National outbreak of Salmonella serotype saintpaul infections: importance of Texas restaurant investigations in implicating jalapeño peppers.

Background: In May 2008, PulseNet detected a multistate outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Saintpaul infections. Initial investigations identified an epidemiologic association between illness and consumption of raw tomatoes, yet cases continued. In mid-June, we investigated two clusters of outbreak strain infections in Texas among patrons of Restaurant A and two establishments of Restaurant Chain B to determine the outbreak's source.

Ion-induced fragmentation of amino acids: effect of the environment.

In general, radiation-induced fragmentation of small amino acids is governed by the cleavage of the C-C(α) bond. We present results obtained with 300 keV Xe(20+) ions that allow molecules (glycine and valine) to be ionised at large distances without appreciable energy transfer. Also in the present case, the C-C(α) bond turns out to be the weakest link and hence its scission is the dominant fragmentation channel.

Diarrhea prevention in people living with HIV: an evaluation of a point-of-use water quality intervention in Lagos, Nigeria.

Diarrhea is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Africa. The impact of a point-of-use water chlorination and storage intervention on diarrheal-disease risk in a population of HIV-infected women in Lagos, Nigeria was evaluated. A baseline survey was performed, followed by six weeks of baseline diarrhea surveillance consisting of weekly home visits, distribution of free water chlorination products and safe storage containers to project participants, and continued weekly home-based diarrhea surveillance for 15 additional weeks.

2008 outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul infections associated with raw produce.

Background: Raw produce is an increasingly recognized vehicle for salmonellosis. We investigated a nationwide outbreak that occurred in the United States in 2008.

Methods: We defined a case as diarrhea in a person with laboratory-confirmed infection with the outbreak strain of Salmonella enterica serotype Saintpaul.

Oxyallyl exposed: an open-shell singlet with picosecond lifetimes in solution but persistent in crystals of a cyclobutanedione precursor.

Photoinduced decarbonylation of 2,4-bis(spirocyclohexyl)-1,3-cyclobutanedione 1 in the crystalline solid state resulted in formation of a deep blue transient with λ(max) = 550 nm and a half-life of 42 min at 298 K, identified as kinetically stabilized oxyallyl. Support for an open-shell singlet species was obtained by spectroscopic analysis and (4/4) CASSCF calculations with the 6-31+G(d) basis set and multireference MP2 corrections. The electronic spectrum of the singlet biradical, confirmed by femtosecond pump-probe studies in solution, was matched by coupled cluster calculations with single and double corrections.

Photodissociation of protonated leucine-enkephalin in the VUV range of 8-40 eV.

Until now, photodissociation studies on free complex protonated peptides were limited to the UV wavelength range accessible by intense lasers. We have studied photodissociation of gas-phase protonated leucine-enkephalin cations for vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photons energies ranging from 8 to 40 eV. We report time-of-flight mass spectra of the photofragments and various photofragment-yields as a function of photon energy.

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.

Genetic analysis of the interaction between Allium species and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

The response of Allium cepa, A. roylei, A. fistulosum, and the hybrid A.

Analysis of tomato and jalapeño and Serrano pepper imports into the United States from Mexico before and during a National Outbreak of Salmonella serotype Saintpaul infections in 2008.

Case-control studies conducted during a multistate outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Saintpaul infections in 2008 revealed associations between illness and the consumption of jalapeño peppers, Serrano peppers, and tomatoes. Traceback investigations of implicated jalapeño and Serrano peppers led to farms in Tamaulipas and Nuevo León, Mexico. We conducted a novel analysis of a U.

Antimicrobial resistance among invasive nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica isolates in the United States: National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, 1996 to 2007.

Nontyphoidal salmonellae (NTS) are important causes of community-acquired bloodstream infection. We describe patterns of antimicrobial resistance among invasive NTS in the United States. We compared bloodstream NTS isolates with those from stool submitted to the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) from 1996 to 2007.

Foodborne illness acquired in the United States--unspecified agents.

Each year, 31 major known pathogens acquired in the United States caused an estimated 9.4 million episodes of foodborne illness. Additional episodes of illness were caused by unspecified agents, including known agents with insufficient data to estimate agent-specific illness, known agents not yet recognized as causing foodborne illness, substances known to be in food but of unproven pathogenicity, and unknown agents.

Foodborne illness acquired in the United States--major pathogens.

Estimates of foodborne illness can be used to direct food safety policy and interventions. We used data from active and passive surveillance and other sources to estimate that each year 31 major pathogens acquired in the United States caused 9.4 million episodes of foodborne illness (90% credible interval [CrI] 6.

Quantitative assessment of liver function after ischemia-reperfusion injury and partial hepatectomy in rats.

Background: Liver function after hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury and partial liver resection (PHx) is influenced by the extent of PHx, hepatocellular damage, and liver regeneration. This study investigates the effect of minor PHx with increasing degrees of I/R-induced damage on postoperative liver function parameters and compares the indocyanine green (ICG) clearance test with (99m)Tc-mebrofenin hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HBS) for quantitative measurement of hepatic function in a standardized rat model.

Methods: Rats were subjected to 70% partial liver I/R combined with resection of the nonischemic lobes.

Analysing the production and treatment of solid waste using a national accounting framework.

Our knowledge of the relationship between the economy and the environment has increased significantly over recent decades. One of the areas in which this is most apparent is the area of environmental accounting, where environmental data is presented according to national accounting principles. These accounts provide consistent, complete and detailed information for understanding environmental-economic interdependencies.

Stable overexpression of pregnane X receptor in HepG2 cells increases its potential for bioartificial liver application.

To bridge patients with acute liver failure to transplantation or liver regeneration, a bioartificial liver (BAL) is urgently needed. A BAL consists of an extracorporeal bioreactor loaded with a bioactive mass that would preferably be of human origin and display high hepatic functionality, including detoxification. The human hepatoma cell line HepG2 exhibits many hepatic functions, but its detoxification function is low.

The construction and validation of an abridged version of the autism-spectrum quotient (AQ-Short).

This study reports on the development and validation of an abridged version of the 50-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), a self-report measure of autistic traits. We aimed to reduce the number of items whilst retaining high validity and a meaningful factor structure. The item reduction procedure was performed on data from 1,263 Dutch students and general population adults.

Human Salmonella infections linked to contaminated dry dog and cat food, 2006-2008.

Objective: Human Salmonella infections associated with dry pet food have not been previously reported. We investigated such an outbreak of Salmonella Schwarzengrund and primarily affecting young children.

Patients And Methods: Two multistate case-control studies were conducted to determine the source and mode of infections among case-patients with the outbreak strain.

Diversity, distribution, and evolution of Solanum bulbocastanum late blight resistance genes.

Knowledge on the evolution and distribution of late blight resistance genes is important for a better understanding of the dynamics of these genes in nature. We analyzed the presence and allelic diversity of the late blight resistance genes Rpi-blb1, Rpi-blb2, and Rpi-blb3, originating from Solanum bulbocastanum, in a set of tuber-bearing Solanum species comprising 196 different taxa. The three genes were only present in some Mexican diploid as well as polyploid species closely related to S.

Methods for monitoring trends in the incidence of foodborne diseases: Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network 1996-2008.

Foodborne illnesses are a substantial health burden in the United States. The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) is the principal foodborne disease component of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emerging Infections Program. FoodNet is a collaborative project among Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emerging Infections Program sites, the U.

The effect of different recall periods on estimates of acute gastroenteritis in the United States, FoodNet Population Survey 2006–2007.

Background: A number of countries have estimated the prevalence of acute gastroenteritis by asking survey respondents to recall past episodes of diarrhea; however, the recall period used varies between studies. We conducted a survey to examine the effects of 7-day and 1-month recall periods on the estimated annual episodes of acute gastroenteritis. Further, we examine whether asking first about illness in the previous 7 days affects a person's response to a 1-month recall period.

Solvent effects on the coexistence of localized and delocalized 4,4'-dinitrotolane radical anion by resonance Raman spectroscopy.

The resonance Raman spectrum of the simple alkyne bridge in 4,4'-dinitrotolane radical anion shows two distinct bands, providing proof of the solvent-dependent coexistence of charge-localized and -delocalized species. The Raman spectra of normal modes primarily involving the charge-bearing -PhNO(2) units also support the coexistence of two solvent-dependent electronic species. The temperature dependence of the spectra of the bridging unit shows an inverse relationship between the solvent reorganization energy (lambda(s)) and the temperature.

Peptide fragmentation by keV ion-induced dissociation.

We have studied multiple ionization and dissociation of a trapped protonated peptide (leucine enkephalin) as induced by keV singly and doubly charged ions (H(+), He(+, 2+)) to demonstrate the potential of keV ions as a future tool for peptide identification. In contrast to conventional excitation techniques, the fragmentation pattern exhibits very strong peaks due to loss of sidechains in addition to those due to backbone scission. The results can be understood on the basis of the energy deposited into the peptide via electronic stopping.

Mitochondrial recombination increases with age in Podospora anserina.

With uniparental inheritance of mitochondria, there seems little reason for homologous recombination in mitochondria, but the machinery for mitochondrial recombination is quite well-conserved in many eukaryote species. In fungi and yeasts heteroplasmons may be formed when strains fuse and transfer of organelles takes place, making it possible to study mitochondrial recombination when introduced mitochondria contain different markers. A survey of wild-type isolates from a local population of the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina for the presence of seven optional mitochondrial introns indicated that mitochondrial recombination does take place in nature.

Evaluation of antimicrobial resistance phenotypes for predicting multidrug-resistant Salmonella recovered from retail meats and humans in the United States.

Although multidrug-resistant (MDR) non-Typhi Salmonella (NTS) strains are a concern in food production, determining resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents at slaughter or processing may be impractical. Single antimicrobial resistance results for predicting multidrug resistance are desirable. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value were used to determine each antimicrobial agent's ability to predict MDR phenotypes of human health significance: ACSSuT (resistance to at least ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline) in NTS isolates, and MDR-AmpC-SN (resistance to ACSSuT, additional resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanate and to ceftiofur, and decreased susceptibility [MIC >= 2 microg/ml] to ceftriaxone) in NTS serotype Newport.

A 10-year follow-up after transurethral resection of the prostate, contact laser prostatectomy and electrovaporization in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia; long-term results of a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To compare long-term results of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), contact laser prostatectomy (CLP) and electrovaporization of the prostate (EVAP) in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Patients And Methods: Between 1996 and 2001, a prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted in 150 men with LUTS suggestive of BPH, who had a prostate volume of 20-65 mL and a Schäfer's obstruction grade of > or =2. Outcome variables were the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), Quality of Life (QoL) question, Symptom Problem Index (SPI), BPH Impact Index (BII), maximum urinary flow rate (Q(max)), prostate volume, prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, morbidity and mortality.