University of Sargodha

Glucose and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) are essential metabolic biomarkers involved in cellular energy regulation, physiological homeostasis, and disease progression. Accurate and real-time detection of these molecules is therefore critically important in biological and biomedical research. Although conventional analytical techniques provide excellent sensitivity and accuracy, their dependence on sophisticated instrumentation and extensive sample preparation limits their application in continuous and point-of-care monitoring. Fluorescence spectroscopy has emerged as a powerful analytical approach due to its high sensitivity, rapid response, tunable photophysical properties, and compatibility with biological imaging and real-time monitoring. This review critically examines recent advances in fluorescent probes and optical biosensing platforms for glucose and ATP detection. It places particular emphasis on the relationship between molecular probe design, photophysical behavior, and sensing performance. Major fluorescence transduction mechanisms, including photoinduced electron transfer (PET), intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), and aggregation-induced emission (AIE), are discussed in terms of their excited-state dynamics and spectroscopic characteristics. Representative sensing platforms are comparatively evaluated based on detection limit, linear dynamic range, selectivity, response time, and performance in complex biological matrices. Current challenges associated with signal interference, probe photostability, biocompatibility, and limited in vivo applicability are highlighted. Furthermore, emerging computational and data-driven approaches, including TD-DFT calculations, HOMO-LUMO analysis, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted photophysical prediction, are discussed as promising tools for rational probe optimization and mechanistic understanding. Overall, this review provides mechanistic and computational insights into the design of fluorescent probes and biosensing platforms, offering a critical framework for advancing next-generation optical biosensing systems with enhanced sensitivity, selectivity, and in vivo applicability.

The properties of rare-earth spinel chalcogenides depend strongly on how exchange-correlation and relativistic effects are treated. Here, the stability and the mechanical, electronic, magnetic, optical, thermoelectric and thermodynamic properties of the cubic (Fd-3m) spinels BaGd₂X₄ (X = S, Se) are investigated using the FP-LAPW method. The electronic and transport responses are compared under five schemes: GGA, GGA + mBJ, GGA + SOC, GGA + U and GGA + SOC + U. Negative formation energies (-2.43 and -2.13 eV/atom), a ferromagnetic ground state below two antiferromagnetic configurations, and elastic constants satisfying the Born criteria confirm stability. Pugh (4.60, 4.67) and Poisson (0.39, 0.40) ratios indicate ductility. Both compounds remain spin-polarised semiconductors under every scheme. The Hubbard term (U_eff = 6.6 eV on Gd-4f) widens the gaps to 1.60 eV (BaGd₂S₄) and 1.40 eV (BaGd₂Se₄), whereas SOC narrows them to 1.04 and 0.71 eV, with the Se compound more sensitive to relativistic corrections. The total moment of 28 μB per cell is carried mainly by Gd³⁺ (≈6.9 μB) and is unchanged by SOC and U, consistent with the half-filled 4f⁷ shell. The optical spectra (0-8 eV) show an absorption onset near 1 eV, a static refractive index of 2.3-3.7 depending on the scheme, and strongest absorption at 6-7.5 eV. Boltzmann transport gives positive Seebeck coefficients of about 250 μV/K at 300 K, indicating p-type conduction. Slack's model yields lattice thermal conductivities of ≈0.07 and ≈ 0.26 W m^-1 K^-1 at 300 K. Quasi-harmonic analysis (0-8 GPa, 200-800 K) shows the Debye temperature rising with pressure. These findings identify BaGd₂X₄ as candidate p-type thermoelectric and ultraviolet optoelectronic materials.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of worldwide mortality, with myocardial infarction (MI) being one of the most significant clinical indicators. Around 85% of the 17.9 million cardiovascular deaths are due to heart attack and stroke. This comprehensive review focuses on cardiac biomarkers and cardioprotection signaling pathways. This review describes key cardioprotective signaling pathways, including PKCε, RISK (Reperfusion Injury Salvage Kinase), MAPK, NO/cGMP/PKG, and SAFE (Survivor Activating Factor Enhancement), which work together to regulate cardiovascular functions, prevent cellular death, and maintain mitochondrial stability. The physiology of heart injury is examined through the complex interactions of inflammatory processes, necrotic transmissions, self-destruction, and oxidative stress, with particular attention to mitochondrial dysfunction, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. A thorough review of traditional and innovative cardiac biomarkers is provided, including long non-coding RNAs, microRNAs (e.g., miR-21, miR-486-5p, miR-126), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), cardiac troponins (cTnI/cTnT), inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6, TNF-α), and natriuretic peptides (BNP/NT-pro BNP). A broad discussion of these novel biomarkers covers their applications in prognosis, screening, and medical assessment, emphasizing their roles in risk evaluation, early detection, and personalized therapy plans. This study offers an extensive perspective on cardiac protection, integrating clinical applications with physiological mechanisms to promote precise cardiovascular treatment and improve patient outcomes.