Effects of the Combination of Noise Reduction Earplugs with White Noise and Rational Emotional Therapy on Emotional States of Inpatients with Colorectal Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to explore the effects of the combination of noise reduction earplugs with white noise and rational emotional therapy on the emotional states of inpatients with colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: The study selected 152 CRC patients who received inpatient treatment in our hospital from January 2020 to January 2022 as the research objects. According to different nursing intervention modes, these patients were divided into the observation group (OG, n = 73, conventional nursing + noise reduction earplugs with white noise + rational emotional therapy) and the control group (CG, n = 79, conventional nursing) to compare the emotional status, sleep quality, and other indicators between the two groups. RESULTS: After 2 and 6 weeks of intervention, the severity of illness and global impression in the OG were notably lower than those in the CG. The OG had remarkably higher efficacy indexes than the CG (p < 0.05). The OG had overtly lower Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale (MADRS) scores and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) scores than the CG (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The combination of noise reduction earplugs with white noise and rational emotional therapy can improve the emotion and sleep states of patients, with certain positive effects, which can be used as a potential nursing plan for CRC patients.

Inhibitors and PROTACs of CDK2: challenges and opportunities.

INTRODUCTION: Abundant evidence suggests that the overexpression of CDK2-cyclin A/E complex disrupts normal cell cycle regulation, leading to uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells. Thus, CDK2 has become a promising therapeutic target for cancer treatment. In recent years, insights into the structures of the CDK2 catalytic site and allosteric pockets have provided notable opportunities for developing more effective clinical candidates of CDK2 inhibitors. AREA COVERED: This article reviews the latest CDK2 inhibitors that have entered clinical trials and discusses the design and discovery of the most promising new preclinical CDK2 inhibitors in recent years. Additionally, it summarizes the development of allosteric CDK2 inhibitors and CDK2-targeting PROTACs. The review encompasses strategies for inhibitor and PROTAC design, structure-activity relationships, as well as in vitro and in vivo biological assessments. EXPERT OPINION: Despite considerable effort, no CDK2 inhibitor has yet received FDA approval for marketing due to poor selectivity and observed toxicity in clinical settings. Future research must prioritize the optimization of the selectivity, potency, and pharmacokinetics of CDK2 inhibitors and PROTACs. Moreover, exploring combination therapies incorporating CDK2 inhibitors with other targeted agents, or the design of multi-target inhibitors, presents significant promise for advancing cancer treatment strategies.

Clinical observation of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and metformin treatment in obese PCOS patients.

Background: To observe the basic metabolic characteristics of obese patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and observe and compare the effect of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and metformin treatment after 3 months. Methods: In January to December 2018, the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University selected 104 women who were classified as obese with a body mass index (BMI) of 28 kg/cm2 or higher and had PCOS. They were divided into obese PCOS group (53 cases) and obese non-PCOS group (51 cases). Results: 1. There was no significant difference in waist circumference and WHR between patients who are obese with PCOS and patients who are obese without PCOS (P > 0.05). Obese PCOS patients were significantly higher in anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), LH/FSH, T, FAI, homa-ir, triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), Apo-B and uric acid than the group of non-PCOS patients who were obese. (P<0.05). The SHBG levels of obese patients with PCOS were obviously lower when contrasted with the levels in obese patients without PCOS (P < 0.05). 2. Body weight, BMI, INS, homa-ir and TG of obese PCOS patients were significantly decreased 3 months after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy compared with that before surgery (P < 0.05). After three months of medical treatment with metformin, the patients' homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was obviously reduced when contrasted with the pre-treatment HOMA-IR levels (P < 0.05), and there was no significant difference in the improvement degree of homa-ir between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions: 1. Obese patients with PCOS demonstrated higher expression of AMH, LH/FSH, T, SHBG, and FAI when contrasted with the control group. Additionally, they experienced more severe insulin resistance and lipid metabolism disorders. 2. The weight and BMI of obese PCOS patients were significantly decreased after weight loss, while IR and blood lipid were significantly improved, while IR was improved in metformin group, and no significant discrepancy was observed in the degree of improvement of insulin resistance between both groups.

Regulating Tumor-Associated Macrophage Polarization by Cyclodextrin-Modified PLGA Nanoparticles Loaded with R848 for Treating Colon Cancer.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a novel and feasible modification strategy to improve the solubility and antitumor activity of resiquimod (R848) by utilizing the supramolecular effect of 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (2-HP-ß-CD). Methods: R848-loaded PLGA nanoparticles modified with 2-HP-ß-CD (CD@R848@NPs) were synthesized using an enhanced emulsification solvent-evaporation technique. The nanoparticles were then characterized in vitro by several methods, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, particle size analysis, and zeta potential analysis. Then, the nanoparticles were loaded with IR-780 dye and imaged using an in vivo imaging device to evaluate their biodistribution. Additionally, the antitumor efficacy and underlying mechanism of CD@R848@NPs in combination with an anti-TNFR2 antibody were investigated using an MC-38 colon adenocarcinoma model in vivo. Results: The average size of the CD@R848@NPs was 376 ± 30 nm, and the surface charge was 21 ± 1 mV. Through this design, the targeting ability of 2-HP-ß-CD can be leveraged and R848 is delivered to tumor-supporting M2-like macrophages in an efficient and specific manner. Moreover, we used an anti-TNFR2 antibody to reduce the proportion of Tregs. Compared with plain PLGA nanoparticles or R848, CD@R848@NPs increased penetration in tumor tissues, dramatically reprogrammed M1-like macrophages, removed tumors and prolonged patient survival. Conclusion: The new nanocapsule system is a promising strategy for targeting tumor, reprogramming tumor -associated macrophages, and enhancement immunotherapy.

In Situ Synthesized Low-Dimensional Perovskite for >25% Efficiency Stable MA-Free Perovskite Solar Cells.

Developing an additive to effectively regulate the perovskite crystallization kinetics for the optimized optoelectronic properties of perovskite film plays a vital role in obtaining high efficiency and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, a new additive is designed and directly synthesized in perovskite precursor solution by utilizing an addition reaction between but-3-yn-1-amine hydrochloride (BAH) and formamidinium iodide. It is found that its product may control the intermediate precursor phase for regulating perovskite nucleation, leading to advantageous 2D perovskite to induce growth of perovskite along the preferred [001] orientation with not only released lattice strain but also strong interaction with perovskite to passivate its surface defects. By taking advantage of the above synergistic effects, the optimized PSC delivers an efficiency of 25.19% and a high open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 1.22 V. Additionally, the devices demonstrate good stability, remaining over 90% of their initial efficiencies under ambient atmosphere conditions for 60 days, high temperature of 85 °C for 200 h, or maximum power point tracking for 500 h.

Stabilizing Top Interface by Molecular Locking Strategy with Polydentate Chelating Biomaterials toward Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells in Ambient Air.

The instability of top interface induced by interfacial defects and residual tensile strain hinders the realization of long-term stable n-i-p regular perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, one molecular locking strategy is reported to stabilize top interface by adopting polydentate ligand green biomaterial 2-deoxy-2,2-difluoro-d-erythro-pentafuranous-1-ulose-3,5-dibenzoate (DDPUD) to manipulate the surface and grain boundaries of perovskite films. Both experimental and theoretical evidence collectively uncover that the uncoordinated Pb2+ ions, halide vacancy, and/or I─Pb antisite defects can be effectively healed and locked by firm chemical anchoring on the surface of perovskite films. The ingenious polydentate ligand chelating is translated into reduced interfacial defects, increased carrier lifetimes, released interfacial stress, and enhanced moisture resistance, which should be liable for strengthened top interface stability and inhibited interfacial nonradiative recombination. The universality of the molecular locking strategy is certified by employing different perovskite compositions. The DDPUD modification achieves an enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 23.17-24.47%, which is one of the highest PCEs ever reported for the devices prepared in ambient air. The unsealed DDPUD-modified devices maintain 98.18% and 88.10% of their initial PCEs after more than 3000 h under a relative humidity of 10-20% and after 1728 h at 65 °C, respectively.

Polydentate Ligand Reinforced Chelating to Stabilize Buried Interface toward High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells.

The instability of the buried interface poses a serious challenge for commercializing perovskite photovoltaic technology. Herein, we report a polydentate ligand reinforced chelating strategy to strengthen the stability of buried interface by managing interfacial defects and stress. The bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) (methoxycarbonylmethyl)phosphonate (BTP) is employed to manipulate the buried interface. The C=O, P=O and two -CF3 functional groups in BTP synergistically passivate the defects from the surface of SnO2 and the bottom surface of the perovskite layer. Moreover, The BTP modification contributes to mitigated interfacial residual tensile stress, promoted perovskite crystallization, and reduced interfacial energy barrier. The multidentate ligand modulation strategy is appropriate for different perovskite compositions. Due to much reduced nonradiative recombination and heightened interface contact, the device with BTP yields a promising power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.63 %, which is one of the highest efficiencies ever reported for devices fabricated in the air environment. The unencapsulated BTP-modified devices degrade to 98.6 % and 84.2 % of their initial PCE values after over 3000 h of aging in the ambient environment and after 1728 h of thermal stress, respectively. This work provides insights into strengthening the stability of the buried interface by engineering multidentate chelating ligand molecules.

In Situ Formation of 2D Perovskite Seeding for Record-Efficiency Indoor Perovskite Photovoltaic Devices.

With 40% efficiency under room light intensity, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) will be promising power supplies for low-light applications, particularly for Internet of Things (IoT) devices and indoor electronics, shall they become commercialized. Herein, ß-alaninamide hydrochloride (AHC) is utilized to spontaneously form a layer of 2D perovskite nucleation seeds for improved film uniformity, crystallization quality, and solar cell performance. It is found that the AHC addition indeed improves film quality as demonstrated by better uniformity, lower trap density, smaller lattice stress, and, as a result, a 10-fold increase in charge carrier lifetime. Consequently, not only does the small-area (0.09 cm2 ) PSCs achieve a power conversion efficiency of 42.12%, the large-area cells (1.00 cm2 , and 2.56 cm2 ) attain efficiency as high as 40.93%, and 40.07% respectively. All of these are the highest efficiency values for indoor photovoltaic cells with similar sizes, and more importantly, they represent the smallest efficiency loss due to area scale-up. This work provides a new method to fabricate high-performance indoor PSCs (i-PSCs) for IoT devices with great potential in large-area printing technology.

Development of MPS1 Inhibitors: Recent Advances and Perspectives.

Monopolar spindle kinase 1 (MPS1) plays a pivotal role as a dual-specificity kinase governing spindle assembly checkpoint activation and sister chromatid separation in mitosis. Its overexpression has been observed in various human malignancies. MPS1 reduces spindle assembly checkpoint sensitivity, allowing tumor cells with a high degree of aneuploidy to complete mitosis and survive. Thus, MPS1 has emerged as a promising candidate for cancer therapy. Despite the identification of numerous MPS1 inhibitors, only five have advanced to clinical trials with none securing FDA approval for cancer treatment. In this perspective, we provide a concise overview of the structural and functional characteristics of MPS1 by highlighting its relevance to cancer. Additionally, we explore the structure-activity relationships, selectivity, and pharmacokinetics of MPS1 inhibitors featuring diverse scaffolds. Moreover, we review the reported work on enhancing MPS1 inhibitor selectivity, offering valuable insights into the discovery of novel, highly potent small-molecule MPS1 inhibitors.

Development of a novel integrated isothermal amplification system for detection of bacteria-spiked blood samples.

Bloodstream infection (BSI) caused by bacteria is highly pathogenic and lethal, and easily develops whole-body inflammatory state. Immediate identification of disease-causing bacteria can improve patient prognosis. Traditional testing methods are not only time-consuming, but such tests are limited to laboratories. Recombinase polymerase amplification combined with lateral flow dipstick (RPA-LFD) holds great promise for rapid nucleic acid detection, but the uncapping operation after amplification easily contaminates laboratories. Therefore, the establishment of a more effective integrated isothermal amplification system has become an urgent problem to be solved. In this study, we designed and fabricated a hermetically sealed integrated isothermal amplification system. Combining with this system, a set of RPA-LFD assays for detecting S. aureus, K. peneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and H. influenza in BSI were established and evaluated. The whole process could be completed in less than 15 min and the results can be visualized by the naked eye. The developed RPA-LFD assays displayed a good sensitivity, and no cross-reactivity was observed in seven similar bacterial genera. The results obtained with 60 clinical samples indicated that the developed RPA-LFD assays had high specifcity and sensitivity for identifying S. aureus, K. peneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and H. influenza in BSI. In conclusion, our results showed that the developed RPA-LFD assay is an alternative to existing PCR-based methods for detection of S. aureus, K. peneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and H. influenza in BSI in primary hospitals.

Differentiation between Thalassemia Trait and Iron Deficiency Anemia Based on Low Hemoglobin Density and Microcytic Anemia Factor.

BACKGROUND: The most common causes of microcytic hypochromic anemia are thalassemia trait (TT) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Clinically, the differential diagnosis of TT and IDA is crucial, but it is typically challenging. Thus, in order to differentiate between TT and IDA, we seek to develop a new discriminative index on an automatic hematology analyzer utilizing the two new RBC characteristics of low hemoglobin density (LHD) and microcytic anemia factor (MAF). METHODS: We recruited a total of 323 subjects, including 115 healthy controls, 83 TT, and 125 IDA. An automated hematology analyzer (DxH800, Beckman Coulter) was used to determine peripheral blood parameters; LHD and MAF were calculated using the parameters of MCHC, Hb, and MCV. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the cutoff values and evaluate the diagnostic value for TT and IDA. RESULTS: LHD was significantly lower in TT than IDA, whereas MAF was higher. To distinguish between TT and IDA, a new formula based on LHD and MAF was developed, with a cutoff value of 0.5, AUC of 0.9706 (95% CI: 0.9503 - 0.9909), and specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive values were 92.91%, 91.36%, 89.16%, and 94.40%, respectively. The new formula has proven advantages over conventional indices, such as RDW-SD, MCV, MCH, etc. Conclusions: The RBC parameters LHD and MAF detected by hematology analyzer could be useful for screening for TT and IDA. Our new formula outperforms other discriminant formulas in the literature with high sensitivity and specificity, is simple, rapid, and can aid in early detection and management.

Stabilizing Precursor Solution and Controlling Crystallization Kinetics Simultaneously for High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells.

The efficiency of metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has skyrocketed; however, defects created by aging precursor solutions and during crystallization pose a significant barrier to the reproducibility and efficiency of solar cells. In this work, fluoro-N,N,N″,N″-tetramethylformamidinium hexafluorophosphate (F-(CH3 )4 CN2 PF6 , abbreviated as TFFH) is introduced to stabilize precursor solution and improve crystallization dynamics simultaneously for high-performance formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3 )-based perovskite indoor photovoltaics. The TFFH stabilizes the precursor solution by inhibiting oxidation of I- and reducing newly generated I0 to I- , and passivates undercoordinated Pb2+ by interacting with the Pb─I framework. Time-resolved optical diagnostics show prolonged perovskite crystallization dynamics and in situ defect passivation due to the presence of strong FA+ ···TFFH···Pb─I interaction. Simultaneous regulation of precursor solution and crystallization dynamics guarantee larger perovskite grain sizes, better crystal orientation, fewer defects and more efficient charge extraction in PSCs. The optimized PSCs achieve improved reproducibility and better stability and reach an efficiency of 42.43% at illumination of 1002 lux, which is the highest efficiency among all indoor photovoltaics. It is anticipated that the concurrent stabilization of solutions and regulation of crystallization dynamics will emerge as a prevalent approach for enhancing the reproducibility and efficiency of perovskite.

Advances in liquid biopsy-based markers in NSCLC.

Lung cancer is the second most-frequently occurring cancer and the leading cause of cancer-associated deaths worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common type of lung cancer is often diagnosed in middle or advanced stages and have poor prognosis. Diagnosis of disease at an early stage is a key factor for improving prognosis and reducing mortality, whereas, the currently used diagnostic tools are not sufficiently sensitive for early-stage NSCLC. The emergence of liquid biopsy has ushered in a new era of diagnosis and management of cancers, including NSCLC, since analysis of circulating tumor-derived components, such as cell-free DNA (cfDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), cell-free RNAs (cfRNAs), exosomes, tumor-educated platelets (TEPs), proteins, and metabolites in blood or other biofluids can enable early cancer detection, treatment selection, therapy monitoring and prognosis assessment. There have been great advances in liquid biopsy of NSCLC in the past few years. Hence, this chapter introduces the latest advances on the clinical application of cfDNA, CTCs, cfRNAs and exosomes, with a particular focus on their application as early markers in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of NSCLC.

Managing Multiple Halide-Related Defects for Efficient and Stable Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells.

Halide-related surface defects on inorganic halide perovskite not only induce charge recombination but also severely limit the long-term stability of perovskite solar cells. Herein, adopting density functional theory calculation, we verify that iodine interstitials (Ii ) has a low formation energy similar to that of the iodine vacancy (VI ) and is also readily formed on the surface of all-inorganic perovskite, and it is regarded to function as an electron trap. We screen a specific 2,6-diaminopyridine (2,6-DAPy) passivator, which, with the aid of the combined effects from halogen-Npyridine and coordination bonds, not only successfully eliminates the Ii and dissociative I2 but also passivates the abundant VI . Furthermore, the two symmetric neighboring -NH2 groups interact with adjacent halides of the octahedral cluster by forming hydrogen bonds, which further promotes the adsorption of 2,6-DAPy molecules onto the perovskite surface. Such synergetic effects can significantly passivate harmful iodine-related defects and undercoordinated Pb2+ , prolong carrier lifetimes and facilitate the interfacial hole transfer. Consequently, these merits enhance the power-conversion efficiency (PCE) from 19.6 % to 21.8 %, the highest value for this type of solar cells, just as importantly, the 2,6-DAPy-treated CsPbI3-x Brx films show better environmental stability.

Rapid detection of EGFR mutation in CTCs based on a double spiral microfluidic chip and the real-time RPA method.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cells shed from primary or metastatic tumors and spread into the peripheral bloodstream. Mutation detection in CTCs can reveal vital genetic information about the tumors and can be used for "liquid biopsy" to indicate cancer treatment and targeted medication. However, current methods to measure the mutations in CTCs are based on PCR or DNA sequencing which are cumbersome and time-consuming and require sophisticated equipment. These largely limited their applications especially in areas with poor healthcare infrastructure. Here we report a simple, convenient, and rapid method for mutation detection in CTCs, including an example of a deletion at exon 19 (Del19) of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). CTCs in the peripheral blood of NSCLC patients were first sorted by a double spiral microfluidic chip with high sorting efficiency and purity. The sorted cells were then lysed by proteinase K, and the E19del mutation was detected via real-time recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA). Combining the advantages of microfluidic sorting and real-time RPA, an accurate mutation determination was realized within 2 h without professional operation or complex data interpretation. The method detected as few as 3 cells and 1% target variants under a strongly interfering background, thus, indicating its great potential in the non-invasive diagnosis of E19del mutation for NSCLC patients. The method can be further extended by redesigning the primers and probes to detect other deletion mutations, insertion mutations, and fusion genes. It is expected to be a universal molecular diagnostic tool for real-time assessment of relevant mutations and precise adjustments in the care of oncology patients.

Recent Advances in Wide-Bandgap Organic-Inorganic Halide Perovskite Solar Cells and Tandem Application.

Perovskite-based tandem solar cells have attracted increasing interest because of its great potential to surpass the Shockley-Queisser limit set for single-junction solar cells. In the tandem architectures, the wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskites act as the front absorber to offer higher open-circuit voltage (VOC) for reduced thermalization losses. Taking advantage of tunable bandgap of the perovskite materials, the WBG perovskites can be easily obtained by substituting halide iodine with bromine, and substituting organic ions FA and MA with Cs. To date, the most concerned issues for the WBG perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are huge VOC deficit and severe photo-induced phase separation. Reducing VOC loss and improving photostability of the WBG PSCs are crucial for further efficiency breakthrough. Recently, scientists have made great efforts to overcome these key issues with tremendous progresses. In this review, we first summarize the recent progress of WBG perovskites from the aspects of compositions, additives, charge transport layers, interfaces and preparation methods. The key factors affecting efficiency and stability are then carefully discussed, which would provide decent guidance to develop highly efficient and stable WBG PSCs for tandem application.

Centrifugal microfluidic-based multiplex recombinase polymerase amplification assay for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2.

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread worldwide, and rapid detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is crucial for infection surveillance and epidemic control. This study developed a centrifugal microfluidics-based multiplex reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) assay for endpoint fluorescence detection of the E, N, and ORF1ab genes of SARS-CoV-2. The microscope slide-shaped microfluidic chip could simultaneously accomplish three target genes and one reference human gene (i.e., ACTB) RT-RPA reactions in 30 min, and the sensitivity was 40 RNA copies/reaction for the E gene, 20 RNA copies/reaction for the N gene, and 10 RNA copies/reaction for the ORF1ab gene. The chip demonstrated high specificity, reproducibility, and repeatability. Chip performance was also evaluated using real clinical samples. Thus, this rapid, accurate, on-site, and multiplexed nucleic acid test microfluidic chip would significantly contribute to detecting patients with COVID-19 in low-resource settings and point-of-care testing (POCT) and, in the future, could be used to detect emerging new variants of SARS-CoV-2.

A Comprehensive Overview of the Antibiotics Approved in the Last Two Decades: Retrospects and Prospects.

Due to the overuse of antibiotics, bacterial resistance has markedly increased to become a global problem and a major threat to human health. Fortunately, in recent years, various new antibiotics have been developed through both improvements to traditional antibiotics and the discovery of antibiotics with novel mechanisms with the aim of addressing the decrease in the efficacy of traditional antibiotics. This manuscript reviews the antibiotics that have been approved for marketing in the last 20 years with an emphasis on the antibacterial properties, mechanisms, structure-activity relationships (SARs), and clinical safety of these antibiotics. Furthermore, the current deficiencies, opportunities for improvement, and prospects of antibiotics are thoroughly discussed to provide new insights for the design and development of safer and more potent antibiotics.

Interlayer-Spacing Engineering of Lead-Free Perovskite Single Crystal for High-Performance X-Ray Imaging.

Lead-free A3 Bi2 I9 -type perovskites are demonstrated as a class of promising semiconductors for high-performance X-ray detection due to their high bulk resistivity and strong X-ray absorption, as well as reduced ion migration. However, due to their long interlamellar distance along their c-axis, their limited carrier transport along the vertical direction is a bottleneck for their detection sensitivity. Herein, a new A-site cation of aminoguanidinium (AG) with all-NH2 terminals is designed to shorten the interlayer spacing by forming more and stronger NH···I hydrogen bonds. The prepared large AG3 Bi2 I9 single crystals (SCs) render shorter interlamellar distance for a larger mobility-lifetime product of 7.94 × 10-3  cm2  V-1 , which is three times higher than the value measured on the best MA3 Bi2 I9 SC (2.87 × 10-3  cm2  V-1 ). Therefore, the X-ray detectors fabricated on the AG3 Bi2 I9 SC exhibit high sensitivity of 5791 uC Gy-1  cm-2 , a low detection limit of 2.6 nGy s-1, and a short response time of 690 µs, all of which are far better than those of the state-of-the-art MA3 Bi2 I9 SC detectors. The combination of high sensitivity and high stability enables astonishingly high spatial resolution (8.7 lp mm-1 ) X-ray imaging. This work will facilitate the development of low-cost and high-performance lead-free X-ray detectors.

Isothermal exponential amplification reactions triggered by circular templates (cEXPAR) targeting miRNA.

BACKGROUND: Isothermal exponential amplification reaction (EXPAR) is an emerging amplification technique that is most frequently used to amplify microRNA (miRNA). However, EXPAR also exhibits non-specific background amplification in the absence of the targeted sequence, which limits the attainable assay sensitivity of EXPAR. METHODS AND RESULTS: A novel modified isothermal EXPAR based on circular amplification templates (cEXPAR) was developed in this study. The circular template consists of two same linear fragments that complement the target sequence, and these two linear fragments are separated by two nicking agent recognition sequences (NARS). Compared with the linear structure template, this circular template allows DNA or RNA fragments to be randomly paired with two repeated sequences and can be successfully amplified. This reaction system developed in this study could rapidly synthesize short oligonucleotide fragments (12-22 bp) through simultaneous nicking and displacement reactions. Highly sensitive chain reactions can be specifically triggered by as low as a single copy of target molecule, and non-specific amplification can be effectively eliminated in this optimized system. Moreover, the proposed approach applied to miRNA test can discriminate single-nucleotide variations between miRNAs. CONCLUSION: The newly developed cEXPAR assay provides a useful alternative tool for rapid, sensitive, and highly specific detection of miRNAs.