Prevalence of mold growth and aflatoxin M1 in Kashar and white cheese produced in Western Turkey

To evaluate mold growth and aflatoxin M1 problem in Turkish cheese, a total of 46 commercial samples of the two cheese types were examined with agar plate incubation and ELISA methods. Mean mold growth exceeded maximum tolerable limits (1×102 cfu/g) in both groups of cheese (1×104 and 2×104 cfu/g in Turkish white cheese and Kashar cheese, respectively), although there were no significant differences between cheese types (p=0.34). Kashar cheese samples were highly contaminated with fungi. Total concentrations of aflatoxin M1 in white and Kashar cheese (0.0998 and 0.1931 ppb, respectively) were lower than maximum tolerable limits (0.5 ppb). However, aflatoxin M1 concentration of Kashar cheese in 2 out of 13 samples exceeded the maximum tolerable limits. Results indicated that cheese plants should be sanitised properly to avoid fungal contamination and milk should be evaluated for aflatoxin M1 before it is used for making cheese

Fungi and aflatoxin B1 in horse and dog feeds in Western Turkey

To evaluate fungi growth and aflatoxin B1 contamination in horse and dog feeds, total of 41 feed samples were examined with agar plate incubation and ELISA methods. Fungi growth of the horse feed was not exceeding maximum tolerable limits (0.97 × 104 CFU/g). Although dog foods should not contain any fungi contamination, slightly less than half of the tested dog foods had fungi growth. Both feeds had aflatoxin B1 content in allowable limits (10 ?g/kg.), however, dog foods contain significantly higher aflatoxin B1 content than horse feeds do (P < 0.05) (6.69 ?g/kg and 1.98 ?g/kg, respectively). Fungi growth and aflatoxin B1 content did not correlate in either group of feeds (r2 = 0.09 and r2 = 0.30, respectively). Surveilance of both fungi growth and aflatoxin contents of both types of feeds are necessary for the health of the animals

Is the COPD assessment test (CAT) effective in demonstrating the systemic inflammation and other components in COPD?

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is currently a complex, multicomponent disorder. The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) has been increasingly used to assess COPD patients. This study aims to investigate the relationship between CAT and inflammation markers and other COPD components. Methods: We enrolled 110 stable COPD patients and 65 control subjects in this study. All patients completed the CAT questionnaire and the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dispnea scale. The quality of life of these patients was measured with St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Levels of TNFα, IL-6, CRP were determined in blood samples. Results: In COPD patients, serum levels of TNFα (109.5 ± 58 pg/ml), IL-6 (10.3 ± 18 pg/ml), and C-reactive protein (CRP) (1.6 ± 1.7 mg/L) were found to be significantly higher compared to controls (TNF-α: 14.6 ± 18 pg/ml, IL-6: 2.14 ± 1.9 pg/ml, CRP: 0.4 ± 0.3 mg/L, p < 0.001). These markers were correlated with smoking (r from 0.27 to 0.35, p < 0.001), FEV1 (r from â0.39 to â0.57, p < 0.001), FVC (r from â0.32 to â0.37, p < 0.001) and FEV1/FVC (r from â0.31 to â0.66, p < 0.001). The CAT score correlated with GOLD spirometric stages, mMRC dyspnea score, number of exacerbations in the previous year and FEV1 (p < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between levels of CRP and the CAT score (r = 0.43, p < 0.001) but no similar relationship between levels of TNFα and IL-6 and the CAT was observed. Conclusion: Systemic inflammation persists in the stable period of COPD. CRP, one of the inflammation markers, was correlated with the CAT. Further studies are required to confirm the relationship between CAT and biomarkers. Keywords: COPD, Inflammatory marker, CAT, Quality of lif