Research Publications (Food Safety)

Salmonella genomic island 3 (SGI3) was first described as a chromosomal island in Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:–, a monophasic variant of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium. The SGI3 DNA sequence detected from Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:– isolated in Japan was identical to that of a previously reported one across entire length of 81 kb.

In the quest for new antibacterial lead structures, activity screening against Mycobacterium tuberculosis identified antitubercular effects of gallic acid derivatives isolated from the Nigerian mistletoe Loranthus micranthus. Structure-activity relationship studies indicated that 3-O-methyl-alkylgallates comprising aliphatic ester chains with four to eight carbon atoms showed the strongest growth inhibition in vitro against M. tuberculosis, with a MIC of 6.25 μM.

Author(s): Esin Nagihan Kasap, Üzeyir Doğan, Ferah Çoğun, Ender Yıldırım, İsmail Hakkı Boyacı, Demet Çetin, Zekiye Suludere, Uğur Tamer, Nusret Ertaş

Driven by the significant need for characterization of the chemical speciation of arsenic in food, this work developed a method for rapid determination of four common arsenic species, namely, arsenite, arsenate, monomethyl arsenic acid, and dimethyl arsenic acid, in vegetables using microwave‐assisted extraction, followed by detection with high‐performance liquid chromatography hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry.

This study investigates the effect of metals (cadmium, lead, mercury, and tellurium) and organic pollutants (benzene, diesel, lindane, and xylene) on a dinoflagellate—Prorocentrum sigmoides Böhm—and its associated culturable bacteria. Two bacterial cultures (Bacillus subtilis strain PD005 and B. xiamensis strain PD006) were isolated from P. sigmoides and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing, biochemical analyses, and growth curve studies.

Heavy metals such as lead, chromium, and metalloid like arsenic dominate the pinnacle in posing a threat to life. Being environment‐friendly, elucidating the mechanism by which microorganisms detoxify such elements has always been an active field of research hitherto. In the present study, we have investigated the capability of nitrogen‐deprived Papiliotrema laurentii strain RY1 toward enhanced tolerance and neutralizing toxic elements.

Removal of heavy metals from food material by growing micro‐organisms is limited by the toxicity to cells. In this study, different preincubation treatments were investigated to analyze their effects on cadmium resistance and removal ability of Pichia kudriavzevii A16 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae CICC1211. Sucrose preincubation improved the cadmium resistance of both yeast cells and increased the cadmium‐removal rate of P. kudriavzevii A16.

The interactions between plant roots and soil are an area of active research, particularly in terms of water and nutrient uptake. Since non‐invasive, in vivo studies are required, tomographic imaging appears an obvious method to use, but no one imaging modality is well suited to capture the complete system.

Actinomycetes are a rich source for secondary metabolites with a diverse array of biological activities. Among the various genera of actinomycetes, the genus Saccharopolyspora has long been recognized as a potential source for antibiotics and other therapeutic leads that belong to diverse classes of natural products. Members of the genus Saccharopolyspora have been widely reported from several natural sources including both terrestrial and marine environments.

Aims Suilysin (SLY), a crucial virulence‐related factor, has multiple cytotoxicities that are regarded as playing a key role in several diseases induced by Streptococcus suis. The aim of this study was to identify an effective inhibitor of SLY and to evaluate the potential inhibitory effect of the inhibitor against S. suis virulence.

Aim The increase in the number of fungal infections worldwide, coupled with the limitations of current antifungal chemotherapy, demand the development of safe and effective new antifungals. Here, we presented the synthesis of a novel acridone (M14) and its antifungal properties against Candida and dermatophytes species. Methods and Results A series of 17 acridones was designed, synthesized and tested for its antifungal activity.

This study evaluated the association between urinary cadmium (U‐Cd) and blood Cd (B‐Cd) and several biomarkers of renal dysfunction (α1‐microglobulin [α1‐MG], β2‐microglobulin [β2‐MG], N‐acetyl‐β‐d‐glucosaminidase, metallothionein, retinol‐binding protein and microalbumin [mALB]) and identified the biomarker(s) that was most closely correlated with U‐Cd and B‐Cd among female residents in rural areas of southwest China.

Owing to the increasing application of engineered nanoparticles (NPs), besides the workplace, human beings are also exposed to NPs from nanoproducts through the skin, respiratory tract, digestive tract and vein injection. This review states pathways of cellular uptake, subcellular distribution and excretion of NPs.

The amino acid derivative reactivity assay (ADRA) is an in chemico alternative method that focuses on protein binding as the molecular initiating event for skin sensitization. It is a simple and versatile method that has successfully solved some of the problems of the direct peptide reactivity assay (DPRA). The transferability and within‐ and between‐laboratory reproducibility of ADRA were evaluated and confirmed as part of a validation study conducted at four participating laboratories.

Arsenic is a metalloid widely found in the environment in organic and inorganic forms. Exposure to inorganic arsenic forms via drinking water has been associated with an increased incidence of negative health effects, including reproductive disorders and dysfunction of the endocrine system. However, the impact of arsenic exposure on female reproductive development is still unclear.

Spent lead paste is the main component in lead-acid batteries reaching end of life. It contains about 55% lead sulphate and 35% lead dioxide, as well as minor amounts of lead oxide. It is necessary to recycle spent lead paste with minimal pollution and low energy consumption instead of the conventional smelting method.

The adverse health consequences of environmental, occupational, and dietary exposure to either diethylnitrosamine (DEN) or cadmium (Cd) have been widely investigated. However, because most environmental exposures to xenobiotics do not occur in isolation but in mixtures, the effects of simultaneous exposure to both DEN and Cd on hepatorenal function deserves investigation.

The aim of this study was to examine whether a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ agonist could affect cadmium (Cd)-induced cytotoxicity via the increased expression of megalin, one of the uptake pathways, using renal epithelial LLC-PK1 cells.

Environmental pollution is significant and oftentimes hazardous in the areas, where mining, foundries and smelters and other metallurgical operations are located. Systematic research on the chronic effects of metals started during the past century; nevertheless, it is evident that even today, there are large gaps in knowledge regarding the assessment of the health effects caused by environmental and occupational exposures to these metals.

Background: Missile-related blood lead elevations and toxicity are well documented in the literature but reports on its associated risk factor(s) are few.
Objective: To determine if bone fracture(s) contribute to an elevated lead blood level.

In most laboratory studies with oral exposure of terrestrial invertebrates to metals an artificial food, which is easy to handle, is used. The bioavailability of metals from this artificial food may, however, be much higher than from more field relevant food sources. Such differences may affect toxicokinetic processes in different tissues.

Leaves of five selected plants Citrus limon (Rutaceae), Ceratonia siliqua L., Olea europaea (Oleaceae), Washingtonia filifera, and Myoporum (Myoporaceae) grown in Jordan were examined for removal of heavy metals (cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) ions) for aqueous solutions. Cd and Pb were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. A pH S-2 acidometer was used for determining the acidity of leaves–solution systems.

In a recent article in this journal, Luby, Polasky, and Swackhamer come to the provocative conclusion that urban water prices in the United States are “cheaper when drier.” They also argue that utilities fail to provide affordable water and that they charge less for “additional” use compared to “essential” use. We challenge these claims.

We propose a time series modeling approach based on nonlinear dynamical systems to recover the underlying dynamics and predictability of streamflow and to produce projections with identifiable skill. First, a wavelet spectral analysis is performed on the time series to identify the dominant quasiperiodic bands. The time series is then reconstructed across these bands and summed to obtain a signal time series.

Phase five of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project enabled a range of decadal modeling experiments where climate models were initialized with observations and allowed to evolve freely for 10–30 years. However, climate models struggle to realistically simulate rainfall and the skill of rainfall prediction in decadal experiments is poor.