Nanocomposite fluorescence sensor for ultrafast and reliable fluoride detection in real water samples

One-step synthesized fluorescent nitrogen doped carbon dots from thymidine for Cr (VI) detection in water

The problem of high fluoride concentration in groundwater resources has become one of the most important toxicological and geo-environmental issues in India. Excessive fluoride in drinking water causes dental and skeletal fluorosis, which is encountered in endemic proportions in several parts of the world. World Health Organization (WHO) guideline value and the permissible limit of fluoride as per Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) is 1.5 mg/L. About 20 states of India, including 43 blocks of seven districts of West Bengal, were identified as endemic for fluorosis and about 66 million people in these regions are at risk of fluoride contamination. Studies showed that withdrawal of sources identified for fluoride often leads reduction of fluoride in the body fluids (re-testing urine and serum after a week or 10 days) and results in the disappearance of non-skeletal fluorosis within a short duration of 10-15 days. To determine the prevalence of signs and symptoms of suspected dental, skeletal, and non-skeletal fluorosis, along with food habits, addictions, and use of fluoride containing toothpaste among participants taking water with fluoride concentration above the permissible limit, and to assess the changes in clinical manifestations of the above participants after they started consuming safe drinking water. A longitudinal intervention study was conducted in three villages in Rampurhat Block I of Birbhum district of West Bengal to assess the occurrence of various dental, skeletal, and non-skeletal manifestations of fluorosis, along with food habits, addictions, and use of fluoride containing toothpaste among the study population and the impact of taking safe water from the supplied domestic and community filters on these clinical manifestations. The impact was studied by follow-up examination of the participants for 5 months to determine the changes in clinical manifestations of the above participants after they started consuming safe drinking water from supplied domestic filters and community filter with fluoride concentration below the permissible limit. The data obtained were compared with the collected data from the baseline survey. The prevalence of signs of dental, skeletal, and non-skeletal fluorosis was 66.7%, 4.8-23.8%, and 9.5-38.1%, respectively, among the study population. Withdrawal of source(s) identified for fluoride by providing domestic and community filters supplying safe water led to 9.6% decrease in manifestation of dental fluorosis, 2.4-14.3% decrease in various manifestations of skeletal fluorosis, and 7.1-21.5% decrease in various non-skeletal manifestations within 5 months. Following repeated motivation of participants during visit, there was also 9.7-38.1% decrease in the usage of fluoride containing toothpaste, and 9.8-45.3% and 7.3-11.9% decrease in the consumption of black lemon tea and tobacco, respectively, which are known sources of fluoride ingestion in our body and have an effect on the occurrence of various manifestations of fluorosis following drinking of safe water from domestic and community filters. Increased prevalence of dental, skeletal, and non-skeletal fluorosis was found among the study population. Withdrawal of source(s) identified for fluoride by supplying domestic and community filters, dietary restriction, and other nutritional interventions led to decrease in manifestation of the three types of fluorosis within 5 months.

Molecularly imprinted polymers-isolated AuNP-enhanced CdTe QD fluorescence sensor for selective and sensitive oxytetracycline detection in real water samples

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), a ubiquitous persistent organic pollutant, has aroused growing concern due to its adverse effects on human health. Timely onsite monitoring of PFOS in heavily contaminated areas is crucial for effective pollution management and prevention of its spread. However, relevant PFOS detection methods have rarely been reported. Herein, we developed a fluorescence sensing system capable of achieving timely onsite detection of PFOS under outdoor conditions. First, aggregate induced emission (AIE) fluorescence sensors, TPE-PAs, were synthesized. The optimized sensor could selectively interact with PFOS through electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding and exhibited prominent fluorescence enhancement after treating with PFOS. There was a good linear relationship between the fluorescence enhancement and PFOS concentration in the range of 0.05-30 ppm, and the limit of detection was measured to be 0.047 ppm. In addition, owing to the AIE fluorescence mechanism and high concentration of TPE-PAs in the sensing medium, the sensor demonstrated excellent anti-interference performance. Second, we developed a portable fluorometer, by modifying the power supply and sample cell of a tiny fluorometer, and further integrated this modified fluorometer, the prepared fluorescence sensor, standard PFOS solutions and other consumables into a portable test system. This test system showed good detection accuracy and reliability and successfully achieved timely onsite PFOS detection in real water samples.

Rational design of AIE-based fluorescent probes for hypochlorite detection in real water samples and live cell imaging

Algae are vital to aquatic ecosystems, with their structure and abundance influencing ecological health. However, automated detection in real water samples is hindered by complex backgrounds, species diversity, and size variations. Traditional methods are deemed costly and species-specific, leading to deep learning adoption. Current studies rely on CNN-based models and limited datasets. To improve the detection accuracy of multiple algal species in real, complex backgrounds, this study collected multi-species algae samples from actual water environments and implemented an integrated Transformer-based framework for automated localization and recognition of small, medium, and large algae species. Specifically, algae samples from five different regions were collected to construct a comprehensive dataset containing 25 algal species with diverse backgrounds and rich category diversity. To address dataset imbalances in minority species, a segmentation-fusion data augmentation method was proposed, which enhanced performance across YOLO, Faster R-CNN, and Deformable DETR models, with YOLO achieving a 7.1% precision increase and a 1.5% mAP improvement. Model optimization focused on an improved Deformable DETR, incorporating multi-scale feature extraction, deformable attention mechanisms, and the normalized Wasserstein distance loss function. This improvement enhanced small target and overlapping object detection, achieving a 10.4% mAP increase at an intersection over union (IoU) threshold of 0.5 and outperforming unmodified Deformable DETR.

Incinerating agricultural residues to recover energy is a popular method for reducing solid waste pollution and resource waste caused by the huge amount of coconut petiole residues. However, this process not only has the risk of secondary air pollution, but also the added value of comprehensive utilization is not high. In this paper, coconut petiole residues were used as eco-friendly and economical raw materials to synthesize carbon dots (CCDs) via a simple hydrothermal method. Furthermore, given the important reference significance of Fe3+ concentration in assessing the quality of water environment and human body health, the obtained CCDs were utilized for Fe3+ detection. The prepared spherical CCDs with an average diameter of 1.39 nm and a carbon skeleton dominated by benzene ring structure have surface functional groups that endow them with good water solubility. The CCDs with a quantum yield of 1.39% emit strong blue fluorescence under ultraviolet radiation (365 nm), and show favorable fluorescence stability with excitation-dependent and concentration-dependent emission behaviors. Based on the synergetic effect of static and dynamic quenching, the CCDs exhibit favorable selectivity and detection sensitivity toward Fe3+ with a linear range of 0.005 to 0.2 mM and a detection limit of 2.3 μM, and also show the feasibility of Fe3+ detection in real water samples. This work is in favor of the high value-added conversion of coconut petiole residues. In addition, the development and use of bio-based CCDs as fluorescence sensors may be beneficial to monitoring and protecting public health and the environment.

A highly sensitive and selective rhodamine-semicarbazide based fluorescent sensor for Cu2+ detection in real water samples and fluorescence bioimaging in HepG2 cells

Dual-lanthanide functionalized hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks for fluorescent detection of quinolone antibiotics in multi-media.

The contamination of groundwater, rivers and lakes by nitrates has become a serious problem. The latter, mainly from agricultural activity, such as the use of chemical fertilizers, harm the aquatic ecosystem and the supply of drinking water. On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a maximum level of 50mg/L of NO3 - in water, but this threshold is often exceeded, making drinking water unfit for consumption in many regions. In this context, sensitive and reliable detection methods have become a top priority. In this work, we have developed and characterized electrodes based on screen printed modified electrodes (SPEs) by a composite of a Copper film, poly 1,5-Diaminonaphthalene (1,5-DAN) and carbon black. The developed electrochemical sensor is named Cu /Poly 1,5-DAN/CB /SPE. The prepared electrode showed electroactivity towards nitrate ions in a concentration range between 5-100 µM with a detection limit less than 1 µM. The sensor showed very good repeatability and reproducibility and was successfully tested in different water samples. Figure 1

Recently graphene quantum dot (GQD) based nanohybrid materials have received much attention. Herein, a highly fluorescent biocompatible GQD and N-functionalized dithienopyrrole (DTP-PPD) modified nanohybrid system was fabricated (DTP-PPD-fn-GQD) for the first time. Modification resulted in stable fluorescence with a quantum yield of approximately 22% and 36 nm redshift compared to unmodified GQD. The apparent bandgap tuning along with fluorescence property changes was investigated by cyclic voltammetry measurements and density functional theory studies. This water-soluble system was then applied for the sensitive and selective detection of Pb2+ ions. As a result of a specific interaction towards Pb2+ ions, the fluorescence intensity was quenched. The detection limit is found to be 1.02 nM within the linear range of 3 to 30 nM. Finally, the feasibility of the developed probe was tested with real samples of water. Chemically modified GQDs are already widely exploited for Pb2+ sensing, whereas GQD/thiophene-based nanohybrid systems are less utilized. This newly developed nanohybrid of GQD (DTP-PPD-fn-GQD) has excellent fluorescence properties and bandgap tunability. Moreover, effective fluorometric sensing of Pb2+ ions in an aqueous medium is well investigated. This gives more insight into developing GQD-based highly promising nanohybrid colorimetric as well as fluorescent sensors.

BackgroundSafety monitoring of medicines is essential during therapy for bipolar disorder (BD). We determined the extent of safety monitoring performed according to the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) guidelines in patients with BD attending the main tertiary care psychiatry clinics in Sri Lanka to give realistic recommendations for safety monitoring in resource limited settings.MethodsPatients diagnosed with BD on mood stabilizer medications for more than 1 year were recruited. Data were collected retrospectively from clinic and patient held records and compared with the standards of care recommended by ISBD guidelines for safety monitoring of medicines.ResultsOut of 256 patients diagnosed with BD, 164 (64.1%) were on lithium. Only 75 (45.7%) had serum lithium measurements done in the past 6 months and 96 (58.5%) had concentrations recorded at least once in the past year. Blood urea or creatinine was measured in the last 6 months only in 30 (18.3%). Serum electrolytes and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations were measured in the last year only in 34 (20.7%) and 30 (18.3%) respectively. Calcium concentrations were not recorded in any patient. None of the patients on sodium valproate (n = 119) or carbamazepine (n = 6) had blood levels recorded to establish therapeutic concentrations. Atypical antipsychotics were prescribed for 151 (59%), but only 13 (8.6%) had lipid profiles and only 31 (20.5%) had blood glucose concentration measured annually. Comorbidities experienced by patients influenced monitoring more than the medicines used. Patients with diabetes, hypothyroidism and hypercholesterolemia were more likely to get monitored for fasting blood glucose and (p < 0.001), TSH (p < 0.001) and lipid profiles (p < 0.001). Lithium therapy was associated with TSH monitoring (p < 0.05). Therapy with atypical antipsychotics was not associated with fasting blood glucose or lipid profile monitoring (p > 0.05). A limitation of the study is that although some tests were performed, the results may not have been recorded.ConclusionsSafety monitoring in BD was suboptimal compared to the ISBD guidelines. ISBD standards are difficult to achieve in resource limited settings due to a multitude of reasons. Realistic monitoring benchmarks and recommendations are proposed for methods to improve monitoring in resource limited settings based on our experience.

‘Turn-ON’ furfurylamine-based fluorescent sensor for Cd2+ ion detection and its application in real water samples

A novel ratiometric fluorescence probe based on calix[4]arene functionalized polymer dots for bisphenol A detection in real water samples

This study presents results from field surveys performed over various seasons in a large, eutrophic, shallow lake (Lake Taihu, China) using an in situ chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) fluorescence sensor as a surrogate for other water quality parameters. These measurements identified highly significant empirical relationships between CDOM concentration measured using the in situ fluorescence sensor and CDOM absorption, fluorescence, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations. CDOM concentration expressed in quinine sulfate equivalent units, was highly correlated with the CDOM absorption coefficient (r2 = 0.80, p < 0.001), fluorescence intensities (Ex./Em. 370/460 nm) (r2 = 0.91, p < 0.001), the fluorescence index (r2 = 0.88, p < 0.001) and the humification index (r2 = 0.78, p < 0.001), suggesting that CDOM concentration measured using the in situ fluorescence sensor could act as a substitute for the CDOM absorption coefficient and fluorescence measured in the laboratory. Similarly, CDOM concentration was highly correlated with DOC concentration (r2 = 0.68, p < 0.001), indicating that in situ CDOM fluorescence sensor measurements could be a proxy for DOC concentration. In addition, significant positive correlations were found between laboratory CDOM absorption coefficients and COD (r2 = 0.83, p < 0.001), TP (r2 = 0.82, p < 0.001) concentrations, suggesting a potential further application for the real-time monitoring of water quality using an in situ CDOM fluorescence sensor.