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The development of a sensitive, facile, and cost-effective colorimetric method is of great significance for the point-of-care testing of viral nucleic acid. Herein, we reported a strand displacement amplification assisted CRISPR-Cas12a (SDACC) method for the colorimetric analysis of viral nucleic acid. The hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA was chosen as the target to trigger strand displacement amplification (SDA) and generate abundant single-strand DNA (ssDNA) products. The ssDNA amplicon hybridized with template DNA to activate the trans-cleavage activity of CRISPR-Cas12a, leading to the nonspecific cleavage of ssDNA on GOx-ssDNA-modified magnetic beads and the release of GOx. The released GOx was capable of catalyzing the substrate solution to generate a color change, which could be directly observed by naked eyes. The SDACC strategy could identify a single-base mismatch located in the DNA sequence and achieve a sensitive detection for HBV DNA with the limit of detection as low as 41.8 fM. Notably, the sophisticated primer design for target amplification and complicated detection process could be circumvented. The current approach realizes a simple, low-cost, and sensitive colorimetric detection for viral nucleic acid and holds great promise for the practical application of virus infection diagnosis.SARS-CoV-2 triggered a worldwide pandemic disease, COVID-19, for which an effective treatment has not yet been settled. Among the most promising targets to fight this disease is SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), which has been extensively studied in the last few months. There is an urgency for developing effective computational protocols that can help us tackle these key viral proteins. Hence, we have put together a robust and thorough pipeline of in silico protein-ligand characterization methods to address one of the biggest biological problems currently plaguing our world. These methodologies were used to characterize the interaction of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with an α-ketoamide inhibitor and include details on how to upload, visualize, and manage the three-dimensional structure of the complex and acquire high-quality figures for scientific publications using PyMOL (Protocol 1); perform homology modeling with MODELLER (Protocol 2); perform protein-ligand docking calculations using HADDOCK (Protocol 3); run a virtual screening protocol of a small compound database of SARS-CoV-2 candidate inhibitors with AutoDock 4 and AutoDock Vina (Protocol 4); and, finally, sample the conformational space at the atomic level between SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and the α-ketoamide inhibitor with Molecular Dynamics simulations using GROMACS (Protocol 5). Guidelines for careful data analysis and interpretation are also provided for each Protocol.d-Allulose is considered an ideal alternative to sucrose and has shown tremendous application potential in many fields. Recently, most efforts on production of d-allulose have focused on in vitro enzyme-catalyzed epimerization of cheap hexoses. Here, we proposed an approach to efficiently produce d-allulose through fermentation using metabolically engineered Escherichia coli JM109 (DE3), in which a SecY (ΔP) channel and a d-allulose 3-epimerase (DPEase) were co-expressed, ensuring that d-fructose could be transported in its nonphosphorylated form and then converted into d-allulose by cells. Further deletion of fruA, manXYZ, mak, galE, and fruK and the use of Ni2+ in a medium limited the carbon flux flowing into the byproduct-generating pathways and the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway, achieving a ≈ 0.95 g/g yield of d-allulose on d-fructose using E. coli (DPEase, SecY [ΔP], ΔFruA, ΔManXYZ, ΔMak, ΔGalE, ΔFruK) and 8 μM Ni2+. In fed-batch fermentation, the titer of d-allulose reached ≈23.3 g/L.The conventional tissue biopsy method yields isolated snapshots of a narrow region. Therefore, it cannot facilitate comprehensive disease characterization and monitoring. Recently, the detection of tumor-derived components in body fluids─a practice known as liquid biopsy─has attracted increased attention from the biochemical research and clinical application viewpoints. In this vein, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has been identified as one of the most powerful liquid-biopsy analysis techniques, owing to its high sensitivity and specificity. Moreover, it affords high-capacity spectral multiplexing for simultaneous target detection and a unique ability to obtain intrinsic biomolecule-fingerprint spectra. This paper presents the fabrication of silver nanosnowflakes (SNSFs) using the polyol method and their subsequent dropping onto a hydrophobic filter paper. The SERS substrate, which comprises the SNSFs and hydrophobic filter paper, facilitates the simultaneous detection of creatinine and cortisol in human sweat using a hand-held Raman spectrometer. The proposed SERS system affords Raman spectrometry to be performed on small sample volumes (2 μL) to identify the normal and at-risk creatinine and cortisol groups.Intracellular pH homeostasis is essential for the survival and function of biological cells. Negatively charged molecular probes, such as pyranine (HPTS), tend to exhibit poor salt tolerance and unsatisfactory cell permeability, limiting their widespread use in intracellular assays. Herein, we explored a charge neutralization strategy using multicharged cationic nanocarriers for an efficient and stable assembly with the pH-sensitive HPTS. Through immobilization and neutralization with poly(allylamine hydrochloride)-stabilized red-emitting gold nanoclusters (PAH-AuNCs), the resulting nanoprobes (HPTS-PAH-AuNCs) offered improved salt tolerance, satisfactory cell permeability, and dual-emission properties. The fluorescence ratio exhibited a linear response over the pH range of 3.0-9.0. Moreover, the proposed HPTS-PAH-AuNCs were successfully applied to determine and visualize lysosomal pH variations in living cells, which indicated great potential for biosensing and bioimaging applications in living systems. Benefiting from the charge neutralization strategy, various types of probes can be expected to achieve broader analytical applications.The removal of CO2 from gases is an important industrial process in the transition to a low-carbon economy. The use of selective physical (co-)solvents is especially perspective in cases when the amount of CO2 is large as it enables one to lower the energy requirements for solvent regeneration. However, only a few physical solvents have found industrial application and the design of new ones can pave the way to more efficient gas treatment techniques. Experimental screening of gas solubility is a labor-intensive process, and solubility modeling is a viable strategy to reduce the number of solvents subject to experimental measurements. In this paper, a chemoinformatics-based modeling workflow was applied to build a predictive model for the solubility of CO2 and four other industrially important gases (CO, CH4, H2, and N2). A dataset containing solubilities of gases in 280 solvents was collected from literature sources and supplemented with the new data for six solvents measured in the present study. read more A modeling workflow based on the usage of several state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms was applied to establish quantitative structure-solubility relationships. The best models were used to perform virtual screening of the industrially produced chemicals. It enabled the identification of compounds with high predicted CO2 solubility and selectivity toward other gases. The prediction for one of the compounds, 4-methylmorpholine, was confirmed experimentally.

Data on the clinical manifestations and pregnancy outcomes of pregnant women with COVID-19 are limited, particularly in developing countries. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical manifestations and pregnancy outcomes in COVID-19 maternal cases in a large referral hospital in Indonesia.

This study used a prospective cohort design and included all pregnant women with suspected COVID-19. Subjects were divided into COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 groups based on the results of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2. Clinical characteristics, laboratory results, and pregnancy outcomes were compared between the two groups.

Of the 141 suspected maternal cases, 62 cases were COVID-19-confirmed (43.9%), while 79 suspected cases were negative (56.1%). The clinical manifestations and laboratory findings between the two groups were not significantly different (P>0.05). However, the maternal mortality directly caused by COVID-19 was significantly higher than that in the non-COVID-19 group (8.3% vs. 1.3%; P=0.044; OR 6.91, 95% CI 0.79-60.81).

The clinical manifestations and laboratory results of suspected pregnant women with positive and negative RT-PCR COVID-19 results were similar. However, within the Indonesian setting, COVID-19 significantly increases the risk of maternal death through both direct and indirect factors.

The clinical manifestations and laboratory results of suspected pregnant women with positive and negative RT-PCR COVID-19 results were similar. However, within the Indonesian setting, COVID-19 significantly increases the risk of maternal death through both direct and indirect factors.

To evaluate the efficacy of vaginal hysterectomy combined with anterior and posterior colporrhaphy (VH APR) for the management of pelvic organ prolapse (POP).

A total of 610 patients with POP who underwent VH APR from January 2010 to June 2019 at Asan Medical Center were included in this study. We analyzed the patient characteristics and surgical outcomes. In addition, we compared the POP quantification system (POP-Q) pre- and postoperatively at 2 weeks, 3 months, and 1 year, and analyzed the risk factors for recurrence.

The mean age of the patients was 65.5±7.6 years. The most common preoperative POP-Q stage was stage 2 (60.8%), followed by stage 3 (35.9%). Complications were identified during surgery in 1.6% of the patients. The most common postoperative complication (6.4%) was voiding difficulty. All POP-Q scores significantly decreased at 1 year after surgery (P<0.0001). The recurrence rate was 9.6%, and most recurrences (77.5%) occurred in the anterior compartment. An advanced stage of preoperative POP was a risk factor for recurrence (stage 3 or 4 vs. stage 1 or 2; odds ratio [OR] 5.337, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.58-11.036, P<0.0001). Only two patients underwent surgical correction for POP recurrence, and most of the remaining patients did not undergo further treatment for prolapse.

VH APR is a safe and effective surgical procedure for POP, with a low recurrence rate. In addition, advanced preoperative stage was the only risk factor for recurrent POP.

VH APR is a safe and effective surgical procedure for POP, with a low recurrence rate. In addition, advanced preoperative stage was the only risk factor for recurrent POP.

The diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis (Itbc) is often challenging. Therapeutic anti-tubercular trial (TATT) is sometimes used for the diagnosis of Itbc. We aimed to evaluate the changing pattern of fecal calprotectin (FC) levels during TATT in patients with Itbc.

A retrospective review was performed on the data of 39 patients who underwent TATT between September 2015 and November 2018 in five university hospitals in Daegu, South Korea. The analysis was performed for 33 patients with serial FC measurement reports.

The mean age of the participants was 48.8 years. The final diagnosis of Itbc was confirmed in 30 patients based on complete mucosal healing on follow-up colonoscopy performed after 2 months of TATT. Before starting TATT, the mean FC level of the Itbc patients was 170.2 μg/g (range, 11.5-646.5). It dropped to 25.4 μg/g (range, 11.5-75.3) and then 23.3 μg/g (range, 11.5-172.2) after one and two months of TATT, respectively. The difference in mean FC before and one month after TATT was statistically significant (p<0.