A dual-electrode approach for highly selective detection of glucose based on diffusion layer theory: experiments and simulation

A dual-electrode configuration for the highly selective detection of glucose in the diffusion layer of the substrate electrode is presented. In this approach, a glassy carbon electrode (GCE, substrate) modified with a conductive layer of glucose oxidase/Nafion/graphite (GNG) was used to create an interference-free region in its diffusion layer by electrochemical depletion of interfering electroactive species. A Pt microelectrode (tip, 5 microm in radius) was located in the diffusion layer of the GNG-modified GCE (GNG-G) with the help of scanning electrochemical microscopy. Consequently, the tip of the electrode could sense glucose selectively by detecting the amount of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) formed from the oxidization of glucose on the glucose oxidase layer. The influences of parameters, including tip-substrate distance, substrate potential, and electrolyzing time, on the interference-removing efficiency of this dual-electrode approach have been investigated systematically. When the electrolyzing time was 30 s, the tip-substrate distance was 1.8 a (9.0 microm) (where a is the radius of the tip electrode), the potentials of the tip and substrate electrodes were 0.7 V and 0.4 V, respectively, and a mixture of ascorbic acid (0.3 mM), uric acid (0.3 mM), and 4-acetaminophen (0.3 mM) had no influence on the glucose detection. In addition, the current-time responses of the tip electrode at different tip-substrate distances in a solution containing interfering species were numerically simulated. The results from the simulation are in good agreement with the experimental data. This research provides a concept of detection in the diffusion layer of a substrate electrode, as an interference-free region, for developing novel microelectrochemical devices.     

Conjugated enynes as a new type of substrates for olefin metathesis

[reaction: see text] It has been demonstrated for the first time that conjugated enynes can be employed as a facile substrate in olefin metathesis with the use of a bispyridine-substituted ruthenium benzylidene catalyst. Cross-metathesis of the enynes with alkenes turns out to proceed with preferential formation of (Z)-isomers over (E)-isomers up to >25:1 in moderate to good yields. The intramolecular version of conjugated enynes affords novel butadienyl cycloalkenes, which are a highly useful synthetic building blocks, in acceptable yields.     

Andrographolide Inhibits Biofilm and Virulence in Listeria monocytogenes as a Quorum-Sensing Inhibitor

Listeria monocytogenes is a major foodborne pathogen that can cause listeriosis in humans and animals. Andrographolide is known as a natural antibiotic and exhibits good antibacterial activity. We aimed to investigate the effect of andrographolide on two quorum-sensing (QS) systems, LuxS/AI-2 and Agr/AIP of L. monocytogenes, as well as QS-controlled phenotypes in this study. Our results showed that neither luxS expression nor AI-2 production was affected by andrographolide. Nevertheless, andrographolide significantly reduced the expression levels of the agr genes and the activity of the agr promoter P₂. Results from the crystal violet staining method, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) demonstrated that andrographolide remarkably inhibited the biofilm-forming ability of L. monocytogenes 10403S. The preformed biofilms were eradicated when exposed to andrographolide, and reduced surviving cells were also observed in treated biofilms. L. monocytogenes treated with andrographolide exhibited decreased ability to secrete LLO and adhere to and invade Caco-2 cells. Therefore, andrographolide is a potential QS inhibitor by targeting the Agr QS system to reduce biofilm formation and virulence of L. monocytogenes.     

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Spiramycin in LPS-Activated RAW 264.7 Macrophages

Drug repurposing is a simple concept with a long history, and is a paradigm shift that can significantly reduce the costs and accelerate the process of bringing a new small-molecule drug into clinical practice. We attempted to uncover a new application of spiramycin, an old medication that was classically prescribed for toxoplasmosis and various other soft-tissue infections; specifically, we initiated a study on the anti-inflammatory capacity of spiramycin. For this purpose, we used murine macrophage RAW 264.7 as a model for this experiment and investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of spiramycin by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines. In the present study, we demonstrated that spiramycin significantly decreased nitric oxide (NO), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 levels in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Spiramycin also inhibited the expression of NO synthase (iNOS), potentially explaining the spiramycin-induced decrease in NO production. In addition, spiramycin inhibited the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs); extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N terminal kinase (JNK) as well as the inactivation and subsequent nuclear translocation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB). This indicated that spiramycin attenuates macrophages’ secretion of IL-6, IL-1β, and NO, inducing iNOS expression via the inhibition of the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. Finally, we tested the potential application of spiramycin as a topical material by human skin primary irritation tests. It was performed on the normal skin (upper back) of 31 volunteers to determine whether 100 μM and μM of spiramycin had irritation or sensitization potential. In these assays, spiramycin did not induce any adverse reactions. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that spiramycin can effectively attenuate the activation of macrophages, suggesting that spiramycin could be a potential candidate for drug repositioning as a topical anti-inflammatory agent.     

Switchable photocatalysis for the chemodivergent benzylation of 4-cyanopyridines

We report a photocatalytic strategy for the chemodivergent radical benzylation of 4-cyanopyridines. The chemistry uses a single photoredox catalyst to generate benzyl radicals upon N–F bond activation of 2-alkyl N-fluorobenzamides. The judicious choice of different photocatalyst quenchers allowed us to select at will between mechanistically divergent processes. The two reaction manifolds, an ipso-substitution path proceeding via radical coupling and a Minisci-type addition, enabled selective access to regioisomeric C4 or C2 benzylated pyridines, respectively. Mechanistic investigations shed light on the origin of the chemoselectivity switch.

We report a photocatalytic strategy for the chemodivergent radical benzylation of 4-cyanopyridines. The chemistry uses a single photoredox catalyst to generate benzyl radicals upon N–F bond activation of 2-alkyl N-fluorobenzamides.     

Dynamic Deformation of Frozen Soil at a High Strain Rate:Experiments and Damage-Coupled Constitutive Model

The dynamic compressive deformation of frozen soil was investigated by conduct-ing the split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) experiments at three temperatures and...     

Structural and Functional Analysis of the Pyridoxal Phosphate Homeostasis Protein YggS from Fusobacterium nucleatum

Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) is the active form of vitamin B6, but it is highly reactive and poisonous in its free form. YggS is a PLP-binding protein found in bacteria and humans that mediates PLP homeostasis by delivering PLP to target enzymes or by performing a protective function. Several biochemical and structural studies of YggS have been reported, but the mechanism by which YggS recognizes PLP has not been fully elucidated. Here, we report a functional and structural analysis of YggS from Fusobacterium nucleatum (FnYggS). The PLP molecule could bind to native FnYggS, but no PLP binding was observed for selenomethionine (SeMet)-derivatized FnYggS. The crystal structure of FnYggS showed a type III TIM barrel fold, exhibiting structural homology with several other PLP-dependent enzymes. Although FnYggS exhibited low (<35%) amino acid sequence similarity with previously studied YggS proteins, its overall structure and PLP-binding site were highly conserved. In the PLP-binding site of FnYggS, the sulfate ion was coordinated by the conserved residues Ser201, Gly218, and Thr219, which were positioned to provide the binding moiety for the phosphate group of PLP. The mutagenesis study showed that the conserved Ser201 residue in FnYggS was the key residue for PLP binding. These results will expand the knowledge of the molecular properties and function of the YggS family.     

Packed-Fiber Solid Phase-Extraction Coupled with HPLC-MS/MS for Rapid Determination of Lipid Oxidative Damage Biomarker 8-Iso-Prostaglandin F2α in Urine

The 8-iso-prostaglandin F_2α (8-iso-PGF_2α) biomarker is used as the gold standard for tracing lipid oxidative stress in vivo. The analysis of urinary 8-iso-PGF_2α is challenging when dealing with trace amounts of 8-iso-PGF_2α and the complexity of urine matrixes. A packed-fiber solid-phase extraction (PFSPE)–coupled with HPLC-MS/MS–method, based on polystyrene (PS)-electrospun nanofibers, was developed for the specific determination of 8-iso-PGF_2α in urine and compared with other newly developed LC-MS/MS methods. The method, which simultaneously processed 12 samples within 5 min on a self-made semi-automatic array solid-phase extraction processor, was the first to introduce PS-electrospun nanofibers as an adsorbent for the extraction of 8-iso-PGF_2α and was successfully applied to real urine samples. After optimizing the PFSPE conditions, good linearity in the range of 0.05–5 ng/mL with R² > 0.9996 and a satisfactory limit of detection of 0.015 ng/mL were obtained, with good intraday and interday precision (RSD < 10%) and recoveries of 95.3–103.8%. This feasible method is expected to be used for the batch quantitative analysis of urinary 8-iso-PGF_2α.     

一种电流引线的热力学计算方法

从超导磁体气冷电流引线的热平衡方程出发,对电流引线进行分段,提出了一种较为精确计算电流引线长横比及由电流引线末端流入低温容器热量的计算方法;电流引线中氦气流阻是设计电流引线时一个很重要的参数,由于电流引线片形状很复杂,计算其中氦气流阻比较好的方法是采用CFD软件Fluent。氦气模型单元数很庞大,因此对氦气模型进行了简化和分段,相邻两段模型间采用流量和压力边界条件进行耦合。