Portable devices with the advantages of rapid, on-site, user-friendly, and cost-effective assessment are widely applied in daily life. However, only a limited number of quantitative portable devices are commercially available, among which the personal glucose meter (PGM) is the most successful example and has been the most widely used. However, PGMs can detect only blood glucose as the unique target. Here we describe a novel design that combines a glucoamylase-trapped aptamer-cross-linked hydrogel with a PGM for portable and quantitative detection of non-glucose targets. Upon target introduction, the hydrogel collapses to release glucoamylase, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of amylose to produce a large amount of glucose for quantitative readout by the PGM. With the advantages of low cost, rapidity, portability, and ease of use, the method reported here has the potential to be used by the public for portable and quantitative detection of a wide range of non-glucose targets.
A biocide‐free antifouling method on wetted insulating surfaces, enabled by the oscillation of electric potential generated by an integrated triboelectric wave harvester (I‐TEWH) is reported. Distinct from previous studies that reported antifouling on conducting surfaces by applying an additional power source, this method achieves antifouling on insulating surfaces with zero‐power consumption. The electric potential in the vicinity of a protected surface oscillates in large amplitude as a result of periodically accumulated free electrons on an underlying electrode. The dynamic flow of the free electrons is driven by the I‐TEWH that converts ambient wave energy by solid–liquid interface triboelectrification. As a consequence, the oscillating electric potential disturbs the inherent charge distribution on microbes due to electrostatic induction, preventing their initial adhesion onto the protected surface and thus prohibiting the subsequent formation of macroorganisms. Significant anti‐adhesion efficiencies of as high as 99.3%, 99.1%, and 96.0% are achieved for negative‐gram bacteria (Escherichia coli), positive‐gram bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), and diatoms (bacillariophyceze), respectively, on a smooth surface. The antifouling efficiency on a roughened surface with micro/nanostructures can be further enhanced by another 75%. This approach can be potentially utilized in coastal constructions, offshore facilities, and vessels that are either moving or stationary in port.
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S)
is an important endogenous gas
signal molecule in living system, which participates in a variety
of physiological processes. Very recent evidence has accumulated to
show that endogenous H2S is closely associated with various
cancers and can be regarded as a biomarker of cancer. Herein, we have
constructed a new near-infrared fluorescent probe (DCP-H2S) based on isophorone-xanthene dye for sensing hydrogen sulfide
(H2S). The probe shows remarkable NIR turn-on signal at
770 nm with a large Stokes shift of 200 nm, together with high sensitivity
(15-fold) and rapid detection ability for H2S (4 min).
The probe also possesses excellent selectivity for H2S
over various other analytes including biothiols containing sulfhydryl
(−SH). Moreover, DCP-H2S has been successfully applied
to visualize endogenous and exogenous H2S in living cells
(293T, Caco-2 and CT-26 cells). In particular, the excellent ability
of DCP-H2S to distinguish normal mice and tumor mice is
shown, and it is expected to be a powerful tool for detection of H2S in cancer diagnosis.
Carbon monoxide (CO), as a crucial gasotransmitter, is endogenously produced by the degradation of heme and plays a critical role in regulating various physiological and pathophysiological processes such as oxidative stress. Thus, an effective fluorescent probe for investigating the relationships between CO and oxidative stress in vivo is necessary. In this paper, a ratiometric near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe (CP-CO) based on a coumarin-benzopyran fluorophore for imaging CO is developed. CP-CO itself displays strong coumarin emission due to its spironolactone structure. After the probe is reacted with CO and PdCl 2 , a notable enhancement of emission intensity at 690 nm can be found, which results in an obvious red shift of emission (200 nm). Moreover, CP-CO exhibits high sensitivity toward CO and produces a high enhancement ratio (203-fold). In addition, the probe is applied for ratiometric monitoring of exogenous and endogenous CO levels in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, the fluorescence imaging of CP-CO in zebrafish is performed by twophoton excitation along with excellent penetration ability. Most importantly, CP-CO can visualize the upregulation of CO under lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced oxidative stress in a zebrafish model, which vividly reveals its excellent ability in the elucidation of CO function in related biological events.
One new ten-membered lactone (1) named (Z)-4,6,9-trihydroxy-10-nonyl-3,4,5,6,9,10-hexahydrooxecin-2-one along with 5-methoxycarbonylmellein (2) and cytochalasin D (3) were isolated from the culture of the endophytic fungus strain Tubercularia sp. TF5, originally separated from the inner bark of Taxus mairei obtained in Fujian Province, Southeast China. The structures of compounds 1-3 were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of 1 were analyzed but it showed no significant activities.Science and Technology Project of Xiamen [3502Z20063017]; Chinese Ministry of Education [306010
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