Differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) is among the most prevalent endocrine cancers. The diagnosis of DTC has witnessed tremendous progress in terms of technological advancement and clinical operational guidelines. DTC diagnostics have evolved significantly over centuries, from early clinical examinations to modern molecular testing and imaging modalities. The diagnosis and management of DTC are currently dependent on the international histological classification and identification of specific genetic abnormalities in tumor tissue, as well as the prognostic implications that can inform treatment decisions. This study goes down the memory lanes of various diagnostic methods for DTCs, highlighting recent advancements in molecular testing and point-of-care (POC) technology. Beginning with conventional methods like fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB), fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), and ultrasound (US) and moving to contemporary innovative approaches such as POC-thyroglobulin (POC-Tg) and liquid biopsy, this review showcases the current trends in DTC diagnostics. Although considerable progress has been achieved in early malignancy detection, patient stratification, prognosis, and personalized treatment, there is a need to refine the mainstay diagnostic procedures. Finally, future perspectives were provided, and emerging roles of artificial intelligence in DTC diagnostics were explored.

Sediments are key players in the optimum functioning of ecosystems; however, they also represent the largest known repository of harmful contaminants. The vast variety of these sediment-associated contaminants may exert harmful effects on marine communities and can impair ecosystem functioning. Whole-cell biosensors are a rapid and biologically relevant tool for assessing environmental toxicity. Therefore, in this study, we developed a bioassay-based toxicity measurement system using genetically modified bacteria to create a whole-cell optical biosensor. Briefly, reporter bacteria were integrated and immobilized using a calcium alginate matrix on fiber-optic tips connected to a photon counter placed inside a light-proof, portable case. The calcium alginate matrix acts as a semi-permeable membrane that protects the reporter-encapsulated optical fiber tips and allows the inward passage of toxicant(s) to induce a dose-dependent response in the bioreporter. The samples were tested by directly submerging the fiber tip with immobilized bacteria into vials containing either water or suspended sediment samples, and the subsequent bioluminescent responses were acquired. In addition to bioavailable sediment toxicity assessments, conventional chemical methods, such as liquid chromatography–mass spectroscopy (LC-MS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), were used for comprehensive evaluation. The results demonstrated the efficacy of the biosensor in detecting various toxicity levels corresponding to identified contaminants, highlighting its potential integration into environmental monitoring frameworks for enhanced sediment and water quality assessments. Despite its utility, this study notes the system’s operational challenges in field conditions, recommending future enhancements for improved portability and usability in remote locations.

Sediments are key players in the optimum functioning of ecosystems; however, they also represent the largest known repository of harmful contaminants. The vast variety of these sediment-associated contaminants may exert harmful effects on marine communities and can impair ecosystem functioning. Whole-cell biosensors are a rapid and one of the biologically relevant tools for assessing environmental toxicity. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to develop a bioassay-based toxicity measurement system using genetically modified bacteria to create a whole-cell optical biosensor. Briefly, reporter bacteria are integrated and immobilized using a calcium-alginate matrix on fiber-optic tips connected to a photon counter placed inside a light-proof, portable case. The calcium alginate matrix acts as a semi-permeable membrane that protects the reporter-encapsulated optical fiber tips and allows the inward passage of the toxicant(s) to induce a dose-dependent response in the bioreporter. Samples were tested by directly submerging the fiber tip with immobilized bacteria into vials containing either water or suspended sediment samples and the subsequent bioluminescent responses acquired. In addition to bioavailable sediment toxicity assessments, conventional chemical methods – liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC-MS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) for comprehensive evaluation were likewise used. Results demonstrated the biosensor's efficacy in detecting various toxicity levels corresponding to identified contaminants, showcasing its potential integration into environmental monitoring frameworks for enhanced sediment and water quality assessments. Despite its utility, the study notes the system's operational challenges in field conditions, recommending future enhancements for improved portability and usability in remote locations.

The exploitation of alginate and its composites as immobilisation support matrices in multiple applications remains a promising field that has the potential to create advanced functional materials from sustainable natural sources. They are non-toxic, allow sol-gel transformation, are biocompatible, have remarkable ion exchange properties, are biodegradable, and are amenable to chemical functionalisation. Alginate and its derived composites have numerous biotechnological and biomedical applications, including biomolecule or cell immobilisation, tissue engineering, drug delivery, wound dressing, and biosensors. Alginate can rapidly crosslink into a stable 3D water-insoluble network called hydrogel with polyvalent cations. Blending alginate with other materials to produce composite materials with improved or novel physicochemical properties remains an ongoing research endeavour. For instance, natural and synthetic polymers or nanoparticles have been incorporated into alginate-yielding composite material with enhanced physical strength, controlled porosity, improved interaction between the alginate support and the biomolecules, and the impartation of other features such as electrical and magnetic responsiveness, among others. Immobilisation strategies are discussed herein, including their innovations and future research perspectives.

Metastatic cervical lymph nodes (LN) are detected in 20-30% of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Current guidelines recommend that once a cervical LN is suspected to be DTC metastasis during a neck ultrasound (US) procedure, it should be investigated via a fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy for cytological evaluation and saline washout of the needle for thyroglobulin (Tg) measurement (FNA-Tg). Since Tg is a protein produced exclusively by thyroid follicular cells, a positive FNA-Tg result establishes the diagnosis of metastatic DTC irrespective of cytology. The conventional, immunoassay-based, FNA-Tg washout requires a laboratory and skilled personnel. We developed a semi-quantitative, lateral flow-based method which was shown to detect at the point-of-care (POC), within 10 minutes, positive Tg samples in needle washouts of a suspicious LN at the site of FNA biopsy. In the pre-clinical phase, the POC-Tg limit of detection was determined to be at a concentration equal to 5 ng/mL, after a 1 mL dilution with normal saline. Our prototype was optimized by evaluating different components: types of membranes, pads, antibodies, and gold conjugates. We evaluated our POC-Tg kits on thirty clinical samples: 16 were found positive while the other 14 were seen as negative. All the negative and positive results were further validated by the attending clinical labs, resulting in 100% compatibility compared to the standard procedure. The proof-of-value of our POC-Tg test lies in its ability to significantly reduce the time to results, thus enhancing clinical decision-making, and saving time and valuable resources.