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Wearable sensors hold immense potential for real‐time and non‐destructive sensing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), requiring both efficient sensing performance and robust mechanical properties. However, conventional colorimetric sensor arrays, acting as artificial olfactory systems for highly selective VOC profiling, often fail to meet these requirements simultaneously. Here, a high‐performance wearable sensor array for VOC visual detection is proposed by extrusion printing of hybrid inks containing surface‐functionalized sensing materials. Surface‐modified hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) improves the humidity resistance and VOC sensitivity of PDMS‐coated dye/metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) composites. It also enhances their dispersion within liquid PDMS matrix, thereby promoting the hybrid liquid as high‐quality extrusion‐printing inks. The inks enable direct and precise printing on diverse substrates, forming a uniform and high particle‐loading (70 wt%) film. The printed film on a flexible PDMS substrate demonstrates satisfactory flexibility and stretchability while retaining excellent sensing performance from dye/MOFs@PDMS particles. Further, the printed sensor array exhibits enhanced sensitivity to sub‐ppm VOC levels, remarkable resistance to high relative humidity (RH) of 90%, and the differentiation ability for eight distinct VOCs. Finally, the wearable sensor proves practical by in situ monitoring of wheat scab‐related VOC biomarkers. This study presents a versatile strategy for designing effective wearable gas sensors with widespread applications. A wearable VOC sensor array is developed using extrusion printing of surface‐functionalized sensing materials‐based inks. Surface‐modified PDMS enhances humidity resistance and VOC sensitivity, and improves the dispersibility in PDMS liquid matrix for high‐quality inks. The extrusion‐printed sensor array exhibits satisfactory mechanical stability and efficient VOC‐profiling ability. The wearable sensor demonstrates its practicality in non‐invasive detection of wheat scab.

Artificial scent screening systems, inspired by the mammalian olfactory system, hold promise for fruit ripeness detection, but their commercialization is limited by low sensitivity or pattern recognition inaccuracy. This study presents a portable fruit ripeness prediction system based on colorimetric sensing combinatorics and deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) to accurately identify fruit ripeness. Using the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method, the study discerned the distinctive gases emitted by mango, peach, and banana across various ripening stages. The colorimetric sensing combinatorics utilized 25 dyes sensitive to fruit volatile gases, generating a distinct scent fingerprint through cross-reactivity to diverse concentrations and varieties of gases. The unique scent fingerprints can be identified using DCNN. After capturing colorimetric sensor image data, the densely connected convolutional network (DenseNet) was employed, achieving an impressive accuracy rate of 97.39% on the validation set and 82.20% on the test set in assessing fruit ripeness. This fruit ripeness prediction system, coupled with a DCNN, successfully addresses the issues of complex pattern recognition and low identification accuracy. Overall, this innovative tool exhibits high accuracy, non-destructiveness, practical applicability, convenience, and low cost, making it worth considering and developing for fruit ripeness detection.

Background Few clinical studies or randomized clinical trial results have reported the impact of fast-track surgery on human immunity. This study aimed to investigate the clinical and immune impact of fast-track surgery in colorectal cancer patients undergoing elective open surgery. Methods A controlled randomized clinical trial was conducted from November 2008 to January 2009 with a 1-month postdischarge follow-up. A total of 70 patients with colorectal carcinoma requiring colorectal resection were randomized into two groups: a fast-track group (35 cases) and a conventional care group (35 cases). All included patients underwent elective open colorectal resection with combined tracheal intubation and general anesthesia. Clinical parameters and markers of immune function were evaluated in both groups postoperatively. Results In all, 62 patients completed the study: 32 in the fast-track group and 30 in the conventional care group. Our findings revealed a significantly shorter postoperative hospital stay and faster return of gastrointestinal function in patients undergoing fast-track rehabilitation. In addition, we found a quicker response of white blood cells in the fast-track group than in the conventional care group. We also found that blood levels of globulin, immunoglobulin G, and complement 4 on postoperative day 3 were higher in the fast-track group than in the conventional care group. Conclusions Fast-track surgery accelerates clinical recovery and improves postoperative immunity after elective open surgery for colorectal carcinoma.

Efforts aiming at identifying biomarkers and corresponding methods for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) might be the most appropriate strategy to initiate promising new treatments and/or prevention of AD OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study is to assess the association of DNA methylation pattern of various leucocyte genes with AD pathogenesis in order to find potential biomarkers and corresponding methods for molecular diagnosis of AD. DNA methylation level of various genes in AD patients and normal population were compared by bisulphite sequencing PCR and methylation-specific PCR (MSP). Furthermore, real-time PCR was used to explore the effects of DNA methylation on the expression of target genes. Results showed significant hypermethylation of mammalian orthologue of Sir2 (SIRT1) gene in AD patients compared with normal population. Meanwhile, changes in methylation level of SIRT1 gene between different severities of AD were also found. Specific primers were designed from the SIRT1 CpG islands to differentiate AD and control group by MSP method. Besides, significant demethylation of β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene was observed in AD patients, whereas no difference was observed in other AD-related genes. Moreover, significant decrease in expression of SIRT1 gene and increase in expression of APP gene were also found in AD patients. In addition, the expression level of SIRT1/APP genes was associated with the severity, but not with the age or gender, of AD patients. SIRT1 and APP might be the interesting candidate biomarkers and valuable for clinical diagnosis or treatment of AD.

Ultrathin (<10 nm) nanosheets of a metal-organic framework (MOF-NSs) were prepared in high-yield and scalable production by a surfactant-assisted one-step method. The MOF-NSs possess distinguished affinity for ssDNA but not for dsDNA. This causes the fluorescence of the labeled DNA to be quenched. On binding to the target DNA (shown here for Salmonella enterica , Listeria monocytogenes and Vibrio parahemolyticus ), the labeled duplex is released and the fluorescence of the label is restored. The labels Texas Red, Cy3 and FAM were used and give red, red or green fluorescence depending on the kind of pathogen. The detection limits are 28 pM, 35 pM and 15 pM for the gene segments of Salmonella enterica , Listeria monocytogenes and Vibrio parahemolyticus , respectively. Graphical abstract Schematic of an ultrasensitive fluorescent biosensor for multiplex detection of pathogenic DNAs based on ultrathin MOF nanosheets (type Cu-TCPP).

A novel colorimetric sensing platform based on the peroxidase activity of hemin regulated by oligonucleotide and pesticide was reported for the ultrasensitive and selective detection of isocarbophos. Oligonucleotides can accumulate on the surface of hemin in acid condition and temporarily inhibit its catalytic activity, which results in the loss of one electron of TMB molecule and produce the blue products. With the addition of isocarbophos, the pesticide molecules can interact with oligonucleotides to form some complexes, which relieve the inhibition of ssDNA to hemin and further enhance its catalytic activity. Thus, the TMB molecules are further oxidized to lose another electron and produce the yellow product in a few minutes, which has the characteristic absorption peak at 450 nm. The color change of the sensing system is related to the amount of isocarbophos, so this method can quickly discriminate whether the target pesticide exceeds the maximal residue limit just by naked eyes. To improve the performance of sensing platform, some important parameters like buffer condition and ssDNA have been investigated, and the peroxidase activity of hemin was further studied to verify the catalytic mechanism. The proposed sensing platform has a detection limit as low as 0.6 μg/L and displays good selectivity against other competitive pesticides. Moreover, the developed sensing platform also exhibits favorable accuracy and stability, indicating that it has potential applications in the detection of pesticide residues in agricultural products.

Accurate localization and real-time guidance technologies for cerebral hematomas are essential for minimally invasive procedures, including minimally invasive hematoma puncture and drainage, as well as neuroendoscopic-assisted hematoma removal. This study aims to evaluate the precision and safety of a self-developed laser-guided device in localizing and guiding hematoma punctures in minimally invasive surgery for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We present the components of the device and its operational procedures. Subsequently, surgeons with different titles conduct hematoma puncture experiments using the device on skull models, comparing it to freehand puncture methods and recording the offset distance from the puncture needle tip to the hematoma center. Additionally, we report the application of this device in 10 patients with ICH, assessing its accuracy and safety in comparison with a neuro-navigation system. In simulated puncture experiments, the accuracy of the laser-guided group surpasses that of the freehand puncture group, with a significant statistical difference observed between the two groups (P < 0.05). In the laser-guided group, there is no statistically significant difference in puncture accuracy among the surgeons (P > 0.05). In clinical experiments, no relevant surgical complications were observed. The offset distance for the laser-guided group was 0.61 ± 0.18 cm, while the neuro-navigation group was 0.48 ± 0.13 cm. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of offset distance (P > 0.05). However, there was a significant difference in surgical duration (P < 0.05), with the former being 35.0 ± 10.5 minutes and the latter being 63.8 ± 10.5 minutes. The current study describes satisfactory results from both simulated experiments and clinical applications, achieved through the use of a novel laser-guided hematoma puncture device. Furthermore, owing to its portability, affordability, and simplicity, it holds significant importance in advancing surgical interventions for ICH, especially in underdeveloped regions. •The accuracy of the laser-guided puncture device surpasses that of freehand puncture.•In clinical applications, its accuracy and safety are comparable to that of the neuro-navigation system.•Its affordability and exceptional precision render it well-suited for deployment in economically disadvantaged regions.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a growth factor crucial for neuronal survival, while its role in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)-induced neuronal apoptosis remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether administering exogenous BDNF can protect against neuronal apoptosis and neurological deficits following SAH in a rat model. The BDNF level was found to be significantly decreased in the basal cortex at 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h following SAH. Exogenous BDNF significantly decreased the expression of Bax and reduced activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9 and the number of apoptotic neurons. Moreover, exogenous BDNF treatment significantly improved the neurological deficits at 72 h and long-term behavioral deficits (day 14) following SAH in a rat model. These findings indicate that exogenous BDNF attenuated SAH-induced neuronal injury in rats.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Mitofusin2 (Mfn2) on the proliferation of human uterosacral ligament fibroblasts and on the expression of procollagen. We also aimed to identify the possible signal transduction pathway involved in the development of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). For this purpose, uterosacral ligaments were harvested from POP and non-pelvic organ prolapse (NPOP) patients for fibroblast culture. Cellular proliferation and the cell cycle were assessed following transduction with lentiviral vectors for the overexpression and suppression of Mfn2. The expression levels of the proteins Mfn2, procollagens, phosphoprotein 21 wild-type p53 activating fragment (p21Waf1), cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) and rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma-1 (Raf-1) were examined. Overexpression of Mfn2 resulted in the decreased proliferation of cells and the induction of G0/G1 phase arrest. Concomitantly, the relative expression levels of procollagen proteins, CDK2 and the phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 and Raf-1 proteins were notably decreased, while the levels of the p21waf1 protein were increased in the Mfn2 overexpressing group. Opposing results were reported cells following Mfn2 silencing via RNA interference. The results of the present study indicated that the cell cycle of the fibroblasts, their cellular proliferation and the levels of the procollagen proteins could be inhibited via the Ras-Raf-ERK axis as a result of the increased levels of Mfn2 during the development of POP.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of application of a heat pipe in an aspect of hydrostatic thrust bearings on thermal balance and deformation and the role of this application in increasing the rotating speed of a workbench. Design/methodology/approach Numerical simulations of oil film temperature field, the temperature field and thermal deformation of the bearing’s workbench and base were performed by finite element analysis (FEA) software for both the traditional hydrostatic thrust bearings and the heat pipe ones. Findings Oil pad and workbench of the hydrostatic thrust bearings are fabricated with a heat pipe cooling structure, which can take away most of the heat generated by shearing of the oil film, control the temperature rise and thermal deformation of the hydrostatic thrust bearing effectively, avoid the dry friction phenomenon and finally improve the processing quality of equipment. Originality/value The heat pipe hydrostatic thrust bearings could control the temperature rise and thermal deformation of the hydrostatic thrust bearing effectively, avoid the dry friction phenomenon and improve the processing quality of equipment.