Research Publications (Food Safety)

Journal of Food Safety, EarlyView. Zearalenone (ZEN) is one of the most common mycotoxin contaminants worldwide. In this study, a phage-based direct competitive fluorescence immunosorbent assay (P-dcFLISA) was developed for the detection of ZEN. In this P-dcFLISA, phage mimotope was used to replace chemically synthesized antigens to improve the safety of experiments.

Cryptosporidium spp. can cause diarrhea and even death in humans and animals. Host microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in the post-transcriptional regulation of the innate immune response to Cryptosporidium infection. To study host miRNA activity in the innate immune response to C. parvum infection, we examined the expression of miR-181d in HCT-8 cells infected with C.

Cholera is a life-threatening diarrheal disease caused by the human pathogenic bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Regulatory elements are essential for bacterial transition between the natural aquatic environment and the human host. One of them is the alternative sigma factor RpoS and its anti-sigma factor RssB. Regulation principles seem to be conserved among RpoS/RssB interaction modes between V.

It is urgent to solve the contamination of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in food and water. In this study, the mesoporous silica was prepared from rice husk, which was then magnetized using the precipitation technique, followed by amino-modification with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, forming amino-grafted magnetic mesoporous silica (NMMS).

Vermicompost (VC) harbours diverse microbes, including plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM) that are beneficial for sustainable crop production. Hence, this study aimed to analyse bacterial diversity of VC samples as a first high-throughput screening step towards subsequent targeted isolation of potential bacterial inoculum candidates.

Registered pharmacological treatments are insufficiently effective for erectile dysfunction (ED) in around 30% of affected men. Intracavernosal injection (ICI) of ona- and abobotulinumtoxinA can reduce ED in insufficient responders. We aimed to assess the safety and effectiveness of incobotulinumtoxinA ICI as an add-on therapy to phosphodiesterase-type 5 inhibitors (PDE5-Is) or prostaglandinE1 ICIs (PGE1 ICIs) to treat ED that did not respond sufficiently to this treatment alone.

In the last decade, foodborne outbreaks and individual cases caused by bacterial toxins showed an increasing trend. The major contributors are enterotoxins and cereulide produced by Bacillus cereus, which can cause a diarrheal and emetic form of the disease, respectively. These diseases usually induce relatively mild symptoms; however, fatal cases have been reported.

Epsilon toxin (Etx) from Clostridium perfringens is the third most potent toxin after the botulinum and tetanus toxins. Etx is the main agent of enterotoxemia in ruminants and is produced by Clostridium perfringens toxinotypes B and D, causing great economic losses. Etx selectively binds to target cells, oligomerizes and inserts into the plasma membrane, and forms pores.

Antibiotic resistance in Salmonella is a global public health problem. Salmonella enterica serovar 1,4,[5],12:i:- (S. 1,4,[5],12:i:-), a monophasic variant of Salmonella Typhmurium, is one of the leading Salmonella serovars in several countries. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of antibiotic resistance to this serovar in China through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nineteen eligible studies during 2011–2021 were included.

Background Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of human infections. The spread of antibiotic-resistant staphylococci has driven the search for novel strategies to supersede antibiotics use. Thus, targeting bacterial virulence rather than viability could be a possible alternative. Results The influence of celastrol on staphyloxanthin (STX) biosynthesis, biofilm formation, antibiotic susceptibility and host pathogenesis in S.

by Codjo Djignefa Djade, Caroline Diorio, Danielle Laurin, Clermont E. Dionne Objectives This study was an in-depth exploration of unique data from a nationally representative sample of adults living in the United States to identify biomarkers associated with musculoskeletal pain. Methods We performed secondary analyses of 2003–2004 NHANES data.

The interest in the use of natural pigments by the food industry has grown. Some filamentous fungi can be producers of natural pigments more stable to temperature and pH. The production potential of natural pigments by endophytic fungi from grapevines was evaluated. Arcopilus aureus was selected as a potential source for the production of yellow pigment. The pigment was characterized and tested for its stability to variations in temperature and pH.

Purpose Over-accumulation of cadmium and lead in rice grain is a global concern as it has adverse health impacts.

The “One Health” approach increasingly demonstrates the global spread of pathogenic microorganisms and their antimicrobial resistance in the environment, both in animals and humans. Salmonella enterica subsp. diarizonae is nowadays very often isolated from cold-blooded reptiles to a lesser extent from sheep, but unfortunately more and more often from humans.

Campylobacter is a leading cause of foodborne gastroenteritis. Recent studies have indicated a rise in fluoroquinolone-resistant (FQ-R) Campylobacter in cattle, where FQ is used to control bovine respiratory disease (BRD). To assess the effect of danofloxacin treatment on the development of FQ-resistance in C. jejuni, 30 commercial calves were divided into Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3 (n = 10), and were all inoculated orally with FQ-susceptible (FQ-S) C.

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. It has been suggested that pets play a critical role in the maintenance of methicillin-resistant (MR) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus spp. in the household.

Osteomyelitis is a Staphylococcus aureus-caused bone infection. In this study, the effects of miR-146a on osteomyelitis were evaluated. Using the osteoblast cell model and S. aureus-induced osteomyelitis mice model, we monitored the miR-146 expression and explored the effects of miR-146a on cell proliferation of osteoblasts, bone remodeling, osteoclastogenesis, inflammatory cytokine production, and bacterial burden. Upregulated miR-146a was found in mice with S. aureus-induced osteomyelitis.

by Hiu-Lam Ngai, Xiao Yang, Adrian Jun Chu, Rachel Harper, Alice B. J. E. Jacobsen, David Tai-Wai Lau, Ho-Yin Yu, Hung-Kay Lee, Pang-Chui Shaw We set forth to assess the quality of an herbal medicine sold in Hong Kong called Qianliguang by employing a multi-methodological approach. The quality is set by its identity, chemical composition, and bioactivities, among others. Qianliguang (Senecionis scandentis Herba, Senecio scandens Buch.-Ham.

The combined use of ultraviolet-C light-emitting diodes (UV–C LED) irradiation and antimicrobial packaging film was used to secure the safety of fresh-cut vegetables. The antimicrobial packaging film was prepared by adding grapefruit seed extract (GSE) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO) to a blend film of poly(lactide) (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT).

As a natural alternative to traditional antimicrobials, phages are being recognised as highly effective control agents for Salmonella and other foodborne bacteria. Due to the high diversity of Salmonella serotypes and the emergence of phage-resistant strains, attempting to isolate more widespread, strictly lytic Salmonella phages is highly warranted. In this study, a lytic phage, LP31, was isolated from poultry faecal samples.

A novel magnetic dispersive SPE (MDSPE) based on magnetic covalent organic framework (M-COF) coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed for the determination of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 in food matrices (milk, edible oil and rice). The M-COF was designed and constructed by using two novel monomers of 1,2,4,5-Tetrakis-(4-formylphenyl)benzene (TFPB) and p-Phenylenediamine (PPD) at room temperature.

Toxic effects of lead (Pb) are principally manifested in the central nervous system (CNS) and a mounting body of evidence indicates that excessive chronic exposure to Pb participates in the pathological processes of numerous neurodegenerative disorders in humans. In this study we evaluated whether the prolonged pre- and postnatal exposure of rat pups to lead, administrated through ingestion in drinking water, as a typical environmental exposure, can determine alterations of the protein p

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin found in a variety of foods and herbal medicines, and several governmental bodies around the world have set maximum allowable levels of OTA in different foods and herbal medicines.

An extensive multi-country outbreak of multidrug-resistant monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium infection in 10 countries with 150 reported cases, predominantly affecting young children, has been linked to chocolate products produced by a large multinational company. Extensive withdrawals and recalls of multiple product lines have been undertaken.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are naturally produced by pro- and eukaryotes and are promising alternatives to antibiotics to fight multidrug-resistant microorganisms. However, despite thousands of AMP entries in respective databases, predictions about their structure–activity relationships are still limited. Similarly, common or dissimilar properties of AMPs that have evolved in different taxonomic groups are nearly unknown.