Lanthanide Inorganic Nanoparticles Enhance Semiconducting Polymer Nanoparticles Afterglow Luminescence for In Vivo Afterglow/Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Dual/multimodal imaging strategies are increasingly recognized for their potential to provide comprehensive diagnostic insights in cancer imaging by harnessing complementary data. This study presents an innovative probe that capitalizes on the synergistic benefits of afterglow luminescence and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), effectively eliminating autofluorescence interference and delivering a superior signal-to-noise ratio. Additionally, it facilitates deep tissue penetration and enables noninvasive imaging. Despite the advantages, only a limited number of probes have demonstrated the capability to simultaneously enhance afterglow luminescence and achieve high-resolution MRI and afterglow imaging. Herein, we introduce a cutting-edge imaging platform based on semiconducting polymer nanoparticles (PFODBT) integrated with NaYF4@NaGdF4 (Y@Gd@PFO-SPNs), which can directly amplify afterglow luminescence and generate MRI and afterglow signals in tumor tissues. The proposed mechanism involves lanthanide nanoparticles producing singlet oxygen (1O2) upon white light irradiation, which subsequently oxidizes PFODBT, thereby intensifying afterglow luminescence. This innovative platform paves the way for the development of high signal-to-background ratio imaging modalities, promising noninvasive diagnostics for cancer.

An endogenous oxygen self-supplied nanoplatform with GSH-depleted and NIR-II triggered electron-hole separation for enhanced photocatalytic anti-tumor therapy.

The use of artificial enzymes and light energy in photocatalytic therapy, a developing drug-free therapeutic approach, can treat malignant tumors in vivo. However, the relatively deficient oxygen concentration in the tumor microenvironment (TME) restrains their further tumor treatment capability. Herein, a novel nanoplatform with Cu7S4@Au nanocatalyst coated by MnO2 was successfully designed. After 1064 nm light irradiation, the designed nanocatalyst can promote the separation of light generated electron-hole pairs, resulting in ROS generation and tumor cell apoptosis. The MnO2 shelled nanoplatform can function as a TME-responsive oxygen self-supplied producer to improve photocatalyst treatment and GSH depletion. In summary, the designed novel nanoplatform shows efficient inhibition of tumor growth via GSH depletion and synergistic photocatalytic therapy, which is of great significance for improving the clinical tumor treatment effect.

3D Printing of Ultralow-Concentration 2D Nanomaterial Inks for Multifunctional Architectures.

The direct 3D printing of ultralight architectures with ultralow-concentration 2D nanomaterial inks is necessary yet challenging. Here, we describe an emulsion-based ink for direct printing using 2D nanomaterials, i.e., MXene and graphene oxide (GO). The electrostatic interactions between the ligands in the oil phase and the 2D nanomaterials in the aqueous phase help form sheet-like surfactants at the interface. The interactions between the anchored ligands among different droplets dictate the rheological characteristics of inks, enabling a gel-like behavior ideally suitable for 3D printing at ultralow concentrations of 2D nanomaterials. The 3D printed foams possess lightweight structures with densities of 2.8 mg cm-3 (GO-based) and 4.1 mg cm-3 (MXene-based), and the latter integrates outstanding electrical conductivity, electromagnetic shielding performance, and thermal insulation comparable to air. This work describes a general approach for direct-printing ultralight porous structures that take advantage of the inherent properties of 2D building blocks.

Scalable Production of Catecholamine-Densified MXene Coatings for Electromagnetic Shielding and Infrared Stealth.

Processing transition metal carbides/nitrides (MXenes) inks into large-area functional coatings expects promising potential for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and infrared stealth. However, the coating performances, especially for scalable fabrication techniques, are greatly constrained by the flake size and stacking manner of MXene. Herein, the large-area production of highly densified and oriented MXene coatings is demonstrated by engineering interfacial interactions of small MXene flakes with catecholamine molecules. The catecholamine molecules can micro-crosslink MXene nanosheets, significantly improving the ink's rheological properties. It favors the shear-induced sheet arrangement and inhibition of structural defects in the blade coating process, making it possible to achieve high orientation and densification of MXene assembly by either large-area coating or patterned printing. Interestingly, the MXene/catecholamine coating exhibits high conductivity of up to 12 247 S cm-1 and ultrahigh specific EMI shielding effectiveness of 2.0 ×10 5  dB cm2 g-1 , obviously superior to most of the reported MXene materials. Furthermore, the regularly assembled structure also endows the MXene coatings with low infrared emissivities for infrared stealth applications. Therefore, MXene/catecholamine coatings with ultraefficient EMI shielding and low infrared emissivity prove the feasibility of applications in aerospace, military, and wearable devices.

In Vivo High-Resolution Bioimaging of Bone Marrow and Fracture Diagnosis Using Lanthanide Nanoprobes with 1525 nm Emission.

Bones play vital roles in human health. Noninvasive visualization of the full extent of bones is highly demanded to evaluate many bone-related diseases. Herein, we report poly (acrylic acid) (PAA)-modified NaLuF4:Yb/Er/Gd/Ce@NaYF4 nanoparticles (PAA-Er) with second near-infrared emission beyond 1500 nm (also referred as NIR-IIb) for high-resolution bone/bone marrow imaging and bone fracture diagnosis. The NIR-IIb optical-guided bone marrow imaging presents a high signal to noise ratio, which is superior to that for imaging in the NIR-II window (1000-1400 nm, NIR-IIa). Importantly, we also investigated the size-dependent accumulation of the nanoparticles and the possible accumulation mechanism of the designed PAA-Er nanoprobes in bone marrow. Due to the high affinity capability of the PAA-Er nanoprobes, a highly sensitive NIR-IIb optical-guided bone fracture diagnosis was successfully achieved. This novel technology paves the way to design lanthanide nanoprobes for NIR-IIb optical-guided high-resolution bone marrow imaging and bone-related disease diagnosis.

A H2S-Triggered Dual-Modal Second Near-Infrared/Photoacoustic Intelligent Nanoprobe for Highly Specific Imaging of Colorectal Cancer.

An endogenous H2S-triggered intelligent optical nanoprobe combining second near-infrared (NIR-II) fluorescence with photoacoustic (PA) imaging can provide more comprehensive information to further improve the sensitivity and reliability of diagnosis for colorectal tumor, which is rarely explored. Herein, an endogenous H2S-triggered SiO2@Ag nanoprobe was designed for in situ dual-modal NIR-II/PA imaging of colorectal cancer. The designed dual-modal nanoprobe can be converted to SiO2@Ag2S after in situ biosynthesis via a sulfuration reaction with the over-expressed endogenous H2S in the colorectal tumor. More importantly, the designed SiO2@Ag nanoprobe exhibits high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing colorectal cancer in vivo via dual-modal NIR-II/PA imaging. These results provide a new NIR-II/PA dual-modal imaging strategy for noninvasive intelligent detection of colorectal cancer.

In Situ Growth of Hierarchical Ni-Mn-O Solid Solution on a Flexible and Porous Ni Electrode for High-Performance All-Solid-State Asymmetric Supercapacitors.

To endow all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors with high energy density, cycling stability, and flexibility, we design a binder-free supercapacitor electrode by in situ growth of well-distributed broccoli-like Ni0.75 Mn0.25 O/C solid solution arrays on a flexible and three-dimensional Ni current collector (3D-Ni). The electrode consists of a bottom layer of compressed but still porous Ni foam with excellent flexibility and high electrical conductivity, an intermediate layer of interconnected Ni nanoparticles providing a large specific surface area for loading of active substances, and a top layer of vertically aligned mesoporous nanosheets of a Ni0.75 Mn0.25 O/C solid solution. The resultant 3D-Ni/Ni0.75 Mn0.25 O/C cathode exhibits a specific capacitance of 1657.6 mF cm-2 at 1 mA cm-2 and shows no degradation of the capacitance after 10 000 cycles at 3 mA cm-2 . The assembled 3D-Ni/Ni0.75 Mn0.25 O/C//activated carbon asymmetric supercapacitor has a high specific capacitance of 797.7 mF cm-2 at 2 mA cm-2 and an excellent cycling stability with 85.3 % of capacitance retention after 10 000 cycles at a current density of 3 mA cm-2 . The energy density and power density of the asymmetric supercapacitor are up to 6.6 mW h cm-3 and 40.8 mW cm-3 , respectively, indicating a fairly promising future of the flexible 3D-Ni/Ni0.75 Mn0.25 O/C electrode for efficient energy storage applications.

Nickel atom-clusters nanozyme for boosting ferroptosis tumor therapy.

The translation of Fe-based agents for ferroptosis tumor therapy is restricted by the unstable iron valence state, the harsh catalytic environment, and the complex tumor self-protection mechanism. Herein, we developed a stable nickel-based single-atom-metal-clusters (NSAMCs) biocatalyst for efficient tumor ferroptosis therapy. NSAMCs with a nanowire-like nanostructure and hydrophilic functional groups exhibit good water-solubility, colloidal stability, negligible systemic toxicity, and target specificity. In particular, NSAMCs possess excellent peroxidase-like and glutathione oxidase-like activities through the synergistic influence between metal clusters and single atoms. The dual-enzymatic performance enables NSAMCs to synergistically promote efficient ferroptosis of cancer cells through lipid peroxidization aggregation and glutathione peroxidase 4 inactivation. Importantly, NSAMCs highlight the boost of ferroptosis tumor therapy via the synergistic effect between single-atoms and metal clusters, providing a practical and feasible paradigm for further improving the efficiency of ferroptosis tumor treatment.

Axial O Atom-Modulated Fe(III)-N4 Sites for Enhanced Cascade Catalytic 1O2-Induced Tumor Therapy.

The rational construction of efficient hypoxia-tolerant nanocatalysts capable of generating singlet oxygen (1O2) without external stimuli is of great importance for tumor therapy. Herein, uniformly dispersed and favorable biosafety profile graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots immobilized with Fe-N4 moieties modulated by axial O atom (denoted as O-Fe-N4) are developed for converting H2O2 into 1O2 via Russell reaction, without introducing external energy. Notably, O-Fe-N4 performs two interconnected catalytic properties: glutathione oxidase-mimic activity to provide substrate for subsequent 1O2 generation, avoiding the blunting anticancer efficacy by glutathione. The O-Fe-N4 catalyst demonstrates a specific activity of 79.58 U mg-1 at pH 6.2, outperforming the most reported Fe-N4 catalysts. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the axial O atom can effectively modulate the relative position and electron affinity between Fe and N, lowering the activation energy, strengthening the selectivity, and thus facilitating the Russell-type reaction. The gratifying enzymatic activity stemming from the well-defined Fe-N/O structure can inhibit tumor proliferation by efficiently downregulating glutathione peroxidase 4 activity and inducing lipid peroxidation. Altogether, the O-Fe-N4 catalyst not only represents an efficient platform for self-cascaded catalysis to address the limitations of 1O2-involved cancer treatment but also provides a paradigm to enhance the performance of the Fe-N4 catalyst.

Visceral fat area is more strongly associated with arterial stiffness than abdominal subcutaneous fat area in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have compared the correlation between visceral fat area (VFA) and abdominal subcutaneous fat area (SFA) with arterial stiffness (AS) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). In addition, there is currently controversy regarding the correlation between VFA and SFA with AS. We aimed to investigate the relationship between VFA and SFA with AS in patients with T2D. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 1475 Chinese T2D patients with an average age of 52.32 ± 10.96 years were included. VFA and SFA were determined by a dual bioelectrical impedance analyzer, and AS was determined by measurement of brachial-ankle pulse wave conduction velocity (baPWV). Atherosclerosis was deemed present in study participants with baPWV values higher than 75th percentile (1781 cm/s). Independent correlations of logVFA and logSFA with AS were assessed using multiple linear regression and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: The baPWV was linked with VFA, waist circumference, and women's SFA in a general linear correlation study (P < 0.05), but not with body mass index (P = 0.3783) or men's SFA (P = 0.1899). In both men and women, VFA and SFA were positively correlated with AS, according to the generalized additive model (GAM). After fully adjusting for confounders, multiple linear regression analyses showed that for every 1-unit increase in logVFA, the beta coefficient of baPWV increased by 63.1 cm/s (95% CI: 18.4, 107.8) (P < 0.05). logSFA did not correlate significantly with baPWV (P = 0.125). In the multiple logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio (OR) of elevated baPWV was 1.8 (95% CI: 1.1, 3.1) (P = 0.019) per 1-unit increase in logVFA. logSFA did not correlate significantly with AS (P = 0.091). In the subgroup analysis, the correlation between logVFA and baPWV did not interact across subgroups (P-interaction > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with SFA, VFA had a stronger independent positive correlation with AS in Chinese T2D patients. Patients with T2D should pay more attention to monitoring VFA and lowering it to minimize cardiovascular events.

Abdominal infection combined with pneumoperitoneum after renal transplantation: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Abdominal infection combined with pneumoperitoneum after renal transplantation is rare, clinically confusing, and easily misdiagnosed by physicians as gastrointestinal perforation. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 54-year-old man experienced abdominal pain and distension together with signs of peritoneal irritation after cadaveric renal transplantation. CT and standing abdominal plain film showed a large pneumoperitoneum in the abdominal cavity and the patient underwent an exploratory laparotomy but no gastrointestinal perforation was found. DIAGNOSIS: No gastrointestinal perforation was found during the operation. In the search for the infectious agent, ascites culture was negative while next-generation sequencing was positive, suggesting the presence of intestinal flora ectopic to abdominal infection with anaerobic respiration fermentation leading to large amounts of gas. INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy without gastrointestinal perforation, and then underwent abdominal lavage, placed abdominal drainage tube, and conducted culture and next-generation sequencing examination of ascites. OUTCOMES: Postoperative symptoms were relieved and intestinal function recovered. After 3 months of outpatient follow-up, the patient had stable transplanted kidney function and was in good spirits and sleeping well, with a good appetite, soft and regular stools, no abdominal pain and distension, and no fever. CONCLUSION: Patients after kidney transplantation should be wary of abdominal infection being misdiagnosed as gastrointestinal perforation.

Association Between Chinese Visceral Adipose Index and Albuminuria in Chinese Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: To explore the correlation between Chinese visceral adipose index (CVAI) and urinary microalbumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) and urinary albumin, and whether there is any difference in correlation between Han and Tujia ethnicity. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Changde, Hunan, China from May 2021 to December 2021. Biochemical indicators including anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, blood glucose, blood lipids, and UACR of the participants were measured. Univariate analysis, multivariate analyses and multinomial logistic regression analysis were carried out to assess the association between CVAI and albuminuria. In addition, curve fitting and threshold effect analysis were used to explore the nonlinear association between CVAI and albuminuria, and to observe whether there were ethnic differences in this association. Results: A total of 2026 adult residents were enrolled in this study, 500 of whom had albuminuria. Population-standardized prevalence of albuminuria is 19.06%. In the multivariable model adjusted for confounding factors, the odds ratio (OR) of albuminuria for pre-unit increase of CVAI and pre-SD increase of CVAI were 1.007 (1.003-1.010) and 1.298 (1.127-1.496), respectively. Multinomial logistic regression analysis confirmed the robustness and consistency of the results.The generalized additive model showed that CVAI and albuminuria had a nonlinear relationship with inflection point at 97.201 using the threshold effect. Compared with Han ethnic groups, the threshold between CVAI and albuminuria in Tujia people moved backward. The thresholds were 159.785 and 98.527, respectively. Conclusion: There was a positive nonlinear dose-response relationship between increased CVAI and higher levels of albuminuria. Maintaining appropriate CVAI levels may be important for the prevention of albuminuria.

NIR-II Responsive Upconversion Nanoprobe with Simultaneously Enhanced Single-Band Red Luminescence and Phase/Size Control for Bioimaging and Photodynamic Therapy.

Lanthanide based upconversion (UC) nanoprobes have emerged as promising agents for biological applications. Extending the excitation light to the second near-infrared (NIR-II), instead of the traditional 980/808 nm light, and realizing NIR-II responsive single-band red UC emission is highly demanded for bioimaging application, which has not yet been explored. Here, a new type of NIR-II (1532 nm) light responsive UC nanoparticles (UCNPs) with enhanced single-band red UC emission and controllable phase and size is designed by introducing Er3+ as sensitizer and utilizing Mn2+ as energy manipulator. Through tuning the content of Mn2+ in NaLnF4 :Er/Mn, the crystal phase, size, and emitting color are readily controlled, and the red-to-green (R/G) ratio is significantly increased from ≈20 to ≈300, leading to NIR-II responsive single band red emission via efficient energy transfer between Er3+ and Mn2+ . In addition, the single band red emitting intensity can be further improved by coating shell to avoid the surface quenching effect. More importantly, NIR-II light activated red UC bioimaging and photodynamic therapy through loading photosensitizer of zinc phthalocyanine are successfully achieved for the first time. These findings provide a new strategy of designing NIR-II light responsive single-band red emissive UCNPs for biomedical applications.

Optimal Anthropometric Indicators and Cut Points for Predicting Metabolic Syndrome in Chinese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus by Gender.

Purpose: The best predictors and cut points for metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) were determined by comparing six anthropometric measures: body mass index (BMI), triglyceride-glucose (TyG), the product of TyG and waist-to-hip ratio (TyG-WHpR), the product of TyG and waist-to-height ratio (TyG-WHtR), the product of TyG and waist circumference (TyG-WC), and the product of TyG and body mass index (TyG-BMI). Patients and Methods: Sixteen hundred and sixty-five adult patients with T2DM were collected, and the ability and cut points of each index to predict MetS were compared by plotting the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calculating the area under the curve (AUC) values. Then, logistic regression analysis was used to adjust for confounders, including adjustment for menopause in women, to obtain the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: MetS was present in 71.60% of T2DM patients, 75.00% of men, and 67.02% of women. BMI was the best predictor of MetS in men with T2DM (AUC = 0.8646, 95% CI: 0.8379-0.8912), with a cut point of 24.5500 kg/m2 (specificity: 0.7714; sensitivity: 0.7533), and TyG-WC was the best predictor of MetS in women with T2DM (AUC = 0.8362, 95% CI: 0.8034-0.8690), with a cut point of 154.1548 (specificity: 0.7455; sensitivity: 0.8076). Conclusion: The best predictor of MetS in adults with T2DM is BMI with a cut point of 24.5500 kg/m2 for men and TyG-WC with a cut point of 154.1548 for women.

Nanoparticles for cancer therapy: a review of influencing factors and evaluation methods for biosafety.

Nanoparticles are widely used in the biomedical field for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes due to their small size, high carrier capacity, and ease of modification, which enable selective targeting and as contrast agents. Over the past decades, more and more nanoparticles have received regulatory approval to enter the clinic, more nanoparticles have shown potential for clinical translation, and humans have increasing access to them. However, nanoparticles have a high potential to cause unpredictable adverse effects on human organs, tissues, and cells due to their unique physicochemical properties and interactions with DNA, lipids, cells, tissues, proteins, and biological fluids. Currently, issues, such as nanoparticle side effects and toxicity, remain controversial, and these pitfalls must be fully considered prior to their application to body systems. Therefore, it is particularly urgent and important to assess the safety of nanoparticles acting in living organisms. In this paper, we review the important factors influencing the biosafety of nanoparticles in terms of their properties, and introduce common methods to summarize the biosafety evaluation of nanoparticles through in vitro and in body systems.

Ratoon Rice Cropping Mitigates the Greenhouse Effect by Reducing CH4 Emissions through Reduction of Biomass during the Ratoon Season.

The ratoon rice cropping system (RR) is developing rapidly in China due to its comparable annual yield and lower agricultural and labor inputs than the double rice cropping system (DR). Here, to further compare the greenhouse effects of RR and DR, a two-year field experiment was carried out in Hubei Province, central China. The ratoon season showed significantly lower cumulative CH4 emissions than the main season of RR, the early season and late season of DR. RR led to significantly lower annual cumulative CH4 emissions, but no significant difference in cumulative annual N2O emissions compared with DR. In RR, the main and ratoon seasons had significantly higher and lower grain yields than the early and late seasons of DR, respectively, resulting in comparable annual grain yields between the two systems. In addition, the ratoon season had significantly lower global warming potential (GWP) and greenhouse gas intensity-based grain yield (GHGI) than the main and late seasons. The annual GWP and GHGI of RR were significantly lower than those of DR. In general, the differences in annual CH4 emissions, GWP, and GHGI could be primarily attributed to the differences between the ratoon season and the late season. Moreover, GWP and GHGI exhibited significant positive correlations with cumulative emissions of CH4 rather than N2O. The leaf area index (LAI) and biomass accumulation in the ratoon season were significantly lower than those in the main season and late season, and CH4 emissions, GWP, and GHGI showed significant positive correlations with LAI, biomass accumulation and grain yield in the ratoon and late season. Finally, RR had significantly higher net ecosystem economic benefits (NEEB) than DR. Overall, this study indicates that RR is a green cropping system with lower annual CH4 emissions, GWP, and GHGI as well as higher NEEB.

Positive correlation between lipid accumulation product index and arterial stiffness in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Background: Many studies have confirmed that lipid accumulation products (LAP) predict arterial stiffness (AS) in hypertensive patients. But there is little research on the use of LAP in identifying early atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the LAP index and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in Chinese patients with T2DM. Methods: A total of 1471 Chinese participants with T2DM, ranging in age from 18 to 80, were included in this cross-sectional study. BaPWV measurements were used to calculate the AS. A baPWV greater than the 75th percentile (1700 cm/s) was defined as indicating increased AS. The LAP index was calculated from the combination of waist circumference (WC) and triglycerides (TG). Results: According to the quartiles of the LAP index, baPWV tended to increase after adjusting for sex and age. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the beta coefficient (ß) of baPWV increased by 31.0 cm/s for each unit of lnLAP that was increased, and the 95% confidence interval (CI) was (6.5, 55.5) cm/s. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, after fully adjusting for confounders, the risk of elevated baPWV increased with each unit increase in lnLAP, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.3 (95% CI: 1.0, 1.8). According to the generalized additive model (GAM), we found that lnLAP was positively correlated with baPWV and baPWV elevation. The results were the same for males and females. Subgroup analyses showed that the positive correlation between lnLAP and elevated baPWV did not interact across all subgroups. Conclusions: In Chinese patients with T2DM, LAP was strongly and positively correlated with baPWV and elevated baPWV.

Two-Dimensional Janus MXene Inks for Versatile Functional Coatings on Arbitrary Substrates.

Solution processing of two-dimensional nanomaterial inks guarantees efficient, straightforward fabrication of functional films, coatings, flexible devices, etc. Despite the excellent solution processibility and viscoelasticity of MXene aqueous inks, formulation of nonaqueous MXene inks with great affinity to both hydrophilic and hydrophobic substrates has proven quite challenging, limiting the practical applications of MXenes in printing/coatings on various substrates. Here, MXene surface chemistry is manipulated by asymmetrically grafting polystyrene and further concentrating the flakes into additive-free Janus MXene organic inks. The modified MXene nanosheets exhibit hydrophilicity on one side and hydrophobicity on the other. As a result, Janus MXene nanosheets ensure broad dispersibility in polar and nonpolar solvents, which in turn greatly extends the ink shelf life by slowing down the oxidation kinetics. Janus MXene sheets dispersed in toluene at room temperature remain at 90% of the initial solids after 1 month of storage. Janus surface engineering on MXene flakes guarantees the straightforward formation of uniform yet firm, large-area coatings on hydrophilic or hydrophobic substrates. These coatings demonstrate improved photothermal properties and chemical stability as well as good electromagnetic interference shielding performance. This strategy provides a simple and cost-effective way to promote the performance of MXene electronics in a variety of applications.

An electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of Glypican-3 based on enzymatic ferrocene-tyramine deposition reaction.

An ultrasensitive electrochemical immunosensor based on signal amplification of the deposition of the electroactive ferrocene-tyramine (Fc-Tyr) molecule, catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase (HRP), was constructed for the detection of the liver cancer marker Glypican-3 (GPC3). Functional electroactive molecule Fc-Tyr is reported to exhibit both the enzymatic cascade catalytic activity of tyramine signal amplification (TSA) and the excellent redox properties of ferrocene. In terms of design, the low matrix effects inherent in using the magnetic bead platforms, a quasi-homogeneous system, allowed capturing the target protein GPC3 without sample pretreatment, and loading HRP to trigger the TSA, which induced a large amount of Fc-Tyr deposited on the electrode surface layer by layer as a signal probe for the detection of GPC3. The concept of Fc-Tyr as an electroactive label was validated, GPC3 biosensor exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity to GPC3 in the range of 0.1 ng mL-1-1 µg mL-1. Finally, the sensor was used simultaneously with ELISA to assess GPC3 levels in the serum of clinical liver cancer patients, and the results showed consistency, with a recovery of 98.33-105.35% and a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 4.38-8.18%, providing a theoretical basis for achieving portable, rapid and point of care testing (POCT) of tumor markers.

Intelligent Nanotransducer for Deep-Tumor Hypoxia Modulation and Enhanced Dual-Photosensitizer Photodynamic Therapy.

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) emerged as promising near-infrared (NIR) light-triggered nanotransducers for photodynamic therapy (PDT). However, the traditionally used 980 nm excitation source could cause an overheating effect on biological tissues, and the single photosensitizer (PS) loading could not efficiently utilize multiradiation UC luminescence, resulting in a limited efficiency of PDT in tumor tissues with hypoxia characteristics. Herein, 808 nm light-responsive Nd-sensitized UCNPs@mSiO2@MnO2 core-shell NPs were designed as light nanotransducers with efficient UC emission at 550 and 650 nm for PDT and downshifting luminescence at 1525 nm for second NIR (NIR-II) imaging. UC emission was fully utilized by loading dual PSs, rose bengal (RB), and zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc), thus significantly improving the reactive oxide species (ROS) generation efficiency. Moreover, a manganese dioxide (MnO2) shell with ultrasensitive biodegradability in an acidic tumor microenvironment (TME) can generate an amount of oxygen molecules, alleviating the symptoms of hypoxia and then improving the efficacy of PDT. Meanwhile, the biodegraded Mn2+ ions can further strengthen T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This work presented a new multifunctional theranostic agent for combining NIR-II/MRI imaging and 808 nm light-triggered PDT to combat the limitations of cancer therapy.