Notes

IGF-1 protects against angiotensin II-induced heart failure fibrosis by simply concentrating on αSMA.
Operant conditioning of Hoffmann's reflex (H-reflex) is a non-invasive and targeted therapeutic intervention for patients with movement disorders following spinal cord injury. read more The reflex-conditioning protocol uses electromyography (EMG) to measure reflexes from specific muscles elicited using transcutaneous electrical stimulation. Despite recent advances in wearable electronics, existing EMG systems that measure muscle activity for operant conditioning of spinal reflexes still use rigid metal electrodes with conductive gels and aggressive adhesives, while requiring precise positioning to ensure reliability of data across experimental sessions. Here, we present the first large-area epidermal electronic system (L-EES) and demonstrate its use in every step of the reflex-conditioning protocol. The L-EES is a stretchable and breathable composite of nanomembrane electrodes (16 electrodes in a four by four array), elastomer, and fabric. The nanomembrane electrode array enables EMG recording from a large surface area on the skin and the breathable elastomer with fabric is biocompatible and comfortable for patients. We show that L-EES can record direct muscle responses (M-waves) and H-reflexes, both of which are comparable to those recorded using conventional EMG recording systems. In addition, L-EES may improve the reflex-conditioning protocol; it has potential to automatically optimize EMG electrode positioning, which may reduce setup time and error across experimental sessions.Safety and quality of water are significant matters for agriculture, animals and human health. Microcystins, as secondary metabolite of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and cyclic heptapeptide cyanotoxin, are one of the main marine toxins in continental aquatic ecosystems. More than 100 microcystins have been identified, of which MC-LR is the most important type due to its high toxicity and common detection in the environment. Climate change is an impressive factor with effects on cyanobacterial blooms as source of microcystins. The presence of this cyanotoxin in freshwater, drinking water, water reservoir supplies and food (vegetable, fish and shellfish) has created a common phenomenon in eutrophic freshwater ecosystems worldwide. International public health organizations have categorized microcystins as a kind of neurotoxin and carcinogen. There are several conventional methods for detection of microcystins. The limitations of traditional methods have encouraged the development of innovative methods for detection of microcystins. In recent years, the developed sensor techniques, with advantages, such as accuracy, reproducibility, portability and low cost, have attracted considerable attention. This review compares the well-known of biosensor types for detection of microcystins with a summary of their analytical performance.Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many diseases, while the exact mechanism that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as one of the most abundant reactive oxygen species (ROS) exerts its influence on oxidative stress remains unclear. We developed a novel turn-on ratiometric electrochemical sensor for the detection of H2O2 in blood samples. The electrochemical probe 5-(1,2-dithiolan-3-yl)-N-(4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)phenyl)pent-anamide (BA) was designed and synthesized for the selective detection of H2O2 via a one-step amide reaction. Meanwhile, Nile Blue A (NB) was optimized as an internal reference molecule, thus enabling accurate quantification of H2O2 in a complex environment. BA and NB were then co-assembled onto a carbon fiber microelectrode (CFME) coated with Au cones. The oxidation peak current ratio between BA and NB demonstrated good linearity with the logarithm of the H2O2 concentration values ranging from 0.5 μM to 400 μM with a low detection limit of 0.02 μM. The developed sensor showed remarkable selectivity against potential interferences in whole blood samples, especially for ascorbic acid, uric acid, and dopamine. In combination with the unique characteristics of CFME, such as a small size and good biocompatibility, the microsensor was used for rapid analysis of one drop of whole blood sample. This sensor not only creates a new platform for the detection of H2O2 in whole blood samples, but also provides a new design strategy of other ROS analysis for early diagnosis of ROS-related diseases, drug discovery processes, and pathological mechanisms.Non-covalent adsorption and desorption of oligonucleotides on two-dimensional nanosheets are widely employed to design nanobiosensors for the rapid optical detection of targets. A precise control over the weak interactions between nanosheet interfaces and oligonucleotides is crucial for a high-sensing performance. Herein, the interface of ultrathin WS2 nanosheets used as a fluorescence quencher was engineered by four different dextran polymers in an aqueous solution to control the adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics of the DNA probe. The WS2 nanosheets, functionalized by the carboxyl group-bearing dextran (CM-dex-WS2) or the trimethylammonium-modified dextran (TMA-dex-WS2), exhibited 3.6-fold faster adsorption rates of the fluorescein-labeled DNA probe (FAM-DNA), which led to the effective fluorescence quenching of FAM, compared to the nanosheets functionalized with pristine dextran (dex-WS2) or the hydrophobic phenoxy groups-bearing dextran (PhO-dex-WS2). Isothermal titration calorimetry measurements showed that the adsorption strength of FAM-DNA for CM-dex-WS2 was one order of magnitude greater than its hybridization energy for a target microRNA (miR-29a) that is well-known as an Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarker, leading to the unfavorable desorption of the DNA probe from the surface. In contrast, TMA-dex-WS2 exhibited the proper adsorption strength of FAM-DNA, which was lower than its hybridization energy for miR-29a, leading to its favorable desorption from the nanosheet surface along with the noticeable restoration of the quenched fluorescence after its hybridization with miR-29a. Finally, the interface modulation of WS2 nanosheets allowed the selective and sensitive recognition of miR-29a against non-complementary RNA and single base-mismatched RNA in human serum via increases in target-specific fluorescence.
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