Artificial intelligence-based microfluidic platforms for the sensitive detection of environmental pollutants: Recent advances and prospects

Environmental pollution and its drastic effects on human and animal health have urged governments to implement strict policies to minimize damage. The first step in applying such policies is to find reliable methods to detect pollution in various media, including water, food, soil, and air. In this regard, various approaches such as spectrophotometric, chromatographic, and electrochemical techniques have been proposed. To overcome the limitations associated with conventional analytical methods, microfluidic devices have emerged as sensitive technologies capable of generating high content information during the past few years. The passage of contaminant samples through the microfluidic channels provides essential details about the whole environment after detection by the detector. In the meantime, artificial intelligence is an ideal means to identify, classify, characterize, and even predict the data obtained from microfluidic systems. The development of microfluidic devices with integrated machine learning and artificial intelligence is promising for the development of next-generation monitoring systems. Combination of the two systems ensures time efficient setups with easy operation. This review article is dedicated to the recent developments in microfluidic chips coupled with artificial intelligence technology for the evolution of more convenient pollution monitoring systems.     

过渡金属-联咪唑-Dawson型钨磷酸盐杂化化合物的酶固定化性能

利用水热法和直接沉淀法, 设计合成了5例由过渡金属(TM)-联咪唑配阳离子与Dawson型钨磷酸阴离子构成的多金属氧酸盐(POM)基有机-无机杂化化合物[Ni(H₂biim)₃]₄[Ni(H₂biim)₂(P₂W₁₈O₆₂)₂]·2H₂O(1), [Co^III(H₂biim)₃]₂[P₂W₁₈O₆₂]·8H₂O(2), [Cu(H₂biim)₂]₃[P₂W₁₈O₆₂]·4H₂O(3), [Co^II(H₂biim)₃]₂H₂[P₂W₁₈O₆₂]·9H₂O(4)和 [Ni(H₂biim)₃]₃[P₂W₁₈O₆₂]·2H₂O(5); 并利用X射线单晶衍射分析(SC-XRD)、 红外光谱(IR)和热重-差热分析 (TG-DTA)等对其进行了表征. 化合物1~5作为载体用于固定辣根过氧化物酶(HRP)时, 显示出了较高的酶固定化能力. 另外, 利用圆二色光谱(CD)和激光扫描共聚焦显微镜(LSCM)等方法评价了固定化酶HRP/1~HRP/5的重复使用性、 储存稳定性和检测过氧化氢(H₂O₂)的性能. 由于该类POMs与HRP间存在强的相互作用, 利用简单的物理吸附法即可实现POMs对HRP的固载. POMs对酶的固定不但提高了HRP对使用及储存环境的耐受性, 同时也拓展了POMs在酶固定化领域的应用.     

Plasmonic Enhancement of Two-Photon Excited Luminescence of Gold Nanoclusters

Plasmonic-enhanced luminescence of single molecules enables imaging and detection of low quantities of fluorophores, down to individual molecules. In this work, we present two-photon excited luminescence of single gold nanoclusters, Au₁₈(SG)₁₄, in close proximity to bare gold nanorods (AuNRs). We observed 25-times enhanced emission of gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) in near infrared region, which was mainly attributed to the resonant excitation of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of AuNRs and spectral overlap of LSPR band with photoluminescence of AuNCs. This work is an initial step in application of combined nanoparticles: gold nanorods and ultrasmall nanoclusters in a wide range of multiphoton imaging and biosensing applications.     

Preparation and fabrication of porous-Fe2O3/carbon black nanocomposite: a portable electrochemical sensor for psychotropic drug detection in environmental samples

Herein, we reported the fabrication of porous iron oxide/carbon black (P–Fe₂O₃/CB) composite through a two-step engineering method. At first, Prussian blue microcubes were used as a precursor and further calcined to form P–Fe₂O₃ microcubes. The intercalation of CB nanoparticles with P–Fe₂O₃ nanocubes was processed through the ultrasonication method. The obtained P–Fe₂O₃/CB were successfully scrutinized through various physiochemical characterization methods. The proposed P–Fe₂O₃/CB-modified glassy carbon electrode sensor was successfully implemented in the electrochemical sensing of chlorpromazine hydrochloride due to its very low charge transfer resistance (R_ct) compared to the other electrode modifiers. The sensitive detection of CPMH through differential pulse voltammetry exemplifies an excellent electroanalytical performance such as a wide linear range of 0.5–1472 μM, a lower detection limit (0.001 μM), and an appraisable sensitivity of 1.99 μA/μM cm^?2 due to its availability of a high number of active sites and its large surface area, respectively. It also expresses excellent selectivity, repeatability, reproducibility, and stability results. Moreover, the practical feasibility of the as-fabricated P–Fe₂O₃/CB/glassy carbon electrode sensor shows exquisite recovery (98.1–100.8%) results with an appraisable current response in various biological, pharmaceutical, and environmental samples.     

Synthesis,characterization and applications of schiff base chemosensor for determination of Cu2+ ions

A novel thiazole-based Schiffbase chemosensor SB1 with N- and O- donor atoms was synthesized and characterized by different techniques (UV–vis, ¹³C NMR, ¹H NMR, and FT-IR analysis). The chemosensor SB1 was used for the determination of Cu²⁺ ions in various samples. The significant spectral changes in absorption spectra of chemosensor SB1 at 220 and 416 nm and the color change from light yellow to yellowish-brown indicate high selectivity and sensitivity towards Cu²⁺ ions as compared to other cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Ag⁺, Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺, Mn²⁺, Mg²⁺, Co²⁺, Cd²⁺, Sn²⁺, Hg²⁺, Cr³⁺, Fe^3+, and Al³⁺). The sensing mechanism of SB1 was investigated through various techniques such as FT-IR, UV–vis and ¹H NMR titration experiment and further confirmed by DFT computational studies. The 2:1 binding mode between SB1 and Cu²⁺ ions was confirmed by Job‘s plot using UV–vis spectrophotometry. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were found to be 0.015 and 0.0471 µg mL^?1, respectively. The percent recovery of Cu²⁺ from various environmental samples was found to be 95.00–103.33% at various levels. These obtained results demonstrate that chemosensor SB1 is a cost-effective, facile, selective, sensitive, and colorimetric sensing platform to detect trace amounts of Cu²⁺ ions in variousenvironmental and agricultural samples.     

Fermentation characteristics and the dynamic trend of chemical components during fermentation of Massa Medicata Fermentata

As a representative of traditionally fermented Chinese medicine, Massa Medicata Fermentata (MMF) shows the functions of invigorating the spleen and stomach and promoting digestion, which plays an important role in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. The fermentation mechanism and the key factors that affect the quality of MMF have not been revealed yet, which has become an urgent issue that limits its clinical application. This article aims to systematically and comprehensively reveal the transformation of physical properties and the dynamic trend of chemical components including substrate components, volatile components, and lactic acid as anaerobic fermentation product during MMF fermentation. Along with obvious hyphae growth observed for MMF, the weight of MMF decreased, and the moisture and temperature increased. Through the quantified 14 components from substrate, ferulic acid increased from 45.53 ± 6.94 to 141.89 ± 78.40 μg/g, while glycosides and phenolic acids declined except caffeic acid. Also, within the 66 volatile components analyzed, alcohols and acids increased, while aldehydes and ketones decreased. Lactic acid was not detected in the fermentation substrate, but an apparent increase in lactic acid content was observed along with the increased fermentation days, resulting in 2.54 ± 0.15 mg/g on day 8. Based on the tested components, the fermentation process of MMF was discriminated into three distinct stages by principal component analysis, and an optimal fermentation time of four days was proposed. The results of this study will be of great significance to clarify the characteristics of fermentation and conduce to improving quality standards of MMF.     

A study for quality evaluation of Taxilli Herba from different hosts based on fingerprint-activity relationship modeling and multivariate statistical analysis

In this study, a fingerprint-activity relationship modeling between chemical fingerprints and antirheumatic activity was established, and multivariate statistical analysis was used to evaluate the quality of Taxilli Herba (TH) from different hosts. Characteristic fingerprints of 20 batches of TH samples were generated by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-Triple TOF-MS/MS), and the similarity analysis was calculated based on thirteen common characteristic peaks by hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). Subsequently, nine efficacy markers were discovered by combining fingerprints and antirheumatic activity through grey correlation analysis (GCA) and bivariate correlation analysis (BCA). Meanwhile, the content of 5 constituents in 9 markers was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-linear ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTRAP-MS/MS). The comprehensive quality of TH was assessed using multivariate statistical analysis, including principal components analysis (PCA) and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). The results showed that a high dose of TH extract could markedly ameliorate arthritis damage compared to other doses, with flavonoids playing an important role in the antirheumatic activity. The comprehensive quality of samples from Morus alba L. (SS) was superior to those from Liquidambar formosana Hance (FXS). The present study will demonstrate the markers associated with efficacy, and provide an applicable strategy for more comprehensive quality control and evaluation of TH.     

Fast simultaneous determination of 23 veterinary drug residues in fish,poultry, and red meat by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

The misuses of veterinary drugs can result in the accumulation of residues in food of animal origin that can make its way to the final consumer. Herein we describe a simple method for the accurate determination of beta-lactams, quinolones, sulphonamides, and tetracyclines in fish, poultry, and red meat. No extraction cartridges were used; instead, the extraction process consisted of the addition of an organic solvents, shaking, centrifugation, and dilution. An extensive validation process demonstrated an excellent linearity (R² ≥ 0.99) for 23-drug residues. The recovery of drugs in different matrices at two concentration levels (n = 6) was in the range of 82–119%. The method was proved to be repeatable and reproducible with intra/inter-day measurements (RSDs lower than 20%). The quantification limits of drug residues were in the range of 0.8 to 45.3 ug/kg, which is well below the maximum residue limits set by most regulatory authorities. This method was successfully applied to the routine analysis of 20 fish, poultry, and red meat samples (n = 60).     

热解吸反压低温等离子体电离源质谱检测食品中的邻苯二甲酸酯EI北大核心CSCD

基于低温等离子体设计并实现了一套热解吸反压低温等离子体电离(TD-iLTPI)装置。TD-iLTPI装置由热解吸模块和电离源模块集成在一个π型四通管上组成,进样探针取得样品后插入热解吸模块使其气化,之后随载气进入电离区域被电离。iLTPI内部的针电极接交流电,外部的环形电极接地,电极连接方式与LTP相反。该文对热解吸反压低温等离子体电离源进行了参数的优化,并与三重四极杆质谱联用检测了12种代表性的邻苯二甲酸酯,同时考察了TD-iLTPI-MS的分析性能,并对含有邻苯二甲酸酯的实际样品进行了检测。结果表明,邻苯二甲酸丁苄酯(BBP)的标准曲线具有良好的线性相关系数(R;=0.9958),加标回收率为89.7%~116.8%,相对标准偏差为4.5%~8.2%,对邻苯二甲酸酯的检出限也远低于其他敞开式离子源。对白酒、果汁、面包、奶酪和黄油中的邻苯二甲酸酯进行了快速筛查,并定量检测了果汁中的邻苯二甲酸丁苄酯。     

孔雀石绿的磁性免疫层析快速检测方法研究

开发了一种适用于现场快速检测孔雀石绿(MG)的免疫层析试纸条,在超顺磁性纳米微球上偶联MG单克隆抗体作为检测探针,分别将孔雀石绿完全抗原(MG-B SA)和羊抗鼠IgG喷涂于NC膜的T线和C线.结果 发现,T线最佳喷涂量为0.25 mg/mL,抗体最佳偶联量为20 μg,构建的试纸条可在25 min内实现养殖用水及鱼肉...