Diversity of endophytic fungi in Coptis chinensis Franch. and their activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

This study aimed at investigating the diversity of endophytic fungi from Coptis chinensis and their activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Seventy-nine fungal isolates obtained from C. chinensis were identified to belong to 27 species based on morphological features and internal transcript spacer (ITS) gene sequencing analysis. Comparing relative frequency values, the most frequent genera were Colletotrichum and Fusarium, while most frequent species were C. gloeosporioides and F. avenaceum. Analysis of diversity indices indicated that C. chinensis harbored abundant fungal resources. Methanol extracts of fungal endophyte cultures were evaluated for antibacterial activity against S. aureus ATCC 25923 and two other MRSA clinical strains. Nine of 27 endophytic fungi exhibited inhibitory activities against S. aureus ATCC 25923. Among them, Paraboeremia litseae HL-17, Fusarium sp. HL-23, and Fusarium sp. HL-27 exhibited obvious inhibition against the three S. aureus strains. Our findings suggest that the endophytic fungi in C. chinensis have a high diversity and an obvious tissue specificity, and could be of potential interest in screening anti-MRSA agents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the diversity and anti-MRSA activity of fungal endophytes from C. chinensis.

Synthesis of palladium@gold nanoalloys/nitrogen and sulphur-functionalized multiple graphene aerogel for electrochemical detection of dopamine.

Integration of noble metal nanomaterials on graphene nanosheets potentially paves one way to improve their electronic, chemical and electrochemical properties. The study reported synthesis of palladium@gold nanoalloys/nitrogen and sulphur-functionalized multiple graphene aerogel composite (Pd@Au/N,S-MGA). The as-prepared composite offers a well-defined three-dimensional architecture with rich of mesopores. The Pd@Au nanoalloys were dispersed on the graphene framework networks and their active sites were fully exposed. The unique structure achieves to ultra high electron/ion conductivity, electrocatalytic activity and structural stability. The sensor based on the Pd@Au/N,S-MGA creates ultrasensitive electrochemical response towards dopamine due to significantly electrochemical synergy between Pd, Au and N,S-MGA. Its differential pulse voltammetric signal linearly increases with the increase of dopamine concentration in the range from 1.0 × 10-9 M to 4.0 × 10-5 M with the detection limit of 3.6 × 10-10 M (S/N = 3). The analytical method provides the advantage of sensitivity, reproducibility, rapidity and long-term stability. It has been successfully applied in the detection of trace dopamine in biological samples. The study also opens a window on the electronic properties of graphene aerogel and metal nanomaterials as well their nanohybrids to meet needs of further applications as nanoelectronics in diagnosis, bioanalysis and catalysis.

[Study on whorl swarming growth phenomenon of Proteus mirabilis].

The present paper is aimed to explore the origins of Proteus mirabilis (PM) whorl swarming growth phenomenon. The whorl swarming growth phenomenon of PM was observed by changed bacterial culture inoculation time, humidity, vaccination practices, cultured flat placement, magnetic field, pH and other factors. Bacterial ring spiral direction of rotation is counterclockwise and the volatile growth process of PM was whorl swarming growth phenomenon. Spiro fluctuation phenomenon was of high frequency in the sealing tanks by cultured anytime inoculation, wherever inoculation technique applied or not, the presence or absence of the magnetic field, and wherever the dish position was. The experimental results showed that the whorl swarming growth phenomenon of PM requires specific pH environment, in which the facts may be relative to its genetic characteristics and the Earths rotation.

Observation of multicellular spinning behavior of Proteus mirabilis by atomic force microscopy and multifunctional microscopy.

This study aimed to observe the multicellular spinning behavior of Proteus mirabilis by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and multifunctional microscopy in order to understand the mechanism underlying this spinning movement and its biological significance. Multifunctional microscopy with charge-coupled device (CCD) and real-time AFM showed changes in cell structure and shape of P. mirabilis during multicellular spinning movement. Specifically, the morphological characteristics of P. mirabilis, multicellular spinning dynamics, and unique movement were observed. Our findings indicate that the multicellular spinning behavior of P. mirabilis may be used to collect nutrients, perform colonization, and squeeze out competitors. The movement characteristics of P. mirabilis are vital to the organism's biological adaptability to the surrounding environment.

Effects of aluminum and extremely low frequency electromagnetic radiation on oxidative stress and memory in brain of mice.

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of aluminum and extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) on oxidative stress and memory of SPF Kunming mice. Sixty male SPF Kunming mice were divided randomly into four groups: control group, ELF-MF group (2 mT, 4 h/day), load aluminum group (200 mg aluminum/kg, 0.1 ml/10 g), and ELF-MF + aluminum group (2 mT, 4 h/day, 200 mg aluminum/kg). After 8 weeks of treatment, the mice of three experiment groups (ELF-MF group, load aluminum group, and ELF-MF + aluminum group) exhibited firstly the learning memory impairment, appearing that the escaping latency to the platform was prolonged and percentage in the platform quadrant was reduced in the Morris water maze (MWM) task. Secondly are the pathologic abnormalities including neuronal cell loss and overexpression of phosphorylated tau protein in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. On the other hand, the markers of oxidative stress were determined in mice brain and serum. The results showed a statistically significant decrease in superoxide dismutase activity and increase in the levels of malondialdehyde in the ELF-MF group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), load aluminum group (P < 0.01), and ELF-MF + aluminum group (P < 0.01). However, the treatment with ELF-MF + aluminum induced no more damage than ELF-MF and aluminum did, respectively. In conclusion, both aluminum and ELF-MF could impact on learning memory and pro-oxidative function in Kunming mice. However, there was no evidence of any association between ELF-MF exposure with aluminum loading.

An ultrasensitive hydrogen peroxide biosensor based on electrocatalytic synergy of graphene-gold nanocomposite, CdTe-CdS core-shell quantum dots and gold nanoparticles.

We first reported an ultrasensitive hydrogen peroxide biosensor in this work. The biosensor was fabricated by coating graphene-gold nanocomposite (G-AuNP), CdTe-CdS core-shell quantum dots (CdTe-CdS), gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in sequence on the surface of gold electrode (GE). Cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry were used to investigate electrochemical performances of the biosensor. Since promising electrocatalytic synergy of G-AuNP, CdTe-CdS and AuNPs towards hydrogen peroxide was achieved, the biosensor displayed a high sensitivity, low detection limit (S/N=3) (3.2×10(-11) M), wide calibration range (from 1×10(-10) M to 1.2×10(-8) M) and good long-term stability (20 weeks). Moreover, the effects of omitting G-AuNP, CdTe-CdS and AuNP were also examined. It was found that sensitivity of the biosensor is more 11-fold better if G-AuNP, CdTe-CdS and AuNPs are used. This could be ascribed to improvement of the conductivity between graphene nanosheets in the G-AuNP due to introduction of the AuNPs, ultrafast charge transfer from CdTe-CdS to the graphene sheets and AuNP due to unique electrochemical properties of the CdTe-CdS, and good biocompatibility of the AuNPs for horseradish peroxidase. The biosensor is of best sensitivity in all hydrogen peroxide biosensors based on graphene and its composites up to now.

Glucose sensors based on electrodeposition of molecularly imprinted polymeric micelles: a novel strategy for MIP sensors.

A voltammetric glucose sensor was prepared from novel molecularly imprinted polymeric micelles (MIPMs) through direct electrodeposition. The MIPMs, which were photo-crosslinkable and nano-scaled with high specific surface area, were prepared via macromolecule self-assembly of an amphiphilic photo-crosslinkable copolymer, combined with a molecular imprinting technique using glucose as the template molecule. A MIP film was formed in situ on the electrode surface by electrodeposition of the MIPMs, while photo-crosslinking led to a robust film which showed good solvent resistant to dissolution. With these features, the resulting sensor showed good response and selectivity towards glucose. In particular, the linear response of this glucose sensor ranged from 0.2 mM to 8 mM and its comparatively higher detection limit, about 10 mM, indicated numerous effective recognition sites among the polymer matrix due to the large specific surface area of MIPM. In addition, this MIP sensor also showed good stability and reversibility. The contribution of this work lies in not only the invention of a new type of glucose MIP sensor with good performance, but also the creation of a novel strategy to develop advanced MIP sensors for a wide range of templates in viewing of the versatility of the amphiphilic copolymers and the ease of control and applicability of the electrodeposition process.