Designing of multifunctional graphene quantum dot-polyvinyl alcohol-polyglycerol luminescent film for fluorescence detection of pH in sweat.

BACKGROUND: Wound infection, skin disease, renal failure, cancer, cystic fibrosis, and other pathologies may induce obvious pH changes in sweat. Thus, tracking skin pH changes can help monitor human health in a convenient manner. Owing to their biocompatibility, easy preparation, and sensitive response to pH changes, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have received increased attention in the optical detection of pH changes. However, their poor luminescent efficiency under visible light excitation and lack of functional diversification limit their application in skin pH monitoring. Therefore, the development of GQDs with excellent ultraviolet protection ability and antibacterial and luminescence performance is essential. RESULTS: Folic acid-, histidine-, and serine-functionalized boron-doped graphene quantum dots (FHSB-GQDs) were designed and synthesized via thermal treatment. The resulting FHSB-GQDs exhibit strong yellow fluorescence emission under excitation with 490-nm visible light and sensitive pH responsiveness. The peak fluorescence intensity linearly decreases with increasing pH from 4 to 9. Furthermore, the FHSB-GQDs were integrated with polyvinyl alcohol and polyglycerol to form a luminescent film via hydrogen bond interactions. The film exhibits high transparency, mechanical flexibility, ultraviolet protection ability, and antibacterial activity. The presence of polyvinyl alcohol and polyglycerol restricts the free movement of the FHSB-GQDs and improves fluorescence behavior. The film was successfully applied in an intelligent pH-sensing system for monitoring pH changes in human sweat. SIGNIFICANCE: The graphene quantum dot-polyvinyl alcohol-polyglycerol luminescent film offers excellent transparency, mechanical flexibility, ultraviolet protection ability, antibacterial activity, and luminescence performance. It was successfully applied in an intelligent pH sensing system for the detection of pH changes in human sweat. This study provides a new strategy for the design and construction of wearable sensing systems for health monitoring, facial masks, and medical dressings.

Study on the correlation of serum estrogen, androgen and progesterone levels in male patients with gout / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective:To explore the changes of estrogen, androgen and progesterone in serum of male patients with primary gouty arthritis (pGA) and their possible role in the pathogenesis of gout.Methods:The serum, clinical data and laboratory parameters of 266 patients with PGA [including 93 patients with acute gout (AG), 118 patients with intermittent gout (IG), 55 patients with chronic gout (CG)] and 129 healthy controls (HC) were collected. The serum estradiol (E 2), progesterone (P), testosterone (T) and E 2/T were detected by CMIA Expression level. SPSS 17.0 statistical software was used for analysis, Wilcoxon rank sum test was used for comparison of measurement data between groups, and Spearman correlation analysis was used for correlation analysis between variables. Results:① The level of E 2 and T level in the serum of PGA, AG, IG and CG group was lower than that of the HC group [(30±8) pg/ml, (27±7) pg/ml, (31±8) pg/ml, (34±7) pg/ml, (35±10) pg/ml; F=17.770, P<0.05] and [(4.4±1.6) ng/ml, (3.8±1.4) ng/ml, (4.6±1.4) ng/ml, (5.1±2.0) ng/ml, (5.8±1.9) ng/ml; F=23.314, P<0.05], but there was no significant difference between HC group and CG group ( P>0.05), The serum E 2 and T levels in AG group were lower than those in IG and CG groups [(27±7) pg/ml, (31±8) pg/ml, (34±7) pg/ml; F=17.770, P<0.05] and [(3.8±1.4) ng/ml, (4.6±1.4) ng/ml, (5.1±2.0) ng/ml; F=23.314, P<0.05], andthe serum E 2 level in IG group was lower than that in CG group [(31±8) pg/ml, (34±7) pg/ml; F=17.770, P<0.05). The levels of P and E 2/T in HC group were lower than those in pGA and AG group [(0.24±0.10) ng/ml, (0.27±0.11)ng/ml, (0.30±0.15) ng/ml; F=5.124, P<0.05] and [(0.006 6±0.002 2) ng/ml, (0.007 6±0.003 2) ng/ml, (0.008 0±0.003 8) ng/ml; F=3.787, P<0.05), while those in IG and CG group were lower than those in AG group [(0.25±0.09) ng/ml, (0.26±0.08) ng/ml, (0.30±0.15) ng/ml; F=5.124, P<0.05]; ② Spearman correlation analysis showed that E 2 level in pGA group was positively correlated with T and CysC( r=0.310, P<0.01; r=0.164, P=0.008), negatively correlated with MO ( r=-0.133, P=0.030), P level was positively correlated with MO ( r=0.139, P=0.023), T level was positively correlated with Crea and CysC ( r=0.179, P=0.003; r=0.162, P=0.008), negatively correlated with WBC, GR and MO ( r=-0.140, P=0.022; r=-0.173, P=0.005; r=-0.149, P=0.015), E 2/T was positively correlated with apob1 and Glu ( r=0.131, P=0.032; r=0.140, P=0.023). In AG group, E 2 level was positively correlated with T and Crea ( r=0.234, P=0.024; r=0.245, P=0.018), T level was positively correlated with Crea ( r=0.349, P=0.001), and negatively correlated with apob1 ( r=-0.250, P=0.016), and E 2/T was positively correlated with apob1 ( r=0.276, P=0.007). In IG group, E 2 level was positively correlated with T ( r=0.269, P=0.003), and negatively correlated with MO ( r=-0.183, P=0.048), while P level was positively correlated with MO( r=0.204, P=0.027). Conclusion:The expression of E 2 and T in the peripheral blood serum of gout patients decreases significantly, the expression of P and E 2/T increases significantly, and there is a positive correlation between E 2 and T, as well as the inflammatory and glycolipid metabolism indexes of gout patients, suggesting that estrogen, androgen and progesterone may participate in the pathogenesis of gout by regulating the inflammation and metabolism of gout.