Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Xinrong Zhang.
An optical sensor array based on chemiluminescent images from spots of nanomaterials has been employed to recognize odorous samples. The distinctive images obtained from the array permit identification of a wide range of analytes, even homologous compounds.
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Monodisperse wurtzite-type ZnS microspheres have been prepared by using glutathione (GSH) as a sulfur source at low reaction temperatures ranging from 160 to 210 degrees C. The diameter of the ZnS microspheres can be tuned from approximately 254 to approximately 597 nm by changing the reaction parameters such as temperature, molar ratio of reactants (GSH/Zn2+), and reaction medium (ethylenediamine or ammonia). Our results demonstrate that monodentate amines (ammonia) play the same role as that of bidentate amines (ethylenediamine) in the formation of the wurtzite-type ZnS microspheres. The formation process of the monodisperse ZnS microspheres consists of a GSH-dominated nucleation process and an amine-dominated assembly process. The as-synthesized monodisperse ZnS microspheres readily self-assemble into ordered hexagonal patterns and thus have potential applications as colloidal crystalline materials. Blue fluorescence emission peaks at 415 and 466 nm in wavelength, attributed to deep-trap emission, are observed at room temperature.
ZrO2-carbon nanotube (CNT) composites have been successfully synthesized via decomposition of Zr(NO3)4.5H2O in supercritical carbon dioxide-ethanol solution with dispersed CNTs at relatively low temperatures. The samples were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses. It was demonstrated that CNTs were fully coated with an amorphous ZrO2 layer, and the coating layer was nominally complete and uniform. In addition, the thickness of the coating sheath could be readily controlled by tuning the Zr(NO3)4.5H2O/CNTs ratio used. Furthermore, the chemiluminescent sensor prepared from ZrO2-carbon nanotube composites exhibited dramatic sensitivity as well as high stability and selectivity to ethanol.
This paper reports wurtzite-type CdS nanostructures synthesized via a hydrothermal reaction route using dithiol glycol as the sulfur source. The reaction time was found to play an important role in the shape of the CdS nanocrystals: from dots to wires via an oriented attachment mechanism. This work has enabled us to generate nanostructures with controllable geometric shapes and structures and thus optical properties. The CdS nanostructures show a hexagonal wurtzite phase confirmed by X-ray diffraction and show no evidence for a mixed phase of cubic symmetry. The Raman peak position of the characteristic first-order longitudinal optical phonon mode does not change greatly, and the corresponding full width at half-maximum is found to decrease with the CdS shape, changing from nanoparticles to nanowires because of crystalline quality improvement. The photoluminescence measurements indicate tunable optical properties just through a change in the shape of the CdS nanocrystals; i.e., CdS nanoparticles show a band-edge emission at approximately 426 nm in wavelength, while the CdS nanowires show a band-edge emission at approximately 426 nm as well as a weaker trap-state green emission at approximately 530 nm in wavelength. These samples provide an opportunity for the study of the evolution of crystal growth and optical properties, with the shape of the nanocrystals varying from nearly spherical particles to wires.
A simple fabrication of two-dimensional zinc sulfide colloidal arrays with the assistance of a multihydroxy polymer is described, which can potentially be utilized in different technological fields, such as biosensor and electrooptical devices as well as a platform for studies of energy transfer between colloidal particles.
Arsenic is predominantly found as an inorganic species in most terrestrial plants. However, we found that a significant proportion of organic arsenic was present in moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel) shoot in a market survey of arsenic species in edible terrestrial plants. Moso bamboo shoots from different producing areas in China were collected for analysis to confirm the ubiquity of methylated arsenic species. The total arsenic concentrations of bamboo shoots were determined by hydride generation coupled atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS), ranging from 27.7 to 94.0 microg/kg. Information about arsenic species was acquired from cold trap-hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry (CT-HG-AAS). Dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) was present in the amount of 13.9% to 44.9% of sum of the arsenic species in all these samples. Monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO) were also detected in certain samples in the range of 4.2-16.5% and 11.8-18.4%, respectively. In addition, bamboo shoots collected in winter were found to have more total arsenic and organic arsenic than those collected in spring. To investigate the source of the organic arsenic in moso bamboo shoots, arsenic species in the rhizosphere soils of the plants were examined. The absence of organic arsenic in soils would suggest the possibility of formation of methylated arsenic in the plants. In addition, studies of arsenic speciation in the peel and core of winter bamboo shoots showed that all the cores contained organic arsenic while no organic arsenic was detected in the peels. The study provides useful information for better understanding of the distribution of arsenic species in terrestrial plants.
This paper describes a novel hydride atomizer based on atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma. The plasma was generated with a 3700-V, 20.3-kHz, and 5-W electrical power supply and easily sustained with inert gases (He or Ar) at a flow rate of 250 mL.min(-1) after optimization. However, it cannot be sustained with N2. This atomizer offers the advantages of low operation temperature and low power consumption in comparison with the currently used electrothermal quartz atomization operated at 900 degrees C with a power supply of several hundred watts. To confirm the utility of the proposed atomizer, four arsenic species (As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA)) were determined by the present atomization technique. A hyphenation of HPLC coupled to hydride generation AAS with the optimized DBD atomizer has been successfully used for the speciation of arsenic in order to demonstrate the potential of this atomizer in the present study. The characteristics of the DBD atomizer and the effects of different parameters (discharge gas, gas flow rate, voltage, HCl concentration, KBH4 concentration) are discussed in the paper. Compared with other hydride atomization techniques, the proposed method shows the following features: (1) small size (70 mm x 15 mm x 5 mm), which is preferable for the miniaturization of the total analytical system; (2) low power consumption (< or =5 W), which indicates the possibility of the development of portable, fieldable analytical instrumentation for in situ detection using battery as power supply; (3) low atomizer temperature (approximately 70 degrees C), which is in favor of the compactness of the total instruments; (4) avoidance of residue moisture removal in comparison with the existed GD system, which leads to the facility of the system. The analytical figures of the present technique were evaluated. The detection limits of As(III), As(V), MMA, and DMA obtained with HG-DBD-AAS were 1.0, 11.8, 2.0, and 18.0 microg.L(-1), respectively. The accuracy of the system was verified by the determination of arsenic in reference material of orchard leaves SRM 1571. The concentration of As determined by the present method agreed well with the reference values. The speciation of arsenic in the freeze-dried urine SRM 2670 were carried out, and the results obtained were in agreement with the results of HPLC-ICPMS and the reported values by other laboratories.
A novel aerosol chemiluminescent (CL) detector coupling to capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the detection of saccharides is reported. This CL detector is composed of a postcapillary nebulizer and porous alumina as catalyzer in quartz tube. The CL emission could be generated due to the catalyzing oxidization of saccharides on the surface of porous alumina. The saccharides such as sucrose, alpha-lactose, maltose, raffinose, galactose, xylose, and glucose with only weak UV absorbance can be successfully detected. The linear ranges of those saccharides are from 30-2000 to 50-2000 mg/L; relative standard deviations range from 2.1 to 3.7% (200 mg/L, n = 11). Compared with the traditional UV detector currently used in CE, this novel detector shows the advantage of high sensitivity to the compounds with only weak UV absorption. Thus, it could be an important supplement of CE detectors for UV-lacking compounds.
This paper describes a novel aerosol chemiluminescence-based detector, which can be coupled to liquid chromatography for the determination of the chemicals with weak optical absorbance in the UV-visible region. This aerosol chemiluminescence (CL)-based detector, in which HPLC effluent is converted to aerosol and then generated CL emission on the surface of porous alumina, is composed of three main processes: nebulization of HPLC effluent, CL emission on surface of porous alumina material, and optical detection. To demonstrate the utility of the aerosol chemiluminescence detector, some compounds such saccharides, poly(ethylene glycol)s, amino acids, and steroid pharmaceuticals are determined by the present aerosol chemiluminescence detection method. Compared with an evaporative light scattering detector, the proposed detector shows the following features: (a) extensive CL emissions on porous alumina by many compounds tested, which leads to the potential application for the determination of volatile and nonvolatile chemicals with or without UV-visible absorbance; (b) a CL mechanism based on the catalytic oxidation of analytes, not on the light scattering, which suggests the present detector be free from the interference of the inorganic and nonvolatile mobile-phase modifiers. The CL characteristics and effect of different parameters, such as temperature and nebulizer gas flow rate, were also discussed in this paper. Furthermore, this aerosol chemiluminescence-based detector was successfully applied to the determination of raffinose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, and alpha-lactose.
BACKGROUND: An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)-based immunoassay has been proposed independently by Baranov et al. (Anal Chem 2002;74:1629-36) and our group, but the applicability of this method for multianalyte analysis in clinical samples has not been fully illustrated. We developed a dual-label immunoassay method for the simultaneous determination of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (hCGbeta) in human serum. METHODS: Monoclonal antibodies immobilized on microtiter plates captured AFP and hCGbeta, which were detected by use of Eu(3+)-labeled anti-AFP and Sm(3+)-labeled anti-hCGbeta monoclonal antibodies. Eu(3+) and Sm(3+) were dissociated from the immunocomplex with HNO(3) solution (10 mL/L) and delivered by peristaltic pump to the ICP mass spectrometer. RESULTS: The measurable ranges of AFP and hCGbeta were 4.6-500 and 5.0-170 microg/L, respectively, with detection limits of 1.2 and 1.7 microg/L (3 SD above mean of zero calibrator), respectively. The intraassay imprecision (CV) for AFP was 8.3%, 4.0%, and 2.7% at 16.3, 86, and 354 microg/L, respectively, and the interassay CV was 10%, 5.7%, and 3.5%. For hCGbeta, the intraassay CV was 5.4%, 6.4%, and 3.1%, respectively, at 10.5, 45.2, and 105 microg/L, and the interassay CV was 7.2%, 8.0%, and 3.7%. Comparison with IRMAs for AFP and hCGbeta yielded correlation coefficients (r(2)) of 0.97 and 0.95. CONCLUSIONS: Two proteins can be measured simultaneously by immunoassays using two rare earth elemental tags (Eu(3+) and Sm(3+)) and ICP-MS detection. The multielement capability and the multiple potential elemental labels make ICP-MS attractive for multianalyte immunoassays. Implementation of ICP-MS-linked immunoassays may be relatively straightforward because the labeling and immunoreaction procedures have been well developed for clinical time-resolved immunofluorometric assays.
A study was carried out to determine arsenic species in Porphyra seaweed originating from the China Sea. Information about arsenic species in Porphyra was provided by HPLC-ICP-MS and ES-MS-MS. The total arsenic concentrations of Porphyra samples from five different producing areas ranged from 2.1 to 21.6 mg/kg. The analysis report also showed that arsenosugars were the only arsenic species that could be detected in all of the extracts of samples. Arsenosugar PO(4) was the major compound in most samples (0.3-13.9 mg/kg of dry weight), followed by arsenosugar OH (0.7-6.2 mg/kg of dry weight). A further experiment was done to investigate the stability of arsenosugars in the process of being heated. It was observed that the arsenosugars were stable during a short-term heating at 100 degrees C. Their stability in human ingestion was also studied. A substantial increase of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) was detected in urine samples collected from six volunteers after the consumption of this seaweed. The results obtained indicated that arsenosugars had been metabolized to DMA, which is more toxic than arsenosugars. From this point of view, consumers should consider the possible adverse effects of edible Porphyra on human health and choose those Porphyra having lower arsenic concentrations.
In the present report, thirty different types of Chinese edible seafood, including brown algae, red algae, fish, crab, shrimp, mussels, oysters, and clams, which are very popular foodstuffs in the Chinese kitchen, were examined for their total content of As as well as its different species. Total arsenic concentration in algae samples was 1.7-38.7 microg/g (dry weight), and 0.086-7.54 microg/g in fish and shellfish (wet weight), respectively. The arsenic species in seafood extracts were determined by using anion and cation exchange high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). Arsenosugars were detected in all of the extracted algae samples (1.5-33.8 microg/g dry weight) and fish samples (0.018-0.78 microg/g wet weight). Arsenobetaine was detected in all of the extracted fish and shellfish samples (0.025-6.604 microg/g wet weight). In contrast, inorganic arsenic in fish and shellfish samples occurred at levels below 2% of the total arsenic. No inorganic arsenic was detected in the algae samples. This study provides information about the distribution pattern of arsenic species in seafood products. Since the major share of arsenic components in seafood is organic arsenic with a low toxicity, we can conclude that arsenic in seafood does not pose any risk to human health.
Strong chemiluminescence emission has been observed by mixing alkaline hydrolytic products of ethamsylate with Tween 80 in acidic rhodamine 6G solution. This phenomenon has been utilized to design a flow-injection chemiluminescence method for the determination of ethamsylate in a pharmaceutical preparation. Under the optimum conditions, the proposed procedure has a linear range between 0.05 and 2.0 microg ml(-1), with a detection limit of 0.02 microg ml(-1) for ethamsylate. The method was applied to the determination of ethamsylate in pharmaceutical preparations. The possible mechanism of this chemiluminescence reaction was proposed.
This paper describes the study of atomization of nanoparticles by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) and developes a novel nonisotopic immunoassay by coupling sandwich-type immunoreaction to ICPMS. The goat-anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G (IgG) labeled with colloidal gold nanoparticles served as an analyte in ICPMS for the indirect measurement of rabbit-anti-human IgG. Matrix effect studies showed the gold signal was not sensitive to the organic matrix. A relatively good correlation (r2 = 0.9528) between the proposed method and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay has been obtained. The method may have significant potential as an important ICPMS-based nonisotopic immnoassay method for the simultaneous determination of biologic analytes of interest by labeling different kinds of inorganic nanoparticles.
A gas-sensing mode based on chemiluminescence generated on the surface of nanosized materials is proposed in the present work. Seven nanosized materials were tested, and chemiluminescence was detected from six of them during the catalytic oxidation of organic vapors in air. The luminescence characteristics of ethanol and acetone vapors passing through the surface of TiO2 chosen were studied with a chemiluminescence-based detection system. The linear range of chemiluminescence intensity versus concentration of organic compounds is 40-400 microg/mL for ethanol and 20-200 microg/mL for acetone dissolved in water, respectively. X-ray powder diffraction and Raman spectrometry were used to investigate the changes in catalytic activity of TiO2 after a 60-h reaction at 380 degrees C. The results showed that the carbon deposited on the surface of TiO2, decreasing the catalytic activity, but can be removed in air by controlling the temperature at 500 degrees C for 3 h. Regenerability and no consumption of sensor substrate signify the long lifetime of the gas sensor.
Three common Chinese edible seaweeds, one brown (Laminaria japonica) and two red (Porphyra crispata and Eucheuma denticulatum), were examined for their total arsenic content. The As species were extracted with yields of 76.4, 69.8 and 25.0%, respectively. Anion-exchange and cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in combination with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were used for the separation of the different arsenic species in two of the three seaweed extracts (Laminaria and Porphyra). The main arsenic species in the algal extracts are arseno sugars, although it has been shown that the Laminaria seaweed contains significant amounts of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). HPLC was coupled with electrospray mass spectrometry (ES-MS) for structural confirmation of the arsenic species. The mass spectrometer settings for the arseno sugars were optimised using standards. The conclusions drawn on the basis of HPLC-ICP-MS were confirmed by the HPLC-ES-MS data. The HPLC-ES-MS method is capable of determining both arseno sugars and DMA in the seaweeds. The unknown compounds seen in the HPLC-ICP-MS chromatogram of Laminaria could not be ascribed to trimethylarsenic oxide or tetramethylarsonium ion.
Chemiluminescence was observed on introducing ethanol vapor to the surface of nanosized ZrO2 and this effect could be utilized to design a sensor for trace ethanol detection. The term cataluminescence (CTL) was used to describe this kind of chemiluminescence because the luminescence is generated by the catalytic oxidation of organic vapors on the solid surface. The proposed sensor showed high sensitivity to ethanol at 195 degrees C. The stability of the gas sensor was demonstrated by continuous reaction with ethanol for 100 h. Quantitative analysis was performed at an optimum wavelength of 460 +/- 10 nm. The chemiluminescence intensity was proportional to the concentration of ethanol from 1.6 to 160 microg ml(-1), with a detection limit of 0.6 microg ml(-1) (signal-to-noise ratio = 3:1). The mechanism of the chemiluminescence reaction is discussed and the results show that one of the possible luminescent intermediates is acetaldehyde. The chemiluminescence on nanosized ZrO2 observed in this work demonstrates the possibility of developing new nanomaterials for low-temperature cataluminescence detection.