Nonenzymatic Wearable Sensor for Electrochemical Analysis of Perspiration Glucose

We report a nonenzymatic wearable sensor for electrochemical analysis of perspiration glucose. Multipotential steps are applied on a Au electrode, including a high negative pretreatment potential step for proton reduction which produces a localized alkaline condition, a moderate potential step for electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose under the alkaline condition, and a positive potential step to clean and reactivate the electrode surface for the next detection. Fluorocarbon-based materials were coated on the Au electrode for improving the selectivity and robustness of the sensor. A fully integrated wristband is developed for continuous real-time monitoring of perspiration glucose during physical activities, and uploading the test result to a smartphone app via Bluetooth

Chiral PEDOT-Based Enantioselective Electrode Modification Material for Chiral Electrochemical Sensing: Mechanism and Model of Chiral Recognition

The development of electrochemical methods for enantioselective recognition is a focus of research in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. In this study, a pair of water-soluble chiral 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) derivatives, (<i>R</i>)-2′-hydroxymethyl-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene ((<i>R</i>)-EDTM) and (<i>S</i>)-2′-hydroxymethyl-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene ((<i>S</i>)-EDTM), were synthesized and electrodeposited on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) via current–time (<i>I</i>–<i>t</i>) polymerization in an aqueous LiClO₄ electrolyte. These chiral PEDOT polymers were used to fabricate chiral sensors and to investigate the enantioselective recognition of d-/l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, d-/l-tryptophan, and (<i>R</i>)-/(<i>S</i>)-propranolol enantiomers, respectively. The results indicated that the (<i>R</i>)-PEDTM/GCE sensor showed a higher peak current response toward the <i>levo</i> or (<i>S</i>) forms of the tested enantiomers, while the opposite phenomenon occurred for (<i>S</i>)-PEDTM/GCE. The mechanism of the stereospecific interaction between these enantiomers and the chiral polymers was determined. Therefore, a model of the chiral recognition by the chiral conducting polymer electrodes and an electrochemical method was proposed. The chirality of the enantiomers was confirmed by two parameters: the chirality of the electrode and the peak current response. These findings pave the way for the application of chiral PEDOT as electrode modification material in the electrochemical chiral recognition field

Assembly of Metal-Calixarene Compounds with a Ditetrazole Linker: From Isolated Cluster, Coordination Chain to Coordination Cage

Three metal-calixarene compounds with <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>-bis­[1­(2)<i>H</i>-tetrazol-5-yl]­amine (H₃bta), [Co₁₆Cl₆(TC4A)₄­(Hbta)₄­(CH₃OH)₁₀­(OH)₂­(H₂O)₆] (<b>CIAC-232</b>), [Co₁₇(TC4A)₄­(bta)₄­(HCOO)₆­(CH₃OH)₄­(H₂O)₄] (<b>CIAC-233</b>), and [Co₂₀Cl₂(TC4A)₅­(bta)₂(atz)₂­(HCOO)₂­(ox)₄(CH₃OH)₆­(H₂O)₄] (<b>CIAC-234</b>) (H₄TC4A = <i>p</i>-<i>tert</i>-butylthiacalix­[4]­arene, H₂ox = oxalic acid, Hatz = 5-aminotetrazole), were obtained under the solvothermal conditions in different solvents. <b>CIAC-232</b> featuring an isolated {Co₁₆} cluster was synthesized in the sole methanol solvent, while <b>CIAC-233</b> contained some coordination chains from a mixed methanol–DMF solvent. In-situ generated formic acid from the decomposition of DMF acts as the linker to bridge the isolated {Co₁₇} clusters into the coordination chains in <b>CIAC-233</b>. The attempt to replace the formate linkers with the oxalate anions results in the formation of a helmet-like open {Co₂₀} coordination cage <b>CIAC-234</b> due to the different coordination geometries of the oxalate anions. Magnetic properties and gas adsorption of these compounds were studied

Calixarene-Based {Ni₁₄} Seesaws: Active Chloride Anions to be Substituted by Isophthalic Acids

A discrete seesaw-like Ni₁₄ cluster is assembled from two sandwich-like Ni₄-(TC4A)₂ SBUs and two shuttlecock-like Ni₃-(TC4A) SBUs (H₄TC4A = <i>p</i>-<i>tert</i>-butylthiacalix­[4]­arene) with two imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acid (H₃IDC) ligands. The substitution of active coordinated chloride anions with isophthalic acid derivatives leads to four new compounds with similar cluster structures

Ultrafine Pt Nanoclusters Confined in a Calixarene-Based {Ni₂₄} Coordination Cage for High-Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

To obtain stable and ultrafine Pt nanoclusters, a trigonal prismatic coordination cage with the sulfur atoms on the edges was solvothermally synthesized to confine them. In the structure of {Ni₂₄(TC4A-SO₂)₆(TDC)₁₂ (H₂O)₆} (H₄TC4A-SO₂ = <i>p-tert</i>-butylsulfonylcalix­[4]­arene; H₂TDC = 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid), three Ni₄-(TC4A-SO₂) SBUs are bridged by three TDC ligands into a triangle and two such triangles are pillared by three pairs of TDC ligands to form a trigonal prism. The cage cavity has 12 sulfur atoms on the surface. Because of the porous structure and strong covalent interaction between metal and sulfur, ultrafine Pt nanoclusters composed of less than ∼18 Pt atoms can be facilely confined in the present trigonal prismatic cage (<b>Pt@CIAC-121</b>). The as-synthesized Pt NCs exhibit higher electrocatalytic activity than commercial Pt/C toward hydrogen evolution reaction

Herbal Medicine-Inspired Carbon Quantum Dots with Antibiosis and Hemostasis Effects for Promoting Wound Healing

Bleeding and bacterial infections are crucial factors affecting wound healing. The usage of herbal medicine-derived materials holds great potential for promoting wound healing. However, the uncertain intrinsic effective ingredients and unclear mechanism of action remain great concerns. Herein, inspired by the herbal medicine Ligusticum wallichii, we reported the synthesis of tetramethylpyrazine-derived carbon quantum dots (TMP-CQDs) for promoting wound healing. Of note, the use of TMP as the precursor instead of L. wallichii ensured the repeatability and homogeneity of the obtained products. Furthermore, TMP-CQDs exhibited high antibacterial activity. Mechanically, TMP-CQDs inhibited the DNA repair, biosynthesis, and quorum sensing of the bacteria and induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, TMP-CQDs could accelerate blood coagulation through activating factor VIII and promoting platelet aggregation. Effective wound healing was achieved by using TMP-CQDs in the Staphylococcus aureus-infected mouse skin wound model. This study sheds light on the development of herbal medicine-inspired materials as effective therapeutic drugs

Data_Sheet_3_Alterations in the intestinal microbiome and metabolic profile of patients with cirrhosis supplemented with lactulose, Clostridium butyricum, and Bifidobacterium longum infantis: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.docx

BackgroundLiver cirrhosis is commonly accompanied by intestinal dysbiosis and metabolic defects. Many clinical trials have shown microbiota-targeting strategies represent promising interventions for managing cirrhosis and its complications. However, the influences of the intestinal metagenomes and metabolic profiles of patients have not been fully elucidated.MethodsWe administered lactulose, Clostridium butyricum, and Bifidobacterium longum infantis as a synbiotic and used shotgun metagenomics and non-targeted metabolomics to characterize the results.ResultsPatients treated with the synbiotic for 12 weeks had lower dysbiosis index (DI) scores than placebo-treated patients and patients at baseline (NIP group). We identified 48 bacterial taxa enriched in the various groups, 66 differentially expressed genes, 18 differentially expressed virulence factor genes, 10 differentially expressed carbohydrate-active enzyme genes, and 173 metabolites present at differing concentrations in the Synbiotic versus Placebo group, and the Synbiotic versus NIP group. And Bifidobacteria species, especially B. longum, showed positive associations with many differentially expressed genes in synbiotic-treated patients. Metabolites pathway enrichment analysis showed that synbiotic significantly affected purine metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis. And the purine metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis were no longer significant differences in the Synbiotic group versus the healthy controls group. In conclusion, although littles influence on clinical parameters in the early intervention, the synbiotic showed a potential benefit to patients by ameliorating intestinal dysbiosis and metabolic defects; and the DI of intestinal microbiota is useful for the evaluation of the effect of clinical microbiota-targeting strategies on cirrhotic patients.Clinical Trial Registrationhttps://www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifiers NCT05687409.</p

Table_2_Alterations in the intestinal microbiome and metabolic profile of patients with cirrhosis supplemented with lactulose, Clostridium butyricum, and Bifidobacterium longum infantis: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.xls

BackgroundLiver cirrhosis is commonly accompanied by intestinal dysbiosis and metabolic defects. Many clinical trials have shown microbiota-targeting strategies represent promising interventions for managing cirrhosis and its complications. However, the influences of the intestinal metagenomes and metabolic profiles of patients have not been fully elucidated.MethodsWe administered lactulose, Clostridium butyricum, and Bifidobacterium longum infantis as a synbiotic and used shotgun metagenomics and non-targeted metabolomics to characterize the results.ResultsPatients treated with the synbiotic for 12 weeks had lower dysbiosis index (DI) scores than placebo-treated patients and patients at baseline (NIP group). We identified 48 bacterial taxa enriched in the various groups, 66 differentially expressed genes, 18 differentially expressed virulence factor genes, 10 differentially expressed carbohydrate-active enzyme genes, and 173 metabolites present at differing concentrations in the Synbiotic versus Placebo group, and the Synbiotic versus NIP group. And Bifidobacteria species, especially B. longum, showed positive associations with many differentially expressed genes in synbiotic-treated patients. Metabolites pathway enrichment analysis showed that synbiotic significantly affected purine metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis. And the purine metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis were no longer significant differences in the Synbiotic group versus the healthy controls group. In conclusion, although littles influence on clinical parameters in the early intervention, the synbiotic showed a potential benefit to patients by ameliorating intestinal dysbiosis and metabolic defects; and the DI of intestinal microbiota is useful for the evaluation of the effect of clinical microbiota-targeting strategies on cirrhotic patients.Clinical Trial Registrationhttps://www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifiers NCT05687409.</p

Table_1_Alterations in the intestinal microbiome and metabolic profile of patients with cirrhosis supplemented with lactulose, Clostridium butyricum, and Bifidobacterium longum infantis: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.xlsx

BackgroundLiver cirrhosis is commonly accompanied by intestinal dysbiosis and metabolic defects. Many clinical trials have shown microbiota-targeting strategies represent promising interventions for managing cirrhosis and its complications. However, the influences of the intestinal metagenomes and metabolic profiles of patients have not been fully elucidated.MethodsWe administered lactulose, Clostridium butyricum, and Bifidobacterium longum infantis as a synbiotic and used shotgun metagenomics and non-targeted metabolomics to characterize the results.ResultsPatients treated with the synbiotic for 12 weeks had lower dysbiosis index (DI) scores than placebo-treated patients and patients at baseline (NIP group). We identified 48 bacterial taxa enriched in the various groups, 66 differentially expressed genes, 18 differentially expressed virulence factor genes, 10 differentially expressed carbohydrate-active enzyme genes, and 173 metabolites present at differing concentrations in the Synbiotic versus Placebo group, and the Synbiotic versus NIP group. And Bifidobacteria species, especially B. longum, showed positive associations with many differentially expressed genes in synbiotic-treated patients. Metabolites pathway enrichment analysis showed that synbiotic significantly affected purine metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis. And the purine metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis were no longer significant differences in the Synbiotic group versus the healthy controls group. In conclusion, although littles influence on clinical parameters in the early intervention, the synbiotic showed a potential benefit to patients by ameliorating intestinal dysbiosis and metabolic defects; and the DI of intestinal microbiota is useful for the evaluation of the effect of clinical microbiota-targeting strategies on cirrhotic patients.Clinical Trial Registrationhttps://www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifiers NCT05687409.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Alterations in the intestinal microbiome and metabolic profile of patients with cirrhosis supplemented with lactulose, Clostridium butyricum, and Bifidobacterium longum infantis: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.xlsx

BackgroundLiver cirrhosis is commonly accompanied by intestinal dysbiosis and metabolic defects. Many clinical trials have shown microbiota-targeting strategies represent promising interventions for managing cirrhosis and its complications. However, the influences of the intestinal metagenomes and metabolic profiles of patients have not been fully elucidated.MethodsWe administered lactulose, Clostridium butyricum, and Bifidobacterium longum infantis as a synbiotic and used shotgun metagenomics and non-targeted metabolomics to characterize the results.ResultsPatients treated with the synbiotic for 12 weeks had lower dysbiosis index (DI) scores than placebo-treated patients and patients at baseline (NIP group). We identified 48 bacterial taxa enriched in the various groups, 66 differentially expressed genes, 18 differentially expressed virulence factor genes, 10 differentially expressed carbohydrate-active enzyme genes, and 173 metabolites present at differing concentrations in the Synbiotic versus Placebo group, and the Synbiotic versus NIP group. And Bifidobacteria species, especially B. longum, showed positive associations with many differentially expressed genes in synbiotic-treated patients. Metabolites pathway enrichment analysis showed that synbiotic significantly affected purine metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis. And the purine metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis were no longer significant differences in the Synbiotic group versus the healthy controls group. In conclusion, although littles influence on clinical parameters in the early intervention, the synbiotic showed a potential benefit to patients by ameliorating intestinal dysbiosis and metabolic defects; and the DI of intestinal microbiota is useful for the evaluation of the effect of clinical microbiota-targeting strategies on cirrhotic patients.Clinical Trial Registrationhttps://www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifiers NCT05687409.</p