Rapid identification of Salmonella serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium using whole cell matrix assisted laser desorption ionization - Time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) coupled with multivariate analysis and artificial intelligence.

Salmonella is a common food-borne pathogen with Enteritidis and Typhimurium being among the most important serovars causing numerous outbreaks. A rapid method was investigated to identify these serovars using whole-cell MALDI-TOF MS coupled with multivariate analysis and artificial intelligence and 113 Salmonella strains, including 38 Enteritidis (SE), 38 Typhimurium (ST) and 37 strains from 32 other Salmonella serovars (SG). Datasets of ions (presence/absence) with high discriminative power were created using newly developed criteria and subject to multivariate analyses and eight artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

Late poor outcomes of infections in oncological patients: A multicentre cohort study.

Background: Cancer has been associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality in CDI patients. However, data on delayed mortality in cancer patients with CDI are scarce.

Aim/objective: The aim of the present study was to compare outcomes between oncological patients and the general population with infection (CDI) after 90 days of follow-up.

infection recurrence in the VINCat hospitals: a prospective observational cohort study.

The 2016 cumulative incidence of infection (CDI) in Spain was reported by the European Center for Disease Control to be above the mean of other European countries. The aim of this multicenter prospective observational cohort study was to examine the risk factors that determine 90-day CDI recurrence in Catalonia, Spain. The study included 558 consecutive adults admitted to hospital who had a symptomatic, first positive CDI diagnosis.

Interpretation and Implications of Lognormal Linear Regression Used for Bacterial Enumeration.

Background: Bacterial enumeration data are typically log transformed to realize a more normal distribution and stabilize the variance. Unfortunately, statistical results from log transformed data are often misinterpreted as data within the arithmetic domain.

Objective: To explore the implication of slope and intercept from an unweighted linear regression and compare it to the results of the regression of log transformed data.

Effect of nursery ground variability on condition of age 0+ year Merluccius hubbsi.

This study examined the southern or Patagonian (41°-55° S) stock of Argentine hake Merluccius hubbsi, the more abundant of the two stocks on the Argentinean continental shelf. Pre-recruits (age 0+ year individuals) of this stock settle and grow in the San Jorge Gulf (45°-47° S, 65° 30' W), a complex habitat with large spatial variability in environmental features. Relative condition factor, hepatosomatic index, lipid content and fatty-acid composition of muscle and liver, and diet information were combined with physical and biological data to evaluate: how nutritional status of age 0+ year hake varies spatially within the nursery ground; whether changes in condition are related to environmental factors and feeding; whether the indices are interchangeable metrics of condition.

Log Transformation and the Effect on Estimation, Implication, and Interpretation of Mean and Measurement Uncertainty in Microbial Enumeration.

Estimation of measurement uncertainty (MU) has been extensively addressed in documents from standard authorities. In microbiology, bacterial counts are log transformed to get a more normal distribution. Unfortunately, the difference between using original and log-transformed data appears to not have been investigated even in publications focusing on MU estimation.

Interventions to decrease short-term peripheral venous catheter-related bloodstream infections: impact on incidence and mortality.

Background: Short-term peripheral venous catheters are a significant source of healthcare-acquired bloodstream infections and a preventable cause of death.

Aim: To assess the effectiveness of interventions applied to reduce the incidence and mortality associated with short-term peripheral venous catheter-related bloodstream infections (PVCR-BSIs).

Methods: The intervention included continuous PVCR-BSI surveillance, implementation of preventive measures related to catheter insertion and maintenance in accordance with evidence-based recommendations and the hospital's own data, front-line staff educational campaigns, and assessment of adherence to hospital guidelines by ward rounds.

Evaluation of a Multiplex PCR for Detection of the Top Seven Shiga Toxin-Producing Serogroups in Ready-to-Eat Meats, Fruits, and Vegetables.

: Ready-to-eat (RTE) meats, fruits, and vegetables contaminated by Shiga toxin producing (STEC) raise serious concerns because they are often consumed directly without further processing. To evaluate a multiplex PCR for the detection of STEC across food categories. Samples (25 g) from seven RTE meat and nine fruit and vegetable matrices were inoculated with each of seven STEC (O157:H7, O26, O121, O145, O45, O103, O111) strains targeting 10 CFU/25 g, enriched in 225 mL of modified tryptone soya broth (mTSB), and tested by a multiplex real-time PCR for and genes, following U.

51st North American Chemical Residue Workshop.

Manuscripts collected in this 51st North American Chemical Residue Workshop (NACRW) Symposium issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (JAFC) were originally presented at the 51st NACRW meeting. The 2014 NACRW JAFC symposium collects 14 publications representing the broad range of topics in chemical analyses presented at the 2014 meeting. These include the analysis of chemical residues and contaminants in food, environment, feed, botanical, and bee samples as well as the application of quality control/quality assurance protocols in routine and method development.

Topical application of the adenosine A2A receptor agonist CGS-21680 prevents phorbol-induced epidermal hyperplasia and inflammation in mice.

The nucleoside adenosine is a known regulator of immunity and inflammation that mediates, at least in part, the anti-inflammatory effect of methotrexate, an immunosuppressive agent widely used to treat autoimmune inflammatory diseases. Adenosine A2A receptors play a key role in the inhibition of the inflammatory process besides promoting wound healing. Therefore, we aimed to determine the topical effect of a selective agonist, CGS-21680, on a murine model of skin hyperplasia with a marked inflammatory component.

Stability of aflatoxins in solution.

The stability of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 was studied in solutions containing different concentrations of water, acetonitrile, and/or methanol, and in autosampler vials treated with nitric acid or silanized. When stored at room temperature (20 degrees C) for 24 h, aflatoxins G1 and G2 were stable only in solutions containing 100% organic solvent, whereas aflatoxins B1 and B2 were stable in solutions of methanol-water and acetonitrile-water at greater than 60 and 40% organic content, respectively. At 5 degrees C, aflatoxins G1 and G2 showed a significant decrease in concentration only when kept in less than 20% aqueous organic solvent.

Neuropsychological profile of bilateral paramedian infarctions: three cases.

Introduction: The thalamus is one of the strategic diencephalic structures of the human brain. The artery of Percheron, an asymmetrical common trunk arising from a P1 segment of the posterior cerebral artery, is a peculiar presentation of the three variants involved in the irrigation of the paramedian thalamic territory. Occlusion of this artery results in bilateral median thalamic infarction.

Issues in mass spectrometry between bench chemists and regulatory laboratory managers: summary of the roundtable on mass spectrometry held at the 123rd AOAC International Annual Meeting.

At the 123rd AOAC International Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA, 45 residue chemists gathered for a roundtable discussion of mass spectrometry (MS) used for regulatory chemical residues analysis. The session was conceived to address current technical and communication issues about MS between "bench chemists and their bosses". The topics covered a range of practical, routine, and recurring issues on capabilities and limitations of MS techniques, and suggestions on how chemists may better communicate their MS results with customers.

Multiclass, multiresidue drug analysis, including aminoglycosides, in animal tissue using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.

A multiresidue, multiclass semiquantitative screening analysis of 39 drug residues covering 8 drug classes, including aminoglycosides in veal muscle, based on a single multiresidue extraction routine and using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS), is presented. Sample preparation involves extraction of a 5 g diced tissue sample with 10 mL of acetonitrile/ water (86:14), incubated at 60 degrees C for 1 h, and then cooled for 10 min in ice. Formic acid is added to the suspension, then mixed, and centrifuged.

Ultratrace analysis of nine macrolides, including tulathromycin A (Draxxin), in edible animal tissues with minicolumn liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

The analysis of nine macrolides is presented, including tulathromycin A (Draxxin), in beef, poultry, and pork muscle with a simple multiresidue extraction and analysis method using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The sample preparation method involves extraction with acetonitrile and defatting with hexane followed by dilution of the extracts for analysis. Separation of the nine macrolides was performed using an Atlantis dC 18, 3 mum, 3.

Internal distraction osteogenesis in mandibular reconstruction: clinical experience in 10 cases.

Background: Distraction osteogenesis has been used for reconstruction of bone and soft-tissue defects. The authors present their clinical experience in the reconstruction of mandibular segmental defects by means of internal distraction osteogenesis.

Methods: Ten patients with mandibular defects ranging from 30 to 80 mm in length were treated in the authors' department.

Melanoma of the oral mucosa. Clinical cases and review of the literature.

The appearance of primary melanomas of the oral mucosa is uncommon. The aggressiveness of this entity and the absence of any standardized treatment protocol make the prognostic unfortunate. The difficulty to obtain free surgical margins, the elevated tendency to invade in depth and the early haematogenous metastasis have been referred as features which may explain its bad prognosis, even in comparison with cutaneous melanoma.

Identification and quantification of eight flavones in root and shoot tissues of the medicinal plant huang-qin (Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi) using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array and mass spectrometric detection.

A method of analysis of eight flavones using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-diode array detection (DAD)-mass spectrometry (MS) in root and aerial tissues of the medicinal plant Scutellaria baicalensis was developed. The identity of the analytes was confirmed using retention time, UV-vis and mass spectral comparisons to commercial standards. Both UV-vis and mass spectral patterns were characterized for glycosylated flavones.

System for the generation of standard gas mixtures of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds for calibrations of solid-phase microextraction and other sampling devices.

Standard gases are used for quality control and quality assurance, development of analysis methods and novel air sampling devices. The use of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and other novel technologies for research in the area of air sampling and analysis requires systems/devices for reliable standard gas generation and sampling. In this paper we describe a new gas standard generating system for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-VOCs that was designed, built, and tested to facilitate fundamental and applications research with SPME.

Detection of PhIP (2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine) in the milk of healthy women.

An increased risk of breast cancer has been observed in women who consume "very well-done" meats. Heterocyclic amines are mutagenic and carcinogenic pyrolysis products formed during high temperature cooking of meats. In the present study, human milk samples were analyzed for PhIP, one of the most abundant dietary heterocyclic amine.

Time-weighted average sampling with solid-phase microextraction device: implications for enhanced personal exposure monitoring to airborne pollutants.

The solid-phase microextraction (SPME) device is used as a time-weighted average (TWA) sampler for gas-phase analytes by retracting the coated fiber a known distance into its needle housing during the sampling period. Unlike in conventional spot sampling with SPME, the TWA sampling approach does not allow the analytes to reach equilibrium with the fiber coating, but rather they diffuse through the opening in the needle to the location of the sorbent. The amount of analytes accumulated over time gives the measurement of the average concentration to which the device was exposed to.

Sampling and determination of formaldehyde using solid-phase microextraction with on-fiber derivatization.

Gaseous formaldehyde is sampled by derivatization with o-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine hydrochloride (PFBHA) adsorbed onto poly (dimethylsiloxane)/divinylbenzene solid-phase microextraction fibers. The product of the reaction is an oxime which is thermally very stable and insensitive to light. The oxime can be analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection and other detectors.

Strategies for the analysis of polar solvents in liquid matrixes.

Various approaches to the analysis of polar compounds in different matrixes by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) were studied. The analysis of polar analytes in nonpolar matrixes was performed with custom-made SPME fibers coated with Nafion perfluorinated resin. The sensitivity of this fiber in this type of analysis was better by 1 order of magnitude on average as compared to those of any of the commercially available fibers.

Water analysis by solid phase microextraction based on physical chemical properties of the coating.

A novel and simple method using solid phase microextraction (SPME) with poly(dimethylsiloxane) fiber coating and linear temperature-programmed retention index (LTPRI) has been developed to quantify petroleum hydrocarbons in water. Partition coefficients (K(fw)) for the analytes in water and SPME were established for a series of aromatics, cycloalkanes and alkanes. There is a linear relationship between log K(fw) for each hydrocarbon series and LTPRI.