BACKGROUND Stem cells can differentiate into multiple cell types, and therefore can be used for cellular therapies, including tissue repair. However, the participation of stem cells in tissue repair and neovascularization is not well understood. Therefore, implementing a noninvasive, long-term imaging technique to track stem cells in vivo is needed to obtain a better understanding of the wound ...

Interference-enhanced wide-field nanoparticle imaging is a highly sensitive technique that has found numerous applications in labeled and label-free subdiffraction-limited pathogen detection. It also provides unique opportunities for nanoparticle classification upon detection. More specifically, the nanoparticle defocus images result in a particle-specific response that can be of great utility ...

The present study reported proof-of-principle for a genotyping assay approach that can detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) through the gold nanoparticle assembly and the ligase reaction. By incorporating the high-fidelity DNA ligase (Tth DNA ligase) into the allele-specific ligation-based gold nanoparticle assembly, this assay provided a convenient yet powerful colorimetric detection ...

Novel Raman tags with various reporter molecules embedded in between gold nanostar (AuNS) and gold nanoshell are developed, showing significantly enhanced surface-enhanced Raman scattering intensity compared to gold nanoparticle-based composites. Immunoassay using these AuNS@tag@shell structures is highly specific with sensitivity down to 0.1 pg mL-1 , and is capable of multiplex detection, mak...

We have studied the physiological and genetic responses of Arabidopsis thaliana L. (Arabidopsis) to gold. The root lengths of Arabidopsis seedlings grown on nutrient agar plates containing 100 mg/L gold were reduced by 75%. Oxidized gold was subsequently found in roots and shoots of these plants, but gold nanoparticles (reduced gold) were only observed in the root tissues. We used a microarray-...

We identified a novel class of direct ion-channel blockers of ligand-gated ion channels called the gold nanoparticle-choline complex. Negatively charged gold nanoparticles (1.4 nm) block ion pores by binding to the sulfur group of the cysteine loop of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), and currents evoked by acetylcholine (Ach) can break these bonds. The current evoked by ACh in nAChRs...

We herein report a novel nanoparticle-based electrochemical DNA detection approach. This DNA sensor is based on a "sandwich" detection strategy, which involves capture probe DNA immobilized on gold electrodes and reporter probe DNA labeled with gold nanoparticles that flank the target DNA sequence. Electrochemical signals are generated by chronocoulometric interrogation of [Ru(NH(3))(6)](3+) th...

A new optical trapping design to transport gold nanoparticles using a PANDA ring resonator system is proposed. Intense optical fields in the form of dark solitons controlled by Gaussian pulses are used to trap and transport nanoscopic volumes of matter to the desired destination via an optical waveguide. Theoretically, the gradient and scattering forces are responsible for this trapping phenome...

Accommodation is considered to be important by institutions interested in mental health care both in Australia and internationally Some authorities assert that no component of a community mental health system is more important than decent affordable housing. Unfortunately there has been little research in Australia into the consequences of discharging people with a primary diagnosis of schizoph...

Gold nanoparticle-carbon foam composites with highly-dispersed gold nanoparticles confined in the cavities were prepared. The gold nanoparticles are effectively separated from each other by permeable carbon shells, which show high temperature stability and were fully accessible to the substrate.