Prevalence of zeranol, taleranol and Fusarium spp. toxins in urine: implications for the control of zeranol abuse in the European Union.

There is currently little information concerning the prevalence of zeranol and taleranol in animal urine following metabolism of the naturally occurring Fusarium spp. toxins. An epidemiological study is described which involves four European Union control laboratories in which 8008 urine samples were screened for the presence of zeranol using a time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA).

Interlaboratory ring test of time-resolved fluoroimmunoassays for zeranol and alpha-zearalenol and comparison with zeranol test kits.

Many zeranol immunoassay test kits cross-react with toxins formed by naturally occurring Fusarium spp. fungi, leading to false-positive screening results. This paper describes the evaluation and application of recently published, dry reagent time-resolved fluoroimmunoassays (TR-FIA) for zeranol and the toxin alpha-zearalenol.

Alanine dehydrogenase from the psychrophilic bacterium strain PA-43: overexpression, molecular characterization, and sequence analysis.

The gene encoding alanine dehydrogenase (AlaDH; EC 1.4.1.

Campylobacter spp. in Icelandic poultry operations and human disease.

We describe the observed relationship of campylobacter in poultry operations to human cases in a closed environment. During 1999 in Iceland, domestic cases of campylobacteriosis reached peak levels at 116/100,000 and in 2000 dropped to 33/100,000. Approximately 62% of broiler carcass rinses were contaminated with Campylobacter spp.

Purification and characterisation of a serine peptidase from the marine psychrophile strain PA-43.

An extracellular serine peptidase, purified from the culture supernatant of the sub-Arctic psychrophilic bacterium strain PA-43, is monomeric, with a relative molecular mass of 76000, and an unusually low pI of 3.8. The peptidase is active towards N-succinyl AAPF p-nitroanilide and N-succinyl AAPL p-nitroanilide, indicating a chymotrypsin-like substrate specificity.

Characterization of alanine and malate dehydrogenases from a marine psychrophile strain PA-43.

Alanine dehydrogenase (AlaDH: EC 1.4.1.

A polyphasic study on the taxonomic position of industrial sour dough yeasts.

The sour dough bread making process is extensively used to produce wholesome palatable rye bread. The process is traditionally done using a back-slopping procedure. Traditional sour doughs in Finland comprise of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts.

Properties of a subtilisin-like proteinase from a psychrotrophic Vibrio species comparison with proteinase K and aqualysin I.

An extracellular serine proteinase purified from cultures of a psychrotrophic Vibrio species (strain PA-44) belongs to the proteinase K family of the superfamily of subtilisin-like proteinases. The enzyme is secreted as a 47-kDa protein, but under mild heat treatment (30 min at 40 degrees C) undergoes autoproteolytic cleavage on the carboxyl-side of the molecule to give a proteinase with a molecular mass of about 36 kDa that apparently shares most of the enzymatic characteristics and the stability of the 47-kDa protein. In this study, selected enzymatic properties of the Vibrio proteinase were compared with those of the related proteinases, proteinase K and aqualysin I, as representative mesophilic and thermophilic enzymes, respectively.

Stability of sulphonamide drugs in meat during storage.

Incurred samples from a pig treated with sulphamethazine and spiked samples of the same concentration were compared during frozen storage. The contents of sulphamethazine in the different types of samples decreased similarly to about 50% after 15 months. When the samples were heat treated before analysis the sulphamethazine concentration did not change over time.

Relationships between clinical effects and monoamine metabolites and amino acids in sulpiride-treated schizophrenic patients.

Twenty-four acutely ill schizophrenic patients (DSM-III-R), 18-42 years old, were treated for 6 weeks with sulpiride. Sulpiride was administered in three different daily dosages (400, 800 or 1200 mg) according to a double dummy blind randomized administration schedule. The psychopathology of the patients was rated by the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS) and the Nurse's Observation Scale for Inpatient Evaluation (NOSIE).

Monoamine metabolites and amino acids in serum from schizophrenic patients before and during sulpiride treatment.

Twenty-four acutely ill schizophrenic patients (DSM-III-R), 18-42 years old, were treated for 6 weeks with sulpiride. Sulpiride was administered in three different daily dosages (starting with 400, 800 or 1200 mg) according to a double blind randomized administration schedule. The monoamine metabolites (MAM) homovanillic acid (HVA), 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-phenylglycol (HMPG) and the amino acids tyrosine, tryptophan, glutamate and glutamine were measured in serum before treatment and once a week during treatment.

Relationships between glutamate and monoamine metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid and serum in healthy volunteers.

The concentrations of homovanillic acid (HVA), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylglycol (HMPG), and glutamate were determined in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum in 10 healthy volunteers. The monoamine metabolites were measured by mass fragmentography and the glutamate by high-performance liquid chromatography. The level of glutamate in CSF was low (0.

A twin study of amino acid concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid.

The concentrations of amino acids in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were measured in pairs of healthy mono- and dizygotic twins. Intraclass correlations were calculated. Genetic and cultural heritabilities were estimated using a path analytical model.

Isolation of Halotolerant Thermus spp. from Submarine Hot Springs in Iceland.

Thermophilic, aerobic bacteria of the genus Thermus were isolated from submarine alkaline hot springs in Iceland. Five submarine hot springs were sampled, and all had viable counts of Thermus spp. of about 10 CFU/ml.

Effects of sulpiride and chlorpromazine on autistic and positive psychotic symptoms in schizophrenic patients--relationship to drug concentrations.

Schizophrenic patients were treated with fixed doses of sulpiride (800 mg/day) or chlorpromazine (CPZ) (400 mg/day) during a period of 8 weeks using a double-blind design. There were 25 patients in each group and all of them fulfilled the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) for schizophrenia. Autistic and psychotic symptoms were rated with subscales developed from the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS).

Effects of sulpiride and chlorpromazine on depressive symptoms in schizophrenic patients--relationship to drug concentrations.

Schizophrenic patients were treated with fixed doses of sulpiride (800 mg/day) or chlorpromazine (CPZ) (400 mg/day) over a period of 8 weeks using a double-blind design. There were 25 patients in each group and all the patients were in an acute phase of their disease. They all fulfilled the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) for schizophrenia.

Relationships between drug concentrations in serum and CSF, clinical effects and monoaminergic variables in schizophrenic patients treated with sulpiride or chlorpromazine.

Schizophrenic patients were treated with fixed doses of sulpiride (800 mg) or chlorpromazine (400 mg) during eight weeks using a double-blind design. In order to examine relationships between pharmacokinetic, clinical and biochemical parameters in relation to treatment the following variables were recorded before and 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks after treatment. Concentrations of sulpiride, CPZ, 7-OH-CPZ, nor1-CPZ were determined in serum and CSF using liquid chromatography and mass fragmentography.

Distribution of Thermus spp. in Icelandic Hot Springs and a Thermal Gradient.

The growth range in nature of bacteria belonging to the genus Thermus was investigated by sampling 55 different hot springs in Iceland. The springs ranged in temperature from 32 to 99 degrees C, and in pH from 2.1 to 10.

Competitive growth experiments with related pairs of tartrate-fermenting and tartrate-non-fermenting strains of Salmonella typhimurium: relevance to biotyping studies.

For each of the isomers of tartaric acid, meso- or d- or l-, a pair of strains of Salmonella typhimurium was obtained, the one, a naturally occurring, non-fermenting strain and the other a spontaneous, tartrate-fermenting mutant derived from it. For each of the pairs of strains, competitive mixed cultures were grown from inocula of the tartrate-fermenting and tartrate-non-fermenting strains in peptone medium without or with the appropriate tartrate isomer. In each experiment, small numbers of tartrate-fermenting bacteria outgrew small or large numbers of tartrate-non-fermenting bacteria in 24 hours in tartrate-containing but not in tartrate-free peptone medium.

The presence of 7-hydroxychlorpromazine in CSF of chloropromazine-treated patients.

7-Hydroxychlorpromazine (7-OHCPZ) has been identified and quantified in CSF from chlorpromazine (CPZ)-treated schizophrenic patients. The level of the metabolite in CSF was similar to that of CPZ. In serum the amount of 7-OHCPZ was about 30% of CPZ.

Prolactin response following intravenous and oral sulpiride in healthy human subjects in relation to sulpiride concentrations.

Sulpiride (100 mg) was administered intravenously and orally to healthy human subjects. Serum concentrations of sulpiride and prolactin were followed for 36 h. Both routes of drug administration resulted in a pronounced and sustained increase in serum prolactin concentration.