Diabetes and aortic dissection: unraveling the role of 3-hydroxybutyrate through mendelian randomization.

BACKGROUND: In observational and experimental studies, diabetes has been reported as a protective factor for aortic dissection. 3-Hydroxybutyrate, a key constituent of ketone bodies, has been found to favor improvements in cardiovascular disease. However, whether the protective effect of diabetes on aortic dissection is mediated by 3-hydroxybutyrate is unclear. We aimed to investigate the causal effects of diabetes on the risk of aortic dissection and the mediating role of 3-hydroxybutyrate in them through two-step Mendelian randomization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a two-step Mendelian randomization to investigate the causal connections between diabetes, 3-hydroxybutyrate, and aortic dissection and calculate the mediating effect of 3-hydroxybutyrate. Publicly accessible data for Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, dissection of aorta and 3-hydroxybutyrate were obtained from genome-wide association studies. The association between Type 1 diabetes and dissection of aorta, the association between Type 2 diabetes and dissection of aorta, and mediation effect of 3-hydroxybutyrate were carried out separately. RESULTS: The IVW method showed that Type 1 diabetes was negatively associated with the risk of aortic dissection (OR 0.912, 95% CI 0.836-0.995), The weighted median, simple mode and weighted mode method showed consistent results. The mediated proportion of 3-hydroxybutyrate on the relationship between Type 1 diabetes and dissection of aorta was 24.80% (95% CI 5.12-44.47%). The IVW method showed that Type 2 diabetes was negatively associated with the risk of aortic dissection (OR 0.763, 95% CI 0.607-0.960), The weighted median, simple mode and weighted mode method showed consistent results. 3-Hydroxybutyrate does not have causal mediation effect on the relationship between Type 2 diabetes and dissection of aorta. CONCLUSION: Mendelian randomization study revealed diabetes as a protective factor for dissection of aorta. The protective effect of type 1 diabetes on aortic dissection was partially mediated by 3-hydroxybutyrate, but type 2 diabetes was not 3-hydroxybutyrate mediated.

Associations between exposure to phthalates and liver function among women undergoing assisted reproductive technology.

Phthalates can induce hepatotoxicity in animal studies. We aimed to assess the associations of individual and mixture of urinary phthalate metabolites with serum liver function indicators among 764 women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART). In linear models, we observed inverse correlations between urinary mono-benzyl phthalate and serum total protein (TP) as well as globulin (ß=-0.27 and -0.23, respectively, P<0.05). Additionally, negative associations were identified between mono-isobutyl phthalate and mono-butyl phthalate (MBP) and aspartate aminotransferase-to-alanine transaminase ratio (AST/ALT) (P<0.05). MBP and the sum of all phthalate metabolites (∑all.phth.m) were positively associated with bilirubin, with ß ranging from 0.14 to 0.47. Most phthalate metabolites were also positively related to gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) (all P<0.05). In Bayesian kernel machine regression models, phthalate mixture was positively associated with bilirubin and GGT, whereas inversely associated with AST/ALT and TP. Our results suggest that phthalate exposure may impair liver function among women undergoing ART.

Environmental exposure and child health in China.

Chinese children are exposed to broad environmental risks ranging from well-known hazards, such as pesticides and heavy metals, to emerging threats including many new man-made chemicals. Although anecdotal evidence suggests that the exposure levels in Chinese children are substantially higher than those of children in developed countries, a systematic assessment is lacking. Further, while these exposures have been linked to a variety of childhood diseases, such as respiratory, endocrine, neurological, behavioral, and malignant disorders, the magnitude of the associations is often unclear. This review provides a current epidemiologic overview of commonly reported environmental contaminants and their potential impact on children's health in China. We found that despite a large volume of studies on various topics, there is a need for more high-quality research and better-coordinated regional and national data collection. Moreover, prevention of such diseases will depend not only on training of environmental health professionals and enhanced research programs, but also on public education, legislation, and networking.

Epidemiological characteristics and antibody kinetics of elderly population with booster vaccination following both Omicron BA.5 and XBB waves in China.

After the termination of zero-COVID-19 policy, the populace in China has experienced both Omicron BA.5 and XBB waves. Considering the poor antibody responses and severe outcomes observed among the elderly following infection, we conducted a longitudinal investigation to examine the epidemiological characteristics and antibody kinetics among 107 boosted elderly participants following the Omicron BA.5 and XBB waves. We observed that 96 participants (89.7%) were infected with Omicron BA.5, while 59 (55.1%) participants were infected with Omicron XBB. Notably, 52 participants (48.6%) experienced dual infections of both Omicron BA.5 and XBB. The proportion of symptomatic cases appeared to decrease following the XBB wave (18.6%) compared to that after the BA.5 wave (59.3%). Omicron BA.5 breakthrough infection induced lower neutralizing antibody titers against XBB.1.5, BA.2.86, and JN.1, while reinfection with Omicron XBB broadened the antibody responses against all measured Omicron subvariants and may alleviate the wild type-vaccination induced immune imprinting. Boosted vaccination type and comorbidities were the significant factors associated with antibody responses. Updated vaccines based on emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 variants are needed to control the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic in the elderly.

Urinary haloacetic acid concentrations and thyroid function among women: Results from the TREE study.

BACKGROUND: Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) have been shown to impair thyroid function in experimental models. However, epidemiological evidence is scarce. METHODS: This study included 1190 women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment from the Tongji Reproductive and Environmental (TREE) cohort from December 2018 to August 2021. Serum thyrotropin (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroxine (FT4) were measured as indicators of thyroid function. FT4/FT3 and TSH/FT4 ratios were calculated as markers of thyroid hormone homeostasis. Dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) and trichloroacetic acid (TCAA), the two most abundant HAAs, in urine were detected to assess individual DBP exposures. RESULTS: After adjusting for relevant covariates, positive associations were observed between urinary TCAA concentrations and serum TSH and TSH/FT4 levels (e.g., percent change = 5.82 %, 95 % CI: 0.70 %, 11.21 % for TSH), whereas inverse associations were found for serum FT3 and FT4 (e.g., percent change = -1.29 %, 95 % CI: -2.49 %, -0.07 % for FT3). There also was a negative association between urinary DCAA concentration and serum FT4/FT3 (percent change = -2.49 %, 95 % CI: -4.71 %, -0.23 %). These associations were further confirmed in the restricted cubic spline and generalized additive models with linear or U-shaped dose-response relationships. CONCLUSION: Urinary HAAs were associated with altered thyroid hormone homeostasis among women undergoing ART treatment.

Catalytic ability characterization of in situ synthesized Pt NP coated SBA-15 within a sub-micropipette.

An individual catalytic entity of an n-Pt/SBA-15 composite was synthesized in situ within a sub-micropipette nanoreactor, and its size-dependent catalytic ability was evaluated using the resistance pulse signals of O2 nanobubbles, originating from H2O2 decomposition catalyzed by decorated Pt NPs in the composite.

The microplastics distribution characteristics and their impact on soil physicochemical properties and bacterial communities in food legumes farmland in northern China.

Microplastics (MPs) pose a threat to farmland soil quality and crop safety. MPs exist widely in food legumes farmland soil due to the extensive use of agricultural film and organic fertilizer, but their distribution characteristics and their impact on soil environment have not been reported. The abundance and characteristics of MPs, soil physical and chemical properties, and bacterial community composition were investigated in 76 soil samples from five provinces in northern China. The results showed that the abundance of MPs ranged from 1600 to 36,200 items/kg. MPs in soil were mostly fibrous, less than 0.2 mm, and white. Rayon, polyester and polyethylene were the main types of MPs. The influences of MPs on soil physicochemical properties and bacterial communities mainly depended on the type of MPs. Notably, polyethylene significantly decreased the proportion of silt particles, and increased the nitrate nitrogen content as well as the abundance of MPs-degrading bacteria Paenibacillus (p < 0.05). Moreover, bacteria were more sensitive to polyesters in soil with low concentration of organic matter. This study indicated that MPs in food legumes farmland soil presented a higher-level. And, they partially altered soil physicochemical properties, and soil bacteria especially in soil with low organic matter.

Analysis of network expression and immune infiltration of disulfidptosis-related genes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a globally prevalent respiratory disease, and programmed cell death plays a pivotal role in the development of COPD. Disulfidptosis is a newly discovered type of cell death that may be associated with the progression of COPD. However, the expression and role of disulfidptosis-related genes (DRGs) in COPD remain unclear. METHODS: The expression of DRGs was identified by analyzing RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data in COPD. Further, COPD patients were classified into two subtypes by unsupervised cluster analysis to reveal their differences in gene expression and immune infiltration. Meanwhile, hub genes associated with disulfidptosis were screened by weighted gene co-expression network analysis. Subsequently, the hub genes were validated experimentally in cells and animals. In addition, we screened potential therapeutic drugs through the hub genes. RESULTS: We identified two distinct molecular clusters and observed significant differences in immune cell populations between them. In addition, we screened nine hub genes, and experimental validation showed that CDC71, DOHH, PDAP1, and SLC25A39 were significantly upregulated in cigarette smoke-induced COPD mouse lung tissues and bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) treated with cigarette smoke extract. Finally, we predicted 10 potential small molecule drugs such as Atovaquone, Taurocholic acid, Latamoxef, and Methotrexate. CONCLUSION: We highlighted the strong association between COPD and disulfidptosis, with DRGs demonstrating a discriminative capacity for COPD. Additionally, the expression of certain novel genes, including CDC71, DOHH, PDAP1, and SLC25A39, is linked to COPD and may aid in the diagnosis and assessment of this condition.

Sensitive electrochemical flow injection analysis of H2O2 released from cells with a pass-through mode.

Conventional plate electrodes were commonly used in electrochemical flow injection analysis and only part of molecules diffused to the plane of electrodes could be detected, which would limit the performance of electrochemical detection. In this study, a low-cost native stainless steel wire mesh (SSWM) electrode was integrated into a 3D-printed device for electrochemical flow injection analysis with a pass-through mode, which is different compared with previous flow-through mode. This strategy was applied for sensitive analysis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) released from cells. Under the optimal conditions (the applied potentials, the flow rate and the sample volume), the device exhibits high sensitivity toward H2O2. Linear relationships could be achieved between electrochemical responses and the concentration of H2O2 ranging from 1 nM to 1 mM. The excellent analytical performance of the SSWM-based device could be attributed to the pass-through mode based on the mesh microstructure and intrinsic catalytic properties for H2O2 by stainless steel. This approach could be further successfully extended for screening of H2O2 released from HeLa cells with electrochemical responses linear to the number of cells in a range of 3 - 1.35 × 104 cells with an injection volume of 30 µL. This study revealed the potential of mesh electrodes in electrochemical flow injection analysis for cellular function and pathology and its possible extension in cell counting and on-line analysis.

Serum metabolome perturbation in relation to noise exposure: Exploring the potential role of serum metabolites in noise-induced arterial stiffness.

Noise pollution has grown to be a major public health issue worldwide. We sought to profile serum metabolite expression changes related to occupational noise exposure by untargeted metabolomics, as well as to evaluate the potential roles of serum metabolites in occupational noise-associated arterial stiffness (AS). Our study involved 30 noise-exposed industrial personnel (Lipo group) and 30 noise-free controls (Blank group). The untargeted metabolomic analysis was performed by employing a UPLC-HRMS. The associations of occupational noise and significant differential metabolites (between Blank/Lipo groups) with AS were evaluated using multivariable-adjusted generalized linear models. We performed the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analysis to further screen for AS's risk metabolites. We explored 177 metabolites across 21 categories significantly differentially expressed between Blank/Lipo groups, and these metabolites were enriched in 20 metabolic pathways. Moreover, 15 metabolites in 4 classes (including food, glycerophosphocholine, sphingomyelin [SM] and triacylglycerols [TAG]) were adversely associated with AS (all P < 0.05). Meanwhile, five metabolites (homostachydrine, phosphatidylcholine (PC) (32:1e), PC (38:6p), SM (d41:2) and TAG (45:1) have been proven to be useful predictors of AS prevalence. However, none of these 15 metabolites were found to have a mediating influence on occupational noise-induced AS. Our study reveals specific metabolic changes caused by occupational noise exposure, and several metabolites may have protective effects on AS. However, the roles of serum metabolites in noise-AS association remain to be validated in future studies.

Bridging Ionic Current Rectification and Resistive-Pulse Sensing for Reliable Wide-Linearity Detection.

As two mainstream ionic detection techniques, ionic current rectification (ICR) suffers from large fluctuations in trace level detection, while resistive-pulse sensing (RPS) encounters easy clogs in high-concentration detection. By rationally matching the nanopore size with the DNA tetrahedron (TDN), this work bridges the two techniques to achieve reliable detection with wide linearity. As a representative analyte, miRNA-10b could specifically combine with and release TDN from the interior wall, which thus induced the simultaneous generation of distinct ICR and RPS signals. The ICR signals could be attributed to the balance between the effective orifice and surface charge density of the inner wall, while the RPS signals were induced by the complex of miRNA-10b and TDN passing through the nanopore. Such an operation contributed to a wide detection range of 1 fM-1 nM with a good linearity. The feasibility of this method is also validated in single-cell and real plasma detection.

Ferrocene-Based Antioxidant Self-Healing Hydrogel via the Biginelli Reaction for Wound Healing.

The development of antioxidant wound dressings to remove excessive free radicals around wounds is essential for wound healing. In this study, we developed an efficient strategy to prepare antioxidant self-healing hydrogels as wound dressings by combining multicomponent reactions (MCRs) and postpolymerization modification. A polymer containing ferrocene and phenylboronic acid groups was developed via the Biginelli reaction, followed by efficient modification. This polymer is antioxidant due to its ferrocene moieties and can rapidly cross-link poly(vinyl alcohol) to realize an antioxidant self-healing hydrogel through dynamic borate ester linkages. This hydrogel has low cytotoxicity and is biocompatible. In in vivo experiments, this hydrogel is superior to existing clinical dressings in promoting wound healing. This study demonstrates the value of the Biginelli reaction in exploring biomaterials, potentially offering insights into the design of other multifunctional polymers and related materials using different MCRs.

Investigation on Combustion Characteristics and Molecular Structures of Heiyanquan Mining Area, Xinjiang, China.

In order to comprehend the molecular composition of coal and better understand the process of coal combustion, this study involved the development of a molecular structure model for Heiyanquan coal in Xinjiang, as well as the optimization and annealing dynamics simulation of the model. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were utilized to investigate the spontaneous combustion characteristics of coal at different temperatures (room temperature, 50-500 °C with 50 °C interval). The findings revealed that the coal primarily consists of aromatic carbon, with the aromatic structure mainly comprising naphthalene, anthracene, and phenanthrene, and the aliphatic carbon mainly consisting of CH2 and CH, along with a small quantity of minerals. The empirical molecular formula of Heiyanquan coal was determined to be C175H125O21N3. After the optimization, the total energy of the model was significantly reduced, and the aromatic layers tended to align in a regular parallel manner, with van der Waals energy playing a crucial role in maintaining structural stability. As the temperature increased, the activation energy of the three stages also increased, with the combustion stage exhibiting the highest activation energy. The presence of hydroxyl groups and oxygen-containing functional groups was found to mainly participate in the reaction, while the content of aromatic hydrocarbons remained relatively stable, C=C exhibited a decreasing trend, and C-O displayed an increasing trend. Moreover, it was observed that 1 × 1 and 2 × 2 were the predominant aromatic stripes in the coal samples, accounting for more than 90% of the total stripes.

Antibody-Suppressor CXCR5+CD8+ T Cells Are More Potent Regulators of Humoral Alloimmunity after Kidney Transplant in Mice Compared to CD4+ Regulatory T Cells.

Adoptive cell therapy (ACT), especially with CD4+ regulatory T cells (CD4+ Tregs), is an emerging therapeutic strategy to minimize immunosuppression and promote long-term allograft acceptance, although much research remains to realize its potential. In this study, we investigated the potency of novel Ab-suppressor CXCR5+CD8+ T cells (CD8+ TAb-supp) in comparison with conventional CD25highFoxp3+CD4+ Tregs for suppression of humoral alloimmunity in a murine kidney transplant (KTx) model of Ab-mediated rejection (AMR). We examined quantity of peripheral blood, splenic and graft-infiltrating CD8+ TAb-supp, and CD4+ Tregs in KTx recipients and found that high alloantibody-producing CCR5 knockout KTx recipients have significantly fewer post-transplant peripheral blood and splenic CD8+ TAb-supp, as well as fewer splenic and graft-infiltrating CD4+ Tregs compared with wild-type KTx recipients. ACT with alloprimed CXCR5+CD8+ T cells reduced alloantibody titer, splenic alloprimed germinal center (GC) B cell quantity, and improved AMR histology in CCR5 knockout KTx recipients. ACT with alloprimed CD4+ Treg cells improved AMR histology without significantly inhibiting alloantibody production or the quantity of splenic alloprimed GC B cells. Studies with TCR transgenic mice confirmed Ag specificity of CD8+ TAb-supp-mediated effector function. In wild-type recipients, CD8 depletion significantly increased alloantibody titer, GC B cells, and severity of AMR pathology compared with isotype-treated controls. Anti-CD25 mAb treatment also resulted in increased but less pronounced effect on alloantibody titer, quantity of GC B cells, and AMR pathology than CD8 depletion. To our knowledge, this is the first report that CD8+ TAb-supp cells are more potent regulators of humoral alloimmunity than CD4+ Treg cells.

Metabolomic Analysis Reveals Association between Decreased Ovarian Reserve and In Vitro Fertilization Outcomes.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a highly effective treatment for infertility; however, it poses challenges for women with decreased ovarian reserve (DOR). Despite the importance of understanding the impact of DOR on IVF outcomes, limited research has explored this relationship, particularly using omics approaches. Hence, we conducted a study to investigate the association between DOR and IVF outcomes, employing a metabolomic approach. We analyzed serum samples from 207 women undergoing IVF treatment, including 89 with DOR and 118 with normal ovarian reserve (NOR). Our findings revealed that DOR was significantly associated with unfavorable IVF outcomes, characterized by a reduced oocyte count, lower embryo quality, and decreased rates of pregnancy and live births. Furthermore, we identified 82 metabolites that displayed significant alterations in DOR patients, impacting diverse metabolic pathways. Notably, a distinct panel of metabolites, including palmitic acid, stearic acid, LysoPC(9:0(CHO)/0:0), PC(18:0/9:0(CHO)), and PC(16:0/9:0(CHO)), exhibited discriminatory power between the DOR and NOR groups, showcasing a strong correlation with IVF outcomes. These findings emphasize the crucial role of metabolomic disruptions in influencing IVF outcomes among women with DOR.

Incidence and warning signs for complications of human brucellosis: a multi-center observational study from China.

BACKGROUND: Brucellosis is a severe zoonotic disease that is often overlooked, particularly in impoverished countries. Timely identification of focal complications in brucellosis is crucial for improving treatment outcomes. However, there is currently a lack of established indicators or biomarkers for diagnosing these complications. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate potential warning signs of focal complications in human brucellosis, with the goal of providing practical parameters for clinicians to aid in the diagnosis and management of patients. METHODS: A multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted in China from December 2019 to August 2021. The study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and complications of patients with brucellosis using a questionnaire survey and medical record system. The presence of warning signs for complications was assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the area under the curve (AUC) were used for variable screening and model evaluation. RESULTS: A total of 880 participants diagnosed with human brucellosis were enrolled. The median age of the patients was 50 years [interquartile range (IQR): 41.5-58.0], and 54.8% had complications. The most common organ system affected by complications was the osteoarticular system (43.1%), with peripheral arthritis (30.0%), spondylitis (16.6%), paravertebral abscess (5.0%), and sacroiliitis (2.7%) being the most prevalent. Complications in other organ systems included the genitourinary system (4.7%), respiratory system (4.7%), and hematologic system (4.6%). Several factors were found to be associated with focal brucellosis. These factors included a long delay in diagnosis [odds ratio (OR) = 3.963, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.906-8.238 for > 90 days], the presence of underlying disease (OR = 1.675, 95% CI 1.176-2.384), arthralgia (OR = 3.197, 95% CI 1.986-5.148), eye bulging pain (OR = 3.482, 95% CI 1.349-8.988), C-reactive protein (CRP) > 10 mg/L (OR = 1.910, 95% CI 1.310-2.784) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) elevation (OR = 1.663, 95% CI 1.145-2.415). The optimal cutoff value in ROC analysis was > 5.4 mg/L for CRP (sensitivity 73.4% and specificity 51.9%) and > 25 mm/h for ESR (sensitivity 47.9% and specificity 71.1%). CONCLUSIONS: More than 50% of patients with brucellosis experienced complications. Factors such as diagnostic delay, underlying disease, arthralgia, eye pain, and elevated levels of CRP and ESR were identified as significant markers for the development of complications. Therefore, patients presenting with these conditions should be closely monitored for potential complications, regardless of their culture results and standard tube agglutination test titers.

MRI T2 mapping and shear wave elastography for identifying main pain generator in delayed-onset muscle soreness: muscle or fascia?

INTRODUCTION: The main generator of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is still unknown. This study aimed to clarify the main generator of DOMS. METHODS: Twelve participants performed eccentric exercise (EE) on lower legs. MRI and ultrasound were used to assess changes of calf muscle and deep fascia before and after EE. These results were then compared to the muscle pain level. RESULTS: Compared to baseline, muscle pain peaked at 24-48 h after EE (downstairs 22.25 ± 6.196, 57.917 ± 9.298, F = 291.168, p < 0.01; resting 5.833 ± 1.899, 5.083 ± 2.429, F = 51.678, p < 0.01). Shear wave speed (SWE) of the deep fascia and T2 values of the gastrocnemius muscle and deep fascia all increased and peaked at 48 h after EE (1.960 ± 0.130, F = 22.293; 50.237 ± 2.963, F = 73.172; 66.328 ± 2.968, F = 231.719, respectively, p < 0.01). These measurements were positively correlated with DOMS (downstairs: r = 0.46, 0.76, 0.87, respectively, p < 0.001; resting: r = 0.42, 0.70, 0.77, respectively, p < 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between SWE and T2 values of deep fascia (r = 0.54, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: DOMS is a common result of muscle and fascia injuries. Deep fascia edema and stiffness play a crucial role in DOMS, which can be effectively evaluated MR-T2 and SWE. CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Delayed-onset muscle soreness is a common result of muscle and deep fascia injuries, in which the edema and stiffness of the deep fascia play a crucial role. Both MRI and shear wave elastography can be effectively used to evaluate soft tissue injuries. KEY POINTS: • The deep fascia is the major pain generator of delayed-onset muscle soreness. • There is a significant correlation between fascia injury and delayed-onset muscle soreness. • MRI and shear wave elastography are preferred methods for assessing fascia injuries.

A Bifunctional Wearable Sensor Based on a Nanoporous Membrane for Simultaneous Detection of Sweat Lactate and Temperature.

Wearable sensors for non-invasive, real-time detection of sweat lactate have far-reaching implications in the fields of health care and exercise physiological responses. Here, we propose a wearable electrochemical sensor with gold nanoelectrode arrays fabricated on the nanoporous polycarbonate (PC) membrane by encapsulating lactate oxidase (LOx) in chitosan (CS) hydrogel for detecting body temperature and sweat lactate concurrently. Flexible gold nanoporous electrodes not only enhance electrode area but also offer a nanoconfined space to accelerate the catalytic reaction of LOx and control substrate concentration on the surface of LOx to decrease substrate inhibition. The proposed sensor has a long durability of 13 days and better selectivity for the detection of sweat lactate over a wide linear range (0.01-35 mM) with a low detection limit (0.144 µM). Furthermore, temperature-dependent transmembrane currents passing through the sensor are used to estimate body temperature. We then use multiple linear regression to adjust the effect of temperature on lactate detection and succeed in monitoring lactate molecules in sweat and body temperature during exercise.

Classification of Molecular Binding Traces for Dynamic Single-Molecule Sensing.

Interference from nonspecific binding imposes a fundamental limit in the sensitivity of biosensors that is dependent on the affinity and specificity of the available sensing probes. The dynamic single-molecule sensing (DSMS) strategy allows ultrasensitive detection of biomarkers at the femtomolar level by identifying specific binding according to molecular binding traces. However, the accuracy in classifying binding traces is not sufficient from separate features, such as the bound lifetime. Here, we establish a DSMS workflow to improve the sensitivity and linearity by classifying molecular binding traces in surface plasmon resonance microscopy with multiple kinetic features. The improvement is achieved by correlation analysis to select key features of binding traces, followed by unsupervised k-clustering. The results show that this unsupervised classification approach improves the sensitivity and linearity in microRNA (hsa-miR155-5p, hsa-miR21-5p, and hsa-miR362-5p) detection to achieve a limit of detection at the subfemtomolar level.

Prenatal exposures to phthalates and bisphenols in relation to oxidative stress: single pollutant and mixtures analyses.

Prenatal exposures to phthalates and bisphenols have been shown to be linked with adverse birth outcomes. Oxidative stress (OS) is considered a potential mechanism. The objective of this study was to explore the individual and mixtures of prenatal exposures to phthalates and bisphenols in associations with OS biomarkers. We measured eight phthalate metabolites and three bisphenols in the urine samples from 105 pregnant women in Wuhan, China. Urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), 8-isoprostaglandin F2α (8-isoPGF2α), and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal-mercapturic acid (HNE-MA) were determined as OS biomarkers. The OS biomarkers in associations with the individual chemicals were estimated by linear regression models and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models, and their associations with the chemical mixtures were explored by quantile g-computation (qg-comp) models. In single-pollutant analyses, five phthalate metabolites including monomethyl phthalate (MMP), monoethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), (2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP), and mono (2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP) were positively associated with urinary 8-OHdG levels (all FDR-adjusted P = 0.06). These associations were further confirmed by the RCS models and were linear (P for overall association ≤ 0.05 and P for non-linear association > 0.05). In mixture analyses, qg-comp models showed that a one-quartile increase in the chemical mixtures of phthalate metabolites and bisphenols was positively associated with urinary levels of 8-OHdG and 8-isoPGF2α, and bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol F (BPF) were the most contributing chemicals, respectively. Prenatal exposures to individual phthalates and mixtures of phthalates and bisphenols were associated with higher OS levels.