Search

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical application value of noninvasive prenatal testing from DNA (NIPT) and serum screening for screening in detecting fetal trisomy 21 and 18. Methods: As a retrospective analysis, we collected data from 1383 women (singleton pregnancy) who underwent serum screening and noninvasive prenatal testing from DNA (NIPT) in our department from May 2015 to September 2017 and calculated the diagnostic value of the two methods. Results: In 1383 cases, the sensitivity of serum screening to trisomy 21 and 18 was 76.9%, specificity 74.7%, PPV 2.9%, NPV 99.7%, and AUC 0.758 (95% CI: 0.625-0.891). The sensitivity of noninvasive prenatal testing from DNA (NIPT) to trisomy 21 and 18 was 100%, specificity 99.8%, PPV 81%, NPV 100%, and AUC 0.999 (95% CI: 0.000-1.000). Conclusion: Serum screening can detect high-risk pregnant women in time, but the incidence of false positives and negatives is high; the accuracy of noninvasive prenatal testing from DNA (NIPT) is high, which can effectively reduce the rate of defective babies.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials such as transition metal chalcogenides can be used to create different components of electronic devices, including semiconducting channels and metallic electrodes and interconnects. However, devices are typically fabricated using a step-by-step process that can introduce defects and impurities, leading to a reduction in device performance. Here we show that 2D electronic components can be chemically synthesized and integrated simultaneously in a single step, creating 2D devices in which each component in the active layer is connected via covalent bonds instead of physical interfaces. The approach involves the phase-patterned growth of atomic layers, and, using 2D molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe 2 ) as the active material, we show that it can be used to construct high-performance field-effect transistors (FETs) and arrays of logic devices. We also use the technique to construct FETs with ultrashort gate lengths, bilayered FETs with vertical interconnections and flexible devices.

Metal chalcogenide nanocrystals with variable composition and shape can conveniently be produced using cation exchange synthesis; however, the presence of cation‐containing ligands inherited from the starting material often results in contamination of the final product. To address this issue, a two‐step ligand replacement strategy is developed to fabricate CuInSe2/CuInS2 nanorods from CdSe/CdS nanorods via removal of Cd‐phosphonates from an intermediate Cu2‐xSe/Cu2‐xS phase used in the cation exchange conversion. This synthetic approach furnishes CuInSe2/CuInS2 nanorods with cadmium content below 1 at.%, and high photoluminescence quantum yields reaching 40% in the near‐infrared spectral range. Transient absorption studies reveal that the band alignment in the CuInSe2/CuInS2 heterostructure features a quasi‐type II character, with an electron localized in the core and a hole wavefunction spread over the entire nanorod. The efficient passivation of the core and the reduced Cd content leads to excitonic emission with full width at half maximum down to 110 meV, superimposed with a broad emission band from copper‐induced defects. Field‐effect transistors based on cadmium‐free CuInSe2/CuInS2 nanorods show two orders of magnitude lower noise current density compared with the cadmium‐rich devices. The responsivity and specific detectivity of these devices reach 230 mA W−1 and 108 Jones, respectively, under near‐infrared excitation at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atomically dispersed catalysts refer to substrate-supported heterogeneous catalysts featuring one or a few active metal atoms that are separated from one another. They represent an important class of materials ranging from single-atom catalysts (SACs) and nanoparticles (NPs). While SACs and NPs have been extensively reported, catalysts featuring a few atoms with well-defined structures are poorly studied. The difficulty in synthesizing such structures has been a critical challenge. Here we report a facile photochemical method that produces catalytic centers consisting of two Ir metal cations, bridged by O and stably bound to a support. Direct evidence unambiguously supporting the dinuclear nature of the catalysts anchored on α-Fe2O3 is obtained by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (AC-STEM). Experimental and computational results further reveal that the threefold hollow binding sites on the OH-terminated surface of α-Fe2O3 anchor the catalysts to provide outstanding stability against detachment or aggregation. The resulting catalysts exhibit high activities toward H2O photooxidation.

Rapid detection is crucial for the control and management of infectious diseases. The lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (LFIA) is a prevalent method for quick diagnostics. However, its sensitivity remains a significant limitation. In this study, we report the development of an enhanced test line for LFIA, incorporating spherical polyelectrolyte brushes (SPBs) to create a nanoparticle (NP)-based 3D antigen capture matrix, resulting in increased sensitivity for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigens and inactivated viruses. SPBs, characterized by their densely charged polymer-decorated polystyrene NPs, enable efficient immobilization of capture antibodies. By sufficiently utilizing this nanoscale feature of SPBs, a robust "antigen capture matrix" through the volumetric layering of SPBs NPs was established on the LFIA test line. This modification, denoted as the LFIA-SPB strip, retains the foundational architecture and signal interpretation duration of standard LFIA while significantly improving its analytical performance. The limit of detection (LOD) value for detection of SARS-CoV-2 recombinant antigen was improved from 255.90 pg/mL of traditional LFIA to 81.33 pg/mL of LFIA-SPB. It also demonstrated exceptional specificity for SARS-CoV-2 in the presence of other respiratory viruses, achieving a LOD of 0.26 TCID50/mL and a cutoff limit of 0.62 TCID50/mL by naked eye for the inactivated wild type variant. The proposed LFIA-SPB combines high sensitivity and specificity, offering an innovative and straightforward approach to overcome the current limitations of commercial LFIA products. With the benefits of simple production and cost effectiveness, this approach holds significant promise for widespread practical applications in rapid disease diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis that primarily affects the spine and is often associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This case report discusses a 19-year-old patient who presented with refractory axSpA and IBD. Despite previous treatments, the patient experienced persistent symptoms until upadacitinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor, was introduced. The patient showed significant improvement in symptoms and disease activity with upadacitinib treatment. This case suggests that upadacitinib may be a viable option for patients with refractory axSpA and IBD. [Extracted from the article]