Effect of the Strawberry Genotype, Cultivation and Processing on the Fra a 1 Allergen Content

Birch pollen allergic patients show cross-reactivity to vegetables and fruits, including strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa). The objective of this study was to quantify the level of the Fra a 1 protein, a Bet v 1-homologous protein in strawberry fruits by a newly developed ELISA, and determine the effect of genotype, cultivation and food processing on the allergen amount. An indirect competitive ELISA using a specific polyclonal anti-Fra a 1.02 antibody was established and revealed high variability in Fra a 1 levels within 20 different genotypes ranging from 0.67 to 3.97 μg/g fresh weight. Mature fruits of red-, white- and yellow-fruited strawberry cultivars showed similar Fra a 1 concentrations. Compared to fresh strawberries, oven and solar-dried fruits contained slightly lower levels due to thermal treatment during processing. SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis demonstrated degradation of recombinant Fra a 1.02 after prolonged (>10 min) thermal treatment at 99 ◦ C. In conclusion, the genotype strongly determined the Fra a 1 quantity in strawberries and the color of the mature fruits does not relate to the amount of the PR10-protein. Cultivation conditions (organic and conventional farming) do not affect the Fra a 1 level, and seasonal effects were minor

Borders and Blood Pressure: Understanding the Role of Acculturation in a Hypertension Diagnosis Among Hispanic Americans: 2014 California Health Interview Survey

Background: In the U.S. Hispanic population overall, heart disease is the leading cause of death. The prevalence of hypertension among Mexican American immigrants is lower than the general population, yet it is on the rise. Health risks among Hispanics vary depending on their length of stay in the US (as proxy measure of acculturation). The purpose of this study was to examine the association between acculturation and the individual\u27s likelihood of being diagnosed with hypertension among Hispanic Americans. Methods: We used data from the 2014 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and performed univariate analysis to examine racial differences in prevalence of hypertension. We also performed a multivariate logistic regression to identify if acculturation was significantly related to hypertension diagnoses, after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, level of education, marital status), access to care, and health status (e.g., self-reported health status, BMI), among Mexican Americans and all Hispanics, respectively. Results: Of 3,793 Hispanic American participating in the survey, 81.8% were Mexican Americans and 18.2% were other Hispanics. The prevalence of hypertension among Hispanic was 24.0% (95% CI: 21.5%. 26.7%) which was lower than that of African Americans (39.2%, 95% CI 33.7%, 44.9%) and White (30.2%, 95% CI: 28.5%, 31.9%). In multivariate analyses, acculturation was associated with hypertension among Mexican Americans, but not all Hispanics. For both Mexican Americans and Hispanics, age, health status and BMI were associated with having hypertension: Older people, those with poor health status, and overweight and obese people were more likely than their comparison groups to have hypertension. Those without health insurance were less likely to have hypertension. Conclusion: The results show a positive association between length of time in the United States for longer periods of time, and a diagnosis of hypertension. These results, along with others conducted around Hispanic American immigration, acculturation and chronic disease prevalence, help medical providers, to understand the effects of acculturation on specific health care needs among immigrants, and offer suggestions to patients which are culturally sensitive and relevant. Poster presented at AHPA conference in Atlanta Georgia.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/jcphposters/1014/thumbnail.jp

Very high energy observations of the BL Lac objects 3C 66A and OJ 287

Using the Solar Tower Atmospheric Cherenkov Effect Experiment (STACEE), we have observed the BL Lac objects 3C 66A and OJ 287. These are members of the class of low-frequency-peaked BL Lac objects (LBLs) and are two of the three LBLs predicted by Costamante and Ghisellini to be potential sources of very high energy (>100 GeV) gamma-ray emission. The third candidate, BL Lacertae, has recently been detected by the MAGIC collaboration. Our observations have not produced detections; we calculate a 99% CL upper limit of flux from 3C 66A of 0.15 Crab flux units and from OJ 287 our limit is 0.52 Crab. These limits assume a Crab-like energy spectrum with an effective energy threshold of 185 GeV.Comment: 24 pages, 15 figures, Accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physic

Computational fluid dynamics modeling of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis may predict risk of stroke recurrence.

BackgroundPatients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) of ≥ 70% luminal stenosis are at high risk of stroke recurrence. We aimed to evaluate the relationships between hemodynamics of ICAS revealed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models and risk of stroke recurrence in this patient subset.MethodsPatients with a symptomatic ICAS lesion of 70-99% luminal stenosis were screened and enrolled in this study. CFD models were reconstructed based on baseline computed tomographic angiography (CTA) source images, to reveal hemodynamics of the qualifying symptomatic ICAS lesions. Change of pressures across a lesion was represented by the ratio of post- and pre-stenotic pressures. Change of shear strain rates (SSR) across a lesion was represented by the ratio of SSRs at the stenotic throat and proximal normal vessel segment, similar for the change of flow velocities. Patients were followed up for 1 year.ResultsOverall, 32 patients (median age 65; 59.4% males) were recruited. The median pressure, SSR and velocity ratios for the ICAS lesions were 0.40 (-2.46-0.79), 4.5 (2.2-20.6), and 7.4 (5.2-12.5), respectively. SSR ratio (hazard ratio [HR] 1.027; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.004-1.051; P = 0.023) and velocity ratio (HR 1.029; 95% CI, 1.002-1.056; P = 0.035) were significantly related to recurrent territorial ischemic stroke within 1 year by univariate Cox regression, respectively with the c-statistics of 0.776 (95% CI, 0.594-0.903; P = 0.014) and 0.776 (95% CI, 0.594-0.903; P = 0.002) in receiver operating characteristic analysis.ConclusionsHemodynamics of ICAS on CFD models reconstructed from routinely obtained CTA images may predict subsequent stroke recurrence in patients with a symptomatic ICAS lesion of 70-99% luminal stenosis

Very high-energy observations of the two high-frequency peaked BL Lac objects 1ES 1218+304 and H 1426+428

We present results of very-high-energy gamma-ray observations (E > 160 GeV) of two high-frequency-peaked BL Lac (HBL) objects, 1ES 1218+304 and H 1426+428, with the Solar Tower Atmospheric Cherenkov Effect Experiment (STACEE). Both sources are very-high-energy gamma-ray emitters above 100 GeV, detected using ground-based Cherenkov telescopes. STACEE observations of 1ES 1218+304 and H 1426+428 did not produce detections; we present 99% CL flux upper limits for both sources, assuming spectral indices measured mostly at higher energies

Initial Hubble Diagram Results from the Nearby Supernova Factory

The use of Type Ia supernovae as distance indicators led to the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe a decade ago. Now that large second generation surveys have significantly increased the size and quality of the high-redshift sample, the cosmological constraints are limited by the currently available sample of ~50 cosmologically useful nearby supernovae. The Nearby Supernova Factory addresses this problem by discovering nearby supernovae and observing their spectrophotometric time development. Our data sample includes over 2400 spectra from spectral timeseries of 185 supernovae. This talk presents results from a portion of this sample including a Hubble diagram (relative distance vs. redshift) and a description of some analyses using this rich dataset.Comment: Short version of proceedings for ICHEP08, Philadelphia PA, July 2008; see v1 for full-length versio

Standardizing Type Ia Supernova Absolute Magnitudes Using Gaussian Process Data Regression

We present a novel class of models for Type Ia supernova time-evolving spectral energy distributions (SED) and absolute magnitudes: they are each modeled as stochastic functions described by Gaussian processes. The values of the SED and absolute magnitudes are defined through well-defined regression prescriptions, so that data directly inform the models. As a proof of concept, we implement a model for synthetic photometry built from the spectrophotometric time series from the Nearby Supernova Factory. Absolute magnitudes at peak $B$ brightness are calibrated to 0.13 mag in the $g$-band and to as low as 0.09 mag in the $z=0.25$ blueshifted $i$-band, where the dispersion includes contributions from measurement uncertainties and peculiar velocities. The methodology can be applied to spectrophotometric time series of supernovae that span a range of redshifts to simultaneously standardize supernovae together with fitting cosmological parameters.Comment: 47 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication by Astrophysical Journa

Atmospheric extinction properties above Mauna Kea from the Nearby Supernova Factory spectro-photometric data set

We present a new atmospheric extinction curve for Mauna Kea spanning 3200--9700 \AA. It is the most comprehensive to date, being based on some 4285 standard star spectra obtained on 478 nights spread over a period of 7 years obtained by the Nearby SuperNova Factory using the SuperNova Integral Field Spectrograph. This mean curve and its dispersion can be used as an aid in calibrating spectroscopic or imaging data from Mauna Kea, and in estimating the calibration uncertainty associated with the use of a mean extinction curve. Our method for decomposing the extinction curve into physical components, and the ability to determine the chromatic portion of the extinction even on cloudy nights, is described and verified over the wide range of conditions sampled by our large dataset. We demonstrate good agreement with atmospheric science data obtain at nearby Mauna Loa Observatory, and with previously published measurements of the extinction above Mauna Kea.Comment: 22 pages, 24 figures, 6 table