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Immobilization of proteins on a solid support is critical with respect to the fabrication and performance of biosensors and biochips. Protein attachment with a preferable orientation can effectively avoid its denaturation and keeps its active sites fully exposed to solution, thus maximally preserving the bioaffinity or bioactivity. This review (with 140 refs.) summarises the recent advances in oriented immobilization of proteins with a particular focus on antibodies and enzymes. Following an introduction that describes reasons for oriented immobilization on (nano)surfaces, we summarize (a) methods for (bio)chemical affinity-mediated oriented immobilization (with sections on immunoglobulin G (IgG)-binding protein as the capture ligand, DNA-directed immobilization, aptamer- and peptide-mediated immobilization, affinity ligand and fusion tag-mediated immobilization, material-binding peptide-assisted immobilization); (b) methods for covalent oriented immobilization (with sections on immobilization via cysteine residues or cysteine tags, via carbohydrate moieties; via enzyme fusion or enzymatic catalysis, and via nucleotide binding sites of antibodies); (c) methods based on molecular imprinting techniques; (d) methods for characterization of oriented immobilized proteins; and then make conclusions and give perspectives. Graphical Abstract This review summarises recent advances in oriented immobilization of proteins based on strategies via bio−/chemical affinity, covalent bonding, and molecular imprinting techniques. Advantages and disadvantages of each approach are discussed.

Multi-enzyme biocatalysis is an important technology to produce many valuable chemicals in the industry. Different strategies for the construction of multi-enzyme systems have been reported. In particular, immobilization of multi-enzymes on the support materials has been proved to be one of the most efficient approaches, which can increase the enzymatic activity via substrate channeling and improve the stability and reusability of enzymes. A general overview of the characteristics of support materials and their corresponding attachment techniques used for multi-enzyme immobilization will be provided here. This review will focus on the materials-based techniques for multi-enzyme immobilization, which aims to present the recent advances and future prospects in the area of multi-enzyme biocatalysis based on support immobilization.

In this study, it was aimed to evaluate whether spinal immobilization at 20°, instead of the traditional 0°, affects intracranial pressure (ICP) via the ultrasonographic (USG) measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD). 140 healthy, adult, non-smoking volunteers who had no acute or chronic diseases were included this study. Volunteers were randomly divided into two groups; performed spinal immobilization at 0° (Group 1) and at 20° (Group 2). After spinal immobilization (at 0 or 20°), measurements of ONSD were performed at 0, 30, and 60 min in an immobilized position. When evaluating the change in ONSD over time (at 30 and 60 min) as compared to basal measurements at 0 min, it was found that the ONSD values of both sides (the right and left eyes) were significantly increased in Group 1 and Group 2. For Groups 1 and 2, these differences existed both between 0 and 30 min and between 30 and 60 min. In addition, in this study, the amounts of increase in the ONSD measurements from 0 to 30 min and from 30 to 60 min (ΔONSD0–30 min and ΔONSD30–60 min) in both groups were compared. The results showed that there was no significant difference between Group 1 and Group 2 in terms of ΔONSD measurements. Spinal immobilization at 0° as a part of routine trauma management increased ONSD and thus ICP. Secondly, we found that similar to immobilization at 0°, spinal immobilization at 20° increased ONSD.

Comparing the outcomes of video-laryngoscopy and flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy for endotracheal intubation in patients with cervical spine immobilization. All of the comparative studies published in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Medline, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases as of 8 Jan 2024 were included. All outcomes were analyzed using Review Manager 5.4. The primary outcomes were the successful first-attempt intubation rate, intubation time, heart rate after intubation, mean arterial pressure after intubation, overall intubation success rate, risk of tissue damage and sore throat. The meta-analysis included six randomized controlled studies with a total of 694 patients. The outcomes of the meta-analysis revealed that the use of video laryngoscopy was better than flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy in terms of the successful first-attempt intubation rate (P<0.05) and intubation time (P<0.05) in patients with cervical spine immobilization. However, there were no statistically significant differences in heart rate after intubation, mean arterial pressure after intubation, overall intubation success rate, risk of tissue damage, or sore throat (all P>0.05) between the video laryngoscopy and flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy groups. Compared with flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy, video laryngoscopy has superior tracheal intubation performance in terms of the first-attempt success rate and intubation speed. This finding was observed in patients with cervical spine immobilization who utilized a cervical collar to simulate a difficult airway. Additionally, both types of scopes demonstrated similar complication rates. Current evidence suggests that video laryngoscopy is better suited than flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy for endotracheal intubation in patients immobilized with a cervical collar. Systematic review protocol: CRD42024499868.

Background A short period of leg immobilization leads to rapid loss of muscle mass and strength. Creatine supplementation has been shown to increase lean body mass in active individuals and can be used to augment gains in muscle mass and strength during prolonged resistance-type exercise training. Objective Our objective was to investigate whether creatine loading can attenuate the loss of muscle mass and strength during short-term leg immobilization. Methods Healthy young men ( n  = 30; aged 23 ± 1 years; body mass index [BMI] 23.3 ± 0.5 kg/m −2 ) were randomly assigned to either a creatine or a placebo group. Subjects received placebo or creatine supplements (20 g/d) for 5 days before one leg was immobilized by means of a full-leg cast for 7 days. Muscle biopsies were taken before creatine loading, prior to and immediately after leg immobilization, and after 7 days of subsequent recovery. Quadriceps cross-sectional area (CSA) (computed tomography [CT] scan) and leg muscle strength (one-repetition maximum [1-RM] knee extension) were assessed before and immediately after immobilization and after 1 week of recovery. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Data are presented consistently as mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM). Results There was a significant overall increase in muscle total creatine content following the 5-day loading phase ( p  = 0.049), which appeared driven by an increase in the creatine group (from 90 ± 9 to 107 ± 4 mmol/kg −1 dry muscle) with no apparent change in the placebo group (from 88 ± 4 to 90 ± 3 mmol/kg −1 ; p  = 0.066 for time × treatment interaction). Quadriceps muscle CSA had declined by 465 ± 59 and 425 ± 69 mm 2 ( p  < 0.01) in the creatine and placebo group, respectively, with no differences between groups ( p  = 0.76). Leg muscle strength decreased from 56 ± 4 to 53 ± 4 kg in the creatine and from 59 ± 3 to 53 ± 3 kg in the placebo group, with no differences between groups ( p  = 0.20). Muscle fiber size did not change significantly over time in either group ( p  > 0.05). When non-responders to creatine loading were excluded ( n  = 6), responders ( n  = 8; total creatine content increasing from 70 to 106 mmol/kg −1 ) showed similar findings, with no signs of preservation of muscle mass or strength during immobilization. During the subsequent recovery phase, no differences in muscle mass or strength were found between the two groups ( p  > 0.05). Conclusion Creatine supplementation prior to and during leg immobilization does not prevent or attenuate the loss of muscle mass or strength during short-term muscle disuse. NIH Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT01894737 ( http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ ).

In recent years, enzyme immobilization has been presented as a powerful tool for the improvement of enzyme properties such as stability and reusability. However, the type of support material used plays a crucial role in the immobilization process due to the strong effect of these materials on the properties of the produced catalytic system. A large variety of inorganic and organic as well as hybrid and composite materials may be used as stable and efficient supports for biocatalysts. This review provides a general overview of the characteristics and properties of the materials applied for enzyme immobilization. For the purposes of this literature study, support materials are divided into two main groups, called Classic and New materials. The review will be useful in selection of appropriate support materials with tailored properties for the production of highly effective biocatalytic systems for use in various processes.

The neurobehavioral risks associated with spaceflight are not well understood. In particular, little attention has been paid on the role of resilience, social processes and emotion regulation during long-duration spaceflight. Bed rest is a well-established spaceflight analogue that combines the adaptations associated with physical inactivity and semi-isolation and confinement. We here investigated the effects of 30 days of 6 degrees head-down tilt bed rest on affective picture processing using event-related potentials (ERP) in healthy men. Compared to a control group, bed rest participants showed significantly decreased P300 and LPP amplitudes to pleasant and unpleasant stimuli, especially in centroparietal regions, after 30 days of bed rest. Source localization revealed a bilateral lower activity in the posterior cingulate gyrus, insula and precuneus in the bed rest group in both ERP time frames for emotional, but not neutral stimuli.

Background Shoulder pain is a highly prevalent complaint and disorders of the rotator cuff, including tears, are thought to be the most common cause. The number of operations to repair the torn rotator cuff has risen significantly in recent years. While surgical techniques have progressed, becoming less invasive and more secure, rehabilitation programmes have remained largely like those initially developed when surgical techniques were less advanced and more invasive. Uncertainty remains in relation to the length of post-surgical immobilisation and the amount of early load permitted at the repair site. In the context of this uncertainty, current practice is to follow a generally cautious approach, including long periods of immobilisation in a sling and avoidance of early active rehabilitation. Systematic review evidence suggests early mobilisation might be beneficial but further high-quality studies are required to evaluate this. Methods/design RaCeR is a two-arm, multi-centre pilot and feasibility randomised controlled trial with nested qualitative interviews. A total of 76 patients with non-traumatic rotator cuff tears who are scheduled to have a surgical repair will be recruited from up to five UK NHS hospitals and randomly allocated to either early patient-directed rehabilitation or standard rehabilitation that incorporates sling immobilisation. RaCeR will assess the feasibility of a future, substantive, multi-centre randomised controlled trial to test the hypothesis that, compared to standard rehabilitation incorporating sling immobilisation, early patient-directed rehabilitation is both more clinically effective and more cost-effective. In addition, a sample of patients and clinicians will be interviewed to understand the acceptability of the interventions and the barriers and enablers to adherence to the interventions. Discussion Research to date suggests that there is the possibility of reducing the patient burden associated with post-operative immobilisation following surgery to repair the torn rotator cuff and improve clinical outcomes. There is a clear need for a high-quality, adequately powered, randomised trial to better inform clinical practice. Prior to a large-scale trial, we first need to undertake a pilot and feasibility trial to address current uncertainties about recruitment, retention and barriers to adherence to the interventions, particularly in relation to whether patients will be willing to begin moving their arm early after their operation. Trial registration ISRCTN Registry, 18357968 . Registered on 10 August 2018.