Microbial Control of Raw and Cold-Smoked Atlantic Salmon () through a Microwave Plasma Treatment.

The control of the pathogenic load on foodstuffs is a key element in food safety. Particularly, seafood such as cold-smoked salmon is threatened by pathogens such as sp. or .

Remediation of zinc-contaminated groundwater by iron oxide in situ adsorption barriers - From lab to the field.

Heavy metals such as zinc cannot be degraded by microorganisms and form long contaminant plumes in groundwater. Conventional methods for remediating heavy metal-contaminated sites are for example excavation and pump-and-treat, which is expensive and requires very long operation times. This induced interest in new technologies such as in situ adsorption barriers for immobilization of heavy metal contamination.

Remediation of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contaminated soils - To mobilize or to immobilize or to degrade?

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are synthetic chemicals, which are introduced to the environment through anthropogenic activities. Aqueous film forming foam used in firefighting, wastewater effluent, landfill leachate, and biosolids are major sources of PFAS input to soil and groundwater. Remediation of PFAS contaminated solid and aqueous media is challenging, which is attributed to the chemical and thermal stability of PFAS and the complexity of PFAS mixtures.

Patient and disease characteristics of adult patients with type 1 diabetes in Germany: an analysis of the DPV and DIVE databases.

Background: An understanding of the current status of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) can help to provide appropriate treatment.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of the DIabetes Versorgungs-Evaluation (DIVE) and the Diabetes-Patienten-Verlaufsdokumentation (DPV) databases for Germany.

Results: The analysis included 56,250 people with T1DM (54.

The discovery of polyribosomes.

By the early 1960s, evidence had accumulated that proteins were synthesized from special RNA copies of genes, named "messenger RNAs" (mRNAs), not directly from the stable RNAs found in the ribosomes of the cytoplasm. Yet, precisely how the protein chains were assembled along the RNA and, in particular, the relationship between the mRNAs and the ribosomes during protein synthesis, was obscure. In this account, I discuss how my laboratory found that multiple ribosomes traverse each mRNA, yielding the structures known as polysomes.

The toposome, essential for sea urchin cell adhesion and development, is a modified iron-less calcium-binding transferrin.

We describe the structure and function of the toposome, a modified calcium-binding, iron-less transferrin, the first member of a new class of cell adhesion proteins. In addition to the amino acid sequence of the precursor, we determined by Edman degradation the N-terminal amino acid sequences of the mature hexameric glycoprotein present in the egg as well as that of its derived proteolytically modified fragments necessary for development beyond the blastula stage. The approximate C-termini of the fragments were determined by a combination of mass spectrometry and migration in reducing gels before and after deglycosylation.

Adverse events in humans associated with accidental exposure to the livestock brucellosis vaccine RB51.

Brucella abortus strain RB51 vaccine, is an attenuated live bacterial vaccine that was licensed conditionally by the Center for Veterinary Biologics, Veterinary Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA, on 23 February 1996, for vaccination of cattle in the United States. Accidental human inoculations can occur during vaccination of cattle, and previous live Brucella vaccines designed for cattle have been known to cause brucellosis in humans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established passive surveillance for accidental inoculation with the RB51 vaccine in the United States to determine if this veterinary vaccine is associated with human disease, to describe the circumstances of accidental inoculation, to evaluate the potential efficacy of post-exposure chemoprophylaxis, and to develop recommendations for post-exposure management following exposure to RB51.

The digital origin of human language--a synthesis.

The fact that all languages known are digital poses the question of their origin. The answer developed here treats language as the interface of information theory and molecular development by showing previously unrecognized isomorphisms between the analog and digital features of language and life at the molecular level. Human language is a special case of signal transduction and hence is subject to the coding aspects of Shannon's theorems and the analog aspects of pattern recognition, each represented by genotype and phenotype.

Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2001.

During 2001, 49 states and Puerto Rico reported 7,437 cases of rabies in nonhuman animals and 1 case in a human being to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an increase of < 1% from 7,364 cases in nonhuman animals and 5 human cases reported in 2000. More than 93% (6,939 cases) were in wild animals, whereas 6.7% (497 cases) were in domestic species (compared with 93.

Antimicrobial activity of dequalinium chloride against leading germs of vaginal infections.

Dequalinium chloride (CAS 522-51-0) and povidone iodine (CAS 25655-41-8) are known as antiseptic agents and used in the local treatment of vaginal infections. Clotrimazole (CAS 23593-75-1) is an anti-fungal drug and applied primarily in the therapy of vulvo-vaginal candidiasis and to a lesser extent in bacterial vaginosis and trichomoniasis. However, antimicrobial activities of those three agents in comparison to each other have not been reported so far.

Pyrene degradation by Mycobacterium sp. strain KR2.

A Mycobacterium sp., strain KR2 which was able to utilise pyrene as sole source of carbon and energy was isolated from a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminated soil originating from the area of a former gaswork plant. The isolate metabolised up to 60% of the pyrene added (0.

Distribution and transmission of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia in a hospital ward.

Genotyping and antibiotic susceptibility testing were used to analyze Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia strains from sink drain from 14 pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and from hospital personnel as part of a 4 week prospective study of strain transmission in a pediatric ward. A total of 87.5% of all washbasin drains were contaminated with P.

Effects of Sotalol on His-Purkinje Conduction and Refractoriness in Humans.

BACKGROUND: The effects of sotalol on refractoriness in human ventricular and atrial muscles have been well established, but the drug's effect on the electrical properties of the His-Purkinje system in humans is not known, especially whether sotalol's effect is due solely to its action on prolonging repolarization or in combination with its beta-blocking properties. We studied the electrophysiologic effects of intravenous sotalol and propranolol in patients undergoing electrophysiologic studies of cardiac arrhythmias. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 22 patients (19 men, 3 women; mean age, 60 +/- 6 years) who had coronary artery disease and assessable anterograde, retrograde, or both, His-Purkinje system function.

Mitral valve resistance as a hemodynamic indicator in mitral stenosis.

Variability of the valve area calculated by the Gorlin formula has been noted in bioprosthetic and aortic valves, but few data are available for native stenotic mitral valves. Valve resistance has been proposed as an alternative hemodynamic indicator; however, its value in mitral stenosis has not been assessed. Thirty-four patients had simultaneous recordings of left atrial and ventricular pressures, 26 after percutaneous balloon mitral dilatation (PBMD).

Storage, ultrastructural targeting and function of toposomes and hyalin in sea urchin embryogenesis.

This study compares by immunogold labeling the ultrastructural localization of a hexameric 22S glycoprotein, called toposome, with that of hyalin in unfertilized eggs and cells of hatched sea urchin blastulae. Nearly all hyalin is present in the electron translucent compartment of the cortical granules and in the translucent non-cortical pigment granules. In the blastula both of these intracellular stores have vanished and hyalin now forms a broad band below the apical lamina.

Functional characterization of toposomes from sea urchin blastula embryos by a morphogenetic cell aggregation assay.

This paper documents the evidence that the large oligomeric glycoprotein complexes of unknown function first isolated as 22S particles from sea urchin embryos are the sole agents responsible for the adhesive integrity of sea urchin blastula embryos. The conclusion rests on the demonstration that polyclonal IgG (as serum or monovalent Fab) against whole membranes or butanol-solubilized components of membranes, as well as against the purified particle itself, completely blocks reaggregation of dissociated blastula cells and that this inhibition is reversed by neutralization of the inhibitory antibodies with purified 22S antigen. An essential aspect of the evidence is the combination of quantitative endpoint titrations in microtiter wells with the qualitative parameters of morphogenesis.

Sequencing the human genome.

The title of the report by R. Myerowitz and N. Hogikyan on page 1646 of the issue of 27 June was incorrect.

Characterization of toposomes from sea urchin blastula cells: a cell organelle mediating cell adhesion and expressing positional information.

Cell adhesion in the sea urchin blastula is mediated by a 22S genus-specific glycoprotein complex consisting initially of six 160-kDa subunits that are processed proteolytically as development proceeds. Noncytolytic removal of the 22S particle from the surface with either 2.5% butanol or trypsin renders dissociated cells reaggregation incompetent, and addition restores reaggregation and development.

How to shape incentive plans for the hospital's top executives.

Surprisingly few hospital boards use incentive payment plans for their top executives. In this article, the author provides a rationale for their use, reviews various incentive plan formats, and suggests a sample incentive contract.