Correlation of inflammatory biomarkers with the diversity of Bacteroidaceae, Bifidobacteriaceae, Prevotellaceae and Lactobacillaceae families in the intestinal microbiota of patients with end stage renal disease.

PURPOSE: Serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and uremic toxins, and their inter-correlations with the diversity of Bacteroidaceae, Bifidobacteriaceae, Prevotellaceae and Lactobacillaceae families in intestinal microbiota were investigated in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). METHODS: Stool and blood samples from 20 ESRD patients on maintenance hemodialysis were collected. DNA genome of the bacterial composition of the stool samples was extracted and evaluated by the sequencing analysis of 16S rRNA genes. Serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and uremic toxins were then analyzed. RESULTS: The mean serum concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6, indoxyl sulfate (IS) and p-cresol (PC) were 305.99 â€‹± â€‹12.03 â€‹ng/L, 159.95 â€‹± â€‹64.22 â€‹ng/L, 36.76 â€‹± â€‹5.09 â€‹µg/mL and 0.39 â€‹± â€‹0.15 â€‹µg/mL, respectively. The most significant positive correlation was observed between Prevotellaceae family and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), Lactobacilli species and CRP and PC, as well as Scardovia wiggsiae and IS (p â€‹< â€‹0.001). A negative correlation was also found between Bacteroides clarus and PC. Patients with ESRD on maintenance hemodialysis had elevated levels of PC and IS and increased levels of the inflammatory markers. The most positive correlation was found between microbiota and CRP and PC, while the most negative one was between microbiota and IL-1 and TAC. CONCLUSIONS: The abundance and diversity of Bacteroidaceae, Bifidobacteriaceae, Prevotellaceae and Lactobacillaceae families and their correlations with clinical parameters could provide benefits in the ESRD patients but they could not promote the symptoms.

Recent advances in gold nanoparticle-based colorimetric aptasensors for chemical and biological analyses.

Aptasensors are amazing among many currently formed procedures due to their excellent particularity, selectivity and responsiveness. These biosensors get more popular in combination with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to detect chemical and biological molecules. The response of AuNPs by changing color provides a simple explanation of outcomes. The authors review the recent developments in AuNP-based colorimetric aptasensors designed to sense different chemical and biological molecules. They summarize the procedure of AuNP-based detection and the ordinary instances of currently formed AuNP-based colorimetric procedures. Furthermore, their uses for detecting different analytes based on analyte types are given and the present challenges, overview, and positive views for forming new aptasensors are also regarded.

An Overview of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Produced by Plant Extracts for Anti-tuberculosis Treatments.

Tuberculosis (TB), induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), is a fatal infectious disease that kills millions of lives worldwide. The emergence of drug-resistant and multidrug-resistant cases is regarded as one of the most challenging threats to TB control due to the low cure rate. Therefore, TB and drug-resistant TB epidemic urge us to explore more effective therapies. The increasing knowledge of nanotechnology has extended the use of some nanomedicines for disease treatment in clinics, which also provide novel possibilities for nano-based medicines for TB treatment. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have gained increasing attention for anti-bacterial uses based on their strong ability to induce reactive oxidative species (ROS) and release bactericidal Zinc ions (Zn2+), which are expected to act as novel strategies for TB and drug-resistant TB treatment. Some plant extracts, always from active herbal medicines, have been widely reported to show attractive anti-bacterial activity for infectious treatment, including TB. Here, we summarize the synthesis of ZnO NPs using plant extracts (green synthesized ZnO NPs), and further discuss their potentials for anti-TB treatments. This is the first review article discussing the anti-TB activity of ZnO NPs produced using plant extracts, which might contribute to the further applications of green synthesized ZnO NPs for anti-TB and drugresistant TB treatment.

Synthesis, Characterization and Fluorescence Properties of Novel Porous Fe/ZnO Nano-Hybrid Assemblies by Using Berberis thunbergii Extract.

In this work, novel Fe/ZnO nanocomposites (NCs) and Fe nanoparticles loaded onto porous ZnO nanostructures have been synthesized via a simple biotechnological route by using Berberis thunbergii extract. In this direction, the as-synthesized bio-based porous ZnO derivatives and human serum albumin (HSA), as a biopolymeric model, form nano-hybrid assemblies. The effect of loading Fe on properties of porous ZnO nanostructures as well as the behavior of the nano-hybrid assemblies were evaluated by using XRD, SEM, EDX, DLS, PL, CD, FTIR and UV/Visible-diffuse reflectance spectra (UV/Vis-DRS) techniques. The fluorescence results revealed that the interaction of Fe/ZnO NCs with HSA biopolymer led to the formation of a ground state complexes as nano-hybrid assemblies. The calculated thermodynamic parameters indicated that the binding process occurred spontaneously. The CD and FTIR spectra confirmed the changes in helicity of HSA as well as the random coil and ß-turn in the secondary structure of HSA upon interaction with Fe/ZnO NCs.

In-situ microscale spectrophotometric determination of phenytoin by using branched gold nanoparticles.

A rapid method for the sensitive detection of phenytoin (PHT) by branched gold nanoparticles (B-AuNPs) is described. These nanoparticles were synthesized by adding methanol as the reducing agent and poly(ethylene glycol) as the stabilizer at 70 °C. The B-AuNPs are red in color with an absorption maximum at 540 nm when prepared in situ. However, the color becomes increasingly weaker when PHT is present in increasing concentrations. This method can determine PHT over the 67-670 ng·mL-1 concentration range, with detection limit of 21 ng·mL-1. The relative standard deviation for five replicate measurements at 68 and 530 ng·mL-1 of PHT was 3.2% and 1.2%, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of PHT in plasma samples of epileptic patients, and the results were in agreement with those obtained by a standard official method. Graphical abstract Branched gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) prepared in situ have a red color with an absorption maximum at 540 nm. The color becomes increasingly weaker with decreasing the intensity of the characteristic SPR band when PHT is present in increasing concentration. The current assay is capable of determining PHT over the 67-670 ng·mL-1 concentration range with a limit of detection of 21 ng·mL-1.

Effects of fermentable high fiber diet supplementation on gut derived and conventional nitrogenous product in patients on maintenance hemodialysis: a randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Gut derived toxins such as p-cresol, p-cresyl sulfate (pCS) and indoxyl sulfate (IS), which belong to protein-bound uremic toxins that promote development of fibrosis inflammatory state associated with chronic kidney disease. One possible way to suppress the production of IS and pCS is to increase dietary fiber intake. The aim of the present study was to assess whether increasing dietary fiber, as high amylose diet, can affect the level of conventional and protein bound nitrogenous products. METHODS: Fifty patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) on maintenance hemodialysis were randomly assigned to receive a diet containing resistant starch (HAM-RS2) or placebo over 8 weeks spanning February and September 2017 in the 29 Bahman hospital hemodialysis ward in Tabriz, Iran. Of these, 44 patients (23 from HAM-RS2 and 21 control) completed the study. Plasma levels of urea, creatinine, uric acid and other routine parameters were measured at the beginning and after 8 weeks of starting the supplementation. The levels of IS and p-cresol in the collected serum samples were also determined by HPLC at baseline and after intervention. RESULTS: There was significant reduction of creatinine and uric acid levels in HAM-RS2 supplemented patients when compared with control group (P < 0.05). Serum levels of IS was not changed significantly in both HAM-RS2 treated and control patients, whereas p-cresol level was reduced significantly during the study period in HAM-RS2 treated patients (P = 0.039). The change of other parameters including Hb, lipids, bone markers and hs-CRP were non-significant during the study in both groups. CONCLUSION: Administration of fermentable high fiber diet as HAM-RS2 decreased serum levels of some nitrogenous products such as serum creatinine and p-cresol as a gut derived nitrogenous product without change in IS levels in maintenance hemodialysis patients. Due to safety, without important side effects the administration of diet enriched with fermentable fiber is suitable for patients on maintenance dialysis.

A new "turn-on" fluorescent sensor based on gold quantum dots and silver nanoparticles for lamotrigine detection in plasma.

A simple and rapid method for the quantification of lamotrigine (LTG) was developed using 4-aminothiophenol-stabilized gold quantum dots (4-ATP-AuQDs) and amidosulfonic acid-capped silver nanoparticles (ASA-AgNPs) as a new fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) probe. 4-ATP-AuQDs and ASA-AgNPs were synthesized and characterized by UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Since the emission spectra of 4-ATP-AuQDs have good overlaps with the absorption spectra of ASA-AgNPs, the fluorescence of the AuQDs was significantly quenched in the presence of AgNPs as a result of FRET. However, when LTG was added, a significant fluorescence enhancement was observed owing to the remarkable aggregation of ASA-AgNPs, which could take ASA-AgNPs away from 4-ATP-AuQDs. This method could selectively detect LTG with a detection limit of 4.0ngmL-1 in standard aqueous solution and good linearity was obtained over the range 0.02-0.5µgmL-1 (R=0.9989). The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of LTG in spiked human plasma samples with a limit of detection of 0.3µgmL-1 and a linear range of 0.5-6.0µgmL-1. The method was also successfully applied to quantify LTG in real plasma samples from epileptic patients receiving LTG.