Brain health: Pathway to primary prevention of neurodegenerative disorders of environmental origin.

While rising global rates of neurodegenerative disease encourage early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention to block clinical expression (secondary prevention), a more powerful approach is to identify and remove environmental factors that trigger long-latencybrain disease (primary prevention) by acting on a susceptible genotype or acting alone. The latter is illustrated by the post-World War II decline and disappearance of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinsonism-Dementia Complex (ALS/PDC), a prototypical often-familial neurodegenerative disease formerly present in very high incidence on the island of Guam. Lessons learned from 75 years of investigation on the etiology of ALS/PDC include: the importance of focusing field research on the disease epicenter and patients with early-onset disease; soliciting exposure history from patients, family, and community to guide multidisciplinary biomedical investigation; recognition that disease phenotype may vary with exposure history, and that familial brain disease may have a primarily environmental origin.

Cramp-Fasciculation Syndrome Associated with Natural and Added Chemicals in Popular Food Items.

Cramp-fasciculation syndrome (CFS) is a rare and benign neuromuscular disorder that may initially masquerade as motor neuron disease/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. While CFS may have a familial disposition, we report on cases associated with high consumption of popular food items. One set of patients reversibly experienced acute onset of headache, flushing, muscle stiffness and fasciculations following the consumption of umami-flavored food containing a large concentration of monosodium glutamate.

Corrected speciation and gyromitrin content of false morels linked to ALS patients with mostly slow-acetylator phenotypes.

A case-control study of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a mountainous village in the French Alps discovered an association of cases with a history of eating wild fungi (false morels) collected locally and initially identified and erroneously reported as . Specialist re-examination of dried specimens of the ALS-associated fungi demonstrated they were members of the group, namely , species that have been reported to contain substantially higher concentrations of gyromitrin than present in . Gyromitrin is metabolized to monomethylhydrazine, which is responsible not only for the acute oral toxic and neurotoxic properties of false morels but also has genotoxic potential with proposed mechanistic relevance to the etiology of neurodegenerative disease.

Early-onset, conjugal, twin-discordant, and clusters of sporadic ALS: Pathway to discovery of etiology lifetime exposome research.

The identity and role of environmental factors in the etiology of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS) is poorly understood outside of three former high-incidence foci of Western Pacific ALS and a hotspot of sALS in the French Alps. In both instances, there is a strong association with exposure to DNA-damaging (genotoxic) chemicals years or decades prior to clinical onset of motor neuron disease. In light of this recent understanding, we discuss published geographic clusters of ALS, conjugal cases, single-affected twins, and young-onset cases in relation to their demographic, geographic and environmental associations but also whether, in theory, there was the possibility of exposure to genotoxic chemicals of natural or synthetic origin.

Correction: Lagrange, E.; Vernoux, J.-P. Warning on False or True Morels and Button Mushrooms with Potential Toxicity Linked to Hydrazinic Toxins: An Update. 2020, , 482.

The authors wish to make corrections to their paper [...

Integrating Selection and Risk Assessment of Chemical Mixtures: A Novel Approach Applied to a Breast Milk Survey.

Background: One of the main challenges of modern risk assessment is to account for combined exposure to the multitude of various substances present in food and the environment.

Objective: The present work proposes a methodological approach to perform chemical risk assessment of contaminant mixtures across regulatory silos regarding an extensive range of substances and to do so when comprehensive relevant data concerning the specific effects and modes of action of the mixture components are not available.

Methods: We developed a complete step-by-step approach using statistical methods to prioritize substances involved in combined exposure, and we used a component-based approach to cumulate the risk using dose additivity.

Reversible sub-acute motor neuron syndrome after mushroom intoxication masquerading as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

A 56-year-old man presented with rapidly evolving/sub-acute upper and lower motor neuron syndrome in 2015 with significant weakness in the four limbs and the bulbar region. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis functional rating scale-revised (ALSFRS-r) was rated 34/48. On electromyography, there was a diffuse and active denervation in the four limbs and the tongue.

An amyotrophic lateral sclerosis hot spot in the French Alps associated with genotoxic fungi.

Between 1990 and 2018, 14 cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were diagnosed in residents of, and in visitors with second homes to, a mountainous hamlet in the French Alps. Systematic investigation revealed a socio-professional network that connected ALS cases. Genetic risk factors for ALS were excluded.

Health risk assessment related to pinnatoxins in French shellfish.

Pinnatoxins (PnTXs) are a group of emerging marine biotoxins produced by the benthic dinoflagellate Vulcanodinium rugosum, currently not regulated in Europe or in any other country in the world. In France, PnTXs were detected for the first time in 2011, in mussels from the Ingril lagoon (South of France, Mediterranean coast). Since then, analyses carried out in mussels from this lagoon have shown high concentrations of PnTXs for several months each year.

Purification, Characterization and Thermodynamic Assessment of an Alkaline Protease by of Dairy Origin.

Background: Alkaline proteases is the important group of enzymes having numerous industrial applications including dairy food formulations.

Objectives: The current study deals with the purification and characterization of an alkaline serine protease produced by QAUGC01, isolated from indigenous fermented milk product, Dahi.

Material And Methods: In total twelve strains were screened for their proteolytic activity by using standard protease assay.

Pinnatoxins' Deleterious Effects on Cholinergic Networks: From Experimental Models to Human Health.

Pinnatoxins (PnTXs) are emerging neurotoxins that were discovered about 30 years ago. They are solely produced by the marine dinoflagellate , and may be transferred into the food chain, as they have been found in various marine invertebrates, including bivalves. No human intoxication has been reported to date although acute toxicity was induced by PnTxs in rodents.

Safety assessment of Gram-negative bacteria associated with traditional French cheeses.

Twenty Gram-negative bacterial (GNB) strains were selected based on the biodiversity previously observed in French traditional cheeses and their safety was assessed considering various safety criteria. For the majority of tested GNB strains, only gastric stress at pH 2 (vs pH 4) resulted in low survival and no regrowth after an additional simulated gastro-intestinal stress. Presence of milk was shown to be rarely protective.

Incidence and clinical characteristics of ciguatera fish poisoning in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) between 2013 and 2016: a retrospective cases-series.

This retrospective case study analysed the incidence and symptoms of ciguatera fish poisoning (ciguatera) in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) between 2013 and 2016. Cases attending the emergency departments of the two public hospitals and the reports received by the regional health authority in charge of monitoring (ARS) were compiled. Two hundred and thirty-four cases of poisoning were observed, with a mean annual incidence of 1.

Usefulness of FTIR spectroscopy to distinguish rough and smooth variants of Lactobacillus farciminis CNCM-I-3699.

In this study, the potential of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for assessing putative biochemical and structural differences between the two variants, rough (R) and smooth (S), of Lactobacillus farciminis CNCM-I-3699, a pleomorphic strain, was investigated. The main differences observed were localized in the polysaccharide (1200-900 cm-1) and protein (1700-1500 cm-1) regions. Based on spectral information in these two spectral ranges, clustering resulted in a dendrogram that showed a clear discrimination between both morphotypes.

Draft Genome Sequence of Enterococcus mundtii QAUEM2808, Isolated from Dahi, a Fermented Milk Product.

Enterococcus mundtii QAUEM2808 has been isolated from dahi, an indigenous fermented milk product of Pakistan. Here, we report the draft genome sequence for this strain, which consists of 160 contigs corresponding to 2,957,514 bp and a G+C content of 38.5%.

Genome Sequence of Rough and Smooth Variants of Pleomorphic Strain Lactobacillus farciminis CNCM-I-3699.

The probiotic Lactobacillus farciminis CNCM-I-3699 is a pleomorphic strain exhibiting smooth and rough variants. We report their complete genomes consisting of a chromosome of 2, 4 Mb and a plasmid of 6,417 bp. The smooth variant differs by the presence of an additional plasmid of 35,418 bp.

Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus rhamnosus Strain CNCM I-3698.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus CNCM I-3698 is a commercially available probiotic that is used in animal feed as an additive. Here, we announce the draft genome sequence for this strain, consisting of 71 contigs corresponding to 2,966,480 bp and a G+C content of 46.69%.

Rough and smooth morphotypes isolated from Lactobacillus farciminis CNCM I-3699 are two closely-related variants.

This study focused on a pleomorphic strain Lactobacillus farciminis CNCM I-3699 known as probiotic for animal applications. On plating, this strain was characterized by the presence of rough and smooth morphotypes depending on experimental conditions. Dominant smooth (S) form, bright white, having smooth edges with moist, ropy, and creamy along with rough (R) form, pale white, having irregular edges and a dry and granular aspect were always obtained from the parent strain under aerobic culture conditions.

Aromatic amino acids as precursors of antimicrobial metabolites in Geotrichum candidum.

Geotrichum candidum ATCC 204307 was previously found to generate phenyllactic acid (PLA) and indoleacetic acid (ILA) in complex culture media. In this study, a relationship between concentrations of PLA, ILA, and hydroxy PLA (OH-PLA) and initial concentrations of phenylalanine, tryptophan, and tyrosine, added respectively as unique sources of nitrogen in synthetic medium, was established. Phenylpyruvic acid (PPA), an intermediate compound of PLA metabolism, was able to induce not only PLA but also phenylethyl alcohol (PEA) production when used separately as initial substrate.

Overview of differences between microbial feed additives and probiotics for food regarding regulation, growth promotion effects and health properties and consequences for extrapolation of farm animal results to humans.

For many years, microbial adjuncts have been used to supplement the diets of farm animals and humans. They have evolved since the 1990s to become known as probiotics, i.e.

In vitro characterization of aggregation and adhesion properties of viable and heat-killed forms of two probiotic Lactobacillus strains and interaction with foodborne zoonotic bacteria, especially Campylobacter jejuni.

Bacterial aggregation and/or adhesion are key factors for colonization of the digestive ecosystem and the ability of probiotic strains to exclude pathogens. In the present study, two probiotic strains, Lactobacillus rhamnosus CNCM-I-3698 and Lactobacillus farciminis CNCM-I-3699, were evaluated as viable or heat-killed forms and compared with probiotic reference Lactobacillus strains (Lb. rhamnosus GG and Lb.

Reduced growth of Listeria monocytogenes in two model cheese microcosms is not associated with individual microbial strains.

Two model antilisterial microbial communities consisting of two yeasts, two Gram positive and two Gram negative bacteria, and originating from Livarot cheese smear were previously designed. They were used in the present study to analyse the impact of microbial population dynamics on growth of Listeria monocytogenes in cheese microcosm. Specific culture media and PCR primers were developed for simultaneous culture-dependent and real-time PCR quantification of strains belonging to Marinomonas sp.