Renoprotective effects of apocynin and/or umbelliferone against acrylamide-induced acute kidney injury in rats: role of the NLRP3 inflammasome and Nrf-2/HO-1 signaling pathways.

Acrylamide (ACR) is a toxic, probably carcinogenic compound commonly found in fried foods and used in the production of many industrial consumer products. ACR-induced acute kidney injury is mediated through several signals. In this research, we investigated, for the first time, the therapeutic effects of phytochemicals apocynin (APO) and/or umbelliferone (UMB) against ACR-induced nephrotoxicity in rats and emphasized the underlying molecular mechanism. To achieve this goal, five groups of rats were randomly assigned: the control group received vehicle (0.5% CMC; 1 ml/rat), ACR (40 mg/kg, i.p.), ACR + APO (100 mg/kg, P.O.), ACR + UMB (50 mg/kg, P.O.), and combination group for 10 days. In ACR-intoxicated rats, there was a significant reduction in weight gain while the levels of blood urea, uric acid, creatinine, and Kim-1 were elevated, indicating renal injury. Histopathological injury was also observed in the kidneys of ACR-intoxicated rats, confirming the biochemical data. Moreover, MDA, TNF-α, and IL-1ß levels were raised; and GSH and SOD levels were decreased. In contrast, treatment with APO, UMB, and their combination significantly reduced the kidney function biomarkers, prevented tissue damage, and decreased inflammatory cytokines and MDA. Mechanistically, it suppressed the expression of NLRP-3, ASC, GSDMD, caspase-1, and IL-1ß, while it upregulated Nrf-2 and HO-1 in the kidneys of ACR-intoxicated rats. In conclusion, APO, UMB, and their combination prevented ACR-induced nephrotoxicity in rats by attenuating oxidative injury and inflammation, suppressing NLRP-3 inflammasome signaling, enhancing antioxidants, and upregulating Nrf-2 and HO-1 in the kidneys of ACR-induced rats.

Evaluation of different probiotics on growth, body composition, antioxidant capacity, and histoarchitecture of Mugil capito.

We investigated the dietary effects of the single application of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and their combination on growth, proximate composition of whole fish body, antioxidant defense, and histoarchitecture of hapa-reared Mugil capito. Healthy fish (Fish weighed = 10.30 ± 0.10 g at first) were randomly allocated into 4 equal groups, each with three replicates. These groups were designed as follows: (1) a group fed a basal diet without probiotics (control), (2) a group fed a diet containing S. cerevisiae (4 g/kg diet), (3) a group fed a diet containing L. bulgaricus (2 g/kg diet), and (4) the last group fed a diet containing a combination of both, all for a duration of 60 days. Probiotic-treated groups showed significantly better growth and nutrition utilization than the control group. Significant differences were observed in the crude fat and crude protein contents among the groups, with the combination group exhibiting the highest levels. However, there were no significant variations in ash content across all groups. The highest hepatic antioxidant capacity (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) enzyme activities) was observed in the combination group. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) concentrations were decreased significantly in all probiotic groups, suggesting improved oxidative stress resilience in these groups. The histomorphological analysis of the hepatopancreatic tissues revealed well-arranged parenchyma, increased glycogen storage, and melanomacrophage centers in probiotic-treated groups, particularly the combined probiotics group. Furthermore, the probiotic supplementation improved the histoarchitecture of the intestinal villi compared to the control group. To put it briefly, combined dietary administration of these probiotics improved growth, body composition, antioxidant defenses, and hepatic and intestinal health in hapa-reared M. capito, highlighting their promising role in promoting welfare and productivity.

Trace Minerals in Laying Hen Diets and Their Effects on Egg Quality.

With the advancement in the egg industry sector, egg quality has assumed great significance in certain countries. Enhancements in the nutritional value of eggs may have direct affirmative consequences for daily nutrient intake and therefore for human health. Thus, affirmative improvement in egg quality boosts consumer preferences for eggs. Also, the improvement in eggshell quality can avoid the disposal of broken eggs and consequently economic losses. Therefore, poultry nutrition and mineral supplements have a significant impact on egg quality. Minerals are crucial in poultry feed for a number of biological processes, including catalytic, physiologic, and structural processes. For instance, they contribute to the biological processes necessary for forming and developing eggshells. To produce high-quality eggs for sale, diets must therefore contain the right amount of minerals. This review aims to highlight the role of both organic and inorganic minerals in improving egg quality, in addition to reviewing the interactions of mineral supplements with intestinal microbiota and subsequent effects on the egg quality.

Potential effects of probiotics (immunobacteryne; IMB) on growth performance, feed efficacy, blood biochemical, redox balance, nonspecific immunity and heat-shock protein expression of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings.

The supplementation of aquafeed with probiotics is recommended for feasible aquaculture activities. Therefore, the aim of current study was to investigate the potential effects of probiotics on growth performance, feed utilization, biochemical attributes, redox status and immunity response as well as the transcription of heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) genes of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus; n = 120). Fish with an initial weight of 8.17 ± 0.02 g/fish were randomly divided into four treatment groups and were fed diets containing 0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 mg immunobacteryne (IMB)/kg diet respectively. Dietary IMB at 1.5 g/kg diet significantly improved the growth performance, feed consumption and growth hormone secretion of the experimental fish (p < 0.05). The 1 or 1.5 g IMB/kg diet boosted phagocytic activities and innate immune response. Serum total protein, total cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose were significantly increased in the groups that were fed 1 and 1.5 mg IMB/kg diet compared to the control (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the levels of uric acid, creatinine, liver enzymes (aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase) and cortisol hormone were significantly reduced in the aforementioned treated groups compared to the control (p < 0.05). All fish fed IMB-supplemented diet showed a significant increase in the expression of IGF-1 gene, while the transcription of HSP70 was significantly decreased (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the dietary inclusion of IMB (1 g/kg diet) enhanced growth promoters, feed efficacy, blood biochemical, redox balance and nonspecific immune responses in Nile tilapia fingerlings.

Dietary effect of soybean lecithin on the growth performance, digestive enzyme activity, blood biomarkers, and antioxidative status of striped catfish, Pangasianodon hypophthalmus.

Soybean lecithin (SBL) is usually added to aquafeed as a lipid source because aquatic animals cannot synthesize phospholipids. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the role of SBL on the growth, nutrient consumption, digestive enzyme activity, blood parameters, and antioxidant capability of striped catfish. The fish were fed on five experimental diets with five grading levels of SBL (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8%) for 60 days. The final weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, feed intake, and protein efficiency ratio were markedly higher in striped catfish treated with 2-4% SBL than the control level (0% SBL). However, the lowest feed conversion ratio was in the fish-fed groups of 4-6% SBL. The carcass lipid content was significantly higher in fish fed 2-4% SBL compared to the control level (0% SBL). The lipase, amylase, and protease activities were significantly increased in the fish fed 2-6% SBL compared to 0% SBL-fed group. The gradually increased levels of SBL improved the structural appearance and increased the intestinal villi length and branching appearance. The triglycerides and total cholesterol were increased in the fish fed with 4, 6, and 8% compared to the control level, with the highest being in the fish fed with 8%. The lysozyme activity was higher in the fish fed with 2, 4, and 6% of SBL compared to the control level, with higher activity in the fish fed with 2 and 4% than 6%. Superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase activities were increased in the fish fed with 2, 4, and 6% SBL. The malondialdehyde level was lower in the fish fed with 4-6% SBL compared to the control level. The regression analysis revealed that the optimum dose of SBL is required at 3.65-4.42% for better productivity and health performances in striped catfish.

Fresh Azolla, Azolla pinnata as a Complementary Feed for Oreochromis niloticus: Growth, Digestive Enzymes, Intestinal Morphology, Physiological Responses, and Flesh Quality.

Azolla is a potential fish feed ingredient due to its high nutritional value, abundant production, and low price. This study is aimed at evaluating the use of fresh green azolla (FGA) as a replacement ratio of the daily feed intake on the growth, digestive enzymes, hematobiochemical indices, antioxidant response, intestinal histology, body composition, and flesh quality of monosex Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (with an average initial weight of 108.0 ± 5.0 g). Five experimental groups were used and differed in commercial feed replacement rates of 0% (T 0), 10% (T 1), 20% (T 2), 30% (T 3), and 40% (T 4) with FGA for 70 days. Results showed that 20% replacement with azolla gave the highest values of growth performance and hematological parameters and the best feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio, and fish whole body protein content. The highest levels of intestinal chymotrypsin, trypsin, lipase, and amylase were noted in 20% replacement with azolla. Fish fed diets with FGA levels of 10% and 40% showed the highest values for the thickness of the mucosa and submucosa layers among all treatments, respectively, while the length and width of the villi decreased significantly. No significant (P > 0.05) differences in the activities of serum alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and creatinine were detected among treatments. The hepatic total antioxidant capacity and the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase significantly (P < 0.05) increased while the activity of malonaldehyde decreased with increasing the replacement levels of FGA up to 20%. With increasing levels of dietary replacement with FGA, muscular pH, stored loss (%), and frozen leakage rate (%) were significantly decreased. Finally, it was concluded that the dietary replacement of 20% FGA or less may be considered a promising feeding protocol for monosex Nile tilapia, which may lead to high fish growth, quality, profitability, and sustainability for the tilapia production sector.

Effect of probiotics and humate substances on blood parameters, intestinal development and immune organs of growing quail.

This study aimed to evaluate impacts of dietary probiotics (Bacillus subtilis PB6) and humate substances (HS) supplementation on histomorphometry of small intestine and immune organs, blood parameters of growing quail. A total of 216 unsexed quails (seven days old) were randomly distributed to six groups. The 1st group did not receive any supplements (control), 2nd group received B. subtilis (CloSTAT: 0.5 g/kg diet), 3rd and 4th groups received HS (4 and 8 g/kg diet, respectively), 5th and 6th groups received CloSTAT + 4g HS and CloSTAT + 8g HS, respectively. Results showed that the inclusion of B. subtilis alone in quail diets significantly improved histomorphometry indices of intestine and immune organs compared to the control. Dietary supplementation of HS alone led to deteriorating histomorphometry indices of intestinal segments and immune organs compared to the control. CloSTAT, HS or both improved lipid profile and antioxidant parameters. Serum mineral levels did not differ significantly among groups except for Ca levels. In conclusion, dietary probiotics supplementation enhanced histomorphometry of intestine and immune organs and improved serum Ca, lipid profile and antioxidant indices. Moreover, the addition of HS (4 or 8 g/kg diet) improved lipid profile and antioxidant indices, but led to undesirable results in intestinal development and immune organs.

Value of preoperative ureteral wall thickness in prediction of impaction of ureteric stones stratified by size in laser ureteroscopic lithotripsy.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the role of preoperative UWT in the prediction of impaction of ureteral stones stratified according to stone size in ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy. PATIENT AND METHODS: This study included 154 patients submitted to URSL for ureteral stones. Radiological data comprised the presence of hydronephrosis, anteroposterior pelvic diameter (PAPD), proximal ureteric diameter (PUD), and maximum UWT at the stone site. Collected stone characteristics were stone size, side, number, site, and density. RESULTS: The study included 154 patients subjected to URSL. They comprised 74 patients (48.1%) with impacted stones and 80 (51.9%) with non-impacted stones. Patients were stratified into those with stone size ≤ 10 mm and others with stone size > 10 mm. In the former group, we found that stone impaction was significantly associated with higher PAPD, PUD, and UWT. In patients with stone size > 10 mm, stone impaction was related to higher UWT, more stone number, and higher frequency of stones located in the lower ureter. ROC curve analysis revealed good power of UWT in discrimination of stone impaction in all patients [AUC (95% CI) 0.65 (0.55-0.74)] at a cut-off of 3.8 mm, in patients with stone size ≤ 10 mm [AUC (95% CI) 0.76 (0.61-0.91)] at a cut-off of 4.1 mm and in patients with stone size > 10 mm [AUC (95% CI) 0.72 (0.62-0.83)] at a cut-off of 3.0 mm. CONCLUSIONS: Stratifying ureteric stones according to size would render UWT a more practical and clinically-oriented approach for the preoperative prediction of stone impaction.

Multi-excitation wavelength of gold nanocluster-based fluorescence sensor array for sulfonamides discrimination.

Sulfonamides (SAs) are widely used in many fields because of their advantages, including low price, wide antibacterial spectrum, and high stability. However, their accumulation in the human body leads to a variety of serious diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to design a convenient, effective, and sensitive method to detect SAs. Moreover, the fluorescence excitation spectrum has rich information characteristics, especially for the interaction between fluorophore and quencher via various mechanisms. However, the excitation wavelength-guided sensor array construction does not draw proper attention. To address these issues, we used BSA-AuNCs as a single probe to construct a sensor array for the detection of five SAs. The selected SAs showed different quenching effects on the fluorescence intensities of BSA-AuNCs. The changes in the fluorescence intensity at different excitation wavelengths (λ = 230, 250, and 280 nm) have been applied to construct our sensor array and address the distinguishability between the selected SAs. With helping of pattern recognition methods, five different SAs have been identified at three different concentrations. Additionally, qualitative analysis at different moral ratios and quantitative analysis at nanogram concentrations have been considered. Moreover, the proposed sensor array was successfully used to distinguish between different SAs in commercial milk with an accuracy of 100 %. This study provides a simple and powerful approach to SAs detection. Also, it shows a broad application prospect in the field of food and drug monitoring.

In vitro virucidal activity of a commercial disinfectant against viruses of domestic animals and poultry.

Outbreaks of viral diseases in animals are a cause of concern for animal welfare and economics of animal production. One way to disrupt the cycle of infection is by combating viruses in the environment and prohibiting them from being transmitted to a new host. Viral contamination of the environment can be reduced using well-tested and efficacious disinfectants. Duplalim is a commercially available disinfectant consisting of 12% glutaraldehyde and 10% quaternary ammonium compounds. We evaluated this disinfectant for its efficacy against several viruses in poultry (n = 3), pigs (n = 5), dogs (n = 2), and cattle (n = 4). In suspension tests, 1:100 dilution of Duplalim was found to inactivate more than 99% of these 14 viruses in 15 min or less. The titers of a majority of these viruses decreased by ≥99.99% in <60 min of contact time. In conclusion, the ingredient combination in Duplalim is very effective in inactivating common viruses of domestic animals and poultry.

Feature Selection Assists BLSTM for the Ultrasensitive Detection of Bioflavonoids in Different Biological Matrices Based on the 3D Fluorescence Spectra of Gold Nanoclusters.

Rapid and on-site qualitative and quantitative analysis of small molecules (including bioflavonoids) in biofluids are of great importance in biomedical applications. Herein, we have developed two deep learning models based on the 3D fluorescence spectra of gold nanoclusters as a single probe for rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of eight bioflavonoids in serum. The results proved the efficiency and stability of the random forest-bidirectional long short-term memory (RF-BLSTM) model, which was used only with the most important features after deleting the unimportant features that might hinder the performance of the model in identifying the selected bioflavonoids in serum at very low concentrations. The optimized model achieves excellent overall accuracy (98-100%) in the qualitative analysis of the selected bioflavonoids. Next, the optimized model was transferred to quantify the selected bioflavonoids in serum at nanoscale concentrations. The transferred model achieved excellent accuracy, and the overall determination coefficient (R2) value range was 99-100%. Furthermore, the optimized model achieved excellent accuracies in other applications, including multiplex detection in serum and model applicability in urine. Also, LOD in serum at nanoscale concentration was considered. Therefore, this approach opens the window for qualitative and quantitative analysis of small molecules in biofluids at nanoscale concentrations, which may help in the rapid inclusion of sensor arrays in biomedical and other applications.

Effect of manual physical therapy on sleep quality and jaw mobility in patients with bruxism: A biopsychosocial randomized controlled trial.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of deep-stripping and trigger-point pressure release massage on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), jaw mobility, and pressure pain threshold (PPT) of masticatory muscles in patients with sleep bruxism. A randomized controlled trial was conducted among 45 patients diagnosed with sleep bruxism. The patients were randomly assigned to three groups. Group I was the control group and included five men and 10 women; Group II was the deep-stripping massage group, which included two men and 13 women; and Group III was the pressure release group, which involved four men and 11 women. Patients were tested two times, before and after 6 weeks. Group I received transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and passive stretching; Group II received a deep-stripping massage; and Group III received a trigger-point pressure release massage. Findings revealed significant improvements in PSQI (p = 0.0001), jaw opening (p = 0.0001), jaw protrusion (p = 0.0001), jaw left lateral movement (p = 0.004), jaw retraction (p = 0.0001), right temporalis PPT (p = 0.0001), left temporalis PPT (p = 0.0001), right master PPT (p = 0.001), left master PPT (p = 0.001), right lateral pterygoid PPT (p = 0.001), left lateral pterygoid PPT (p = 0.001), right digastric muscle PPT (p = 0.001), and left digastric muscle PPT (p = 0.001) in the post-test condition in Group II compared with Group I and Group III. Deep-stripping massage improved PSQI, jaw mobility, or PPT of the masticatory muscles compared with trigger-point pressure release massage and traditional treatment techniques in patients with sleep bruxism.

Highly Efficient Luminescence from Charge-Transfer Gold Nanoclusters Enabled by Lewis Acid.

Understanding the complicated intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) behaviors of nanomaterials is crucial to the development of high-quality nanoluminophores for various applications. However, the ICT process in molecule-like metal nanoclusters has been rarely explored. Herein, a proton binding-induced enhanced ICT state is discovered in 6-aza-2-thiothymine-protected gold nanoclusters (ATT-AuNCs). Such an excited-state electron transfer process gives rise to the weakened and red-shifted photoluminescence of these nanoclusters. By the joint use of this newfound ICT mechanism and a restriction of intramolecular motion (RIM) strategy, a red shift in the emission maxima of 30 nm with 27.5-fold higher fluorescence quantum efficiency is achieved after introducing rare-earth scandium ion (Sc3+) into ATT-AuNCs. Furthermore, it is found that upon the addition of Sc3+, the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) rate from ATT-AuNCs to minocycline is largely accelerated by forming a donor-bridge-acceptor structure. This paper offers a simple method to modulate the luminescent properties of metal nanoclusters for the rational design of next-generation sensing platforms.

Carboxylated chitosan enabled platinum nanozyme with improved stability and ascorbate oxidase-like activity for a fluorometric acid phosphatase sensor.

Chitosan modification has attracted considerable interest in the nanozyme field last decade. As a chitosan derivative, carboxylated chitosan (CC) has been less explored. Herein, PtNPs with an average size of approximately 3.3 nm and zeta potential of -44.8 ± 0.3 mV (n = 3) have been prepared by using CC as the surface modification (CC-PtNPs). We have carried out an in-depth investigation of CC-PtNPs, including the characterization, colloidal stability, and ascorbate oxidase-like activity. Due to the contribution of carboxylated chitosan, CC-PtNPs present improved colloidal stability and ascorbate oxidase-like activity compared to chitosan-modified Pt nanozyme. Inspired by these results, a fluorometric acid phosphatase sensor was proposed based on the improved performance of CC-PtNPs. This sensor exhibits excellent sensitivity and selectivity towards acid phosphatase in the linear range of 0.25-18 U/L with a low limit of detection (1.31 × 10-3 U/L). The concentration of acid phosphatase in human semen samples has been successfully measured.

Machine learning-based sensor array: full and reduced fluorescence data for versatile analyte detection based on gold nanocluster as a single probe.

Different acquisition data approaches have been used to fetch the fluorescence spectra. However, the comparison between them is rare. Also, the extendability of a sensor array, which can work with heavy metal ions and other types of analytes, is scarce. In this study, we used first- and second-order fluorescent data generated by 6-Aza-2-thiothymine-gold nanocluster (ATT-AuNCs) as a single probe along with machine learning to distinguish between a group of heavy metal ions. Moreover, the dimensionality reduction was carried out for the different acquisition data approaches. In our case, the accuracy of different machine learning algorithms using first-order data outperforms the second-order data before and after the dimensionality reduction. For proving the extendibility of this approach, four anions were used as an example. As expected, the same finding has been found. Furthermore, random forest (RF) showed more stable and accurate results than other models. Also, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) gave acceptable accuracy in the analysis of the high-dimensionality data. Accordingly, using LDA in high-dimensionality data (the first- and second-order data) analysis was highlighted for discrimination between the selected heavy metal ions in different concentrations and in different molar ratios, as well as in real samples. Also, the same method was applied for the anion's discrimination, and LDA gave an excellent separation ability. Moreover, LDA was able to differentiate between all the selected analytes with excellent separation ability. Additionally, the quantitative detection was considered using a wide concentration range of Cd2+, and the LOD was 60.40 nM. Therefore, we believe that our approach opens new avenues for linking analytical chemistry, especially sensor array chemistry, with machine learning.

Fructose oxidase-like activity of CuO nanoparticles supported by phosphate for a tandem catalysis-based fructose sensor.

A surge of nanozymes with oxidase-like activities is emerging in various fields, whereas nanozymes with the ability to catalyze the oxidation of saccharides have less been explored. Herein, CuO nanoparticles (NPs) with phosphate-supported fructose oxidase-like activity have been reported. Notably, reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been confirmed as the products during the process. By coupling the fructose oxidase-like activity with the peroxidase-like activity of CuO NPs, a tandem catalysis-based fructose sensor can be fabricated. In detail, CuO NPs can catalyze the fructose oxidation under O2 to yield ROS (e.g., H2O2, •OH, and O2·-) and effectively decompose H2O2 into ·OH. After that, terephthalic acid can be oxidized by •OH produced from the tandem catalysis to generate a fluorescent product. This sensor shows a linear range toward fructose (0.625-275 µÐœ) with a low limit of detection (0.5 µÐœ), which can be successfully conducted to detect fructose from real samples. Overall, this work aims to expand the catalytic types of nanozymes and provide a desirable fructose sensor.

Gold Nanocluster-Based Fluorometric Banoxantrone Assay Enabled by Photoinduced Electron Transfer.

Monitoring the blood concentration of banoxantrone (AQ4N) is important to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and side effects of this new anticancer prodrug during its clinical applications. Herein, we report a fluorescence method for AQ4N detection through the modulation of the molecule-like photoinduced electron transfer (PET) behavior of gold nanoclusters (AuNCs). AQ4N can electrostatically bind to the surface of carboxylated chitosan (CC) and dithiothreitol (DTT) co-stabilized AuNCs and quench their fluorescence via a Coulomb interaction-accelerated PET process. Under optimized experimental conditions, the linear range of AQ4N is from 25 to 200 nM and the limit of detection is as low as 5 nM. In addition, this assay is confirmed to be reliable based on its successful use in AQ4N determination in mouse plasma samples. This work offers an effective strategy for AQ4N sensing based on fluorescent AuNCs and widens the application of AuNCs in clinical diagnosis and pharmaceutical analysis.

Bis-Schiff base linkage-triggered highly bright luminescence of gold nanoclusters in aqueous solution at the single-cluster level.

Metal nanoclusters (NCs) have been developed as a new class of luminescent nanomaterials with potential applications in various fields. However, for most of the metal NCs reported so far, the relatively low photoluminescence quantum yield (QY) in aqueous solution hinders their applications. Here, we describe the utilization of bis-Schiff base linkages to restrict intramolecular motion of surface motifs at the single-cluster level. Based on Au22(SG)18 (SG: glutathione) NCs, an intracluster cross-linking system was constructed with 2,6-pyridinedicarboxaldehyde (PDA), and water-soluble gold NCs with luminescence QY up to 48% were obtained. The proposed approach for achieving high emission efficiency can be extended to other luminescent gold NCs with core-shell structure. Our results also show that the content of surface-bound Au(I)-SG complexes has a significant impact on the PDA-induced luminescence enhancement, and a high ratio of Au(I)-SG will be beneficial to increasing the photoluminescence intensity of gold NCs.

Deep Learning-Based Sensor Array: 3D Fluorescence Spectra of Gold Nanoclusters for Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Vitamin B6 Derivatives.

Vitamin B6 derivatives (VB6Ds) are of great importance for all living organisms to complete their physiological processes. However, their excess in the body can cause serious problems. What is more, the qualitative and quantitative analysis of different VB6Ds may present significant challenges due to the high similarity of their chemical structures. Also, the transfer of deep learning model from one task to a similar task needs to be present more in the fluorescence-based biosensor. Therefore, to address these problems, two deep learning models based on the intrinsic fingerprint of 3D fluorescence spectra have been developed to identify five VB6Ds. The accuracy ranges of a deep neural network (DNN) and a convolutional neural network (CNN) were 94.44-97.77% and 97.77-100%, respectively. After that, the developed models were transferred for quantitative analysis of the selected VB6Ds at a broad concentration range (1-100 µM). The determination coefficient (R2) values of the test set for DNN and CNN were 93.28 and 97.01%, respectively, which also represents the outperformance of CNN over DNN. Therefore, our approach opens new avenues for qualitative and quantitative sensing of small molecules, which will enrich fields related to deep learning, analytical chemistry, and especially sensor array chemistry.

6-Aza-2-thio-thymine-gold nanoclusters: an excellent candidate in the photoelectrochemical field.

The high performance of the photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of AuNCs can be achieved with 6-aza-2-thio-thymine-AuNCs (ATT-AuNCs) as a photoactive material. The ATT-AuNCs yielded a cathodic photocurrent density as high as 88 µA cm-2 with O2 as electron acceptor, which is three orders of magnitude higher than those of other AuNCs in aqueous solutions. Moreover, ATT-AuNCs also show a higher carrier density, shorter Debye length, and smaller depletion layer width than those of reported AuNCs. This work not only reveals the PEC performance and mechanism of ATT-AuNCs, but also establishes a framework for in-depth design and studying the PEC performance of AuNCs.