The function of CD36 in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

CD36 is a scavenger receptor that has been reported to function as a signaling receptor that responds to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and could integrate metabolic pathways and cell signaling through its dual functions. Thereby influencing activation to regulate the immune response and immune cell differentiation. Recent studies have revealed that CD36 plays critical roles in the process of lipid metabolism, inflammatory response and immune process caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. This review will comprehensively investigate CD36's functions in lipid uptake and processing, inflammatory response, immune response and therapeutic targets and biomarkers in the infection process of M. tuberculosis. The study also raised outstanding issues in this field to designate future directions.

An all-in-one magnetic SERS nanosensor for ratiometric detection of Escherichia coli in foods.

An all-in-one nanosensor was developed for the magnetic enrichment and ratiometric surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection of Escherichia coli (E. coli). The all-in-one nanosensor was constructed through the chemical integration of four components into a single nanoparticle, which include a manganese ferrite nanoparticle serving as the magnetic core, a thin silver shell as the SERS substrate, a self-assembled layer of 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (MBA) molecules as the SERS internal standard, and a MBA-conjugated layer of aptamer sequences as the capture probe of E. coli. In the detection of E. coli in food, the target cells were first captured by the nanosensors and magnetically enriched in a short time of 15 min, and then the ratiometric SERS was performed through the Raman intensity ratio between two specific SERS peaks produced by the captured E. coli and the internal MBA. The pre-concentration and ratiometry enabled the nanosensor to detect E. coli with a detection limit down to 10 CFU/mL. The all-in-one nanosensor was successfully applied for the detection of E. coli in various liquid foods including milk, juice, tea, and coffee, with recoveries ranging from 89 to 110% and relative standard deviation lower than 1.7%. In comparison with the previous sandwich strategy adopted by most SERS sensors, this nanosensor endowed with an easier use and a lower cost is more sensitive and reproducible, leading to a great potential in practical applications.

Use of Genetically Modified Bacteria to Repair Cracks in Concrete.

In this paper, we studied the crack-repair by spraying bacteria-based liquid around the cracks in concrete. To enhance the repair efficiency and speed up the repair process, the transposon mutagenesis method was employed to modify the genes of Bacillus halodurans and create a mutant bacterial strain with higher efficiency of calcium carbonate productivity by catalyzing the combination of carbonate and calcium ion. The efficiency of crack-repairing in concrete by spraying two kinds of bacterial liquid was evaluated via image analysis, X-ray computed tomography (X-CT) scanning technology and the sorptivity test. The results show that the crack-repair efficiency was enhanced very evidently by spraying genetically modified bacterial-liquid as no microbiologically induced calcite precipitation (MICP) was found within the cracks for concrete samples sprayed using wild type bacterial-liquid. In addition, the crack-repair process was also shortened significantly in the case of genetically modified bacteria.

A Brief Review of the Shape Memory Phenomena in Polymers and Their Typical Sensor Applications.

In this brief review, an introduction of the underlying mechanisms for the shape memory effect (SME) and various shape memory phenomena in polymers is presented first. After that, a summary of typical applications in sensors based on either heating or wetting activated shape recovery using largely commercial engineering polymers, which are programmed by means of in-plane pre-deformation (load applied in the length/width direction) or out-of-plane pre-deformation (load applied in the thickness direction), is presented. As demonstrated by a number of examples, many low-cost engineering polymers are well suited to, for instance, anti-counterfeit and over-heating/wetting monitoring applications via visual sensation and/or tactual sensation, and many existing technologies and products (e.g., holography, 3D printing, nano-imprinting, electro-spinning, lenticular lens, Fresnel lens, QR/bar code, Moiré pattern, FRID, structural coloring, etc.) can be integrated with the shape memory feature.

H-NS is an activator of exopolysaccharide biosynthesis genes transcription in Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is capable of surviving in biofilm communities attached to biotic and abiotic surfaces. The exopolysaccharide (EPS) plays a key role in the maturing of the biofilm. The VPA1403-1412 (cpsA-J) operon is responsible for EPS production in V. parahaemolyticus. The expression of cpsA-J is controlled by ScrABC, intracellular concentration of c-di-GMP, CpsS-CpsR-CpsQ regulatory cascade, and quorum sensing. The data presented here showed that H-NS activates the EPS-dependent bacterial colony morphology and the transcription of cpsQ and cpsA-J. H-NS has negative regulatory activity on scrABC transcription, and thereby may result in enhancing the intracellular concentration of c-di-GMP. Thus, a regulatory circuit involved in regulating cpsA-J/EPS production by H-NS, ScrABC and CpsQ was identified in V. parahaemolyticus.