Simple method for the assay of linezolid in Brain Heart Infusion broth by high-performance liquid chromatography

A simple HPLC method was developed and validated for quantification of linezolid in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broth. Eperezolid was employed as internal standard and the sample pre-treatment procedure was simple. Calibration standards ranged from 0.05 to 16 mg/L. Accuracy was within 7.8% and reproducibility (RSD) was less than 8.3%. Recovery was approximately 100% at all concentrations examined. Linezolid was stable in the autosampler insert for at least 24 h at ambient temperature and in BHI for 72 h at 37 degrees C. This assay is rapid and ideal for analysis of a large number of samples.     

Reagentless Bioluminescent Sensor for NADH

Abstract

A reagentless fiber optic biosensor specific for NADH, associated with flow injection analysis and based on bacterial bioluminescence is described. Only a buffer solution as flowing stream is required for the probe which works without supply of its coreactants (FMN and N-decyl-aldehyde). These are coentrapped in a poly(vinyl)alcohol (PVA) matrix which allows their internal release in the vicinity of the immobilized enzymes. Two PVA matrices differing by the reticulation process have been tested : first, by polymerization with glutaraldehyde and secondly, by a cyclic freezing-thawing process. The self-containment working time was estimated at 1 and 1.5 h of continuous measurements, respectively. NADH was determined using flow injection analysis. The sensor gave excellent reproducibility (RSD ≤ 3%) in the linear dynamic range 5 — 500 pmol with an average cycle-time of 2.5 min.     

Beyond labels: A review of the application of quantum dots as integrated components of assays, bioprobes, and biosensors utilizing optical transduction

A comprehensive review of the development of assays, bioprobes, and biosensors using quantum dots (QDs) as integrated components is presented. In contrast to a QD that is selectively introduced as a label, an integrated QD is one that is present in a system throughout a bioanalysis, and simultaneously has a role in transduction and as a scaffold for biorecognition. Through a diverse array of coatings and bioconjugation strategies, it is possible to use QDs as a scaffold for biorecognition events. The modulation of QD luminescence provides the opportunity for the transduction of these events via fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET), charge transfer quenching, and electrochemiluminescence (ECL). An overview of the basic concepts and principles underlying the use of QDs with each of these transduction methods is provided, along with many examples of their application in biological sensing. The latter include: the detection of small molecules using enzyme-linked methods, or using aptamers as affinity probes; the detection of proteins via immunoassays or aptamers; nucleic acid hybridization assays; and assays for protease or nuclease activity. Strategies for multiplexed detection are highlighted among these examples. Although the majority of developments to date have been in vitro, QD-based methods for ex vivo biological sensing are emerging. Some special attention is given to the development of solid-phase assays, which offer certain advantages over their solution-phase counterparts.     

Norvancomycin-capped silver nanoparticles: Synthesis and antibacterial activities against E. coli

The synthesis of norvancomycin (NVan)-capped silver nanoparticles (Ag@NVan) and their notable in vitro antibacterial activities against E. coli, a Gram-negative bacterial strain (GNB), are reported here. Mercaptoacetic acid-stabilized spherical silver nanoparticles with a diameter of 16±4 nm are prepared by a simple chemical reaction. The formation process of the silver nanoparticles is investigated by UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). NVan is then grafted to the terminal carboxyl of the mercaptoacetic acid in the presence of N-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDAC). The TEM images of single bacteria treated with Ag@NVan show that plenty of Ag@NVan aggregate in the cell wall of E. coli. A possible antibacterial mechanism is proposed that silver nanoparticles may help destroy the stability of the outer membrane of E. coli, which makes NVan easier to bind to the nether part of the peptidoglycan structure. The antibacterial activities of silver nanoparticles on their own, together with the rigid polyvalent interaction between Ag@NVan and cell wall, enables Ag@NVan to be an effective inhibitor of GNB. This kind of bionanocomposites might be used as novel bactericidal materials and we also provide an effective synthesis method for preparing functional bioconjugated nanoparticles here. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50373036) and Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation (Grant No. J20040212)     

超级电容器用细菌纤维素基电极材料

超级电容器由于能提供比电池更高的功率密度,比传统电容器更高的能量密度而备受关注。但目前其应用仍存在能量密度低的问题。碳材料、金属氧化物和导电聚合物是常见的三种超级电容器电极材料,而其中不同形式碳材料是电容器中研究和应用最广泛的电极材料。细菌纤维素是由细菌分泌产生的具有一定纳米级孔径分布的多孔生物材料,具有高强度和模量、高孔隙率、极好的尺寸和热稳定性的特性。以细菌纤维素为原料制备电极材料是近年来超级电容器领域的热点研究方向之一。本文以细菌纤维素基电极材料的种类、制备方法和性能为线索,综述了国内外细菌纤维素基超级电容器电极材料的研究进展,并归纳总结了电极材料最优的形态和制备方法,进一步对该类电极材料的发展趋势进行了展望。     

Preparation of Arabinoxylan and its Sorption on Bacterial Cellulose During Cultivation

The sorption of arabinoxylan (AX) on bacterial cellulose was investigated by adding AX to the culture medium of Gluconacetobacter xylinus. The starting AX material was produced by alkaline extraction of oat spelts. To investigate the impact of varying AX quality, the residual lignin was reduced by ClO₂ bleaching. Furthermore, bleached and unbleached xylans were subjected to xylanase hydrolysis in order to produce fractions of varying molar mass. Of all samples only the water soluble fractions were used for sorption experiments. A reduced molar mass resulted in a lower sorption of AX to the cellulose, while the lignin content increased the sorption of AX on bacterial cellulose. The sorption of AX resulted in a reduction of bacterial cellulose crystallinity and cellulose Iα content. In combined treatments of AX with xyloglucan and β-glucan no synergistic effect of those polysaccharides on the AX sorption was found.     

Construction and evaluation of nagR-nagAa::lux fusion strains in biosensing for salicylic acid derivatives

The NagR protein is a response regulatory protein found in the bacterium Ralstonia sp. U2 that is involved in sensing for salicylic acid and the subsequent induction of the operaon just upstream of its gene. The genes encoded for in this operon are involved in the degradation of salicylic acid. Escherichia coli strain RFM443 carrying a fusion of the Photorhabdus luminesscens luxCDABE operon with the nagR gene and upstream region of the nagAa gene was constructed and characterized with respect to its optimum temperature, its response time and kinetics, and its ability to deterctnumerous benzoic acid derivatives. Although capable of detecting 0.5 mM salicylic acid at any temperature between 28 and 40°C, this E. coli strain, labeled DNT5, showed its greatest relative activity at 30°C, i.e., the temperature at which the largest induction was seen. Furthermore, experiments done with numerous benzoic acid derivatives found the NagR protein to be responsive to only a few of the compounds tested, including salicylic acid and 3-methyl salicylic acid and 3-methyl saliyclic acid, and acetyl salicylic acid was the strongest inducer. The lower limits of detection for these compounds with E. coli strain DNT5 were also established, wit the native inducer, salicylic acid, giving the most sensitive response and detectable down to a concentration of about 2 μM. A second lux fusion plasmid was also constructed and transformed into an NahR background, Pseudomonas putida KCTC1768. Within this strain, NAGK-1768, the supplemental activity of the NahR protein on the nagAn promoter, was shown to extend both the range of chemicals detected and the sensitivity.     

Synthesis and Preliminary Anti‐bacterial Activity of Some 4‐Substituted‐N1‐2‐pyridylsulfanilamide Derivatives

2‐Amino‐4‐ethoxycarbonylpyridine 1 was used as a starting material in the synthesis of some 4‐substituted‐N¹‐2‐pyridylsulfanilamide derivatives to evaluate their antimicrobial activity. The obtained compounds were of no particular effect against the tested organisms except for a noticeable inhibition of B. subtilis, which was of varying extents but remained clearly significant.     

Establishment of The Power—Time Curve Equation of Bacterial Growth in the Log Phase

The power-time curves of two species of bacteria, Vibro metschnikovii, Vibro bollisae were determined calorimetrically by using a 2277 bioactivity monitor. The power-time curve equation of bacterial growth in the log phase can be expressed as