Campylobacter jejuni loss of culturability in aqueous microcosms and ability to resuscitate in a mouse model

Water is known as one of the main transmission routes of Campylobacter and contributes to increase the number of sporadic infections and outbreaks. Campylobacter jejuni persists in the environment, especially in water, in a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) form that is thought to be a possible cause of water-borne outbreaks. In this study, we evaluated the loss of culturability and viability of 9 C. jejuni strains of clinical origin and one ATCC reference strain when kept at 4 degrees C in artificial sea water (ASW). Culturability was measured as colony-forming units while viability was evaluated by CTC-DAPI double staining and the combined CTC-specific fluorescent antibody technique (CTC-FA). When cultured on Columbia Agar plates, strains exhibited different growth profiles which allowed to classify them into three different groups. Both techniques used to monitor the viability of the bacterial cells showed that C. jejuni strains survived in the VBNC form in the microcosms through a period lasting from 138 to 152 days. The recovery of C. jejuni VBNC forms to culturability, as evidenced by cell division, was obtained by passage in the mouse intestine. Our results indicate that C. jejuni VBNC cells were able to remain in this state for a few months and regain their culturability after in vivo passage depending on their lasting in the VBNC state, which affects the number of respiring bacteria. In fact, the resuscitation was achieved when the number of respiring bacteria became higher than 10(4) cell/ml. Therefore, a relatively high microbial titer of respiring bacteria in the VBNC state seems to be important for the resuscitation and subsequent intestinal colonisation.     

Preparation of ion-exchange celluloses. I. Anion exchange celluloses

Cellulose–poly(glycidyl methacrylate) graft copolymer (CPGMA) was treated with ammonia (AH), ethylamine (EA), diethylamine (DEA), and triethylamine (TEA). Factors affecting the reaction, such as reaction duration, temperature, liquor ratio, pH, and aminating agent/epoxide molar ratio were studied. A mechanism of the reaction was suggested. The anion exchange celluloses were characterized by studying its capacity, potentiometric titration, and durability to use. Potentiometric titration of the produced anion exchangers has been studied and pK_b values were found to be 6.1, 7.6, and 8.9 for DEA–CPGMA, EA–CPGMA, and AH–CPGMA, respectively.     

Investigation of reactions between vanadium oxide and plasma-sprayed yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings

The phase evolution occurring during the reaction between corrosive V₂O₅ (T_m = 690 °C) and a plasma-sprayed 7 wt.% Y₂O₃–ZrO₂ (YSZ) coating from 700 to 900 °C has been investigated in situ by X-ray diffraction. The temperature and time of interaction between the V₂O₅ and YSZ coating determines the phases observed. Between 700 and 750 °C, reaction products of ZrV₂O₇ and YVO₄ were observed within minutes of reaching the test temperature. m-ZrO₂ was observed after 220 and 60 min at 700 and 750 °C, respectively. The simultaneous formation of both ZrV₂O₇ and YVO₄ at the beginning of the reaction along with the delay of the m-ZrO₂ formation suggests similar reactivity between both Zr and Y with V₂O₅. The weight percent of the ZrV₂O₇ phase began to diminish after 150 and 60 min at 700 and 750 °C, respectively. For reaction temperatures of 800 and 900 °C, there is a rapid decrease in the amount of t′-ZrO₂ and a rapid increase in the amount of m-ZrO₂ with reaction time. YVO₄ was also observed at these reaction temperatures. SEM and TEM microstructural observations confirmed the phases detected from the in situ XRD experiments. Reactions between YSZ and V₂O₅ suggest that the formation of a liquid phase due to the high solubility of both zirconia and yttria in vanadia is the dominate mechanism that damages the coating. The thermal conductivity of a plasma-sprayed YSZ coating reacted with up to 1 wt.% V₂O₅ did not significantly change due to the small volume affected.     

绿色无线技术:用于无线器件检测的非线性分析

无论是为了减少基站的用电量还是延长数十亿部手机的电池使用寿命,无线设计的一个重要目标始终是更高效或更绿色。在有源器件的非线性区域使用它们可以提高无线产品的运行效率。     

Trans-Splicing Improvement by the Combined Application of Antisense Strategies

Spliceosome-mediated RNA trans-splicing has become an emergent tool for the repair of mutated pre-mRNAs in the treatment of genetic diseases. RNA trans-splicing molecules (RTMs) are designed to induce a specific trans-splicing reaction via a binding domain for a respective target pre-mRNA region. A previously established reporter-based screening system allows us to analyze the impact of various factors on the RTM trans-splicing efficiency in vitro. Using this system, we are further able to investigate the potential of antisense RNAs (AS RNAs), presuming to improve the trans-splicing efficiency of a selected RTM, specific for intron 102 of COL7A1. Mutations in the COL7A1 gene underlie the dystrophic subtype of the skin blistering disease epidermolysis bullosa (DEB). We have shown that co-transfections of the RTM and a selected AS RNA, interfering with competitive splicing elements on a COL7A1-minigene (COL7A1-MG), lead to a significant increase of the RNA trans-splicing efficiency. Thereby, accurate trans-splicing between the RTM and the COL7A1-MG is represented by the restoration of full-length green fluorescent protein GFP on mRNA and protein level. This mechanism can be crucial for the improvement of an RTM-mediated correction, especially in cases where a high trans-splicing efficiency is required.     

Identification and functional traits of lactic acid bacteria isolated from Ciauscolo salami produced in Central Italy

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from Ciauscolo salami produced in Marche Region of Central Italy, and LAB strains belonging to our laboratory collection were examined for their capability to survive at low pH and bile, to adhere to Caco-2 cells, and for antibiotic resistance. LAB from Ciauscolo were identified by ARDRA and RAPD-PCR. Our study showed that all LAB strains had good adaptation to gastric juice and moderate tolerance to bile. The adhesiveness was variable among strains but significantly lower in LAB from food. Antibiotic resistance was broadly spread among food strains, with level of resistance exceeding 15% for all the antibiotics tested. The resistance determinants erm(B) and tet(M) were found in nine strains of food origin (21.4%) while tet(L) in one strain of our collection (5%). Our work suggests that fermented foods are valuable sources of bacterial strains with functional traits of intestinal lactobacilli. These bacteria may be further studied for their use in probiotic applications.     

Synthesis,Surface-Active Properties,and Emulsification Efficiency of Trimeric-Type Nonionic Surfactants Derived From Tris(2-aminoethyl)amine

Trimeric-type nonionic surfactants based on tris(2-aminoethyl)amine were prepared. N-alkyl chloride (namely, octanoyl chloride, n-decanoyl chloride, n-dodecanoyl chloride) was reacted with tris(2-aminoethyl)amine in the presence of toluene and triethylamine. The products were partially reduced and then ethoxylated by poly(ethylene glycol) of molecular weights 400, 1,000, and 2,000 g mol⁻¹. The structures were confirmed by infrared (IR) and ¹HNMR spectroscopy. The molecular weights of the surfactants were measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The properties of the prepared compounds were investigated by the surface tension, interfacial tension, and cloud point. The emulsification power of the prepared surfactants for oil-in-water emulsions was also studied and the emulsion stability was monitored by an optical microscope and the bottle testing method. Some factors affecting the emulsion stability were investigated