Distinguishable Magnetic Reporter Coordination with Buoyancy-Magnetism Separation for Immobilization-Free Dual-Target Electrochemical Immunosensing.

Simultaneous sensitive and precise determination of multibiomarkers is of great significance for improving detection efficiency, reducing diagnosis and treatment expenses, and elevating survival rates. However, the development of simple and portable biosensors for simultaneous determination of multiplexed targets in biological fluids still faces challenges. Herein, a unique and versatile immobilization-free dual-target electrochemical biosensing platform, which combines distinguishable magnetic signal reporters with buoyancy-magnetism separation, was designed and constructed for simultaneous detection of carcinoembryonic (CEA) and α-fetoprotein (AFP) in intricate biological fluids. To construct such distinguishable magnetic signal reporters with signal transduction, amplification, and output, secondary antibodies of CEA and AFP were respectively functionalized on methylene blue (MB) and 6-(ferrocenyl)hexanethiol (FeC) modified Fe3O4@Au magnetic nanocomposites. Meanwhile, a multifunctional flotation probe with dual target recognition, capture, and isolation capability was prepared by conjugating primary antibodies (Ab1-CEA, Ab1-AFP) to hollow buoyant microspheres. The target antigens of CEA and AFP can trigger a flotation-mediated sandwich-type immunoreaction and capture a certain amount of the distinguishable magnetic signal reporter, which enables the conversion of the target CEA and AFP quantities to the signal of the potential-resolved MB and FeC. Thus, the MB and FeC currents of magnetically adsorbed distinguishable magnetic reporters can be used to determine the CEA and AFP targets simultaneously and precisely. Accordingly, the proposed strategy exhibited a delightful linear response for CEA and AFP in the range of 100 fg·mL-1-100 ng·mL-1 with detection limits of 33.34 and 17.02 fg·mL-1 (S/N = 3), respectively. Meanwhile, no significant nonspecific adsorption and cross-talk were observed. The biosensing platform has shown satisfactory performance in the determination of real clinical samples. More importantly, the proposed approach can be conveniently extended to universal detection just by simply substituting biorecognition events. Thus, this work opens up a new promising perspective for dual and even multiple targets and offers promising potential applications in clinical diagnosis.

Enhanced Hippocampus-Nidopallium Caudolaterale Interaction in Visual-Spatial Associative Learning of Pigeons.

Learning the spatial location associated with visual cues in the environment is crucial for survival. This ability is supported by a distributed interactive network. However, it is not fully understood how the most important task-related brain areas in birds, the hippocampus (Hp) and the nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL), interact in visual-spatial associative learning. To investigate the mechanisms of such coordination, synchrony and causal analysis were applied to the local field potentials of the Hp and NCL of pigeons while performing a visual-spatial associative learning task. The results showed that, over the course of learning, theta-band (4-12 Hz) oscillations in the Hp and NCL became strongly synchronized before the pigeons entered the critical choice platform for turning, with the information flowing preferentially from the Hp to the NCL. The learning process was primarily associated with the increased Hp-NCL interaction of theta rhythm. Meanwhile, the enhanced theta-band Hp-NCL interaction predicted the correct choice, supporting the pigeons' use of visual cues to guide navigation. These findings provide insight into the dynamics of Hp-NCL interaction during visual-spatial associative learning, serving to reveal the mechanisms of Hp and NCL coordination during the encoding and retrieval of visual-spatial associative memory.

Performance Baseline of Phase Transfer Entropy Methods for Detecting Animal Brain Area Interactions.

Objective: Phase transfer entropy (TEθ) methods perform well in animal sensory-spatial associative learning. However, their advantages and disadvantages remain unclear, constraining their usage. Method: This paper proposes the performance baseline of the TEθ methods. Specifically, four TEθ methods are applied to the simulated signals generated by a neural mass model and the actual neural data from ferrets with known interaction properties to investigate the accuracy, stability, and computational complexity of the TEθ methods in identifying the directional coupling. Then, the most suitable method is selected based on the performance baseline and used on the local field potential recorded from pigeons to detect the interaction between the hippocampus (Hp) and nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL) in visual-spatial associative learning. Results: (1) This paper obtains a performance baseline table that contains the most suitable method for different scenarios. (2) The TEθ method identifies an information flow preferentially from Hp to NCL of pigeons at the θ band (4-12 Hz) in visual-spatial associative learning. Significance: These outcomes provide a reference for the TEθ methods in detecting the interactions between brain areas.

Fascinating Immobilization-Free Electrochemical Immunosensing Strategy Based on the Cooperation of Buoyancy and Magnetism.

Rapid and accurate detection of biomolecules is of vital importance for the diagnosis of disease and for performing timely treatments. The point-of-care analysis of cancer biomarkers in the blood with low cost and easy processing is still challenging. Herein, an advanced and robust strategy, which integrates the buoyant recognition probe with the magnetic reporter probe in one solution, was first proposed for immobilization-free electrochemical immunosensing. The tumor marker of alpha fetoprotein (AFP) can be captured immune-buoyantly, and then a multifunctional magnetic reporter probe in pseudo-homogeneous solution was further captured to fulfill a sandwich-type immunoreaction. The residual magnetic reporter probe can be firmly and efficiently attracted on a magnetic glassy carbon electrode to fulfill the conversion of the target AFP amount into the residual magnetic electrochemical signal indicator. As a result, the electrochemical signal of methylene blue can accurately reflect the original level of target antigen AFP concentration. By integrating buoyancy-driven quasi-homogenous biorecognition with magnetism-mediated amplification and signal output, the proposed immobilization-free electrochemical immunosensing strategy displayed a wide range of linear response (100 fg mL-1 to 10 ng mL-1), low detection limit (14.52 fg mL-1), and good reproducibility, selectivity, and stability. The designed strategy manifests remarkable advantages including assay simplicity, rapidness, and high sensitivity owing to the in-solution instead of on-electrode biorecognition that could accelerate and improve the biorecognition efficiency. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first cooperation of buoyancy-driven biorecognition with magnetism-mediated signal output in bioanalysis, which would be attractive for rapid clinic biomedical application. Thus, this work provides a fresh perspective for convenient and favorable immobilization-free electrochemical biosensing of universal biomolecules.

BM­MSCs protect against liver ischemia/reperfusion injury via HO­1 mediated autophagy.

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is considered to be a contributing factor in liver injury following major hepatic resection or liver transplantation. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM­MSCs) have the potential to protect against liver I/R injury; however, the precise mechanisms have not been completely elucidated. Autophagy serves an important role in protecting against various injuries, including I/R injury. The present study aimed to determine the role of autophagy and its potential regulatory mechanism in BM­MSC­mediated protection against liver I/R injury in rats. The results demonstrated that BM­MSCs mitigated I/R injury and enhanced autophagy in vivo. In addition, inhibition of autophagy by 3­methyladenine reversed the positive effects of BM­MSCs. Furthermore, heme oxygenase­1 (HO­1) expression was promoted by BM­MSCs. Using zinc protoporphyrin IX to inhibit HO­1 demonstrated that HO­1 was important for the promotion of autophagy. In conclusion, the present study revealed that BM­MSCs protected against liver I/R injury via the promotion of HO­1­mediated autophagy.

Low expression of c-Myc protein predicts poor outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after resection.

BACKGROUND: Embryonic Liver Fodrin (ELF) is an adaptor protein of transforming growth factor (TGF-ß) signaling cascade. Disruption of ELF results in mislocalization of Smad3 and Smad4, leading to compromised TGF-ß signaling. c-Myc is an important oncogenic transcription factor, and the disruption of TGF-ß signaling promotes c-Myc-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) carcinogenesis. However, the prognostic significance of c-Myc in HCC is less understood METHODS: The expression of c-Myc protein and mRNA were measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and qRT- PCR, respectively. IHC was performed to detect TGF-ß1 and ELF expression in HCC tissues. Their relationship with clinicopathological factors and overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) were examined. RESULTS: The expression of c-Myc protein and mRNA in HCC tissues were significantly higher in HCC area than those in normal liver tissues. However, the expression were low compared with those adjacent to HCC area. c-Myc protein was independently predictive of DFS and OS, and it was negatively correlated with tumor size (P = 0.031), tumor number (P = 0.038), and recurrence (P = 0.001). Low c-Myc expression was associated with short-term recurrence and poor prognosis. The predictive value of c-Myc combined with TGF-ß1 or/and ELF was higher than that of any other single marker. Low c-Myc, high TGF-ß1 or/and low ELF expression was associated with the worst DFS and OS. CONCLUSIONS: Low expression of c-Myc protein predicts poor outcomes in patients with HCC with hepatectomy. The combination of the expression of c-Myc, TGF-ß1, and ELF can be used to accurately predict outcomes of patients with HCC.

Integrating Triangle and Jaccard similarities for recommendation.

This paper proposes a new measure for recommendation through integrating Triangle and Jaccard similarities. The Triangle similarity considers both the length and the angle of rating vectors between them, while the Jaccard similarity considers non co-rating users. We compare the new similarity measure with eight state-of-the-art ones on four popular datasets under the leave-one-out scenario. Results show that the new measure outperforms all the counterparts in terms of the mean absolute error and the root mean square error.

Mesenchymal stem cells increase expression of heme oxygenase-1 leading to anti-inflammatory activity in treatment of acute liver failure.

BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been studied for the treatment of acute liver failure (ALF) for several years. MSCs may exert their effect via complex paracrine mechanisms. Heme oxygenase (HO) 1, a rate-limiting enzyme in heme metabolism, exerts a wide range of anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and immunoregulatory effects in a variety of diseases. However, the relationship between MSCs and HO-1 in the treatment of ALF is still unclear. We investigated the preventive and therapeutic potential of intravenously administered BMSCs. METHODS: Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) obtained from Sprague-Dawley rats were isolated and cultured. We employed BMSCs, hemin (a HO-1 inducer) and zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP, the HO-1 activity inhibitor) in D-galactosamine (D-Gal)/lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced ALF rats. Rats were sacrificed at days 1, 3, 5, and 7 post-transfusion, respectively. Blood samples and liver tissues were collected. Hepatic injury, HO-1 activity, chemokines, inflammatory cytokines, the number and oxidative activity of neutrophils, ki67, and TUNEL-positive cells were evaluated. RESULTS: HO-1 induction or BMSCs transplantation attenuated D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide-induced increases in alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin (TBIL), ammonia, and inflammatory cytokines. Treatment with hemin or BMSCs also inhibited neutrophil infiltration, oxidative activity, and hepatocyte apoptosis. The protective effect of BMSCs was partially neutralized by ZnPP, suggesting the key role of HO-1 in the process. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may correlate with inhibition of nuclear factor-κ B activation. BMSCs ameliorated ALF by increasing the HO-1 expression, which reduced PMN infiltration and function, and played an important anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic role. Proposed mechanism by which BMSCs reduce inflammation, neutrophil activation, and hepatocyte apoptosis and promote hepatocyte proliferation via HO-1. BMSCs increase HO-1 expression in liver via Nrf2. HO-1 protects against LPS/D-Gal-induced ALF by inhibiting neutrophil infiltration and inflammatory burst, and hepatocyte apoptosis and necrosis. HO-1 also promotes hepatocyte proliferation.

Changes in Synovial Fluid Biomarkers after Experimental Equine Osteoarthritis.

INTRODUCTION: The study aimed to clarify the changes in the concentration of inflammatory mediators, proteases, and cartilage degradation biomarkers in the synovial fluid of joints in an equine osteoarthritis model. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Osteoarthritis was induced in eight Mongolian horses by a sterile intra-articular injection of amphotericin B, which was injected into the left carpal joint in a dose of 2 mL (25 mg/mL). The control group comprised five horses which were injected with an equal dose of sterile physiological saline into the left carpal joint. Synovial fluid was obtained at baseline and every week after injection. Test methods were based on ELISA. RESULTS: In the course of the osteoarthritis, the concentration of biomarkers in joint synovial fluid showed an increasing trend. IL-1, IL-6, MMP-9, MMP-13, ADAMTS-5, CS846, GAG, HA, CTX-II, and COMP concentrations sharply increased before the onset of significant symptoms of lameness, whereas TNF-α, MMP-2, and MMP-3 concentrations rose sharply after the occurrence of such symptoms. CONCLUSION: The results obtained confirm that the concentrations of IL-1, IL-6, MMP-9, MMP-13, ADAMTS-5, CS846, GAG, HA, CTX-II and COMP increase substantially in equine osteoarthritis, which provides a theoretical basis for the rapid diagnosis of the disease.

Puerarin protects against CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in mice: possible role of PARP-1 inhibition.

Liver fibrosis, which is the pathophysiologic process of the liver due to sustained wound healing in response to chronic liver injury, will eventually progress to cirrhosis. Puerarin, a bioactive isoflavone glucoside derived from the traditional Chinese medicine pueraria, has been reported to have many anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrosis properties. However, the detailed mechanisms are not well studied yet. This study aimed to investigate the effects of puerarin on liver function and fibrosis process in mice induced by CCl4. C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally injected with 10% CCl4 in olive oil(2mL/kg) with or without puerarin co-administration (100 and 200mg/kg intraperitoneally once daily) for four consecutive weeks. As indicated by the ameliorative serum hepatic enzymes and the reduced histopathologic abnormalities, the data collected showed that puerarin can protect against CCl4-induced chronic liver injury. Moreover, CCl4-induced development of fibrosis, as evidenced by increasing expression of alpha smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), collagen-1, transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß and connective tissue growth factor(CTGF) in liver, were suppressed by puerarin. Possible mechanisms related to these suppressive effects were realized by inhibition on NF-κB signaling pathway, reactive oxygen species(ROS) production and mitochondrial dysfunction in vivo. In addition, these protective inhibition mentioned above were driven by down-regulation of PARP-1 due to puerarin because puerarin can attenuate the PARP-1 expression in CCl4-damaged liver and PJ34, a kind of PARP-1 inhibitor, mimicked puerarin's protection. In conclusion, puerarin played a protective role in CCl4-induced liver fibrosis probably through inhibition of PARP-1 and subsequent attenuation of NF-κB, ROS production and mitochondrial dysfunction.

[Confocal Raman microspectroscopy study on the distribution of cellulose and lignin in Daphne odora Thunb].

Confocal Raman microspectroscopy is well suited to investigating cellulose and lignin distribution in-situ in the native cell walls of woody tissue. In this study, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to determine the ultrastructure of Daphne odora Thunb. In the TEM images, cell wall of Daphne odora Thunb. is typically divided into three layers: middle lamellar (ML), primary wall (P) and secondary wall (S1, S2 and S3). More detailed information about cellulose and lignin distribution in different cell wall layers was analyzed in situ by confocal Raman microspectroscopy. Raman spectra and images reveal that the distribution of cellulose and lignin in the cell wall layers is not uniform. Lignin concentration in different morphological areas follows the decreasing order: the cell corner (CC) > the middle lamellar (CML) > the secondary wall (S2). In contrast, cellulose distribution shows the opposite pattern-low concentration in CC and CML and high in S2 regions.

[Study on the interaction between daidzein and human serum albumin].

The binding reaction between daidzein and human serum albumin (HAS) was studied by fluorescence quenching spectra, synchronous fluorescence spectra and ultraviolet spectra. The results indicated that daidzein led to the quenching of the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA. The fluorescence quenching mechanism between daidzein and HSA was mainly static quenching, with non-radiation energy transfer occurring within single molecule. The binding constants (KA) between daidzein and HSA were 0.34 x 10(4) (23 degrees C), 1.10 X 10(4) (30 degrees C) and 4.36 x 10(4) (40 degrees C), respectively. According to the Forster theory of non- radiation energy transfer, the binding distances (r) were 1.50 nm (23 degrees C), 1.46 nm (30 degrees C) and 1.42 nm (40 degrees C), respectively. The thermodynamic parameters were calculated, which indicated that the hydrophobic force played major roles between daidzein and human serum albumin. The effect of daidzein on the conformation of HAS was investigated using synchronous spectrum.

[Study on the interaction of genistein and human serum albumin by spectroscopic method].

The interaction of genistein and human serum albumin (HSA) was investigated by fluorescence quenching spectra, synchronous fluorescence spectra and ultra-violet absorption spectra. The results showed that the quenching mechanism of the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA by genistein is due to the formation of genistein-HSA complex, resulting in a static quenching procedure. The binding constants (KA) were 1.00 x 10(6) (27 degrees C), 1.66 x 10(6) (37 degrees C) and 5.25 x 10(6) (47 degrees C), respectively. According to the Förster theory of non-radiation energy transfer, the binding distances (r) were 2.59 nm (27 degrees C), 2.65 nm (37 degrees C) and 2.90 nm (47 degrees C), respectively. The thermodynamic parameters showed that the binding power between genistein and HSA is mainly the electrostatic interaction Synchronous spectrum was used to investigate the conformational change of HSA.

[Spectroscopic study on the interaction between resveratrol and human serum albumin].

The interaction between resveratrol and human serum albumin (HSA) was studied by using fluorescence quenching spectra, synchronous fluorescence spectra and ultra-violet spectra. The Stern-Volmer curve of the fluorescence quenching of HSA by resveratrol indicated that the quenching mechanism between resveratrol and HSA was mainly static quenching, with nonradiation energy transfer occurring within single molecule. The binding constants (KA) were 2.39 x 10(5) (25 degrees C), 1.25 x 10(5) (35 degrees C) and 1.10 x 10(5) (45 degrees C), respectively. According to the Forster theory of nonradiation energy transfer, the binding distances (r) were 3.02 nm (25 degrees C), 3.46 nm (35 degrees C) and 3.79 nm (45 degrees C), respectively. The thermodynamic parameters showed that the interaction between resveratrol and HSA was mainly driven by hydrophobic force. Synchronous spectrum was used to investigate the conformational change of HSA.

[Microcalorimetric investigation of two cephalosporins on colon bacteria activity].

The effects of cephradinum and ceftazidime on the metabolism of Escherichia coli (E. coli) DH5alpha was determined by microcalorimetry. The microbial activity was recorded as power-time curves through an ampoule method with a TAM Air Isothermal Microcalorimeter at 37 degrees C. The parameters such as the growth rate constant (k), inhibitory ratio (I), the maximum power output (Pm) and the time (tm) corresponding to the maximum power output were calculated. The results show that the ceftazidime has a better inhibitory effect on E. coli DH5alpha than cephradinum.

[Study on the interaction of luteolin with human serum albumin by fluorescence quenching method].

The interaction between luteolin and human serum albumin (HSA) was studied by using fluorescence quenching spectra, synchronous fluorescence spectra and ultra-violet spectra. The results showed that luteolin had a strong ability to quench the fluorescence of HAS The Stern-Volmer curve of the fluorescence quenching of HSA by luteolin indicated that the mechanism behind the quenching between luteolin and HSA was a static quenching. According to the Forster theory of non-radiation energy transfer, the binding distances (r) and the binding constants (KA) were calculated. The thermodynamic parameters showed that the interaction between luteolin and HSA was driven mainly by hydrophobic force. Synchronous spectra were used to investigate the conformational changes of HSA.