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Obesity has been increasing in many regions of the world, including Europe, USA, and Korea. To manage obesity, we should consider it as a disease and apply therapeutic methods for its treatment. Molecular and therapeutic approaches for obesity management involve regulating biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, and protein in adipose-derived stem cells to prevent to be fat cells. Multiple factors are believed to play a role in fat differentiation, with one of the most effective factor is Ca2+. We recently reported that the electromagnetic perceptive gene (EPG) regulated intracellular Ca2+ levels under various electromagnetic fields. This study aimed to investigate whether EPG could serve as a therapeutic method against obesity. We confirmed that EPG serves as a modulator of Ca2+ levels in primary adipose cells, thereby regulating several genes such as CasR, PPARγ, GLU4, GAPDH during the adipogenesis. In addition, this study also identified EPG-mediated regulation of myogenesis that myocyte transcription factors (CasR, MyoG, MyoD, Myomaker) were changed in C2C12 cells and satellite cells. In vivo experiments carried out in this study confirmed that total weight/ fat/fat accumulation were decreased and lean mass was increased by EPG with magnetic field depending on age of mice. The EPG could serve as a potent therapeutic agent against obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a single-step, room-temperature synthesis of fluorescent organosilica nanobeads (FOS NBs). The FOS NBs were synthesized under aqueous conditions using (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) as the silicon source in the presence of l-ascorbic acid (L-AA). In the APTES/L-AA/water ternary phase, the hydrolysis and condensation reaction of APTES occurred under acidic conditions to form spherical FOS NBs with an average diameter of 426.8 nm. FOS NBs exhibit excellent colloidal stability in aqueous media. The formation of FOS NBs was complete within a 10 min reaction time, which indicates potential for large-scale mass-production synthesis of luminescent colloidal NBs. The FOS NBs exhibited blue photoluminescence (PL) under UV excitation in the absence of an additional high temperature calcination process or with the incorporation of any fluorophores. This phenomenon is attributed to the presence of carbon-containing defects, which act as luminescent centers formed by the reaction between amino groups in the APTES and l-ascorbic acid reductant. Finally, the results of a cytotoxicity test and cellular uptake experiments revealed that the FOS NBs showed potential as optical contrast agents for bioimaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental pollution arising from plastic waste is a major global concern. Plastic macroparticles, microparticles, and nanoparticles have the potential to affect marine ecosystems and human health. It is generally accepted that microplastic particles are not harmful or at best minimal to human health. However direct contact with microplastic particles may have possible adverse effect in cellular level. Primary polystyrene (PS) particles were the focus of this study, and we investigated the potential impacts of these microplastics on human health at the cellular level. We determined that PS particles were potential immune stimulants that induced cytokine and chemokine production in a size-dependent and concentration-dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea bass can regulate the concentration of Na+, K+, and Cl-, among other ions, in their blood, skin, gills, and kidney. Therefore, the salinity of the water does not have a great influence on their metabolism, and sea bass can live in both sea and freshwater in accordance with the salt concentration. Most salinity control occurs in the gills, primarily through the control of chloride cells present there. The concentration of ions in the blood is controlled by the cotransporter Na+ / K+ / 2Cl- (NKCC) in the chloride cell, and the subunits of Na+ / K+ ATPase (NKA) function to maintain homeostasis. The expression of NKA is regulated by subunits of the protein FXYD, allowing the sea bass to survive in compliance with the salinity. In this way, it is possible for sea bass to live in sea and freshwater by controlling the salinity of its body using functions of various channels, proteins, and genes present in the chloride cells of sea bass. In this study, we investigated recent studies of salt control mechanisms in sea bass and their application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polysaccharide and biopolymer, beta-glucan, has been used for the purpose of enhancing immunity and its use as a drug delivery system has been diversified. Betaglucan, a triple helix structure, is unstructured to single strands by heat, DMSO or NaOH. Synthesis of beta-glucan nanoparticles using DMSO and water is easy and fast, but its size is limited. In this study, beta-glucan nanoparticles (GluNPs) were prepared by slicing beta-glucan into low molecular weight using various concentrations of Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). TFA-treated GluNPs showed a minimum size of 250 nm. In addition, there is no abnormality in the characteristic of the functional groups of the nanoparticle surface after the acid treatment allowing GluNPs use in immune cell activation. Also, the efficiency of GluNPs as a drug or DNA carrier was confirmed by inserting ssDNA into the glucan triple helix structure. Beta-glucan nanoparticles developed in this study would be expected to be used for genetic material delivery and immune response enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, immunosensors have attracted attention because they are widely applied for the detection of various pathogens. Among the commonly used immunosensors, the optical immunosensor features prominently as an effective tool for the quantification of the amount of antibodies, antigens, or haptens in complex samples with high sensitivity and specificity. However, very few studies provide comprehensive overviews of optical immunosensors. In this review, we present various methods and applications of optical immunosensors in pathogen detection. We introduced a concise definition of optical immunosensors and the principle of using them for detection. We subsequently discuss the main categories of optical immunosensors and their application to the detection of pathogens, as well as their advantages and limitations. Recent publications from 2006 to 2015 on variously designed optical immunosensors have also been updated. We conclude the review with a brief summary and discuss future directions of optical immunosensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunoassays are analytical methods using antibody-specific reactions to analyze samples. Due to recent developments in antibody technology, the scope of potential samples has expanded to not only proteins, but also low molecular-weight compounds, carbohydrates, lipids, and microorganisms. Immunoassays have the advantage of being highly sensitive, capable of detecting small amounts, and thus have potential for application in biosensors. Immunoassays using magnetic beads have been developed and can be converted to more diverse platforms than the existing limited well plate-based assay. Furthermore, magnetic bead immunoassays detect analytical samples more quickly, and are becoming one of the most suitable immunoassay tools applicable to biosensors. However, their development requires optimization for the improvement of detection ability for specific samples. Therefore, we propose a guideline for solving detection problems occurring in magnetic bead immunoassay optimization processes. It is aimed to be a good reference, enabling researchers performing such optimization more quickly and efficiently [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofilms have been shown to cause most human infections. The prevention and extermination of bacterial biofilms has always presented a major challenge in the clinic. The failure of traditional antibiotics and the development of bacterial resistance against these measures is on the rise. Nanoscale materials possess the advantage of presenting enhanced surface properties of bulk materials, and are emerging as effective agents for deterring microbial growth. This review article summarizes the fundamentals of bacterial growth, biofilm formation, mechanisms for antibacterial technologies, and usage of nanoparticles for the prevention and extermination of biofilms. Further research is required with respect to the appropriate usage of nanoparticles for the effective control of biofilms to save human lives and reduce healthcare costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reference 1 Baipaywad P, Hong SV, Kim JB, Hwang J, Choi J, Park H, Paik T. Single-step acid-catalyzed synthesis of luminescent colloidal organosilica nanobeads. B Correction: Nano Convergence (2022) 9:12 b https://doi.org/10.1186/s40580-022-00303-z Following publication of the original article [[1]], the author noticed the error in Acknowledgement section. [Extracted from the article]