"On-On-Off" Recyclable Fluorescence Battery for Direct and Selective Detection of Glyphosate and Cu2.

Residues of environmental organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) will seriously endanger human health. Most reported OP sensors utilized the restrictions capacity of OPs on the catalytic capacity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) to acetylthiocholine chloride (ATCh), which suffers from high costs, weak stability, long reaction time, and unrecyclable. Herein, a recyclable strategy was proposed for selective and sensitive detection of glyphosate (Gly). The weak fluorescence of UIO-66-NH2 at 450 nm was enhanced almost 10-fold after reacting with Gly because of the rotation-restricted emission enhancement mechanism. Moreover, inspired by the process of charging and discharging the batteries, we introduced Cu2+ to chelate with Gly. Because of the strong chelation between Cu2+ and Gly, the Gly was removed from UIO-66-NH2, which resulted in the quenching of fluorescence intensity and making UIO-66-NH2 recycle. This method proposed is fast, recyclable, easily conducted, and with a low 0.33 µM LOD in dd H2O based on 3σ/S. The recovery rates of Gly in tap water ranged from 93.07 to 104.35% within a satisfied 7.75% RSD. The Cu2+ LOD is 0.01 mM based on 3σ/S and 94.37-118.34% recovery rates within 6.48% RSD in tap water. We believe that the findings in this work provide a meaningful and promising strategy to detect Gly and Cu2+ in real samples. This sensor first successfully achieves the recycling use of the material in OP fluorescence detection, which greatly decreases the cost of the designed sensor and reduces the possibility of secondary pollution to the environment, broadens a new circulation dimension of fluorescence detection methods in detecting OPs, and has the potential to remove glyphosate from water. It also provides a method to utilize functionalized metal-organic frameworks to establish various sensors.

Efficient Synergistic Cooperation of an Arginine-Rich Peptide and Copper Ions in Sodium Urate Crystallization Inhibition.

Although many studies have focused on the role of individual biomolecules or metal ions in the crystallization behavior of sodium urate, the regulatory effects of multiple molecular species still remain mysterious. The synergistic cooperation of biomolecules and metal ions may contribute to unprecedented regulatory effects. Here, the cooperative effect of arginine-rich peptides (APs) and copper ions on the phase behavior, crystallization kinetics, and size/morphology of urate crystals was first investigated. Compared with the individual copper ion and AP, the nucleation induction time of sodium urate is prolonged dramatically (about 48 h), and the nucleation rate of sodium urate is reduced efficiently in a saturated solution due to the synergistic effect of Cu2+ and AP in stabilizing amorphous sodium urate (ASU). The length of sodium urate monohydrate crystals decreases obviously under the synergistic effect of Cu2+ and AP. The comparative experiments of common transition metal cations show that only copper ions can cooperate with AP, which may be due to the strong coordination effect between copper ions with urate and AP. Further studies show that the synergistic effect of copper ions and APs with different chain lengths on the crystallization behavior of sodium urate is significantly different. Both the guanidine functional groups and the length of peptide chains simultaneously determine the synergistic inhibition effect of polypeptides and Cu2+. This work highlights the synergistic inhibition effect of metal ions and cationic peptides on the crystallization of sodium urate, which enriches the understanding of the regulating mechanism of biological mineral crystallization using the synergy of multispecies and offers a new strategy for designing efficient inhibitors for sodium urate crystallization in gout stone diseases.

Arginine-rich peptides as crystallization inhibitors for sodium urate.

Inhibiting the formation of urate crystals is the key to prevent hyperuricemia from developing into gout. Although many studies have focused on the influence of biomacromolecules in the crystallization behavior of sodium urate, the role of peptides with specific structures may contribute to unprecedented regulatory effects. Here, for the first time, we studied the effects of cationic peptides on the phase behavior, crystallization kinetics, and size/morphology of urate crystals. The addition of protamine (PRTM, a typical natural arginine-rich peptide) prolongs the nucleation induction time of sodium urate and inhibits crystal nucleation effectively. PRTM binds to the surface of amorphous sodium urate (ASU) through the hydrogen bond and electrostatic attraction between guanidine groups and urate anions, which is conducive to maintaining the state of ASU and inhibiting crystal nucleation. Moreover, PRTM preferentially binds to the MSUM plane and leads to a significant reduction in the aspect ratio of MSUM filamentous crystals. Further studies showed that there are significant differences in the inhibiting effects of arginine-rich peptides with different chain lengths on the crystallization behavior of sodium urate. Both guanidine functional groups and peptide chain length determine the crystallization inhibiting effect of peptides simultaneously. The present work highlights the potential role of arginine peptides in inhibiting the crystallization of urate and provides new insights into the inhibition mechanism in the pathological biomineralization of sodium urate, demonstrating the possibility of using cationic peptides to treat gout.

Chinese medical staff's knowledge, attitudes and practices towards breast cancer patients' sexual health management: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: The objective of this research was to assess the level and determinants of medical personnel's knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the management of sexual health in breast cancer survivors residing in western China. Background: Sexual well-being is a crucial aspect of one's overall satisfaction with life. Once female sexual dysfunction (FSD) occurs, it will affect patients' satisfaction and life quality seriously. In all healthcare settings, the management of sexual health relies heavily on the vital contribution of medical personnel. Nevertheless, the sexual requirements of individuals with breast cancer are still partially unmet. Design: A web-based questionnaire was used to conduct a multi-centered, cross-sectional study involving medical staff from 26 hospitals in nine cities of Guizhou Province, China. Methods: Data was gathered from healthcare professionals using a validated tool, the knowledge, attitudes, practices assessment scale for managing the sexual health of breast cancer patients in medical staff. This tool was used to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of medical staff regarding sexual health management. Results: In this study, a grand total of 3181 healthcare professionals took part. The overall KAP scores, including knowledge, attitudes, and practices, were 47.15 ± 11.91, 72.55 ± 12.56, and 58.61 ± 11.45, respectively. Three variables exhibited a strong and favorable correlation. The study identified significant concerns regarding the limited understanding of medical personnel regarding effective strategies for enhancing sexual health function in breast cancer patients, as well as their diminished confidence in addressing FSD. The scores of knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to sexual health management were significantly influenced by whether or not training was received. Conclusions: The study results emphasize the importance of adopting a holistic approach to enhance the understanding, perspectives, and behaviors of healthcare professionals regarding the management of sexual health. In addition to enhancing the standard of care for individuals with breast cancer.

Arginine-rich peptide/platinum hybrid colloid nanoparticle cluster: A single nanozyme mimicking multi-enzymatic cascade systems in peroxisome.

Recently, nanozymes have attracted sustained attention for facilitating next generation of artificial enzymatic cascade systems (ECSs). However, the fabrication of integrated multi-ECSs based on a single nanozyme remains a great challenge. Here, inspired by the biological function and self-assembling ability of arginine (R), we synthesized arginine-rich peptide-Pt nanoparticle cluster (ARP-PtNC) nanozymes that mimic two typical enzymatic cascade systems of uricase/catalase and superoxide dismutase/catalase in natural peroxisome. ARPs containing at least 10 arginine residues contribute to the cluster formation based on hydrogen bonding and coordination. The well-designed peptide-Pt hybrid nanozyme not only possesses excellent uricase-mimicking activity to degrade uric acid effectively, but also serves as a desired scavenger for reactive oxygen species (ROS) harnessing two efficient enzyme cascade catalysis of uricase/catalase and superoxide dismutase/catalase. The surface microenvironment of the hybrid nanozymes provided by arginine-rich peptides and the cluster structure contribute to the efficient multiply enzyme-like activities. Fascinatingly, the hybrid nanozyme can inhibit the formation of monosodium urate monohydrate effectively based on the architecture of ARP-PtNCs. Thus, ARP-PtNC nanozyme has the potential in gout and hyperuricemia therapy. Rational design of ingenious peptide-metal hybrid nanozyme with unique physicochemical surface properties provides a versatile and designed strategy to fabricate multi-enzymatic cascade systems, which opens new avenues to broaden the application of nanozymes in practice.