Detecting Bacteria with Ultralow Concentrations by Enzymatic Cascade Reaction-Amplifying Strategy.

Bacteria can cause infectious diseases even at ultralow concentrations (<1 CFU/mL). It is important to rapidly identify bacterial contamination at ultralow concentrations. Herein, FITC-labeled gelatinase-sensitive nanoparticles (GNPs@FITCs) and NFM@GNP@FITCs are designed and fabricated as ultralow concentration bacteria detection platforms based on an enzymatic cascade reaction-amplifying strategy. Bacterial secretions could trigger the dissociation of GNPs@FITCs to release FITC, with gelatinase used as the model secretion. The detectable signal of ultralow concentration bacteria could be amplified effectively by the gelatinase-triggered cascade reaction. Bacterial concentration was evaluated by the change in fluorescence density. The results showed that the GNPs@FITCs and NFM@GNP@FITCs could be used for identifying bacterial contamination qualitatively, even when the bacterial contamination is lower than 1 CFU/mL. Moreover, the method has better timeliness and convenience, when compared with national standards. As solid films, NFM@GNP@FITCs have better long-term storage stability than GNPs@FITCs. The potential applications of GNPs@FITC and NFM@GNP@FITCs were proved by detecting pathogenic bacteria in food. All the results showed that the method has great potential for screening pathogenic bacterial contamination qualitatively.

Enhancement of ß-Lactam-Mediated Killing of Gram-Negative Bacteria by Lysine Hydrochloride.

Widespread bacterial resistance among Gram-negative bacteria is rapidly depleting our antimicrobial arsenal. Adjuvants that enhance the bactericidal activity of existing antibiotics provide a way to alleviate the resistance crisis, as new antimicrobials are becoming increasingly difficult to develop. The present work with Escherichia coli revealed that neutralized lysine (lysine hydrochloride) enhances the bactericidal activity of ß-lactams in addition to increasing bacteriostatic activity. When combined, lysine hydrochloride and ß-lactam increased expression of genes involved in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and raised reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels; as expected, agents known to mitigate bactericidal effects of ROS reduced lethality from the combination treatment. Lysine hydrochloride had no enhancing effect on the lethal action of fluoroquinolones or aminoglycosides. Characterization of a tolerant mutant indicated involvement of the FtsH/HflkC membrane-embedded protease complex in lethality enhancement. The tolerant mutant, which carried a V86F substitution in FtsH, exhibited decreased lipopolysaccharide levels, reduced expression of TCA cycle genes, and reduced levels of ROS. Lethality enhancement by lysine hydrochloride was abolished by treating cultures with Ca2+ or Mg2+, cations known to stabilize the outer membrane. These data, plus damage observed by scanning electron microscopy, indicate that lysine stimulates ß-lactam lethality by disrupting the outer membrane. Lethality enhancement of ß-lactams by lysine hydrochloride was also observed with Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, thereby suggesting that the phenomenon is common among Gram-negative bacteria. Arginine hydrochloride behaved in a similar way. Overall, the combination of lysine or arginine hydrochloride and ß-lactam offers a new way to increase ß-lactam lethality with Gram-negative pathogens. IMPORTANCE Antibiotic resistance among Gram-negative pathogens is a serious medical problem. The present work describes a new study in which a nontoxic nutrient increases the lethal action of clinically important ß-lactams. Elevated lethality is expected to reduce the emergence of resistant mutants. The effects were observed with significant pathogens (Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), indicating widespread applicability. Examination of tolerant mutants and biochemical measurements revealed involvement of endogenous reactive oxygen species in response to outer membrane perturbation. These lysine hydrochloride-ß-lactam data support the hypothesis that lethal stressors can stimulate the accumulation of ROS. Genetic and biochemical work also revealed how an alteration in a membrane protease, FtsH, abolishes lysine stimulation of ß-lactam lethality. Overall, the work presents a method for antimicrobial enhancement that should be safe, easy to administer, and likely to apply to other nutrients, such as arginine.

Theoretical calculations about nitro-substituted pyridine as high-energy-density compounds (HEDCs).

A series of derivatives of pyridine were designed through substituting hydrogen atoms by nitro groups systematically. By using the density functional theory at B3PW91/6-311++G(d,p)//MP2/311++G(d,p) level, heats of formation, bond orders, and bond dissociation energies were calculated to explore the thermodynamic stabilities of title molecules. Furthermore, the regularity of stability was explained based on the electronic population. Our results indicated that title molecules had enough stability to exist. To evaluate the potential usage as a high-energy-density molecule, the detonation pressure and detonation velocity were explored by using the semi-empirical Kamlet-Jacobs equation and excellent detonation character was confirmed. Overall consideration of the thermal stability and energetic character, four molecules (2,3,4,5-tetranitropyridine, 2,3,5,6-tetranitropyridine, 2,4,5,6-tetranitrop-pyridine, 2,3,4,5,6-pentanitropyridine) were confirmed to be better than RDX and filtered as potential energetic molecules.

Thioredoxin-1 Protects Spinal Cord from Demyelination Induced by Methamphetamine through Suppressing Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Inflammation.

Methamphetamine (METH) is a psychostimulant abused around the world. Emerging evidence indicates that METH causes brain damage. However, there are very few reports on METH-induced demyelination. Thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1) is a redox regulating protein and plays the roles in protecting neurons from various stresses. However, whether Trx-1 resists demyelination induced by METH has not been reported. In this study, we found that METH-induced thin myelin sheaths in spinal cord, whereas Trx-1 overexpression transgenic (TG) mice restored the myelin sheaths thickness. The expressions of myelin-associated glycoprotein, myelin basic protein, and cyclin-dependent kinase 5 were decreased by METH, whereas these alterations were blocked in Trx-1 TG mice. The expressions of procaspase-12 and procaspase-3 were decreased by METH, the expression of calpain1 was increased by METH, whereas the alterations were suppressed in Trx-1 TG mice. As same as, the expressions of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase, nuclear factor κB, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-1beta were induced by METH, which were suppressed in Trx-1 TG mice. These data suggest that Trx-1 may play a critical role in resisting the METH-mediated demyelination in spinal cord through regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress and inflammation pathways.