Predictors for the occurrence of major complications after primary Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

Background: The risk of developing postoperative complications after primary Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is relatively low. Nevertheless, postoperative complications can have serious consequences in terms of severe morbidity and health care costs. Identification of potential predictors is useful for further reduction of the postoperative complication rate.

Long-term results after revisions of failed primary vertical banded gastroplasty.

Aim: To compare the results after revision of primary vertical banded gastroplasty (Re-VBG) and conversion to sleeve gastrectomy (cSG) or gastric bypass (cRYGB).

Methods: In this retrospective single-center study, all patients with a failed VBG who underwent revisional surgery were included. Medical charts were reviewed and additional postal questionnaires were sent to update follow-up.

Bacteriophages Isolated from Chicken Meat and the Horizontal Transfer of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes.

Antimicrobial resistance in microbes poses a global and increasing threat to public health. The horizontal transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes was thought to be due largely to conjugative plasmids or transposons, with only a minor part being played by transduction through bacteriophages. However, whole-genome sequencing has recently shown that the latter mechanism could be highly important in the exchange of antimicrobial resistance genes between microorganisms and environments.

Shelf-life extension of vacuum-packaged meat from pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) by lactic acid treatment.

We investigated the influence of lactic acid treatment of pheasant meat before vacuum-packaged storage of 3, 7, and 10 d at +6°C on microbiota and pH. Breast muscle samples were collected from carcasses of slaughtered as well as from hunted (shot) wild pheasants. Immersion of meat samples in 3% (wt/wt) lactic acid for 60 s effectuated a significant drop in pH of approximately 0.

On the efficacy of current biosecurity measures at EU borders to prevent the transfer of zoonotic and livestock diseases by travellers.

Although many animal diseases have been eradicated from the European Union (EU), the animal production sectors in the EU are still under a major threat of disease pathogens introduced by travellers into a country through illegal importation of wildlife or production animals, and/or food products of animal origin. These may carry (exotic) pathogens or toxic metabolites that are hazardous for public health and have a zoonotic potential. According to experts, newly emerging diseases will most probably be zoonotic in nature.

Removable and repositionable covered metal self-expandable stents for leaks after upper gastrointestinal surgery: experiences in a tertiary referral hospital.

Background: Anastomotic leakages are severe complications of upper gastrointestinal surgery with serious morbidity and mortality. Until recently, only abscess drainage was possible. Since 2007, removable and repositionable covered metal self-expandable stents (RReCoMSeS) have been used in our hospital to cover leaks.

Toward harmonization of the European food hygiene/veterinary public health curriculum.

Prompted by developments in the agri-food industry and associated recent changes in European legislation, the responsibilities of veterinarians professionally active in veterinary public health (VPH), and particularly in food hygiene (FH), have increasingly shifted from the traditional end-product control toward longitudinally integrated safety assurance. This necessitates the restructuring of university training programs to provide starting competence in this area for veterinary graduates or a sub-population of them. To date, there are substantial differences in Europe in the way in which graduate programs in FH/VPH are structured and in the time allocated to this important curricular group of subjects.

Risk management in primary apicultural production. Part 2: a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point approach to assuring the safety of unprocessed honey.

In managing risks associated with the human consumption of honey, all sectors of the production chain must be considered, including the primary production phase. Although the introduction of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system has not been made compulsory for purposes of quality and safety control in farming operations, European legislation makes many references to the key role of primary production in food safety management and the HACCP system has been indicated as the preferred tool to ensure that consumers are provided with safe foods. This article describes a systematic HACCP-based approach to identifying, preventing and controlling food safety hazards occurring in primary apicultural production.

Simple media and conditions for inter-laboratory transport of Campylobacter jejuni isolates.

Background: Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most important agents of zoonotic disease. Production as well as companion animals can be the infectious source for Campylobacteriosis in humans. Hence, epidemiological research on animal colonization, survival in food of animal origin, and human Campylobacteriosis is of high priority.

Risk management in primary apicultural production. Part 1: bee health and disease prevention and associated best practices.

Prompted by FAO/WHO's and the European Commission's recognition that documents on Good Farming Practices (GFPs) and Good Veterinary Practices (GVPs) in apicultural production are hardly available, part 1 of this contribution provides an update of current apicultural production and associated best practices to ensure animal and public health. Major bee health and disease prevention issues and risk management options at the primary production level are summarised with particular reference to the role of the veterinary practitioner/consultant and the official veterinarian in a control function in the safe production of honey.

Microbiological and sensory effects of the combined application of hot-cold organic acid sprays and steam condensation at subatmospheric pressure for decontamination of inoculated pig tissue surfaces.

We studied microbiological and sensory effects of treating pig tissue for 15 s with 55 and 10°C sprays of acetic acid (AA; 0.15 to 0.3 M) and lactic acid (LA; 0.

Food-borne zoonoses, the EU zoonosis legislation and the prospects for food safety and consumer protection during primary animal production.

Zoonoses are diseases that are transmitted naturally between animals and humans. The control of food-borne zoonoses within the European Union is a prerequisite for assuring a functional internal market and consequently represents an important item on the political agenda. Unfortunately, until recently, gaining a clear view of the current incidence of food-borne zoonoses and the prevalence of its causative agents has been frustrated by the absence of reliable monitoring and reporting systems.

Real-time PCR method with statistical analysis to compare the potential of DNA isolation methods to remove PCR inhibitors from samples for diagnostic PCR.

A real-time PCR method for fast comparison of different DNA isolation methods to remove PCR inhibitors from samples is presented. A fixed amount of target-200 copies of a 79-bp region of the COCH gene of the zebrafish (Danio rerio)-was added to each PCR reaction together with isolated DNA from different types of samples including chicken feces. Four commercial DNA isolation kits and a chelex-based technique were compared using this method.

Antimicrobial resistance in commensal Escherichia coli isolated from muscle foods as related to the veterinary use of antimicrobial agents in food-producing animals in Austria.

Controversy exists on veterinary drug application in food animal production and the relevance for human health of antimicrobial resistant commensals isolated from food. The aim of this study was to analyze antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli isolated from retail meat of various animal species (including wild roe deer) in Austria. Our results were analyzed taking into consideration the current practices of Austrian veterinarians with regard to their use of antibiotic drugs during pig, poultry, and beef production.

Preliminary analysis of tetracycline residues in marketed pork in Hanoi, Vietnam.

A cross-sectional survey was designed to investigate the proportion of tetracycline residues in marketed pork in suburb and urban districts in Hanoi. A total of 290 raw muscle samples were randomly collected from open markets in these districts. The samples were qualitatively screened for tetracycline residues using the agar inhibition test, and Bacillus cereus (ATCC 11778) as the reference strain.

Comparison of three methods for detecting Campylobacter spp. in chilled or frozen meat.

There is a demand from the meat industry as well as from public health authorities for a simple and rapid detection method for thermophilic Campylobacter spp. from food. Hence, we compared different isolation procedures for their usefulness for this purpose.

Antimicrobial resistance profile of five major food-borne pathogens isolated from beef, pork and poultry.

This study was performed to evaluate the resistance rate against antimicrobials of food isolates of the five major food-borne pathogens to compare these and to possibly distinguish a pattern. A total of 922 samples of the major meat species (pork, beef and poultry) were analysed for thermophilic Campylobacter, Salmonella, Yersinia enterocolitica, pathogenic Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. Isolates were subjected to antimicrobial resistance testing by the disc diffusion method.

Rapid urease screening of Yersinia on CIN agar plates.

Yersinia enterocolitica is an important foodborne pathogen, but isolation of virulent Yersinia from food sources is still time consuming and requires skills. In this article, we describe a rapid urease screening on cefsulodin-irgasan-novobiocin (CIN) agar plates with an agar overlay assay. This test is simple to perform, all colonies on a plate can be checked simultaneously, it only takes minutes for detection of urease-positive colonies and the colonies survive for transfer, further characterisation, and storage.