Infant Botulism: In Search of Clostridium botulinum Spores.

Infant botulism is now the most common form of human botulism in Canada and the United States. Infant botulism is a severe neuroparalytic disease caused by ingestion of the spore-forming neurotoxic clostridia, including Clostridium botulinum that colonize the large intestine and subsequently produce botulinum neurotoxin in situ. It has been over a century since the first surveys documenting the ubiquitous prevalence of C.

Complete genomes of type B(F) isolates associated with a 1995 foodborne botulism outbreak from commercial pâté reveals a recombination event disrupting the gene.

Foodborne botulism is a neuroparalytic disease caused by ingestion of foods contaminated with botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), produced by . In 1995 a husband and wife from Québec, Canada, were hospitalized for several months with prolonged muscle paralysis after ingesting a commercial . Examination of faecal samples from both patients and the pâté produced viable Group I (proteolytic) type B from each of the three samples.

Viable spores not detected in the household dust of major Canadian cities.

causes infant botulism by colonising the intestines and producing botulinum neurotoxin Previous reports have linked infant botulism cases to spores in household dust, yet the baseline incidence of spores in residential households is currently unknown. Vacuum cleaner dust from 963 households in 13 major Canadian cities was tested for using a novel real-time PCR assay directed against all known subtypes of the botulinum neurotoxin gene. None of the samples tested positive for Analysis of a random subset of samples by MALDI Biotyper revealed that the most common anaerobic bacterial isolates were of the genus and the most common species recovered overall was Dust that was spiked with spores of each toxin type successfully produced positive real-time PCR reactions.

Foodborne Botulism, Canada, 2006-2021.

During 2006-2021, Canada had 55 laboratory-confirmed outbreaks of foodborne botulism, involving 67 cases. The mean annual incidence was 0.01 case/100,000 population.

Inactivation of Group I and Group II Clostridium botulinum spores by ultraviolet irradiation in water.

Spores of Clostridium botulinum are widely distributed in the environment, including in foods. Prevention of foodborne botulism relies on the inhibition of spore germination and subsequent growth and toxin production, or the destruction of viable spores in food and beverages. This study examined the lethality of 254 nm UV radiation (UV-C) to spores of Group I and Group II C.

Early postnatal defects in neurogenesis in the 3xTg mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder leading to dementia. The hippocampus, which is one of the sites where neural stem cells reside and new neurons are born, exhibits the most significant neuronal loss in AD. A decline in adult neurogenesis has been described in several animal models of AD.

Selective Synthesis of Monodisperse CoO Nanooctahedra as Catalysts for Electrochemical Water Oxidation.

Thermal decomposition is a promising route for the synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles because size and morphology can be tuned by minute control of the reaction variables. We synthesized CoO nanooctahedra with diameters of ∼48 nm and a narrow size distribution. Full control over nanoparticle size and morphology could be obtained by controlling the reaction time, surfactant ratio, and reactant concentrations.

Adult Intestinal Toxemia Botulism.

Intoxication with botulinum neurotoxin can occur through various routes. Foodborne botulism results after consumption of food in which botulinum neurotoxin-producing clostridia (i.e.

Simple Protocol for Distinguishing Drug-induced Effects on Spatial Memory Acquisition, Consolidation and Retrieval in Mice Using the Morris Water Maze.

The Morris water maze (MWM) is one of the most commonly used tests for assessing spatial learning and memory in mice. While the MWM is highly amenable to testing the effects of memory modifying drugs, most studies do not consider the timing or duration of drug exposure when conducting the MWM assay; factors that can strongly influence the effect of the drug on different stages of memory and interfere with data interpretation. Herein we describe a MWM protocol which offers the advantage of distinguishing the impact of a fast acting intraperitoneally (IP) injected drug on the different stages of spatial memory: acquisition, consolidation, and retrieval.

Aerobic Glycolysis Is Required for Spatial Memory Acquisition But Not Memory Retrieval in Mice.

The consolidation of newly formed memories and their retrieval are energetically demanding processes. Aerobic glycolysis (AG), also known as the Warburg effect, consists of the production of lactate from glucose in the presence of oxygen. The astrocyte neuron lactate shuttle hypothesis posits that astrocytes process glucose by AG to generate lactate, which is used as a fuel source within neurons to maintain synaptic activity.

Local Structure and Spectroscopic Properties of Eu-Doped BaZrO.

Pristine and Eu-doped BaZrO were synthesized via a solid-state reaction method, and the synthesized samples were systematically characterized. X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of single and pure phases of cubic-structured BaZrO. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy revealed the site occupancy of Eu and coordination environment around the different atomic sites.

p66Shc activation promotes increased oxidative phosphorylation and renders CNS cells more vulnerable to amyloid beta toxicity.

A key pathological feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the accumulation of the neurotoxic amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide within the brains of affected individuals. Previous studies have shown that neuronal cells selected for resistance to Aβ toxicity display a metabolic shift from mitochondrial-dependent oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to aerobic glycolysis to meet their energy needs. The Src homology/collagen (Shc) adaptor protein p66Shc is a key regulator of mitochondrial function, ROS production and aging.

Optimizing the Binding Energy of the Surfactant to Iron Oxide Yields Truly Monodisperse Nanoparticles.

Despite the great progress in the synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) using a thermal decomposition method, the production of NPs with low polydispersity index is still challenging. In a thermal decomposition synthesis, oleic acid (OAC) and oleylamine (OAM) are used as surfactants. The surfactants bind to the growth species, thereby controlling the reaction kinetics and hence playing a critical role in the final size and size distribution of the NPs.

Aerobic Glycolysis in the Frontal Cortex Correlates with Memory Performance in Wild-Type Mice But Not the APP/PS1 Mouse Model of Cerebral Amyloidosis.

Unlabelled: Aerobic glycolysis and lactate production in the brain plays a key role in memory, yet the role of this metabolism in the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains poorly understood. Here we examined the relationship between cerebral lactate levels and memory performance in an APP/PS1 mouse model of AD, which progressively accumulates amyloid-β. In vivo (1)H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed an age-dependent decline in lactate levels within the frontal cortex of control mice, whereas lactate levels remained unaltered in APP/PS1 mice from 3 to 12 months of age.

Engineered Inorganic/Organic-Core/Shell Magnetic FexOy Nanoparticles with Oleic Acid and/or Oleylamine As Capping Agents.

Magnetic nanoparticles with tailored surface chemistry are widely used for a number of different in vivo applications, ranging from tissue repair and magnetic cell separation through to cancer-hyperthermia, drug delivery and magnetic resonance imaging contrast enhancement. A major requirement for all these biomedical applications is that these nanoparticles must have high magnetization values and sizes smaller than 100 nm with a narrow particle size distribution. Thus nanoparticles must have uniform physical and chemical properties.

Analysis of the interaction of surfactants oleic acid and oleylamine with iron oxide nanoparticles through molecular mechanics modeling.

The interface interactions between surfactants oleic acid and oleylamine and magnetic nanoparticles are studied via molecular mechanics and dynamics. Mixtures of these two surfactants are widely advocated in the chemical synthesis of nanoparticles. However, the exact dynamic mechanism remains unclear.

Requisite role for Nck adaptors in cardiovascular development, endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and directed cell migration.

Development of the cardiovascular system is critically dependent on the ability of endothelial cells (ECs) to reorganize their intracellular actin architecture to facilitate migration, adhesion, and morphogenesis. Nck family cytoskeletal adaptors function as key mediators of actin dynamics in numerous cell types, though their role in EC biology remains largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrate an essential requirement for Nck within ECs.

Age-dependent metabolic dysregulation in cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Age is the main risk factor for cancer and neurodegeneration; two radically divergent diseases. Yet selective pressure to meet cellular metabolic needs may provide a common mechanism linking these two disorders. The exclusive use of glycolysis, despite the presence of oxygen, is commonly referred to as aerobic glycolysis and is the primary metabolic pathway of cancer cells.

Reevaluating Metabolism in Alzheimer's Disease from the Perspective of the Astrocyte-Neuron Lactate Shuttle Model.

The conventional view of central nervous system (CNS) metabolism is based on the assumption that glucose is the main fuel source for active neurons and is processed in an oxidative manner. However, since the early 1990s research has challenged the idea that the energy needs of nerve cells are met exclusively by glucose and oxidative metabolism. This alternative view of glucose utilization contends that astrocytes metabolize glucose to lactate, which is then released and taken up by nearby neurons and used as a fuel source, commonly known as the astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle (ANLS) model.

Damage control management of experimental grade 5 renal injuries: further evaluation of FloSeal gelatin matrix.

Background: We developed a porcine grade 5 renal laceration damage control model to evaluate the hemostatic efficacy of FloSeal gelatin matrix (Baxter Healthcare, Corp., Deerfield, Ill).

Methods: Ten commercial swine underwent celiotomy, contralateral nephrectomy, and cooling to 32 degrees C after a well-established hypothermia protocol to simulate a damage control scenario.

Use and limitations of magnetic resonance phase-contrast assessment of coronary flow reserve in a model of collateral dependence.

Phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI) is useful for assessing coronary artery flow reserves (CFR) in man and acute animal models with intermediate coronary lesions. The present study examines the use of PC-MRI for assessing CFR in a model with critical stenosis and collateral dependence. PC-MRI quantitative flow measurements from the proximal left anterior descending (LAD) and left circumflex (LCX) coronary arteries were compared with myocardial tissue perfusion reserve measurements (microsphere techniques) after placement of a 2.

Gelatin matrix treatment of complex renal injuries in a porcine model.

Purpose: We developed a complex porcine renal laceration model at our laboratory to test the efficacy of an abbreviated, sutureless treatment regimen using FloSeal gelatin matrix hemostatic sealant (Baxter Healthcare Corp., Fremont, California). We evaluated the influence of preliminary renal arterial occlusion on hemostatic efficacy and assessed the risk of delayed hematoma or urinoma formation after treatment.

Carotid redo surgery: both safe and durable.

Aim: To examine the outcomes and complications of surgery for recurrent carotid stenosis.

Methods: From 1974 to 2000, 1922 carotid endarterectomies were performed in our unit. A retrospective cohort analysis of these records identified 24 patients (1.