Development of novel antibodies for detection of mobile colistin-resistant bacteria contaminated in meats.

The recent discovery and rapid spread of mobile colistin-resistant gene, mcr-1, among bacteria isolated from a broad range of sources is undermining our ability to treat bacterial infections and threatening human health and safety. To prevent further transfer of colistin resistance, practical and reliable methods for mcr-1-containing bacteria are need. In this study, standards and novel polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against MCR-1 were developed.

Detection of Shiga Toxin 2 Produced by in Foods Using a Novel AlphaLISA.

Amplified luminescent proximity homogenous assay-linked immunosorbent assay (AlphaLISA) is comprised of a bead-based immunoassay that is used for small molecule detection. In this study, a novel AlphaLISA was developed and optimized for the detection of Shiga-toxin 2 (Stx2). Efficacy and sensitivity trials showed the AlphaLISA could detect ≥0.

Glyphosate residue concentrations in honey attributed through geospatial analysis to proximity of large-scale agriculture and transfer off-site by bees.

Honey taken directly from 59 bee hives on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i was analyzed for glyphosate residue using ELISA techniques. Glyphosate residue was detected (> LOQ) in 27% of honey samples, at concentrations up to 342 ppb, with a mean = 118 ppb, S.E.

Impact of Teachers' Practices on Students' Reading Comprehension Growth in Guatemala.

This article discusses an educational intervention, with a strong emphasis on reading development in a bilingual context, in the Western Highlands of Guatemala (WH), a highly disadvantaged region, where the majority of the population is of Mayan origin and primary education is poor. The majority of the students in the Western Highlands speak a Mayan language as their mother tongue, yet they are generally taught in Spanish. We assisted in the development and implementation of a bilingual/intercultural education model including teacher training at the university level and bilingual materials development.

Determination of Lutein and Zeaxanthin Esters and Their Geometric Isomers in Carotenoid Ester Concentrates Used as Ingredients in Nutritional Supplements: Validation of a Combined Spectrophotometric-HPLC Method.

A combined spectrophotometric-LC method is described for the determination of total lutein and zeaxanthin ester content in carotenoid ester concentrates, including their main geometrical isomers. The concept of composite-specific absorbance is introduced for this purpose. The method is applicable to carotenoid ester concentrates used as ingredients in oil suspensions and dosage forms.

Exploring New Alleles Involved in Tomato Fruit Quality in an Introgression Line Library of Solanum pimpinellifolium.

We have studied a genomic library of introgression lines from the Solanum pimpinellifolium accession TO-937 into the genetic background of the "Moneymaker" cultivar in order to evaluate the accession's breeding potential. Overall, no deleterious phenotypes were observed, and the plants and fruits were phenotypically very similar to those of "Moneymaker," which confirms the feasibility of translating the current results into elite breeding programs. We identified chromosomal regions associated with traits that were both vegetative (plant vigor, trichome density) and fruit-related (morphology, organoleptic quality, color).

The effects of water sample treatment, preparation, and storage prior to cyanotoxin analysis for cylindrospermopsin, microcystin and saxitoxin.

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms occur in freshwater lakes, ponds, rivers, and reservoirs, and in brackish waters throughout the world. The wide variety of cyanotoxins and their congeners can lead to frequent exposure of humans through consumption of meat, fish, seafood, blue-green algal products and water, accidental ingestion of contaminated water and cyanobacterial scum during recreational activities, and inhalation of cyanobacterial aerosols. Cyanotoxins can also occur in the drinking water supply.

Trends of 9,416 multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

Objective: a resistance of hospital-acquired bacteria to multiple antibiotics is a major concern worldwide. The objective of this study was to investigate multidrugresistant (MDR) bacteria, clinical specimens, origin of specimen and trends, and correlate these with bacterial sensitivity and consumption of antimicrobials.

Methods: 9,416 bacteria of nosocomial origin were evaluated in a tertiary hospital, from 1999 to 2008.

A cross-sectional study of Colombian University students' self-perceived lifestyle.

Background: The Fantastic Lifestyle Questionnaire was designed for enabling staff working in health sciences and physical activity (PA) areas to measure lifestyles (LS) in the general population. The aim of this study was to assess the lifestyle in a sample of university students.

Method: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive, observational study involving 5,921 subjects' aged 18- to 30-years-old (3,471 females) from three Colombian cities.

The prevalence of barriers for Colombian college students engaging in physical activity.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of barriers and their association with Colombia college students engaging in PA.

Methods: A total of 5,663 students (3,348 male) from three cities in Colombia. In fall 2013, students voluntarily completed a demographic questionnaire, Barriers to Being Active Quiz.

Colorimetric microtiter plate receptor-binding assay for the detection of freshwater and marine neurotoxins targeting the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Anatoxin-a and homoanatoxin-a, produced by cyanobacteria, are agonists of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Pinnatoxins, spirolides, and gymnodimines, produced by dinoflagellates, are antagonists of nAChRs. In this study we describe the development and validation of a competitive colorimetric, high throughput functional assay based on the mechanism of action of freshwater and marine toxins against nAChRs.

Comparison of two ELISA-based methods for the detection of microcystins in blood serum.

Microcystins (MCs) are cyanobacterial toxins which place the public at risk via exposure to MC contaminated water, food or algal food supplements. Subsequent to the fatal intravenous exposure of dialysis patients in Caruaru, Brazil, several techniques (LC-MS, GC-MS and ELISA) were adapted to detect MCs in human serum. As patients chronically exposed to low concentrations of MCs also present with very low MC serum levels, only LC-MS methodology would appear to allow detection of these MC levels.

Pitfalls in microcystin extraction and recovery from human blood serum.

Background: Microcystins (MCs) contaminate water bodies due to cyanobacterial blooms all over the world, leading to frequent exposure of humans to MCs through consumption of meat, fish, seafood, blue-green algal products and water, accidental ingestion of contaminated water and scum during recreational activities and inhalation of cyanobacterial aerosols. For monitoring of human exposure, sensitive screening methods are needed. However, during the analytical process of various matrices, such as human serum, some problems appear to regularly occur during sample preparation and storage, leading to MC loss and thus to underestimation of the true MC concentration.

Analytical evaluation of a high-throughput enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for acrylamide determination in fried foods.

The analytical performance and evaluation of a kit-based ELISA for the determination of acrylamide in fried potato and corn chip samples are described. The sample homogenate is subjected to clean-up using SPE, followed by analyte derivatization and ELISA detection. Accuracy, precision and linearity of the ELISA procedure have been validated using spiked samples.

Identification of temporal clusters and risk factors of bacteremia by nosocomial vancomycin-resistant enterococci.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate a different methodology for addressing the evolution of nosocomial bacteremia by vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in a hospital setting.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, data were collected from the date of first registration up to December 2008 from the electronic medical records of patients with VRE bacteremia in a school hospital.

Results: Thirty cases of VRE bacteremia and 274 cases of vancomycin-susceptible enterococci (VSE) bacteremia were identified.

Detection and isolation of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O104 from sprouts.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains belonging to serogroup O104 have been associated with sporadic cases of illness and have caused outbreaks associated with milk and sprouts. An outbreak that occurred in Europe in 2011 linked to fenugreek sprouts was caused by E. coli O104:H4 that had characteristics of an enteroaggregative E.

Trends in bacterial resistance in a tertiary university hospital over one decade.

The objective of this study was to investigate bacterial resistance trends, infection sites and the relationship between resistance and admittance to the intensive care unit (ICU). A total of 53,316 bacteria identified between 1999 and 2008 were evaluated. Multidrug resistance was characterized when gram-negative bacilli (GNB) presented resistance to two or more classes of antibiotics.

Detection of P. aeruginosa harboring bla CTX-M-2, bla GES-1 and bla GES-5, bla IMP-1 and bla SPM-1 causing infections in Brazilian tertiary-care hospital.

Background: Nosocomial infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa presenting resistance to beta-lactam drugs are one of the most challenging targets for antimicrobial therapy, leading to substantial increase in mortality rates in hospitals worldwide. In this context, P. aeruginosa harboring acquired mechanisms of resistance, such as production of metallo-beta-lactamase (MBLs) and extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) have the highest clinical impact.

Determination of glyphosate in groundwater samples using an ultrasensitive immunoassay and confirmation by on-line solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.

Despite having been the focus of much attention from the scientific community during recent years, glyphosate is still a challenging compound from an analytical point of view because of its physicochemical properties: relatively low molecular weight, high polarity, high water solubility, low organic solvent solubility, amphoteric behaviour and ease to form metal complexes. Large efforts have been directed towards developing suitable, sensitive and robust methods for the routine analysis of this widely used herbicide. In the present work, a magnetic particle immunoassay (IA) has been evaluated for fast, reliable and accurate part-per-trillion monitoring of glyphosate in water matrixes, in combination with a new analytical method based on solid-phase extraction (SPE), followed by liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), for the confirmatory analysis of positive samples.

Quality assessment of tomato landraces and virus-resistant breeding lines: quick estimation by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy.

Background: Several tomato landraces are very popular in south-eastern Spain for their organoleptic fruit quality, but these cultivars are highly susceptible to several viruses. A breeding programme is being carried out for the introduction of virus resistances into these landraces. In the last steps of our breeding programme a high number of breeding lines must be evaluated for agronomic and organoleptic quality parameters.

High prevalence of bla(CTX-M) extended spectrum beta-lactamase genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from a tertiary care hospital: first report of bla(SHV-12), bla(SHV-31), bla(SHV-38), and bla(CTX-M-15) in Brazil.

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and prevalence of bla(TEM), bla(SHV), and bla(CTX-M) and bla(GES)-like genes, responsible for extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) production in clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae collected from a Brazilian tertiary care hospital. Sixty-five ESBL producing K. pneumoniae isolates, collected between 2005 and 2007, were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Fate of sulfamethoxazole, 4-nonylphenol, and 17beta-estradiol in groundwater contaminated by wastewater treatment plant effluent.

Organic wastewater contaminants (OWCs) were measured in samples collected from monitoring wells located along a 4.5-km transect of a plume of groundwater contaminated by 60 years of continuous rapid infiltration disposal of wastewater treatment plant effluent. Fifteen percent of the 212 OWCs analyzed were detected, including the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SX), the nonionic surfactant degradation product 4-nonylphenol (NP), the solvent tetrachloroethene (PCE), and the disinfectant 1,4-dichlorobenzene (DCB).

Suitability of a magnetic particle immunoassay for the analysis of PBDEs in Hawaiian euryhaline fish and crabs in comparison with gas chromatography/electron capture detection-ion trap mass spectrometry.

A gas chromatograph/electron capture detector-ion trap mass spectrometer (GC/ECD-ITMS) was used for the determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in euryhaline fish and crabs. GC/ECD-ITMS results showed that average recoveries from the spiked fish samples are in a range of 58-123% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 5-19%. PBDE concentrations obtained from GC/ECD-ITMS ranged from 28 ng/g to 1845 ng/g lipid weight (lw) in all aquatic species collected from Hawaiian brackish waters.

Intravenous azithromycin plus ceftriaxone followed by oral azithromycin for the treatment of inpatients with community-acquired pneumonia: an open-label, non-comparative multicenter trial.

Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) is a major public health problem. In Brazil it has been estimated that 2,000,000 people are affected by CAP every year. Of those, 780,000 are admitted to hospital, and 30,000 have death as the outcome.