A Viability Quantitative PCR Dilemma: Are Longer Amplicons Better?

The development of viability quantitative PCR (v-qPCR) has allowed for a more accurate assessment of the viability of a microbial sample by limiting the amplification of DNA from dead cells. Although valuable, v-qPCR is not infallible. One of the most limiting factors for accurate live/dead distinction is the length of the qPCR amplicon used.

Occurrence of 'gang of five' Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli serogroups on Belgian dairy cattle farms by overshoe sampling.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are foodborne pathogens responsible for global outbreaks. This study was conducted to investigate the occurrence of 'gang of five' STEC serogroups (O26, O103, O111, O145, O157) on Belgian dairy cattle farms by overshoe (OVS) sampling, and to evaluate the presence of virulence genes in the obtained isolates. A total of 88 OVS, collected from the pen beddings of 19 Belgian dairy cattle farms, were selectively enriched in mTSBn, followed by immunomagnetic separation and plating onto CT-SMAC for O157 STEC isolation, as well as in Brila broth, followed by a selective acid treatment and plating onto CHROMagar STEC and chromID EHEC for non-O157 STEC isolation.

Effect of speciation and composition on the kinetics and precipitation of arsenic sulfide from industrial metallurgical wastewater.

Precipitation of arsenic as AsS produces little waste sludge, has the potential for low chemical consumption and for selective metal(loid) removal. In this study, arsenic removal from acidic (pH 2), metallurgical wastewater was tested in industrially relevant conditions. Sulfides added at a S:As molar ratio of 2.

New records of the land and freshwater molluscs of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain).

"Land and freshwater molluscs of Gran Canaria (Spain)" is an occurrence dataset containing 389 observations of 59 different taxa of land and freshwater molluscs encountered on Gran Canaria, an island central in the Canarian archipelago (Spain). Of these 59 different (sub)species, 27 are with certainty currently endemic to the island of Gran Canaria. Various sites were inspected in a period between 1988 and 2020.

Pathogenic potential of Escherichia coli O157 and O26 isolated from young Belgian dairy calves by recto-anal mucosal swab culturing.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of Escherichia coli O157 and O26 on Belgian dairy cattle farms, the presence of virulence genes in the confirmed isolates and the association of E. coli O26 presence with calf diarrhoea.

Methods And Results: In total, 233 recto-anal mucosal swabs (RAMS) were obtained from healthy and diarrheic dairy calves on three farms, each alternately visited three consecutive times.

Online Turbulent Flow Extraction and Column Switching for the Confirmatory Analysis of Stimulants in Urine by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.

Stimulants are often used to treat attention deficit disorders and nasal congestion. As they can be misused and overdosed, the detection of stimulants is relevant in the toxicological field as well as in the doping control field. The effects of stimulants can indeed be beneficial for athletes.

Development of Bionanocomposites Based on Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate-co-3-Hydroxyvalerate)/PolylActide Blends Reinforced with Cloisite 30B.

In the present study, poly(3-hydroxybuturate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and plasticized polylactide acid (PLA) blends were processed by melt extrusion with different weight ratio (up to 20 wt.% of PHBV). Bionanocomposites were obtained through the incorporation of an organomodified montmorillonite (C30B) at 3 wt.

Pesticide and veterinary drug residues in Belgian beeswax: Occurrence, toxicity, and risk to honey bees.

Pesticide and veterinary drug residues are one of the stress factors affecting bee health and mortality. To investigate the occurrence, the concentration and the toxicity risk to bees of pesticide residues in four different types of beeswax (brood comb wax, recycled comb wax, honey comb wax, and cappings wax), 182 samples were collected from apiaries located all over the Belgian territories, during spring 2016 and analysed by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS for the presence of 294 chemical residues. The toxicity risk to bees expressed as the Hazard Quotient (HQ) was calculated for each wax sample, according to two scenarios with different tau-fluvalinate LD values.

Steroid profiling in urine of intact glucuronidated and sulfated steroids using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Detection of endogenous anabolic androgenic steroids (EAAS) misuse is a major challenge in doping control analysis. Currently, a number of endogenous steroids, which constitute the steroid profile, are quantified using gas chromatography (GC). With this methodology, only the sum of the free and glucuronidated steroids is measured together.

High temperatures alter cross-over distribution and induce male meiotic restitution in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Plant fertility is highly sensitive to elevated temperature. Here, we report that hot spells induce the formation of dyads and triads by disrupting the biogenesis or stability of the radial microtubule arrays (RMAs) at telophase II. Heat-induced meiotic restitution in Arabidopsis is predominantly SDR-type (Second Division Restitution) indicating specific interference with RMAs formed between separated sister chromatids.

Variation in behavioral traits of two frugivorous mammals may lead to differential responses to human disturbance.

Human activities can lead to a shift in wildlife species' spatial distribution. Understanding the specific effects of human activities on ranging behavior can improve conservation management of wildlife populations in human-dominated landscapes. This study evaluated the effects of forest use by humans on the spatial distribution of mammal species with different behavioral adaptations, using sympatric western lowland gorilla and central chimpanzee as focal species.

Development and validation of a fast gas chromatography combustion isotope ratio mass spectrometry method for the detection of epiandrosterone sulfate in urine.

In doping control, to confirm the exogenous origin of exogenously administered anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), a gas chromatography combustion isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS) analysis is performed. Recently published work suggests that epiandrosterone sulfate (EpiAS) is a promising IRMS target compound for the detection of AAS, capable of prolonging the detection window. However, EpiAS is only excreted in urine in its sulfoconjugated form, while all other IRMS target compounds are excreted glucuronidated, meaning that EpiAS cannot be incorporated in the existing IRMS methods.

A comparison of the nutritional value of Einkorn, Emmer, Khorasan and modern wheat: whole grains, processed in bread, and population-level intake implications.

Background: Interest in alternatives to the traditional wheat Triticum aestivum among farmers, millers, bakers, and consumers is increasing. The Altergrain project aimed to compare the Belgian-soil cultivated Einkorn (1K), Emmer (EMM), Khorasan (KH), and modern wheat (MW) with respect to nutritional values of kernels, breads made from these cereals, and population-level nutrient intake implications.

Results: Ancient wheats 1K, EMM, and KH contain lower total carbohydrate content than MW.

General health and residential proximity to the coast in Belgium: Results from a cross-sectional health survey.

The health risks of coastal areas have long been researched, but the potential benefits for health are only recently being explored. The present study compared the general health of Belgian citizens a) according to the EU's definition of coastal (<50 km) vs. inland (>50 km), and b) between eight more refined categories of residential proximity to the coast (<5 km to >250 km).

Honeybee and consumer's exposure and risk characterisation to glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) and its degradation product (AMPA): Residues in beebread, wax, and honey.

In order to assess bee and human exposure to residues of glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) and its main degradation products aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) and to characterise the risk posed by these substances, we analysed 3 different bee matrices; beebread (N = 81), wax (N = 100) and 10-paired samples of wax/honey collected in 2016/2017 from 379 Belgian apiaries. A high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS-MS) was used as analytical method. Limit of quantification and detection (LOQ and LOD) for GBH residues and AMPA in the 3 matrices was respectively of 10 ng g and 1 ng g.

Treatment of Resistant Depression: A Pilot Study Assessing the Efficacy of a tDCS-Mindfulness Program Compared With a tDCS-Relaxation Program.

This pilot study explores a therapeutic setting combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for patients with drug-resistant depression. tDCS has shown efficacy for depression treatment and improvement could be maintained with the combination with mindfulness, which has shown depression relapse-prevention properties. Thirty-one treatment-resistant depressed patients have been assigned to our experimental treatment condition [tDCS combined with MBCT ( = 15)] or to a control condition [tDCS combined with relaxation ( = 16)].

Global distribution of earthworm diversity.

Soil organisms, including earthworms, are a key component of terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about their diversity, their distribution, and the threats affecting them. We compiled a global dataset of sampled earthworm communities from 6928 sites in 57 countries as a basis for predicting patterns in earthworm diversity, abundance, and biomass.

Induction and Characterization of Diploid Pollen Grains in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Polyploidization or whole genome duplication (WGD) is one of the main forces driving plant genome evolution and biodiversity with major implications for plant breeding and crop improvement. In nature, de novo formation of polyploid plant genomes most likely occurs through a modification of the sexual reproductive pathway. By interfering with reproductive genome stability, for example, via induction of meiotic restitution, diploid or polyploid gametes are ectopically formed that may participate in fertilization to yield polyploid offspring.

Belgian case study on flumethrin residues in beeswax: Possible impact on honeybee and prediction of the maximum daily intake for consumers.

To assess the health risk posed by flumethrin residues in beeswax to honeybees and honey consumers, 124 wax samples randomly distributed in Belgium were analysed for flumethrin residues using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The risk posed by flumethrin residues in beeswax to honeybee health was assessed through the calculation of a non-pondered and a pondered Hazard Quotient by the prevalence rate of flumethrin considering an oral or topical exposure. No statistical difference was found when comparing both the average flumethrin residues concentrations and contact and oral pondered hazard quotients between apiaries with lower and equal or higher than 10% of colony loss.

Development of antiseptic adaptation and cross-adapatation in selected oral pathogens in vitro.

There is evidence that pathogenic bacteria can adapt to antiseptics upon repeated exposure. More alarming is the concomitant increase in antibiotic resistance that has been described for some pathogens. Unfortunately, effects of adaptation and cross-adaptation are hardly known for oral pathogens, which are very frequently exposed to antiseptics.

Use of (modified) natural adsorbents for arsenic remediation: A review.

Arsenic (As) is a ubiquitous element found in the atmosphere, soils and rocks, natural waters and organisms. It is one of the most toxic elements and has been classified as a human carcinogen (group I). Arsenic contamination in the groundwater has been observed in >70 countries, like Bangladesh, India, West Bengal, Myanmar, Pakistan, Vietnam, Nepal, Cambodia, United States and China.

The distribution of plant consumption traits across habitat types and the patterns of fruit availability suggest a mechanism of coexistence of two sympatric frugivorous mammals.

Unlabelled: Understanding the mechanisms governing the coexistence of organisms is an important question in ecology, and providing potential solutions contributes to conservation science. In this study, we evaluated the contribution of several mechanisms to the coexistence of two sympatric frugivores, using western lowland gorillas () and central chimpanzees () in a tropical rainforest of southeast Cameroon as a model system. We collected great ape fecal samples to determine and classify fruit species consumed; we conducted great ape nest surveys to evaluate seasonal patterns of habitat use; and we collected botanical data to investigate the distribution of plant species across habitat types in relation to their "consumption traits" (which indicate whether plants are preferred or fallback for either gorilla, chimpanzee, or both).

Socioeconomic Disparities in Diet Vary According to Migration Status among Adolescents in Belgium.

Little information concerning social disparities in adolescent dietary habits is currently available, especially regarding migration status. The aim of the present study was to estimate socioeconomic disparities in dietary habits of school adolescents from different migration backgrounds. In the 2014 cross-sectional "Health Behavior in School-Aged Children" survey in Belgium, food consumption was estimated using a self-administrated short food frequency questionnaire.

Biomimetic strategy towards gelatin coatings on PET. Effect of protocol on coating stability and cell-interactive properties.

Gelatin-modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) surfaces have been previously realized via an intermediate dopamine coating procedure that resulted in surfaces with superior haemocompatibility compared to unfunctionalized PET. The present study addresses the biocompatibility assessment of these coated PET surfaces. In this context, the stability of the gelatin coating upon exposure to physiological conditions and its cell-interactive properties were investigated.