Microchimica Acta最新文献

As the popularity of marathons increases globally, understanding the implications of these innovations on athlete performance and health becomes crucial. Wearable technology has emerged as a pivotal tool for monitoring physiological parameters, optimizing training loads, and preventing injuries, thereby enhancing overall performance. Furthermore, advancements in athletic wear materials can significantly improve comfort and efficiency, potentially reducing the risk of musculoskeletal injuries during training and competition. The article also discusses the physiological impacts of marathon running, including the effects on joint health and cardiovascular recovery, highlighting both the benefits and risks associated with long-distance running. By synthesizing current research, the review identifies key challenges, such as the need for individualized training regimens and technology integration into traditional training practices. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how wearable technology and material innovations can be leveraged to enhance the marathon experience for athletes while also addressing the associated health considerations.

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The synthesis is presented of highly fluorescent hexamine-derived carbonized polymer dots (HACDs), which are made possible by ethylenediamine and folic acid. Density functional theory is used to clarify the formation mechanism and optimize the electronic structure of HACDs that resemble polymers. Our study reveals effective intramolecular charge transfer pathways and a favorable reaction coordinate, supported by electrostatic potential mapping and HOMO-LUMO transitions. The resulting HACDs have a ∼3.3 eV optical bandgap, an extraordinary quantum yield of 80.1%, and aggregation-induced, dual-emissive, excitation-independent fluorescence, a property that enables self-calibrated readouts. This dual emission reduces interference from environmental fluctuations (pH, polarity), thereby improving reliability in practical biosensing and bioimaging applications. We confirm the nitrogen doping and excellent photostability through spectroscopic studies over a 90-day duration. The emission quenching represented by HACD was used to determine hydrocortisone and prednisolone quantitatively to examine their biosensing capacity. The negligible toxicity was displayed by the MTT assay on V79 fibroblast cells to confirm the safe biological use of HACD as a nontoxic fluorescence sensor. The obtained results established that the HACDs have potential for the selective detection of glucocorticoids for biomolecular sensing.

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Incorporation of versatile hybrid frameworks with high surface area 2D materials can be an interesting approach for the development of sensitive biosensing platforms. A single step electrodeposition of chromium metal organic framework (Cr-MOF) and its nanoengineering through graphene oxide (GO) incorporation has been attempted in this study for the immunosensing of alkaline phosphatase (ALP). ALP being a crucial biomarker with its close association to health abnormalities including liver disease, bone disorder, and kidney damage can be an important area for diagnosis. Here, Cr-MOF has been incorporated with GO for the bioconjugation of Anti-ALP to facilitate selective binding and detection of ALP. The developed probe has been thoroughly characterized through various physical and electrochemical techniques for the confirmation of synthesis and binding events of the final probe with the target analyte. This unveiled good analytical capability with a wide linear dynamic range from 50 U/L to 1000 U/L and a detection limit of 2.64 U/L, covering the clinically relevant range. This platform has also been tested against categories of potential interferants ranging from ions to biomolecules, along with real sample testing in serum samples with a proven recovery between 86 and 98%. Further, the developed probe was integrated with software for data analysis and providing a user-friendly approach for ALP detection. This study can further be improvised to deploy in the primary healthcare centres/remote areas for more affordable diagnosis.

This study aims to establish a technology for the dynamic monitoring and early identification of resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To achieve this, we first developed an osimertinib-resistant NSCLC cell model and employed a graphene oxide-based SELEX (GO-SELEX) strategy to screen for high-affinity single-stranded DNA aptamers. After multiple rounds of enrichment and validation, the selected Osi-1 aptamer exhibited optimal binding affinity to the supernatant of resistant cells. Subsequent pull-down immunoblotting analysis using Osi-1 identified calnexin as its specific target for the first time, with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 71.93 nM. Building on this, we developed a label-free gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-based aptamer sensing platform and systematically optimized key parameters, including NaCl concentration, aptamer dosage, and incubation time. The results demonstrated exceptional specificity in distinguishing drug-resistant from sensitive cells, exhibiting a highly linear response (R² = 0.9912) to calnexin concentrations ranging from 10 to 500 nM. The detection limit was 7.89 nM, with excellent stability and recoveries (97.43%–107.12%) in serum samples. In summary, this study not only identifies calnexin as a potential biomarker for osimertinib resistance but also establishes a highly efficient, sensitive, and clinically translatable label-free detection platform, providing a novel solution for early monitoring and precision intervention in NSCLC drug resistance.

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Phosphorylation plays a pivotal role in neurodegenerative diseases, and the ratio of phosphorylated neurofilament light chains (pNfL) to total neurofilament light chains (tNfL) (pNfL/tNfL) has emerged as a promising biomarker. Detecting serum pNfL/tNfL remains challenging due to the extremely low abundance of pNfL. Effective detection requires spatial differentiation between protein capture sites, recognition sites, and post‑translational modification sites, together with precise spatial compatibility among multiple signal amplification sources to simultaneously identify proteins and their phosphorylation states. In this study, we systematically analyzed the structure of pNfL to identify optimal capture and recognition sites with distinct spatial localization. Systematic evaluation demonstrated that matching the size of signal amplification particles to the target protein significantly enhances sensor performance. By optimizing particle size, signals of pNfL and tNfL were amplified using 2 nm carbon dots loaded with Cu²⁺/Ti⁴⁺ and an antibody–horseradish peroxidase complex, respectively. Coupled with an interface–solution dual‑pathway amplification strategy, this approach enabled convenient one‑step dual-signal electrochemical quantification of pNfL/tNfL. The developed sensor exhibited excellent sensitivity, selectivity, and reproducibility, with dynamic ranges of 0.2–20 pg·mL^− 1 for both tNfL and pNfL. Preliminary serum analysis suggested that the pNfL/tNfL ratio provide improved discriminatory capability between neurodegenerative conditions, non-neurodegenerative brain injury, and healthy controls. Notably, the pNfL/tNfL ratio showed improved specificity compared to individual tNfL or pNfL measurements in this exploratory cohort. This work introduces a novel spatial design strategy that integrates particle size optimization with dual-pathway amplification, representing the first one-step dual-signal electrochemical platform capable of simultaneously quantifying total and phosphorylated neurofilament light chains in serum.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a leading cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide, and HBV DNA serves as a key molecular biomarker for diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring. Accurate and ultrasensitive quantification of HBV DNA is therefore crucial for early detection and clinical management. Herein, we developed an electrochemical DNA biosensor that integrates Exonuclease III (Exo III)-assisted target recycling with a hybridization chain reaction (HCR)-based cascade amplification. Platinum-decorated cobalt–copper carbon nanocubes (CoCu/CNC/Pt) nanozymes were employed as signal labels to synergistically amplify electrochemical responses, enabling highly sensitive detection of HBV DNA. Target DNA undergoes Exo III-catalyzed cyclic cleavage, releasing trigger strands (sDNA) that initiate the HCR process, driving the alternating hybridization of two hairpin probes (DNA1 and DNA2) into extended double-helical networks. These supramolecular structures present multiple terminal single-stranded regions that hybridize with complementary CoCu/CNC/Pt/aDNA probes, facilitating efficient anchoring of nanozyme labels on the electrode surface. The CoCu/CNC/Pt nanocomposites provide abundant redox-active sites and exhibit excellent catalytic activity toward H₂O₂ reduction, resulting in a markedly amplified electrochemical signal. The biosensor displayed a wide linear range from 100 aM to 10 nM (Y = 9.79X + 209.62, R² = 0.99) and an ultralow detection limit of 0.09 fM. Furthermore, the sensor exhibited excellent reproducibility, stability, and specificity, achieving recoveries of 93.3–107.0% in spiked serum samples. The developed platform offers strong potential for the detection of HBV DNA and can be extended to other pathogenic nucleic acids and clinically relevant biomarkers.

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A rapid and sensitive multiplex lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) was developed using high-brightness latex microspheres (LMs), which can simultaneously detect paracetamol, phenacetin, antipyrine, and prednisone acetate in herbal tea within 10 min. Under optimized experimental conditions, this LMs-LFIA can detect the four analytes at concentrations as low as 6.4 ng/mL, 0.38 ng/mL, 0.026 ng/mL, and 4.6 ng/mL, with low cut-off values (200 ng/mL, 200 ng/mL, 160 ng/mL, 160 ng/mL, respectively). Besides, this work demonstrated high specificity (no cross-interferences), good reproducibility (˂7.50%), acceptable stability (60 days) and high recoveries (90.2% − 118.1%) in spiked herbal samples. Importantly, in the blind sample analysis, of the developed LMs-LFIA showed good agreement with the validated LC-MS/MS method, suggesting high accuracy and practicability. This work provides a robust tool for highly efficient monitoring of common illegally added anti-inflammatory drugs in herbal teas.

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Klebsiella pneumoniae poses a significant threat to immunocompromised patients due to its high prevalence in hospital-acquired respiratory infections. The identification of bacterial species is crucial for transitioning from broad-spectrum to narrow-spectrum antibiotics in cases of antibiotic resistance. Here, an MXene/Ti₃C₂T_x/divinylbenzene-coated paper strip was developed for profiling of K. pneumoniae-associated (ATCC 13883) metabolites during in vitro growth media of the pathogen. The regular cellular paper was coated with a MXene/Ti₃C₂T_x composite using a film applicator, and the coated sheet was trimmed into several pieces to obtain multiple analytical tools. The patches were directly immersed in Lysogeny broth (LB) during the log phase of bacterial growth, and the bacterial metabolites were extracted by the microextraction device and finally determined by triple-quadrupole gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Fifty-seven metabolites, including alcohol, ketones, and hydrocarbons, were identified from the culture media of K. pneumoniae. To investigate the eco-friendliness of this technique, the Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI) was determined to be 72.5, suggesting the suitability of this method as a green sample preparation technique for implementation in pathology settings. Therefore, this study may offer an alternative and potentially effective approach for the rapid identification of the Klebsiella pneumoniae pathogen. As the metabolic profiling was performed during the growth phase of the bacterial species, this approach may directly reflect metabolites of actively growing cells from the sample matrix, whereas the conventional PCR-based technique is limited in distinguishing between dead and active bacterial species.

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