A Solid-Contact Reference Electrode Based on Silver/Silver Organic Insoluble Salt for Potentiometric Ion Sensing.

Solid-contact ion-selective electrodes are a type of ion measurement devices that have been focused in wearable biotechnology based on the features of miniaturization and integration. However, the solid-contact reference electrodes (SC-REs) remain relatively less focused compared with numerous working (or indicator) electrodes. Most SC-REs in wearable sensors rely on Ag/AgCl reference electrodes with solid electrolytes, for example, the hydrophilic electrolyte salts in polymer matrix, but face the risk of electrolyte leakage. Herein, we report a type of SC-REs based on the silver/silver tetraphenylborate (Ag/AgTPB) organic insoluble electrode. The SC-RE consists of a Ag substrate, a solid contact (AgTPB), and a plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane containing the hydrophobic organic salt of tetrabutylammonium tetraphenylborate (TBATPB). The potentiometric measurements demonstrated that the SC-RE of Ag/AgTPB/PVC-TBATPB showed a reproducible standard potential in various electrolytes and disclosed high long-term stability. This SC-RE was further fabricated on a flexible substrate and integrated into all-solid-state wearable potentiometric ion sensor for sweat Cl- monitoring.

Solid-Contact Potentiometric Anion Sensing Based on Classic Silver/Silver Insoluble Salts Electrodes without Ion-Selective Membrane.

Current solid potentiometric ion sensors mostly rely on polymeric-membrane-based, solid-contact, ion-selective electrodes (SC-ISEs). However, anion sensing has been a challenge with respect to cations due to the rareness of anion ionophores. Classic metal/metal insoluble salt electrodes (such as Ag/AgCl) without an ion-selective membrane (ISM) offer an alternative. In this work, we first compared the two types of SC-ISEs of Cl- with/without the ISM. It is found that the ISM-free Ag/AgCl electrode discloses a comparable selectivity regarding organic chloride ionophores. Additionally, the electrode exhibits better comprehensive performances (stability, reproducibility, and anti-interference ability) than the ISM-based SC-ISE. In addition to Cl-, other Ag/AgX electrodes also work toward single and multi-valent anions sensing. Finally, a flexible Cl- sensor was fabricated for on-body monitoring the concentration of sweat Cl- to illustrate a proof-of-concept application in wearable anion sensors. This work re-emphasizes the ISM-free SC-ISEs for solid anion sensing.

LncARSR sponges miR-129-5p to promote proliferation and metastasis of bladder cancer cells through increasing SOX4 expression.

Emerging evidences have indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are potential biomarkers, playing important roles in the development of cancer. LncRNA Activated in RCC with Sunitinib Resistance (lncARSR) is a novel lncRNA that functions as a potential biomarker and is involved in the progression of cancers. However, the clinical significance and molecular mechanism of lncARSR in bladder cancer (Bca) remains unknow. In this study, we discovered that lncARSR was significantly up-regulated in bladder cancer. In addition, increased expression of lncARSR was positively correlated with higher histological grade and larger tumor size. Further experiments demonstrated that suppression of lncARSR attenuated the proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process of Bca cells. Mechanistically, lncARSR was mainly located in the cytoplasm and acted as a miRNA sponge to positively modulate the expression of Sex-determining region Y-related high-mobility-group box transcription factor 4 (SOX4) via sponging miR-129-5p and subsequently promoted the proliferation and metastasis of Bca cells, thus playing an oncogenic role in Bca pathogenesis. In conclusion, our study indicated that lncARSR plays a critical regulatory role in Bca cells and lncARSR may serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for bladder cancer.

The prognostic value of the site of invasion in T3aN0M0 clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The 7th Tumor-Node-Metastasis system for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) classified renal sinus fat invasion (SFI), perirenal fat invasion (PFI), or renal vein invasion (RVI) as stage pT3a. However, their close interactions and prognostic value of them remain controversial. The goal of this study is to further analyze their prognostic values for patients with T3aN0M0 ccRCC. METHODS: The data of 1,869 pT3aN0M0 ccRCC patients receiving the radical nephrectomy surgery were collected from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database of United states from 2010 to 2014. These Patients were grouped as SFI, PFI, SFI + RVI, SFI + PFI, PFI + RVI, and SFI + PFI + RVI according to their corresponding manifestations. Cancer-specific survival (CSS) was determined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and Multivariate cox proportional-hazards regression methods were used to evaluate the impacts of clinical pathologic parameters on CSS. RESULTS: Patients with SFI or PFI alone had the similar CSS (P = 0.286) and patients with SFI + PFI + RVI had the worst outcomes. Moreover, significantly more patients with SFI + PFI + RVI had tumor diameter ≥7cm than patients with PFI + RVI, SFI + PFI (68.80% vs. 65.32%, 58.77%, and 55.04%, P = 0.026), respectively. Multivariable analysis showed that RVI + PFI (P = 0.013) and PFI + SFI + RVI (P = 0.011) were the independent factors of CSS. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that invasion location can help distinguish patients with T3aN0M0 ccRCC with increased risk of cancer-related mortality.

The association of tea consumption with bladder cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

The association between tea consumption and bladder cancer has been confirmed in several animal studies, but one epidemiological study in 2001 showed no association between them. In order to provide an accurate assessment of this, we conducted a meta-analysis on tea consumption and bladder cancer risk. Studies were identified by a literature search in PubMed from January 1980 to March 2012 and the reference lists of relevant studies. Random effect models were used to calculate summary relative risk estimates (RR) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) based on high contrast to low intake values. Twenty-four publications (6 cohort studies and 18 case-control studies) based on consumption of overall tea, black tea, and green tea to bladder cancer risk were included in this analysis. For overall tea, the summary RR indicated no association between tea consumption and bladder cancer (RR= 1.09, 95%CI: 0.85-1.40). In subgroup analyses, we found a moderate increase of bladder cancer risk in smoking group (RR= 1.77, 95%CI: 1.04-3.01). In the black tea group, no statistically significant association was observed (RR= 0.84, 95%CI: 0.70-1.01). Interestingly, in the subgroup of sex, a protective effect was observed between tea consumption and bladder cancer risk in female (RR= 0.61, 95%CI: 0.38- 0.98). For green tea group, there was no relationship associated with bladder cancer risk (RR= 1.03, 95%CI: 0.82- 1.31). In conclusion, our data suggest that high overall tea intake in smokers increased the risk of bladder cancer, and high black tea intake in female may reduce the risk of bladder cancer.