Performance of Detecting IgM Antibodies against Enterovirus 71 for Early Diagnosis

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection is more likely to induce severe complications and mortality than other enteroviruses. Methods for detection of IgM antibody against EV71 had been established for years, however, the performance of the methods in the very early diagnosis of EV71 infection had not been fully evaluated, which is especially meaningful because of the short incubation period of EV71 infection. In this report, the performance of an IgM anti-EV71 assay was evaluated using acute sera collected from 165 EV71 infected patients, 165 patients infected with other enteroviruses, and more than 2,000 sera from healthy children or children with other infected diseases. The results showed a 90% sensitivity in 20 patients who were in their first illness day, and similar sensitivity remained till 4 days after onset. After then the sensitivity increased to 95% to 100% for more than one month. The specificity of the assay in non-HFMD children is 99.1% (95% CI: 98.6–99.4), similar as the 99.9% specificity in healthy adults. The cross-reaction rate in patients infected with other non-EV71 enteroviruses was 11.4%. In conclusion, the data here presented show that the detection of IgM anti-EV71 by ELISA affords a reliable, convenient, and prompt diagnosis of EV71 infection

A novel carbazole derivative containing fluorobenzene unit: aggregation-induced fluorescence emission, polymorphism, mechanochromism and non-reversible thermo-stimulus fluorescence

Herein, a novel carbazole derivative ((E)-2-(1-(9-butyl-9H-carbazol-3-yl)-3-(4-fluoro-phenyl)allylidene)malononitrile (3)) containing multi-cyano group and 4-fluoro-benzene unit was synthesized. This compound displayed aggregation-induced emission properties owing to the highly twisted conformation. It exhibited multi solid-state fluorescence emissions (yellow (3Y) and orange (3O)) and two crystalline polymorphs. Through single crystal structural analysis, we observed compound 3 with different conformations and variable molecular packing modes, which resulted in different solid-state fluorescence emissions, polymorphism, mechanochromic behaviors and unique non-reversible thermo-stimulus fluorescence. The fluorescence emission of the yellow solid displayed distinct red-shift after grinding, which is attributed to the breakup of the crystal structure, while that of the orange solid was not evident due to its stable and ordered molecular packing. Additionally, the yellow solid (3Y) also exhibited thermo-stimulus fluorescence, turning into 3O, and crystal phase transition. The lower energy and the compact packing modes of 3O should be collectively responsible for the unique behavior.No Full Tex

High-Efficiency Plasma Separator Based on Immunocapture and Filtration

The shortcomings of standard plasma-separation methods limit the point-of-care application of microfluidics in clinical facilities and at the patient’s bedside. To overcome the limitations of this inconvenient, laborious, and costly technique, a new plasma-separation technique and device were developed. This new separation method relies on immunological capture and filtration to exclude cells from plasma, and is convenient, easy to use, and cost-effective. Most of the RBCs can be captured and immobilized by antibody which coated in separation matrix, and residue cells can be totally removed from the sample by a commercially plasma purification membranes. A 400 µL anti-coagulated whole blood sample with 65% hematocrit (Hct) can be separated by the device in 5 min with only one pipette. Up to 97% of the plasma can be recovered from the raw blood sample with a separation efficiency at 100%. The recovery rate of small molecule compounds, proteins, and nucleic acid biomarkers is evaluated; there are no obvious differences from the centrifuge method. The results demonstrate that this method is an excellent replacement for traditional plasma preparation protocols.</jats:p