed by pharmacological inhibition, more specifically by RGD-peptide magnetic nanoparticle target delivery of TGF-ß1-siRNA to ECs. RESULTS: Foxp1 expression is significantly downregulated in cardiac ECs during angiotensin II-induced cardiac remodeling. EC-Foxp1 deletion results in severe cardiac remodeling, including more cardiac fibrosis with myofibroblast formation and extracellular matrix protein production, as well as decompensated cardiac hypertrophy and further exacerbation of cardiac dysfunction on angiotensin II infusion or transverse aortic constriction operation. In contrast, EC-Foxp1 gain of function protects against pathological cardiac remodeling and improves cardiac dysfunction. TGF-ß1 signals are identified as Foxp1 direct target genes, and EC-Foxp1 deletion upregulates TGF-ß1 signals to promote myofibroblast formation through fibroblast proliferation and transformation, resulting in severe cardiac fibrosis. Moreover, EC-Foxp1 deletion enhances TGF-ß1-promoted endothelin-1 expression, which significantly increases cardiomyocyte size and reactivates cardiac fetal genes, leading to pathological cardiac hypertrophy. Correspondingly, these EC-Foxp1 deletion-mediated profibrotic and prohypertrophic phenotypic changes and cardiac dysfunction are normalized by the blockade of TGF-ß1 signals through pharmacological inhibition and RGD-peptide magnetic nanoparticle target delivery of TGF-ß1-siRNA to ECs. CONCLUSIONS: EC-Foxp1 regulates the TGF-ß1-endothelin-1 pathway to control pathological cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy, resulting in cardiac dysfunction. Therefore, targeting the EC-Foxp1-TGF-ß1-endothelin-1 pathway might provide a future novel therapy for heart failure.
Asunto(s)
Endotelio Vascular/fisiología , Factores de Transcripción Forkhead/metabolismo , Insuficiencia Cardíaca/metabolismo , Miocardio/patología , Proteínas Represoras/metabolismo , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta1/metabolismo , Angiotensina II/metabolismo , Animales , Aorta/cirugía , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Endotelina-1/metabolismo , Fibrosis , Factores de Transcripción Forkhead/genética , Insuficiencia Cardíaca/genética , Humanos , Ratones , Ratones Noqueados , Nanotubos de Péptidos , ARN Interferente Pequeño/genética , Proteínas Represoras/genética , Transducción de Señal , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta1/genética , Remodelación VentricularRESUMEN
In cells, mechanical forces play a key role in impacting cell behaviors, including adhesion, differentiation, migration, and death. Herein, a 20 nm mitochondria-targeted zinc-doped iron oxide nanocube is designed as a nanospinner to exert mechanical forces under a rotating magnetic field (RMF) at 15 Hz and 40 mT to fight against cancer. The nanospinners can efficiently target the mitochondria of cancer cells. By means of the RMF, the nanocubes assemble in alignment with the external field and produce a localized mechanical force to impair the cancer cells. Both in vitro and in vivo studies show that the nanospinners can damage the cancer cells and reduce the brain tumor growth rate after the application of the RMF. This nanoplatform provides an effective magnetomechanical approach to treat deep-seated tumors in a spatiotemporal fashion.
Asunto(s)
Magnetismo , Mitocondrias/metabolismo , Nanotecnología , Neoplasias/terapia , Línea Celular Tumoral , Linaje de la Célula , Humanos , Fenómenos Mecánicos , Neoplasias/patologíaRESUMEN
Targeting mitochondria has always been a challenging goal for therapeutic nanoparticle agents due to their heterotypic features and size, which usually lead to a lysosome/endosome endocytosis pathway. To overcome this limitation, in this work, a portfolio targeting strategy combining a small targeting molecule with a biomembrane was developed. Modification of small targeting molecule H2N-TPP on gold nanoparticles (GNPs) could not only facilitate the mitochondrial targeting but could also induce gold nanoparticle assembly. Therefore, the GNPs were endowed with good absorption and photothermal conversion abilities in the near-infrared (NIR) region. Meanwhile, a biomimetic strategy was adopted by wrapping the gold nanoparticle assembly (GNA) with cancer cell membranes (CCMs), which helped the GNA enter the prostatic cancer cell via a homotypic membrane-fusion process to avoid being trapped in endosomes/lysosomes. Thereafter, the GNA remaining in the cytoplasm could reach mitochondria more efficiently via guidance from H2N-TPP molecules. This "biomembrane-small molecule" combination targeting process was evidenced by fluorescence microscopy, and the highly efficient photothermal ablation of prostatic tumors in vivo was demonstrated. This portfolio targeting strategy could be extended to various nanodrugs/agents to realize an accurate subcellular targeting efficiency for cancer treatments or cell detections.
Asunto(s)
Oro/química , Oro/metabolismo , Rayos Infrarrojos , Fusión de Membrana , Nanopartículas del Metal/química , Mitocondrias/metabolismo , Fototerapia/métodos , Biomimética , Línea Celular Tumoral , Endosomas/metabolismo , Humanos , Lisosomas/metabolismoRESUMEN
Although radiotherapy has been established as a major therapeutic modality for glioma, radical new avenues are critically needed to prevent inevitable tumor recurrence. Herein, we utilized a magnetic nanoparticle-based platform with cationic polymer modification to promote radiotherapy for glioma treatment. We found that the nanoplatform induced cytotoxicity to glioma cells under radiation as well as promoting significant survival benefits in both immunocompetent and aythmic mice with glioma. Utilizing the magnetic properties of the nanoparticles, we were able to ascertain that myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) were taking up nanoparticles in the brain tumor. The observed efficacy was attributed to destruction of glioma cells as well as MDSCs repolarization from immunosuppressive phenotype to a pro-inflammatory phenotype, which promoted antitumor effects and synergistically promoted radio-therapeutic effects. Our nanoparticles provide a robust dual-targeting platform for glioma radiotherapy by simultaneous eradication of tumor cells and manipulation of myeloid phenotypes in the central nervous system.
Asunto(s)
Glioma/terapia , Células Supresoras de Origen Mieloide/patología , Nanopartículas/química , Radioterapia/métodos , Animales , Compuestos Férricos/química , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos C57BLRESUMEN
Drug attachment is important in drug delivery for cancer chemotherapy. The elucidation of the release mechanism and biological behavior of a drug is essential for the design of delivery systems. Here, we used a hydrazone bond or an amide bond to attach an anticancer drug, doxorubicin (Dox), to gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and compared the effects of the chemical bond on the anticancer activities of the resulting Dox-GNPs. The drug release efficiency, cytotoxicity, subcellular distribution, and cell apoptosis of hydrazone-linked HDox-GNPs and amide-linked SDox-GNPs were evaluated in several cancer cells. HDox-GNPs exhibited greater potency for drug delivery via triggered release comediated by acidic pH and glutathione (GSH) than SDox-GNPs triggered by GSH alone. Dox released from HDox-GNPs was released in lysosomes and exerted its drug activity by entering the nuclei. Dox from SDox-GNPs was mainly localized in lysosomes, significantly reducing its efficacy against cancer cells. In addition, in vivo studies in tumor-bearing mice demonstrated that HDox-GNPs and SDox-GNPs both accumulate in tumor tissue. However, only HDox-GNPs enhanced inhibition of subcutaneous tumor growth. This study demonstrates that HDox-GNPs display significant advantages in drug release and antitumor efficacy.
Asunto(s)
Antineoplásicos/química , Antineoplásicos/uso terapéutico , Doxorrubicina/química , Doxorrubicina/uso terapéutico , Sistemas de Liberación de Medicamentos/métodos , Oro/química , Nanopartículas del Metal/química , Células A549 , Animales , Línea Celular Tumoral , Supervivencia Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Células HeLa , Humanos , Lisosomas/metabolismo , Células MCF-7 , Masculino , Ratones , Ratones Desnudos , Tejido Subcutáneo/efectos de los fármacos , Tejido Subcutáneo/patologíaRESUMEN
Monodispersed ferroelectric BaTiO3 nanoparticles are synthesized as a model system to investigate the effect of ferroelectricity on a photocatalytic process. The results demonstrate that ferroelectricity can directly affect the photocatalytic activity due to promotion of the separation of photo-excited carriers by spontaneous polarization in ferroelectric materials. Moreover, Ag nanoparticles are attached on these BaTiO3 to further improve the photocatalytic property.
RESUMEN
Bending of nanopipette tips during cell penetration is a major cause of cell injection failure. However, the flexural rigidity of nanopipettes is little known due to their irregular structure. In this paper, we report a quantitative method to estimate the flexural rigidity of a nanopipette by investigating its bending spring rate. First nanopipettes with a tip size of 300 nm are fabricated from various glass tubes by laser pulling followed by focused ion beam (FIB) milling. Then the bending spring rate of the nanopipettes is investigated inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Finally, a yeast cell penetration test is performed on these nanopipettes, which have different bending spring rates. The results show that nanopipettes with a higher bending spring rate have better cell penetration capability, which confirms that the bending spring rate may well reflect the flexural rigidity of a nanopipette. This method provides a quantitative parameter for characterizing the mechanical property of a nanopipette that can be potentially taken as a standard specification in the future. This general method can also be used to estimate other one-dimensional structures for cell injection, which will greatly benefit basic cell biology research and clinical applications.
Asunto(s)
Microscopía Electrónica de Rastreo , Nanotecnología/instrumentación , Boro/química , Técnicas Electroquímicas , Diseño de Equipo , Vidrio , Iones , Rayos Láser , Ensayo de Materiales , Microscopía de Fuerza Atómica , Modelos Teóricos , Nanopartículas/química , Nanotecnología/métodos , Silicatos/química , Análisis de la Célula Individual , Estrés Mecánico , LevadurasRESUMEN
Image sensing at a small scale is essentially important in many fields, including microsample observation, defect inspection, material characterization and so on. However, nowadays, multi-directional micro object imaging is still very challenging due to the limited field of view (FOV) of microscopes. This paper reports a novel approach for multi-directional image sensing in microscopes by developing a rotatable robot. First, a robot with endless rotation ability is designed and integrated with the microscope. Then, the micro object is aligned to the rotation axis of the robot automatically based on the proposed forward-backward alignment strategy. After that, multi-directional images of the sample can be obtained by rotating the robot within one revolution under the microscope. To demonstrate the versatility of this approach, we view various types of micro samples from multiple directions in both optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and panoramic images of the samples are processed as well. The proposed method paves a new way for the microscopy image sensing, and we believe it could have significant impact in many fields, especially for sample detection, manipulation and characterization at a small scale.
RESUMEN
Plant species like the Venus flytrap possess unique abilities to intelligently respond to various external stimuli, ensuring successful prey capture. Their nerve-devoided structure provides valuable insights for exploring natural intelligence and constructing intelligent systems solely from materials, but limited knowledge is currently available and the engineering realization of such concept remains a significant challenge. Drawing upon the flytrap's action potential resulting from ion diffusion, we propose a signal accumulation/attenuation model and a corresponding liquid metal-based logic module, which operates on the basis of the shape change of liquid metal within a sodium hydroxide buffer solution. The module itself exhibits memory and counting properties without involving any other electronic components, intelligently responding to various stimulus sequences, and reproducing the flytrap's most logical function. We also demonstrate and forecast its potential as a moving window integration-based high-pass filter, artificial synapse in neural networks, and other related applications. This research provides a fresh perspective on comprehending the intelligence inherent in nature and its realization through physical structures, which is expected to inspire logic device development in a broad engineering field.
RESUMEN
Microswimmers are considered promising candidates for active cargo delivery to benefit a wide spectrum of biomedical applications. Yet, big challenges still remain in designing the microswimmers with effective propelling, desirable loading and adaptive releasing abilities all in one. Inspired by the morphology and biofunction of spermatozoa, we report a one-step formation strategy of polymorphous sperm-like magnetic microswimmers (PSMs) by developing a vortex turbulence-assisted microfluidics (VTAM) platform. The fabricated PSM is biodegradable with a core-shell head and flexible tail, and their morphology can be adjusted by vortex flow rotation speed and calcium chloride solution concentration. Benefiting from the sperm-like design, our PSM exhibits both effective motion ability under remote mag/netic actuation and protective encapsulation ability for material loading. Further, it can also realize the stable sustain release after alginate-chitosan-alginate (ACA) layer coating modification. This research proposes and verifies a new strategy for the sperm-like microswimmer construction, offering an alternative solution for the target delivery of diverse drugs and biologics for future biomedical treatment. Moreover, the proposed VTAM could also be a general method for other sophisticated polymorphous structures fabrication that isn't achievable by conventional laminar flow.