A fluorescent immunosensor on optical fibre for the multiplex detection of proinflammatory cytokines

Cytokines are typical mediators of the immune response. Single cytokine measurement is unable to reflect the true complexity of these physiological processes and multiplex detection is required. In this work, we developed an optical fibre based biosensor for multiplex detection of cytokines. This multiplex biosensor has been successfully applied for the measurement of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the linear range of 12.5–200 pg mL−1 with the limit of detection (LOD) of 12.5 pg mL−1. Additionally, it has compatible performance with ELISA kit for the monitoring of cytokines from rat PBMC cell culture mediums stimulated by LPS or UV radiation. Moreover, this universal platform could be applied for multiplex detection of other proteins by simply changing the capture/detection antibody pairs. This fibre based multiplex biosensor is designed for in-situ measurement of target cytokines, which is significant for the investigation of inflammatory processes or disease prognosis and treatment monitoring

Thermally Activated Reversible Threshold Shifts in Yba\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eCu\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3eO\u3csub\u3e7-δ\u3c/sub\u3e/Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia/Si Capacitors

Yba2Cu3O7-δ/yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ)/silicon superconductor–insulator–semiconductor capacitors are characterized with capacitance‐voltage (C‐V) measurements at different gate‐voltage sweep rates and under bias‐temperature cycling. It is shown that ionic conduction in YSZ causes both hysteresis and stretch‐out in room‐temperature C‐V curves. A thermally activated process with an activation energy of about 39 meV in YSZ and/or at YSZ/Si interface is attributed to trapping/detrapping mechanisms in the SiOx interfacial layer between YSZ and Si. The negative mobile ions in YSZ can be moved by an applied electric field at room temperature and then ‘‘frozen’’ with decreasing temperature, giving rise to adjustable threshold voltages at low temperatures