Dohoon Lee

Direct transformation of cellulose into 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural using a combination of metal chlorides in imidazolium ionic liquid

Direct transformation of cellulose into HMF was carried out using a combination of metal chlorides in ionic liquid [EMIM]Cl. From high throughput screening of various metal chlorides, a combination of CrCl2 and RuCl3 was found as the most effective catalyst. HMF was directly afforded from cellulose in nearly 60% yield. Gram scale-up synthesis of HMF was successfully performed from cellulose using CrCl2 and RuCl3. Furthermore, lignocellulosic raw material reed could be directly converted into HMF and furfural in reasonable yields under these conditions.

Subpicogram per milliliter determination of the tobacco-specific carcinogen metabolite 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol in human urine using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) has been linked to increased risk for a number of diseases, including lung cancer. The tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) is of particular interest due to its potency and its specificity in producing lung tumors in animals. The NNK metabolite 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) in urine is frequently used as a biomarker for exposure. Due to its long half-life (40-45 days), NNAL may provide a long-term, time-averaged measure of exposure. We developed a highly sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for determination of NNAL in human urine. The method involves liquid-liquid extraction followed by conversion to the hexanoate ester derivative. This derivative facilitates separation from interfering urinary constituents by extraction and chromatography and enhances detection with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The lower limit of quantitation is 0.25 pg/mL for 5-mL urine specimens. Applications to studies of people with a range of different SHS exposure levels is described.

Comparison of the MicroScan, VITEK 2, and Crystal GP with 16S rRNA sequencing and MicroSeq 500 v2.0 analysis for coagulase-negative Staphylococci

BackgroundThree phenotypic identification systems (MicroScan, VITEK 2, and Crystal GP) were evaluated for their accuracy to identify coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS). A total of 120 clinical isolates confirmed to be CNS via 16S rRNA sequencing and analysis with the MicroSeq 500 v2.0 database were assessed.ResultsThe MicroScan, VITEK 2, and Crystal GP systems correctly identified 82.5%, 87.5%, and 67.5% of the isolates, respectively. Misidentification was the main problem in MicroScan (10.8%) and Crystal GP (23.3%) systems, whereas the main problem of VITEK 2 was low-level discrimination (7.5%).ConclusionNone of the 3 phenotypic systems tested could accurately and reliably identify CNS at the species level. Further verifications such as biochemical testing or 16S rRNA sequencing together with analysis using a comparable database might be helpful in this regard.

Multiplexed immunoassay using the stabilized enzymes in mesoporous silica

Multiplexed immunoassay system was developed using the enzyme-immobilized mesoporous silica in a form of nanoscale enzyme reactors (NERs), which improve the enzyme loading, activity, and stability. Glucose oxidase (GO) and trypsin (TR) were adsorbed into mesoporous silica and further crosslinked for the construction of NERs, and antibody-conjugated NERs were employed for the analysis of target antigens in a sandwich-type magnetic bead-based immunoassay. This approach, called as NER-LISA (NER-linked immunosorbent assay), generated signals out of enzyme reactions that correlated well with the concentration of target antigens. The detection limit of NER-LISA using NER-GO and anti-human IgG was 67pM human IgG, and the sensitivity was 20 times higher than that of the conventional ELISA using anti-human IgG conjugated GO. Antibody-conjugated NER-GO and NER-TR were successfully employed for the simultaneous detection of two target antigens (human IgG and chicken IgG) in a solution by taking advantage of signals at different wavelengths (absorbances at 570nm and 410nm, respectively) from the assays of GO and TR activities, demonstrating the potential of NER-LISA in multiplexed immunoassay. The NER-LISA approach also enabled the successful use of a protease (trypsin), because the NER approach can effectively retain the protease molecules within the mesoporous silica and prevent the digestion of antibodies and enzymes during the whole process of NER-LISA.

Sensitive and high-fidelity electrochemical immunoassay using carbon nanotubes coated with enzymes and magnetic nanoparticles

We demonstrate a highly sensitive electrochemical immunosensor based on the combined use of substrate recycling and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) coated with tyrosinase (TYR) and magnetic nanoparticles (MNP). Both TYR and MNP were immobilized on the surface of CNTs by covalent attachment, followed by additional cross-linking via glutaraldehyde treatment to construct multi-layered cross-linked TYR-MNP aggregates (M-EC-CNT). Magnetically capturable, highly active and stable M-EC-CNT were further conjugated with primary antibody against a target analyte of hIgG, and used for a sandwich-type immunoassay with a secondary antibody conjugated with alkaline phosphatase (ALP). In the presence of a target analyte, a sensing assembly of M-EC-CNT and ALP-conjugated antibody was attracted onto a gold electrode using a magnet. On an electrode, ALP-catalyzed hydrolysis of phenyl phosphate generated phenol, and successive TYR-catalyzed oxidation of phenol produced electrochemically measurable o-quinone that was converted to catechol in a scheme of substrate recycling. Combination of highly active M-EC-CNT and substrate recycling for the detection of hIgG resulted in a sensitivity of 27.6 nA ng(-1) mL(-1) and a detection limit of 0.19 ng mL(-1) (1.2 pM), respectively, representing better performance than any other electrochemical immunosensors relying on the substrate recycling with the TYR-ALP combination. The present immunosensing system also displayed a long-term stability by showing a negligible loss of electrochemical detection signal even after reagents were stored in an aqueous buffer at 4°C for more than 6 months.

Reversible affinity interactions of antibody molecules at functionalized dendrimer monolayer: affinity-sensing surface with reusability

We described reversible affinity interactions of antibody molecules at a chemically functionalized electrode surface for a repeatedly renewable affinity–biosensing interface. Underlying biofunctionalizable monolayers were constructed with poly(amidoamine) dendrimers, whose surface chain-end groups were double-functionalized with biotinyl ligand and ferrocenyl groups for biospecific recognition and electron transfer reactions, respectively. Functionalized monolayers on gold electrodes provide platform surfaces for biospecific recognition reaction with monoclonal anti-biotin antibody molecules. Bound antibody molecules were dissociated from the surface via displacement reaction by the addition of free biotin in solution, enabling the affinity surface to be renewed and repeatedly utilized. Tracking of the association/dissociation reaction cycles were performed by registering the bioelectrocatalytic currents at the electrode using glucose oxidase (GO x) as a signal generator and ferrocenyl-tethered dendrimer (Fc-D) as an electron transferring mediator in electrolyte. Shielding of the affinity surface by biospecifically bound antibody molecules caused hindrance in electron transfer, resulting in reduced signal from cyclic voltammetry. By the displacement reaction using free biotin, bound antibody molecules were dissociated from the surface and the bioelectrocatalytic signal was restored. With the affinity surfaces constructed in this work, continuous association/dissociation reactions have been successfully accomplished, providing a possibility of reusable affinity biosensing interface.

Neonatal Hair Nicotine Levels and Fetal Exposure to Paternal Smoking at Home

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is a major risk to human health, and the home is the greatest single source of ETS for children. The authors investigated fetal exposure to paternal smoking at home during pregnancy. Korean families were included as trios of fathers, mothers, and neonates identified in 2005-2007. Sixty-three trios were finally enrolled in this study after exclusion of those in which the mother was a smoker or was regularly exposed to ETS at places other than the home. Nicotine and cotinine concentrations in hair were measured by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to determine long-term exposure to ETS. The difference between neonatal nicotine concentrations in the smoker and nonsmoker groups was not statistically significant. However, in the indoor-smoker group, neonatal nicotine concentrations were significantly higher than in the outdoor and nonsmoker groups (P < 0.05). Furthermore, neonatal nicotine concentrations in the outdoor-smoker group were not different from those in the nonsmoker group. These findings indicate that paternal smoking inside the home leads to significant fetal and maternal exposure to ETS and may subsequently affect fetal health. Conversely, findings show that paternal smoking outside the home prevents the mother and her fetus from being exposed to ETS.

Improvement of enzymatic biodiesel production by controlled substrate feeding using silica gel in solvent free system

A silica gel-based substrate feeding system was developed to prevent methanol inhibiting the catalyst during enzymatic biodiesel synthesis. In the system, silica gel swelled upon methanol addition and subsequently released it in a controlled manner to prevent excess methanol affecting the enzyme. Biodiesel was synthesized by the enzymatic transesterification of canola oil with methanol. For this reaction, enzyme loading, methanol/oil molar ratio, silica gel dosage, glycerol content, and methanol feeding method were tested using commercial immobilized enzymes (Novozym 435 and Lipozyme RM IM from Novozymes). The results showed that conversion was highest with controlled substrate feeding rather than direct methanol addition, suggesting that the method developed here can easily prevent enzyme inhibition by limiting methanol concentration to an acceptable level.

Upconversion nanoparticle-based Förster resonance energy transfer for detecting the IS6110 sequence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in sputum

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), which are excited at near-infrared wavelength (980 nm), emit high-energy photons. Since UCNPs display a high signal-to-noise ratio and no photobleaching, they are extremely useful for diagnostic application. In this study, we applied UCNPs for detecting the IS6110 sequence of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and evaluated the feasibility of the system for use in molecular diagnostics. Using biotinylated primers, IS6110 DNA PCR was performed and the PCR amplicon was then mixed with streptavidin-conjugated UCNPs, followed by intercalation with SYTOX Orange dye. Fluorescence detection for the Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) of the UCNPs (UCNP-FRET) was then performed. The estimated lowest detection by UCNP-FRET was 10(2) copies/μL of IS6110 DNA (157 bp). The kappa agreement of the UCNP-FRET assay with conventional PCR was 0.8464 (95% confidence interval, 0.7442-0.9486) and false-negative results were reduced. Our results demonstrated the successful implementation of the UCNP-FRET system in detecting the IS6110 sequence of the MTBC and its potential application for molecular diagnostics.

Hair nicotine levels in non-smoking pregnant women whose spouses smoke outside of the home

Objective To determine whether spouses who only smoke cigarettes outside the home can reduce the secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure of non-smoking pregnant women to the levels of those with non-smoking spouses. Methods In this cross-sectional survey performed between 1 October 2006 and 31 July 2007, 896 non-smoking pregnant women in their 35th gestational week were included. Hair nicotine levels and the smoking behaviour of their spouses at home were assessed. Results The geometric means of the hair nicotine levels of the participants with non-smoking spouses (group A), the participants with spouses who only smoked outside the home (group B), and the participants with spouses who smoked inside the home (group C) were 0.33 ng/mg (95% CI 0.30 to 0.35), 0.51 ng/mg (95% CI, 0.45 to 0.57) and 0.58 ng/mg (95% CI, 0.51 to 0.65), respectively. The mean log hair nicotine level of group A was significantly different from the other groups (p<0.001, Scheffes post hoc test). Multiple linear regression analysis of the log-transformed hair nicotine levels of the participants after adjusting for confounding showed that the mean differences (SE of the mean difference) of groups B and C compared to the reference group A were 0.43 (0.07; p<0.001) and 0.44 (0.10; p<0.001), respectively. Conclusions Spouses who only smoked outside the home did not reduce the level of SHS exposure of pregnant women to the level of pregnant women with non-smoking spouses. A strategy based on the separation of pregnant women and the smoking activity of their spouses might be inadequate to protect pregnant women from SHS at home.