Storage life of silverbelly (Leiognathus sp.) with delayed icing

Silver belly (leiognathus splendens) caught in September spoiled faster than the fish caught in May. This could be due to seasonal changes. For silver belly, Total Volatile Base (TVB) value could be used as a measure of spoilage. At the beginning of spoilage TVB value is between 30-40 mg. N/100g sample. The main spoilage for silver belly appears to start between 6 and 8 hours (at 28° C-30°C) after landing on board. Therefore it is not necessary to ice silverbelly immediately; it seems to be sufficient if icing can be done within 6 hours of landing on board

Green synthesis of sliver nanoparticles using different bacteria: Do the synthesized nanoparticles differ in their antimicrobial activity

Objectives: Biosynthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from Escherichia coli,Acinetobacter baumannii and Staphylococcus aureus and determination of antimicrobial activityagainst selected pathogens.Methods: E. coli (ATCC 25922), A. baumannii (clinical strain), S. aureus (ATCC 25923) were culturedin nutrient broth medium and used for biosynthesis of AgNPs. AgNO3 concentration, pH, incubationtime and temperature were optimized for AgNP biosynthesis. Antimicrobial activity of the synthesizedAgNPs was studied using the well diffusion assay.Results: All the selected bacteria produced silver nanoparticles at alkaline pH when the concentrationof AgNO3 was greater than 0.3 g/L. The optimum reaction temperature was 60oC. UV-Visiblespectroscopy with a maximum absorbance of approximately 420 - 430 nm confirmed the presence ofAgNPs. AgNPs produced by S. aureus resulted in larger zone of inhibition (ZOI) against the selectedpathogens where AgNPs produced by E. coli showed comparatively smaller ZOI. Gram negativebacteria (E.coli, P. aeruginosa) were more sensitive to AgNPs compared to gram positive bacteria(Methicillin Resistant S. aureus, S. aureus) and fungal species (Candida albicans).Conclusion: AgNPs produced by S. aureus are the most effective among the tested AgNPs while E.coli produced the least effective AgNPs

TiO2 21 nm nanoparticles as a photocatalytic antimicrobial agent against Escherichia coli, Candida albicans and Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus: A comparison

 Objectives: To determine and compare the antimicrobial activity of 21 nm TiO2 nanoparticles against Escherichia colii, Candida albicans and Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).Methods: Titanium dioxide (TiO2) 21 nm anatase nanoparticles (13.9 g/l) were suspended in miliQ (MQ) water, sonicated (35 MHz for 1 hour) and autoclaved. Sterile glass petriplates were treated with TiO2 suspension or sterile MQ(control). Overnight cultures of E.coli MRSA and C. albicans were added to TiO2 coated plates and control plates and kept at room temperature.   Viable counts were obtained by spread plate method at 0 hours and 24 hours; before and after sunlight exposure for 30 minutes.  Colony forming units (CFU) / ml was calculated to determine percentage reduction of CFU in presence of TiO2. Experiments were done in triplicates.Results: TiO2 nanoparticles demonstrated antimicrobial activity against E.coli, MRSA and C. albicans. Estimated percentage CFU reduction in E.coli (13±8.4), MRSA (12±6.6) and C. albicans (36±4.9 ) was observed at 0 hours of contact in the supernatant. The bactericidal effect was enhanced on exposure of the plates to sunlight. Estimated percentage CFU reductions are E. coli (46±7.9), MRSA (99±0.2 ) and C. albicans (99±0.4). The results for 24 hours were (95±1 ), (35±2.1 ) and (83±4 ) reduction for E. coli, MRSA and C. albicans respectively. When the 24 hour plates were exposed to sunlight (99±0.6), (99±0.6) and (99±0.2) reduction was seen for E.coli, MRSA and C. albicans respectively. Conclusion: Anatase 21 nm TiO2 nanoparticles show enhanced antimicrobial activity against the tested microbial strains following photoactivation by sunlight.  Antimicrobial activity against three different types of microbial strains has varying effects

Psychological distress during pregnancy in a multi-ethnic community: findings from the born in Bradford cohort study

Purpose: Antenatal anxiety and depression are predictive of future mental distress, which has negative effects on children. Ethnic minority women are more likely to have a lower socio-economic status (SES) but it is unclear whether SES is an independent risk factor for mental health in pregnancy. We described the association between maternal mental distress and socio-demographic factors in a multi-ethnic cohort located in an economically deprived city in the UK. Methods: We defined eight distinct ethno-language groups (total N = 8,454) and classified a threshold of distress as the 75th centile of within-group GHQ-28 scores, which we used as the outcome for univariate and multivariate logistic regression for each ethnic group and for the sample overall. Results: Financial concerns were strongly and independently associated with worse mental health for six out of the eight ethnic groups, and for the cohort overall. In some groups, factors such as working status, education and family structure were associated with worse mental health, but for others these factors were of little importance. Conclusions: The diversity between and within ethnic groups in this sample underlines the need to take into consideration individual social, migration and economic circumstances and their potential effect on mental health in ethnically diverse areas

Specific antenatal interventions for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) pregnant women at high risk of poor birth outcomes in the United Kingdom: a scoping review

Background: Disparity exists in maternal and infant birth outcomes of Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women giving birth in the United Kingdom (UK) compared to the majority. There is therefore a need to reconsider existing maternity service provision to ensure culturally competent services. The purpose of this scoping review was to ascertain what specific maternity interventions have been implemented in the UK for BAME women (2004–2014) so that increased awareness of the need and scope of specific maternity interventions for BAME women can be identified. Methods: A scoping review was conducted in order to determine the evidence base. It was determined that no prior systematic reviews had been conducted and it was apparent that literature in this field was sparse. Scoping review is an ideal method when literature is likely to be heterogeneous and the research field relatively unexplored. A keyword strategy was used implementing population (P), intervention (I), comparison (C) and outcomes (O). Results: An initial 2188 papers were identified. Following screening and review, only 5 heterogeneous papers remained suitable and were included. The included interventions employed sample sizes of N = 160-1441, examined a range of different outcome measures and were delivered across different parts of the UK with high numbers of BAME residents. Conclusions: There is a lack of rigorous research interventions and practice interventions which are currently documented, of specific maternity interventions which are aimed to address culturally competent maternity services and the sharing of best practice addressing the increased risks of BAME women delivering in the UK

The Arabidopsis thaliana F-box gene HAWAIIAN SKIRT is a new player in the microRNA pathway

In Arabidopsis, the F-box HAWAIIAN SKIRT (HWS) protein is important for organ growth. Loss of function of HWS exhibits pleiotropic phenotypes including sepal fusion. To dissect the HWS role, we EMS-mutagenized hws-1 seeds and screened for mutations that suppress hws-1 associated phenotypes. We identified shs-2 and shs-3 (suppressor of hws-2 and 3) mutants in which the sepal fusion phenotype of hws-1 was suppressed. shs-2 and shs-3 (renamed hst-23/hws-1 and hst-24/hws-1) carry transition mutations that result in premature terminations in the plant homolog of Exportin-5 HASTY (HST), known to be important in miRNA biogenesis, function and transport. Genetic crosses between hws-1 and mutant lines for genes in the miRNA pathway, also suppress the phenotypes associated with HWS loss of function, corroborating epistatic relations between the miRNA pathway genes and HWS. In agreement with these data, accumulation of miRNA is modified in HWS loss or gain of function mutants. Our data propose HWS as a new player in the miRNA pathway, important for plant growth

Immigrant and non-immigrant women's experiences of maternity care: A systematic and comparative review of studies in five countries

Background: Understanding immigrant women’s experiences of maternity care is critical if receiving country care systems are to respond appropriately to increasing global migration. This systematic review aimed to compare what we know about immigrant and non-immigrant women’s experiences of maternity care. Methods: Medline, CINAHL, Health Star, Embase and PsychInfo were searched for the period 1989–2012. First, we retrieved population-based studies of women’s experiences of maternity care (n = 12). For countries with identified population studies, studies focused specifically on immigrant women’s experiences of care were also retrieved (n = 22). For all included studies, we extracted available data on experiences of care and undertook a descriptive comparison. Results: What immigrant and non-immigrant women want from maternity care proved similar: safe, high quality, attentive and individualised care, with adequate information and support. Immigrant women were less positive about their care than non-immigrant women. Communication problems and lack of familiarity with care systems impacted negatively on immigrant women’s experiences, as did perceptions of discrimination and care which was not kind or respectful. Conclusion: Few differences were found in what immigrant and non-immigrant women want from maternity care. The challenge for health systems is to address the barriers immigrant women face by improving communication,increasing women’s understanding of care provision and reducing discrimination