Faecal contamination of lettuce heads after manure application

In recent years, an increasing number of disease outbreaks have been associated with consumption of contaminated vegetables. Thus, it has been speculated to what extent such contamination is associated with application of animal manure as fertilizer, which is particularly practiced in organic vegetable production where conventional fertilizers are prohibited. A field survey was therefore performed aiming to assess the survival and transfer of E. coli from animal manure to lettuces, with E. coli serving as an indicator of bacterial enteric pathogens. Animal manure was applied to 3 Danish fields prior to planting of lettuce seedlings, then 5-8 weeks later at the normal time of harvest, inner and outer leafs of 10 lettuce heads were pooled into one sample unit with a total of 50 pools per field. Additionally, in one field, 15 soil samples were collected weekly until the harvest time. E. coli was enumerated by plating 1 mL of 10-fold serial dilutions of 5 g of homogenized sample material, i.e. manure, soil and lettuce onto PetrifilmTM Select E. coli count plates (3M), which were then incubated 24 h at 44°C. The manure applied to the fields contained 3.0-4.5 Log10 E. coli CFU/g and E. coli was found in 36-54% of the pooled lettuce samples with a detection limit of 10 CFU/g. Numbers of E. coli in 14-20% of pooled lettuce samples exceeded a satisfactory microbiological hygiene criteria level of 100 CFU/g. The highest percentage of faecally contaminated lettuce heads (54%) coincided with the shortest growth period studied indicating that the time gap between application of manure and harvest and the survival of E. coli (and pathogens) influences the contamination of lettuce via manure amended soil. However, at the time of harvest, the numbers of E. coli in 5 of 15 soil samples were reduced below the detection limit and no samples exceeded 100 CFU/g. This is in contrast to the lettuce samples, where 20% of faecally contaminated samples had >100 E. coli/g, which may indicate that faeces contamination of crops could originate from alternative sources, such as contaminated water and wildlife. Comparisons of the genotype of isolated E. coli strains could help to elucidate this

Statistics on indigenous peoples: International effort needed

In 2007, the UN General Assembly endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In the following years, there has been a strong call from a range United Nations agencies and spokespersons for countries to act to improve their statistics relating to Indigenous peoples as part of their response to the Declaration. These calls have emphasised the need for a holistic approach, describing strengths and resilience of Indigenous peoples and not just a focus on gaps and disadvantage. National responses have been mixed and overall statistics remain inadequate. Significantly, there has been no international statistical effort through the United Nations statistical structures to respond to the Declaration and the increasing array of calls for improved statistics. The United Nations Statistical Commission in particular has an array of mechanisms to study statistical needs and develop solutions across a broad international statistical agenda. It is time for countries to make a concerted effort to improve their own statistics on Indigenous peoples, and to insist that the Statistical Commission work in partnership with the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and other stakeholders to lead a major international drive to improve statistics on and for Indigenous peoples

Parental internalizing symptoms as predictors of anxiety symptoms in clinic-referred children

Background: Mothers’ and fathers’ internalizing symptoms may influence children’s anxiety symptoms differently. Objective: To explore the relationship between parental internalizing symptoms and children’s anxiety symptoms in a clinical sample of children with anxiety disorders. Method: The sample was recruited through community mental health clinics for a randomized controlled anxiety treatment trial. At pre-intervention, children (n = 182), mothers (n = 165), and fathers (n = 72) reported children’s anxiety symptoms. Mothers and fathers also reported their own internalizing symptoms. The children were aged 8 to 15 years (Mage = 11.5 years, SD = 2.1, 52.2% girls) and all had a diagnosis of separation anxiety, social phobia, and/or generalized anxiety disorder. We examined parental internalizing symptoms as predictors of child anxiety symptoms in multiple regression models. Results: Both mother and father rated internalizing symptoms predicted children’s self-rated anxiety levels (adj. R2 = 22.0%). Mother-rated internalizing symptoms predicted mother-rated anxiety symptoms in children (adj. R2 = 7.0%). Father-rated internalizing symptoms did not predict father-rated anxiety in children. Conclusions: Clinicians should incorporate parental level of internalizing symptoms in their case conceptualizations

Detailed investigations of proximal tubular function in Imerslund-Grasbeck syndrome

BACKGROUND: Imerslund-Gräsbeck Syndrome (IGS) is a rare genetic disorder characterised by juvenile megaloblastic anaemia. IGS is caused by mutations in either of the genes encoding the intestinal intrinsic factor-vitamin B(12) receptor complex, cubam. The cubam receptor proteins cubilin and amnionless are both expressed in the small intestine as well as the proximal tubules of the kidney and exhibit an interdependent relationship for post-translational processing and trafficking. In the proximal tubules cubilin is involved in the reabsorption of several filtered plasma proteins including vitamin carriers and lipoproteins. Consistent with this, low-molecular-weight proteinuria has been observed in most patients with IGS. The aim of this study was to characterise novel disease-causing mutations and correlate novel and previously reported mutations with the presence of low-molecular-weight proteinuria. METHODS: Genetic screening was performed by direct sequencing of the CUBN and AMN genes and novel identified mutations were characterised by in silico and/or in vitro investigations. Urinary protein excretion was analysed by immunoblotting and high-resolution gel electrophoresis of collected urines from patients and healthy controls to determine renal phenotype. RESULTS: Genetic characterisation of nine IGS patients identified two novel AMN frameshift mutations alongside a frequently reported AMN splice site mutation and two CUBN missense mutations; one novel and one previously reported in Finnish patients. The novel AMN mutations were predicted to result in functionally null AMN alleles with no cell-surface expression of cubilin. Also, the novel CUBN missense mutation was predicted to affect structural integrity of the IF-B(12) binding site of cubilin and hereby most likely cubilin cell-surface expression. Analysis of urinary protein excretion in the patients and 20 healthy controls revealed increased urinary excretion of cubilin ligands including apolipoprotein A-I, transferrin, vitamin D-binding protein, and albumin. This was, however, only observed in patients where plasma membrane expression of cubilin was predicted to be perturbed. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, mutational characterisation of nine IGS patients coupled with analyses of urinary protein excretion provide additional evidence for a correlation between mutation type and presence of the characteristic low-molecular-weight proteinuria

Phylogenetic relationships among Toxocara spp. and Toxascaris sp. from different regions of the world

Toxocara and Toxascaris are parasitic nematodes that infect canids and felids although species of the genus Toxocara also infect humans. This work aimed to establish the phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationship between specimens of T. canis, T. cati, T. malaysiensis and Toxascaris leonina and to evaluate the degree of host specificity. In total, 437 samples (adults and pools of eggs) were collected from canids and felids from eight countries. Parasites were identified by morphology, PCR linked Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and partial sequencing of the mitochondrial gene cox1. Phylogenetic trees were constructed and genetic distance among isolates was estimated. Based on the molecular characterization all worms were identified in agreement with their respective hosts with the exception of three samples; two from cats and one from dogs identified as T. canis and T. cati, respectively. There was no clear geographical clustering of the samples despite this study including parasites from three continents. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to use molecular methods to identify T. canis in cats and T. cati in dogs with host specificity being the most common finding. Our developed PCR-RFLP method was found to be a facile and reliable method for identifying Toxocara species.A91F-E8B8-FA62 | Teresa Susana Letra MateusN/

The influence of cardiovascular morbidity on the prognosis in prostate cancer. Experience from a 12-year nationwide Danish population-based cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To determine the impact of preexisting ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke on overall survival in prostate cancer patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a cohort study of patients with incident prostate cancer registered in the Danish Cancer Registry from 1997 through 2008. We identified patients diagnosed with IHD or stroke prior to the date of prostate cancer diagnosis in the Danish National Patient Registry. We constructed Kaplan-Meier curves to analyze time to death and Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) to compare mortality rates by preexisting IHD or stroke status, adjusting for age, stage, comorbidity, and calendar period.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 30,721 prostate cancer patients, 4,276 (14%) had preexisting IHD and 1,331 (4%) preexisting stroke. Crude 1- and 5-year survival rates were 85% and 44% in men without preexisting IHD or stroke, 81% and 36% in men with preexisting IHD, and 78% and 27% in men with preexisting stroke. Adjusted HRs were 1.05 (95% CI 1.00-1.10) for patients with IHD and 1.20 (95% CI 1.12-1.30) for patients with stroke compared with patients without preexisting IHD or stroke.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Preexisting IHD had minimal impact on mortality in prostate cancer patients, whereas overall mortality was 20% higher in prostate cancer patients with preexisting stroke compared to those without IHD or stroke. These results highlight the importance of differentiating between various comorbidities.</p

Human Cytomegalovirus IE1 Protein Elicits a Type II Interferon-Like Host Cell Response That Depends on Activated STAT1 but Not Interferon-γ

Human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) is a highly prevalent pathogen that, upon primary infection, establishes life-long persistence in all infected individuals. Acute hCMV infections cause a variety of diseases in humans with developmental or acquired immune deficits. In addition, persistent hCMV infection may contribute to various chronic disease conditions even in immunologically normal people. The pathogenesis of hCMV disease has been frequently linked to inflammatory host immune responses triggered by virus-infected cells. Moreover, hCMV infection activates numerous host genes many of which encode pro-inflammatory proteins. However, little is known about the relative contributions of individual viral gene products to these changes in cellular transcription. We systematically analyzed the effects of the hCMV 72-kDa immediate-early 1 (IE1) protein, a major transcriptional activator and antagonist of type I interferon (IFN) signaling, on the human transcriptome. Following expression under conditions closely mimicking the situation during productive infection, IE1 elicits a global type II IFN-like host cell response. This response is dominated by the selective up-regulation of immune stimulatory genes normally controlled by IFN-γ and includes the synthesis and secretion of pro-inflammatory chemokines. IE1-mediated induction of IFN-stimulated genes strictly depends on tyrosine-phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) and correlates with the nuclear accumulation and sequence-specific binding of STAT1 to IFN-γ-responsive promoters. However, neither synthesis nor secretion of IFN-γ or other IFNs seems to be required for the IE1-dependent effects on cellular gene expression. Our results demonstrate that a single hCMV protein can trigger a pro-inflammatory host transcriptional response via an unexpected STAT1-dependent but IFN-independent mechanism and identify IE1 as a candidate determinant of hCMV pathogenicity

Temporomandibular disorders among Sami women : perspectives based on an epidemiological survey with mixed methods

Introduction The aim of the research project was to examine prevalence, co-morbidity, and impact on daily life of pain and dysfunction in the jaw-face, head, and neck-shoulder regions among adult Sami women in northern Sweden. The aim of the qualitative part of the study was to explore, thoughts, experiences, and beliefs regarding temporomandibular disorders (TMD) among Sami women with and without TMD, to gain insights into their health care experiences. Methods The research project used a mixed methods approach including questionnaire analysis, a case-control study, and thematic interviews. The study population (Papers I and III) included 487 women living in the Arctic region of northern Sweden and enrolled in the register of the Swedish Sami Parliament or registered as reindeer owners or reindeer herders in the Swedish Board of Agriculture. Two years after the questionnaire study, 22 women (cases) with longstanding, intense, and frequent symptoms indicative of TMD, together with 46 age-matched women (controls) without any symptoms in the jaw–face region, underwent a clinical examination of the function of the temporomandibular joint, jaw- and neck muscles, mandibular mobility, and dental occlusion. The examiner was blind to the women’s affiliation (Paper II). Thematic interviews with a strategic subsample of 17 Sami women (Paper IV) were thereafter conducted and analyzed with a grounded theory approach. Results The prevalence of frequent symptoms indicative of TMD was 17%, of headaches 19%, and of neck-shoulder pain (NSP) 30%. Seventeen percent reported that their TMD affected daily life. Duration of jaw pain, troublesome impaired jaw opening, and neck pain, together with a low education level, affected the statement of whether TMD influenced daily life or not. Factors related to pain had the greatest influence when these Sami women rated the related impairment. There was a statistically significant relationship between TMD, frequent headaches, and frequent NSP (P &lt;0.0001). Longstanding, intense, and frequent symptoms indicative of TMD remained essentially unchanged over the two-year follow-up period. Cases reported impaired general health and awareness of clenching teeth significantly more frequently than did controls. Variations in dental occlusion did not distinguish cases from controls. In the qualitative part of the project the core category, “Grin(d) and bear it,” summarizes the participants’ various ways and stages of processing and handling the interacting categories: (1) triggers, (2) strains, (3) distrust, and (4) reconciliation with pain and/or difficulties in life. Perpetuating factors were described as mental-physical strain and stress, and also a tooth clenching behavior. Women without TMD expressed factors that helped them to handle strains, reconcile, and stay healthy. They relied on helpful social support. Conclusion Disabling TMD, headaches, and NSP are common in Sami women. Women with TMD commonly expressed that tooth clenching was a familiar habit related to strains in life; they described an impaired general state of health and distrust in the care providers’ competence and ability to manage their problems. Women without TMD expressed confidence in their self-efficacy and were generally less concerned with strains in their lives. Rehabilitation strategies aiming at empowerment and improved self-efficacy may be a successful approach in women with disabling TMD