Carbon-based derivatives from metal-organic frameworks as cathode hosts for Li–S batteries

Lithium-sulfur batteries(Li–S batteries) are promising candidates for the next generation high-energy rechargeable Li batteries due to their high theoretical specific capacity(1672 m Ahg-1) and energy density(2500 Wh kg-1). The commercialization of Li–S batteries is impeded by several key challenges at cathode side, e.g. the insulating nature of sulfur and discharged products(Li2S 2 and Li2S), the solubility of long-chain polysulfides and volume variation of sulfur cathode upon cycling. Recently, the carbonbased derivatives from metal-organic frameworks(MOFs) has emerged talent in their utilization as cathode hosts for Li–S batteries. They are not only highly conductive and porous to enable the acceleration of Li +/e-transfer and accommodation of volumetric expansion of sulfur cathode during cycling, but also enriched by controllable chemical active sites to enable the adsorption of polysulfides and promotion of their conversion reaction kinetics. In this review, based on the types of MOFs(e.g. ZIF-8, ZIF-67, Prussian blue, Al-MOF, MOF-5, Cu-MOF, Ni-MOF), the synthetic methods, formation process and morphology, structural superiority of MOFs-derived carbon frameworks along with their electrochemical performance as cathode host in Li–S batteries are summarized and discussed.

Insights into Cronobacter sakazakii Biofilm Formation and Control Strategies in the Food Industry

Cronobacter sakazakii(C.sakazakii)is a foodborne opportunistic pathogen that can cause life-threatening invasive diseases,such as necrotizing enterocolitis,meningitis,and sepsis in infants.The potential risk of C.sakazakii contamination of powdered infant formula(PIF)is an issue that has attracted considerable attention from manufacturers,regulators,and consumers.C.sakazakii biofilms on the surfaces of equipment and in diverse food-production environments constitute a mode of cell growth that protects the pathogen from hostile environments,and are an important source of persistent contamination of food products.Bacterial biofilms are difficult to remove due to their resistant properties.Conventional cleaning and sterilizing procedures may be insufficient for biofilm control,and may lead to further biofilm development and dispersal.Consequently,novel control strategies are being developed,such as nanotechnology-based delivery systems,interspecies interactions,antimicrobial molecules of microbial origin,natural extracts,and phages.This review focuses on describing the mechanisms underlying the biofilm formation and behavior of C.sakazakii and discussing potential control strategies.

Food Safety Risks and Contributing Factors of Cronobacter spp.

Cronobacter species are a group of Gram-negative opportunistic pathogens,which cause meningitis,sep-ticemia,and necrotizing enterocolitis in neonates and infants,with neurological sequelae in severe cases.Interest in Cronobacter has increased significantly in recent years due to its high virulence in children.In this review,we summarize the current understanding of the prevalence of Cronobacter species in several important food types.We discuss the response mechanisms enabling persistence in adverse growth con-ditions,as well as its pathogenicity.We emphasize the food safety concerns caused by Cronobacter and subsequent control methods and clinical treatments.

Quantum Dot Nanobeads-Labelled Lateral Flow Immunoassay Strip for Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Salmonella Typhimurium Based on Strand Displacement Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification

Rapid,sensitive,point-of-care detection of pathogenic bacteria is important for food safety.In this study,we developed a novel quantum dot nanobeads-labelled lateral flow immunoassay strip(QBs-labelled LFIAS)combined with strand displacement loop-mediated isothermal amplification(SD-LAMP)for quantitative Salmonella Typhimurium(ST)detection.Quantum dot nanobeads(QBs)served as fluorescence reporters,providing good detection efficiency.The customizable strand displacement(SD)probe was used in LAMP to improve the specificity of the method and prevent by-product capture.Detection was based on a sandwich immunoassay.A fluorescence strip reader measured the fluorescence intensity(FI)of the test(T)line and control(C)line.The linear detection range of the strip was 10^(2)–10^(8) colony forming units(CFU)·mL^(-1).The visual limit of detection was 10^(3) CFU·mL^(-1),indicating that the system was ten-fold more sensitive than AuNPs-labelled test strips.ST specificity was analyzed in accordance with agarose gel outputs of polymerase chain reaction(PCR)and SD-LAMP.We detected ST in foods with an acceptable recovery of 85%–110%.The method is rapid,simple,almost equipment-free,and suitable for bacterial detection in foods and for clinical diagnosis.

Redesigned Duplex RT-qPCR for the Detection of GI and GII Human Noroviruses

Human noroviruses(HuNoVs)are major foodborne pathogens that cause nonbacterial acute gastroenteritis worldwide.As the tissue-culture system for HuNoVs is not mature enough for routine detection of the virus,detection is mainly dependent on molecular approaches such as reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)and reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(RTqPCR).The widely used primers and probes for RT-qPCR were established in the early 2000s.As HuNoVs are highly variant viruses,viral genome mutations result in previously designed primers and/or probes that were perfectly matched working less efficiently over time.In this study,a new duplex RT-qPCR(ND-RT-qPCR)was designed for the detection of genogroup Ⅰ(GⅠ)and genogroup Ⅱ(GⅡ)HuNoVs based on an analysis of viral sequences added in the database after 2010.Using long transcribed viral RNAs,the results demonstrate that the sensitivity of ND-RT-qPCR is as low as one genomic copy for both GⅠ and GⅡ HuNoVs.The performance of ND-RT-qPCR was further evaluated by a comparison with the commonly used Kageyama primer/probe sets for RT-qPCR(Kageyama RT-qPCR)for 23 HuNoV-positive clinical samples.All five GⅠ samples were registered as positive by ND-RT-qPCR,whereas only two samples were registered as positive by Kageyama RT-qPCR.All 18 GⅡ samples were registered as positive by ND-RT-qPCR,while 17 samples were registered as positive by Kageyama RT-qPCR.The sensitivity reflected by the quantification cycle(Cq)value was lower in ND-RT-qPCR than in Kageyama RT-qPCR.Our data suggest that ND-RT-qPCR could be a good fit for the detection of current strains of HuNoVs.

Editorial for the Special Issue on Food Safety and Health

Food safety is not only essential in the development of the food industry,but also fundamental for ensuring public safety and health.Food safety must cover the entire food industry chain,from farm to dining table.The detection and control of pathogenic microorganisms and residues of agricultural and veterinary drugs and the regulation of dietary nutrition to support intestinal micro-ecology and human health have become the new frontier of food safety,in addition to other fields.The Chinese Academy of Engineering(CAE)held the International Top-Level Forum on Engineering Science and Technology Development Strategy:Food Safety and Health to exchange information on the latest progress in this field,discuss future developmental trends in food safety,and consider relevant focus issues.In order to further extend academic exchange in the field of food safety and health and to share the latest research results,the forum cooperated with Engineering,the journal of the CAE,to launch the publication of this special issue on Food Safety and Health.Professor Qingping Wu,an academician of the CAE,served as the Editor-in-Chief of this special issue,while Professor Wei Chen,an academician of the CAE,and Professor Christopher J.Smith from the University of Chester acted as the Executive Editors-in-Chief.Several prominent scholars in the field of food safety and health acted as members of the editorial committee for this special issue.

Supplementation with high-GABA-producing Lactobacillus plantarum L5 ameliorates essential tremor triggered by decreased gut bacteria-derived GABA

Background Theγ-aminobutyric acid(GABA)hypothesis posits a role of GABA deficiency in the central nervous system in the pathogenesis and progression of essential tremor(ET).However,the specific causative factor for GABA deficiency is not clear.The gut microbiota in mammals has recently been considered as a significant source of GABA.Furthermore,the GABA-based signals originating from the intestine can be transmitted to the brain through the“enteric nervous system-vagus nerve-brain”axis.However,the plausible contribution of gut microbiota to ET seems inspiring but remains obscure.Methods Fecal samples from patients with ET and healthy controls were examined by metagenomic sequencing to compare the composition of gut microbiota and the expression of genes involved in GABA biosynthesis.The impact of gut microbiota on ET was explored through transplantation of fecal microbiota from patients with ET into the murine ET model.Lactic acid bacteria producing high amounts of GABA were identified through whole-genome sequencing and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.Subsequently,mice were treated with the high-GABA-producing strain Lactobacillus plantarum L5.Tremor severity,behavioral tests,pro-inflammatory cytokines,GABA concentration,and gut microbiota composition were examined in these mice.Results The gut microbiota of patients with ET demonstrated an impaired GABA-producing capacity and a reduced fecal GABA concentration.Transplantation of the gut microbiota from patients with ET induced an extension of tremor duration and impaired mobility in the murine model of ET.L5 exhibited an augmented GABA-producing capacity,with the De Man-Rogosa-Sharpe culture broth containing 262 mg/l of GABA.In addition,administration of L5 significantly decreased the tremor severity and enhanced the movement capability and grasping ability of ET mice.In vivo mechanistic experiments indicated that L5 reshaped the gut microbial composition,supplemented the mucosa-associated microbiota with GABA-producing capacity,increased the GABA concentrations in the cerebellum,and diminished inflammation in the central nervous system.Conclusions These findings highlight that deficiency of GABA-producing gut microbes plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of ET and that L5 is a promising candidate for treating ET.

诺如病毒感染宿主免疫应答机制及疫苗研究进展

诺如病毒是引起人类急性胃肠炎的重要食源性病原之一。由于体外复制系统和感染模型的缺乏,研究人员对其宿主保护性免疫的理解始终有限,导致控制病毒感染方面的研究也受到较大阻碍。近年来,随着病毒衣壳蛋白外源表达、替代病毒的使用、志愿者实验的开展,尤其是细胞培养模型的突破,使得体液免疫和细胞免疫的研究取得较大进展。因此,本文针对诺如病毒感染宿主的先天性免疫、体液免疫和细胞免疫应答机制等进行了综述,并对后续其在诺如病毒候选疫苗研制等领域的应用进行了展望。

副溶血性弧菌生物被膜形成及其调控机制研究进展

副溶血性弧菌是一种广泛存在于海产品中并可引起人类急性肠胃炎的食源性致病菌。该菌形成的生物被膜能够增强体外环境中的存活率,促进对宿主的定殖和感染,还会导致被污染的加工设备与食物之间发生交叉感染。深入了解生物被膜形成背后的调控机制,有助于制定有针对性的策略,干扰其适应环境变化的过程,从而降低副溶血性弧菌对人类的危害。本文主要综述了鞭毛、菌毛和胞外的多糖等基质组分在生物被膜形成中的作用以及c-di-GMP和群体感应对生物被膜形成的调控。

基于CRISPR/Cas技术的核酸检测研究进展

由成簇、规则间隔的短回文重复序列(Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats,CRISPR)和CRISPR相关蛋白(CRISPR-associated protein,Cas)组成的CRISPR/Cas系统是广泛存在于多数细菌和古细菌中的一种适应性免疫系统。CRISPR/Cas系统可识别并结合外源入侵的核酸分子,之后Cas蛋白的切割活性被激活,能够对入侵的核酸分子进行切割使其降解。利用CRISPR/Cas系统特异的序列识别及切割活性,将其应用于核酸检测中,为提高检测灵敏度及特异性等性能指标提供了一种新思路。本文介绍了CRISPR/Cas系统的发展、作用机制等,对多样化的Cas蛋白在核酸检测中的代表性应用研究进行总结,进一步讨论了CRISPR/Cas技术应用于核酸检测中存在的优缺点,并对未来研究进行了展望,为基于CRISPR/Cas技术的核酸检测方法在病原微生物的检测中提供参考和依据。

基于环介导等温扩增技术的微流控芯片在病原菌检测方面的研究进展

环介导等温扩增(LAMP)技术是一种新兴的核酸恒温扩增技术,与微流控芯片技术相结合,可实现对病原菌的快速检测,具有特异性强、灵敏度高、操作简单等优点。本文根据不同终产物的检测方法对目前检测病原菌的相关微流控LAMP芯片进行了分类与介绍,并对技术的改进和存在的问题进行了分析,以期为后续的相关研究提供参考。

Boosting single-band red upconversion luminescence in colloidal NaErF_4 nanocrystals:Effects of doping and inert shell

Single-band red upconversion luminescence(UCL) is vital to in vivo bioimaging as well as "see and treat" biomedicines. Herein, starting with the previously reported β-NaErF4:Tm UCNPs, we examined the effects of both Yb^(3+) doping and inert shell coating on the red-to-green(R/G) ratio for Er3+ based UCL. The doping of Yb^(3+) into the β-NaErF4:Tm3+ core not only enhances the whole UCL intensity, but also raises the R/G ratio by 1.25 times. In addition, the coating of an inert NaYF4 shell, which is usually adopted for the enhancement of UCL intensity, further boosts the R/G value up to as high as 77.92. This work may benefit the potential bioimaging application of single-band red UCL.