Recyclable Au@R-Fe3O4/g-C3N4 substrates for rapid SERS detection and degradation of multiple pollutants.

Developing a Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) method with excellent detecting ability, good recyclability and analyzing multiple pollutants rapidly are critical for evaluation of water quality in emergency pollution affairs. While constructing a multifunctional substrate with these characteristics to realize the application of SERS in water quality monitoring remains a challenge. In this work, a reusable Au@R-Fe3O4/g-C3N4 SERS substrate is prepared by loading Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) on Fe3O4 nanorings (R-Fe3O4) and the formed Au@R-Fe3O4 is further combined with g-C3N4 nanosheets through a simple electrostatic assembly method. The Au@R-Fe3O4/g-C3N4 nanocomposite presents multifunction of magnetic enrichment, SERS signal enhancement, multiple pollutants analyzing, and photocatalytic activity, which achieves quantitative detection of rhodamine B (RhB), tetracycline hydrochloride (TC), and 4-chlorophenol (4-CP), with detection limits of 5.30 × 10-9, 7.50 × 10-8, 7.69 × 10-8 mol/L, respectively. Furthermore, the recyclable detection capability of Au@R-Fe3O4/g-C3N4 for multi components is demonstrated by the strong SERS signal after 9 cycles of "detection-degradation" processes. Combined with good uniformity and stability, this SERS method based on Au@R-Fe3O4/g-C3N4 substrate provides a new strategy for the multi-pollutants detection and degradation in water environment.

Fabrication of multifunctional g-C3N4-modified Au/Ag NRs arrays for ultrasensitive and recyclable SERS detection of bisphenol A residues.

Monolayer g-C3N4-modified Au/Ag nanorods (g-C3N4/Au/Ag NRs) array is fabricated as a dual-function platform with high surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) response and excellent photocatalytic degradation ability for bisphenol A (BPA) residues. FDTD simulation results of Au/Ag NRs proves that the electromagnetic field intensity is significantly enhanced at the gap of Ag NRs and Au NPs and the protrusion of Au NPs, which endows the arrays with excellent SERS activity. The arrays exhibit high sensitivity for rhodamine 6G (R6G) (LOD = 1.1 × 10-11 mol/L) and high SERS enhancement (EF = 9.2 × 107). In addition, the g-C3N4/Au/Ag NRs could degrade ˃90% of BPA adsorbed on the substrate surface within 140 min under visible light irradiation, and maintains its SERS activity after repeated use for 4 times. The dual-function platform with high SERS response and excellent recycling capability is proved to be reliable and is very promising for monitoring of BPA residues in food.

PEC-SERS Dual-Mode Detection of Foodborne Pathogens Based on Binding-Induced DNA Walker and C3N4/MXene-Au NPs Accelerator.

In this paper, a photoelectrochemical (PEC)-surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) dual-mode biosensor is constructed coupled with a dual-recognition binding-induced DNA walker with a carbon nitride nanosheet (C3N4)/MXene-gold nanoparticles (C/M-Au NPs) accelerator, which is reliable and capable for sensitive and accurate detection of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Initially, a photoactive heterostructure is formed by combining C3N4 and MXene via a simple electrostatic self-assembly as they possess well-matched band-edge energy levels. Subsequently, in situ growth of gold nanoparticles on the formed surface results in better PEC performance and SERS activity, because of the synergistic effects of surface plasmon resonance and Schottky barrier. Furthermore, a three-dimensional, bipedal, and dual-recognition binding-induced DNA walker is introduced with the formation of Pb2+-dependent DNAzyme. In the presence of S. aureus, a significant quantity of intermediate DNA (I-DNA) is generated, which can open the hairpin structure of Methylene Blue-tagged hairpin DNA (H-MB) on the electrode surface, thereby enabling the switch of signals for the quantitative determination of S. aureus. The constructed PEC-SERS dual-mode biosensor that can be mutually verified under one reaction effectively addresses the problem of the low detection accuracy of traditional sensors. Experimental results revealed that the effective combination of PEC and SERS is achieved for amplification detection of S. aureus with a detection range of 5-108 CFU/mL (PEC) and 10-108 CFU/mL (SERS), and a detection of limit of 0.70 CFU/mL (PEC) and 1.35 CFU/mL (SERS), respectively. Therefore, this study offers a novel and effective dual-mode sensing strategy, which has important implications for bioanalysis and health monitoring.

Designing carbon nanotube sponge/Au@MgO2 for surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection and fenton-like degradation of organic pollutants.

With the acceleration of industry and agriculture process, the massive emission of organic pollutants is a major problem which seriously restricts the sustainable development of society. Rapid enrichment, efficient degradation and sensitive detection are three key steps to solve the problem of organic pollutants, while developing a simple method integrating the above three capabilities is still a challenge. Herein, a three-dimensional carbon nanotube sponge decorated with magnesium peroxide and gold nanoparticles (CNTs/Au@MgO2 sponge) was prepared for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection and degradation of aromatic organics by advanced oxidation processes. The CNTs/Au@MgO2 sponge with porous structures adsorbed molecules rapidly through π-π and electrostatic interaction, thus more aromatic molecules were driven to the hot-spot areas for highly sensitive SERS detection. A detection of limit with 9.09 × 10-9 M was achieved for rhodamine B (RhB). The adsorbed molecules were degraded by an advanced oxidation process utilizing hydrogen peroxide produced by MgO2 nanoparticles under acidic condition with 99% efficiency. In addition, the CNTs/Au@MgO2 sponge exhibited high reproducibility with the relative standard deviation (RSD) at 1395 cm-1 of approximately 6.25%. The results showed the sponge can be used to effectively track the concentration of pollutants during the degradation process and maintain the SERS activity by re-modifying Au@MgO2 nanomaterials. Furthermore, the proposed CNTs/Au@MgO2 sponge demonstrated the simultaneous functions of enrichment, degradation, and detection for aromatic pollutants, thus significantly expanding the potential applications of nanomaterials in environmental analysis and treatment.

Peroxidase-like Nanozymes for Point-of-Care SERS Sensing and Wound Healing.

The emergence of nanozymes provides a potential method for combating multidrug-resistant bacteria resulted from the abuse of antibiotics. However, in nanozyme-catalyzed systems, few studies have addressed the actual hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) level involved in sterilization. Herein, we designed a high-efficiency peroxidase-mimicking nanozyme with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) property by assembling gold nanoparticles on single-layer Cu2+-C3N4 (AuNP-Cu2+-C3N4). The nanozyme effectively converts the low-active Raman reporter 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) into its oxidized form with H2O2, resulting in SERS signal changes, thereby achieving highly sensitive quantification of H2O2 with limit of detection as low as 0.60 µM. More importantly, the nanozyme can specifically catalyze H2O2 into antibacterial hydroxyl radicals. In vitro and in vivo evaluations demonstrate the remarkable antibacterial efficacy of the nanozyme/H2O2 combination against Staphylococcus aureus (up to 99.9%), which could promote wound healing in mice and allow point-of-care monitoring the amount of H2O2 participated in effective sterilization. This study not only displays great potential in combining multiple functionalities of nanomaterials for versatile bioassays but also provides a promising approach to design nanozymes for biomedical and catalytic applications.

Highly selective SERS detection of acetylcholinesterase in human blood based on catalytic reaction.

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is a key hydrolase in the cholinergic system, which directly determines the degradation of neurotransmitters. Therefore, it is a significant challenge to detect AChE in human blood with high sensitivity and selectivity in physiological and pathological processes. A novel nanoprobe by decorating the surface of gold nanoparticles with neostigmine (NE) AuNPs/NE was constructed for the AChE assay in serum. The principle is based on the specific recognition and cleavage of carbamate bonds in AuNPs/NE by AChE to form hydroxyl groups, resulting in changes of SERS spectra. The results show that 10 nm AuNPs/NE exhibit excellent catalytic activity for this reaction and the reaction rate is six times higher than that of 70 nm AuNPs/NE. Benefiting from the combined advantages of catalytic reaction specificity and molecular finger printing provided by SERS technology, AuNPs/NE exhibit high selectivity for AChE. The limit of detection (LOD) of this method for AChE activity was low to 0.02 U/mL. In addition, the spiked recovery of AChE in serum samples was 75.0%-119.2%. The proposed sensor also exhibits long-term stability and high biocompatibility with the increasing incubation time. More importantly, this work provides a new perspective for elucidating the role of AChE regulated by oxidative stress in the pathology of depression.

Nanozyme-mediated signal amplification for ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical sensing of Staphylococcus aureus based on Cu-C3N4-TiO2 heterostructure.

Food-borne pathogens are one of the leading causes of food poisoning, which vigorously affect food safety and human health. Therefore, the development of early and rapid detection methods for food pollution evaluation is the key to food safety and quality control. Herein, a simple and inexpensive photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor is developed for highly selective and ultrasensitive detection of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The technique is based on "signal-off" that employs Cu-C3N4-TiO2 heterostructures as photoactive materials and monolayer Cu-C3N4 nanozyme as a signal amplifier. In the presence of S. aureus, the aptamer-modified Cu-C3N4 (Cu-C3N4@Apt, a signal amplifier) and S. aureus were specifically anchored on the surface of the ligand-modified photoelectrode. The Cu-C3N4@Apt nanozyme acted as a peroxidase to catalyze the oxidation of 4-chloro-1-naphthol (4-CN) to produce insoluble precipitate on the electrode surface and resulted in a significant decrease in photocurrent. Based on the signal-amplification by the Cu-C3N4@Apt nanozyme, the constructed PEC sensor demonstrated a wide linear range between 10-108 CFU/mL for the S. aureus detection with the detection limit (LOD) as low as 3.40 CFU/mL. Furthermore, the PEC sensor was capable of determining S. aureus in spiked orange juice and milk, with the recovery of 91%-113%, indicating the reliability of the sensor for S. aureus detection in real samples. This investigation provides a feasible strategy for the design of highly selective and ultrasensitive PEC sensors to determine analytes in complex systems.

Rapid and non-invasive surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) detection of chlorpyrifos in fruits using disposable paper-based substrates charged with gold nanoparticle/halloysite nanotube composites.

Chlorpyrifos is one of the most widely used organophosphate insecticides in agricultural production. Nevertheless, the residues of chlorpyrifos in agricultural by-product seriously threaten human health. Thus, the ultrasensitive detection of chlorpyrifos residues in agri-food products is of great demand. Herein, an AuNP/HNT-assembled disposable paper SERS substrate was prepared by an electrostatic self-assembly method to detect chlorpyrifos residues. The AuNP/HNT paper substrate exhibited high SERS activity, good reproducibility, and long-term stability, which was successfully used for quantitative detection of chlorpyrifos; the detection limit reached 7.9 × 10-9 M. For spiked apple samples the calculated recovery was 87.9% with a RSD value of 6.1%. The excellent detection ability of AuNP/HNT paper-based SERS substrate indicated that it will play an important role in pesticide detection in the future. AuNP/HNT assembled disposable paper SERS substrate was prepared by an electrostatic self-assembly method to detect chlorpyrifos residues in fruits.

Reusable ring-like Fe3O4/Au nanozymes with enhanced peroxidase-like activities for colorimetric-SERS dual-mode sensing of biomolecules in human blood.

Peroxidase-like nanozymes have led to important progress in biosensing, but most of nanozyme sensing systems are currently established by a single-signal output mode, which is susceptible to environmental and operational factors. Thus construction of a dual-signal output nanozyme sensing system is essential for obtaining reliable and robust performance. In this study, a novel peroxidase mimicking nanozyme was developed by decorating magnetic ring-like Fe3O4 with gold nanoparticles (R-Fe3O4/Au) for the colorimetric and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) dual-mode detection of biomolecules in human serum. The R-Fe3O4/Au nanozymes served as mimetic peroxidase which can catalyze the oxidation of colorless 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine by hydrogen peroxide, and concomitantly as SERS substrates for detecting the Raman signals of oxidized products, providing an effective approach to investigate the reaction kinetics of enzymes. Based on the redox reactions, the nanozymes achieved colorimetric-SERS dual-mode sensing of glutathione (GSH) and cholesterol with detection limits as low as 0.10 µM and 0.08 µM, respectively. Furthermore, the nanozymes enabled rapid detection of GSH and cholesterol in serum without any complicated sample pretreatment. The R-Fe3O4/Au catalyst still displayed excellent peroxidase activity even after repeated use for 5 times. The proposed colorimetric-SERS dual-mode sensors exhibited good accuracy and reproducibility, which provides a new avenue for exploiting multifunctional sensors and has a great application prospect in biosensing.

Esterified-sawdust decorated with AgNPs as solid-phase extraction membranes for enrichment and high-sensitivity detection of polychlorinated biphenyls.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of persistent organic pollutants, which cause serious harm to human health and ecological environment. Thus, a low-cost membrane was developed for highly effective removal and rapid surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection of PCBs by filling esterified-sawdust (CA-SD) modified with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into solid phase extraction (SPE) column. SD was first modified by an esterification cross-linking strategy and then AgNPs were anchored on the CA-SD to prepare highly sensitive and reproducible SERS substrates (AgNPs/CA-SD). Due to the contraction of the surface area of the CA-SD caused by drying, the gap between the AgNPs could be reduced, thereby generating a large number of hot spots and driving more target molecules into them to obtain the enhanced SERS signals. The AgNPs/CA-SD-based SPE membrane showed excellent SERS activity with an enhancement factor of 5.98 × 108 for the R6G analysis. The proposed SERS-active SPE membrane with functionalization of mercapto-ß-cyclodextrin was further developed for the determination of PCB-77 and PCB-1 with the LODs of 1.43 × 10-9 M and 2.12 × 10-8 M, respectively. In addition, each PCB in the mixed sample could be quickly distinguished based on the characteristic peaks. The current research exhibits great potential for the simultaneous detection of multiple environmental contaminants and can meet the needs of on-site emergency detection.

Highly sensitive SERS substrates with multi-hot spots for on-site detection of pesticide residues.

Pesticide residues will be a huge threat to food security and ecological environment; therefore, there is an urgent need to achieve rapid and on-site detection of pesticide residues. Herein, a plasmonic substrate with multiple "hot spots" was fabricated by transferring three-dimensional (3D) Au nanoparticles (NPs) onto the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane for highly sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection of pesticide residues. In combination with 3D-FDTD simulations, high SERS enhancement (EF = 1.2 × 108) and high detection sensitivity (LOD = 6.3 × 10-10 M) were achieved, mainly due to the enhanced electromagnetic fields around the "hot spots". Additionally, the PDMS-based SERS substrate held good transparency and flexibility, enabling conformal contact with non-planar surfaces and allowing the laser to penetrate the back of the analytes. Combined with a portable Raman spectrometer, the substrates holds great potential for rapid, high-sensitive, and on-site detection of contaminants in food, especially for the analyte on the nonplanar surfaces.

Ultrasensitive SERS detection of exhaled biomarkers of lung cancer using a multifunctional solid phase extraction membrane.

The construction and clinical application of a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) platform for the early diagnosis of lung cancer could improve the survival rate of patients and would be of great significance. Nevertheless, a sensitive and reusable method for the detection of aldehydes, as biomarkers of lung cancer, in exhaled breath is still an enormous challenge. Aldehydes generally have a low cross section in Raman scattering and have a weak specific affinity to plasmonic nanoparticle surfaces, meaning that sensing them at low concentrations is incredibly difficult. Herein, an ultrasensitive SERS strategy, that can be recycled for further use, for the detection of lung cancer biomarkers in the form of aldehydes was realized by fabrication of a multifunctional Ag NPs@ZIF-67/g-C3N4 solid phase extraction (SPE) membrane. Based on the change in the vibrational fingerprints of 4-ATP before and after reaction with the aldehydes, the SPE membrane was successfully used for the ultrasensitive detection of aldehydes with a detection limit of 1.35 nM. The excellent SERS performance was attributed to the synergistic effect of the densely and closely distributed Ag NPs (providing SERS "hot spots"), ZIF-67 (concentrating the analyte molecules) and g-C3N4 (forming a membrane to prolong the contact time between the aldehydes and the substrate). In addition, recycling of the SPE membrane was achieved by utilizing the self-cleaning ability of the Ag NPs@ZIF-67/g-C3N4 membrane originating from the photocatalytic properties of g-C3N4. The proposed SERS membrane was easy to operate, rapid and portable, thus providing a potential tool for a point-of-care test in clinical and diagnostic practice.

POSS and imidazolium-constructed ionic porous hypercrosslinked polymers with multiple active sites for synergistic catalytic CO2 transformation.

In this work, we reported a facile one-pot approach to construct polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) and imidazolium-based ionic porous hypercrosslinked polymers (denoted as iPHCPs) with multiple active sites towards efficient catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to high value-added cyclic carbonates. The targeted iPHCPs were synthesized from a rigid molecular building block octavinylsilsesquioxane (VPOSS) and a newly-designed phenyl-based imidazolium ionic crosslinker through the AlCl3-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts reaction. The desired multiple active sites come from the mixed anions including free Cl- and Br- anions, and in situ formed Lewis acidic metal-halogen complex anions [AlCl3Br]- within imidazolium moieties and POSS-derived Si-OH groups during the synthetic process. The typical polymer iPHCP-12 possesses a hierarchical micro-/mesoporous structure with a high surface area up to 537 m2 g-1 and shows a fluffy nano-morphology. By virtue of the co-existence of free nucleophilic Cl- and Br- anions, the metal complex anion [AlCl3Br]- with both electrophilic and nucleophilic characters and electrophilic hydrogen bond donor (HBD) Si-OH groups, iPHCP-12 is regarded as an efficient recyclable heterogeneous catalyst for synergistic catalytic conversion of CO2 with various epoxides into cyclic carbonates under mild conditions. The present work provides a succinct one-pot strategy to construct task-specific ionic porous hypercrosslinked polymers from easily available modules for the targeted catalytic applications.

Recent advances in graphene nanoribbons for biosensing and biomedicine.

In recent years, a new type of quasi-one-dimensional graphene-based material, graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), has attracted increasing attention. The limited domain width and rich edge configurations of GNRs endow them with unique properties and wide applications in comparison to two-dimensional graphene. This review article mainly focuses on the electrical, chemical and other properties of GNRs, and further introduces the typical preparation methods of GNRs, including top-down and bottom-up strategies. Then, their biosensing and biomedical applications are highlighted in detail, such as biosensors, photothermal therapy, drug delivery, etc. Finally, the challenges and future prospects in the synthesis and application of functionalized GNRs are discussed. It is expected that GNRs will have significant practical use in biomedical applications in the future.

Combined Paper Centrifugal Chromatographic Separation and SERS Detection for Multicomponent Substances.

The separation and chemical analysis of mixtures in an emergency situation represent major challenges, especially in remote or poverty-stricken areas. A novel method was developed for the rapid separation and detection of multiple components via paper centrifugal chromatography, which costs as little as $2.26 US. The method was realized based on the combination of portable paper centrifugal chromatography and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection. This coupled technique was successfully implemented for the separation and qualitative analysis of a rhodamine 6G-crystal violet mixture and a colorless aniline-pyrocatechol-benzidine mixture. A chromatographic mobile phase was collected using absorbent cotton, which was demonstrated to have no effect on the SERS results. The optimized device achieved rapid and effective separation of the colorless aniline-pyrocatechol-benzidine mixture with a high centrifugal force (0.3303π2 N). The newly developed method involving multicomponent paper centrifugal chromatography-SERS detection will be of great value for emergency-related substance separation and analysis in remote and poor areas.

Ant-nest-like Cu2-xSe@C with biomimetic channels boosts the cycling performance for lithium storage.

Controlling the microstructure and composition of electrodes is crucial to enhance their rate capability and cycling stability for lithium storage. Inspired by the highly interconnected network and good mechanical integrity of an ant-nest architecture, herein, a biomimetic strategy is proposed to enhance the electrochemical performance of Cu2-xSe. After facile carbonization and selenization treatments, the 3D Cu-MOF is successfully transformed into the final ant-nest-like Cu2-xSe@C (AN-Cu2-xSe@C). The AN-Cu2-xSe@C is composed of interconnected Cu2-xSe channels with amorphous carbon coated on the outer surface. The 3D interconnected channels within the AN-Cu2-xSe@C provide fast charge transport pathways and enhanced structural integrity to tolerate the large volume fluctuations of Cu2-xSe during cycling. When applied as the anode for lithium storage, the AN-Cu2-xSe@C shows remarkable electrochemical performance with a high capacity of 1452 mA h g-1 after 1200 cycles at 1.0 A g-1 and 879 mA h g-1 after 2500 cycles at 10.0 A g-1, respectively. Mechanism investigations demonstrate that the AN-Cu2-xSe@C experiences complicated conversion-intercalation co-existence reactions upon cycling. The existence of capacitive behaviour (74%) also contributes to the extended cycling performance. Our work offers a new avenue for designing a high performance electrode using the biomimetic concept.

COx-free hydrogen production via ammonia decomposition over mesoporous Co/Al2O3 catalysts with highly dispersed Co species synthesized by a facile method.

Transition metals have been considered as potential catalysts for ammonia decomposition to produce COx-free hydrogen for fuel cells. However, the facile synthesis of transition metal catalysts with small size active species, high porosity and good structural stability is still a challenge in catalytic NH3 decomposition. Herein, mesoporous Co/Al2O3 catalysts with various cobalt contents were synthesized by a facile modified sol-gel method. The catalyst 15CoAl with 15 at% cobalt content realizes the optimal catalytic NH3 decomposition performance. 92% NH3 conversion at 600 °C is achieved with a gaseous hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 24 000 cm3 gcat-1 h-1 and a hydrogen formation rate of 33.9 mmol gcat-1 min-1 at 600 °C is maintained after a 120 h long-duration stability test. Uniform small cobalt particles with high dispersion are well embedded into the skeleton of the mesoporous Al2O3 matrix. The aggregation of active cobalt species during the high temperature reaction can be effectively prevented by the mesoporous Al2O3 matrix due to the strong interaction between them, thus ensuring a good catalytic performance for ammonia decomposition.

A modified coagulation-ultrafiltration process for silver nanoparticles removal and membrane fouling mitigation: The role of laminarin.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in surface water are highly toxic to humans and difficult to remove due to their adsorption to humic acid (HA). In this study, laminarin (LA) was used as a coagulant aid in a coagulation-ultrafiltration (C-UF) system to improve AgNPs-HA removal efficiency. C-UF efficiency, membrane flux, and flocs properties were investigated to explore the AgNPs-HA removal mechanism and membrane fouling. Results showed that when poly aluminum chloride (PAC) was dosed with LA, AgNPs-HA removal was 10-15% higher than when using PAC alone. The C-UF system using only PAC improved the AgNPs-HA removal efficiency through increased coagulation but resulted in membrane fouling. LA application helped mitigate membrane fouling, and the highest normalized permeate flux and smallest resistance values (0.573 and 2.180 × 1010 m-1, respectively) were achieved when 0.1 mg/L of LA was applied with 5 mg/L of PAC. The alleviating mechanism was related to flocs with large sizes and small fractal dimension (Df) values, generating a cake layer with porous morphology. This cake layer was easily removed by flushing and backwashing, which resulted in minimal resistance and fouling of the UF membrane.

Long intergenic noncoding RNA LINC00173 as a potential serum biomarker for diagnosis of non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Long intergenic non-coding RNA (lincRNA) belongs to a special type of RNA that is unable to encode proteins but has been proved to play a role in gene regulation and differentially expressed in various malignant tumors. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to identify whether lincRNA LINC00173 was differentially expressed in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and whether it could serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker. METHODS: The quantification real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of LINC00173 in serum and cultured cells. For large sample analysis, the lncRNA expression matrix in TCGA database were generated via R software. To evaluate the diagnostic performance of serum LINC00173, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used. RESULTS: The qRT-PCR analysis showed that the serum LINC00173 expression level in 108 NSCLC patients was higher than that in 91 healthy donors and 55 patients with benign pulmonary disease (BPD). And the area under the curve (AUC) of serum LINC00173 was 0.809 for the diagnosis of NSCLC (95% CI: 0.750-0.868, p< 0.001), 0.670 for BPD (95% CI: 0.584-0.756, P< 0.001), and 0.730 for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC, 95% CI: 0.636-0.825, P< 0.001). Besides, we established a diagnostic model of combined detection of LINC00173, CEA and Cyfra21-1, and found that combined detection of these indicators significantly improved the diagnostic efficiency. Analysis of the Clinicopathological parameters showed that high LINC00173 expression was correlated with histological typing of tumor, tumor metastasis and serum Cyfra21-1 levels. In addition, serum LINC00173 expression decreased in patients who received chemotherapy and rebound in recurrent NSCLC patients. CONCLUSION: Serum LINC00173 may prove to be a potential non-invasive auxiliary diagnostic biomarker for NSCLC patients.

Enteromorpha prolifera polysaccharide based coagulant aid for humic acids removal and ultrafiltration membrane fouling control.

Polyacrylamide (PAM) has been used as a coagulant aid in water treatment process for past decades, but it has caused great damages to human nervous system. Developing new coagulant aid with high biological safety is urgently demanded. This study provides a natural biomacromolecule coagulant aid with good biosecurity-Enteromorpha prolifera polysaccharide (Ep). Its coagulant aid efficiency and mechanism were investigated in terms of organics removal, floc properties and membrane fouling degree. In addition, contrast experiments were conducted with PAM to evaluate its potential of industrial applications. Results showed that organics removal could be increased by 23% when 0.3 mg/L Ep was used, which exhibited comparable aid effects to PAM. Due to the bridging-sweep aid role of Ep, flocs sizes, growth rate and recovery factor reached 470 µm, 62.6 µm/min and 0.492, respectively, while only 170 µm, 14.0 µm/min and 0.326 were obtained by PAM. Additionally, flocs exhibited more porous and multi-branched structures when Ep was applied, which caused less ultrafiltration membrane fouling (eventual J/J0 value = 0.52). As a result, Ep could be considered as a potential substitute of PAM, since better biosecurity, higher organics removal and lower membrane fouling could be obtained simultaneously by Ep addition.