Antimicrobial effect of natural antimicrobial agents against foodborne pathogens

Risk Assessment of Microbial Problems and Preventive Actions in Food Industry - 2nd Open Seminar Arranged by SAFOODNET - Food Safety and Hygiene Networking Within New Member States and Associated Candidate Countries; Istanbul; Turkey; 22 October 2007 through 23 October 2007Besides that foodborne infections and intoxications cause great danger for human health they have also adverse impact on the economics. Alternative food preservation techniques to produce safer foods e.g. systems containing natural antimicrobial agents have recently gained popularity. The consumers prefer foods with no chemical additives without shortened shelf-life. In this sense, natural antimicrobials have become promising alternatives for hurdle technology. However, most of the natural antimicrobials have limited spectrum of activity

Effect of biopolymers containing natamycin against Aspergillus niger and Penicillium roquefortii on fresh kashar cheese

Fungal spoilage during refrigerated storage is one of the main safety and quality-related problems for dairy products. The effect of wheat gluten (WG) and methyl cellulose (MC) biopolymers containing natamycin (NA) on the growth of Aspergillus niger and Penicillium roquefortii on the surface of fresh kashar cheese during storage at 10 C for 30 days was investigated. Wrapping of A. niger-inoculated cheese with MC films containing 5–20 mg NA per 10 g resulted in approximately 2-log reductions in spore count. Two mg NA per 10 g included into WG films was sufficient to eliminate A. niger on the surface of cheese. However, MC and WG films containing NA did not cause any significant decrease in P. roquefortii count on the cheese surface. Therefore, especially use WG films in dairy applications could be an effective way of controlling A. niger growth on these products.The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK-TOVAG Project No: 104O543

Effects of Cinnamomum cassia extract on oxidative stress, immunreactivity of iNOS and impaired thoracic aortic reactivity induced by type II diabetes in rats

Type II diabetes is known to cause neuropathy, nephropathy and retinopathy. However, cardiovascular disorders associated with diabetes have been ignored. In traditional medicine, cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) bark has been used for its abilities to relieve fever, inflammation and chronic bronchitis. In the present study, the effect of Cinnamomum cassia extract (CN) on the thoracic aorta in an experimental type II diabetes model was investigated. In rats administered with nicotinamide + streptozotocin, significant endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress were characterised by increased inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and decreased insulin/proinsulin levels. This impairment was prevented by administering 1000 mg/kg metformin or 500-1000-1500 mg/kg CN. CN administration attenuated the inflammatory response by decreasing the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), Nitric oxide (NO) and increasing Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione (GSH). In addition, CN administration was shown to cause down-regulating effects on iNOS in thoracic aorta. These findings reveal that CN could prevent chronic complications of experimentally induced type II diabetes by attenuating inflammation, oxidant/antioxidant imbalance, and normalised contraction and relaxion responses in the thoracic aorta

Opinions on the structure of marketing function in forest enterprises

This study was carried out to determine the opinions of forest engineers about the importance of marketing for business management and its structure in forestry enterprises. Within the scope of the research, the opinions of forest engineers and companies that are in the position of customers were also compared on some issues regarding the structure of the marketing function in forest enterprises. The data of research were collected through literature and documentation analysis, observation, interview and survey techniques. 410 people participated in the online survey conducted for forest engineers working in the public or private sector. The survey for companies purchasing products from the Isparta Regional Directorate of Forestry was conducted face-to-face with 59 company officials. Basic statistical tests, chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test were used in the analysis of the research data. According to the research findings; It has been determined that the effects of the production concept, which is the first stage of the marketing development processes, have rather decreased, and that marketing has started to be given more importance especially in terms of promotion efforts. However, there are also important shortcomings such as the lack of importance to non-wood products and services, the problems in the pricing and sales of forest products etc

Effects of Chronic Oral Monosodium Glutamate Consumption on Naloxane-Induced Morphine Withdrawal in Infant Rats

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate chronic oral monosodium glutamate (MSG) consumption effects on symptoms of withdrawal, locomotor activity, and anxiety in morphine withdrawal syndrome induced by naloxone in infant rats. Materials and Methods: Twelve 21-day-old male Wistar rats used in the study. Infant rats were given unlimited access to saline (control group) or MSG (MSG group) added to drinking water for 32 days. Withdrawal was induced by naloxone in morphine-dependent rats. Evaluation of withdrawal symptoms and anxiety were performed simultaneously with locomotor activity measurements. Results: Withdrawal sings, such as jumping, wet dog shake, and weight loss; stereotypic, ambulatory, and vertical locomotor activity movements; central, peripheral, and total activities used in the assessment of anxiety in infant rats with naloxone-induced withdrawal syndrome that consumed oral MSG for 32 days were not different from the control group. Conclusion: These findings obtained in our study indicate that chronic consumption of oral MSG in infant rats whose blood-brain barrier has not yet developed does not affect morphine dependence and naloxone-induced withdrawal. Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanism of action of orally administered MSG

The significance of MUAC z-scores in diagnosing pediatric malnutrition: A scoping review with special emphasis on neurologically disabled children

This review by a panel of pediatric gastroenterology-hepatology-nutrition and pediatric neurology experts aimed to address the significance of mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) assessment in diagnosis of pediatric malnutrition. Specifically, the potential utility of recently developed MUAC z-score tape in clinical practice for larger patient populations was addressed including the neurologically disabled children. In accordance with the evidence-based data, four statements were identified by the participating experts on the utility of MUAC z-score tape, including (1) MUAC z-scores correlate with body mass index (BMI) and weight for height/length (WFH/l) z-scores in diagnosing malnutrition; (2) MUAC z-score tape offers a higher sensitivity to diagnose the mild and moderate malnutrition and better ability to track the changes in nutritional status over time than the other single datapoint measurements; (3) Using single-step MUAC z-score tape in children with cerebral palsy (CP) seems to provide more reliable data on anthropometry; and (4) The clinical value of the tool in classifying secondary malnutrition in CP should be investigated in large-scale populations. In conclusion, enabling single-step estimation of nutritional status in a large-scale pediatric population regardless of age and within a wide range of weight, without formal training or the need for ancillary reference charts and calculators, MUAC z-tape offers a favorable tool for easier and earlier diagnosis of pediatric malnutrition. Nonetheless, further implementation of MUAC z-score screening in larger-scale and/or special populations is necessary to justify its utility in relation to other primary anthropometric indicators in diagnosis of malnutrition as well as in treatment monitoring in the community and hospital setting.Abbott Nutrition Turkey ; KAPPA Consultancy Training Research Ltd

PERP (PERP, TP53 apoptosis effector)

PERP is a p53/p63-regulated gene encoding a desmosomal protein that plays a critical role in stratified epithelial development, cell adhesion and tumor suppression

SLC22A3 (Solute carrier family 22 member 3)

Review on SLC22A3, with data on DNA, on the protein encoded, and where the gene is implicated

Serum Zinc in Patients with Protein-Energy Malnutrition Retrospective Assessment of Levels

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the frequency of serum zinc deficiency in children with PEM and to show the relationship between the degree of PEM and serum zinc level. Methods: Retrospective study conducted at Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition clinic, in a Selçuk University Hospital, 506 patients who aged between 1 and 18 years and diagnosed with PEM according to the Waterlow (YGB, BGA) classification were included in the study. Results: The prevalence of serum zinc deficiency in PEM patients was found to be 61.1%. The mean serum zinc levels of the patients in aged 1-5 founded significantly lower than the mean serum zinc levels of the patients in aged 5-12 and aged 12-18. There was no difference between PEM grades which calculated according to BGA and YGB criteria and serum zinc level averages. Although the relationship between the PEM grade calculated according to the BGA scale and the serum zinc level averages was not statistically significant degree, contrary to the increase in PEM grade, the mean decrease in serum zinc levels was noteworthy. Conclusion: It is important to measure serum zinc levels routinely in patients with PEM and to initiate zinc supplementation if deficiency is detected

Apsces u mozgu belog west highland terijera izazvan bakterijom Trueperella pyogenes

Cerebral abscesses are occasionally seen in animals, however are rare in dogs. Among the pyogenic bacteria causing cerebral abscesses Trueperella pyogenes is relatively scarce. In this report, a case of T. pyogenes induced cerebral abscess in a West Highland White Terrier was presented with histopathological and bacteriological findings. Two foci of cerebral abscesses located at the level of the thalamus, and the frontal and temporal lobes were described on necropsy. Severe suppurative meningoencephalitis and ventriculitis were noted on microscopic view. T. pyogenes was isolated and identified in bacteriological investigation. This report states that T. pyogenes can be a causative agent of cerebral abscesses in dogs.Cerebralni apscesi se povremeno nalaze kod životinja, međutim retko se sreću kod pasa. Pored ostalih piogenih bakterija koje izazivaju cerebralne apscese, relativno retko se nalazi Trueperella pyogenes vrsta. U radu je prikazan slučaj cerebranog apscesa kod belog West Highland terijera, izazvan sa Trueperella pyogenes, zajedno sa histopatološkim i bakteriološkim nalazima. Prilikom obdukcije, opisana su dva fokusa cerebralnih apscesa, locirana na nivou talamusa uz opis frontalnih i tempralnih lobusa. Prilikom mikroskopskog pregleda, uočeni su težak gnojni meningoencefalitis i ventrikulitis. Bakteriološkim pregledom, identifi kovan je Trueperella pyogenes. Ovaj izveštaj ukazuje da Trueperella pyogenes može da bude etiološki faktor cerebralnih apscesa kod pasa