Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli and Enterobacteriaceae Control at a Pig Abattoir: Are We Missing Lairage Time Effect, Pig Skin, and Internal Carcass Surface Contamination?

This article belongs to the Special Issue Foodborne Pathogens Control: Current State of the Art and Future Prospects.To provide meat safety and consumer protection, appropriate hygiene control measures at an abattoir are required. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of visual fecal contamination level (VFCL) and lairage time (LT) on pig skin (PS) and external (ECS) and internal (ICS) carcass surfaces. The presence of Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella in PS, ECS, and ICS were evaluated. A total of 300 paired samples were collected from 100 pigs. Results underlined the importance of the skin (Enterobacteriaceae: 3.27 ± 0.68 log CFU/cm2; E. coli: 3.15 ± 0.63 log CFU/cm2; Salmonella: 21% of samples) as a direct or indirect source of carcass contamination. Although VFCL revealed no significant effect (p > 0.05), the increase of LT had a significant impact (p < 0.001) on Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli levels across all analysed surfaces, and Salmonella presence on ICS (p < 0.01), demanding attention to LT. Also, the ICS showed a higher level of these bacteria compared to ECS. These results highlight the need of food business operators to consider ICS as an alternative area to sample for Salmonella, as a criterion for process hygiene based on EC Regulation No. 2073/2005, and as a potential contamination source to be integrated in the hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) plans.This work was supported by the projects UIDP/00772/2020, LA/P/0059/2020 funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), and Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB) research unit, grant number UIDB/04033/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A chemical study of yoghurt produced under isostatic pressure during storage

Yoghurt fermented under sub-lethal high pressure (10, 20, 30 and 40 MPa at 43 °C), and afterward placed under refrigeration (4 °C for 23 days) was studied and compared with yoghurt fermented at atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa). For a deeper analysis, metabolite fingerprinting by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), sugars and organic acids assessment by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), total fatty acids (TFA) determination and quantification by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) were performed. Metabolomic analyses revealed that only 2,3-butanediol, acetoin, diacetyl and formate vary with the increase of pressure and probable relation with pressure influenced diacetyl reductase, acetoin reductase and acetolactate decarboxylase. Yoghurts fermented at 40 MPa had the lowest content in lactose (39.7 % of total sugar reduction) and the less content in TFA (56.1 %). Further research is of interest to understand more about fermentation processes under sub-lethal high pressure.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Multidrug-Resistant Methicillin-Resistant Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci in Healthy Poultry Slaughtered for Human Consumption

This work was funded by the R&D Project CAREBIO2: Comparative assessment of antimicrobial resistance in environmental biofilms through proteomics—towards innovative thera-nostic biomarkers, with reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-030101 and by the projects UIDB/CVT/00772/2020 and LA/P/0059/2020 funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). V Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Coagulase-negative staphylococci are commensals that are known to be prevalent in most environments, and they are also an important reservoir of antimicrobial-resistant genes. Staphylococ-cal infections in animal husbandry are a high economic burden. Thus, we aimed to determine the prevalence and species diversity of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCoNS) in poultry slaughtered for human consumption and to study the antimicrobial resistance of the isolates. Swab samples were recovered from 220 commercial chickens, homebred chickens and quails. Species identification was performed using MALDI-TOF. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by the disc diffusion method against 14 antimicrobials. The presence of antimicrobial-resistant genes was investigated by polymerase chain reaction. Totals of 11 (19.6%), 13 (20.3%), and 51 (51%) MRCoNS were isolated from commercial chickens, homebred chickens and quails, respectively. S. lentus was isolated from all homebred chickens, whereas 11 S. lentus and 2 S. urealyticus were isolated from commercial chickens. As for quails, the most prevalent MRCoNS were S. urealyticus. Almost all isolates had a multidrug-resistant profile and carried the mecA gene. Most isolates showed resistance to erythromycin, clindamycin, penicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and fusidic acid and harbored the ermA, ermB, ermC, mphC tetK, tetL, tetM and tetO genes. This study showed a frequent occurrence of multidrug resistance in MRCoNS isolated from healthy poultry in Portugal.publishersversionpublishe

Multidrug-Resistant Methicillin-Resistant Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci in Healthy Poultry Slaughtered for Human Consumption

This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring and Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Use and Antibiotic Resistance in Animals.Coagulase-negative staphylococci are commensals that are known to be prevalent in most environments, and they are also an important reservoir of antimicrobial-resistant genes. Staphylococcal infections in animal husbandry are a high economic burden. Thus, we aimed to determine the prevalence and species diversity of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCoNS) in poultry slaughtered for human consumption and to study the antimicrobial resistance of the isolates. Swab samples were recovered from 220 commercial chickens, homebred chickens and quails. Species identification was performed using MALDI-TOF. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by the disc diffusion method against 14 antimicrobials. The presence of antimicrobial-resistant genes was investigated by polymerase chain reaction. Totals of 11 (19.6%), 13 (20.3%), and 51 (51%) MRCoNS were isolated from commercial chickens, homebred chickens and quails, respectively. S. lentus was isolated from all homebred chickens, whereas 11 S. lentus and 2 S. urealyticus were isolated from commercial chickens. As for quails, the most prevalent MRCoNS were S. urealyticus. Almost all isolates had a multidrug-resistant profile and carried the mecA gene. Most isolates showed resistance to erythromycin, clindamycin, penicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and fusidic acid and harbored the ermA, ermB, ermC, mphC tetK, tetL, tetM and tetO genes. This study showed a frequent occurrence of multidrug resistance in MRCoNS isolated from healthy poultry in Portugal.This work was funded by the R&D Project CAREBIO2: Comparative assessment of antimicrobial resistance in environmental biofilms through proteomics—towards innovative thera- nostic biomarkers, with reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-030101 and PTDC/SAU-INF/30101/2017, financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Northern Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020) and the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). This work was supported by the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry-LAQV, which is financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES (UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDP/50006/2020) and by the projects UIDB/CVT/00772/2020 and LA/P/0059/2020 funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). Vanessa Silva is grateful to FCT (Fundacão para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) for financial support through the PhD grant SFRH/BD/137947/2018.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of High Pressure on the Properties of Chocolate Fillings during Long-Term Storage

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of high-pressure processing (HPP) on the long-term storage of chocolate fillings at room temperature, compared with conventional storage at lower temperatures. Dark chocolate fillings were treated at different pressure levels, holding times and stored at 20◦C for 12 months. Unprocessed batches were stored at 4◦C and at −12◦C. Moisture, water activity (aw), pH, colour, G′ 1Hz and indigenous microflora were measured at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 months of storage. Results showed that 600 MPa/20 min processing was the most effective controlling mesophilic group, presenting 3.8 log cfu/g after 12 months of storage, and inactivating moulds and yeasts after HPP treatment. Colour was affected by storage, including a reduction in the L* parameter in all conditions to final values between 37.8 and 39.3, while the a* parameter increased during storage time at −12◦C and 4◦C to final values of around 12, and parameter b* decreased at storage temperature 20◦C to 5.3. Storage time affected the rheological behaviour of HPP-treated samples, increasing G′ 1Hz from the 2nd to 12th month of storage time to the final values between 1603 kPa and 2139 kPa. Moisture, aw and pH were not affected by HPP treatment nor storage time.publishersversionpublishe

Cytotoxic Activity of Royleanone Diterpenes from <i>Plectranthus madagascariensis</i> Benth

Cytotoxicity screenings have identified Plectranthus plants as potential sources of antitumor lead compounds. In this work, several extracts from Plectranthus madagascariensis were prepared using different solvents (acetone, methanol, and supercritical CO2) and extraction techniques (maceration, ultrasound-assisted, and supercritical fluid extraction), and their chemical composition was detailed using high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector. The cytotoxic activity of the major compounds identified, namely, rosmarinic acid (1) and abietane diterpenes 7α,6β-dihydroxyroyleanone (2), 7α-formyloxy-6β-hydroxyroyleanone (3), 7α-acetoxy-6β-hydroxyroyleanone (4), and coleon U (5), was evaluated in a battery of human cancer cell lines, including breast (MDA-MB-231, MCF-7), colon (HCT116), and lung (NCI-H460, NCI-H460/R) cancer, and also in healthy lung (MCR-5) cells. Royleanone (3) was isolated for the first time from P. madagascariensis, and its full spectroscopic characterization (proto..

SUPPLEMENTATION WITH OZONIZED WATER DOES NOT ALTER THE CLINICAL, ANTHROPOMETRIC, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS PROFILE IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS

Avaliar o efeito da suplementação isolada de água ozonizada com baixa concentração no perfil clínico, antropométrico e inflamatório de indivíduos aparentemente saudáveis. Um estudo clínico randomizado, duplo-cego, controlado por placebo para avaliar os efeitos da suplementação de água ozonizada em duas concentrações (10µg / dia e 16µg / dia) em 7 dias. Inclusos 66 homens e mulheres, maiores de 18 anos. Os parâmetros antropométricos e clínicos foram medidos, os níveis séricos de óxido nítrico, superóxido dismutase de manganês e glutationa peroxidase foram avaliados no soro por ELISA. Com idade média de 24,2 anos, composto por 54,2% do sexo masculino, 35,4% faziam terapia hormonal e apenas 31,2% conheciam água ozonizada. As características antropométricas, clínicas e inflamatória dos participantes do estudo não apresentaram interação do tempo por grupo (p&gt; 0,05). A suplementação de água ozonizada em indivíduos aparentemente saudáveis ​​não tem efeitos nos parâmetros antropométricos, clínicos e de estresse oxidativo. &nbsp;Avaliar o efeito da suplementação isolada de água ozonizada com baixa concentração no perfil clínico, antropométrico e inflamatório de indivíduos aparentemente saudáveis. Um estudo clínico randomizado, duplo-cego, controlado por placebo para avaliar os efeitos da suplementação de água ozonizada em duas concentrações (10µg / dia e 16µg / dia) em 7 dias. Inclusos 66 homens e mulheres, maiores de 18 anos. Os parâmetros antropométricos e clínicos foram medidos, os níveis séricos de óxido nítrico, superóxido dismutase de manganês e glutationa peroxidase foram avaliados no soro por ELISA. Com idade média de 24,2 anos, composto por 54,2% do sexo masculino, 35,4% faziam terapia hormonal e apenas 31,2% conheciam água ozonizada. As características antropométricas, clínicas e inflamatória dos participantes do estudo não apresentaram interação do tempo por grupo (p&gt; 0,05). A suplementação de água ozonizada em indivíduos aparentemente saudáveis ​​não tem efeitos nos parâmetros antropométricos, clínicos e de estresse oxidativo. &nbsp

Zeitenwende : a mudança na política de defesa da Alemanha

A Guerra na Ucrânia constitui um colossal desafio à ordem de segurança europeia. Preparado enquanto decorrem as operações militares, este número especial do IDN Brief reúne um conjunto de especialistas que avaliam as consequências da guerra para a Europa e para a relação transatlântica.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

MANUAL TÉCNICO DE PRÁTICAS SILVÍCOLAS PARA A GESTÃO SUSTENTÁVEL EM POVOAMENTOS DE SOBREIRO E AZINHEIRA

Prefácio: Em Portugal Continental, segundo os dados do 6º Inventário Florestal Nacional (IFN6)(ICNFa), os espaços florestais (floresta, matos e improdutivos) ocupam 6,2 milhões de hectares (69,4%) do território, ocupando a floresta uma área de 3,2 milhões de hectares. Os “montados”, os sobreirais e os azinhais constituem a principal ocupação florestal, com 1.069.300 hectares, representando cerca de 1/3 da floresta. Em Espanha ocupam uma área de cerca de 3.515.920 hectares (Campos et al., 2010), o que representa cerca de 1/5 dos espaços florestais,equivalente a 6,95% do território peninsular espanhol, sendo 75% das explorações privadas. De acordo com os dados do Inventário Florestal Nacional (ICNFa) o sobreiro ocupa no território continental uma área de 719.900 hectares e a azinheira de 349.400 hectares. Na região do Alentejo a área ocupada pelo sobreiro é de 609.400 hectares e pela azinheira de 315.500 hectares, representando, assim, 84,6% e 90,2%, respetivamente, das áreas ocupadas por estas espécies no território continental. Na floresta os habitats mais representados são os que derivam das florestas de quercíneas, os montados (4%, habitat 6310), os sobreirais (4%, habitat 9330), os carvalhais (3%, habitat 9230) e os azinhais (2%, habitat 9340) (ICNFa)

Predictors of cardiac involvement in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies

Copyright © 2023 Bandeira, Dourado, Melo, Martins, Fraga, Ferraro, Saraiva, Sousa, Parente, Soares, Correia, Almeida, Dinis, Pinto, Oliveira Pinheiro, Rato, Beirão, Samões, Santos, Mazeda, Chícharo, Faria, Neto, Lourenço, Brites, Rodrigues, Silva-Dinis, Dias, Araújo, Martins, Couto, Valido, Santos, Barreira, Fonseca and Campanilho-Marques. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Objectives: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are a group of rare disorders that can affect the heart. This work aimed to find predictors of cardiac involvement in IIM. Methods: Multicenter, open cohort study, including patients registered in the IIM module of the Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Register (Reuma.pt/Myositis) until January 2022. Patients without cardiac involvement information were excluded. Myo(peri)carditis, dilated cardiomyopathy, conduction abnormalities, and/or premature coronary artery disease were considered. Results: 230 patients were included, 163 (70.9%) of whom were females. Thirteen patients (5.7%) had cardiac involvement. Compared with IIM patients without cardiac involvement, these patients had a lower bilateral manual muscle testing score (MMT) at the peak of muscle weakness [108.0 ± 55.0 vs 147.5 ± 22.0, p=0.008] and more frequently had oesophageal [6/12 (50.0%) vs 33/207 (15.9%), p=0.009] and lung [10/13 (76.9%) vs 68/216 (31.5%), p=0.001] involvements. Anti-SRP antibodies were more commonly identified in patients with cardiac involvement [3/11 (27.3%) vs 9/174 (5.2%), p=0.026]. In the multivariate analysis, positivity for anti-SRP antibodies (OR 104.3, 95% CI: 2.5-4277.8, p=0.014) was a predictor of cardiac involvement, regardless of sex, ethnicity, age at diagnosis, and lung involvement. Sensitivity analysis confirmed these results. Conclusion: Anti-SRP antibodies were predictors of cardiac involvement in our cohort of IIM patients, irrespective of demographical characteristics and lung involvement. We suggest considering frequent screening for heart involvement in anti-SRP-positive IIM patients.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio