Lectinomics I. Relevance of exogenous plant lectins in biomedical diagnostics

This review focuses on utilization of plant lectins as medical diagnostic reagents and tools. The lectin-related diagnostic is aimed at detection of several diseases connected to alteration of the glycosylation profiles of cells and at identification of microbial and viral agents in clinical microbiology. Certain lectins, proposed for or used as diagnostic tools could even recognize those cellular determinants, which are not detected by available antibodies. Broad information is presented on the lectinomics field, illustrating that lectin diagnostics might become practical alternative to antibody-based diagnostic products. In addition, the rising trend of lectin utilization in biomedical diagnostics might initiate a development of innovative methods based on better analytical technologies. Lectin microarray, a rapid and simple methodology, can be viewed as an example for such initiative. This technology could provide simple and efficient screening tools for analysis of glycosylation patterns in biological samples (cellular extracts, tissues and the whole cells), allowing thus personalized detection of changes associated with carbohydrate-related diseases.     

Sensitive monitoring of riboflavin in commercial multivitamins using poly (chitosan)‐based nanocomposite

The rapid and sensitive determination of riboflavin (RF) is important for the treatment of seborrheic and glossitis dermatitis, sunlight sensitivity, mucosal, and skin disorders. In this work, an electrochemical sensor was developed by electrodes modification using poly (chitosan) to sensitive detection of RF in commercial multivitamin. Electrodeposition of chitosan on the surface of glass carbon electrode was performed using cyclic voltammetry technique in the range of ?1 to +1 V. The modified electrode surface morphology was characterized using a high‐resolution field emission scanning electron microscope. The modified electrode was used as an effective electrical interface for the detection of RF using cyclic, differential pulse, and square wave voltammetry techniques. Finally, the sensor was applied to determine RF in commercial multivitamins. In optimum conditions, the linear range for the standard sample of RF and commercial multivitamins 94 to 333μM and 24.6 to 176μM were obtained, respectively. Low limit of quantification (LLOQ) were obtained as 24.6μM.     

Knowledge Mapping of Opuntia Milpa Alta Since 1998: A Scientometric Analysis

Opuntia Milpa Alta is a cactus cultivated, domesticated, hybridized and selected from the plant Opuntia ficus-indica by Mexican agricultural experts, which can be used as fruit and vegetable. Opuntia Milpa Alta leaves and fruit are superior to wild varieties and suitable for storage and transportation. In 1998, Opuntia Milpa Alta was introduced to China from Mexico by the Quality Product Development Center of the Ministry of Agriculture of China. Up to now, the Opuntia Milpa Alta has been cultivated on a certain scale in China. This study aims to identify the research progress and development trends of Opuntia Milpa Alta in China. Papers published between 1998 to 2019 from two major Chinese academic databases (CNKI and Wangfang) with a topic search related to Opuntia Milpa Alta were collected. The research progress and development trends were analyzed based on CiteSpace software of text mining and visualization. The analysis found that Opuntia Milpa Alta has gone through three obvious research phases after being introduced to China. In the first phase, the researchers paid attention to its cultivation method. Subsequently, researchers began to use extraction methods to extract some of its components, such as polysaccharides and flavonoids. Finally, these extracted ingredients began to be used in some biomedical research.     

Aidi injection,a traditional Chinese biomedical preparation for gynecologic tumors: a systematic review and PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis

Aidi injection (ADI), a traditional Chinese biomedical preparation, is a promising adjuvant therapy for gynecologic tumors (GTs), including cervical cancer (CC), endometrial cancer (EC), and ovarian cancer (OC). Although studies have reported positively on ADI therapy, its exact effects and safety in GT patients remain controversial. Therefore, a wide-ranging systematic search of electronic databases was performed for this meta-analysis. Data from 38 trials including 3309 GT patients were analyzed. The results indicated that the combination of conventional treatment and ADI markedly improved the patients’ overall response rate (P<0.00001), disease control rate (P<0.00001), and quality of life (P<0.05) compared with conventional treatment alone. Furthermore, patient immunity was enhanced with combined treatment, as indicated by significantly increased percentages of CD3⁺ (P=0.005) and CD4⁺ (P<0.00001) and increased CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio (P=0.001). Most of the adverse events caused by radiochemotherapy such as gastrointestinal issues, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and hepatotoxicity, (P<0.05 for all) were significantly alleviated when ADI was used in the GT patients. However, other adverse events such as nephrotoxicity, diarrhea, alopecia, and neurotoxicity did not significantly differ between the two groups. Overall, these results suggest that the combination of conventional and ADI treatment is more effective than conventional treatment alone.     

Field of genes: the politics of science and identity in the Estonian genome project

This case study of the Estonian Genome Project (EGP) analyses the Estonian policy decision to construct a national human gene bank. Drawing upon qualitative data from newspaper articles and public policy documents, it focuses on how proponents use discourse to link the EGP to the broader political goal of securing Estonia's position within the Western/European scientific and cultural space. This dominant narrative is then situated within the analytical notion of the “brand state”, which raises potentially negative political consequences for this type of market‐driven genomic research. Considered against the increasing number of countries engaging in gene bank and/or gene database projects, this analysis of Estonia elucidates issues that cross national boundaries, while also illuminating factors specific to this small, post‐Soviet state as it enters the global biocybernetic economy.     

基于光学相干检测的非接触全光学光声显微镜

报道了一种非接触、宽频带、联合微型激光器和低相干迈克尔逊干涉仪的全光学光声显微镜(BD-AOPAM)、光学相干层析系统(OCT)的硬件用于光声信号的检测。目前全光学光声显微镜可检测到的带宽为67 MHz,用碳纤维测得系统的横向分辨率可以达到10.8μm。进一步的,利用包埋头发丝的模拟样品和在体小鼠耳朵血管来验证系统的成像能力。实验结果表明,这种全光学光声显微镜可以在体的实现组织高分辨率的成像,有望成为一种便携式非接触的光声显微镜应用于生物医学当中。     

磁性纳米材料的生物医学应用进展

以四氧化三铁为代表的医用磁性纳米材料具有独特的磁学性能、表面易功能化、良好的生物学相容性等特点,在纳米医学相关领域展现出巨大的应用前景,特别是近年来它作为可介导外场的智能材料,在材料设计和生物医学应用方面均取得了突破性的进展.鉴于此,本文围绕磁性氧化铁纳米材料的生物医学应用,着重介绍近年来其在磁共振影像探针、磁热和磁力效应的生物医学应用、诊疗一体化以及纳米酶催化等领域的研究进展,并对磁性纳米材料在生物医学领域未来的发展方向进行了展望.     

Distinguishing structural features between Crohn's disease and gastrointestinal luminal tuberculosis using Mueller matrix derived parameters

Recently, the incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases, especially the Crohn's disease (CD) and gastrointestinal luminal tuberculosis (ITB), has grown rapidly worldwide. Currently there is no general gold standard to distinguish between CD and ITB tissues, which both have tuberculosis and surrounding fibrous structures. Mueller matrix imaging technique is suitable for describing the location, density and distribution behavior of such fibrous structures. In this study, we apply the Mueller matrix microscopic imaging to the CD and ITB tissue samples. The 2D Mueller matrix images of the CD and ITB tissue slices are measured using the Mueller matrix microscope developed in our previous study, then the Mueller matrix polar decomposition and Mueller matrix transformation parameters are calculated. To evaluate the distribution features of the fibrous structures surrounding the tuberculosis areas more quantitatively and precisely, we analyze the retardance related Mueller matrix derived parameters, which show clear different distribution behaviors between the CD and ITB tissues, using the Tamura image processing method. It is demonstrated that the Mueller matrix derived parameters can reveal the structural features of tuberculosis areas and be used as quantitative indicators to distinguish between CD and ITB tissues, which may be useful for the clinical diagnosis.      

Latest Advances on Bacterial Cellulose‐Based Materials for Wound Healing,Delivery Systems,and Tissue Engineering

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a nanocellulose form produced by some nonpathogenic bacteria. BC presents unique physical, chemical, and biological properties that make it a very versatile material and has found application in several fields, namely in food industry, cosmetics, and biomedicine. This review overviews the latest state‐of‐the‐art usage of BC on three important areas of the biomedical field, namely delivery systems, wound dressing and healing materials, and tissue engineering for regenerative medicine. BC will be reviewed as a promising biopolymer for the design and development of innovative materials for the mentioned applications. Overall, BC is shown to be an effective and versatile carrier for delivery systems, a safe and multicustomizable patch or graft for wound dressing and healing applications, and a material that can be further tuned to better adjust for each tissue engineering application, by using different methods.