Phase Angle of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis as an Indicator for Diabetic Polyneuropathy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Context: Due to the heterogenous clinical symptoms and deficits, the diagnosis of diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) is still difficult in clinical routines, leading to increased morbidity and mortality.

Objective: We studied the correlation of phase angle (PhA) of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) with clinical, laboratory, and physical markers of DPN to evaluate PhA as a possible diagnostic method for DPN.

Materials And Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study as part of the Heidelberg Study on Diabetes and Complications, we examined 104 healthy individuals and 205 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), among which 63 had DPN.

Development and clinical testing of individual immunoassays for the quantification of serum glycoproteins to diagnose prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer (PCa) diagnosis is currently hampered by the high false-positive rate of PSA evaluations, which consequently may lead to overtreatment. Non-invasive methods with increased specificity and sensitivity are needed to improve diagnosis of significant PCa. We developed and technically validated four individual immunoassays for cathepsin D (CTSD), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM1), olfactomedin 4 (OLFM4), and thrombospondin 1 (THBS1).

Pre-Analytical Parameters Affecting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Measurement in Plasma: Identifying Confounders.

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) is intensively investigated in various medical fields. However, comparing VEGF-A measurements is difficult because sample acquisition and pre-analytic procedures differ between studies. We therefore investigated which variables act as confounders of VEGF-A measurements.

Phenobarbital inhibits calpain activity and expression in mouse hepatoma cells.

The antiepileptic drug phenobarbital (PB) exerts hepatic effects related to cell proliferation and tumorigenesis which are closely linked to the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. This pathway is, amongst others, regulated by calpain proteases. We now identified PB as an inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in mouse hepatoma cells.

Evaluation of a new monochloramine generation system for controlling Legionella in building hot water systems.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a new monochloramine generation system for control of Legionella in a hospital hot water distribution system.

Setting: A 495-bed tertiary care hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The hospital has 12 floors covering approximately 78,000 m(2).

A generic operational strategy to qualify translational safety biomarkers.

The importance of using translational safety biomarkers that can predict, detect and monitor drug-induced toxicity during human trials is becoming increasingly recognized. However, suitable processes to qualify biomarkers in clinical studies have not yet been established. There is a need to define clear scientific guidelines to link biomarkers to clinical processes and clinical endpoints.

A Challenge of Pasteurized Process Cheese Spread with Clostridium botulinum spores.

Pasteurized process cheese spread with pimientos, packaged in glass jars, inoculated during processing with 1000 spores of Clostridium botulinum per gram, developed neither gas nor toxin at 52 or 54% moisture when sodium phosphate was used as the emulsifier. When sodium citrate was the emulsifier, the product developed gas at 52% moisture and became toxic at 54%. At 58% moisture the product became gassy and toxic with either emulsifier.

Thermal Injury and Recovery of Bacillus cereus.

A system to measure thermal injury to vegetative cells of Bacillus cereus B4ac was developed. After heating in 0.1 M potassium phosphate buffer, pH 6.

Enhancement of Synthesis of Bacillus cereus Enterotoxin Using a Sac-Culture Technique.

Synthesis of Bacillus cereus enterotoxin was enchanced when the organism was grown by the sac-culture method. Of the three other major extracellular proteins examined, only lecithinase synthesis was enhanced. Advantages of the sac-culture method are that it helps simplify purification of B.

Aerobic plate count and Escherichia coli determination on frozen ground-beef patties.

The aerobic plate count and Escherichia coli content of 604 samples of frozen ground-beef patties is reported. The results are discussed with regard to existing and proposed microbiological standards for raw meats.

Production of Bacillus cereus Enterotoxin in Defined Media in Fermenter-Grown Cultures.

Enterotoxin, measured in capillary permeability factor (CPF) units, was produced by cultures of Bacillus cereus growing in defined media containing glucose, basal salts, and amino acids under controlled conditions in a small fermenter.

Defined conditions for synthesis of Bacillus cereus enterotoxin by fermenter-grown cultures.

A strain of Bacillus cereus produced high levels of enterotoxin when grown in a semidefined medium in a laboratory scale fermenter. The optimum conditions for enterotoxin synthesis by cultures grown in this medium, which contained Casamino Acids and yeast extract, were found to be: inoculation of vigorously gorwing culture at the 1% level, addition of glucose at a concentration of 1%, control of culture pH at 8.0, incubation at 32 degrees C, use of a moderate stirring rate, and addition of air at low flow rates to minimize foaming.

An outbreak of Bacillus cereus food poisoning resulting from contaminated vegetable sprouts.

In an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness caused by consumption of home-grown raw vegetable sprouts contaminated by Bacillus cereus, victims developed symptoms after an incubation period of 6-15 hours. Four persons initially experienced nausea and vomiting, and this was followed in 3 cases by abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Bacteriologic investigation indicated that B.

Biological characteristics of an enterotoxin produced by Bacillus cereus.

An enterotoxin synthesized during exponential growth by Bacillus cereus produces fluid accumulation in rabbit ileal loops, alters vascular permeability in the skin of rabbits, and kills mice when injected intravenously. All activities are eluted simultaneously from a Sephadex G-75 column and are distinct from the hemolysin and egg yolk turbidity factor of B. cereus.

Alteration of vascular permeability in rabbits by culture filtrates of Bacillus cereus and related species.

Crude culture filtrates of strains of Bacillus cereus, B. thuringiensis, and B. mycoides caused an increase in vascular permeability when injected intradermally into rabbits.

Efficacy of a fluorescent-antibody procedure for identifying Bacillus cereus in foods.

One hundred and seventeen strains of Bacillus were examined by the fluorescent-antibody technique by using the globulin fraction of serum prepared against spores of B. cereus T. All but one strain of the 59 B.

Bacillus cereus-induced fluid accumulation in rabbit ileal loops.

The usefulness of the ligated rabbit ileal loop as an experimental model of Bacillus cereus food poisoning was investigated. Positive responses, as measured by fluid accumulation in the loop, were obtained from 19 of 22 strains of B. cereus.

Heat resistance of salmonellae in concentrated milk.

The heat resistance of Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Salmonella alachua in milk solutions containing 10, 30, 42, and 51% (w/w) skim milk for total solids was determined. Increased milk-solids level effected a significant increase in the heat resistance of each organism. Although E.

Growth of Salmonella typhimurium in skim milk concentrates.

The influence of various levels of skim milk solids and temperature on the duration of lag phase, growth rate, and extent of growth of Salmonella typhimurium was investigated. The effect on growth of salmonellae (and a strain of Escherichia coli) of reduced pressure at a constant solids level and under conditions simulating vacuum condensation of skim milk was also studied. S.

Enumeration and identification of Bacillus cereus in foods. I. 24-hour presumptive test medium.

An egg yolk-polymyxin medium (KG) for rapid enumeration of Bacillus cereus is described. The test is presumptive in that differentiation of B. cereus (and closely related organisms) from other species is based on the formation of turbidity in the agar surrounding the colonies of the cereus group organisms.

Rapid quantitative method for Salmonella detection in polluted waters.

A procedure has been developed for the enumeration of salmonellae in polluted waters using several modifications of existing techniques. Confirmation of salmonellae is achieved within 48 hr. This procedure includes selective enrichment in m-Tetrathionate Broth (22 +/- 1 hr), plating on Brilliant Green Sulfa Agar (20 +/- 1 hr), and confirmation by flagellar (H) agglutination of the growth in a mannosecontaining medium (6 +/- 1 hr).

One-day fluorescent-antibody procedure for detecting salmonellae in frozen and dried foods.

The indirect fluorescent-antibody technique was used to examine 422 food samples for the presence of salmonellae. A cultural phase involving a 16-hr preenrichment in buffered nutrient broth-milk medium followed by a 4- to 5-hr subculture into fresh medium of the same composition was evaluated. This procedure yielded a sufficient population of salmonellae so that no false-negative results were obtained.

Relation of the heat resistance of salmonellae to the water activity of the environment.

The effect of water activity (a(w)) on the heat resistance of eight strains of Salmonella was studied. Heat resistance of the organisms increased as the a(w) of the heating menstruum was reduced. Sucrose afforded the cells a greater degree of protection than did fructose, glycerol, and sorbitol.