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Two-dimensional (2D) MXenes have shown a great potential for chemical sensing due to their electric properties. In this work, a Ti3C2Tx/polypyrrole (MXene/PPy) nanocomposite has been synthesized and immobilized into a glassy carbon electrode to enable the simultaneous recognition of dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) under the interference of ascorbic acid (AA). The multilayer Ti3C2Tx MXene was prepared via the aqueous acid etching method and delaminated to a single layer nanosheet, benefiting the in-situ growth of PPy nanowires. The controllable preparation strategy and the compounding of PPy material remain great challenges for further practical application. A facile chemical oxidation method was proposed to regulate magnitude and density during the forming process of PPy nanowire, which promotes the conductivity and the electrochemical active site of this as-prepared nanomaterial. The MXene/PPy nanocomposite-modified electrode exhibited the selective determination of DA and UA in the presence of a high concentration of AA, as well as a wide linear range (DA: 12.5–125 μM, UA: 50–500 μM) and a low detection limit (DA: 0.37 μM, UA: 0.15 μM). More importantly, the simultaneous sensing for the co-existence of DA and UA was successfully achieved via the as-prepared sensor.

Exosomes derived from cancer cells have been recognized as a promising biomarker for minimally invasive liquid biopsy. Herein, a novel sandwich-type biosensor was fabricated for highly sensitive detection of exosomes. Amino-functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized as a sensing interface with a large surface area and rapid enrichment capacity, while two-dimensional MXene nanosheets were used as signal amplifiers with excellent electrical properties. Specifically, CD63 aptamer attached Fe3O4 nanoprobes capture the target exosomes. MXene nanosheets modified with epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) aptamer were tethered on the electrode surface to enhance the quantification of exosomes captured with the detection of remaining protein sites. With such a design, the proposed biosensor showed a wide linear range from 102 particles μL−1 to 107 particles μL−1 for sensing 4T1 exosomes, with a low detection limit of 43 particles μL−1. In addition, this sensing platform can determine four different tumor cell types (4T1, Hela, HepG2, and A549) using surface proteins corresponding to aptamers 1 and 2 (CD63 and EpCAM) and showcases good specificity in serum samples. These preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of establishing a sensitive, accurate, and inexpensive electrochemical sensor for detecting exosome concentrations and species. Moreover, they provide a significant reference for exosome applications in clinical settings, such as liquid biopsy and early cancer diagnosis.

An active-matrix electrowetting-on-dielectric (AM-EWOD) system integrates hundreds of thousands of active electrodes for sample droplet manipulation, which can enable simultaneous, automatic, and parallel on-chip biochemical reactions. A smart detection system is essential for ensuring a fully automatic workflow and online programming for the subsequent experimental steps. In this work, we demonstrated an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled multipurpose smart detection method in an AM-EWOD system for different tasks. We employed the U-Net model to quantitatively evaluate the uniformity of the applied droplet-splitting methods. We used the YOLOv8 model to monitor the droplet-splitting process online. A 97.76% splitting success rate was observed with 18 different AM-EWOD chips. A 99.982% model precision rate and a 99.980% model recall rate were manually verified. We employed an improved YOLOv8 model to detect single-cell samples in nanolitre droplets. Compared with manual verification, the model achieved 99.260% and 99.193% precision and recall rates, respectively. In addition, single-cell droplet sorting and routing experiments were demonstrated. With an AI-based smart detection system, AM-EWOD has shown great potential for use as a ubiquitous platform for implementing true lab-on-a-chip applications.

Due to the high-density farming of over the years, diseases caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites frequently occur in Ningbo, posing a huge threat and challenge to the sustainable and healthy development of the bay farming industry. In order to understand the diseases occurrence in farming in Ningbo area, an epidemiological investigation of diseases was carried out through regular sampling in 2023. From April to October 2023, routine sampling of was conducted monthly in various farming areas in Ningbo. Each time, live or dying with obvious clinical symptoms were sampled, with a total number of 55 collected. The samples were preserved in ice bags and transported to the laboratory for pathogen detection(including bacterial isolation and identification,virus identification, and parasites detection). A total of fifty-five fish dying with obvious clinical symptoms were collected in this study, of which 78.18% (43/55) were detected with symptoms caused by pathogenic infection, while 21.82% (12/55) did not have identified pathogens, which were presumed to be breeding abrasions, nutritional metabolic disorders, unconventional pathogens infection or other reasons. A total of twenty-five pathogenic bacteria strains were isolated, which mainly were Pseudomonas plecoglossicida and , accounting for 52% (13/25) and 32% (8/25) of the pathogenic bacteria strains, respectively. Among them, both and . iniae co-infected one fish. Additionally, three other bacterial strains including , , and subsp.damselae were isolated. Microscopic examination mainly observed two parasites, and . In virus detection, the red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV) was mainly detected in . Statistical analysis showed that among the fish with detected pathogens, 55.81% (24/43) had bacterial infections, 37.21% (16/43) had parasitic infections, and 37.21% (16/43) had RSIV infections. Among them, five fish had mixed infections of bacteria and parasites, three had mixed infections of bacteria and viruses, three had mixed infections of parasites and viruses, and one had mixed infections of viruses, bacteria, and parasites. These findings indicate that these three major types of diseases are very common in the farming area in Ningbo, implying the complexity of mixed infections of multiple diseases.

A method for separation of spring viraemia of carp virus (SVCV) from large-volume samples using immunomagnetic beads (IMBs) coated with a polyclonal antibody against SVCV was developed. The optimum amount of IMBs was 2 mg in 100 mL. After IMB treatment, the detection limit of SVCV in reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was 103 times the 50% tissue culture infectious dose per mL in 100-mL samples. The concentration of viral RNA extracted from SVCV that had been separated using IMBs was 5.18 × 103-fold higher than that of the unseparated SVCV. When fish samples were tested, the concordance rates of the IMBs/RT-qPCR and RT-qPCR were 100% and 67.5%, respectively.

Glioblastoma represents the most prevalent and deadly form of brain tumor with limited therapeutic drugs. The existence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) hinders drugs permeate to the brain efficiently. Nowadays, nano-formulations, particularly carbon dots, have emerged as promising candidates for targeting and treating brain diseases. In this study, we report the synthesis of a novel carbon dots, PTX-CDs, using a one-step hydrothermal method with paclitaxel (PTX) as the precursor. PTX-CDs shows increased water solubility by about 1000 times in comparison with PTX. Moreover, PTX-CDs effectively penetrates the BBB and exerts significant anticancer effects. In detail, PTX-CDs accumulates in mitochondria of tumor cells without adding extra targeted molecules, resulting in the damage of mitochondrial membrane potential and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) level. Transcriptome profiling revealed that PTX-CDs disturbs the cell-cycle by inducing arrest at the G2/M phase, thereby inhibiting cell proliferation. PTX-CDs further decreased cell invasion by inhibiting the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in glioblastoma cells. PTX-CDs significantly inhibited the growth of intracranial tumors in orthotopic glioblastoma mice model and prolonged the survival of tumor-bearing mice. This study presents a viable strategy to develop CDs-based therapeutic agent for glioblastoma using the conventional chemotherapeutic drugs.

The diversity of bacteria and their ability to acquire drug resistance lead to many challenges in traditional antibacterial methods. Photothermal therapies that convert light energy into localized physical heat to kill target microorganisms do not induce resistance and provide an alternative for antibacterial treatment. However, many photothermal materials cannot specifically target bacteria, which can lead to thermal damage to normal tissues, thus seriously affecting their biological applications. Here, we designed and synthesized bacteria-affinitive photothermal carbon dots (BAPTCDs) targeting MurD ligase that catalyzes the synthesis of peptidoglycan (PG) in bacteria. BAPTCDs presented specific recognition ability and excellent photothermal properties. BAPTCDs can bind to bacteria very tightly due to their chiral structure and inhibit enzyme activity by competing with D-glutamic acid to bind to MurD ligases, thus inhibiting the synthesis of bacterial walls. It also improves the accuracy of bacteria treatment by laser irradiation. Through the synergy of biochemical and physical effects, the material offers outstanding antibacterial effects and potentially contributes to tackling the spread of antibiotic resistance and facilitation of antibiotic stewardship.

The parasitic disease scuticociliatosis poses significant economic losses to shrimp culture. In this study, an unidentified species of ciliates was discovered in Litopenaeus vannamei. Morphological and molecular analyses were conducted to identify the parasite species, while a reinfection experiment was performed to assess its virulence towards L. vannamei. Simultaneously, Chinese herbal medicine was assessed for potential prevention and control of this pathogen. The results revealed that the SSU rDNA (93.87%), LSU rDNA (98.20%), and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rDNA (87.10%) genes exhibited high homology with Metanophrys sinensis, suggesting its classification within the genus Metanophry sp. The reinfection experiment demonstrated median lethal dosages of 6638 individuals/mL at 24 h and 4658 individuals/mL at 48 h for this ciliate on the host L.vannamei. In terms of drug control, we conducted a screening of 23 Chinese herbal extracts through in vivo injection trials and observed that Mume fructus extract exhibits potent biocidal activity. Specifically, the M. fructus extract solution with a final concentration of 5 mg/mL (0.5% v/v) eliminated all ciliates within 3 h. In conclusion, this study identified the ciliate parasite as Metanophrys sinensis and demonstrated its virulence to Litopenaeus vannamei. Mume fructus extract was found to effectively control the parasite, offering potential for managing scuticociliatosis in shrimp culture.

In piezoelectric drive, resonant drive is an important driving mode in which the external elastic force and electric drive signal are the key factors. In this paper, the effects of the coupling of external elastic force and liquid parameters with the structure on the vibrator resonance frequency and liquid drive are analyzed by numerical simulation. The fluid-structure coupling model for numerical analysis of the elastic force was established, the principle of microdroplet generation and the coupling method of the elastic force were studied, and the changes in the resonant frequency and mode induced by the changes in the liquid parameters in different cavities were analyzed. Through the coupled simulation and calculation of the pressure and deformation of the cavity, the laser vibration measurement test was carried out to test the effect of the vibration mode analysis. The driving model of the fluid jet driven by the elastic force on the piezoelectric drive was further established. The changing shape of the fluid jet under different elastic forces was analyzed, and the influence law of the external elastic force on the change in the droplet separation was determined. It provides reference support for further external microcontrol of droplet motion.

Single-cell analysis is crucial for deciphering cellular heterogeneity and understanding complex biological systems. However, most existing single-cell sample manipulation (SCSM) systems suffer from various drawbacks such as high cost, low throughput, and heavy reliance on human interventions. Currently, large language models (LLMs) have been used in robotic platforms, but a limited number of studies have reported the application of LLMs in the field of lab-on-a-chip automation. Consequently, we have developed an active-matrix digital microfluidic (AM-DMF) platform that realizes fully automated biological procedures for intelligent SCSM. By combining this with a fully programmable lab-on-a-chip system, we present a breakthrough for SCSM by combining LLMs and object detection technologies. With the proposed platform, the single-cell sample generation rate and identification precision reach up to 25% and 98%, respectively, which are much higher than the existing platforms in terms of SCSM efficiency and performance. Furthermore, a three-class detection method considering droplet edges is implemented to realize the automatic identification of cells and oil bubbles. This method achieves a 1.0% improvement in cell recognition accuracy according to the AP 75 test metric, while efficiently distinguishing obscured cells at droplet edges, where approximately 20% of all droplets contain cells at their edges. More importantly, as the first attempt, a ubiquitous tool for automatic SCSM workflow generation is developed based on the LLMs, thus advancing the development and progression of the field of single-cell analysis in the life sciences.