Defluorination of perfluoroalkyl acids is followed by production of monofluorinated fatty acids.

We investigated the capability of microorganisms isolated from environments polluted with perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) to conduct biotransformation of these emerging pollutants. Two different microbial consortia (chemoorganoheterotrophic bacteria and total yeast and molds) were isolated from two river sediments in Saitama and Osaka, Japan, known for long term pollution with perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The microbial consortia were incubated in the presence of added PFOS and PFOA, and decreases in concentrations of these compounds were between 46-69% and 16-36%, respectively.

Sensitivity enhancement of aminoglycosides in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry by post-column addition of trace sodium acetate in methanol.

The development of a sensitive and accurate analytical method for monitoring aminoglycosides in food, environmental, and clinical samples is needed for many purposes. This study found that the responses of sodiated and protonated aminoglycosides in hydrophilic interaction chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry were enhanced upon addition of sodium acetate in methanol (5 mg L at a flow rate of 0.2 mL min) as a post-column reagent.

The first fatal case of infection in Japan.

() is a zoonotic pathogen that occasionally causes diphtheria-like symptoms in humans. Cases of infection have been increasing in recent years, and has been recognized as an emerging pathogen. Here we report a case of asphyxia death due to pseudomembrane caused by diphtheria toxin (DT)-producing This is, to our knowledge, the first fatal case of infection in Japan.

Impact of Coxsackievirus A6 emergence on hand, foot, and mouth disease epidemic in Osaka City, Japan.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is an acute febrile illness characterized by fever; sore throat; and vesicular eruptions on the hands, feet, and oral mucosa. Until 2010, HFMD was predominantly associated with enterovirus (EV) A71 and coxsackievirus (CV) A16 in Japan. In 2011, CV-A6 emerged as a primary causative agent, causing the largest HFMD epidemic in Japan since 1981.

[PCR-Based Method for the Detection of Toxic Mushrooms Causing Food-Poisoning Incidents].

In this study, species-specific identification of five toxic mushrooms, Chlorophyllum molybdites, Gymnopilus junonius, Hypholoma fasciculare, Pleurocybella porrigens, and Tricholoma ustale, which have been involved in food-poisoning incidents in Japan, was investigated. Specific primer pairs targeting internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions were designed for PCR detection. The specific amplicons were obtained from fresh, cooked, and simulated gastric fluid (SGF)-treated samples.

Anisakis haemoglobin is a main antigen inducing strong and prolonged immunoreactions in rats.

Anisakis simplex larvae are well known to cause gastrointestinal and allergic manifestations after ingestion of parasitized raw or undercooked seafood. The antibody recognition dynamics against the components of Anisakis larval antigen after primary and re-infection with Anisakis live larvae remain unclear. For this study, immunoblot analyses of serum IgG, IgE, and IgM against Anisakis larval somatic extract were performed in rats that had been orally inoculated with A.

Prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Lightly Pickled Vegetables and Its Successful Control at Processing Plants.

Incidences of food poisoning traced to nonanimal food products have been increasingly reported. One of these was a recent large outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 infection from the consumption of lightly pickled vegetables, indicating the necessity of imposing hygienic controls during manufacturing. However, little is known about the bacterial contamination levels in these minimally processed vegetables.

Distribution of perfluoroalkyl compounds in Osaka Bay and coastal waters of Western Japan.

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) including perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSAs) and perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs) were analyzed in sediment samples taken from Ajifu Waterway in Osaka city, from Osaka Bay, and from Kagoshima Bay, as well as in fifteen seawater samples collected from Osaka Bay and coastal waters of Western Japan. In all sediment samples, only PFCAs were detected, and the highest concentration was determined in Ajifu Waterway, where ΣPFAA was 58990 ng kg dry weight. The total concentrations of PFAAs in sea water samples ranged between the limit of quantification and 53.

Simultaneous recovery of phosphorus and potassium as magnesium potassium phosphate from synthetic sewage sludge effluent.

Bench-scale experiments were performed to investigate simultaneous recovery of phosphorus and potassium from synthetic sewage sludge effluent as crystals of magnesium potassium phosphate (MPP or struvite-(K), MgKPO·6HO). The optimal pH of MPP formation was 11.5.

A Bayesian approach for estimating hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) diastereomer compositions in water using data below limit of quantification.

We developed a statistical model that quantitatively incorporated the stochastic fluctuations of values, which were estimated as Bayesian credible intervals (BCIs), to analyze environmental monitoring data. We used α-hexabromocyclododecane (α-HBCD) diastereomer compositions of water samples that included data points below limit of quantification. To avoid replacing "not detected (ND)" values with irrelevant values in data analysis, we substituted ND with observed values from the measurement system upon examination of the model.

[HPLC Analysis of Colorants Migrated from Children's Modeling Clays].

A method using high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) was developed for the identification of colorants migrated from colored modeling clays, which are popular toys for children. Twelve permitted dyes and 25 non-permitted dyes were analyzed in 20 clays (10 wheat clays, 2 rice clays, 2 corn clays, 3 paper clays and 3 resin clays). As a result, 13 products which were labeled for children's use (under 6 years old) met the specifications of the Japanese Food Sanitation Law, while non-permitted colorants were eluted from 2 products.

Comparison by multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis and antimicrobial resistance among atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from food samples and human and animal faecal specimens.

Aim: This study assessed whether multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing discriminated diarrhoeagenic atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (aEPEC) from aEPEC indigenous to domestic animals or healthy people.

Methods And Results: MLVA genotyping of 142 aEPEC strains isolated from foods and faecal samples of domestic animals and humans revealed 126 distinct MLVA profiles that distributed to four clusters, yielding a Simpson's index of diversity (D) of 99·8%. Cluster 2 included 87% of cattle isolates and 67% of patient isolates.

[Validation Study on a Rapid Method for Simultaneous Determination of Pesticide Residues in Vegetables and Fruits by LC-MS/MS].

A validation study was carried out on a rapid method for the simultaneous determination of pesticide residues in vegetables and fruits by LC-MS/MS. Preparation of the test solution was performed by a solid-phase extraction technique with QuEChERS (STQ method). Pesticide residues were extracted with acetonitrile using a homogenizer, followed by salting-out and dehydration at the same time.

Contents of Ag and other metals in food-contact plastics with nanosilver or Ag ion and their migration into food simulants.

Six nanosilver-labelled products and five silver ion (Ag(+))-labelled products were investigated to measure the migration of Ag from food-contact plastics, including nanosilver into various food simulants. The products were obtained in Japanese markets in 2012. Zinc (Zn), another major antimicrobial agent, and three harmful metals, cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and arsenic (As), were also examined.

Increase in ozone due to the use of biodiesel fuel rather than diesel fuel.

The consumption of fuel by vehicles emits nitrogen oxides (NOx) and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) into the atmosphere, which are important ozone precursors. Ozone is formed as a secondary pollutant via photochemical processes and is not emitted directly into the atmosphere. In this paper, the ozone increase resulting from the use of biodiesel and diesel fuels was investigated, and the different ozone formation trends were experimentally evaluated.

Identification of Anthropogenic Compounds in Urban Environments and Evaluation of Automated Methods for Reading Fragmentation-A Case of River Water.

A workflow based on liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC/HR-MS) was applied for the identification of compounds in urban environments. Substances extracted by solid-phase extraction from river water were wholly analyzed by LC/HR-MS without any purification. Fragmentation in collision-induced dissociation was manually studied for the 20 most intense ions in positive- and negative-ion electrospray ionization with accurate mass determination at a resolution of 100,000.

Caterpillar mimicry by plant galls as a visual defense against herbivores.

Plant galls, induced by arthropods and various other organisms have an intimate relationship with host plants, and gall-inducers have limited mobility. In addition to their own photosynthesis, galls are resource sinks rich with nutrients, with neighboring plant organs commonly serving as external photosynthate sources. Galls, if not well defended, may therefore be attractive food sources for herbivores.

[Development and Validation of Simultaneous Analysis of Minerals and Toxic Elements in Foods by ICP-MS].

We have developed and validated an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method for the simultaneous analysis of minerals and toxic elements in foods. Food samples were digested by microwave irradiation to prepare solutions for measurement by ICP-MS. Optimal gas mode and internal standard for each element were selected as appropriate.

[The Contents and Composition of Tetrodotoxin and Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Toxins in Marine Pufferfish Canthigaster rivulata].

The contents and composition of tetrodotoxin (TTX) and paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) in skin, muscle, and internal organs of two samples of marine puffer fish Canthigaster rivulata from Wakayama prefecture, Japan, were analyzed. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography with post-column derivatization and fluorescence detection (LC-FLD) were used for the analysis of TTX and PSTs, respectively. For both samples, TTX and two analogues of PSTs, saxitoxin (STX) and decarbamoyl STX (dcSTX), were detected at levels over the limit of quantization (LOQ) only in the skin.

Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans isolated from a wild bird (ural owl) and its feed (shrew-moles): comparison of molecular types with human isolates.

Background: Corynebacterium ulcerans is a pathogen causing diphtheria-like illness to humans. In contrast to diphtheria by Corynebacterium diphtheriae circulating mostly among humans, C. ulcerans infection is zoonotic.