Bi2WO6/TiO2-based visible light-driven photoelectrochemical enzyme biosensor for glucose measurement.

Nowadays, the frequent occurrence of food adulteration makes glucose detection particularly important in food safety and quality management. The quality and taste of honey are closely related to the glucose content. However, due to the drawbacks of expensive equipment, complex operating procedures, and time-consuming processes, the application scope of traditional glucose detection methods is limited. Hence, this study developed a photoelectric chemical (PEC) sensor, which is composed of a photoactive material of bismuth tungstate (Bi2WO6) with titanium dioxide (TiO2) and glucose oxidase (GOD), for simple and rapid detection of glucose. Notably, the composites' absorption prominently increased in the visible light region, and the photo-generated electron-hole pairs were efficiently separated by virtue of the unique nanostructure system, thus playing a crucial role in facilitating PEC activity. In the presence of dissolved oxygen, the photocurrent intensity was enhanced by H2O2 generated from glucose under electro-oxidation specifically catalyzed by GOD fixed on the modified electrode. When the working potential was 0.3 V, the changes of photocurrent response indicated that the PEC enzyme biosensor provides a low detection limit (3.8 µM), and a wide linear range (0.008-8 mM). This method has better selectivity in honey samples and broad application prospects in clinical diagnosis for future.

Self-assembled miR-134-5p inhibitor nanoparticles ameliorate experimental bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) via suppressing ferroptosis.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease in premature infants with increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ferroptosis. Herein, we designed a peptide-based nanoparticle to deliver therapeutic molecules to pulmonary, thereby ameliorating BPD. The BPD-induced damages of lung tissues were detected by H&E and immunohistochemistry staining. Inflammatory cytokines, Fe2+, and ROS levels were quantified by the indicated kits, respectively. The targeting relationship was verified by luciferase reporter assay and pull-down assay. Subsequently, self-assembled miR-134-5p inhibitor nanoparticles with pulmonary epithelial cell-targeting were synthesized. The characteristics were detected by transmission electron microscopy, luminescence imaging, and dynamic light scattering. A significant ferroptosis was observed in the BPD mice. The protein level of GPX4 was decreased significantly compared to the control group. Constantly, miR-134-5p showed positive regulation on ferroptosis by targeting GPX4. The designed nanoparticles were mainly accumulated in the lung region. Besides, it ameliorated experimental bronchopulmonary dysplasia via suppressing ferroptosis, in vivo and in vitro. Our findings provided a miR-134-5p/GPX4 axis in regulating ferroptosis of BPD and prompted the potential of applying the peptide-based nanoparticle to BPD treatment.

The Effect of Different Medium on Enantioselectivity in Degradation of Bifenthrin.

Bifenthrin (BF) is a chiral pesticide with two enantiomers. In this work, its stereoselective degradation was investigated in plants and domesticated active sludge. Considering that the degradation to pesticides of plants was effected by external conditions, hence, nanometer materials (gothite) were added into soil to explore the effect of sorption on enantioselectivity in degradation of BF. The microbial community that was responsible for BF-biodegrading in active sludge was studied by polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). In plant researches, chiral difference was discovered in the degradation of pesticides that onions resulted in. The existence of gothite in soil not only reduced the amount of BF that plants uptake from the environment, but it also enlarged the chiral difference during the process, indicating that the absorption of gothite to pesticides had enantioselectivity, which may be generated by that adsorption site where BF combined with gothite located in the chiral center of the pesticide. In studies of sludge, BF can be effectively degraded and decline of both isomers followed first-order kinetics. However, there was no obvious stereoselective degradation in domesticated sludge. The analysis of DGGE revealed that active sludge maintained the rich microbial community in the whole process (H > 3). The H index increased in the early domestication, which may because BF had no direct toxicity to the bacteria. The bacteria were able to degrade the small dose of the pesticide and absorbed it as nutrition. The sequence results demonstrated that the variety of bacteria grew, instead of Acidobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Sphingobacteriia and Alphaproteobacteria, Flavobacteria also appearing in sludge after domestication.

Red blood cell-derived materials for cancer therapy: Construction, distribution, and applications.

Cancer has become an increasingly important public health issue owing to its high morbidity and mortality rates. Although traditional treatment methods are relatively effective, they have limitations such as highly toxic side effects, easy drug resistance, and high individual variability. Meanwhile, emerging therapies remain limited, and their actual anti-tumor effects need to be improved. Nanotechnology has received considerable attention for its development and application. In particular, artificial nanocarriers have emerged as a crucial approach for tumor therapy. However, certain deficiencies persist, including immunogenicity, permeability, targeting, and biocompatibility. The application of erythrocyte-derived materials will help overcome the above problems and enhance therapeutic effects. Erythrocyte-derived materials can be acquired via the application of physical and chemical techniques from natural erythrocyte membranes, or through the integration of these membranes with synthetic inner core materials using cell membrane biomimetic technology. Their natural properties such as biocompatibility and long circulation time make them an ideal choice for drug delivery or nanoparticle biocoating. Thus, red blood cell-derived materials are widely used in the field of biomedicine. However, further studies are required to evaluate their efficacy, in vivo metabolism, preparation, design, and clinical translation. Based on the latest research reports, this review summarizes the biology, synthesis, characteristics, and distribution of red blood cell-derived materials. Furthermore, we provide a reference for further research and clinical transformation by comprehensively discussing the applications and technical challenges faced by red blood cell-derived materials in the treatment of malignant tumors.

Remediation of cadmium-contaminated soil by micro-nano nitrogen-doped biochar and its mechanisms.

Cadmium-contaminated soils are an urgent problem that needs to be solved in many countries and regions. In this study, a new heavy metal passivator, micro-nano nitrogen-doped biochar (Nm-NBC), was prepared by introducing nitrogen into biochar. Soybean was used as an experimental plant to compare the effects of corn straw biochar (CBC, not modified), ammonium chloride modified corn straw biochar (NBC), and micro-nano nitrogen-doped biochar (Nm-NBC) on the remediation of Cdcontaminated soil. The results showed that the biomass of soybean, pH, organic matter, and total nitrogen content of the Cd-contaminated soil significantly increased, and the available Cd in soil significantly reduced (P < 0.05) when CBC, NBC, and Nm-NBC were added. The effect was as follows: Nm-NBC > NBC > CBC; Nm-NBC had the best result. When 1% Nm-NBC added to the soil, the Cd content in beans reduced by 68.09%. BET, FTIR, XPS, and SEM were used to analyze the characteristics of Nm-NBC and its mechanisms in the remediation of Cd-contaminated soils. The results showed that Nm-NBC had larger specific surface area and abundant functional groups; -COOH and graphitic nitrogen in Nm-NBC can form Cd-O bond and Cd-π with Cd(II) in the soil. Therefore, Nm-NBC prepared by introducing nitrogen into biochar has a promising application in the remediation of Cd-contaminated soil.

Application of single and cooperative different delivery systems for the treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration.

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (IDD) is the most universal pathogenesis of low back pain (LBP), a prevalent and costly medical problem across the world. Persistent low back pain can seriously affect a patient's quality of life and even lead to disability. Furthermore, the corresponding medical expenses create a serious economic burden to both individuals and society. Intervertebral disc degeneration is commonly thought to be related to age, injury, obesity, genetic susceptibility, and other risk factors. Nonetheless, its specific pathological process has not been completely elucidated; the current mainstream view considers that this condition arises from the interaction of multiple mechanisms. With the development of medical concepts and technology, clinicians and scientists tend to intervene in the early or middle stages of intervertebral disc degeneration to avoid further aggravation. However, with the aid of modern delivery systems, it is now possible to intervene in the process of intervertebral disc at the cellular and molecular levels. This review aims to provide an overview of the main mechanisms associated with intervertebral disc degeneration and the delivery systems that can help us to improve the efficacy of intervertebral disc degeneration treatment.

Synthesis of Sub-nanometer Porous Carbon Film for Energy Storage.

Carbon-based supercapacitors are a kind of supercapacitors with very promising applications because of their low cost, good stability and adjustable properties. Simple and rapid syntheses of carbon materials with a high surface area and narrow pore size distribution are of great significance to practical applications of carbon-based supercapacitors. Here we report a new strategy to synthesize sub-nanometer porous carbon films (Snp-CF) via a condensation reaction under mild conditions. Carbon films exhibit a narrow pore size distribution (6.6 Å) and high surface area (508 m2 g-1 ) after annealing at 700 °C. Snp-CF-700 displays a good specific capacity and excellent cycle performance (130 F g-1 after 5000 cycles, 118 % of initial 110 F g-1 ).

Advance of the application of nano-controlled release system in ophthalmic drug delivery.

The ocular prescription application of nanometer materials are mainly concentrated in controlled release systems. Due to the unique properties of nanometer materials such as higher bioavailability and less side effects, it has great advantages in carrying ocular drugs of eye diseases compared with the traditional dosing method. As a result, nano-controlled release system has good application prospect in eye diseases. At present, a variety of different types of nano-controlled release systems have been used to enhance the efficiency of the ocular drugs including nanomicelles, nanoparticles, nanosuspensions, liposomes and dendrimers. In this article, the research progress and the application of nano-controlled release system in ophthalmic drug delivery are reviewed.

Advances of nanometer materials in the cell culture of tissue engineering / 国际生物医学工程杂志

Cells and scaffolds are two key elements of tissue engineering,while the viabilitv of cells is mainly depended on the nature of scaffolds.A suitable scaffold should simulate the internal environment as well as possible,which is necessary for the growth of cells.The nanometer structured biomaterials have become more and more popular in the study of tissue engineering due to their ability to perfectly simulate the topography of the microenvironment.This paper summarized the advances in the application of nanometer structured materials in the in vitro cell cultures.The mechanisms of the promoting effect of nano.structured biomaterials on the cell growth and the application of nano-structured materials in liver tissue engineering are discussed.