No abstract

Voltammetric determination of human papillomavirus 16 DNA by using interdigitated electrodes modified with titanium dioxide nanoparticles ABSTRACT A gene sensor for rapid detection of the Human Papillomavirus 16 (HPV 16) which is associated with the appearance of cervical cancer was developed. The assay is based on voltammetric determination of HPV 16 DNA by using interdigitated electrodes modified with titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (NPs) were used to modify a semiconductor-based interdigitated electrode (IDE). The surface of the NPs was then functionalized with a commercial 24-mer oligomer DNA probe for HPV 16 that was modified at the 5′ end with a carboxyl group. If the probe interacts with the HPV 16 ssDNA, the current, best measured at a working voltage of 1.0 V, increases. The gene sensor has has a ∼ 0.1 fM limit of detection which is comparable to other sensors. The dielectric voltammetry analysis was carried out from 0 V to 1 V. The electrochemical sensitivity of the IDE is 2.5 × 10⁻⁵ μA•μM⁻¹•cm⁻². Graphical abstract Schematic of an interdigitated electrode (IDE) modified with titanium dioxide nanoparticles for voltammetric determination of HPV 16 DNA by using an appropriate DNA probe.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Background Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most prevalent mental health disorder after childbirth, notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, PPD is known to have a long-term influence on the mother and the newborn, and the role of social support network is crucial in early illness recognition. This study aims to evaluate the social support networks’ level of knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding PPD and examine their sociodemographic variables and exposure to the public information relating to PPD during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted via an online Google Form disseminated to people in Klang Valley through WhatsApp, Email, Facebook, Instagram and other available social media among postpartum women’s social support networks aged 18 years and living in the Klang Valley area (N = 394). Data were collected from 1 March to 5 July 2021 and analysed using the Mann–Whitney U-test and generalised linear mixed models. Results During the COVID-19 epidemic in Klang Valley, most participants had good knowledge, negative attitudes and awareness of PPD. Marital status, gender and parity all had significant correlations with the amount of awareness regarding PPD. Ethnicity, gender, parity and educational level showed significant association with attitude towards PPD. No significant relationship was noted between sociodemographic variables and PPD beliefs. Public awareness of PPD was also associated with knowledge and attitude towards it. Conclusions A significant positive knowledge, negative attitude and negative awareness level of PPD exist among social support networks for postnatal women. However, no significant effect of belief on PPD awareness level was noted. Implications Insight campaigns and public education about PPD should be conducted to enhance postnatal mothers’ awareness and knowledge. Postnatal care, mental check-ups and counselling sessions for the new mothers are recommended. In future studies, a closer assessment of postpartum social support, variances and similarities across women from diverse racial/ethnic origins is critical. Strengths and limitations This cross-sectional study is one of the early studies on the area of PPD in the Malaysian region during COVID-19. Numerous data have been collected using low-cost approaches using self-administered surveys through Google Forms in this research.

Spontaneous unexplained preterm labor with intact membrane (sPTL-IM) remains as an unresolved challenge in obstetrics due to the complex syndromes involved during preterm birth. Two dimensional-gel electrophoresis (2D-GE) coupled with matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight/time of flight (MALDI TOF/TOF) mass spectrometry has become an alternative in screening for potential novel protein-based biomarkers and revealing the pathophysiology of sPTL-IM. To achieve this objective, protein extracted from fetal and maternal sides of the placenta obtained from sPTL-IM (n = 5) and the respective control (n = 10) groups were separated and compared using 2D-gel electrophoresis. MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry was utilized to identify the differentially expressed proteins between both groups, and the molecular functions of these proteins were studied. A total of 12 proteins were significantly differentiated in sPTL-IM over the control. Differentially expressed proteins were identified to have involved in structural/cytoskeletal components, immune responses, fetal and placenta development, and anticoagulation cascade. More proteins were found to be differentially expressed in the fetal side compared to the maternal side of the placenta. This postulates that the influence of sPTL-IM from fetus is greater than that of the mother. Ultimately, these results might lead to further investigations in elucidating the potential of these proteins as biomarkers and/or drug targets.

The aim of this work was to develop a novel, simple, inexpensive, sensitive an electrochemical DNA biosensor based on interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) integrated gold nanoparticle modified electrode by electro less deposition for HPV 18. The biosensor was designed with a 30 mer E6 region of HPV 18 DNA modified probe. The E6 region has been used for their clinical importance properties and suitable as recognition biomarker region. Three different target types were tested which complementary target, non-complementary target and mismatch target. All target were analyzed for detection of HPV 18 in early stages by using Dielectric Analyzer (DA), Alpha-A High-performance Frequency Analyzer, Novocontrol Technologies, Handsagen, Germany associated with the software package Windeta. Complementary target gives a positive result in HPV detection, while non-complementary and mismatch target give negative results. IDE device with 5 nm gap sizes has demonstrated a high performance towards the detection of HPV18 ssDNA target by modified with 30 nm gold nanoparticle. The electrochemical biosensor showed better performance compared to agarose gel electrophoresis assay. This technology can be used as a new and attractive sensor development for detection of virus infection in human bodies.

Objective To evaluate the association between transvaginal ultrasound scan of cervix and Bishop’s score in predicting successful induction of labour, cut-off points and patients’ tolerability and acceptance for both procedures. Design A comparative clinical trial. Setting A tertiary hospital in Selangor, Malaysia. Participants 294 women planned for elective induction of labour for various indications were included. All women had transvaginal ultrasound to assess the cervical length and digital vaginal examination to assess the Bishop cervical scoring by separate investigators before induction of labour. Primary outcome measure To evaluate the association of the cervical length by transvaginal ultrasound scan and Bishop score in predicting successful induction of labour. Secondary outcome measure Variables associated with successful induction of labour and patients’ tolerability and acceptance for transvaginal ultrasound scan of cervix. Results There was no statistically significant difference among the vaginal and Caesarean delivery groups in terms of mean maternal age, height, weight, body mass index, ethnicity and gestational age at induction. Vaginal delivery occurred in 207 women (70.4%) and 87 women (29.6%) delivered via Caesarean section. There was a high degree of correlation between the cervical length and Bishop score (r-value 0.745; p <0.001). Sonographic assessment of cervical length demonstrated a comparable accuracy in comparison to Bishop score. Analysis using ROC curves noted an optimal cut-off value of ≤27mm for cervical length and Bishop score of ≥ 4, with a sensitivity of 69.1% vs 67%, specificity 60.9% vs 55%, and area under the curves (AUCs) of 0.672 and 0.643 respectively (p <0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that parity (OR 2.70), cervical length (OR 0.925), Bishop score (OR 1.272) and presence of funnelling (OR 3.292) were highly significant as independent predictors of success labour induction. Women also expressed significantly less discomfort with transvaginal ultrasound compared with digital vaginal examination. Conclusion Sonographic assessment of cervical measurement predicts the success of induction of labour with similar diagnostic accuracy with conventional Bishop score.

The quest for alternative methods is driven by the need to provide expertise in real time in biological fields such as medicine, pathogenic bacteria and viruses identification, food protection, and quality control. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) are examples of traditional methods that have some limitations and lengthy procedures. Biosensors are the most appealing option because they provide easy, dependable, fast, and selective detection systems compared to conventional methods. This review provides an overview of electrochemical genosensor based biosensor diagnostic system for infectious diseases detection as well as their applications, demonstrating their utility as a fast and responsive tool for detecting pathogenic bacteria, viruses, GMOs, and human diseases.