Effectiveness of aroma-Tea Tree Oil and Eucalyptus oil in alleviating COVID-19 vaccine discomfort side effects.

CONTEXT: Aromatherapy is considered a mild and non-invasive complementary treatment to relieve post-vaccination discomforts. There have been no studies that examine the use of aroma-Tea Tree oil and Eucalyptus oil to relieve the discomfort side effects related to COVID-19 vaccines. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the use of two aroma-essential oils to relieve discomfort side effects of COVID-19 vaccination. DESIGN: The study used experimental design to match two groups of participants. SETTING: The participants' home. PARTICIPANTS: Adults who had not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19 but were planning to receive it were recruited. The current study included 87 control participants matched to 83 experimental participants. INTERVENTION: The participants in the experimental group used Tea tree and Eucalyptus while the control group did not. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A questionnaire was used to collect data on the topical and systematic symptoms related to COVID-19 vaccines. Both groups were asked to complete the online questionnaire and report their health status 24 h (T1) and 48 h (T2) after vaccination. RESULTS: The results revealed a statistically significant difference between the groups in swelling, injection side pain, lump, fever, and muscle ache (p = .05, 0.04, <0.00, 0.02, 0.02, respectively) for T1; but for T2, a significant difference between the two groups was found only in lump and fever (p = .05, 0.03). Aroma-Tea Tree oil and Eucalyptus oil may be recognized and accepted by more people worldwide to provide a safe and healthy option not only for post-vaccination care but also to relieve pain, fever, and skin lumps associated with other diseases or conditions.

Integration of fluorescent polydopamine nanoparticles on protamine for simple and sensitive trypsin assay.

As an important protease, trypsin (TRY) has been identified as a key indicator of various diseases. A simple and sensitive strategy for TRY detection by using an environment-friendly biosafe probe is significant. Herein, we introduced negatively charged fluorescent polydopamine nanoparticles (PDNPs) with 4.8 nm diameter obtained through a controllable method as an effective probe for TRY. PDNPs exhibited excellent fluorescence property but integrated with protamine (Pro) to form an aggregation-caused quenching system via a static quenching mechanism. The quenching mechanism of Pro to PDNPs revealed the significant effect of the surface charge, functional groups, and appropriate size of PDNPs on quenching process. Given the specific hydrolysis of Pro by TRY, PDNPs were released from the quenching integration of PDNPs and Pro (PDNPs-Pro) and recovered their fluorescence. Thus, a fluorescence sensor for TRY with a linear range of 0.01 and 0.1 µg/mL and a detection limit of 6.7 ng/mL was developed without the disturbing from other proteases. Compared with other TRY assays, the biosensor based on PDNPs-Pro has the advantages of simple operation, environmental friendliness, and high sensitivity. This specific controlled-synthesis PDNPs would open up a new window for the extended application of fluorescent nanomaterials in biomedicine based on fluorescence changes induced by biological interaction.

Ratiometric fluorescence sensor based on carbon dots as internal reference signal and T7 exonuclease-assisted signal amplification strategy for microRNA-21 detection.

The expression level of miRNA-21 is closely related to the occurrence and development of cancer, especially in gastrointestinal cancer. Monitoring miRNA-21 has clinical application in the diagnosis and evaluation of gastrointestinal cancer. A turn-on ratiometric fluorescence bioassay based on the T7 exonuclease-mediated cyclic enzymatic amplification method was developed for miRNA-21 determination by using carbon dots (CDs) and FAM-labeled ssDNA as the signal source. CDs demonstrated the triple functions of built-in internal fluorescence, probe carrier, and quencher in this strategy. In the absence of miRNA-21, FAM-labeled ssDNA would be adsorbed and quenched by CDs. The addition of miRNA-21 induced cycle hydrolysis from the 5' end by the T7 exonuclease and then released the short-cleaved FAM-labeled oligonucleotides. Then, the increased FAM signal (FFAM) and the stable CD signal (FCDs) would be tested through a ratiometric routine for the quantification of miRNA-21. The FFAM/FCDs value showed a good linear relationship with the concentration of miRNA-21 in the range of 0.05-10 nM, and the detection limit for miRNA-21 was 1 pM with excellent selectivity and reproducibility. Furthermore, this sensor successfully evaluated the expression level of miRNA-21 in clinical blood samples from healthy individuals and gastrointestinal cancer patients, and the results were highly consistent with those of qRT-PCR, suggesting the great clinical application value in the diagnosis of cancer associated with miRNA-21 expression levels.

A simple fluorescence assay for trypsin through a protamine-induced carbon quantum dot-quenching aggregation platform.

The development of a simple detection strategy for trypsin (Try) is urgent, and is ascribed to the diagnostic value of Try in several diseases. Herein, a facile but effective fluorescence strategy for Try was developed based on the protamine (Pro)-induced aggregation of carbon quantum dots (CQDs). The fluorescence of negatively charged CQDs was quenched with Pro due to the assembly of CQDs and Pro (CQDs/Pro) through electrostatic interaction. However, the highly positively charged Pro, which is rich in basic arginine residues, was preferred to be hydrolyzed by Try. Try can induce the deaggregation of CQDs/Pro, thereby enabling the release of CQDs to restore the fluorescence intensity. Thus, the use of CQDs/Pro as a testing platform will be employed as a "turn-on" method for Try. In addition, the fluorescence-resuming response was proportional to Try, ranging from 25 ng mL-1 to 500 ng mL-1 with a limit of detection (LOD) of 8.08 ng mL-1. This "turn-on" fluorescence assay for Try was label-free, convenient, and relatively free of interference from coexisting substances. Actual applications for Try monitoring and trypsin inhibitor screening also illustrated the considerable prospect of CQDs in the clinical field, combined with the superiority of the simple mixing operation.

Fluorescence sensing of tyrosinase activity based on amine rich carbon dots through direct interaction in a homogeneous system: detection mechanism and application.

As a vital, copper-containing oxidase, tyrosinase (TYR) is useful as a biomarker for the screening of skin diseases. In this paper, a convenient and sensitive homogeneous fluorescence detection platform for the assay of TYR activity without any modified steps is described. Inspired by the fact that carbon dots (CDs) with excellent properties can be obtained through some surface modification, amine rich carbon dots (N-CDs) using a nitrogen doping process were developed as the fluorescent probe for this assay. The effect and the response mechanism of the degree of nitrogen doping in relation to the response of different CDs to the sensing of TYR activity using dopamine (DA) as a substrate were investigated. The DA was oxidized to o-dopaquinone with the catalyzation of TYR and quenched the fluorescence of the N-CDs by direct interaction. By using a set concentration of DA and other optimized reaction conditions, the fluorescence intensity of the N-CDs was directly applied to monitor the TYR activity. This assay for TYR activity showed a broad linear range from 0.05 to 6.0 U mL-1 with a detection limit of 0.039 U mL-1. The satisfactory recovery of the sensor for TYR activity in diluted human serum illustrated a potential clinical application.

pH-responsive and porous vancomycin-loaded PLGA microspheres: evidence of controlled and sustained release for localized inflammation inhibition in vitro.

Adequate delivery of antibiotics to infected sites is crucial for the effective treatment of bacterial infections. A controlled and sustained release system based on porous and pH-responsive poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-vancomycin (Van) microspheres was developed. In this system, drug release is triggered by the weakly acidic environment, like local inflamed tissues. The microspheres, developed through the W1/O/W2 double-emulsion evaporation method, comprised a PLGA-based shell and a core containing Van and the bubble-generating agent of NaHCO3. The optimized preparation conditions for PLGA-NaHCO3-Van microspheres were investigated and characterized. The PLGA-NaHCO3-Van microspheres exhibited porous microstructures with regular shape and uniform size and the characteristic of controlled drug release, which could be attributed to the incorporation of NaHCO3. The results of the Kirby-Bauer assay confirmed that released Van retained effective antibacterial activity towards standard Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infected clinical samples, suggesting their further promising application in local anti-infection.

A fluorescent sensor constructed from nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots (N-CDs) for pH detection in synovial fluid and urea determination.

Blue luminescent nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots (N-CDs) with pH-dependent properties were prepared from citric acid (CA), glutathione (GSH), and polyethylene polyamine (PEPA) using a two-step pyrolytic route. The N-CDs showed stable and strong emission bands at approximately 455 nm under 350 nm excitation. Moreover, the fluorescence of N-CDs can be gradually decreased by gradually increasing the pH value. A good linear relationship between the fluorescence intensity of N-CDs and the pH range of 3.0-9.0 was obtained. Thus, the response mechanism of N-CDs to pH was systematically investigated. N-CDs possessed -NH2, -COOH, and -CONH- as active functional groups, which allowed the variable protonation/deprotonation of N-CDs to regulate the fluorescence emission intensities under changed pH values. Furthermore, upon combining urease-catalyzed hydrolysis of urea with increased pH values, a simple but effective fluorescence assay for urea was developed. The analytical performance for urea detection was the linear range of 0 to 10 mM with a detection limit of 0.072 mM. Additionally, the fluorescent sensor based on N-CDs was successfully applied for pH detection in synovial fluid and urea determination in serum.

Ratiometric electrochemical immunoassay based on internal reference value for reproducible and sensitive detection of tumor marker.

A ratiometric assay in an electrochemical immunosensor for tumor marker, herein carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was chosen as a model analyte, was developed to improve simplicity and accuracy. The immunosensor was fabricated via the simple expedient way of using Polythionine-gold (PTh-Au) as electrode modified material to be an internal reference signal and K3[Fe(CN)6] in electrolyte as an indicator signal. When the CEA was fixed on the modified electrode via immunoreaction, only the indicator signal sensitively altered; by contrast, the internal reference signal of PTh-Au remained constant at a suitable pH of the electrolyte. The ratio between the alterations of the indicator signal of K3[Fe(CN)6] and the constant internal reference signal can be used to monitor the concentration of CEA reliably, reproducibly, and sensitively. The prepared ratiometric electrochemical immunosensor could detect CEA with good specificity within a wide linear range from 0.005ng/ml to 40ng/ml with a detection limit of 2.2pg/ml. Additionally, experimental results confirm that our proposed method is practical. Thus, this method can expand to recognize and test other protein markers.

Exercises in hot and humid environment caused liver injury in a rat model.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate injury pattern during intense exercises in hot and humid environment particularly on liver in a rat exertional heat stroke model. METHODS: We randomly divided 30 rats into a control group (CG), a normal temperature (25±2°C, 60%±5% humidity) exercise group (NTEG) and a high temperature and high humidity (35±2°C, 80%±10% humidity) exercising group (HTEG), each comprising 10 animals. The NTEG and HTEG rats were forced to run in a treadmill for 1 hour maximum at 20 rpm. We analyzed liver cells of all three groups with JC-1 dye and flow cytometry for apoptosis rates in addition to liver tissue 8 - hydroxy deoxyguanosine (8 - OhdG) and blood serum IL-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), alanine aminotransferase ALT, aspartate amino transferase (AST), serum creatinine (CREA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine phosphate kinase (CK) concentrations. RESULT: Compared with NTEG rats, beside reduced exercise tolerance (60±5 vs. 15±3 minutes) (p = 0.002) the 8-OhdG liver tissue concentrations were significantly higher (p = 0.040) in the HTEG rats. The HTEG developed more organ tissue damage and cellular fragmentations of liver cells. In both exercise groups TNF-α and IL-6 serum concentrations were enhanced significantly (p<0.001) being highest in the HTEG animals. Serum ALT, AST, LDH, CREA, BUN and CK concentrations were significantly enhance in both exercise groups. CONCLUSION: In our exertional heat stroke rat model, we found tissue damage particularly in livers during exercises in hot and humid environment that was related to inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis.

Sensitive electrochemical immunoassay of metallothionein-3 based on K3[Fe(CN)6] as a redox-active signal and C-dots/Nafion film for antibody immobilization.

The fabrication of a facile, sensitive, and versatile immunosensor for the quantification of metallothionein-3 (MT-3) is proposed in this work. The K3[Fe(CN)6]-chitosan-glutaraldehyde (K-CS-GA) conjugate prepared from K3[Fe(CN)6], chitosan and glutaraldehyde was employed as the redox-active signal source. Carbon nanodots (C-dots) were coupled with Nafion to form the nanocomposite architecture layer to carry antibodies (Abs). C-dots enhanced the electrochemical response of the proposed immunosensor to improve the detection sensitivity. The fabrication steps of the immunosensor were characterized using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Antigen determination was achieved via the decreased current response of the K3[Fe(CN)6] caused by the insulated coupled antigen. The detected signals were proportional to the logarithm of the concentrations of MT-3 ranging from 5 pg mL(-1) to 20 ng mL(-1) with a detection limit of 2.5 pg mL(-1) in PBS. The proposed immunosensor showed high sensitivity, good selectivity and reproducibility. Furthermore, detection results using real serum samples showed the immunosensor's potential applications in clinical diagnostics.

[Structure and adsorption characterization of SBA-16 and functionalized materials].

In this study we synthesized a micro- and mesoporous material, SBA-16. And later on we functionalized it with octyltrimethoxysilane and octadecyltrimethoxysilane, respectively. The materials of SBA-16 and its functionalized form were characterized by nitrogen adsorption isotherms at 77K, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and adsorption isotherms of single component n-heptane, toluene and water vapour. The data of FT-IR and TGA demonstrated the successful chemical modification of surface and porous wall of SBA-16 with different hydrocarbon chains. The results of SAXS, nitrogen adsorption at 77K, and adsorption isotherms of probe molecules revealed that the functionalized SBA-16 materials possessed relatively less regularity, smaller BET surface area and pore volumes, and lower adsorption capacities for the probe molecules compared to the original SBA-16. However, the functionalized SBA-16 materials showed much less affinity to polar molecules such as water. This work provides useful fundamental information for future study of novel mesoporous silica materials as potential drug delivery carriers.