Transcriptomic Analysis of LNCaP Tumor Xenograft to Elucidate the Components and Mechanisms Contributed by Tumor Environment as Targets for Dietary Prostate Cancer Prevention Studies.

LNCaP athymic xenograft model has been widely used to allow researchers to examine the effects and mechanisms of experimental treatments such as diet and diet-derived cancer preventive and therapeutic compounds on prostate cancer. However, the biological characteristics of human LNCaP cells before/after implanting in athymic mouse and its relevance to clinical human prostate outcomes remain unclear and may dictate interpretation of biological efficacies/mechanisms of diet/diet-derived experimental treatments. In this study, transcriptome profiles and pathways of human prostate LNCaP cells before (in vitro) and after (in vivo) implanting into xenograft mouse were compared using RNA-sequencing technology (RNA-seq) followed by bioinformatic analysis.

Salmonella enterica serovar Kentucky recovered from human clinical cases in Maryland, USA (2011-2015).

Salmonella Kentucky is among the most frequently isolated S. enterica serovars from food animals in the United States. Recent research on isolates recovered from these animals suggests there may be geographic and host specificity signatures associated with S.

Peptidoglycan Hydrolytic Activity of Bacteriophage Lytic Proteins in Zymogram Analysis.

Zymogram or zymography is an electrophoretic technique based on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), which enables visualization of enzymatically active protein species separated by molecular mass. The strategy is to perform SDS-PAGE on the proteins in question while including an opaque substrate of the enzyme embedded within the polyacrylamide gel. Here, we describe a zymogram protocol for phage lytic proteins (peptidoglycan hydrolases) using peptidoglycan (or whole cells) from a susceptible gram-positive bacterial species as substrate.

Composting To Inactivate Foodborne Pathogens for Crop Soil Application: A Review.

Compost is organic material that has been degraded into a nutrient-stabilized humus-like substance through intense microbial activity, which can provide essential plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus) to aid in the growth of fruits and vegetables. Compost can be generated from animal waste feedstocks; these can contain human pathogens, which can be inactivated through the heat and microbial competition promoted during the composting process. Outbreaks of infections caused by bacterial pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes on fruit and vegetable commodities consumed raw emphasize the importance of minimizing the risk of pathogenic contamination on produce commodities.

An evaluation of the virulence and adherence properties of avian pathogenic .

Avian pathogenic (APEC) cause disease primarly in poultry; however, the link between APEC and infections in humans is questionable. In this current study, a total of 100 APEC strains isolated from chickens in Delmarva were evaluated for the presence of virulence genes to investigate their zoonotic potential in humans. A total of 28 isolates possessed one Enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC) virulence factor each and 87 isolates possessed up to 5 extraintestinal pathogenic (ExPEC) virulence factors.

Genome Sequences of 30 O157:H7 Isolates Recovered from a Single Dairy Farm and Its Associated Off-Site Heifer-Raising Facility.

Cattle are the primary reservoir of O157:H7, the most frequently isolated serotype of enterohemorrhagic infections among humans in North America. To evaluate the diversity of O157:H7 isolates within a single dairy herd, the genomes of 30 isolates collected over a 7-year period were sequenced.

Genome Sequences of Five Multidrug-Resistant Sequence Type 117 Isolates Recovered from Dairy Calves.

sequence type 117 (ST117) strains have been recovered from poultry with colibacillosis, as well as from urinary tract infections and fatal septic infections in humans. To further investigate ST117 isolates recovered from nonpoultry food animals, we sequenced the genomes of five ST117 isolates from dairy calves in Pennsylvania.

α-Copaene is an attractant, synergistic with quercivorol, for improved detection of Euwallacea nr. fornicatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae).

The tea shot-hole borer, Euwallacea fornicatus Eichhoff, is an ambrosia beetle endemic to Asia and a pest of commercial tea, Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze. Recently, a complex of species morphologically similar to E.

Genome Sequences of Four Nonhuman/Nonclinical Serovar Kentucky ST198 Isolates Recovered between 1972 and 1973.

serovar Kentucky is a polyphyletic member of subclade A1 with multiple sequence types that often colonize the same hosts but in different frequencies on different continents. To evaluate the genomic features involved in  Kentucky host specificity, we sequenced the genomes of four isolates recovered in the 1970s.

Red Cabbage Microgreens Lower Circulating Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), Liver Cholesterol, and Inflammatory Cytokines in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, and hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor. Population studies, as well as animal and intervention studies, support the consumption of a variety of vegetables as a means to reduce CVD risk through modulation of hypercholesterolemia. Microgreens of a variety of vegetables and herbs have been reported to be more nutrient dense compared to their mature counterparts.

Importance of Soil Amendments: Survival of Bacterial Pathogens in Manure and Compost Used as Organic Fertilizers.

Biological soil amendments (BSAs) such as manure and compost are frequently used as organic fertilizers to improve the physical and chemical properties of soils. However, BSAs have been known to be a reservoir for enteric bacterial pathogens such as enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), Salmonella spp., and Listeria spp.

Temporal and spatial mosaics: deep host association and shallow geographic drivers shape genetic structure in a widespread pinworm, .

Climate and host demographic cycling often shape both parasite genetic diversity and host distributions, processes that transcend a history of strict host-parasite association. We explored host associations and histories based on an evaluation of mitochondrial and nuclear sequences to reveal the underlying history and genetic structure of a pinworm, , infecting 10 species of western North American chipmunks (Rodentia:, subgenus ). contains divergent lineages influenced by the diversity of hosts and variation across the complex topography of western North America.

Genomic and Evolutionary Analysis of Two Salmonella enterica Serovar Kentucky Sequence Types Isolated from Bovine and Poultry Sources in North America.

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Kentucky is frequently isolated from healthy poultry and dairy cows and is occasionally isolated from people with clinical disease. A genomic analysis of 119 isolates collected in the United States from dairy cows, ground beef, poultry and poultry products, and human clinical cases was conducted.

Survival of Salmonella enterica in Dried Turkey Manure and Persistence on Spinach Leaves.

Concerns about the microbiological safety of fresh produce have attracted attention in the past three decades due to multiple foodborne outbreaks. Animal manure contaminated with enteric pathogens has been identified as an important preharvest pathogen source. This study investigated the survival of Salmonella enterica in dust particles of dehydrated turkey manure and how association with manure dust may enhance the survival of salmonellae on leafy greens in the field.

Evolution in action: climate change, biodiversity dynamics and emerging infectious disease.

Climatological variation and ecological perturbation have been pervasive drivers of faunal assembly, structure and diversification for parasites and pathogens through recurrent events of geographical and host colonization at varying spatial and temporal scales of Earth history. Episodic shifts in climate and environmental settings, in conjunction with ecological mechanisms and host switching, are often critical determinants of parasite diversification, a view counter to more than a century of coevolutionary thinking about the nature of complex host-parasite assemblages. Parasites are resource specialists with restricted host ranges, yet shifts onto relatively unrelated hosts are common during phylogenetic diversification of parasite lineages and directly observable in real time.

Physical covering for control of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. in static and windrow composting processes.

This study investigated the effect of a 30-cm covering of finished compost (FC) on survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. in active static and windrow composting systems. Feedstocks inoculated with E.

Enzymatic activity and substrate specificity of the recombinant tomato β-galactosidase 1.

The open reading frame of tomato β-galactosidase 1 was expressed in yeast, and the enzymatic properties and substrate specificity were investigated. The enzyme had peak activity at pH 5.0 and 40-50°C.

North American Lauraceae: terpenoid emissions, relative attraction and boring preferences of redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus (coleoptera: curculionidae: scolytinae).

The invasive redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, is the primary vector of Raffaelea lauricola, a symbiotic fungus and the etiologic agent of laurel wilt. This lethal disease has caused severe mortality of redbay (Persea borbonia) and swampbay (P. palustris) trees in the southeastern USA, threatens avocado (P.

Comparison of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Composting Council microbial detection methods in finished compost and regrowth potential of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in finished compost.

Bacterial pathogens may survive and regrow in finished compost due to incomplete thermal inactivation during or recontamination after composting. Twenty-nine finished composts were obtained from 19 U.S.

Identification and characterization of microRNAs expressed in chicken skeletal muscle.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) encompass a class of small non-coding RNAs that often negatively regulate gene expression. miRNAs play an essential role in skeletal muscle, determining the proper development and maintenance of this tissue. In comparison to other organs and tissues, the full set of muscle miRNAs and its expression patterns are still poorly understood.

Use of zero-valent iron biosand filters to reduce Escherichia coli O157:H12 in irrigation water applied to spinach plants in a field setting.

Aims: Zero-valent iron (ZVI) filters may provide an efficient method to mitigate the contamination of produce crops through irrigation water.

Methods: A field-scale system was utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of a biosand filter (S), a biosand filter with ZVI incorporated (ZVI) and a control (C, no treatment) in decontaminating irrigation water. An inoculum of c.

Effect of modified atmosphere packaging on the persistence and expression of virulence factors of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on shredded iceberg lettuce.

Fresh-cut leafy greens contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 have caused foodborne outbreaks. Packaging conditions, coupled with abusive storage temperatures of contaminated lettuce, were evaluated for their effect on the potential virulence of E. coli O157:H7.

Enzymatic activity and substrate specificity of recombinant tomato beta-galactosidases 4 and 5.

The open reading frames of tomato beta-galactosidase (TBG) 4 and 5 cDNAs were expressed in yeast, and the enzymes properties and substrate specificities were investigated. The two enzymes had peak activities between pH 4-4.5 and 37-45 degrees C.

Discovery and profiling of bovine microRNAs from immune-related and embryonic tissues.

MicroRNAs are small approximately 22 nucleotide-long noncoding RNAs capable of controlling gene expression by inhibiting translation. Alignment of human microRNA stem-loop sequences (mir) against a recent draft sequence assembly of the bovine genome resulted in identification of 334 predicted bovine mir. We sequenced five tissue-specific cDNA libraries derived from the small RNA fractions of bovine embryo, thymus, small intestine, and lymph node to validate these predictions and identify new mir.