Escherichia coli O26 in feedlot cattle: Fecal prevalence, isolation, characterization, and effects of an E. coli O157 vaccine and a direct-fed microbial

Escherichia coli O26 is second only to O157 in causing foodborne, Shiga toxin–producing E. coli (STEC) infections. Our objectives were to determine fecal prevalence and characteristics of E. coli O26 in commercial feedlot cattle (17,148) that were enrolled in a study to evaluate an E. coli O157:H7 siderophore receptor and porin (SRP®) vaccine (VAC) and a direct-fed microbial (DFM; 106 colony-forming units [CFU]/animal/day of Lactobacillus acidophilus and 109 CFU/animal/day of Propionibacterium freudenreichii). Cattle were randomly allocated to 40 pens within 10 complete blocks; pens were randomly assigned to control, VAC, DFM, or VAC+DFM treatments. Vaccine was administered on days 0 and 21, and DFM was fed throughout the study. Pen-floor fecal samples (30/pen) were collected weekly for the last 4 study weeks. Samples were enriched in E. coli broth and subjected to a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) designed to detect O26-specific wzx gene and four major virulence genes (stx1, stx2, eae, and ehxA) and to a culture-based procedure that involved immunomagnetic separation and plating on MacConkey agar. Ten presumptive E. coli colonies were randomly picked, pooled, and tested by the multiplex PCR. Pooled colonies positive for O26 serogroup were streaked on sorbose MacConkey agar, and 10 randomly picked colonies per sample were tested individually by the multiplex PCR. The overall prevalence of E. coli O26 was higher (p<0.001) by the culture-based method compared to the PCR assay (22.7 versus 10.5%). The interventions (VAC and or DFM) had no impact on fecal shedding of O26. Serogroup O26 was recovered in pure culture from 23.9% (260 of 1089) of O26 PCR-positive pooled colonies. Only 7 of the 260 isolates were positive for the stx gene and 90.1% of the isolates possessed an eaeβ gene that codes for intimin subtype β, but not the bfpA gene, which codes for bundle-forming pilus. Therefore, the majority of the O26 recovered from feedlot cattle feces was atypical enteropathogenic E. coli, and not STEC

Personal Involvement Moderates Message Framing Effects on Food Safety Education among Medical University Students in Chongqing, China.

This study explored whether the efficacy of food safety education interventions can be increased by message framing among medical university students, and demonstrated the role of personal involvement within the message recipient in moderating framed effects. A cross-sectional study of food safety message framing was conducted among medical university students (randomly selected 1353 participants). An online self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information. Wilcoxon rank-sum test and Ordered multivariate logistic regression were utilised in the data analyses. The present study showed significant differences in acceptance between the gain- and loss-framed groups ( < 0.001). Participants with higher personal involvement had higher acceptance than those with low personal involvement in gain- and loss-framed message models ( < 0.001). The acceptance of participants who were concerned about their health condition was higher than those who were neutral regarding their health condition ( < 0.001) and participants who suffered a food safety incident had higher acceptance than those who did not ( < 0.05). This study portrayed the selection preference of message framing on food safety education among medical university students in southwest China. Participants exposed to loss-framed messages had higher message acceptance than those exposed to gain-framed messages. Personal involvement may affect the food safety message framing. Public health advocates and professionals can use framed messages as a strategy to enhance intervention efficacy in the process of food safety education

Escherichia coli O104 in Feedlot Cattle Feces: Prevalence, Isolation and Characterization

Citation: Shridhar, P. B., Noll, L. W., Shi, X. R., Cernicchiaro, N., Renter, D. G., Bai, J., & Nagaraja, T. G. (2016). Escherichia coli O104 in Feedlot Cattle Feces: Prevalence, Isolation and Characterization. Plos One, 11(3), 17. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0152101Escherichia coli O104:H4, an hybrid pathotype of Shiga toxigenic and enteroaggregative E. coli, involved in a major foodborne outbreak in Germany in 2011, has not been detected in cattle feces. Serogroup O104 with H type other than H4 has been reported to cause human illnesses, but their prevalence and characteristics in cattle have not been reported. Our objectives were to determine the prevalence of E. coli O104 in feces of feedlot cattle, by culture and PCR detection methods, and characterize the isolated strains. Rectal fecal samples from a total of 757 cattle originating from 29 feedlots were collected at a Midwest commercial slaughter plant. Fecal samples, enriched in E. coli broth, were subjected to culture and PCR methods of detection. The culture method involved immunomagnetic separation with O104-specific beads and plating on a selective chromogenic medium, followed by serogroup confirmation of pooled colonies by PCR. If pooled colonies were positive for the wzx(O104) gene, then colonies were tested individually to identify wzx(O104)-positive serogroup and associated genes of the hybrid strains. Extracted DNA from feces were also tested by a multiplex PCR to detect wzx(O104)-positive serogroup and associated major genes of the O104 hybrid pathotype. Because wzx(O104) has been shown to be present in E. coli O8/O9/O9a, wzx(O104)-positive isolates and extracted DNA from fecal samples were also tested by a PCR targeting wbdD(O8/O9/O9a), a gene specific for E. coli O8/O9/O9a serogroups. Model-adjusted prevalence estimates of E. coli O104 (positive for wzx(O104) and negative for wbdD(O8/O9/O9a)) at the feedlot level were 5.7% and 21.2%, and at the sample level were 0.5% and 25.9% by culture and PCR, respectively. The McNemar's test indicated that there was a significant difference (P < 0.01) between the proportions of samples that tested positive for wzx(O104) and samples that were positive for wzx(O104), but negative for wbdD(O8/O9/O9a) by PCR and culture methods. A total of 143 isolates, positive for the wzx(O104), were obtained in pure culture from 146 positive fecal samples. Ninety-two of the 143 isolates (64.3%) also tested positive for the wbdD(O8/O9/O9a), indicating that only 51 (35.7%) isolates truly belonged to the O104 serogroup (positive for wzx(O104) and negative for wbdD(O8/O9/O9a)). All 51 isolates tested negative for eae, and 16 tested positive for stx1 gene of the subtype 1c. Thirteen of the 16 stx1-positive O104 isolates were from one feedlot. The predominant serotype was O104:H7. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis indicated that stx1-positive O104:H7 isolates had 62.4% homology to the German outbreak strain and 67.9% to 77.5% homology to human diarrheagenic O104:H7 strains. The 13 isolates obtained from the same feedlot were of the same PFGE subtype with 100% Dice similarity. Although cattle do not harbor the O104:H4 pathotype, they do harbor and shed Shiga toxigenic O104 in the feces and the predominant serotype was O104:H7

Effects of Goal-Framed Messages on Mental Health Education Among Medical University Students: Moderating Role of Personal Involvement.

Mental health problem among university students is an emerging public health issue, and mental health education has always been the focus of attention for universities. However, limited attention has been paid to the effect of students' acceptance of health messages. Previous studies have found that message framing plays a key role in the process of responding to health-promoting messages. In this backdrop, the study aimed to examine the effects of goal-framed messages on mental health education among medical university students and investigate the moderating role of personal involvement. A cross-sectional study was conducted on medical university students. An online self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Wilcoxon rank-sum test and ordinal logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results showed significant differences in message acceptance between the gain- and loss-framed groups ( < 0.001). Participants with high personal involvement had higher message acceptance than those with low personal involvement in gain- and loss-framed message models ( < 0.05). Specifically, participants who related to roommates with high intimacy had higher message acceptance than those who related to roommates generally ( < 0.05). Participants who were concerned about their health condition had higher message acceptance than those who were neutral about their health condition ( < 0.001). Evidence of advantages of gain- over loss-framed messages on mental health among medical university students was found. The hypothesis that personal involvement with a health issue affects the acceptance of message framing was supported. Public health advocates can use framed message as a strategy to improve the efficacy of intervention in mental health education

THE EFFECTS OF MAGGOT SECRETIONS ON THE INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES IN SERUM OF TRAUMATIC RATS

The objective of this study was to analyse the changes of inflammatory cytokines level in traumatic rat serum after the maggot secretions intervention. Acute traumatic rat were randomly divided into three groups that included maggot secretions group, negative group and the control group. TNF-α, IL-6, SOD, LPO levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. The experimental results showed that TNF-α, IL-6, and SOD levels in the model group were significantly increased; LPO level was decreased and showed significant differences. Thus, the content of inflammatory cytokines in acute skin wounds could be reduced by maggot secretions, which play a role in enhancing wound healing

Development of 11-Plex MOL-PCR Assay for the Rapid Screening of Samples for Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli

Strains of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are a serious threat to the health, with approximately half of the STEC related food-borne illnesses attributable to contaminated beef. We developed an assay that was able to screen samples for several important STEC associated serogroups (O26, O45, O103, O104, O111, O121, O145, O157) and three major virulence factors (eae, stx1, stx2) in a rapid and multiplexed format using the Multiplex oligonucleotide ligation-PCR (MOL-PCR) assay chemistry. This assay detected unique STEC DNA signatures and is meant to be used on samples from various sources related to beef production, providing a multiplex and high-throughput complement to the multiplex PCR assays currently in use. Multiplex oligonucleotide ligation-PCR (MOL-PCR) is a nucleic acid-based assay chemistry that relies on flow cytometry/image cytometry and multiplex microsphere arrays for the detection of nucleic acid-based signatures present in target agents. The STEC MOL-PCR assay provided greater than 90% analytical specificity across all sequence markers designed when tested against panels of DNA samples that represent different STEC serogroups and toxin gene profiles. This paper describes the development of the 11-plex assay and the results of its validation. This highly multiplexed, but more importantly dynamic and adaptable screening assay allows inclusion of additional signatures as they are identified in relation to public health. As the impact of STEC associated illness on public health is explored additional information on classification will be needed on single samples; thus, this assay can serve as the backbone for a complex screening system

Development of 11-Plex MOL-PCR Assay for the Rapid Screening of Samples for Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coil

Citation: Woods, T. A., Mendez, H. M., Ortega, S., Shi, X. R., Marx, D., Bai, J. F., . . . Deshpande, A. (2016). Development of 11-Plex MOL-PCR Assay for the Rapid Screening of Samples for Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coil. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 6, 12. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2016.00092Strains of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are a serious threat to the health, with approximately half of the STEC related food-borne illnesses attributable to contaminated beef. We developed an assay that was able to screen samples for several important STEC associated serogroups (O26, O45, O103, O104, O111, O121, O145, O157) and three major virulence factors (eae, stx(1), stx(2)) in a rapid and multiplexed format using the Multiplex oligonucleotide ligation-PCR (MOL-PCR) assay chemistry. This assay detected unique STEC DNA signatures and is meant to be used on samples from various sources related to beef production, providing a multiplex and high-throughput complement to the multiplex PCR assays currently in use. Multiplex oligonucleotide ligation-PCR (MOL-PCR) is a nucleic acid-based assay chemistry that relies on flow cytometry/image cytometry and multiplex microsphere arrays for the detection of nucleic acid-based signatures present in target agents. The STEC MOL-PCR assay provided greater than 90% analytical specificity across all sequence markers designed when tested against panels of DNA samples that represent different STEC serogroups and toxin gene profiles. This paper describes the development of the 11-plex assay and the results of its validation. This highly multiplexed, but more importantly dynamic and adaptable screening assay allows inclusion of additional signatures as they are identified in relation to public health. As the impact of STEC associated illness on public health is explored additional information on classification will be needed on single samples; thus, this assay can serve as the backbone for a complex screening system

OWL: A Large Language Model for IT Operations

With the rapid development of IT operations, it has become increasingly crucial to efficiently manage and analyze large volumes of data for practical applications. The techniques of Natural Language Processing (NLP) have shown remarkable capabilities for various tasks, including named entity recognition, machine translation and dialogue systems. Recently, Large Language Models (LLMs) have achieved significant improvements across various NLP downstream tasks. However, there is a lack of specialized LLMs for IT operations. In this paper, we introduce the OWL, a large language model trained on our collected OWL-Instruct dataset with a wide range of IT-related information, where the mixture-of-adapter strategy is proposed to improve the parameter-efficient tuning across different domains or tasks. Furthermore, we evaluate the performance of our OWL on the OWL-Bench established by us and open IT-related benchmarks. OWL demonstrates superior performance results on IT tasks, which outperforms existing models by significant margins. Moreover, we hope that the findings of our work will provide more insights to revolutionize the techniques of IT operations with specialized LLMs.Comment: 31 page