Osteoclasts are essential for maintaining healthy bone.Pathological elevation of os-teoclastogenesis or osteoclast activity can cause osteoporosis and increase the risk of bone fracture.However,a few options are avail...Osteoclasts are essential for maintaining healthy bone.Pathological elevation of os-teoclastogenesis or osteoclast activity can cause osteoporosis and increase the risk of bone fracture.However,a few options are available for directly measuring osteoclast activity in vivo to test interventions that may affect osteoclasts.Here,we describe an in vivo method to measure osteoclast-mediated bone loss targeted at normal mouse calvaria.The method employs a novel procedure for measuring osteoclast resorption pits using micro-computed tomography.The potential utility of this mouse calvaria model to assess therapies targeting osteoclasts was validated using zoledronic acid,which is a nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate drug used to treat osteoporosis.展开更多
Detecting biomarkers in body fluids by optical lateral flow immune assay(LFIA) technology provides rapid access to disease information for early diagnosis.LFIA is based on an antigen-antibody reaction and is rapidly b...Detecting biomarkers in body fluids by optical lateral flow immune assay(LFIA) technology provides rapid access to disease information for early diagnosis.LFIA is based on an antigen-antibody reaction and is rapidly becoming the preferred choice of physicians and patients for point-of-care testing due to its simplicity,cost-effectiveness,and rapid detection.Observing the optical signal change from the colloidal gold of the traditional LFIA strip has been widely applied for various biomarkers detection in body fluids.Despite the significant progress,rapid real-time detection of color changes in the colloidal gold by the naked eye still faces many limitations,such as large errors and the inability to quantify and accurately detect.New optical LFIA strip technology has emerged in recent years to extend its application scenarios for achieving quantitative detection such as fluorescence,afterglow,and chemiluminescence.Herein,we summarized the development of optical LFIA technology from single to hyphenated optical signals for biomarkers detection in body fluids from invasive and non-invasive sources.Moreover,the challenge and outlook of optical LFIA strip technology are highlighted to inspire the designing of next-generation diagnostic platforms.展开更多
Succinylcholine(SC)is a widely used depolarizing muscle relaxant,but improper use can lead to arrhythmias and,in severe cases,pose a life-threatening risk.Additionally,some criminals exploit SC for illicit activities....Succinylcholine(SC)is a widely used depolarizing muscle relaxant,but improper use can lead to arrhythmias and,in severe cases,pose a life-threatening risk.Additionally,some criminals exploit SC for illicit activities.Therefore,rapid SC detection is paramount for clinical practice and public safety.Currently,however,limited methods are available for the rapid detection of SC.A fluorescent indicator displacement assay sensor based on molecular recognition of an amide naphthotube was developed.This sensor enabled the rapid fluorescent detection of SC through competitive binding between SC and methylene blue with the amide naphthotube.The sensor exhibited exceptional sensitivity with a detection limit as low as 1.1μmol/L and a detection range of 1.1~60μmol/L,coupled with outstanding selectivity and robust stability.Furthermore,this sensor accurately determined SC levels in biological samples such as serum.In summary,this research provides a new solution for the rapid and accurate sensing of SC in complex matrices and offers new insights for the swift identification and detection of toxins.展开更多
Ostreopsis cf.ovata is a marine benthic dinoflagellate in tropical and temperate seas and can produce potent toxic compounds.The existence of O.cf.ovata has been found in the Chinese coastal areas,but studies on its t...Ostreopsis cf.ovata is a marine benthic dinoflagellate in tropical and temperate seas and can produce potent toxic compounds.The existence of O.cf.ovata has been found in the Chinese coastal areas,but studies on its toxicity are very few.This study investigated the toxicity of the O.cf.ovata(TIO991)isolated from Weizhou Island in the South China Sea by using methanol and chloroform to extract toxic compounds from the algal cells cultured indoor.Experiments on mouse acute toxicity showed that the crude methanol extract(CME)of O.cf.ovata caused the death of mice in 16–18 min.Furthermore,CME inhibited the cell reproduction of human neuroblastoma cells(BE(2)-M17 cells)by Cell Counting Kit-8 with a dose-and time-effect relationship and caused cell death in the form of cell necrosis.We found that CME had strong hemolytic activity and was significantly inhibited by ouabain,indicating that CME might contain palytoxins.By contrast,the crude chloroform extract of O.cf.ovata was relatively weak in toxicity as obtained in our experiments on mouse acute toxicity,cytotoxicity,and hemolytic activity.This suggests that the algae may raise the potential threat to marine ecosystems and public health.展开更多
Dear Editor,The frequent emergence of life-threatening infectious diseases has posed a constant global threat in recent decades.Since the first identification of Ebola Virus Disease(EVD)in the Democratic Republic of C...Dear Editor,The frequent emergence of life-threatening infectious diseases has posed a constant global threat in recent decades.Since the first identification of Ebola Virus Disease(EVD)in the Democratic Republic of Congo(then Zaire)in 1976,there have been approximately 40 outbreaks.展开更多
Recombinant human growth hormone(rhGH)has been widely used for the treatment of disorders associated with GH deficiency and multiple clinical indications[1].Accurate determination of biological activity is essential i...Recombinant human growth hormone(rhGH)has been widely used for the treatment of disorders associated with GH deficiency and multiple clinical indications[1].Accurate determination of biological activity is essential in the development,registration,and quality control of rhGH pharmaceutical products[2].However,the existing in vivo bioassay procedure based on somatropin-induced weight gain in rats is complicated,and the use of a rat cell line-based approach(Nb2-11 bioassay),which measures the production of adenosine triphosphate(ATP)as a direct indicator of cell growth,has a low mechanism of action(MOA)relevance.Therefore,novel rhGH bioassays are still needed.To this end,we developed a reporter gene assay(RGA)based on the GH/insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1)axis.展开更多
African swine fever(ASF),caused by the African swine fever virus(ASFV),has brought enormous economic loss and represents a major threat to the global pig industry(Vergne et al.2017).ASFVs are divided into 24 genotypes...African swine fever(ASF),caused by the African swine fever virus(ASFV),has brought enormous economic loss and represents a major threat to the global pig industry(Vergne et al.2017).ASFVs are divided into 24 genotypes based on their B646L gene,with only genotypes Ⅰ and Ⅱ circulating globally(Dixon et al.2019).展开更多
Background:Organ transplantation recipients encounter significant risks from acute or chronic infections that threaten graft survival.BK virus(BKV)and JC virus(JCV)are 2 prominent opportunistic infection viruses,and t...Background:Organ transplantation recipients encounter significant risks from acute or chronic infections that threaten graft survival.BK virus(BKV)and JC virus(JCV)are 2 prominent opportunistic infection viruses,and they may cause polyomavirus-associated nephropathy and graft kidney loss in patients who are in an immunosuppressed state after kidney transplantation.Hence,timely detection and sustained monitoring of the viral load are indispensable.However,the current diagnostic methods remain limited,and the development of new molecular detection technology is extremely urgent.Methods:The sequences and concentrations of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)RNA(crRNA),the concentration of Cas13a,and the primers for recombinase polymerase amplification(RPA)were optimized for BKV and JCV detection.Next,a novel microfluidic dual-droplet chip was designed and fabricated,and it was integrated with CRISPR(ddCRISPR)to simultaneously qualitatively detect BKV and JCV.Subsequently,the ddCRISPR assay was verified using clinical samples.Then,a lateral flow strip combined with CRISPR(LFCRISPR)was developed for the detection of BKV and JCV in resource-limited settings.Results:A one-pot RPA-CRISPR reaction system was established and optimized for BKV and JCV detection.ddCRISPR can simultaneously and rapidly detect BKV and JCV with high sensitivity(10 copies/ml for BKV and 1 copy/ml for JCV),and provide absolute quantification,which is suitable for viral load detection and conducive to personalized and precise treatment for organ transplant recipients.LFCRISPR simplified the operational process through a simple visual readout,facilitating virus screening after organ transplantation.Conclusion:These platforms incorporate molecular testing into the transplantation treatment model,thereby reducing costs,prolonging the survival time of the graft,improving the clinical outcomes of postoperative management in kidney transplantation,and enhancing the patients’quality of life.展开更多
[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the effect of zearalenone (ZEN) on DNA damage of porcine leydig cells. [Method] Porcine leydig cells cultured in vitro were collected to determine the median lethal dose (LD...[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the effect of zearalenone (ZEN) on DNA damage of porcine leydig cells. [Method] Porcine leydig cells cultured in vitro were collected to determine the median lethal dose (LD50) of ZEN with tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay (MTT assay). Comet assay was carried out to detect the DNA damage of porcine leydig cells exposed to at 0 (negative group), 1, 5, 10, 20, 40 μmol/L of ZEN. [Result] The percentage of cell tail was 16.67%, 34.00%, 40.67%, 52.00% and 64.67% under 0, 1, 5, 10 and 20 μmol/L of ZEN, respectively; the differences between the percentages of cell tail in various experimental groups had extremely significant statistical significance compared with the negative group (P<0.01), showing a significant dose-effect relationship; Tail length in various groups was 57.60±4.78, 57.75±6.25, 78.97±5.83, 100.50±6.94 and 146.83±12.31 μm, respectively; Tail DNA % in various groups was 21.29±2.25%, 22.24±2.43%, 31.21±6.27%, 37.45±4.33% and 60.68±9.83%, respectively; Tail length and Tail DNA % in experimental groups with ZEN concentration above 5 μmol/L showed significant differences (P<0.05) compared with the negative group, which showed an upward trend with the increase of ZEN concentration. [Conclusion] ZEN has genotoxic effect on porcine leydig cells, which can cause DNA damage, with a significant dose-effect relationship.展开更多
Objective To perform the modulation of an assay system for the sensory integration of 2 sensory stimuli that inhibit each other.Methods The assay system for assessing the integrative response to 2 reciprocally-inhibit...Objective To perform the modulation of an assay system for the sensory integration of 2 sensory stimuli that inhibit each other.Methods The assay system for assessing the integrative response to 2 reciprocally-inhibitory sensory stimuli was modulated by changing the metal ion barrier.Moreover,the hen-1,ttx-3 and casy-1 mutants having known defects in integrative response were used to evaluate the modulated assay systems.Based on the examined assay systems,new genes possibly involved in the sensory integration control were identified.Results In the presence of different metal ion barriers and diacetyl,locomotion behaviors,basic movements,pan-neuronal,cholinergic and GABAergic neuronal GFP expressions,neuronal development,structures of sensory neurons and interneurons,and stress response of nematodes in different regions of examined assay systems were normal,and chemotaxis toward different concentrations of diacetyl and avoidance of different concentrations of metal ions were inhibited.In the first group,most of the nematodes moved to diacetyl by crossing the barrier of Fe2＋,Zn2＋,or Mn2＋.In the second group,almost half of the nematodes moved to diacetyl by crossing the barrier of Ag＋,Cu2＋,Cr2＋,or Cd2＋.In the third group,only a small number of nematodes moved to diacetyl by crossing the barrier of Pb2＋ or Hg2＋.Moreover,when nematodes encountered different metal ion barriers during migration toward diacetyl,the percentage of nematodes moving back and then turning and that of nematodes moving straight to diacetyl were very different.With the aid of examined assay systems,it was found that mutations of fsn-1 that encodes a F-box protein,and its target scd-2 that encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase,caused severe defects in integrative response,and the sensory integration defects of fsn-1 mutants were obviously inhibited by scd-2 mutation.Conclusion Based on the nematode behaviors in examined assay systems,3 groups of assay systems were obtained.The first group may be helpful in evaluating or identifying the very subtle deficits in sensory integration,and the third group may be useful for the final confirmation of sensory integration defects of mutants identified in the first or the second group of assay systems.Furthermore,the important association of sensory integration regulation with stabilization or destabilization of synaptic differentiation may exist in C.elegans.展开更多
The sustainable sourcing of novel bioactive compounds from natural sources is crucial to the success of the pharmaceutical,food,and cosmetics industries.Iris bucharica Foster(syn.Juno bucharica(Foster)Vved.)is a promi...The sustainable sourcing of novel bioactive compounds from natural sources is crucial to the success of the pharmaceutical,food,and cosmetics industries.Iris bucharica Foster(syn.Juno bucharica(Foster)Vved.)is a promising source of novel bioactive molecules,particularly phenolic compounds,which are renowned for their antioxidant properties.In this study,we developed a reliable HPLC-UV-DAD method to identify and quantify phenolic compounds in the leaves and bulbs of I.bucharica,establishing the first set of quality control markers for this species.A total of 21 phenolic compounds were identified in the leaves,with flavonoids isoorientin,guaijaverin,hyperoside,and cosmosiin,the isoflavonoid biochanin A,and the simple phenolic ferulic acid being the most prominent.In comparison,14 compounds were identified in the bulbs,primarily isoflavonoids,including tectoridin and germanaism B,and flavonoid apigenin.The leaves extracts exhibited significant antioxidant activity,whereas the anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory effects were mild.These findings highlight I.bucharica as a sustainable source of bioactive compounds with potential industrial applications.However,further studies are needed to evaluate bioavailability and in vivo efficacy,as well as to optimise extraction methods to realize its industrial potential fully.展开更多
Lateral flow immunoassays(LFIAs)are low-cost,rapid,and easy to use for pointof-care testing(POCT),but the majority of the available LFIA tests are indicative,rather than quantitative,and their sensitivity in antigen t...Lateral flow immunoassays(LFIAs)are low-cost,rapid,and easy to use for pointof-care testing(POCT),but the majority of the available LFIA tests are indicative,rather than quantitative,and their sensitivity in antigen tests are usually limited at the nanogram range,which is primarily due to the passive capillary fluidics through nitrocellulose membranes,often associated with non-specific bindings and high background noise.To overcome this challenge,we report a Beads-on-a-Tip design by replacing nitrocellulose membranes with a pipette tip loaded with magnetic beads.The beads are pre-conjugated with capture antibodies that support a typical sandwich immunoassay.This design enriches the low-abundant antigen proteins and allows an active washing process to significantly reduce non-specific bindings.To further improve the detection sensitivity,we employed upconversion nanoparticles(UCNPs)as luminescent reporters and SARS-CoV-2 spike(S)antigen as a model analyte to benchmark the performance of this design against our previously reported methods.We found that the key to enhance the immunocomplex formation and signal-to-noise ratio lay in optimizing incubation time and the UCNP-to-bead ratio.We therefore successfully demonstrated that the new method can achieve a very large dynamic range from 500 fg/mL to 10μg/mL,across over 7 digits,and a limit of detection of 706 fg/mL,nearly another order of magnitude lower than the best reported LFIA using UCNPs in COVID-19 spike antigen detection.Our system offers a promising solution for ultra-sensitive and quantitative POCT diagnostics.展开更多
A protein conjugate of streptomycin （streptomycin-bovine serum albumin （BSA） conjugate） was prepared and used as immunogen to produce monoclonal antibodies （MAb）. One hybridoma secreting anti-streptomycin MAb wa...A protein conjugate of streptomycin （streptomycin-bovine serum albumin （BSA） conjugate） was prepared and used as immunogen to produce monoclonal antibodies （MAb）. One hybridoma secreting anti-streptomycin MAb was obtained and then used to produce MAb. The MAb named 13H5 showed the 50% maximal inhibitory concentra- tion （IC50） value of 4.65 ng/ml and the IC20value of 0.21 ng/ml in phosphate buffered saline （PBS）. At optimum con- ditions, an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and a colloidal gold-based immuno- chromatographic assay （CGIA） were developed and applied to detect streptomycin residues in milk and swine urine samples. The developed ELISA showed that the minimum detection limit was 2.0 and 1.9 ng/ml for milk and swine urine samples, respectively, without obvious cross-reactivity to other tested antibiotics except dihydrostreptomycin which gave a 118.32% cross reaction value. Milk and swine urine samples spiked with streptomycin at 10, 50, 100 and 200 ng/rnl were analyzed by the established ELISA. The mean recovery of streptomycin was from 81.9% to 105.5% and from 84.3% to 92.2% for milk and swine urine, respectively. The optimized CGIA showed that the minimum de- tection limit was 20.0 ng/ml for milk and swine urine samples. The results of spiked analysis and specific analysis demonstrate that the CGIA could be applicable for screening milk and swine urine samples for the presence of streptomycin residues on-site. The established ELISA and CGIA allow the rapid, low-cost, and sensitive determination of streptomycin residues in food samples.展开更多
AIM:To investigate the predictive clinical value of in vitro 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay for directing chemosensitivity in patients with gastric cancer. METHODS:Results of ...AIM:To investigate the predictive clinical value of in vitro 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay for directing chemosensitivity in patients with gastric cancer. METHODS:Results of a total of 353 consecutive patients with gastric cancer treated with MTT-directed chemotherapy or physician’s empirical chemotherapy from July 1997 to April 2003 were reviewed and analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS:The overall 5-year survival rate of MTT- sensitive group (MSG) and control group (CG) was 47.5% and 45.1%, respectively. The results of subgroup analysis with Cox proportional-hazards model were favorable for the MSG-sensitive group. However, no statistically significant difference in survival rate was observed between the two groups. CONCLUSION:Individualized chemotherapy based on in vitro MTT assay is beneficial, but needs to be confirmed by further randomized controlled trials.展开更多
A novel coronavirus of zoonotic origin(SARSCoV-2)has recently been recognized in patients with acute respiratory disease.COVID-19 causative agent is structurally and genetically similar to SARS and bat SARS-like coron...A novel coronavirus of zoonotic origin(SARSCoV-2)has recently been recognized in patients with acute respiratory disease.COVID-19 causative agent is structurally and genetically similar to SARS and bat SARS-like coronaviruses.The drastic increase in the number of coronavirus and its genome sequence have given us an unprecedented opportunity to perform bioinformatics and genomics analysis on this class of viruses.Clinical tests like PCR and ELISA for rapid detection of this virus are urgently needed for early identification of infected patients.However,these techniques are expensive and not readily available for point-of-care(POC)applications.Currently,lack of any rapid,available,and reliable POC detection method gives rise to the progression of COVID-19 as a horrible global problem.To solve the negative features of clinical investigation,we provide a brief introduction of the general features of coronaviruses and describe various amplification assays,sensing,biosensing,immunosensing,and aptasensing for the determination of various groups of coronaviruses applied as a template for the detection of SARS-CoV-2.All sensing and biosensing techniques developed for the determination of various classes of coronaviruses are useful to recognize the newly immerged coronavirus,i.e.,SARS-CoV-2.Also,the introduction of sensing and biosensing methods sheds light on the way of designing a proper screening system to detect the virus at the early stage of infection to tranquilize the speed and vastity of spreading.Among other approaches investigated among molecular approaches and PCR or recognition of viral diseases,LAMP-based methods and LFAs are of great importance for their numerous benefits,which can be helpful to design a universal platform for detection of future emerging pathogenic viruses.展开更多
Diagnosis of male infertility has mainly been based on the World Health Organization （WHO） manual-based semen parameter＇s concentration, motility and morphology. It has, however, become apparent that none of these ...Diagnosis of male infertility has mainly been based on the World Health Organization （WHO） manual-based semen parameter＇s concentration, motility and morphology. It has, however, become apparent that none of these parameters are reliable markers for evaluation of the fertility potential of a couple. A search for better markers has led to an increased focus on sperm chromatin integrity testing in fertility work-up and assisted reproductive techniques. During the last couple of decades, numerous sperm DNA integrity tests have been developed. These are claimed to be characterized by a lower intraindividual variation, less intralaboratory and interlaboratory variation and thus less subjective than the conventional sperm analysis. However, not all the sperm chromatin integrity tests have yet been shown to be of clinical value. So far, the test that has been found to have the most stable clinical threshold values in relation to fertility is the sperm chromatin structure assay （SCSA）, a flow cytometric test that measures the susceptibility of sperm DNA to acid-induced DNA denaturation in situ. Sperm DNA fragmentation as measured by SCSA has shown to be an independent predictor of successful pregnancy in first pregnancy planners as well as in couples undergoing intrauterine insemination, and can be used as a tool in investigation, counseling and treatment of involuntary childlessness. More conflicting data exist regarding the role of sperm DNA fragmentation in relation to fertilization, pre-embryo development and pregnancy outcome in in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection （ICSI）.展开更多
基金National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health,Grant/Award Number:R01AR069044Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School Department of Orthopaedics。
文摘Osteoclasts are essential for maintaining healthy bone.Pathological elevation of os-teoclastogenesis or osteoclast activity can cause osteoporosis and increase the risk of bone fracture.However,a few options are available for directly measuring osteoclast activity in vivo to test interventions that may affect osteoclasts.Here,we describe an in vivo method to measure osteoclast-mediated bone loss targeted at normal mouse calvaria.The method employs a novel procedure for measuring osteoclast resorption pits using micro-computed tomography.The potential utility of this mouse calvaria model to assess therapies targeting osteoclasts was validated using zoledronic acid,which is a nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate drug used to treat osteoporosis.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos.22234005,22494632,22404081)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Nos.BK20222015,BK20240534)。
文摘Detecting biomarkers in body fluids by optical lateral flow immune assay(LFIA) technology provides rapid access to disease information for early diagnosis.LFIA is based on an antigen-antibody reaction and is rapidly becoming the preferred choice of physicians and patients for point-of-care testing due to its simplicity,cost-effectiveness,and rapid detection.Observing the optical signal change from the colloidal gold of the traditional LFIA strip has been widely applied for various biomarkers detection in body fluids.Despite the significant progress,rapid real-time detection of color changes in the colloidal gold by the naked eye still faces many limitations,such as large errors and the inability to quantify and accurately detect.New optical LFIA strip technology has emerged in recent years to extend its application scenarios for achieving quantitative detection such as fluorescence,afterglow,and chemiluminescence.Herein,we summarized the development of optical LFIA technology from single to hyphenated optical signals for biomarkers detection in body fluids from invasive and non-invasive sources.Moreover,the challenge and outlook of optical LFIA strip technology are highlighted to inspire the designing of next-generation diagnostic platforms.
文摘Succinylcholine(SC)is a widely used depolarizing muscle relaxant,but improper use can lead to arrhythmias and,in severe cases,pose a life-threatening risk.Additionally,some criminals exploit SC for illicit activities.Therefore,rapid SC detection is paramount for clinical practice and public safety.Currently,however,limited methods are available for the rapid detection of SC.A fluorescent indicator displacement assay sensor based on molecular recognition of an amide naphthotube was developed.This sensor enabled the rapid fluorescent detection of SC through competitive binding between SC and methylene blue with the amide naphthotube.The sensor exhibited exceptional sensitivity with a detection limit as low as 1.1μmol/L and a detection range of 1.1~60μmol/L,coupled with outstanding selectivity and robust stability.Furthermore,this sensor accurately determined SC levels in biological samples such as serum.In summary,this research provides a new solution for the rapid and accurate sensing of SC in complex matrices and offers new insights for the swift identification and detection of toxins.
基金Supported by the Special Research for the Science and Technology Basic Resources Investigation Program of China(No.2018FY100200)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.42176206)the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(No.ZR2021MD071)。
文摘Ostreopsis cf.ovata is a marine benthic dinoflagellate in tropical and temperate seas and can produce potent toxic compounds.The existence of O.cf.ovata has been found in the Chinese coastal areas,but studies on its toxicity are very few.This study investigated the toxicity of the O.cf.ovata(TIO991)isolated from Weizhou Island in the South China Sea by using methanol and chloroform to extract toxic compounds from the algal cells cultured indoor.Experiments on mouse acute toxicity showed that the crude methanol extract(CME)of O.cf.ovata caused the death of mice in 16–18 min.Furthermore,CME inhibited the cell reproduction of human neuroblastoma cells(BE(2)-M17 cells)by Cell Counting Kit-8 with a dose-and time-effect relationship and caused cell death in the form of cell necrosis.We found that CME had strong hemolytic activity and was significantly inhibited by ouabain,indicating that CME might contain palytoxins.By contrast,the crude chloroform extract of O.cf.ovata was relatively weak in toxicity as obtained in our experiments on mouse acute toxicity,cytotoxicity,and hemolytic activity.This suggests that the algae may raise the potential threat to marine ecosystems and public health.
基金financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(grant No.2021YFF0703600)the Science and Technology Development Program of Jilin Province(Grant20250601001RC).
文摘Dear Editor,The frequent emergence of life-threatening infectious diseases has posed a constant global threat in recent decades.Since the first identification of Ebola Virus Disease(EVD)in the Democratic Republic of Congo(then Zaire)in 1976,there have been approximately 40 outbreaks.
基金supported by the first batch of grants from the State Key Laboratory of Drug Regulatory Science,China(Grant No.:2023SKLDRS0108).
文摘Recombinant human growth hormone(rhGH)has been widely used for the treatment of disorders associated with GH deficiency and multiple clinical indications[1].Accurate determination of biological activity is essential in the development,registration,and quality control of rhGH pharmaceutical products[2].However,the existing in vivo bioassay procedure based on somatropin-induced weight gain in rats is complicated,and the use of a rat cell line-based approach(Nb2-11 bioassay),which measures the production of adenosine triphosphate(ATP)as a direct indicator of cell growth,has a low mechanism of action(MOA)relevance.Therefore,novel rhGH bioassays are still needed.To this end,we developed a reporter gene assay(RGA)based on the GH/insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1)axis.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China(31925036 and 32025034)the Shandong Provincial Key R&D Program,China(2021LZGC001)+3 种基金the Biological Breeding-Major Projects,Institute of Zoology,Chinese Academy of Sciences and Institute of Animal Science,Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences(2023ZD04074 and 2023ZD0404604)the Special Project of Longhu Laboratory,China(LHLab_ZD20230012)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32230100,32330099 and 32201257)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2020YFA0509503,2022YFF0710703,2021YFA0805902 and 2022XAGG0121,2022YFF1002803).
文摘African swine fever(ASF),caused by the African swine fever virus(ASFV),has brought enormous economic loss and represents a major threat to the global pig industry(Vergne et al.2017).ASFVs are divided into 24 genotypes based on their B646L gene,with only genotypes Ⅰ and Ⅱ circulating globally(Dixon et al.2019).
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program(2023YFC2306200)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82472374)+1 种基金the Cross-Research Fund of Biomedical Engineering of Shanghai Jiaotong University(YG2024LC02)the Clinical Excellence project of Shanghai Key Laboratory of Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine(2024ZY008).
文摘Background:Organ transplantation recipients encounter significant risks from acute or chronic infections that threaten graft survival.BK virus(BKV)and JC virus(JCV)are 2 prominent opportunistic infection viruses,and they may cause polyomavirus-associated nephropathy and graft kidney loss in patients who are in an immunosuppressed state after kidney transplantation.Hence,timely detection and sustained monitoring of the viral load are indispensable.However,the current diagnostic methods remain limited,and the development of new molecular detection technology is extremely urgent.Methods:The sequences and concentrations of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)RNA(crRNA),the concentration of Cas13a,and the primers for recombinase polymerase amplification(RPA)were optimized for BKV and JCV detection.Next,a novel microfluidic dual-droplet chip was designed and fabricated,and it was integrated with CRISPR(ddCRISPR)to simultaneously qualitatively detect BKV and JCV.Subsequently,the ddCRISPR assay was verified using clinical samples.Then,a lateral flow strip combined with CRISPR(LFCRISPR)was developed for the detection of BKV and JCV in resource-limited settings.Results:A one-pot RPA-CRISPR reaction system was established and optimized for BKV and JCV detection.ddCRISPR can simultaneously and rapidly detect BKV and JCV with high sensitivity(10 copies/ml for BKV and 1 copy/ml for JCV),and provide absolute quantification,which is suitable for viral load detection and conducive to personalized and precise treatment for organ transplant recipients.LFCRISPR simplified the operational process through a simple visual readout,facilitating virus screening after organ transplantation.Conclusion:These platforms incorporate molecular testing into the transplantation treatment model,thereby reducing costs,prolonging the survival time of the graft,improving the clinical outcomes of postoperative management in kidney transplantation,and enhancing the patients’quality of life.
文摘[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the effect of zearalenone (ZEN) on DNA damage of porcine leydig cells. [Method] Porcine leydig cells cultured in vitro were collected to determine the median lethal dose (LD50) of ZEN with tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay (MTT assay). Comet assay was carried out to detect the DNA damage of porcine leydig cells exposed to at 0 (negative group), 1, 5, 10, 20, 40 μmol/L of ZEN. [Result] The percentage of cell tail was 16.67%, 34.00%, 40.67%, 52.00% and 64.67% under 0, 1, 5, 10 and 20 μmol/L of ZEN, respectively; the differences between the percentages of cell tail in various experimental groups had extremely significant statistical significance compared with the negative group (P<0.01), showing a significant dose-effect relationship; Tail length in various groups was 57.60±4.78, 57.75±6.25, 78.97±5.83, 100.50±6.94 and 146.83±12.31 μm, respectively; Tail DNA % in various groups was 21.29±2.25%, 22.24±2.43%, 31.21±6.27%, 37.45±4.33% and 60.68±9.83%, respectively; Tail length and Tail DNA % in experimental groups with ZEN concentration above 5 μmol/L showed significant differences (P<0.05) compared with the negative group, which showed an upward trend with the increase of ZEN concentration. [Conclusion] ZEN has genotoxic effect on porcine leydig cells, which can cause DNA damage, with a significant dose-effect relationship.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30870810)National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2011CB933404)
文摘Objective To perform the modulation of an assay system for the sensory integration of 2 sensory stimuli that inhibit each other.Methods The assay system for assessing the integrative response to 2 reciprocally-inhibitory sensory stimuli was modulated by changing the metal ion barrier.Moreover,the hen-1,ttx-3 and casy-1 mutants having known defects in integrative response were used to evaluate the modulated assay systems.Based on the examined assay systems,new genes possibly involved in the sensory integration control were identified.Results In the presence of different metal ion barriers and diacetyl,locomotion behaviors,basic movements,pan-neuronal,cholinergic and GABAergic neuronal GFP expressions,neuronal development,structures of sensory neurons and interneurons,and stress response of nematodes in different regions of examined assay systems were normal,and chemotaxis toward different concentrations of diacetyl and avoidance of different concentrations of metal ions were inhibited.In the first group,most of the nematodes moved to diacetyl by crossing the barrier of Fe2＋,Zn2＋,or Mn2＋.In the second group,almost half of the nematodes moved to diacetyl by crossing the barrier of Ag＋,Cu2＋,Cr2＋,or Cd2＋.In the third group,only a small number of nematodes moved to diacetyl by crossing the barrier of Pb2＋ or Hg2＋.Moreover,when nematodes encountered different metal ion barriers during migration toward diacetyl,the percentage of nematodes moving back and then turning and that of nematodes moving straight to diacetyl were very different.With the aid of examined assay systems,it was found that mutations of fsn-1 that encodes a F-box protein,and its target scd-2 that encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase,caused severe defects in integrative response,and the sensory integration defects of fsn-1 mutants were obviously inhibited by scd-2 mutation.Conclusion Based on the nematode behaviors in examined assay systems,3 groups of assay systems were obtained.The first group may be helpful in evaluating or identifying the very subtle deficits in sensory integration,and the third group may be useful for the final confirmation of sensory integration defects of mutants identified in the first or the second group of assay systems.Furthermore,the important association of sensory integration regulation with stabilization or destabilization of synaptic differentiation may exist in C.elegans.
基金supported by grants from the National Science and Technology Council(NSTC),Taiwan(NSTC 114-2320-B-037-020-MY3,113-2320-B-037-023,and 112-2320-B-037-012 granted to M.K.,113-2321-B-255-001,113-2321-B-182-003,112-2321-B-182-003,112-2321-B-255-001,111-2320-B-255-006-MY3,and 111-2321-B-255-001 granted to T.L.H.)Kaohsiung Medical University Research Foundation[KMU-Q113011 awarded to M.K.and KMU-M114020 awarded to B.H.C.]NSYSU-KMU joint research project(NSYSU-KMU-114-P16)awarded to M.K.
文摘The sustainable sourcing of novel bioactive compounds from natural sources is crucial to the success of the pharmaceutical,food,and cosmetics industries.Iris bucharica Foster(syn.Juno bucharica(Foster)Vved.)is a promising source of novel bioactive molecules,particularly phenolic compounds,which are renowned for their antioxidant properties.In this study,we developed a reliable HPLC-UV-DAD method to identify and quantify phenolic compounds in the leaves and bulbs of I.bucharica,establishing the first set of quality control markers for this species.A total of 21 phenolic compounds were identified in the leaves,with flavonoids isoorientin,guaijaverin,hyperoside,and cosmosiin,the isoflavonoid biochanin A,and the simple phenolic ferulic acid being the most prominent.In comparison,14 compounds were identified in the bulbs,primarily isoflavonoids,including tectoridin and germanaism B,and flavonoid apigenin.The leaves extracts exhibited significant antioxidant activity,whereas the anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory effects were mild.These findings highlight I.bucharica as a sustainable source of bioactive compounds with potential industrial applications.However,further studies are needed to evaluate bioavailability and in vivo efficacy,as well as to optimise extraction methods to realize its industrial potential fully.
基金financially supported by ARC Linkage project(LP210200642)ARC Center of Excellence for Quantum Biotechnology(grant no.CE230100021)+1 种基金National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Fellowship—(grant no.APP2017499)Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Deep Tissue Imaging Phase 2(grant no.DT12-0000000182).
文摘Lateral flow immunoassays(LFIAs)are low-cost,rapid,and easy to use for pointof-care testing(POCT),but the majority of the available LFIA tests are indicative,rather than quantitative,and their sensitivity in antigen tests are usually limited at the nanogram range,which is primarily due to the passive capillary fluidics through nitrocellulose membranes,often associated with non-specific bindings and high background noise.To overcome this challenge,we report a Beads-on-a-Tip design by replacing nitrocellulose membranes with a pipette tip loaded with magnetic beads.The beads are pre-conjugated with capture antibodies that support a typical sandwich immunoassay.This design enriches the low-abundant antigen proteins and allows an active washing process to significantly reduce non-specific bindings.To further improve the detection sensitivity,we employed upconversion nanoparticles(UCNPs)as luminescent reporters and SARS-CoV-2 spike(S)antigen as a model analyte to benchmark the performance of this design against our previously reported methods.We found that the key to enhance the immunocomplex formation and signal-to-noise ratio lay in optimizing incubation time and the UCNP-to-bead ratio.We therefore successfully demonstrated that the new method can achieve a very large dynamic range from 500 fg/mL to 10μg/mL,across over 7 digits,and a limit of detection of 706 fg/mL,nearly another order of magnitude lower than the best reported LFIA using UCNPs in COVID-19 spike antigen detection.Our system offers a promising solution for ultra-sensitive and quantitative POCT diagnostics.
基金Project (No.2007C22047) supported by the Program of Science and Technology of Zhejiang Province,China
文摘A protein conjugate of streptomycin （streptomycin-bovine serum albumin （BSA） conjugate） was prepared and used as immunogen to produce monoclonal antibodies （MAb）. One hybridoma secreting anti-streptomycin MAb was obtained and then used to produce MAb. The MAb named 13H5 showed the 50% maximal inhibitory concentra- tion （IC50） value of 4.65 ng/ml and the IC20value of 0.21 ng/ml in phosphate buffered saline （PBS）. At optimum con- ditions, an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and a colloidal gold-based immuno- chromatographic assay （CGIA） were developed and applied to detect streptomycin residues in milk and swine urine samples. The developed ELISA showed that the minimum detection limit was 2.0 and 1.9 ng/ml for milk and swine urine samples, respectively, without obvious cross-reactivity to other tested antibiotics except dihydrostreptomycin which gave a 118.32% cross reaction value. Milk and swine urine samples spiked with streptomycin at 10, 50, 100 and 200 ng/rnl were analyzed by the established ELISA. The mean recovery of streptomycin was from 81.9% to 105.5% and from 84.3% to 92.2% for milk and swine urine, respectively. The optimized CGIA showed that the minimum de- tection limit was 20.0 ng/ml for milk and swine urine samples. The results of spiked analysis and specific analysis demonstrate that the CGIA could be applicable for screening milk and swine urine samples for the presence of streptomycin residues on-site. The established ELISA and CGIA allow the rapid, low-cost, and sensitive determination of streptomycin residues in food samples.
文摘AIM:To investigate the predictive clinical value of in vitro 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay for directing chemosensitivity in patients with gastric cancer. METHODS:Results of a total of 353 consecutive patients with gastric cancer treated with MTT-directed chemotherapy or physician’s empirical chemotherapy from July 1997 to April 2003 were reviewed and analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS:The overall 5-year survival rate of MTT- sensitive group (MSG) and control group (CG) was 47.5% and 45.1%, respectively. The results of subgroup analysis with Cox proportional-hazards model were favorable for the MSG-sensitive group. However, no statistically significant difference in survival rate was observed between the two groups. CONCLUSION:Individualized chemotherapy based on in vitro MTT assay is beneficial, but needs to be confirmed by further randomized controlled trials.
基金Nanjing Forestry University[Grant Nos.163020139,164020818,163020217 and 16302023]National Natural Science Foundation of China(5201101466).
文摘A novel coronavirus of zoonotic origin(SARSCoV-2)has recently been recognized in patients with acute respiratory disease.COVID-19 causative agent is structurally and genetically similar to SARS and bat SARS-like coronaviruses.The drastic increase in the number of coronavirus and its genome sequence have given us an unprecedented opportunity to perform bioinformatics and genomics analysis on this class of viruses.Clinical tests like PCR and ELISA for rapid detection of this virus are urgently needed for early identification of infected patients.However,these techniques are expensive and not readily available for point-of-care(POC)applications.Currently,lack of any rapid,available,and reliable POC detection method gives rise to the progression of COVID-19 as a horrible global problem.To solve the negative features of clinical investigation,we provide a brief introduction of the general features of coronaviruses and describe various amplification assays,sensing,biosensing,immunosensing,and aptasensing for the determination of various groups of coronaviruses applied as a template for the detection of SARS-CoV-2.All sensing and biosensing techniques developed for the determination of various classes of coronaviruses are useful to recognize the newly immerged coronavirus,i.e.,SARS-CoV-2.Also,the introduction of sensing and biosensing methods sheds light on the way of designing a proper screening system to detect the virus at the early stage of infection to tranquilize the speed and vastity of spreading.Among other approaches investigated among molecular approaches and PCR or recognition of viral diseases,LAMP-based methods and LFAs are of great importance for their numerous benefits,which can be helpful to design a universal platform for detection of future emerging pathogenic viruses.
文摘Diagnosis of male infertility has mainly been based on the World Health Organization （WHO） manual-based semen parameter＇s concentration, motility and morphology. It has, however, become apparent that none of these parameters are reliable markers for evaluation of the fertility potential of a couple. A search for better markers has led to an increased focus on sperm chromatin integrity testing in fertility work-up and assisted reproductive techniques. During the last couple of decades, numerous sperm DNA integrity tests have been developed. These are claimed to be characterized by a lower intraindividual variation, less intralaboratory and interlaboratory variation and thus less subjective than the conventional sperm analysis. However, not all the sperm chromatin integrity tests have yet been shown to be of clinical value. So far, the test that has been found to have the most stable clinical threshold values in relation to fertility is the sperm chromatin structure assay （SCSA）, a flow cytometric test that measures the susceptibility of sperm DNA to acid-induced DNA denaturation in situ. Sperm DNA fragmentation as measured by SCSA has shown to be an independent predictor of successful pregnancy in first pregnancy planners as well as in couples undergoing intrauterine insemination, and can be used as a tool in investigation, counseling and treatment of involuntary childlessness. More conflicting data exist regarding the role of sperm DNA fragmentation in relation to fertilization, pre-embryo development and pregnancy outcome in in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection （ICSI）.
