Development of an Electrochemical Immunosensor for Detection of Cardiac Troponin I at the Point-of-Care.

Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) plays an important role in the assessment of various cardiac diseases. However, accurate detection of cTnI at the point-of-care (POC) remains unfeasible. In this study, we report the development of an electrochemical immunosensor designed for rapid and accurate cTnI detection in pre-hospital settings. Rapid cTnI analysis of whole blood samples was then performed. cTnI measurements were highly correlated with the results of the standard clinical laboratory method for cTnI detection. The results of this study suggest that the proposed POC immunosensor can deliver fast and accurate cTnI analysis in pre-hospital settings to achieve rapid diagnosis and guide patient management.

Improving the reproducibility, accuracy, and stability of an electrochemical biosensor platform for point-of-care use.

Electrochemical biosensors possess numerous desirable qualities for target detection, such as portability and ease of use, and are often considered for point-of-care (POC) development. Label-free affinity electrochemical biosensors constructed with semiconductor manufacturing technology (SMT)-produced electrodes and a streptavidin biomediator currently display the highest reproducibility, accuracy, and stability in modern biosensors. However, such biosensors still do not meet POC guidelines regarding these three characteristics. The purpose of this research was to resolve the limitations in reproducibility and accuracy caused by problems with production of the biosensors, with the aim of developing a platform capable of producing devices that exceed POC standards. SMT production settings were optimized and bioreceptor immobilization was improved through the use of a unique linker, producing a biosensor with exceptional reproducibility, impressive accuracy, and high stability. Importantly, the three characteristics of the sensors produced using the proposed platform all meet POC standards set by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). This suggests possible approval of the biosensors for POC development. Furthermore, the detection range of the platform was demonstrated by constructing biosensors capable of detecting common POC targets, including circulating tumor cells (CTCs), DNA/RNA, and curcumin, and the devices were optimized for POC use. Overall, the platform developed in this study shows high potential for production of POC biosensors.

Nano-structured CuO-Cu2O Complex Thin Film for Application in CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Solar Cells.

Nano-structured CuO-Cu2O complex thin film-based perovskite solar cells were fabricated on an indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass and studied. Copper (Cu) thin films with a purity of 99.995 % were deposited on an ITO-coated glass by magnetron reactive sputtering. To optimize the properties of the nano-structured CuO-Cu2O complex thin films, the deposited Cu thin films were thermally oxidized at various temperatures from 300 to 400 °C. A CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite absorber was fabricated on top of CuO-Cu2O complex thin film by a one-step spin-coating process with a toluene washing treatment. Following optimization, the maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeded 8.1 %. Therefore, the low-cost, solution-processed, stable nano-structured CuO-Cu2O complex thin film can be used as an alternative hole transport layer (HTL) in industrially produced perovskite solar cells.

Bioremediation of endocrine disruptor di-n-butyl phthalate ester by Deinococcus radiodurans and Pseudomonas stutzeri.

Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) is a group of phthalate esters (PAEs) that are widely used in cosmetics, perfumes, and plasticizers. Due to its high production and application figures, DBP is commonly found in wastewater, sewage sludge, and aquatic environments. It has been classified as suspected endocrine disruptors by most countries. In this study, we isolated two DBP degradable strains from activated sludge. The strains were identified with their 16S rRNA as Deinococcus radiodurans and Pseudomonas stutzeri. We constructed the optimal condition of DBP degradation by using different kinds of incubation factors such as temperature, initial pH, yeast extract and surfactants. The optimal conditions of DBP degradation for these two strains are: 30 degrees C, pH 7.5 and static culture. Besides, addition of 0.23 mM of Triton X-100 could enhance the DBP degradation for D. radiodurans. In the end, we amended these two strains into the origin activated sludge and analyzed the whole microbial community structure of mixed cultures by PCR-DGGE technique. The result showed that only D. radiodurans could survive in the activated sludge after 7d of incubation. Based on this work, we hope that these findings could provide some useful information for applying the bioremediation of DBP in our environment.