Cardiovascular and behavioral response to auditory stimuli in boys with fragile X syndrome.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether young boys with fragile X syndrome (FXS) exhibit abnormal physiological or behavioral responses to a moderately intense auditory stimulus, as heightened sensory reactivity is believed to contribute to problem behaviors in this population.

Methods: We examined the physiological basis, via heart activity, of auditory startle in young boys with FXS (n = 22) compared with typically developing controls (n = 27). Associations with mental age, behavioral reactivity, and chronological age were examined.

Measurement of colorectal cancer test use with medical claims data in a safety-net health system.

Background: Optimizing colorectal cancer (CRC) screening requires identification of unscreened individuals and tracking screening trends. A recent National Institutes of Health State of the Science Conference, "Enhancing Use and Quality of CRC Screening," cited a need for more population data sources for measurement of CRC screening, particularly for the medically underserved. Medical claims data (claims data) are created and maintained by many health systems to facilitate billing for services rendered and may be an efficient resource for identifying unscreened individuals.

Application of Bayesian techniques to model the burden of human salmonellosis attributable to U.S. food commodities at the point of processing: adaptation of a Danish model.

Mathematical models that estimate the proportion of foodborne illnesses attributable to food commodities at specific points in the food chain may be useful to risk managers and policy makers to formulate public health goals, prioritize interventions, and document the effectiveness of mitigations aimed at reducing illness. Using human surveillance data on laboratory-confirmed Salmonella infections from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Salmonella testing data from U.S.

Salmonella Enteritidis in meat, poultry, and pasteurized egg products regulated by the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service, 1998 through 2003.

The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) tests for Salmonella in meat, poultry, and egg products through three regulatory testing programs: the Pathogen Reduction-Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (PR-HACCP) program, the ready-to-eat program for meat and poultry products, and the pasteurized egg products program.

Incidence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in frozen beef patties produced over an 8-hour shiftt.

A ground beef patty processor detected Escherichia coli O157:H7 in five production lots during routine testing with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. This finding stimulated research to determine the incidence and potential entry points of the pathogen during processing. One of these lots (53,960 kg) was divided into 71 pallets (760 kg each) of food service ground beef patties.

Testing for Salmonella in raw meat and poultry products collected at federally inspected establishments in the United States, 1998 through 2000.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems; Final Rule (the PR/HACCP rule) on 25 July 1996. To verify that industry PR/HACCP systems are effective in controlling the contamination of raw meat and poultry products with human disease-causing bacteria, this rule sets product-specific Salmonella performance standards that must be met by slaughter establishments and establishments producing raw ground products. These performance standards are based on the prevalence of Salmonella as determined from the FSIS's nationwide microbial baseline studies and are expressed in terms of the maximum number of Salmonella-positive samples that are allowed in a given sample set.

Reduction of Aqueous Chlorine by Organic Material.

Aqueous chlorine, used to reduce surface bacteria populations on carcasses of slaughter animals after evisceration, during chilling, and after transport, dissipates in the presence of organic matter. This study characterized the amount of residual chlorine present when aqueous HOCI was exposed to bovine serum albumin, bovine lean muscle, porcine adipose tissue, or Trypticase soy agar (TSA) surfaces. Test chlorine solutions, made using Ca (OCl), contained 0, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1,600, or 3,200 ppm chlorine, the latter two concentrations being used only in the case of albumin.

Assessment of Three Nucleic Acid Hybridization Systems for Detection of Campylobacter spp. in Poultry Products.

Three commercially available nucleic acid hybridization systems were evaluated in combination with the United States Department of Agriculture-Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA/FSIS) cultural protocol for the detection of Campylobacter spp. from a variety of poultry products. Samples were enriched for 24 h in Hunt broth and then plated onto modified charcoal Campylobacter differential agar.

Isolation of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 Using 0157 Specific Antibody Coated Magnetic Beads.

Escherichia coli 0157 specific antibody, coated on magnetic beads, was used to concentrate and remove the E. coli 0157:H7 from mixed cultures and meat samples. The problem of nontarget organism carryover was addressed by adding Protamine to the culture-bead sample, washing the beads three times in saline, and changing the test tubes with each wash.

Evaluation of a Colorimetric DNA Hybridization Test for Detection of Salmonellae in Meat and Poultry Products.

A commercially available colorimetric DNA hybridization test was compared with the USDA/FSIS conventional culture method for detection of salmonellae in naturally contaminated meat and poultry products and inoculated ground beef samples. All samples which were Salmonella -positive by the culture method were also positive by the DNA probe assay. There were no false-negative or false-positive results by the colorimetric DNA hybridization test, which was slightly more sensitive than the culture method.

An Improved Screening Method for the Detection and Isolation of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 From Meat, Incorporating the 3M Petrifilm™ Test Kit - HEC - for Hemorrhagic Escherichia coli 0157:H7.

A screening method was devised incorporating a commercially available reactive disc blot ELISA for Escherichia coli 0157 antigen, into a cultural screening program for the isolation of E. coli 0157:H7 from meat and poultry products. The method includes the inoculation of a raw or cooked meat sample into an enrichment broth, incubation with shaking at 37°C for 6 to 8 h, followed by inoculation of 3M Petrifilm™ E.

Use of 5-Bromo-4-Chloro-3-lndoxyl-β-D-Glucuronide in MacConkey Sorbitol Agar to Aid in the Isolation of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 from Ground Beef.

The addition of 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indoxyl-β-D-glucuronide (BCIG) at the 0.1 g/L level, to MacConkey sorbitol agar (MSA) plates aided in the isolation of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 from raw ground beef samples by differentiating β-glucuronidase positive from β-glucuronidase negative colonies. E.

A Screening Method for the Isolation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from Ground Beef.

A screening method was developed for the isolation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from raw ground beef. Suspensions at a 1:10 dilution of beef were made in a modified EC broth with novobiocin (mEC+n; EC broth with 1.12 g/L instead of 1.

Antibacterial Properties of Retail Sponges.

Seven different brands of cellulose sponges and one polyurethane variety were evaluated for inhibitory properties on twelve strains of gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Sponges were cut in 13 mm or 17 mm discs, autoclaved and aseptically placed on inoculated Tryptic Soy agar plates. The inhibitory effects of sterile sponges, unrinsed, and rinsed in distilled water, were measured.

Incidence and Toxigenicity of Aeromonas Species in Retail Poultry, Beef and Pork.

Five enrichment broths and five selective and differentia] plating media were tested for efficiency of isolation of Aeromonas spp. from chicken, beef and pork. An overnight incubation of sample in Trypticase soy broth containing 10 μg of ampicillin/ml which was spread on starch ampicillin agar or on MacConkey mannitol ampicillin agar, gave the best results.