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The Keggin phosphotungstic acid (PW12) embedded metal–organic framework copper benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (CuBTC), CuBTC@PW12, was fabricated by a facile hydrothermal synthesis technique. With a unique tetrakaidecahedron structure and multiple active sites, the obtained CuBTC@PW12 exhibited peroxidase-mimicking activity, which promoted a novel strategy for qualitative and quantitative detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and sequential sensing of ascorbic acid (AA) via colorimetric evolution. Notably, with the advantages of strong redox performance of POMs and the unique porous structure of metal organic frameworks (MOFs), as peroxidase mimics, CuBTC@PW12 achieved highly selective and sensitive detection of H2O2via oxidizing TMB to a blue oxidation product (ox-TMB), with a limit of detection of 2.67 μM within the 0.01 to 1.0 mM scale. Concomitantly, the AA can be monitored consecutively by reducing the ox-TMB with fading blue color quantitatively with a limit of detection at 0.15 μM in the range of 0.01–0.10 μM. The recoveries for the determination of AA in human serum were obtained at 94.63–105%. These results manifested that CuBTC@PW12 could be used as a peroxide-mimetic enzyme for the continuous detection of H2O2 and AA with the advantages of simplicity, efficiency, sensitivity and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The expression of microRNA-21 (miR-21) is up-regulated in various cancers, including cervical cancer. However, the function of miR-21 through tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3) on the proliferation, migration, and invasion in cervical cancer is still unclear.Methods: A total of 60 paired fresh cervical cancer tissues, the corresponding adjacent non-neoplastic tissues and serum samples were collected from cervical cancer patients, while 60 matched normal tissues and serum samples were collected from the control group. MiR-21 expression was evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). TIMP3 expression was evaluated by Western blot and qRT-PCR. Cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay. Migratory and invasive activities were assessed by cell migration and invasion assays, respectively. Luciferase reporter assay was employed to validate the direct targeting of TIMP3 by miR-21.Results: MiR-21 was up-regulated in cervical cancer tissues and serum samples, in contrast, TIMP3 was down-regulated in cervical cancer tissues. MiR-21 promoted the proliferation, viability and the migratory and invasive activities of cervical cancer cells through targeting TIMP3. Overexpression of TIMP3 attenuated the positive effects of miR-21.Conclusions: These findings provide a novel insight into the molecular functions of miR-21 in cervical cancer, which may be used as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for the treatment of cervical cancer in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to investigate Th22 cells and their association with Th17 and Treg cells in the etiology of severe preeclampsia (sPE).Methods: Thirty sPE patients and 30 healthy pregnant women were recruited in this study. The percentages of Th17, Th22, and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the peripheral blood were measured by flow cytometry. ELISA was used to measure the plasma concentrations of interleukin (IL)-17, IL-22, and IL-10.Results: The percentages of Th17 and Th22 cells and the plasma concentrations of IL-17 and IL-22 were significantly increased in sPE patients along with a decreased percentage of Treg cells and a decreased plasma IL-10 concentration. There was a positive correlation between the levels of Th22 cells and Th17 cells in sPE patients. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between plasma IL-22 concentration and the percentage of Th22 cells in sPE patients.Conclusions: Increased circulating Th22 cells, which were correlated with Th17 cells, were observed in patients with sPE. The immune imbalance between T helper (Th) cells may contribute to the pathogenesis of sPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper ions (Cu 2+ ) are ubiquitous in the ecosystem and cause serious environmental pollution, posing a threat to human health. Therefore, sensitive detection of Cu 2+ is urgently needed. Herein, we employed a solvothermal method to prepare blue-emitting carbon dots (Met-CDs) using formamide (FA) and methionine (Met) as precursors, with a high quantum yield (QY) of 38%. Based on the good optical stability of Met-CDs and selective quenching by Cu 2+ , a sensitive probe using Met-CDs for the detection of Cu 2+ in water was successfully designed. Within the linear range of 0.15-2 μM, the limit of detection (LOD) was determined to be as low as 47.7 nM, enabling the quantitative detection of Cu 2+ . Moreover, the recovery data of the spiked analysis of lake/river water samples were also satisfactory and verified the feasibility of the probe by the analysis of Cu 2+ in natural conditions.