Measurement and comparison of individual external doses of high-school students living in Japan, France, Poland and Belarus-the 'D-shuttle' project.

Twelve high schools in Japan (of which six are in Fukushima Prefecture), four in France, eight in Poland and two in Belarus cooperated in the measurement and comparison of individual external doses in 2014. In total 216 high-school students and teachers participated in the study. Each participant wore an electronic personal dosimeter 'D-shuttle' for two weeks, and kept a journal of his/her whereabouts and activities.

Analysis of the contrast between natural occurrence of toxigenic Aspergilli of the Flavi section and aflatoxin B1 in cassava.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a carcinogenic mycotoxin produced by Aspergilli of the section Flavi that may contaminate food, in the field or during storage. Cassava represents an important staple food in sub-Saharan Africa. The analysis of aflatoxigenic fungi in 36 cassava samples obtained from producers in Benin indicated that 40% were contaminated by Aspergilli of the section Flavi.

A review on aflatoxin contamination and its implications in the developing world: a sub-Saharan African perspective.

Mycotoxins contamination in some agricultural food commodities seriously impact human and animal health and reduce the commercial value of crops. Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi that contaminate agricultural commodities pre- or postharvest. Africa is one of the continents where environmental, agricultural and storage conditions of food commodities are conducive of Aspergillus fungi infection and aflatoxin biosynthesis.

Determination of aflatoxin in processed dried cassava root: validation of a new analytical method for cassava flour.

A new method that uses HPLC with a photochemical reactor for enhanced detection was developed and validated for the determination of aflatoxins in cassava flour. Samples were spiked with a mixture of four aflatoxins at 5, 10, and 20 microg/kg mixed with either 1 or 5 g NaCI and extracted with methanol-water (80 + 20, v/v) by shaking for 10 or 30 min. An immunoaffinity column was used for cleanup.

Somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in pancreatic extracts of a sahelian lizard (Varanus exanthematicus) during starvation.

In the Varanus exanthematicus, the pancreatic complex comprises the true pancreas as well as an intrasplenic islet comparable to a Brockmann's body. Somatostatin content and concentration were estimated by radioimmunoassay in acetic acid extracts of both organs. Relatively large amounts of somatostatin (SLI) are present in the pancreas (2.