Prevention of food poisoning in hospital patients

CITATION: Horwitz, B. M., Finlayson, M. H. & Brede, H. D. 1974. Prevention of food poisoning in hospital patients. South African Medical Journal, 48(26):1109-1111.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaBacteriological investigations of raw and cooked foods and of food handlers in abattoirs, food factories and hospital kitchens show that they are potential sources of food poisoning organisms. The use of reheated (reconstituted) frozen foods is recommended as an ideal means of preventing food poisoning among hospital patients.http://archive.samj.org.za/index.php?path=%2F1974+VOL+XLVIII+Jan-Jun%2FArticles%2F06+JunePublisher’s versio

Escherichia coli serotypes associated with urinary tract infections in the Western Cape

CITATION: Brede, H. D., et al. 1974. Escherichia coli serotypes associated with urinary tract infections in the Western Cape. South African Medical Journal, 48(7):261-263.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaExamination of 3,261 specimens of urine from patients with urinary tract infections led to the isolation of E. coli types from 933 samples (28.6%). Serological typing revealed 222 isolates (23.8%) as urinary or as enteropathogenic serotypes. The rest were untypable. The following urinary types were identified: O 1, O 2, O 4, O 5, O 6, O 7, O 9, O 11, O 18, O 39, O 75, the commonest being O 6, O 4, and O 75. Enteropathogenic types were O 26-B6, O 55-B5, O 86-B7, O 111-B4, O 112-B11, O 119-B14, O 124-B17, O 125-B15, O 126-B16, O 127-B8, O 128-B12, and O 142-B. Types O 112 and O 111 were the most prevalent. The 1973 pattern of urinary E. coli infections in the Western Cape differs from that found in other parts of the world. Type O 6 is most prevalent, followed by O 4, and O 75. The last is the most common type north of the equator. Other types were far less frequent. Crossreactivity between 14 V. cholerae strains and E. coli O 39 antiserum was proved, suggesting similarities between the enterotoxins of V. cholerae and pathogenic E. coli strains.Publisher’s versio

Spectroscopy And Green Up-Conversion Laser-Emission Of Er(3+)-Doped Crystals At Room-Temperature

The spectroscopic parameters of Er3+-doped crystals were determined with regard to the upconversion laser parameters of the green transition S-4(3/2) -- \u3e I-4(15/2), The influence of excited-state absorption on this laser channel was determined. Furthermore, upconversion pump mechanisms using ground-state and excited-state absorption around 810 and 970 nm were investigated by direct measurements of excited-state absorption. The spectroscopic results confirm the pulsed room-temperature laser experiments on the S-4(3/2) -- \u3e I-5(5/2) transition. The lasers based on Er:LiYF4, Er:Y3Al5O12, and Er:Lu3Al5O12 were directly excited into the upper laser level by an excimer laser pumped dye laser in the blue spectral range. In Er:LiYF4, Er:KYF4, and Er:Y3Al5O12, laser action was achieved with two-step upconversion pumping by a Ti:sapphire laser and a krypton ion laser. In the case of the fluorides, the additional pumping with the krypton ion laser was not necessary. The laser emission wavelengths were 551 nm for Er:LiYF4, 561 nm for Er:Y3Al5012 and Er:Lu3Al5O12, and 562 nm for Er:KYF4. In addition, green quasi-cw laser emission of Er:LiYF4 pumped with an argon-ion laser was realized at room temperature

Networks of noisy oscillators with correlated degree and frequency dispersion

We investigate how correlations between the diversity of the connectivity of networks and the dynamics at their nodes affect the macroscopic behavior. In particular, we study the synchronization transition of coupled stochastic phase oscillators that represent the node dynamics. Crucially in our work, the variability in the number of connections of the nodes is correlated with the width of the frequency distribution of the oscillators. By numerical simulations on Erd\"os-R\'enyi networks, where the frequencies of the oscillators are Gaussian distributed, we make the counterintuitive observation that an increase in the strength of the correlation is accompanied by an increase in the critical coupling strength for the onset of synchronization. We further observe that the critical coupling can solely depend on the average number of connections or even completely lose its dependence on the network connectivity. Only beyond this state, a weighted mean-field approximation breaks down. If noise is present, the correlations have to be stronger to yield similar observations.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Synchrotron XRF Analysis Identifies Cerium Accumulation Colocalized with Pharyngeal Deformities in CeO2 NP-Exposed Caenorhabditis elegans

publishedVersio

Executive function predicts school readiness in autistic and typical preschool children

Children’s emerging executive functions (EF) have been shown to be critical for a whole range of other functions, including school readiness and later academic success. Here we examine for the first time whether individual differences in EF are uniquely associated with autistic children’s readiness to learn in school, beyond general and developmental influences in age and ability. Thirty autistic and 30 typical preschool children, matched on age and ability, were assessed on EF (working memory, inhibition, set-shifting) and school readiness measures. Autistic children performed significantly worse on school readiness measures and EF measures relative to typical children. Furthermore, individual differences in children’s EF skills, especially in inhibitory control and working memory, were uniquely related to variation in their school readiness for both autistic and non-autistic children. The findings from this cross-sectional study provide further support for the potential role of EF in explaining the variability in autistic children’s functional outcomes

Bisphenol A exposure in Mexico City and risk of prematurity: a pilot nested case control study

Abstract Background Presence of Bisphenol A (BPA) has been documented worldwide in a variety of human biological samples. There is growing evidence that low level BPA exposure may impact placental tissue development and thyroid function in humans. The aim of this present pilot study was to determine urinary concentrations of BPA during the last trimester of pregnancy among a small subset of women in Mexico City, Mexico and relate these concentrations to risk of delivering prematurely. Methods A nested case-control subset of 60 participants in the Early Life Exposure in Mexico to ENvironmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) study in Mexico City, Mexico were selected based on delivering less than or equal to 37 weeks of gestation and greater than 37 weeks of gestation. Third trimester archived spot urine samples were analyzed by online solid phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry. Results BPA was detected in 80.0% (N = 48) of the urine samples; total concentrations ranged from < 0.4 μg/L to 6.7 μg/L; uncorrected geometric mean was 1.52 μg/L. The adjusted odds ratio of delivering less than or equal to 37 weeks in relation to specific gravity adjusted third trimester BPA concentration was 1.91 (95%CI 0.93, 3.91, p-value = 0.08). When cases were further restricted to births occurring prior to the 37th week (n = 12), the odds ratio for specific-gravity adjusted BPA was larger and statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions This is the first study to document measurable levels of BPA in the urine of a population of Mexican women. This study also provides preliminary evidence, based on a single spot urine sample collected during the third trimester, that pregnant women who delivered less than or equal to 37 weeks of gestation and prematurely (< 37 weeks) had higher urinary concentrations of BPA compared to women delivering after 37 weeks.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78251/1/1476-069X-9-62.xmlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78251/2/1476-069X-9-62.pdfPeer Reviewe