Lifespan gyrification trajectories of human brain in healthy individuals and patients with major psychiatric disorders

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Contralesional Cortical Structural Reorganization Contributes to Motor Recovery after Sub-Cortical Stroke: A Longitudinal Voxel-Based Morphometry Study

Although changes in brain gray matter after stroke have been identified in some neuroimaging studies, lesion heterogeneity and individual variability make the detection of potential neuronal reorganization difficult. This study attempted to investigate the potential structural cortical reorganization after sub-cortical stroke using a longitudinal voxel-based gray matter volume (GMV) analysis. Eleven right-handed patients with first -onset, subcortical, ischemic infarctions involving the basal ganglia regions underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging in addition to National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and Motricity Index assessments in the acute (< 5 days) and chronic stages (1 year later). The GMVs were calculated and compared between the two stages using nonparametric permutation paired t tests. Moreover, the Spearman correlations between the GMV changes and clinical recoveries were analyzed. Compared with the acute stage, significant decreases in GMV were observed in the ipsilesional precentral gyrus (PreCG), paracentral gyrus, and contralesional cerebellar lobule VII in the chronic stage. Additionally, significant increases in GMV were found in the contralesional orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and middle (MFG) and inferior (IFG) frontal gyri. Furthermore, severe GMV atrophy in the ipsilesional PreCG predicted poorer clinical recovery, and greater GMV increases in the contralesional OFG and MFG predicted better clinical recovery. Our findings suggest that structural reorganization of the contralesional ‘cognitive’ cortices might contribute to motor recovery after sub-cortical stroke

Target-Induced Nano-Enzyme Reactor Mediated Hole-Trapping for High-Throughput Immunoassay Based on a Split-Type Photoelectrochemical Detection Strategy

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) detection is an emerging and promising analytical tool. However, its actual application still faces some challenges like potential damage of biomolecules (caused by itself system) and intrinsic low-throughput detection. To solve the problems, herein we design a novel split-type photoelectrochemical immunoassay (STPIA) for ultrasensitive detection of prostate specific antigen (PSA). Initially, the immunoreaction was performed on a microplate using a secondary antibody/primer-circular DNA-labeled gold nanoparticle as the detection tag. Then, numerously repeated oligonucleotide sequences with many biotin moieties were in situ synthesized on the nanogold tag via RCA reaction. The formed biotin concatamers acted as a powerful scaffold to bind with avidin-alkaline phosphatase (ALP) conjugates and construct a nanoenzyme reactor. By this means, enzymatic hydrolysate (ascorbic acid) was generated to capture the photogenerated holes in the CdS quantum dot-sensitized TiO₂ nanotube arrays, resulting in amplification of the photocurrent signal. To elaborate, the microplate-based immunoassay and the high-throughput detection system, a semiautomatic detection cell (installed with a three-electrode system), was employed. Under optimal conditions, the photocurrent increased with the increasing PSA concentration in a dynamic working range from 0.001 to 3 ng mL^–1, with a low detection limit (LOD) of 0.32 pg mL^–1. Meanwhile, the developed split-type photoelectrochemical immunoassay exhibited high specificity and acceptable accuracy for analysis of human serum specimens in comparison with referenced electrochemiluminescence immunoassay method. Importantly, the system was not only suitable for the sandwich-type immunoassay mode, but also utilized for the detection of small molecules (e.g., aflatoxin B₁) with a competitive-type assay format

Plasmonic AuNP/g‑C₃N₄ Nanohybrid-based Photoelectrochemical Sensing Platform for Ultrasensitive Monitoring of Polynucleotide Kinase Activity Accompanying DNAzyme-Catalyzed Precipitation Amplification

A convenient and feasible photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensing platform based on gold nanoparticles-decorated g-C₃N₄ nanosheets (AuNP/g-C₃N₄) was designed for highly sensitive monitoring of T4 polynucleotide kinase (PNK) activity, using DNAzyme-mediated catalytic precipitation amplification. To realize our design, the AuNP/g-C₃N₄ nanohybrid was initially synthesized through in situ reduction of Au­(III) on the g-C₃N₄ nanosheets, which was utilized for the immobilization of hairpin DNA₁ (HP₁) on the sensing interface. Thereafter, a target-induced isothermal amplification was automatically carried out on hairpin DNA₂ (HP₂) in the solution phase through PNK-catalyzed 5′-phosphorylation accompanying formation of numerous trigger DNA fragments, which could induce generation of hemin/G-quadruplex-based DNAzyme on hairpin DNA₁. Subsequently, the DNAzyme could catalyze the 4-chloro-1-naphthol (4-CN) oxidation to produce an insoluble precipitation on the AuNP/g-C₃N₄ surface, thereby resulting in the local alternation of the photocurrent. Experimental results revealed that introduction of AuNP on the g-C₃N₄ could cause a ∼100% increase in the photocurrent because of surface plasmon resonance-enhanced light harvesting and separation of photogenerated e^–/h⁺ pairs. Under the optimal conditions, the percentage of photocurrent decrement (Δ<i>I</i>/<i>I</i>₀, relative to background signal) increased with the increasing PNK activity in a dynamic working range from 2 to 100 mU mL^–1 with a low detection limit (LOD) of 1.0 mU mL^–1. The inhibition effect of adenosine diphosphate also received a good performance in PNK inhibitor screening research, thereby providing a useful scheme for practical use in quantitative PNK activity assay for life science and biological research

High-Resolution Colorimetric Assay for Rapid Visual Readout of Phosphatase Activity Based on Gold/Silver Core/Shell Nanorod

Nanostructure-based visual assay has been developed for determination of enzymatic activity, but most involve in poor visible color resolution and are not suitable for routine utilization. Herein, we designed a high-resolution colorimetric protocol based on gold/silver core/shell nanorod for visual readout of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity by using bare-eyes. The method relied on enzymatic reaction-assisted silver deposition on gold nanorod to generate significant color change, which was strongly dependent on ALP activity. Upon target ALP introduction into the substrate, the ascorbic acid 2-phosphate was hydrolyzed to form ascorbic acid, and then, the generated ascorbic acid reduced silver ion to metal silver and coated on the gold nanorod, thereby resulting in the blue shift of longitudinal localized surface plasmon resonance peak of gold nanorod accompanying a perceptible color change from red to orange to yellow to green to cyan to blue and to violet. Under optimal conditions, the designed method exhibited the wide linear range 5–100 mU mL^–1 ALP with a detection limit of 3.3 mU mL^–1. Moreover, it could be used for the semiquantitative detection of ALP from 20 to 500 mU mL^–1 by using the bare-eyes. The coefficients of variation for intra- and interassay were below 3.5% and 6.2%, respectively. Finally, this method was validated for the analysis of real-life serum samples, giving results matched well with those from the 4-nitrophenyl phosphate disodium salt hexahydrate (pNPP)-based standard method. In addition, the system could even be utilized in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect IgG at picomol concentration. With the merits of simplification, low cost, user-friendliness, and sensitive readout, the gold nanorod-based colorimetric assay has the potential to be utilized by the public and opens a new horizon for bioassays

Lifespan gyrification trajectories of human brain in healthy individuals and patients with major psychiatric disorders

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Ultrasensitive and Specific Phage@DNAzyme Probe-Triggered Fluorescent Click Chemistry for On-Site Detection of Foodborne Pathogens Using a Smartphone

Rapid, specific, and on-site detection of virulent foodborne pathogenic strains plays a key role in controlling food safety. In this work, an ultrasensitive and specific Phage@DNAzyme signal probe was designed to detect foodborne pathogens. The proposed sensing probe was composed of the selected phage and functionalized DNAzyme, which realized the specific recognition of target foodborne pathogens at the strain level and the efficient catalysis of copper(II) based azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) click reaction with fluorescent signal, respectively. As a proof of concept, the virulent Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7) as the representative analyte was first enriched and purified from the complex food samples by a 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid-modified gold slide. Following, the Phage@DNAzyme probes were specifically combined with the captured E. coli O157: H7 and catalyzed the click reaction between 3-azido-7-hydroxycoumarin and 3-butyn-1-ol with the assistance of Cu(II) to generate a visual fluorescent signal. Finally, the corresponding fluorescent signals were measured by a smartphone to quantify the target concentrations. Under optimized conditions, the bioassay exhibited a wide linear range from 102 to 108 CFU/mL and the detection limit was 50 CFU/mL (S/N = 3). It was further extended to the detection of another foodborne pathogen Salmonella typhimurium with satisfying sensing performances. This work gives a new path for developing rapid, specific, and on-site detection methods for trace levels of pathogenic strains in foods

Enhanced virus resistance in transgenic maize expressing a dsRNA-specific endoribonuclease gene from E. coli.

Maize rough dwarf disease (MRDD), caused by several Fijiviruses in the family Reoviridae, is a global disease that is responsible for substantial yield losses in maize. Although some maize germplasm have low levels of polygenic resistance to MRDD, highly resistant cultivated varieties are not available for agronomic field production in China. In this work, we have generated transgenic maize lines that constitutively express rnc70, a mutant E. coli dsRNA-specific endoribonuclease gene. Transgenic lines were propagated and screened under field conditions for 12 generations. During three years of evaluations, two transgenic lines and their progeny were challenged with Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV), the causal agent of MRDD in China, and these plants exhibited reduced levels of disease severity. In two normal years of MRDD abundance, both lines were more resistant than non-transgenic plants. Even in the most serious MRDD year, six out of seven progeny from one line were resistant, whereas non-transgenic plants were highly susceptible. Molecular approaches in the T12 generation revealed that the rnc70 transgene was integrated and expressed stably in transgenic lines. Under artificial conditions permitting heavy virus inoculation, the T12 progeny of two highly resistant lines had a reduced incidence of MRDD and accumulation of RBSDV in infected plants. In addition, we confirmed that the RNC70 protein could bind directly to RBSDV dsRNA in vitro. Overall, our data show that RNC70-mediated resistance in transgenic maize can provide efficient protection against dsRNA virus infection