Cathepsin B-responsive nanodrug delivery systems for precise diagnosis and targeted therapy of malignant tumors

The tumor microenvironment (TME) significantly influences cancer evolution and therapeutic efficacy. Targeting biofunctional molecules to the TME has long been appreciated as a means of raising local drug concentrations and reducing systemic toxicities. The booming nanotechnology field has realized the importance of cathepsin B to derive a variety of intelligent enzyme-responsive nanosized drug delivery systems (nanoDDS) to improve treatment responses and clinical outcomes. In this tutorial review, after introducing the molecular structure and physiological/pathological functions of cathepsin B, the outstanding achievements of cathepsin B-responsive nanoplatforms in the precise diagnosis, targeted therapy, and synergistic theranostics of malignant tumors are systematically described. Finally, the challenges of enzyme-substrate incompatibility, low diagnostic sensitivity, mass production and biocompatibility of multifunctional nanoDDS are considered in order to successfully promote them to clinical applications     

Highly Specific,Single-step Cancer Cell Isolation with Multi-Aptamer-Mediated Proximity Ligation on Live Cell Membranes

A single-step method for isolation of specific cells based on multiple surface markers will have unique advantages because of its scalability, efficacy, and mildness. Herein, we developed multi-aptamer-mediated proximity ligation method on live cell membranes that leverages a multi-receptor co-recognition design for enhanced specificity, as well as a robust in situ signal amplification design for improved sensitivity of cell isolation. We demonstrated the promising efficacy of our method on differentiating tumor cell subtypes in both cell mixtures and clinical samples. Owing to its simple and fast operation with excellent cell isolation sensitivity and accuracy, this approach will have broad applications in biological science, biomedical engineering, and personalized medicine.     

Multifunctional fibrous wound dressings for refractory wound healing

Refractory wounds have always been an important issue to healthcare systems, whose healing process is always delayed by multiple factors, including bacterial infections, chronic inflammation, and excessive exudates, etc. Employing multifunctional wound dressings is recognized as an effective strategy to deal with refractory wounds, which has yielded promising outcomes in recent years. Among these advanced wound dressings, fibrous dressings have gained growing attention due to their unique merits. Such wound dressings have demonstrated great potential in delivering theranostic agents, such as antibacterial agents, anti-inflammatory drugs, growth factors, and diagnostic probes, etc., for the purposes of accelerating wound healing. This paper reviews the development of multifunctional fibrous dressings and their applications in treating refractory wounds. The construction approaches of novel fibrous dressing with capabilities of antibacterial, anti-inflammation, exudate management and diagnosis were also introduced. Furthermore, the existing problems and challenges are also discussed briefly.     

Microfluidic systems in clinical diagnosis

The use of microfluidic devices is highly attractive in the field of biomedical and clinical assessments, as their portability and fast response time have become crucial in providing opportune therapeutic treatments to patients. The applications of microfluidics in clinical diagnosis and point-of-care devices are continuously growing. The present review article discusses three main fields where miniaturized devices are successfully employed in clinical applications. The quantification of ions, sugars, and small metabolites is examined considering the analysis of bodily fluids samples and the quantification of this type of analytes employing real-time wearable devices. The discussion covers the level of maturity that the devices have reached as well as cost-effectiveness. The analysis of proteins with clinical relevance is presented and organized by the function of the proteins. The last section covers devices that can perform single-cell metabolomic and proteomic assessments. Each section discusses several strategically selected recent reports on microfluidic devices successfully employed for clinical assessments, to provide the reader with a wide overview of the plethora of novel systems and microdevices developed in the last 5 years. In each section, the novel aspects and main contributions of each reviewed report are highlighted. Finally, the conclusions and future outlook section present a summary and speculate on the future direction of the field of miniaturized devices for clinical applications.     

Novel gold nanoparticle trimer reporter probe combined with dry-reagent cotton thread immunoassay device for rapid human ferritin test

We reported here for the first time on the use of cotton thread combined with novel gold nanoparticle trimer reporter probe for low-cost, sensitive and rapid detection of a lung cancer related biomarker, human ferritin. A model system comprising ferritin as an analyte and a pair of monoclonal antibodies was used to demonstrate the proof-of-concept on the dry-reagent natural cotton thread immunoassay device. Results indicated that the using of novel gold nanoparticle trimer reporter probe greatly improved the sensitivity comparing with traditional gold nanoparticle reporter probe on the cotton thread immunoassay device. The assay avoids multiple incubation and washing steps performed in most conventional protein analyses. Although qualitative tests are realized by observing the color change of the test zone, quantitative data are obtained by recording the optical responses of the test zone with a commercial scanner and corresponding analysis software. Under optimal conditions, the cotton thread immunoassay device was capable of measuring 10 ng/mL human ferritin under room temperature which is sensitive enough for clinical diagnosis. Moreover, the sample solution employed in the assays is just 8 μL, which is much less than traditional lateral flow strip based biosensors.     

Machine learning as an online diagnostic tool for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells are considered a promising power supply system with high efficiency and zero emissions. They typically work within a relatively narrow range of temperature and humidity to achieve optimal performance; however, this makes the system difficult to control, leading to faults and accelerated degradation. Two main approaches can be used for diagnosis, limited data input which provides an unintrusive, rapid but limited analysis, or advanced characterisation that provides a more accurate diagnosis but often requires invasive or slow measurements. To provide an accurate diagnosis with rapid data acquisition, machine learning methods have shown great potential. However, there is a broad approach to the diagnostic algorithms and signals used in the field. This article provides a critical view of the current approaches and suggests recommendations for future methodologies of machine learning in fuel cell diagnostic applications.     

Development of bioorthogonal SERS imaging probe in biological and biomedical applications

Living-cell imaging demands high specificity,sensitivity,and minimal background interference to the targets of interest.However,developing a desirable imaging probe that can possess all the above features is still challenging.The bioorthogonal surface-enhanced Raman scattering(SERS) imaging has been recently emerged through utilizing Raman reporters with characteristic peaks in Raman-silent region of cells(1800-2800 cm~(-1)),which opens a revolutionary avenue for living-cell imaging with multiplexing capability.In this review,we focus on the recent advances in the technology development and the biological and biomedical applications of the living-cell bioorthogonal SERS imaging technique.After introduction of fundamental principles for bioorthogonal tag or label,we present applications for visualization of various intracellular components and environment including proteins,nucleic acids,lipids,pH and hypoxia,even for cancer diagnosis in tissue samples.Then,various bioorthogonal SERS imaging-guided thera py strategies have been discussed such as photothera py and surge ry.In conclusion,this strategy has great potential to be a flexible and robust tool for visualization detection and diseases diagnosis.     

Logistic回归模型的统计诊断

统计诊断的主要任务就是通过诊断统计量检测已知观测数据在用既定模型拟合时的合理性,主要是找出数据当中的异常点或强影响点。本文主要研究Logostic回归模型的诊断统计量和诊断统计图。用牛顿迭代法给出Logistic回归模型的极大似然估计值,根据扰动模型得到传统的诊断统计量,结合残差、杠杆值和系数变化三者构造新的诊断统计量,绘制新的诊断统计图,通过模拟研究说明新的诊断统计量的有效性,最后用一个实际案例说明新的诊断方法的应用并进一步验证其优越性。     

A novel anthracene-based fluorescent colorimetric sensor for the simple naked-eye diagnosis of methylmalonic aciduria

A novel molecular sensor using anthracene bearing two amidopyridines emits blue fluorescence in the presence of succinic acid and green fluorescence in the presence of malonic acid, and its fluorescence intensity increased upon binding. Using this molecular sensor, we succeeded in detecting the difference of one carbon atom between succinic acid and malonic acid with the naked-eye. Furthermore, when methylmalonic acid was dissolved in urine to provide a model system for methylmalonic aciduria, the fluorescence changed from blue to green, and methylmalonic acid was successfully detected with the naked-eye.     

3D-ASL灌注成像与静息态功能MRI在癫痫诊断及鉴别中的价值

选取123例癫痫患者作为研究组,同期69例健康体检者作为对照组,均行三维动脉自旋标记技术(3D-ASL)灌注成像与静息态功能MRI(rs-FMRI)检查,研究二者在癫痫病诊断及鉴别中的价值。结果发现,研究组全面发作脑血流量(CBF)、低频振幅(ALFF)<部分发作和对照组,全面发作血清脑源性神经细胞营养因子(BDNF)、胰岛素样生长因子-1(IGF-1)水平、认知功能(MMSE)评分<部分发作<对照组,血清神经肽Y(NPY)>部分发作>对照组(P<0.05),且癫痫患者CBF、ALFF与BDNF、IGF-1、MMSE呈正相关,与NPY呈负相关。CBF与ALFF联合在诊断癫痫发作、鉴别不同癫痫发作类型方面均具有较高应用价值。说明3D-ASL灌注成像及rs-FMRI在癫痫发作诊断及鉴别不同癫痫发作类型方面应用价值较高。