Latest ArticlesCompared with other types of breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the characteristics of a high degree of malignancy and poor prognosis. Early diagnosis of TNBC through biological markers and timely development of effective treatment methods can reduce its mortality. Many Research experiments have confirmed that some specific miRNA expression profiles in TNBC can used as markers for early diagnosis. However, detecting the expression profiles of multiple groups of miRNAs according to traditional detection methods is complicated and consumes many samples. To address this issue, we developed a method for high-throughput, high-sensitivity quantitative detection of multiple sets of miRNAs (including miR-16, miR-21, miR-92, miR-199, and miR-342) specifically expressed in TNBC by rolling circle amplification (RCA) on fluorescence-encoded microspheres. Through the optimization of reaction system conditions, the developed method showed an extensive linear dynamic range and high sensitivity for all five miRNAs with the lowest limit of detection of 2 fmol/L. Meanwhile, this high-throughput detection method also appeared reasonable specificity. Only in the presence of a specific target miRNA, the fluorescence signal on the correspondingly encoded microspheres is significantly increased, while the fluorescence signal on other non-correspondingly encoded microspheres is almost negligible. Furthermore, this process exhibited good recovery and reproducibility in serum. The advantages of this method allow us to more conveniently obtain the expression profiles of multiple groups of TNBC-associated miRNAs, which is beneficial for the early detection of TNBC.
The visible light induced multicomponent reaction of styrene, carbon disulfide, amine and ethyl difluorobromoacetate for the synthesis of thiodifluoroesters is disclosed. This developed protocol offers a facile and general route to access various valuable thiodifluoroesters in moderate to good yields. Preliminary mechanistic studies revealed that a radical process might be involved in this transformation.
Photocatalytic dual-functional reaction under visible light irradiation represents a sustainable development strategy. In detail, H2 production coupled with benzylamine oxidation can remarkably lower the cost by replacing sacrificial agents. In this work, CdS quantum dots (CdS QDs) were successfully loaded onto the surface of a porphyrinic metal-organic framework (Pd-PCN-222) by the electrostatic self-assembly at room temperature. The consequent Pd-PCN-222/CdS heterojunction composites displayed superb photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation, achieving a H2 production and benzylamine oxidation rate of 5069 and 3717 µmol g−1 h−1 with > 99% selectivity in 3 h. There is no noticeable loss of catalytic capability during three successive runs. Mechanistic studies by in situ electron spin resonance and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy disclosed that CdS QDs injected photoexcited electrons to Pd-PCN-222 and then Zr6 clusters under visible-light irradiation, and thus CdS QDs and Zr6 clusters behave as the photocatalytic oxidation and reduction centers, respectively.
Functional carbon nanomaterials have become the stars of many active research fields, such as electronics, energy, catalysis, imaging, sensing and biomedicine. Herein, a facile and one-pot strategy for generating ferromagnetic nanoparticles loaded on N-doped carbon nanosheets (Fe-N-CNS) is presented by salt-assisted high-temperature carbonization of natural silk proteins. Due to their graphitic structures, N-doping and ferromagnetic nanoparticles (FeNx, FeOy, FeCz), the silk-derived Fe-N-CNS can act as excellent mimics of both peroxidase and oxidase. Benefiting from the combined character of the graphene-like structures and enzyme-like activities, Fe-N-CNS can be further applied to highly efficient dye removal via synergistic adsorption and degradation. Meanwhile, the as-prepared Fe-N-CNS with intrinsic magnetism and electrical conductivity can also serve as an efficient electromagnetic wave absorption agent. The broadest effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of as-obtained absorbing material yields a 6.73 GHz with 1 mm thickness, with a maximum reflection loss of −37.33 dB (11.41 GHz). The EAB can cover 2~18 GHz with a tunable absorber thickness from 1.0 mm to 5.0 mm. Collectively, Fe-N-CNS, as a dual-functional material, can tackle the aggravating environmental pollution issues of both dyes and electromagnetic waves.
Selenium, an element belonging to the same group in the periodic table as sulfur, has a high electronic conductivity (1 × 10−5 S/cm) and a high volumetric energy density (3253 mAh/cm3), which is a prospective cathode material for high-energy all-solid-state rechargeable batteries. However, its wide use is hindered by large volume expansion and low utilization rate. In this work, Se-infused nitrogen-doped hierarchical meso-microporous carbon composites (Se/NHPC) are prepared by a melt-diffusion process. Amorphous Se is uniformly dispersed in meso-micropores of NHPC with a high mass loading of 81%. All-solid-state Li-Se batteries fabricated by using Se/NHPC as the cathode, a Li-In alloy as the anode, and Li6PS5Cl as the solid-state electrolyte, deliver a highly reversible capacity of 621 mAh/g (92% of theoretical capacity), a good rate capability and a high capacity retention value of 80.9% after 100 cycles. It is found that the capacity decay of Se cathode is mainly related to the interfacial degradation and the separation of Se from the carbon substrate, as suggested by the continuous increase of interfacial resistance and the structural transformation from amorphous Sen chains to Se8 rings initial discharge/charge cycle and then to the trigonally crystalline Se chains structure after the long-term cycles.
An algorithm capable of predicting and optimizing the gradient separation of LC × LC system was developed in this paper. Two groups of structural analogues, five ginsenosides as well as eight bisphenols, which were difficult to discriminate in routine analysis, were used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in fast separation optimization. Average errors of retention times below 1% were found in the retention prediction for all types of gradient programs, implying that the theory could lead to high quality in prediction of the retention times under gradients elution. Meanwhile, 84% of relative average deviations (RADs) between the predicted peak width and the measured ones were less than 20%. The larger deviation occurred at the time when the peak appeared while the gradient of the mobile phase changed, which led the deviations increased to 20%–42%. In all, method development and optimization for LC × LC tandem system was realized by the homemade user-friendly software. The present protocol may turn on great opportunities for the convenient method development in analysis of trace structural analogues in environmental, food and biological samples.
Peracetic acid (CH3C(O)OOH, PAA)-based heterogeneous advanced oxidation process (AOP) has attacked intensive interests due to production of various reactive species. Herein, Co(OH)2 nanoparticles decorated biochar (Co(OH)2/BC) was fabricated by a simple and controllable method, which was used to degrade tetracycline hydrochloride (TTCH) in water through PAA activation. The results indicated that 100% TTCH (C0 = 10 µmol/L) degradation efficiency was realized within 7 min at pH 7, with a high kinetic rate constant (k1) of 0.64 min−1 by the optimized Co(OH)2/BC. Material characterizations suggested that Co(OH)2 nanoparticle was successfully decorated on biochar, leading to more active sites and electronic structure alteration of biochar, thus greatly promoting the catalytic cleavage of PAA for radicals production. Then, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis demonstrated the key species were alkoxyl radicals (R–O•, mainly CH3CO2• and CH3CO3•), HO• and 1O2 in this system. Besides, density functional theory (DFT) calculation on Fukui index further revealed that the vulnerable sites of TTCH and three possible degradation pathways were proposed. This study can provide a new strategy for synthesis functional materials in PAA activation AOPs for removal of antibiotics in water.
Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) refer to field-effect transistors that use organic semiconductors as channel materials. Owing to the advantages of organic materials such as solution processability and intrinsic flexibility, OFETs are expected to be applicable in emergent technologies including wearable electronics and sensors, flexible displays, internet-of-things, neuromorphic computing, etc. Improving the electrical performance and developing multifunctionalities of OFETs are two major and closely relevant aspects for OFETs-related research. The former one aims for investigating the device physics and expanding the horizons of OFETs, while the later one is critical for leading OFETs into practical and emergent applications. The development in each of the two aspects would undoubtfully promote the other and bring more confidence for future development of OFETs. Hence, this review is divided into two parts that respectively summarize the recent progress in high-performance OFETs and multifunctional OFETs.
Ultrasonography is an important complement to clinical diagnosis, and the application of microbubbles effectively improved diagnostic accuracy in echography. In scientific research, the sizes of microbubbles range from nanometers to microns. By optimizing the fabrication process, bubble sizes and ultrasound parameters, microbubbles can also be used for drug delivery and therapeutic monitoring. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of microbubbles according to their different components. Modification of microbubble shells allows for more accurate imaging and detection and the combined utilization of US-targeted MB destruction (UTMD) allows for non-invasive, precise and targeted delivery of drug molecules to pathological tissues. These features pave the way for the emerge of theranostic microbubbles by combination of functional compositions and the application of multifunctional materials. Theranostic microbubbles allow for the simultaneous process of diagnosis, visualization of drug delivery and therapeutic monitoring. Ultimately, theranostic microbubbles are promising in clinical practice and would enhance contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) to a new qualitative level.
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