Analyst Blog

HOT Article: Using ELISA to test for Para red in foods

29 Mar 2012

A highly selective and sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the determination of the synthetic dye Para red in foodstuffs has been developed by Ting Xu, from the China Agriculture University, and colleagues. Para red is a dye that is used in printing, and is prohibited in foodstuffs due to it being a potential genotoxic carcinogen. The assay was tested on real food, and was comparable to current methods which are more resource intensive.

A sensitive and selective enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the analysis of para red in foods
Jia Wang, Keyi Wei, Hao Li, Qing X. Li, Ji Li and Ting Xu
Analyst , 2012, Advance Article
DOI : 10.1039/C2AN35127G

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HOT Article: Making a biomimetic artificial nose

29 Mar 2012

By Aliya Anwar.

Youngkyoo Kim from the Kyungpook National University, Republic of Korea, and colleagues have developed an artificial nose that can mimic the real thing! Olfactory sensory neurons from rats were cultured onto indium-tin oxide electrodes and direct voltage and current signals were then measured when it was exposed to odorants. It is hoped the present system can help advance the work in biomimetic artificial noses, which have a number of applications in medical diagnosis, anti-bioterror devices and environmental monitoring.

Direct measurement of extracellular electrical signals from mammalian olfactory sensory neurons in planar triode devices
Hwajeong Kim, So Yeun Kim, Sungho Nam, Gabriele V. Ronnett, Hyung Soo Han, Cheil Moon and Youngkyoo Kim
Analyst , 2012, Advance Article
DOI : 10.1039/C2AN16205A

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HOT Article: Detecting histidine in human urine

28 Mar 2012

By Rebecca Brodie, Deputy Editor.

In this HOT article Xiu-Ping Yan and colleagues from Nankai University have developed a colourimetric method to determine the presence of histidine in urine. The method is detectable by the naked-eye, with an obvious colour change from yellow to purple. The detection of histidine, an amino acid found in many proteins, is used to help with the diagnosis of histidine metabolism disorders and other diseases such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.

Yan et al., Analyst, 2012, Advance Article

Take a look at their paper, it will be free to read for 2 weeks.

An indicator-displacement assay for naked-eye detection and quantification of histidine in human urine
Shao-Kai Sun, Kai-Xiong Tu and Xiu-Ping Yan
Analyst, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35126A

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Analytical Research Forum 2012: registration now open

22 Mar 2012

By Vibhuti Patel, Deputy Editor.

You can know register for the Analytical Research Forum (ARF), taking place 2-4 July at Durham University. This year’s focus will be “Living Systems and Interfaces”.

The ARF is the premier Analytical Science meeting of the RSC. The meeting is primarily for early-stage analytical science researchers (industrial scientists, Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows) to present their latest results in the context of the wider analytical science community.

Early bird discount – £50 saving on the standard fee
Member rate – available to RSC members
Student rate – available to undergraduates and postgraduates on a full time course
Bursaries – a limited number offered to students and younger members of the RSC in the early stages of their career – worth £150 so check your eligibility

Keynote speakers at ARF 2012 are:

John Rogers – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Don Jones – University of Leicester
Pat Unwin– University of Warwick
Simon Herrington – University of Dundee

As Deputy Editor of Analyst and Analytical Methods, I’ll be attending on behalf of the journals, so feel free to speak to me about anything related to publishing your work with us. I look forward to seeing you in the summer!

Analytical Research Forum (ARF) 2012, 2-4 July, Durham University

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HOT articles from Issue 8!

21 Mar 2012

By Rebecca Brodie, Deputy Editor.

The latest issue of Analyst features quite a few HOT articles for you to take a look at! Featuring logic gates, environmental monitoring, clinical analysis and analytical probes, there’s a little something for everyone.

Don’t forget you can browse the whole issue via the Analyst homepage.

Analyst, 2012, Issue 8, Pages 1741 to 1972

Analysis of biomarkers characteristic of porcine liver injury—from biomolecular logic gates to an animal model
Lenka Halámková, Jan Halámek, Vera Bocharova , Steven Wolf, Kristine E. Mulier, Greg Beilman, Joseph Wang and Evgeny Katz
Analyst, 2012, 137, 1768-1770
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN00014H

A novel nanoaggregation detection technique of TNT using selective and ultrasensitive nanocurcumin as a probe
Alok Pandya, Heena Goswami, Anand Lodha and Shobhana K. Menon
Analyst, 2012, 137, 1771-1774
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35131E

Coherent two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy: Quantitative analysis of protein secondary structure in solution
Carlos R. Baiz, Chunte Sam Peng, Mike E. Reppert, Kevin C. Jones and Andrei Tokmakoff
Analyst, 2012, 137, 1793-1799
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN16031E

Visual detection of copper(II) ions in blood samples by controlling the leaching of protein-capped gold nanoparticles
Yen-Fei Lee, Ting-Wei Deng, Wei-Jane Chiu, Tsao-Yen Wei, Prathik Roy and Chih-Ching Huang
Analyst, 2012, 137, 1800-1806
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN16270A

On-line solid phase extraction of humic acid from environmental water and monitoring with flow-through chemiluminescence
Jingya Qu, Hui Chen, Chao Lu, Zhihua Wang and Jin-Ming Lin
Analyst, 2012, 137, 1824-1830
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN16002A

Characterization of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):tosylate conductive polymer microelectrodes for transmitter detection
Simon T. Larsen, Richard F. Vreeland, Michael L. Heien and Rafael Taboryski
Analyst, 2012, 137, 1831-1836
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN16288A

Two-photon fluorescent probe for cadmium imaging in cells
Yongyou Liu, Xiaohu Dong, Jian Sun, Cheng Zhong, Boheng Li, Ximeng You, Bifeng Liu and Zhihong Liu
Analyst, 2012, 137, 1837-1845
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN16254G

Polypyrrole hollow fiber for solid phase extraction
Tian Tian, Jianjun Deng, Zhuoying Xie, Yuanjin Zhao, Zhangqi Feng, Xuejun Kang and Zhongze Gu
Analyst, 2012, 137, 1846-1852
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN16266K

A chromo- and fluorogenic sensor for probing the cancer biomarker lysophosphatidic acid
Wenwen Zhao, Weimin Liu, Wenjun Zhang, Lintao Zeng, Zhiyuan Fan, Jiasheng Wu and Pengfei Wang
Analyst, 2012, 137, 1853-1859
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN16153B

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Analyst Issue 8 now online!

20 Mar 2012

By Rebecca Brodie, Deputy Editor.

The latest issue of Analyst is now available online and we have three exciting covers for you to admire.

The colourful front cover is from Hai Luo and colleagues from Peking University. They have studied the complexation reactions of insulin and other proteins with metal ions that are generated from the surface of substrates during laser irradiation as part of the process of laser desorption spray post-ionization mass spectrometry (LDSPI-MS).

By studying the type of sample plate material, laser and metal ions involved, they were able to make recommendations to optimise analysis to get the best possible results.

Unexpected complexation reaction during analysis of proteins using laser desorption spray post-ionization mass spectrometry, Jia Liu, Chengsen Zhang, Jiamu Sun and Hai Luo
Analyst, 2012, 137, 1764-1767, DOI: 10.1039/C2AN16090K

The inside front cover from Hong Chen and Lin Yuan of Soochow University and co-workers has an informative image of a new sandwich ELISA method that has been developed for cancer detection.

Their work has found that an ELISA plate in sandwich format that is modified with a gold nanoparticle layer has an amplified signal and a lower limit of detection compared to other assays. This new assay was tested on a representative biomarker in human plasma and showed superior performance.

Sensitive sandwich ELISA based on a gold nanoparticle layer for cancer detection
Feng Zhou, Mengmeng Wang, Lin Yuan, Zhenping Cheng, Zhaoqiang Wu and Hong Chen
Analyst, 2012, 137, 1779-1784, DOI: 10.1039/C2AN16257A

On the back cover Gobind Das and colleagues from the Nanostructures Division of the Italian Institute of Technology have fabricated a new honey-combed nano-patterned substrate to be used in SERS biosensors. Further work in optimisation is ongoing to produce an inexpensive and disposable biosensor device.

Fabrication of large-area ordered and reproducible nanostructures for SERS biosensor application
Gobind Das, Niranjan Patra, Anisha Gopalakrishnan, Remo Proietti Zaccaria, Andrea Toma, Sanjay Thorat, Enzo Di Fabrizio, Alberto Diaspro and Marco Salerno
Analyst, 2012, 137, 1785-1792, DOI: 10.1039/C2AN16022F

All three cover articles will be free to access for 6 weeks.

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HOT paper: Quantitative analysis of protein secondary structure in solution

19 Mar 2012

By Vibhuti Patel, Deputy Editor.

A faster, more informative way to probe protein structures, which are vital to understanding protein function, has been devised by researchers in the US.

Proteins drive most biological processes but the majority of studies on them are performed under non-biological conditions where key dynamic effects can’t be captured. For example, crystallography uses solid state, and mass spectrometry is in the gas phase and can be denaturing.

This method, developed by Carlos Baiz from the Andrei Tokmakoff group at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, uses two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy, and offers ultrafast time resolution, and enables study in solution, which provides the potential to look at protein folding/unfolding pathways; this could considerably expand scientists’ understanding of the protein structure/function relationship.

Coherent two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy: Quantitative analysis of protein secondary structure in solution
Carlos R. Baiz, Chunte Sam Peng, Mike E. Reppert, Kevin C. Jones and Andrei Tokmakoff
Analyst, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN16031E

Coherent two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy to study protein secondary structure

Baiz et al., Analyst, 2012, Advance Article

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Genzo Shimadzu, Sr. and Genzo Shimadzu, Jr. receive PITTCON 2012 Heritage Award

12 Mar 2012

By Rebecca Brodie, Deputy Editor.

PITTCON 2012 Conference and Expo The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (PITTCON) and the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) have awarded the PITTCON 2012 Heritage Award to the father and son duo of Genzo Shimadzu, Sr. and Genzo Shimadzu, Jr. The award has been given posthumously to the founders of the Shimadzu Corporation for their vision and contribution towards the modernizing of Japan during the second half of the nineteenth century.

Today Japan continues to be a forerunner in chemistry research and technology, so much so that the RSC has recently opened a new office in Tokyo. Dr Hirofumi Seike from Kyoto University is our RSC representative in Japan who will be helping us with our publishing activities and international development.

We also have Professor Takehiko Kitamori from the University of Tokyo on our Analyst Editorial Board, acting as the Associate Editor for Asia, and ready and waiting for your submissions.

You might also like to take a look at some of our recent analytical papers from Japan:

Assessment of willow (Salix sp.) as a woody heavy metal accumulator: field survey and in vivo X-ray analyses, Emiko Harada, Akiko Hokura, Izumi Nakai, Yasuko Terada, Kei’ichi Baba, Kazufumi Yazaki, Masamichi Shiono, Naoharu Mizuno and Takafumi Mizuno, Metallomics, 2011, 3, 1340-1346
DOI: 10.1039/C1MT00102G

In situ monitoring of a trace intermediate during DNA phosphorylation by T4 polynucleotide kinase for transient kinetic studies, Hiroyuki Furusawa, Kensuke Uemura, Hiroshi Yoshimine and Yoshio Okahata, Analyst, 2012, 137, 1334-1337
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN16273C

A portable total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometer with a diamond-like carbon coated X-ray reflector, Shinsuke Kunimura and Hitoshi Ohmori, Analyst, 2012, 137, 312-314
DOI: 10.1039/C1AN15389G

Compression effect on sustained-release and water absorption properties of cellulose tablets studied by heterospectral two-dimensional (2D) correlation analysis, Hideyuki Shinzawa, Kimie Awa and Yukihiro Ozaki, Anal. Methods, 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C1AY05392B

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Picturing bacteria on your phone

08 Mar 2012

By Aliya Anwar.

Using cell phone to detect E. coli contamination in liquids

The device, which is attached to a cell phone, detects E. coli and the phone's camera is used to capture light emission images © Ozcan Research Lab at UCLA

US scientists have developed a device that, when attached to a mobile phone, can detect small amounts of Escherichia coli in liquid samples.

Outbreaks of E. coli poisoning still pose a threat to health, particularly in developing countries. As few as ten E. coli bacteria can cause serious ill health, so accurate and efficient detection devices are required to identify contaminated food and water. Existing detection devices are often expensive, complex and require large equipment unsuitable for field use.

There are over five billion mobile phones in the world and over 70% of these are in developing areas. Hongying Zhu and colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles, developed a device able to take advantage of this abundant technology. Zhu commented that ‘our cell phone based platform would be very useful to bring advanced technologies to remote and resource poor locations’ adding that the phone provides ‘a ubiquitous platform for conducting advanced micro-analysis wherever cell phones work’.

Read the full story in Chemistry World

Link to journal article:

Quantum dot enabled detection of Escherichia coli using a cell-phone
Hongying Zhu, Uzair Sikora and Aydogan Ozcan
Analyst, 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN35071H

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HOT Article: Using ELISA to test for Para red in foods

HOT Article: Making a biomimetic artificial nose

HOT Article: Detecting histidine in human urine

Top ten most accessed articles in February

Analytical Research Forum 2012: registration now open

HOT articles from Issue 8!

Analyst Issue 8 now online!

HOT paper: Quantitative analysis of protein secondary structure in solution

Genzo Shimadzu, Sr. and Genzo Shimadzu, Jr. receive PITTCON 2012 Heritage Award

Picturing bacteria on your phone

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