In this paper, a silicon nanowire biosensor with novel molecular gate control has been demonstrated for Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) detection related to dengue virus (DENV). The silicon nanowire was fabricated using the top-down nanolithography approach, through nanostructuring of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) layers achieved by combination of the electron-beam lithography (EBL), plasma dry etching and size reduction processes. The surface of the fabricated silicon nanowire was functionalized by means of a three-step procedure involving surface modification, DNA immobilization and hybridization. This procedure acts as a molecular gate control to establish the electrical detection for 27-mers base targets DENV DNA oligomer. The electrical detection is based on the changes in current, resistance and conductance of the sensor due to accumulation of negative charges added by the immobilized probe DNA and hybridized target DNA. The sensitivity of the silicon nanowire biosensors attained was 45.0µAM(-1), which shows a wide-range detection capability of the sensor with respect to DNA. The limit of detection (LOD) achieved was approximately 2.0fM. The demonstrated results show that the silicon nanowire has excellent properties for detection of DENV with outstanding repeatability and reproducibility performances.
Keratinases are proteolytic enzymes predominantly active when keratin substrates are available that attack disulfide bridges in the keratin to convert them from complex to simplified forms. Keratinases are essential in preparation of animal nutrients, protein supplements, leather manufacture, textile processing, detergent formulation, feather meal processing for feed and fertilizer, the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries, and waste management. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop a method for continuous production of keratinase from reliable sources that can be easily managed. Microbial keratinase is less expensive than conventionally produced keratinase and can be obtained from fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes. In this overview, the expansion of information about microbial keratinases and important considerations in keratinase production are discussed.
Aptamers are single-stranded nucleic acids or peptides identified from a randomized combinatorial library through specific interaction with the target of interest. Targets can be of any size, from small molecules to whole cells, attesting to the versatility of aptamers for binding a wide range of targets. Aptamers show drug properties that are analogous to antibodies, with high specificity and affinity to their target molecules. Aptamers can penetrate disease-causing microbial and mammalian cells. Generated aptamers that target surface biomarkers act as cell-targeting agents and intracellular delivery vehicles. Within this context, the "cell-internalizing aptamers" are widely investigated via the process of cell uptake with selective binding during in vivo systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) or by cell-internalization SELEX, which targets cell surface antigens to be receptors. These internalizing aptamers are highly preferable for the localization and functional analyses of multiple targets. In this overview, we discuss the ways by which internalizing aptamers are generated and their successful applications. Furthermore, theranostic approaches featuring cell-internalized aptamers are discussed with the purpose of analyzing and diagnosing disease-causing pathogens.
Mortality level is worsening the situation worldwide thru blood diseases and greatly jeopardizes the human health with poor diagnostics. Due to the lack of successful generation of early diagnosis, the survival rate is currently lower. To overcome the present hurdle, new diagnostic methods have been choreographed for blood disease biomarkers analyses with the conjunction of ultra-small ideal gold nanohybrids. Gold-hybrids hold varieties of unique features, such as high biocompatibility, increased surface-to-volume ratio, less-toxicity, ease in electron transfer and have a greater localized surface plasmon resonance. Gold-nanocomposites can be physically hybrid on the sensor surface and functionalize with the biomolecules using appropriate chemical conjugations. Revolutionizing biosensor platform can be prominently linked for the nanocomposite applications in the current research on medical diagnosis. This review encloses the new developments in diagnosing blood biomarkers by utilizing the gold-nanohybrids. Further, the current state-of-the-art and the future envision with digital monitoring for facile telediagnosis were narrated.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major threat to global health, estimated to be the cause 30 % (17.3 million in 2008) of deaths every year, and the number of deaths caused by CVD is expected to increase further, reaching 23.3 million by 2030. Hence, there is a growing demand for simpler sample extraction, rapid screening results, and intervention of the subsequent analysis in emergency units. In this paper, we reviewed CVD biomarkers in blood- and saliva-based specimens. The history of cardiac biomarkers indicates that in the beginning, cardiac troponin I (cTnI) was a widely accepted 'gold standard' marker due to its high specificity and selectivity. Considering the advantages of salivary-based cardiac biomarkers, we examined correlations between non-invasive (salivary) and invasive (blood) diagnoses, and it was found that C-reactive protein (CRP) provides a better correlation. Despite the low abundance of salivary CRP, several reports displayed the detection limit down to pg/ml using existing technologies. Thus, salivary CRP has the potential to be used for future forefront diagnostics for the early assessment of cardiac risks.
The rapid growth of wireless technology has improved the network's technology from 4G to 5G, with sub-6 GHz being the centre of attention as the primary communication spectrum band. To effectively benefit this exclusive network, the improvement in the mm-wave detection of this range is crucial. In this work, a silicon self-switching device (SSD) based full-wave bridge rectifier was proposed as a candidate for a usable RF-DC converter in this frequency range. SSD has a similar operation to a conventional pn junction diode, but with advantages in fabrication simplicity where it does not require doping and junctions. The optimized structure of the SSD was cascaded and arranged to create a functional full-wave bridge rectifier with a quadratic relationship between the input voltage and outputs current. AC transient analysis and theoretical calculation performed on the full-wave rectifier shows an estimated cut-off frequency at ~12 GHz, with calculated responsivity and noise equivalent power of 1956.72 V/W and 2.3753 pW/Hz1/2, respectively. These results show the capability of silicon SSD to function as a full-wave bridge rectifier and is a potential candidate for RF-DC conversion in the targeted 5G frequency band and can be exploited for future energy harvesting application.
Anxiety is a psychological problem that often emerges during the normal course of human life. The detection of anxiety often involves a physical exam and a self-reporting questionnaire. However, these approaches have limitations, as the data might lack reliability and consistency upon application to the same population over time. Furthermore, there might be varying understanding and interpretations of the particular question by the participant, which necessitating the approach of using biomarker-based measurement for stress diagnosis. The most prominent biomarker related to stress, hormone cortisol, plays a key role in the fight-or-flight situation, alters the immune response, and suppresses the digestive and the reproductive systems. We have taken the endeavour to review the available aptamer-based biosensor (aptasensor) for cortisol detection. The potential point-of-care diagnostic strategies that could be harnessed for the aptasensing of cortisol were also envisaged.
Acute myocardial infarction or myocardial infarction (MI) is a major health problem, due to diminished flow of blood to the heart, leads to higher rates of mortality and morbidity. Data from World Health Organization (WHO) accounted 30% of global death annually and expected more than 23 million die annually by 2030. This fatal effects trigger the need of appropriate biomarkers for early diagnosis, thus countermeasure can be taken. At the moment, the most specific markers for cardiac injury are cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and cardiac troponin T (cTnT) which have been considered as 'gold standard'. Due to higher specificity, determination of the level of cardiac troponins became a predominant indicator for MI. Several ways of diagnostics have been formulated, which include enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, chemiluminescent, fluoro-immunoassays, electrical detections, surface plasmon resonance, and colorimetric protein assay. This review represents and elucidates the strategies, methods and detection levels involved in these diagnostics on cardiac superior biomarkers. The advancement, sensitivity, and limitations of each method are also discussed. In addition, it concludes with a discussion on the point-of care (POC) assay for a fast, accurate and ability of handling small sample measurement of cardiac biomarker.