Highly sensitive and label-free detection of influenza H5N1 viral proteins using affinity peptide and porous BSA/MXene nanocomposite electrode.

Influenza viruses are known to cause pandemic flu through inter-human and animal-to-human transmissions. Neuraminidase (NA), which is a surface glycoprotein of both influenza A and B viruses, is a minor immunogenic determinant; however, it has been proposed as an ideal candidate for a real testing. We successfully identified an affinity peptide which is specific to the influenza H5N1 virus NA via phage display technique and observed initially its binding affinities using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, four synthetic peptides were chemically synthesized to develop an affinity peptide-based electrochemical biosensing system. Among all peptides tested, INA BP2 was selected as a potential candidate and subjected to square-wave voltammetry (SWV) for evaluating their detection performance. To enhance analytical performance, a three-dimensional porous bovine serum albumin (BSA)-MXene (BSA/MXene) matrix was applied. The surface morphology of the BSA/MXene film-deposited electrode was analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Using SWV measurement, the BSA/MXene nanocomposite-based peptide sensor exhibited significant the dissociation constant (Kd = 9.34 ± 1.20 nM) and the limit of detection (LOD, 0.098 nM), resulting in good reproducibility, stability and recovery, even in the presence with spiked human plasma. These results demonstrate an alternative way of new bioanalytical sensing platform for developing more desirable sensitivity in other virus detection.

Polydopamine-encapsulated cap-like mesoporous silica based delivery system for responsive pesticide release and high retention.

Nanopesticides formulation has been applied in modern agriculture, but the effective deposition of pesticides on plant surfaces is still a critical challenge. Here, we developed a cap-like mesoporous silica (C-mSiO2) carrier for pesticide delivery. The C-mSiO2 carriers with surface amino groups present uniform cap-like shape and have an mean diameter of 300 nm and width of 100 nm. This structure would reduce the rolling and bouncing of carriers on plant leaves, leading to improving the foliage deposition and retention. After loading dinotefuran (DIN), polydopamine (PDA) was used to encapsulate the pesticide (DIN@C-mSiO2@PDA). The C-mSiO2 carriers exhibit high drug loading efficiency (24.7%) and benign biocompatibility on bacteria and seed. Except for pH/NIR response release, the DIN@C-mSiO2@PDA exhibited excellent photostability under UV irradiation. Moreover, the insecticidal activity of DIN@C-mSiO2@PDA was comparable to that of pure DIN and DIN commercial suspension (CS-DIN). This carrier system has the potential for improving the foliage retention and utilization of pesticides.

Influence of different grinding degrees of fly ash on properties and reaction degrees of geopolymers.

This study reports the preparation of geopolymers with a mechanical performance similar to that of cement at room temperature by ground fly ash mixed with a small amount of cement. The grinding time of fly ash raw materials was 0,20,40 and 60 min, respectively. The influence of the grinding degree of the fly ash on the properties and the reaction degree of the geopolymer were investigated by XRD, SEM, EDS, and mercury compression tests. The reaction degree of the fly ash geopolymer was quantified by the selective dissolution method. Increasing the grinding degree of fly ash significantly increased the compressive strength of the geopolymer and the density of the microstructure of materials also increased. Furthermore, porosity and the average pore size decreased and the proportion of small holes in the pores gradually increased. The calculation results were in coincidence with the compressive strength test and the micro-performance test of the material, thus indicating that the selective dissolution method can reflect the influence of the grinding degree on the reaction degree of the geopolymer. Furthermore, the reaction degree of the geopolymer increased as the grinding degree of the fly ash increased. However, the growth rate of the reaction degree for the geopolymer slowed down when the fly ash was ground for more than 40 min.

Enhanced water-responsive actuation of porous Bombyx mori silk.

Bombyx mori silk with a nanoscale porous architecture significantly deforms in response to changes in relative humidity. Despite the increasing amount of water adsorption and water-responsive strain with increasing porosity of the silk, there is a range of porosities that result in silk's optimal water-responsive energy density at 3.1 MJ m-3. Our findings show the possibility of controlling water-responsive materials' swelling pressure by controlling their nanoporosities.

A systematic review of follow-up results of additively manufactured customized implants for the pelvic area.

INTRODUCTION: While 3D printing of bone models for preoperative planning or customized surgical templating has been successfully implemented, the use of patient-specific additively manufactured (AM) implants is a newer application not yet well established. To fully evaluate the advantages and shortcomings of such implants, their follow-up results need to be evaluated. AREA COVERED: This systematic review provides a survey of the reported follow-ups on AM implants used for oncologic reconstruction, total hip arthroplasty both primary and revision, acetabular fracture, and sacrum defects. EXPERT OPINION: The review shows that Titanium alloy (Ti4AL6V) is the most common type of material system used due to its excellent biomechanical properties. Electron beam melting (EBM) is the predominant AM process for manufacturing implants. In almost all cases, porosity at the contact surface is implemented through the design of lattice or porous structures to enhance osseointegration. The follow-up evaluations show promising results, with only a small number of patients suffering from aseptic loosening, wear, or malalignment. The longest reported follow-up length was 120 months for acetabular cages and 96 months for acetabular cups. The AM implants have proven to serve as an excellent option to restore premorbid skeletal anatomy of the pelvis.

Impact of Different Lignin Sources on Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon toward the Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Lignin is an ideal carbon source material, and lignin-based carbon materials have been widely used in electrochemical energy storage, catalysis, and other fields. To investigate the effects of different lignin sources on the performance of electrocatalytic oxygen reduction, different lignin-based nitrogen-doped porous carbon catalysts were prepared using enzymolytic lignin (EL), alkaline lignin (AL) and dealkaline lignin (DL) as carbon sources and melamine as a nitrogen source. The surface functional groups and thermal degradation properties of the three lignin samples were characterized, and the specific surface area, pore distribution, crystal structure, defect degree, N content, and configuration of the prepared carbon-based catalysts were also analyzed. The electrocatalytic results showed that the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction performance of the three lignin-based carbon catalysts was different, and the catalytic performance of N-DLC was poor, while the electrocatalytic performance of N-ELC was similar to that of N-ALC, both of which were excellent. The half-wave potential (E1/2) of N-ELC was 0.82 V, reaching more than 95% of the catalytic performance of commercial Pt/C (E1/2 = 0.86 V) and proving that EL can be used as an excellent carbon-based electrocatalyst material, similar to AL.

Brief History, Preparation Method, and Biological Application of Mesoporous Silica Molecular Sieves: A Narrative Review.

It has been more than 30 years since the first ordered mesoporous silica molecular sieve (MCM-41) was reported, but the enthusiasm for exploiting mesoporous silica is still growing due to its superior properties, such as its controllable morphology, excellent hosting capability, easy functionalization, and good biocompatibility. In this narrative review, the brief history of the discovery of mesoporous silica and several important mesoporous silica families are summarized. The development of mesoporous silica microspheres with nanoscale dimensions, hollow mesoporous silica microspheres, and dendritic mesoporous silica nanospheres is also described. Meanwhile, common synthesis methods for traditional mesoporous silica, mesoporous silica microspheres, and hollow mesoporous silica microspheres are discussed. Then, we introduce the biological applications of mesoporous silica in fields such as drug delivery, bioimaging, and biosensing. We hope this review will help people to understand the history of the development of mesoporous silica molecular sieves and become familiar with their synthesis methods and applications in biology.

Synthesis of Hierarchically Porous Bioactive Glass and Its Mineralization Activity.

Mesoporous bioactive glass is a promising biomaterial for bone tissue engineering due to its good biocompatibility and bioactivity. In this work, we synthesized a hierarchically porous bioactive glass (HPBG) using polyelectrolyte-surfactant mesomorphous complex as template. Through the interaction with silicate oligomers, calcium and phosphorus sources were successfully introduced into the synthesis of hierarchically porous silica, and HPBG with ordered mesoporous and nanoporous structures was obtained. The morphology, pore structure and particle size of HPBG can be controlled by adding block copolymer as co-template or adjusting the synthesis parameters. The ability to induce hydroxyapatite deposition in simulated body fluids (SBF) demonstrated the good in vitro bioactivity of HPBG. Overall, this work provides a general method for the synthesis of hierarchically porous bioactive glasses.

Porous MgO-modified biochar adsorbents fabricated by the activation of Mg(NO3)2 for phosphate removal: Synergistic enhancement of porosity and active sites.

Engineering magnesium oxide (MgO)-modified biochar (MgO-biochar) with high porosity and active MgO load is a feasible pathway to enhance phosphate adsorption capacity. However, the blockage to pores caused by MgO particles is ubiquitous during the preparation, which seriously impaired the enhancement in adsorption performance. In this research, with the intent to enhance phosphate adsorption, an in-situ activation method based on Mg(NO3)2-activated pyrolysis technology was developed to fabricate MgO-biochar adsorbents with abundant fine pores and active sites simultaneously. The SEM image revealed that the tailor-made adsorbent has well-developed porous structure and abundant fluffy MgO active sites. Its maximum phosphate adsorption capacity was coming up to 1809 mg/g. The phosphate adsorption isotherms are in accordance well with the Langmuir model. The kinetic data, which agreed with the pseudo-second-order model, indicated that chemical interaction is existing between phosphate and MgO active sites. This work verified that the phosphate adsorption mechanism on MgO-biochar was composed of protonation, electrostatic attraction, monodentate complexation and bidentate complexation. In general, the facile in-situ activation method using Mg(NO3)2 pyrolysis illuminated biochar activation with fine pores and highly efficient adsorption sites for efficient wastewater treatment.

Serum Irisin level is associated with fall risk, muscle strength, and cortical porosity in postmenopausal women.

Background: Irisin plays a role in bone-muscle crosstalk, but the relationship between the serum irisin level and bone microarchitecture remains unknown. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationships between serum irisin level and fall risk, muscle strength, bone mineral density (BMD), and bone microarchitecture among Chinese postmenopausal women. Methods: In all 138 postmenopausal women, handgrip strength, short physical performance battery (SPPB), and the timed up-and-go test were performed to evaluate muscle strength, physical performance, and fall risk, respectively. The serum irisin was measured. High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) was performed to acquire volumetric BMD and bone microarchitecture. Bivariate analysis was used to explore relationships between serum irisin level and muscle strength and HR-pQCT parameters. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to determine associations between serum irisin level and vBMD and cortical porosity (Ct.Po). Results: All participants had a median serum irisin level of 3.91 µg/ml. Participants with high fall risk had significantly lower serum irisin levels than those with low fall risk (2.22 µg/ml vs. 4.16 µg/ml, p=0.024). Irisin level was positively related to handgrip strength (rs=0.185, p=0.030) and SPPB performance. In univariate linear regression, serum irisin level was positively associated with cortical volumetric BMD (Ct.vBMD, radius: standardized ß=0.184, p=0.031; tibia: standardized ß=0.242, p=0.004), but it had no significant associations with Ct.vBMD after multivariate adjustment. After adjusting by age, height, serum sclerostin level, and body fat ratio, only Ct.Po at the distal radius had a significantly negative association with serum irisin level (standardized ß=-0.276, p=0.003). Conclusion: Postmenopausal women with lower serum irisin levels have a higher fall risk, weaker muscle strength, and higher cortical porosity. Moreover, serum irisin level has a positive association with Ct.vBMD, but it is affected by factors such as age.

Engineered Design of a Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle-Based Nanocarrier for Efficient mRNA Delivery in Vivo.

We have developed tailor-designed mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) specifically for delivering mRNA. Our unique assembly protocol involves premixing mRNA with a cationic polymer and then electrostatically binding it to the MSNP surface. Since the key physicochemical parameters of MSNPs could influence the biological outcome, we also investigated the roles of size, porosity, surface topology, and aspect ratio on the mRNA delivery. These efforts allow us to identify the best-performing carrier, which was able to achieve efficient cellular uptake and intracellular escape while delivering a luciferase mRNA in mice. The optimized carrier remained stable and active for at least 7 days after being stored at 4 °C and was able to enable tissue-specific mRNA expression, particularly in the pancreas and mesentery after intraperitoneal injection. The optimized carrier was further manufactured in a larger batch size and found to be equally efficient in delivering mRNA in mice and rats, without any obvious toxicity.

Bioactivity, Uptake, and Distribution of Prothioconazole Loaded on Fluorescent Double-Hollow Shelled Mesoporous Silica in Soybean Plants.

Prothioconazole (PTC) has been widely utilized for plant fungal disease control, but its metabolite prothioconazole-desthio (PTC-d) exhibits reproductive toxicity. In the present study, carbon quantum dot (CQD)-modified fluorescent double-hollow shelled mesoporous silica nanoparticles (FL-MSNs) loaded with PTC, referred to as PTC@FL-MSNs, were constructed with an average size of 369 nm and a loading capacity of 28.1 wt %, which could increase the antifungal efficiency of PTC. In addition, upright fluorescence microscope and UPLC-MS/MS studies showed that PTC@FL-MSNs could be effectively transported via root uptake and foliar spray in soybean plants. Compared to a 30% PTC dispersible oil suspension agent, the PTC@FL-MSN treatment group showed higher concentrations (leaves: 0.50 > 0.48 mg/kg), longer half-lives for degradation (leaves: 3.62 > 3.21 d; roots: 3.39 > 2.82 d), and fewer metabolites. These findings suggest that sustained pesticide release and toxicity reduction are potential applications for PTC nanofungicide delivery technology.

Biological interactions between micro swimmers and cross fluid with inclined MHD effects in a complex wavy canal.

The significance of studying biological interactions of micro swimmers in a complex wavy canal with MHD effects lies in its potential to provide insight into the behavior and dynamics of microorganisms in natural environments that contain complex fluid flow and magnetic fields. Current investigation explores the biological interactions between micro swimmers and Cross fluid with inclined MHD effects in a complex wavy canal. There are several factors of medium for micro swimmers like nature, magnetic field, liquid rheology and position. These interactions are hereby witnessed by utilizing the Cross fluid along with Taylor swimming sheet model under the influence of porous and inclined magnetic effect. Furthermore, two-dimensional complex wavy cervical canal is being utilized at inclined angle. By help of lubrication assumption, reduction of momentum equation is made and hence fourth-order differential equation associated with boundary conditions is obtained. Bvp4c command in Matlab is utilized for this boundary value problem. Obtained bvp4c solution is verified with finite difference method and found smooth agreement. Magnetic force enhances the swimming speed and reduction is seen for the power dissipation and effective role is seen for swimming motion with cross fluid rheology. The channel walls (peristaltic nature) and porous medium can be utilized as alternative factors to control the speed of the propeller.

Sustainable green conversion of coal gangue waste into cost-effective porous multimetallic silicate adsorbent enables superefficient removal of Cd(II) and dye.

Converting solid wastes into new materials for wastewater decontamination is a feasible "one stone, three birds" strategy to achieve sustainable value-added utilization of resources and minimize waste emissions, but significant challenges remain. In response to this, we proposed an efficient "mineral gene reconstruction" method to synchronously transform coal gangue (CG) into a green porous silicate adsorbent without using any harmful chemicals (i.e., surfactants, organic solvents). The one of the synthesized adsorbents with a high specific surface area (582.28 m2/g) and multimetallic active centres shows outstanding adsorption performance (adsorption capacities: 168.92 mg/g for Cd(II), 234.19 mg/g for methylene blue (MB); removal rate: 99.04% for Cd(II) and 99.9% for MB). The adsorbent can also reach a high removal rate of 99.05%∼99.46% and 89.23%∼99.32% for MB and Cd(II) in real water samples (i.e., Yangtze River, Yellow River, seawater and tap water), respectively. After 5 adsorption-desorption cycles, the adsorption efficiency remained above 90%. The adsorbents mainly adsorbed Cd(II) by electrostatic attraction, surface complexation and partial ion exchange and MB by electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions. This study provides a sustainable and promising platform for developing a new-generation cost-efficient adsorbent from waste for clean water production.

Extraction and determination of terpenoids from Zexie Decoction based on a porous organic cage-doped monolithic cartridge.

A monolithic solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge packed with a composite adsorbent was fabricated via polymerization using dodecene as the monomer with the porous organic cage (POC) material doped, combing with an analytical column through a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) instrument, which was used for the online extraction and separation of 23-acetyl alismol C, atractylodes lactone II and atractylodes lactone III from Zexie Decoction. The POC-doped adsorbent shows porous structure with a relatively high specific surface area of 85.50 m2/g, which was obtained from the characterizations of a scanning electron microscope and an automatic surface area and porosity analyser. Efficient extraction and separation of three target terpenoids was achieved by an online SPE-HPLC method based on the POC-doped cartridge, which exhibits strong matrix-removal ability and good terpenoids-retention ability with a high adsorption capacity, due to the interactions of hydrogen bond and hydrophobicity between the terpenoids and the POC-doped adsorbent. Method validation shows good linearity (r ≥ 0.9998) of the regression equation, and high accuracy with the spiked recovery in the range of 99.2 %-100.8 % of the proposed method. Compared to the generally disposable adsorbent, this work fabricated a reusable monolithic cartridge, which can be used for at least 100 times, with the RSD based on the peak area of the three terpenoids less than 6.6 %.

Speed and quality of interbody fusion in porous bioceramic Al2O3 and polyetheretherketone cages for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this prospective randomized monocentric study is to compare the speed and quality of interbody fusion of implanted porous Al2O3 (aluminium oxide) cages with PEEK (polyetheretherketone) cages in ACDF (anterior cervical discectomy and fusion). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 111 patients were enrolled in the study, which was carried out between 2015 and 2021. The 18-month follow-up (FU) was completed in 68 patients with an Al2O3 cage and 35 patients with a PEEK cage in one-level ACDF. Initially, the first evidence (initialization) of fusion was evaluated on computed tomography. Subsequently, interbody fusion was evaluated according to the fusion quality scale, fusion rate and incidence of subsidence. RESULTS: Signs of incipient fusion at 3 months were detected in 22% of cases with the Al2O3 cage and 37.1% with the PEEK cage. At 12-month FU, the fusion rate was 88.2% for Al2O3 and 97.1% for PEEK cages, and at the final FU at 18 months, 92.6% and 100%, respectively. The incidence of subsidence was observed to be 11.8% and 22.9% of cases with Al2O3 and PEEK cages, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Porous Al2O3 cages demonstrated a lower speed and quality of fusion in comparison with PEEK cages. However, the fusion rate of Al2O3 cages was within the range of published results for various cages. The incidence of subsidence of Al2O3 cages was lower compared to published results. We consider the porous Al2O3 cage as safe for a stand-alone disc replacement in ACDF.

National fingermark visualisation collaborative exercise 2020.

In 2020, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory organised and ran what is believed to be the first UK national collaborative exercise of its kind in the field of fingermark visualisation, on behalf of the Forensic Science Regulator. Laboratories were provided with a piece of wrapping paper, a challenging item for fingermark visualisation due to its semi-porous characteristics, both from a planning and processing perspective, and asked to treat it as a major crime exhibit. Due to the complexity of the substrate, variation in approach was anticipated. 23 laboratories from 21 organisations completed the exercise. In general, laboratories performed well, providing assurance to the Forensic Science Regulator regarding their ability to visualise fingermarks. Key learning points were identified around decision-making, planning and implementation of fingermark visualisation processes - all of which assist in raising the level of understanding around the likely success of fingermark visualisation. Lessons learnt, along with the overall findings, were shared and discussed in a workshop held in summer 2021. The exercise provided a useful insight into the current operational practices of participating laboratories. Areas of good practice were identified as well as the areas within the laboratories' approach that could be altered or adapted.

Copper(II)-Incorporated Porphyrin-Based Porous Organic Polymer for a Nonenzymatic Electrochemical Glucose Sensor.

To date, the fabrication of multifunctional nanoplatforms based on a porous organic polymer for electrochemical sensing of biorelevant molecules has received considerable attention in the search for a more active, robust, and sensitive electrocatalyst. Here, in this report, we have developed a new porous organic polymer based on porphyrin (TEG-POR) from a polycondensation reaction between a triethylene glycol-linked dialdehyde and pyrrole. The Cu(II) complex of the polymer Cu-TEG-POR shows high sensitivity and a low detection limit for glucose electro-oxidation in an alkaline medium. The characterization of the as-synthesized polymer was done by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and 13C CP-MAS solid-state NMR. The N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm was carried out at 77 K to analyze the porous property. TEG-POR and Cu-TEG-POR both show excellent thermal stability. The Cu-TEG-POR-modified GC electrode shows a low detection limit (LOD) value of 0.9 µM and a wide linear range (0.001-1.3 mM) with a sensitivity of 415.8 µA mM-1 cm-2 toward electrochemical glucose sensing. The interference of the modified electrode from ascorbic acid, dopamine, NaCl, uric acid, fructose, sucrose, and cysteine was insignificant. Cu-TEG-POR exhibits acceptable recovery for blood glucose detection (97.25-104%), suggesting its scope in the future for selective and sensitive nonenzymatic glucose detection in human blood.

Super facile one-step synthesis of sugarcane bagasse derived N-doped porous biochar for adsorption of ciprofloxacin.

A new N-doped biochar derived from sugarcane bagasse (NSB) was prepared by one-pot pyrolysis with sugarcane bagasse as feedstock, melamine as nitrogen source and NaHCO3 as pore-forming agent, and then NSB was used to adsorb ciprofloxacin (CIP) in water. The optimal preparation conditions of NSB were determined based on the evaluation index of adsorbability of NSB for CIP. SEM, EDS, XRD, FTIR, XPS and BET characterizations were used to analyze the physicochemical properties of the synthetic NSB. It was found that the prepared NSB had excellent pore structure, high specific surface area and more nitrogenous functional groups. Meanwhile, it was demonstrated that the synergistic interaction between melamine and NaHCO3 increased the pores of NSB and the largest surface area of NSB was 1712.19 m2/g. The CIP adsorption capacity of 212 mg/g was obtained under optimal parameters as follows: NSB amount 0.125 g/L, initial pH 6.58, adsorption temperature 30 °C, CIP initial concentration 30 mg/L and adsorption time 1 h. The isotherm and kinetics studies elucidated that the adsorption of CIP conformed both D-R model and Pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The high CIP adsorption capacity of NSB for CIP was due to the combined filling pore, π-π conjugation and hydrogen bonding. All results demonstrated that adsorption of CIP by the low-cost N-doped biochar of NSB is a reliable technology for the disposal of CIP wastewater.

Porous-layer columns with a poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) stationary phase for determining of catalytic reactions components, natural gas and its processed products.

The presented review is devoted to methods for determining the component composition of the studied catalytic reactions, natural gas and its processed products using gas chromatography columns prepared on the basis of poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) polymer (PTMSP). Methods of polymer modification are proposed in order to change the polarity and selectivity of separation of compounds of different chemical nature. The influence of the film thickness of the PTMSP stationary phase on the separation parameters and the loading capacity of the columns used is noted. Examples of the use of packed and capillary columns in solving various problems by gas chromatography are shown. The detection limits are determined and the repeatability for the analyzed compounds are calculated.