Electrochemiluminescence (ECL)-based capacitance microscopy using a square-wave voltage is established unprecedentedly to realize the label-free visualization of species on electrode surfaces and ...cellular plasma membranes. The drop in the local capacitance upon the binding of species to the surface or to a cellular membrane is derived to induce a relatively larger potential drop (V dl) across the double layer on the local electrode surface, which is utilized to prompt enhanced ECL at the binding position. The square-wave voltage with a frequency of as high as 1.5 kHz is proven to be favorable for the discrimination of the local ECL from the surrounding signal. Using this new detection principle and resultant capacitance microscopy, carcinoembryonic antigens (CEA) at amounts of as low as 1 pg can be visualized. Further application of this approach permits the direct imaging of CEA antigens on single MCF-7 cells through the capacitance change after the formation of the antigen–antibody complex. Successful visualization of the analyte without any ECL tag will allow not only special capacitance microscopy for label-free bioassays but also a novel ECL detection approach for the sensitive detection of biomolecules.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is a widely used analytical technique with the advantages of high sensitivity and low background signal. The recent and rapid development of electrochemical materials, ...luminophores, and optical elements significantly increases the ECL signals and, thus, ECL imaging with enhanced spatial and temporal resolutions is realized. Currently, ECL imaging is successfully applied to high-throughput bioanalysis and to visualize the distribution of molecules at single cells. Compared with other optical bioassays, no optical excitation is involved in imaging, so the approach avoids a background signal from illumination and increases the detection sensitivity. This review highlights some of the most exciting developments in this field, including the mechanisms, electrode designs, and the applications of ECL imaging in bioanalysis and at single cells and particles.
DPP-4 inhibitors are predicted to exert a protective effect on the progression of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We conducted this meta-analysis to investigate this hypothesis.
Four databases, ...namely, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library, were used to identify studies on DPP-4 and COVID-19. The outcome indicators were the mortality of COVID-19. Funnel plots, Begg's tests and Egger's tests were used to assess publication bias.
Four articles were included with a total of 1933 patients with COVID-19 and type 2 diabetes. The use of DPP-4 inhibitors was negatively associated with the risk of mortality (odds ratio (OR) = 0.58 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.34-0.99).
DPP-4 inhibitors may improve the mortality of patients with COVID-19 and type 2 diabetes. As few relevant studies are available, more large-scale studies need to be performed.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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•Integrating aptamer with CRISPR-Cas12a enables SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection.•RCA-DNA architecture is a promising Cas12a-based electrochemical reporter.•RCA-DNA reporter enhances the ...electrochemical signal over normal ssDNA reporter.•Nucleocapsid antigen was sensitively and selectively detected in a label-free format.
Serological antigen testing has emerged as an important diagnostic paradigm in COVID-19, but often suffers from potential cross-reactivity. To address this limitation, we herein report a label-free electrochemical aptamer-based sensor for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigen by integrating aptamer-based specific recognition with CRISPR-Cas12a-mediated signal amplification. The sensing principle is based on the competitive binding of antigen and the preassembled Cas12a-crRNA complex to the antigen-specific aptamer, resulting in a change in the collateral cleavage activity of Cas12a. To further generate an electrochemical signal, a DNA architecture was fabricated by in situ rolling circle amplification on a gold electrode, which serves as a novel substrate for Cas12a. Upon Cas12a-based collateral DNA cleavage, the DNA architecture was degraded, leading to a significant decrease in impedance that can be measured spectroscopically. Using SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antigen as the model, the proposed CRISPR-Cas12a-based electrochemical sensor (CRISPR-E) showed excellent analytical performance for the quantitative detection of nucleocapsid antigen. Since in vitro selection can obtain aptamers selective for many SARS-CoV-2 antigens, the proposed strategy can expand this powerful CRISPR-E system significantly for quantitative monitoring of a wide range of COVID-19 biomarkers.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The mechanism of Bax/Bak activation remains a central question in mitochondria-dependent apoptotic signaling. While it is established that all proapoptotic Bcl-2 homology 3 (BH3)-only proteins bind ...and neutralize the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins, how this neutralization leads to Bax/Bak activation has been actively debated. Here, genome editing was used to generate cells deficient for all eight proapoptotic BH3-only proteins (OctaKO) and those that lack the entire Bcl-2 family (Bcl-2 allKO). Although the OctaKO cells were resistant to most apoptotic stimuli tested, they underwent Bax/Bak-dependent and p53/Rb-independent apoptosis efficiently when both Bcl-xL and Mcl-1, two anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins, were inactivated or eliminated. Strikingly, when expressed in the Bcl-2 allKO cells, both Bax and Bak spontaneously associated with the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) through their respective helix 9, and this association triggered their homo-oligomerization/activation. Together, these results strongly suggest that the OMM, not BH3-only proteins or p53/Rb, is the long-sought-after direct activator of Bax/Bak following BH3-only-mediated neutralization of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins.
Nonlinear oscillations are ubiquitous in various fields of engineering and applied sciences. In engineering, vibration isolators such as absorbers and dampers have been used to reduce damages of most ...undesired vibrations to a structure or a system. One important class of dampers is the pendulum tuned mass damper. Since it is difficult to solve nonlinear oscillation equations analytically, it is highly demanded to design numerical methods that preserve as much as possible intrinsic properties of the original system. To this end, we propose a locally exact modified midpoint rule with a parameter ω by combining ideas of locally exact discretization and symplecticness. We prove that it is convergent of order two for any ω as its classical partner; however, its local error accuracy can be remarkably improved with a proper choice of ω. A numerical example is provided to highlight the accuracy and effectiveness of the new method. Finally, effective implementation of the new method is also discussed based on approximate analytical solution.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
A plasmonic refractive index (RI) sensor based on metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide coupled with concentric double rings resonator (CDRR) is proposed and investigated numerically. Utilizing the ...novel supermodes of the CDRR, the FWHM of the resonant wavelength can be modulated, and a sensitivity of 1060 nm/RIU with high figure of merit (FOM) 203.8 is realized in the near-infrared region. The unordinary modes, as well as the influence of structure parameters on the sensing performance, are also discussed. Such plasmonic sensor with simple framework and high optical resolution could be applied to on-chip sensing systems and integrated optical circuits. Besides, the special cases of bio-sensing and triple rings are also discussed.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The concept of maritime IoT was originally developed by the United Nations' International Maritime Organization under the name e-Navigation for the harmonization and digitization of marine navigation ...information and operation, and supporting a broad variety of maritime services. As with any other IoT application, communication, in particular the MTC, is the key to the materialization of this concept. However, maritime MTC faces many practical challenges rooted in maritime environments, service requirements, and the radio spectrum. This article addresses these requirements and challenges as well as the solutions with a focus on the network architecture, air interface, and radio spectrum of such a unique communication system.
In this work, different mass percent ratios of CoFe2O4 coupled g-C3N4 (w%-CoFe2O4/g-C3N4, CFO/CN) nanocomposites were integrated through a hydrothermal process for the sonocatalytic eradication of ...tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) from aqueous media. The prepared sonocatalysts were subjected to various techniques to investigate their morphology, crystallinity, ultrasound wave capturing activity and charge conductivity. From the investigated activity of the composite materials, it has been registered that the best sonocatalytic degradation efficiency of 26.71 % in 10 min was delivered when the amount of CoFe2O4 was 25% in the nanocomposite. The delivered efficiency was higher than that of bare CoFe2O4 and g-C3N4. This enriched sonocatalytic efficiency was credited to the accelerated charge transfer and separation of e−-h+ pair through the S-scheme heterojunctional interface. The trapping experiments confirmed that all the three species i.e. •OH, h+ and •O2− were involved in the eradication of antibiotics. A strong interaction was shown up between CoFe2O4 and g-C3N4 in the FTIR study to support charge transfer as confirmed from the photoluminescence and photocurrent analysis of the samples. This work will provide an easy approach for fabricating highly efficient low-cost magnetic sonocatalysts for the eradication of hazardous materials present in our environment.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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