Carbon dots and covalent organic frameworks based FRET immunosensor for sensitive detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7.

The combination of carbon dots (CDs) with covalent organic frameworks (COFs) was used to design an innovative sensor based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) for the detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7) in food samples. Carbon dots were used as fluorescence donors, covalent organic frameworks as fluorescence acceptors. The antibody (Ab) specific to E. coli O157:H7 was used to form a CD-Ab-COF immunosensor by linking CDs and COFs. The antibody was specifically bound with E. coli O157:H7, which caused the connection between CDs and COFs to be interrupted, and the carbon dots exhibited fluorescence restoration. The sensor exhibited a linear detection range spanning from 0 to 106 CFU/mL, with the limit of detection (LOD) of 7 CFU/mL. The analytical performance of the developed immunosensor was evaluated using spiked food samples with different concentrations of E. coli O157:H7, validating the capability of assessing risks in food testing.

Characterization of Bacillus subtilis from gastrointestinal tract of hybrid Hulong grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus × E. lanceolatus) and its effects as probiotic additives.

Probiotics are widely used for the improvement of animals' growth and health. However, few marine aquatic probiotics are applied and licensed in China. In this study, a Bacillus spp. strain was isolated from the Hulong grouper gastrointestinal tract, which was identified as a new strain of Bacillus subtilis and was named as 7k. B. subtilis 7k showed desirable capability of sporulation and resistance to heat, simulated gastric juice and simulated duodenum juice, indicating its potential as probiotics. Seven antimicrobial chemicals were found in the secretion of the B. subtilis 7k. B. subtilis 7k addition in diet promoted the growth rate of Hulong groupers. Moreover, B. subtilis 7k can inhibit infection by iridovirus, making B. subtilis 7k a suitable kind of probiotic for maintaining fishes' health. Our results also revealed that B. subtilis 7k induced non-specific immune response in Hulong grouper under virus infection. Hulong grouper fed by diets containing B. subtilis 7k at 108 and 1010 cfu g-1 for 4-8 weeks were significantly strengthened in serum lysozyme activity, serum alternative complement activity (ACH50), serum bactericidal activity, respiratory burst, superoxide dismutase activity (SOD), and phagocytic activity of head kidney leucocytes when compared with those fed by control diets. In conclusion, B. subtilis 7k was isolated and characterized to be a kind of process enduring, growth stimulating, immunity enhancing and health promoting probiotic using in grouper culture.

Facile one-pot synthesis of uniform TiO2-Ag hybrid hollow spheres with enhanced photocatalytic activity.

TiO(2)-Ag hybrid hollow spheres (about 700 nm in diameter) with a highly uniform morphology and good structural stability were facilely prepared via a one-pot hydrothermal method, using carbon spheres as templates followed by an annealing treatment. Through this route, the as-prepared hybrid hollow spheres preserved the uniformity of the initial carbon sphere templates and the loading amount of the Ag nanocrystals can be conveniently varied or controlled by the concentration of the Ag precursor. The investigation of the photocatalytic ability demonstrated that the as-prepared TiO(2)-Ag hybrid hollow spheres possess excellent photocatalytic activity, superior to commercial TiO(2) nanoparticles (Degussa P25), for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO) dyes under visible-light illumination. Furthermore, the ˙OH radicals formed during photocatalysis with different Ag content hybrids were revealed by means of a terephthalic acid fluorescence probe method, which uncovers that the Ag content in the TiO(2)-Ag hybrids was crucial to obtain an optimal synergistic effect between the Ag and TiO(2) for the degradation of organic pollutants. Accordingly, the optimum matching for the best photocatalytic activity was investigated thoroughly and a reasonable mechanism was also proposed.