Highly Electroactive Co2+-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks as an Efficient Coreaction Accelerator for Amplifying Near-Infrared Electrochemiluminescence of Gold Nanoclusters in Biomarkers Immunoassay.

Metal nanoclusters (NCs) as a new kind of luminophore have acquired sufficient interest, but their widespread application is restricted on account of their relatively low electrochemiluminescence (ECL) efficiency. Then, aqueous metal NCs with high ECL efficiency were strongly anticipated, especially for the ultrasensitive analysis of biomarkers. Herein, a near-infrared (NIR) ECL biosensing strategy for the test of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) was proposed by utilizing N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC)- and cysteamine (Cys)-stabilized gold NCs (NAC/Cys-AuNCs) as ECL emitters with the NIR ECL emission around 860 nm and a metal-organic framework/palladium nanocubes (ZIF-67/PdNCs) hybrid as the coreaction accelerator through their admirable electrocatalytic activity. The NIR emission would reduce photochemical injury to the samples and even realize nondestructive analysis with highly strong susceptibility and suitability. Furthermore, the utilization of ZIF-67/PdNCs could improve the ECL response of NAC/Cys-AuNCs by facilitating the oxidation of the coreactant triethylamine (TEA), leading to the production of a larger quantity of reducing intermediate radical TEA•+. Consequently, NAC/Cys-AuNCs with ZIF-67/PdNCs displayed 2.7 fold enhanced ECL emission compared with the single NAC/Cys-AuNCs using TEA as the coreactant. In addition, HWRGWVC (HWR), a heptapeptide, was introduced to immobilize antibodies for the specially binding Fc fragment of the antibodies, which improved the binding efficiency and sensitivity. As a result, a "signal-on" immunosensor for NSE analysis was obtained with an extensive linear range of 0.1 to 5 ng/mL and a low limit of detection (0.033 fg/mL) (S/N = 3). This study provides a wonderful method for the development of an efficient nondestructive immunoassay.

Self-Assembly-Induced Enhancement of Cathodic Electrochemiluminescence of Copper Nanoclusters for a Split-Type Matrix Metalloproteinase 14 Sensing Platform.

The unique optoelectronic and tunable luminescent characteristics of copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs) make them extremely promising as luminophores. However, the limited luminescence intensity and stability of Cu NCs have restricted their application in the field of electrochemiluminescence (ECL). Herein, a self-assembly-induced enhancement strategy was successfully employed to enhance the cathodic ECL performance of flexible ligand-stabilized Cu NCs. Specifically, Cu NCs form ordered sheetlike structures through intermolecular force. The restriction of ligand torsion in this self-assembled structure leads to a significant improvement in the ECL properties of the Cu NCs. Experimental results demonstrate that the assembled nanoscale Cu NC sheets exhibit an approximately three-fold increase in cathodic ECL emission compared to the dispersed state of Cu NCs. Furthermore, assembled nanoscale Cu NCs sheets were utilized as signal probes in conjunction with a specific short peptide derived from the catalytic structural domain of matrix metalloproteinase 14 (MMP 14) as the identification probe, thereby establishing a split-type ECL sensing platform for the quantification of NMP 14. The investigation has revealed the exceptional performance of assembled nanoscale Cu NCs sheets in ECL analysis, thus positioning them as novel and promising signal probes with significant potential in the field of sensing.

QTL mapping of downy mildew resistance in foxtail millet by SLAF­seq and BSR-seq analysis.

KEY MESSAGE: Key message Three major QTLs for resistance to downy mildew were located within an 0.78 Mb interval on chromosome 8 in foxtail millet. Downy mildew, a disease caused by Sclerospora graminicola, is a serious problem that jeopardizes the yield and quality of foxtail millet. Breeding resistant varieties represents one of the most economical and effective solutions, yet there is a lack of molecular markers related to the resistance. Here, a mapping population comprising of 158 F6:7 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was constructed from the crossing of G1 and JG21. Based on the specific locus amplified fragment sequencing results, a high-density linkage map of foxtail millet with 1031 bin markers, spanning 1041.66 cM was constructed. Based on the high-density linkage map and the phenotype data in four environments, a total of nine quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with resistance to downy mildew were identified. Further BSR-seq confirmed the genomic regions containing the potential candidate genes related to downy mildew resistance. Interestingly, a 0.78-Mb interval between C8M257 and C8M268 on chromosome 8 was highlighted because of its presence in three major QTL, qDM8_1, qDM8_2, and qDM8_4, which contains 10 NBS-LRR genes. Haplotype analysis in RILs and natural population suggest that 9 SNP loci on Seita8G.199800, Seita8G.195900, Seita8G.198300, and Seita.8G199300 genes were significantly correlated with disease resistance. Furthermore, we found that those genes were taxon-specific by collinearity analysis of pearl millet and foxtail millet genomes. The identification of these new resistance QTL and the prediction of resistance genes against downy mildew will be useful in breeding for resistant varieties and the study of genetic mechanisms of downy mildew disease resistance in foxtail millet.

Underlying Mechanisms of the Hedgehog-Like Panicle and Filamentous Leaf Tissue Symptoms Caused by Sclerospora graminicola in Foxtail Millet.

Downy mildew caused by Sclerospora graminicola is a systemic infectious disease affecting foxtail millet production in Africa and Asia. S. graminicola-infected leaves could be decomposed to a state where only the veins remain, resulting in a filamentous leaf tissue symptom. The aim of the present study was to investigate how S. graminicola influences the formation of the filamentous leaf tissue symptoms in hosts at the morphological and molecular levels. We discovered that vegetative hyphae expanded rapidly, with high biomass accumulated at the early stages of S. graminicola infection. In addition, S. graminicola could affect spikelet morphological development at the panicle branch differentiation stage to the pistil and stamen differentiation stage by interfering with hormones and nutrient metabolism in the host, resulting in hedgehog-like panicle symptoms. S. graminicola could acquire high amounts of nutrients from host tissues through secretion of ß-glucosidase, endoglucanase, and pectic enzyme, and destroyed host mesophyll cells by mechanical pressure caused by rapid expansion of hyphae. At the later stages, S. graminicola could rapidly complete sexual reproduction through tryptophan, fatty acid, starch, and sucrose metabolism and subsequently produce numerous oospores. Oospore proliferation and development further damage host leaves via mechanical pressure, resulting in a large number of degraded and extinct mesophyll cells and, subsequently, malformed leaves with only veins left, that is, "filamentous leaf tissue." Our study revealed the S. graminicola expansion characteristics from its asexual to sexual development stages, and the potential mechanisms via which the destructive effects of S. graminicola on hosts occur at different growth stages.

A signal polarity conversion photoelectrochemical immunosensor for neuron-specific enolase detection based on MgIn2S4-sensitized CsPbBr3.

A photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunosensor was designed based on MgIn2S4-decorated inorganic halide perovskite CsPbBr3 combined with the signal polarity conversion strategy for neuron-specific enolase (NSE) detection. CsPbBr3 was applied as the basic photoactive material owing to its excellent optical and electronic properties, which provide a good PEC performance for sensor construction. In order to improve the stability of this perovskite, the three-dimensional flower-like MgIn2S4 with a desirable direct band gap was applied to enhance the PEC response. Also, the excellent structure of MgIn2S4 provides large surface-active sites for CsPbBr3 loaded. For enhancing the detection sensitivity of PEC immunosensor, p-type CuInS2 was used as a signal probe which fixed on detection antibody (Ab2). When the target NSE was present, the photogenerated electrons produced by CuInS2 were transferred to the test solution, and the polarity of PEC signal changes. Based on the above photosensitive materials and signal conversion strategy, the proposed PEC immunosensor showed favorable detection performance, and the linear detection range is 0.0001 ~ 100 ng/mL with a 38 fg/mL of detection limit. The proposed strategy improved the adhibition of CsPbBr3 in the analytical chemistry field as well as provided a reference method for other protein detections.

Cucurbituril Enhanced Electrochemiluminescence of Gold Nanoclusters via Host-Guest Recognition for Sensitive D-Dimer Sensing.

Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) are promising electrochemiluminescence (ECL) signal probes for their outstanding biocompatibility, unusual molecule-like structures, and versatile optical and electrochemical properties. Nevertheless, their relatively low ECL efficiency and poor stability in aqueous solutions hindered their application in the ECL sensing field. Herein, a facile host-guest recognition strategy was proposed to enhance the ECL efficiency and stability of Au NCs by rigidifying the surface of ligand-stabilized AuNCs via supramolecular self-assembly between cucurbiturils[7] (CB[7]) and l-phenylalanine (l-Phe). Meanwhile, mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) was introduced as a ligand in order to cooperatively enhance the performance of the AuNCs and facilitate the link between AuNCs and bioactive substances. The prepared CB[7]/l-Phe/MPA-AuNCs had a higher ECL emission efficiency, achieving about 2-fold stronger ECL intensity than that of l-Phe/MPA-AuNCs. In addition, after non-covalent modification with CB[7], the finite stability of the papered AuNCs was significantly improved. The prepared CB[7]/l-Phe/MPA-AuNCs showed excellent D-dimer sensing results, exhibiting a linear range from 50.00 fg/mL to 100.0 ng/mL and a detection limit of 29.20 fg/mL (S/N = 3). Our work demonstrated that the host-guest self-assembly strategy provided a universal approach for strengthening the ECL efficiency and stability of nanostructures on an ultra-small scale.

Intramolecular Enhancement of a Zirconium-Based Metal-Organic Framework for Coordination-Induced Electrochemiluminescence Bleomycin Analysis.

It is significantly vital to develop a convenient assay method in clinical treatment due to an atypically low abundance (∼5 µM) of bleomycin (BLM) used in clinics. Herein, an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor using a zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs) as an intramolecular coordination-induced electrochemiluminescence (CIECL) emitter was proposed for sensitive detection of BLM. Zr-MOFs were synthesized using Zr(IV) as metal ions and 4,4',4″-nitrilotribenzoic acid (H3NTB) as ligands for the first time. The H3NTB ligand not only acts as coordination units bonding with Zr(IV) but functions as a coreactant to enhance ECL efficiency rooted in its tertiary nitrogen atoms. Specifically, a long guanine-rich (G-rich) single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) was released by the target-BLM-controlled DNA machine that could perform π-π stacking with another G-quadruplex, ssDNA-rhodamine B (S-RB), by shearing DNA's fixed sites 5'-GC-3' and the auxiliary role of exonuclease III (Exo III). Finally, due to the quenching effect of rhodamine B, a negative correlation trend was obtained between ECL intensity and BLM concentration in the range from 5.0 nM to 50 µM and the limit of detection was 0.50 nM. We believe that it is a promising approach to guide the preparation of CIECL-based functional materials and establishment of analytical methods.

Bandgap-Regulated Electrochemiluminescence Enhancement Strategy for Florfenicol Detection Based on ZrCuO3: A Multimodal Luminophore.

The low electrochemiluminescence (ECL) efficiency issue of zirconia (ZrO2) has been a pressing problem since its discovery. In this study, a bandgap-regulated ECL enhancement strategy was developed to improve the ECL efficiency of ZrO2. Specifically, through the calcination of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), the MOF-derived bimetallic oxide ZrCuO3 was synthesized. Compared to ZrO2, the synthesized ZrCuO3 exhibited a narrower bandgap and higher electron transfer efficiency, leading to enhanced ECL efficiency. Further investigation of the ECL emitter revealed that ZrCuO3 exhibited multimodal ECL emission: annihilation ECL and co-reactant participation ECL (including anodic ECL with tripropylamine as a co-reactant and cathodic ECL with K2S2O8 as a co-reactant). The anodic ECL with the highest efficiency was selected as the main mode for detecting the target in the aptasensor. Annihilation ECL and cathodic ECL served as alternative modes to ensure stability and continuity of the sensing system. Based on the bandgap-regulated strategy of ZrCuO3, a sensing chip with ITO as the working electrode was designed for the sensitive detection of florfenicol (FF). The constructed signal "off-on-off" aptasensor exhibited excellent detection performance for FF in the range of 0.0005-200 ng/mL. The proposed method provided a novel strategy for the analysis of other antibiotics or biomolecules.

Bimetallic Metal-Organic Frameworks as an Efficient Capture Probe in Signal On-Off-On Electrochemiluminescence Aptasensor for Microcystin-LR Detection.

To ensure drinking water quality, the development of rapid and accurate analytical methods is essential. Herein, a highly sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensor-based on the signal on-off-on strategy was developed to detect the water pollutant microcystin-LR (MC-LR). This strategy was based on a newly prepared ruthenium-copper metal-organic framework (RuCu MOF) as the ECL signal-transmitting probe and three types of PdPt alloy core-shell nanocrystals with different crystal structures as signal-off probes. Compounding the copper-based MOF (Cu-MOF) precursor with ruthenium bipyridyl at room temperature facilitated the retention of the intrinsic crystallinity and high porosity of the MOFs as well as afforded excellent ECL performance. Since bipyridine ruthenium in RuCu MOFs could transfer energies to the organic ligand (H3BTC), the ultra-efficient ligand luminescent ECL signal probe was finally obtained, which greatly improved the sensitivity of the aptasensor. To further improve the sensitivity of the aptasensor, the quenching effects of noble metal nanoalloy particles with different crystal states were investigated, which contained PdPt octahedral (PdPtOct), PdPt rhombic dodecahedral (PdPtRD), and PdPt nanocube (PdPtNC). Among them, the PdPtRD nanocrystal exhibited higher activity and excellent durability, stemming from the charge redistribution caused by the hybridization of Pt and Pd atoms. Moreover, PdPtRD could also load more -NH2-DNA strands because it exposed more active sites with a large specific surface area. The fabricated aptasensor exhibited outstanding sensitivity and stability in MC-LR detection, with a linear detection range of 0.0001-50 ng mL-1. This study provides valuable directions for the application of alloy nanoparticles of noble metals and bimetallic MOFs in the field of ECL immunoassay.

Ultrasensitive Electrochemiluminescence Biosensor with Silver Nanoclusters as a Novel Signal Probe and α-Fe2O3-Pt as an Efficient Co-reaction Accelerator for Procalcitonin Immunoassay.

Herein, a high-efficiency biosensor based on ternary electrochemiluminescence (ECL) system was constructed for procalcitonin (PCT) detection. Specifically, silver nanoclusters (Ag NCs) with stable luminescence properties were prepared with small-molecule lipoic acid (LA) as the ligand, and its ECL emission in persulfate (S2O82-) was first reported. Meanwhile, the prepared Ag NCs possessed ligand-to-metal charge-transfer characteristics, thus transferring energy from LA to Ag+ for luminescence. Based on the small particle size, good biocompatibility, and molecular binding ability, Ag NCs-LA was used as an ideal luminescent probe. In addition, α-Fe2O3-Pt was introduced to facilitate the activation of S2O82-, thereby generating more sulfate radicals to react with the free radicals of Ag NCs to enhance ECL emission. The synergistic effect of the variable valence state of transition metals and high catalytic activity of noble metals endows α-Fe2O3-Pt with excellent catalytic ability for S2O82-. Importantly, the sensing mechanism was systematically demonstrated by UV-vis, fluorescence, and ECL analysis, as well as density functional theory calculations. At last, NKFRGKYKC was designed for specific immobilization of antibodies, thus releasing the antigen binding sites to improve the antigen recognition efficiency. Based on this, the developed biosensor showed high sensitivity for PCT detection, with a wide linear range (10 fg/mL-100 ng/mL) and a low detection limit (3.56 fg/mL), which could be extended to clinical detection of multiple biomarkers.

Molecular characterization of a novel ambiguivirus isolated from the phytopathogenic fungus Setosphaeria turcica.

In this study, a novel single-stranded RNA virus was isolated from the plant-pathogenic fungus Setosphaeria turcica strain TG2, and the virus was named "Setosphaeria turcica ambiguivirus 2" (StAV2). The complete nucleotide sequence of the StAV2 genome was determined using RT-PCR and RLM-RACE. The StAV2 genome comprises 3,000 nucleotides with a G+C content of 57.77%. StAV2 contains two in-frame open reading frames (ORFs) with the potential to produce an ORF1-ORF2 fusion protein via a stop codon readthrough mechanism. ORF1 encodes a hypothetical protein (HP) of unknown function. The ORF2-encoded protein shows a high degree of sequence similarity to the RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRps) of ambiguiviruses. BLASTp searches showed that the StAV2 HP and RdRp share the highest amino acid sequence identity (46.38% and 69.23%, respectively) with the corresponding proteins of a virus identified as "Riboviria sp." isolated from a soil sample. Multiple sequence alignments and phylogenetic analysis based on the amino acid sequences of the RdRp revealed that StAV2 is a new member of the proposed family "Ambiguiviridae".

Split-Type Photoelectrochemical/Visual Sensing Platform Based on SnO2/MgIn2S4/Zn0.1Cd0.9S Composites and Au@Fe3O4 Nanoparticles for Ultrasensitive Detection of Neuron Specific Enolase.

Herein, a novel dual mode detection system of split-type photoelectrochemical (PEC) and visual immunoassay was developed to detect neuron specific enolase (NSE), which achieved simultaneous and reliable NSE detection due to the completely different signal readouts and transduction mechanism. Specifically, specific reactions of antigens and antibodies were performed in 96-microwell plates. Gold nanoparticle (Au NP)-loaded Fe3O4 (Au@Fe3O4) NPs were used as secondary antibody markers and signal regulators, which could produce a blue-colored solution in the presence of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and H2O2 because of its peroxidase-like activity. Therefore, the visual detection of NSE was realized, making the results more intuitive. Meanwhile, the above biological process could also be used as part of the split-type PEC sensing platform. Oxidized TMB and Fe3+ were consumptive agents of the electron donor, which both realized the double quenching of PEC signal generated by the SnO2/MgIn2S4/Zn0.1Cd0.9S composites. Owing to the waterfall band structure, SnO2/MgIn2S4/Zn0.1Cd0.9S composites partially absorb visible light and effectively inhibit the electron-hole recombination, thereby providing significantly enhanced and stable initial signal. On the basis of the multiple signal amplification strategy and the split-type mode, NSE could be sensitively detected with a low detection limit of 14.0 fg·mL-1 (S/N = 3) and a wide linear range from 50.0 fg·mL-1 to 50.0 ng·mL-1.

Ternary Z-Scheme Ag-Embedded TiO2-Ag2S Nanojunction as a Novel Photoelectrochemical Converter for CD44 Detection.

Nanoarrays (NAs) with stable signal output have become the most promising photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensing substrate. However, a general issue is that interfacial charge-carrier recombination in a single-component semiconductor cannot be easily prevented, resulting in a low photocurrent density. Herein, a biosensor utilizing a Ag-embedded TiO2-Ag2S nanojunction (TiO2-Ag-Ag2S) as a signal converter was developed for the detection of CD44 protein─a transmembrane glycoprotein highly expressed in breast cancer cells. The ternary Z-scheme heterojunction was prepared by a distinctive scheme in which the Ag layer is introduced onto the surface of rutile TiO2 NAs by magnetron sputtering, whereas the Ag2S is rooted in the local sulfuration of Ag. With a sufficient density of oriented nanorods, TiO2-Ag-Ag2S exhibits a smooth photocurrent output and minimal variation among different batches; it is undoubtedly a satisfactory PEC sensing carrier, which enables highly specific identification of target CD44 on the surface of MDA-MB-231 cells due to DNA strand displacement reactions (SDRs) and host-guest recognition between hyaluronic acid (HA) and CD44. The biosensor shows a sensitive PEC response to CD44 over a wide range of 37 to 5.0 × 105 cells/mL. We can conclude that this approach will provide an alternative solution to breast cancer diagnosis.

Enhancing Electrochemiluminescence Efficiency through Introducing Atomically Dispersed Ruthenium in Nickel-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks.

The successful application of electrochemiluminescence (ECL) in various fields required continuous exploration of novel ECL signal emitters. In this work, we have proposed a pristine ECL luminophor named NiRu MOFs, which owned extremely high and stable ECL transmission efficiency and was synthesized via a straightforward two-step hydrothermal pathway. The foundation framework of pure Ni-MOFs with the initial structure was layered-pillared constructed by the coordinated octahedrally divalent between nickel and terephthalic acid (BDC). The terephthalates were coordinated and pillared directly to the nickel hydroxide layers and the three-dimensional framework was formed, which had a weak ECL response strength. Then, the ruthenium pyridine complex was recombined with pure Ni-MOFs to produce NiRu MOFs and part of the introduced ruthenium was atomically dispersed in the layered-pillared structure through an ion-exchange method, which led to the ECL luminous efficiency being significantly boosted more than pure Ni-MOFs. In order to verify the superiority of this newly synthesized illuminant, an ECL immunoassay model has been designed, and the results demonstrated that it had extremely strong and steady signal output in practical application. This study realized an efficient platform in ECL immunoassay application with the limit of detection of 0.32 pg mL-1 for neuron-specific enolase (NSE). Therefore, the approach which combined the pristine pure Ni-MOFs and the star-illuminant ruthenium pyridine complex would provide a convenient and meaningful solution for exploring the next-generation ECL emitters.

Zinc-Based Metal-Organic Framework with MLCT Properties as an Efficient Electrochemiluminescence Probe for Trace Detection of Trenbolone.

In this work, we utilized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) derivatives as ligands to develop a zinc-based metal-organic framework (Zn-MOF) as an effective detection probe to construct an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor for trenbolone detection. As traditional ECL emitters, PAHs and their derivatives have limited luminescence efficiency because of the aggregation-induced quenching (ACQ) effect. Therefore, Zn-PTC was designed by the coordination of 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic (PTC) in the MOF to eliminate the ACQ effect. Meanwhile, Zn-PTC formed based on an aromatic ligand possessed the metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) effect, which could transfer the energy of Zn2+ to the aromatic ligand for strong luminescence. The ECL efficiency of Zn-PTC was calculated to be approximately 2.2 times that of the ligand (K4PTC). Second, the Ag@Fe core-shell bimetallic nanocrystal was prepared for efficient activation of persulfate (S2O82-), thereby generating more sulfate radicals (SO4•-) to further promote ECL emission. According to ECL characterizations, UV-vis and fluorescence spectra, and density functional theory calculations, the luminescence and signal amplification mechanisms were investigated. In addition, NKFRGKYKC (NKF) was introduced as an affinity ligand to directionally immobilize the target antibodies, thus releasing specific sites in their Fab fragment to enhance binding activity. Based on the above strategies, the constructed biosensor exhibited high sensitivity, realizing trace detection of TBE with a wide detection range (10 fg/mL-100 ng/mL) and a low detection limit (3.28 fg/mL). This study provided an important reference for sensitive monitoring of steroid pollutants in the environment.

High-bioactivity microfluidic immunosensing platform for electrochemiluminescence determination of CYFRA 21-1 with the introduction of Fe3O4@Cu@Cu2O.

Relying on the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) and microfluidic technology, an immunosensor chip with high bioactivity was designed for sensitive determination of cytokeratin 19 fragment 21-1 (CYFRA 21-1). The mesoporous nanomaterial Fe3O4@Cu@Cu2O as the co-reaction accelerator was used to catalyze the S2O82- to produce more SO4•- to achieve the amplification of the ECL signal. In fact, the generating of SO4•- could not only be done with the aid of the reversible cycles of Fe2+ and Fe3+ and Cu+ and Cu2+, but could be achieved also through the catalase-like function of Fe3O4. What is more, it has also been proved that Fe3O4@Cu@Cu2O exhibited better catalytic performance than single Fe3O4, Cu2O, and Cu@Cu2O, which supported its application in this system. In addition, a portable microfluidic immunosensor chip for CYFRA 21-1-sensitive determination was assembled, which showed high selectivity, sensitivity, and strong universality in clinical cancer screening and diagnosis. It should be noted that HWRGWVC (HWR) was introduced as the antibody fixator to improve the incubation and binding efficiency of the antibody, which increased the ECL intensity and improved the sensitivity of the immunosensor. This strategy provided a new idea for cancer identification and diagnosis in clinical medicine.

PEGylation Improved Electrochemiluminescence Supramolecular Assembly of Iridium(III) Complexes in Apoferritin for Immunoassays Using 2D/2D MXene/TiO2 Hybrids as Signal Amplifiers.

Dynamic self-assembly of iridium complexes in water-soluble nanocontainers is an important bottom-up process for fabricating electrochemiluminescence (ECL) bioprobes. PEGylated apoferritin (PEG-apoHSF) as the host offers a confined space to alter and modify the self-assembly of trans-bis(2-phenylpyridine)(acetylacetonate)iridium(III) [Ir(ppy)2(acac)] based on a pH-dependent depolymerization/reassembly pathway, allowing the formation of ECL-active iridium cores in PEG-apoHSF cavities (Ir@PEG-apoHSF). With an improved encapsulation ratio in PEG-apoHSF, the coreactant ECL behavior of the fabricated Ir@PEG-apoHSF nanodots with tri-n-propylamine (TPrA) was further demonstrated, exhibiting maximum ECL emission at 530 nm that was theoretically dominated by the band gap transition. The application of Ir@PEG-apoHSF as a bioprobe in a "signal-on" ECL immunosensing system was developed based on electroactive Ti3C2Tx MXenes/TiO2 nanosheet (Ti3C2Tx/TiO2) hybrids. Combining with the efficiently catalyzed electro-oxidation of TPrA and Ir(ppy)2(acac) by Ti3C2Tx/TiO2 hybrids, the developed immunosensor showed dramatically amplified ECL responses toward the target analyte of neuron-specific enolase (NSE). Under experimental conditions, linear quantification of NSE from 100 fg/mL to 50 ng/mL was well established by this assay, achieving a limit of detection (LOD) of 35 fg/mL. The results showcased the capability of PEGylated apoHSF to host and stabilize water-insoluble iridium complexes as ECL emitters for aqueous biosensing and immunoassays.

Microfluidic Ratiometric Photoelectrochemical Biosensor Using a Magnetic Field on a Photochromic Composite Platform: A Proof-of-Concept Study for Magnetic-Photoelectrochemical Bioanalysis.

Integrating a microfluidic sensor with a ratiometric photoelectrochemical (PEC) strategy to build a bioanalysis device for actual sample testing is often limited to large-volume space-resolution equipment and wavelength-dependent or potential-dependent paired photoactive materials. This work reports a microfluidic ratiometric magnetic-photoelectrochemical (M-PEC) biosensor on the photochromic composite platform to solve the above problems. In particular, as a proof-of-concept study, the platform Bi2WO6-x/amorphous BiOCl nanosheets/Bi2S3 (p-BWO-s) mediated by photochromic color centers and the magnetic photoactive secondary antibody marker ZnFe2O4@Ag2O are integrated on the microfluidic biosensor. By enhancement of the photochromic color centers, p-BWO-s outputs a considerable photocurrent signal. Meanwhile, the photoactivity of the secondary antibody marker can be changed with a magnetic field; thus, different photocurrent signals can be obtained to realize ratiometric detection. The quenching photocurrent signal without the magnetic field and the difference photocurrent signal under the magnetic field are quantitatively related to the target concentration, which unfolds a novel general strategy for bioanalysis. Different from traditional ratiometric PEC biosensors, this work characterizes the first ratiometric PEC biosensor based on an external magnetic field. Generally speaking, combined with different biorecognition cases, this scheme with good expansibility brings a unique new perspective.

Hydrogen Bond Organic Frameworks as a Novel Electrochemiluminescence Luminophore: Simple Synthesis and Ultrasensitive Biosensing.

Nowadays, continuous efforts have been devoted to searching highly efficient electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitters for applications in clinical diagnosis and food safety. In this work, triazinyl-based hydrogen bond organic frameworks (Tr-HOFs) were synthesized by N···H hydrogen bond self-assembly aggregation, where 6,6'-(1,4-phenylene)bis(1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine) (phenyDAT) was prepared via the cyclization reaction and behaved as a novel ligand. Impressively, the resulting Tr-HOFs showed strong ECL responses with highly enhanced ECL efficiency (21.3%) relative to the Ru(bpy)32+ standard, while phenyDAT hardly showed any ECL emission in aqueous phase. The Tr-HOFs innovatively worked as a new ECL luminophore to construct a label-free biosensor for assay of kanamycin (Kana). Specifically, the ECL response greatly weakened upon assembly of captured DNA with ferrocene (cDNA-Fc) onto the Tr-HOFs-modified electrode, while the ECL signals were adversely recovered by releasing linked DNA (L-DNA) from double-stranded DNA (dsDNA, hybridization of aptamer DNA (aptDNA) with L-DNA) due to the specific recognition of Kana with the aptDNA combined by the linkage of L-DNA and cDNA-Fc on the electrode. The as-built sensor showed a broadened linear range (1 nM-10 µM) and a limit of detection (LOD) down to 0.28 nM, which also displayed satisfactory results in the analysis of Kana in the milk and diluted human serum samples. This work offers a novel pathway to design an ECL emitter with organic molecules, holding great promise in biomedical analysis and food detection.

Comorbidity and its impact on 1590 patients with COVID-19 in China: a nationwide analysis.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is evolving rapidly worldwide. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of serious adverse outcomes in patients with COVID-19 by stratifying the comorbidity status. METHODS: We analysed data from 1590 laboratory confirmed hospitalised patients from 575 hospitals in 31 provinces/autonomous regions/provincial municipalities across mainland China between 11 December 2019 and 31 January 2020. We analysed the composite end-points, which consisted of admission to an intensive care unit, invasive ventilation or death. The risk of reaching the composite end-points was compared according to the presence and number of comorbidities. RESULTS: The mean age was 48.9 years and 686 (42.7%) patients were female. Severe cases accounted for 16.0% of the study population. 131 (8.2%) patients reached the composite end-points. 399 (25.1%) reported having at least one comorbidity. The most prevalent comorbidity was hypertension (16.9%), followed by diabetes (8.2%). 130 (8.2%) patients reported having two or more comorbidities. After adjusting for age and smoking status, COPD (HR (95% CI) 2.681 (1.424-5.048)), diabetes (1.59 (1.03-2.45)), hypertension (1.58 (1.07-2.32)) and malignancy (3.50 (1.60-7.64)) were risk factors of reaching the composite end-points. The hazard ratio (95% CI) was 1.79 (1.16-2.77) among patients with at least one comorbidity and 2.59 (1.61-4.17) among patients with two or more comorbidities. CONCLUSION: Among laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19, patients with any comorbidity yielded poorer clinical outcomes than those without. A greater number of comorbidities also correlated with poorer clinical outcomes.