Advances in troubleshooting fish and seafood authentication by inorganic elemental composition

The demand for fish and seafood is growing worldwide. Meanwhile, problems related to the integrity and safety of the fishery sector are increasing, leading legislators, producers, and consumers to search for ways to effectively protect themselves from fraud and health hazards related to fish consumption. What is urgently required now is the availability of reliable, truthful, and reproducible methods assuring the correspondence between the real nature of the product and label declarations accompanying the same product during its market life. The evaluation of the inorganic composition of fish and seafood appears to be one of the most promising strategies to be exploited in the near future to assist routine and official monitoring operations along the supply chain. The present review article focuses on exploring the latest scientific achievements of using the multi-elemental composition of fish and seafood as an imprint of their authenticity and traceability, especially with regards to the geographical origin. The scientific literature of the last 10 years focusing on the analytical determination and statistical elaboration of elemental data (alone or in combination with methodologies targeting other compounds) to verify the identity of fishery products is summarized and discussed

The features of microcirculation in the nasal mucosa in children with adenoid hypertrophy and otitis media with effusion

At present, a reflex mechanism of the exudative otitis media (EOM) formation with pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy (PTH) in children is suggested which includes a combination of several components on the background of neurovegetative imbalance of nasal mucosa vascular tone maintenance. Aim. To determine the state of microcirculation in the nasal mucosa in children with pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy and exudative otitis media. Materials and methods. We observed 117 children with PTH and EOM aged between 5 and 7 years (mean age 6 years and 2 months) who had not previously undergone adenotomy or adenoidectomy. Two groups of clinical observation were formed: the group 1 included children with chronic purulent adenoiditis and EOM (n = 27); the group 2 included children with PTH and EOM (n = 90). The study of blood circulation in microvessels of the inferior nasal conchae mucous membrane was carried out using the LAKK-02 laser analyzer (RF), with the software “LDF 2.20.0.507WL”. Results. In each of the study groups, the vegetative index (VI) indicated the sympathetic tone predominance, and the values of the Hildebrandt coefficient (Q) pointed to the integrity of intersystem communication in vegetative innervation. Comparison of the VI indices, coefficient Q and microcirculation state of the inferior nasal conchae mucosa determined the statistically significant differences in all the studied parameters. Dependence of VI on neurotonus, myotonus and shunting index was not identified, reflecting the depletion of sympathetic innervation and the predominance of vagotonia. Conclusions. The presence of PTH is a focus of chronic irritation in children with EOM causing the development of vegetative innervation imbalance in the nasal and auditory tube mucosa with the predominance of parasympathetic component, prevalence of vasodilation, edema, increased vascular permeability and secretory activity of the glands, which contributes to otitis symptoms and their further maintenance

РІВЕНЬ НЕРВОВО-ПСИХІЧНОЇ НАПРУГИ У СТУДЕНТІВ-МЕДИКІВ I–III КУРСІВ НАВЧАННЯ

The aim of the study – to determine the level and leading symptoms of mental stress among junior medical students, to analyze the spectrum of stress factors influencing them.The main body. The level and key symptoms of mental stress as well as the spectrum of stress factors influencing those surveyed have been analyzed among 300 junior medical students (I-III year) studying at Vinnytsia National Pirogov Memorial Medical University (using questionnaire “Diagnostics of border mental disorders of individual” by А. V. Batarshev). High level of mental stress of one of four junior medical student have been detected (in particular, among 31±4,62 %, 29±4,54 % and 26±4,39 % of students of the I, II and III year respectively). The key stress factor for persons with high level of mental stress are: lack of time for a rest (93,42±2,93 %), problems with studying (61,84±5,57 %), problems in the personal life (55,26±5,71 %). Every second student points to the need to memorize large amount of material as a stressor (52,63±5,73 %); this factor runs to 100 % among I year students, whereas among students of the II and III year the leading stress factor is the lack of time for leisure (100 %). Sex-related differences in specificity of stress factors occur: boys indicate the conflicts with the teachers as a stress factor more frequently (37,21±7,37 % of males vs. 15,15±6,24 % of females, p<0,05), while  among girls this kind of factor is the large volume of material for memorizing (66,67±8,21 % of girls vs. 41,86±7,52 % of boys, p<0,05). Amongst the symptoms of mental stress psychosomatic ones prevail: disorder of sleep (70,0±2,65 %), disagreeable feelings of gastrointestinal tract (63,3±2,78 %) and cardiovascular system (63,3±2,78 %), muscle tightness (63,3±2,78 %), while emotional manifestations of mental stress are of lower value.Conclusion. High levels of mental stress occurs in one in four medical student who studies at Vinnytsia National Pirogov Memorial Medical University. Possible sex differences likely among average values of the test (for males are higher than for females, p<0,01), as well as for stress factors that cause considerable mental stress are noticed. Among the manifestations of mental stress following ones dominate: sleep deteriorating, hypersensitivity to external stimuls, discomfort of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system, muscle tension, feeling of insecurity (fixed among more than 50 % of respondents). The key stress factors among students with high levels of mental stress are: lack of time for rest (93.42 %), problems with studying (61.84 %), problems in personal life (55.26 %).Мета роботи – оцінити рівень та провідні симптоми нервово-психічної напруги у студентів-медиків початкових курсів навчання, проаналізувати спектр стресогенних чинників, що діють на них.Основна частина. У 300 студентів-медиків Вінницького національного медичного університету ім. М. І. Пирогова I–III курсів навчання  проаналізовані рівень та провідні симптоми нервово-психічної напруги, а також спектр стресогенних чинників, що діють на них (за допомогою тесту-опитувальника А. В. Батаршева “Діагностика граничних психічних розладів особистості”).Високий рівень нервово-психічної напруги виявлений у кожного четвертого студента-медика початкових курсів навчання (зокрема, у (31±4,62) % студентів I курсу, (29±4,54) % студентів II курсу і (26±4,39) % студентів III курсу). Провідними стресогенними чинниками в осіб із високим рівнем нервово-психічної напруги є: нестача часу для відпочинку ((93,42±2,93) %), неприємності у навчання ((61,84±5,57) %), проблеми в особистому житті ((55,26±5,71) %). Кожен другий студент вказує на необхідність запам’ятовувати великий обсяг матеріалу як на стресогенний для них фактор ((52,63±5,73) % опитаних) – при цьому у студентів I курсу даний фактор є провідним (100 % опитаних), тоді як у студентів II та III курсів провідним стресогенним фактором є нестача часу для відпочинку (100 %). Студенти-медики чоловічої статі частіше зазначають конфлікти з викладачами як стресогенний фактор ((37,21±7,37) % осіб чоловічої статі проти (15,15±6,24) % осіб жіночої статі, p<0,05), тоді як у студенток таким фактором є великий обсяг матеріалу для запам’ятовування ((66,67±8,21) % дівчат проти (41,86±7,52) % хлопців, p<0,05). Серед проявів нервово-психічної напруги переважають психосоматичні: погіршення сну ((70,0±2,65) %), неприємні відчуття з боку шлунково-кишкового тракту ((63,3±2,78) %)  та серцево-судинної системи ((63,3±2,78) %), м’язова напруга ((63,3±2,78) %), тоді як емоційні прояви нервово-психічної напруги є менш вагомими.Висновки. Високий рівень нервово-психічної напруги має місце в кожного четвертого студента-медика, що навчається у Вінницькому національному медичному університеті ім. М. І. Пирогова. Зафіксовані вірогідні статеві відмінності як середніх значень тесту (в осіб чоловічої статі вони вищі, ніж в осіб жіночої статі, p<0,01), так і стресогенних чинників, що викликають значну нервово-психічну напругу. Серед проявів нервово-психічної напруги переважають: погіршення сну, підвищена чутливість до дії зовнішніх подразників, неприємні відчуття з боку шлунково-кишкового тракту та серцево-судинної системи, м’язова напруга, відчуття невпевненості в собі (зафіксовані більше ніж у 50 % респондентів). Провідними стресогенними чинниками в студентів із високим рівнем нервово-психічної напруги є: нестача часу для відпочинку (93,42 %), неприємності в навчання (61,84 %), проблеми в особистому житті (55,26 %)

Tsunami-Related Data: A Review of Available Repositories Used in Scientific Literature

Various organizations and institutions store large volumes of tsunami-related data, whose availability and quality should benefit society, as it improves decision making before the tsunami occurrence, during the tsunami impact, and when coping with the aftermath. However, the existing digital ecosystem surrounding tsunami research prevents us from extracting the maximum benefit from our research investments. The main objective of this study is to explore the field of data repositories providing secondary data associated with tsunami research and analyze the current situation. We analyze the mutual interconnections of references in scientific studies published in the Web of Science database, governmental bodies, commercial organizations, and research agencies. A set of criteria was used to evaluate content and searchability. We identified 60 data repositories with records used in tsunami research. The heterogeneity of data formats, deactivated or nonfunctional web pages, the generality of data repositories, or poor dataset arrangement represent the most significant weak points. We outline the potential contribution of ontology engineering as an example of computer science methods that enable improvements in tsunami-related data management

Molecular and cytological characterization of the global Musa germplasm collection provides insights into the treasure of banana diversity

Bananas (Musa spp.) are one of the main fruit crops grown worldwide. With the annual production reaching 144 million tons, their production represents an important contribution to the economies of many countries in Asia, Africa, Latin-America and Pacific Islands. Most importantly, bananas are a staple food for millions of people living in the tropics. Unfortunately, sustainable banana production is endangered by various diseases and pests, and the breeding for resistant cultivars relies on a far too small base of genetic variation. Greater diversity needs to be incorporated in breeding, especially of wild species. Such work requires a large and thoroughly characterized germplasm collection, which also is a safe depository of genetic diversity. The largest ex situ Musa germplasm collection is kept at the International Transit Centre (ITC) in Leuven (Belgium) and currently comprises over 1500 accessions. This report summarizes the results of systematic cytological and molecular characterization of the Musa ITC collection. By December 2015, 630 accessions have been genotyped. The SSR markers confirmed the previous morphological based classification for 84% of ITC accessions analyzed. The remaining 16% of the genotyped entries may need field verification by taxonomist to decide if the unexpected classification by SSR genotyping was correct. The ploidy level estimation complements the molecular data. The genotyping continues for the entire ITC collection, including newly introduced accessions, to assure that the genotype of each accession is known in the largest global Musa gene bank

Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level

Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale. Objectives: To report the retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 278 retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age at presentation, proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis. Results: The cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976 patients (45.4%) were female. Most patients (n = 3685 [84.7%]) were from low- A nd middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common indication for referral was leukocoria (n = 2638 [62.8%]), followed by strabismus (n = 429 [10.2%]) and proptosis (n = 309 [7.4%]). Patients from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1 months, with 656 of 666 (98.5%) patients having intraocular retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521 (49.1%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9%) having metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 [95% CI, 12.94-24.80], and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 5.74 [95% CI, 4.30-7.68]). Conclusions and Relevance: This study is estimated to have included more than half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are concerning and mandate intervention at national and international levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in LMICs

Travel burden and clinical presentation of retinoblastoma: analysis of 1024 patients from 43 African countries and 518 patients from 40 European countries

BACKGROUND: The travel distance from home to a treatment centre, which may impact the stage at diagnosis, has not been investigated for retinoblastoma, the most common childhood eye cancer. We aimed to investigate the travel burden and its impact on clinical presentation in a large sample of patients with retinoblastoma from Africa and Europe. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis including 518 treatment-naïve patients with retinoblastoma residing in 40 European countries and 1024 treatment-naïve patients with retinoblastoma residing in 43 African countries. RESULTS: Capture rate was 42.2% of expected patients from Africa and 108.8% from Europe. African patients were older (95% CI -12.4 to -5.4, p<0.001), had fewer cases of familial retinoblastoma (95% CI 2.0 to 5.3, p<0.001) and presented with more advanced disease (95% CI 6.0 to 9.8, p<0.001); 43.4% and 15.4% of Africans had extraocular retinoblastoma and distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis, respectively, compared to 2.9% and 1.0% of the Europeans. To reach a retinoblastoma centre, European patients travelled 421.8 km compared to Africans who travelled 185.7 km (p<0.001). On regression analysis, lower-national income level, African residence and older age (p<0.001), but not travel distance (p=0.19), were risk factors for advanced disease. CONCLUSIONS: Fewer than half the expected number of patients with retinoblastoma presented to African referral centres in 2017, suggesting poor awareness or other barriers to access. Despite the relatively shorter distance travelled by African patients, they presented with later-stage disease. Health education about retinoblastoma is needed for carers and health workers in Africa in order to increase capture rate and promote early referral

Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level.

Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale. Objectives: To report the retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 278 retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age at presentation, proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis. Results: The cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976 patients (45.4%) were female. Most patients (n = 3685 [84.7%]) were from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common indication for referral was leukocoria (n = 2638 [62.8%]), followed by strabismus (n = 429 [10.2%]) and proptosis (n = 309 [7.4%]). Patients from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1 months, with 656 of 666 (98.5%) patients having intraocular retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521 (49.1%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9%) having metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 [95% CI, 12.94-24.80], and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 5.74 [95% CI, 4.30-7.68]). Conclusions and Relevance: This study is estimated to have included more than half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are concerning and mandate intervention at national and international levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in LMICs