Health risk assessment of Patulin intake through apples and apple-based foods sold in Qatar

This is the first report on assessing the non-carcinogenic health risk associated with Patulin exposure in Qatar. The concentrations of Patulin, as determined in previous studies, in apples, apple juice, and apple-based baby foods sold in Qatar and nearby countries were used to conduct the health risk assessment (HRA). The risk related to Patulin intake by different age groups was calculated using the USEPA risk assessment models. The intake levels (ILs) of various age groups was compared with the international standards. The highest IL in Qatar was for babies between 5-12 months old through ingesting contaminated apple-based baby foods, yet those levels were below the tolerable daily intake of Patulin set by the EU at 0.4 μg/kg BW/d. The results showed that the intake of Patulin in Qatar is lower than that in Tunisia and Iran based on the HRA analysis. The risk caused by chronic exposure to Patulin through ingesting raw apples and apple juice separately was below “1,” indicating that the overall population is not likely to be at risk of Patulin exposure. However, various uncertainties should be considered when adopting these results, mainly the low number of samples and additive exposure to other mycotoxins from different sources.The publication of this article was funded by the Qatar National Library .Scopu

Effect of a bacteriophage cocktail in combination with modified atmosphere packaging in controlling Listeria monocytogenes on fresh-cut spinach

peer-reviewedA Listeria monocytogenes-specific bacteriophage cocktail was evaluated for its activity against a nalidixic acid-resistant L. monocytogenes (Lm-NalR) isolate on fresh-cut spinach stored under modified atmosphere packaging at various temperatures. Pieces (~2 × 2 cm2) of fresh spinach inoculated with 4.5 log CFU/cm2 Lm-NalR were sprayed with the phage cocktail (6.5 log plaque-forming units [PFU]/cm2) or a control. The samples were stored at 4°C or 10°C for up to 14 d in sealed packages filled with either atmospheric air (AA) or modified atmosphere (MA). At 4°C under AA, the phages significantly (P ≤ 0.05) lowered the Lm-NalR populations on spinach, compared to control-treated inoculated samples, by 1.12 and 1.51 log CFU/cm2 after 1 and 14 d, respectively. At 4°C under MA, Lm-NalR was significantly reduced by 1.95 log CFU/cm2 compared to control leaves after both 1 and 14 d. At 10°C under AA, the phages significantly reduced Lm-NalR by 1.50 and 2.51 log CFU/cm2 after 1 and 14 d compared to the control. Again at 10°C under MA, the phages significantly reduced Lm-NalR by 1.71 and 3.24 log CFU/cm2 compared to control after 1 and 14 d, respectively. The results support the potential of lytic bacteriophages in effectively reducing populations of L. monocytogenes on freshcut leafy produce, under both AA and MA conditions.National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the US Department of Agriculture (project #NCX-2007-03435)

Body segment parameters of Paralympic athletes from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12283-016-0200-3This research represents the first documented investigation into the body segment parameters of Paralympic athletes (e.g., individuals with spinal cord injuries and lower extremity amputations). Two-dimensional body segment parameters (i.e., mass, length, position vector of the center of mass, and principal mass moment of inertia about the center of mass) were quantified from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). In addition to establishing a body segment parameter database of Paralympic athletes for prospective biomechanists and engineers, the mass of each body segment as experimentally measured via the DXA imaging was compared with that reported by previous research of able-bodied cadavers. In general, there were significant differences in the body segment masses between the different methods. These findings support the implementation of the proposed database for developing valid multibody biomechanical models of Paralympic athletes with distinct physical disabilities.This research was funded by Dr. John McPhee’s Tier I Canada Research Chair in Biomechatronic System Dynamics

Investigation of using fuzzy logic to model occupant satisfaction and behavior in a building

11th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Applications and Innovations, AIAI 2015 -- 14 September 2015 through 17 September 2015 -- 118242Occupant satisfaction with indoor environmental conditions are in close relation to energy consumption in buildings. Despite the increasing efforts to maintain thermal comfort conditions in buildings with control strategies, occupants are not usually satisfied, and, thus, change their behavior which generally interfere with building operation systems. Therefore, modeling and characterizing occupant satisfaction and behavior are important considerations in the building energy use. However, occupant satisfaction and behavior as well as indoor environmental conditions have serious amount of uncertainty, and, thus, it is difficult to simulate them via traditional techniques. In this study, a total of 8 tests were conducted to monitor indoor environmental conditions in an educational building. A questionnaire was distributed during the monitoring period in order to understand the satisfaction level of occupants as well as their behavior preference. The results are utilized to model occupant behavior where fuzzy logic is preferred to tackle the uncertainty in the model parameters. Results denote that there is a significant potential of utilizing fuzzy logic to model occupant behavior under uncertain conditions similar to the real life

Effect of a bacteriophage cocktail in combination with modified atmosphere packaging in controlling Listeria monocytogenes on fresh-cut spinach

A Listeria monocytogenes-specific bacteriophage cocktail was evaluated for its activity against a nalidixic acid-resistant L. monocytogenes (Lm-NalR) isolate on fresh-cut spinach stored under modified atmosphere packaging at various temperatures. Pieces (~2 × 2 cm2) of fresh spinach inoculated with 4.5 log CFU/cm2 Lm-NalR were sprayed with the phage cocktail (6.5 log plaque-forming units [PFU]/cm2) or a control. The samples were stored at 4°C or 10°C for up to 14 d in sealed packages filled with either atmospheric air (AA) or modified atmosphere (MA). At 4°C under AA, the phages significantly (P ≤ 0.05) lowered the Lm-NalR populations on spinach, compared to control-treated inoculated samples, by 1.12 and 1.51 log CFU/cm2 after 1 and 14 d, respectively. At 4°C under MA, Lm-NalR was significantly reduced by 1.95 log CFU/cm2 compared to control leaves after both 1 and 14 d. At 10°C under AA, the phages significantly reduced Lm-NalR by 1.50 and 2.51 log CFU/cm2 after 1 and 14 d compared to the control. Again at 10°C under MA, the phages significantly reduced Lm-NalR by 1.71 and 3.24 log CFU/cm2 compared to control after 1 and 14 d, respectively. The results support the potential of lytic bacteriophages in effectively reducing populations of L. monocytogenes on freshcut leafy produce, under both AA and MA conditions

Evaluation of Apoptotic, Antiproliferative, and Antimigratory Activity of Origanum syriacum against Metastatic Colon Cancer Cells

The effect of an ethanolic extract of fresh leaves of Origanum syriacum (OSEE) on the proliferative, apoptotic, and migratory capacities of LoVo and SW620 colon cancer cells was investigated. OSEE showed a concentration-dependent apoptotic and antiproliferative effect on LoVo and SW620 cells at 500 μg mL−1 or higher after 48 h of exposure. Additionally, OSEE inhibited the migration of both LoVo and SW620 cells by decreasing (50–75%) wound-healing capacity at 500 and 1,000 μg mL−1. The results suggest that OSEE may have potential anticarcinogenic activity in metastatic colon cancer cells through the dual effect of inhibiting cell proliferation and migration and induction of apoptosis.Scopu

Antibiotics in hospital effluent and domestic wastewater treatment plants in Doha, Qatar

Wastewater samples were collected from the main hospital’s effluent (HWW), influents and effluents of the old wastewater treatment plant (OWWTP) built in 1990 and the new one (NWWTP) built in 2010 located in Doha, Qatar. Analytical methods were optimized to determine the concentrations of eight selected antibiotics (ABs): penicillin, amoxicillin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, erythromycin, metronidazole, and clavulanic acid. Samples were prepared through automated solid phase extraction (SPE) before analysis using liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LC–MS) with positive ion electrospray. Among the eight target compounds tested, recoveries were obtained in the range of 47.5–98%. The highest concentration of metronidazole and ciprofloxacin were detected in the HWW at levels of 5.46 μg/L and 1.99 μg/L, respectively. In effluents samples collected from both WWTPs, clavulanic acid was the most prominent compound at concentration of 84.74 μg/L. The highest concentration of erythromycin (7.20 μg/L) was detected in the influent sample collected from OWWTP. Amoxicillin, penicillin, and erythromycin were below the detection limit (0.1 μg/L). There was a significant statistical correlation between the concentrations of most of the studied antibiotics. Ciprofloxacin was highly correlated with erythromycin, clavulanic acid, and metronidazole in all influent samples, whereas the concentration of erythromycin was highly correlated with those of amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and penicillin in all effluent samples. No significant difference (P ≥ 0.05) was found between concentrations of the targeted antibiotics in the NWWTP and OWWTP. Generally, both treatment plants showed effective removal rates (99.44%) of penicillin and metronidazole. However, clavulanic acid and ciprofloxacin were not removed from the effluent of either plant, even though the effluent passed through the ultrafiltration stage in the new WWTP. The findings reveal that HWW is not the only source of ABs in wastewater but direct disposal onto the sewer system could be the major source. The study calls for further investigation of additional pharmaceuticals and other emerging contaminants in the wastewater of Qatar as well as their metabolites and biodegradation products as well as application of advanced treatment technologies for highest removal rate and safe water reuse options.We thank Dr. Muhammad Al-Sayrafi, Thomas Michael, Haira Binti Mokhtar, Noor Al-Motawa, Dr. Hany Hussein, Dr. Mohammad Al-Ghouti, Munshi Masudul Haq, and Dr. Mohammed Abu-Dieyeh for various assistances on the project. This study was made possible by a grant from Qatar University Office of Academic Research ( QUST-CAS-FALL-14/15-30 ).Scopu

Assessment of food safety knowledge, self-reported practices, and microbiological hand hygiene levels of produce handlers in Qatar

Food handling across the custody chain from production to consumption is one of the most important stages in which microbes can enter food from infected food handlers or due to cross-contamination. The wholesale produce market (WSPM), located in Doha, Qatar, is a good example of a custody chain in which a large amount of produce from different origins are purchased daily by restaurants, retailers, and individuals. However, no information is available on the food handling practices applied at the WSPM. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the self-reported hygiene practices and food safety knowledge of produce handlers at the WSPM as a baseline for food safety outreach. One hundred twenty produce handlers participated in this study to complete a structured questionnaire assessing food safety knowledge and hygiene practices. In addition, survey respondents' hands were swabbed to determine microbiological hand hygiene levels. Survey results revealed that none of the produce handlers had food safety knowledge or received training on safe produce handling practices. The median age group was 31 to 40 years, and over 57% had less than high school education. The level of self-reported knowledge on “food safety practices” displayed by produce handlers was not influenced by demographically based differences (e.g., age and years of experience), except education level. Note that 77% of produce handlers claimed to wash their hands four times per day; however, this good self-reported practice was not reflected in the microbial assessment of produce handlers' hands that had total aerobic and coliform counts ≥2 log CFU/cm2. Bacillus circulans (40%), Staphylococcus sciuri (25%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (17%) were the most common bacteria isolated from produce handlers' hands. These findings may help public health agencies in Qatar establish guidelines for compulsory on-site training for produce handlers to improve knowledge on safe produce handling.This study was supported by a Graduate Sponsorship Research Award (GSRA) grant (GSRA2-1-0615-14038) from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of the Qatar Foundation) and Qatar University Student Grant (QUST-CAS-SPR-2017-12). The findings achieved herein are solely the responsibility of the author(s). We thank the Microbiology Laboratory at Sidra Medicine and Center for Sustainable Development Laboratory at Qatar University for technical support.Scopu