Comparison of two chromogenic media for the detection of Listeria monocytogenes with the plating media recommended by EN/DIN 11290-1

The efficacy of two selective chromogenic culture media, Agar Listeria Ottaviani and Agosti (ALOA) and RAPID' L. mono for the detection of Listeria monocytogenes in food, was compared with that of an official culture method according to the EN/DIN 11290-01 and -02 protocols [corresponding to the section 35 LMBG (German Food Act) method]. A total of 310 pre-packed ready-to-eat food samples (100 of graved and cold smoked salmon, 130 of different raw and cooked sausages and 80 of delicatessen and mixed salads) were examined. L. monocytogenes was identified in 52 investigated salmon samples. Using two chromogenic media, 50 samples were found positive for L. monocytogenes. Compared to the reference method there were no false-positive results. By the EN/DIN 11290-01 culture procedure after the selective enrichment in Fraser broth 12 out of 130 samples of sausages were positive for L. monocytogenes. These 12 samples were also positive for L. monocytogenes with the chromogenic medium RAPID' L. mono. One sample was false negative with ALOA. Three additional samples were found positive with ALOA and four with RAPID' L. mono. The standard method was inadequate to confirm these samples as positive. Listeria spp. were isolated from 7 samples of mixed salads with both methods. One, 3 and 3 samples were found to contain L. monocytogenes, L. innocua and L. seeligeri, respectively. Both chromogenic media enabled a rapid and specific detection of L. monocytogenes within 24h after enrichment. Visual detection of pathogenic L. monocytogenes and other Listeria spp. was easier on chromogenic media.     

Enzymatic Recycling of Starch-Containing Desizing Liquors

Starch-containing desizing liquors from the pretreatment of cotton fabrics can be transformed into bleaching liquors by a two-stage enzymatic treatment. The bleaching ability of these liquors is comparable to that of conventional bleaching liquors. The process results in saving of ecologically harmful chemicals and process water. In enzymatic textile processes a loss of enzyme activity occurs, due to the presence of ionic surfactants. This loss of activity can be counteracted by addition of cyclodextrins. Trials have been done to immobilize glucose oxidase on the cheap carrier material cotton, so it can be used more often than only one time as regenerable enzyme.     

Effect of starter culture and fermentation temperature on water mobility and distribution in fermented sausages and correlation to microbial safety studied by nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry

Water mobility and distribution in fermented sausages produced with differences in pH development as a result of the use of three different starter cultures (T-SPX, F-1, or F-SC-111) and two fermentation temperatures (24 °C, or 32 °C) were studied using low-field proton NMR relaxometry. Changes in the distribution and mobility of water in fermented sausages upon fermentation and drying were detectable by NMR T₂ relaxation, and the progress in the drying process could be followed as a shift towards faster relaxation times. In addition, the distribution of water in the sausages was significantly affected by the pH decline. The sausages were spiked with Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli VTEC, and partial least squares regressions revealed that 90% of the variation in reduction of Salmonella and VTEC could be explained by the NMR T₂ relaxation decay. Consequently, the study demonstrated that NMR relaxometry is a promising technique for elucidating process parameters and microbial safety in the production of fermented meat products.     

Ultrastructural Imaging of Salmonella–Host Interactions Using Super‐resolution Correlative Light‐Electron Microscopy of Bioorthogonal Pathogens

The imaging of intracellular pathogens inside host cells is complicated by the low resolution and sensitivity of fluorescence microscopy and by the lack of ultrastructural information to visualize the pathogens. Herein, we present a new method to visualize these pathogens during infection that circumvents these problems: by using a metabolic hijacking approach to bioorthogonally label the intracellular pathogen Salmonella Typhimurium and by using these bioorthogonal groups to introduce fluorophores compatible with stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) and placing this in a correlative light electron microscopy (CLEM) workflow, the pathogen can be imaged within its host cell context Typhimurium with a resolution of 20 nm. This STORM‐CLEM approach thus presents a new approach to understand these pathogens during infection.     

Multiple Mechanisms Mediate Resistance to Sorafenib in Urothelial Cancer

Genetic and epigenetic changes in the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling render urothelial cancer a potential target for tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. However, clinical trials of several TKIs failed to prove efficacy. In this context, we investigated changes in MAPK signaling activity, downstream apoptotic regulators and changes in cell cycle distribution in different urothelial cancer cell lines (UCCs) upon treatment with the multikinase inhibitor sorafenib. None of the classical sorafenib targets (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1/-receptor 2, VEGFR1/-R2; platelet-derived growth factor receptor α/-receptor β, PDGFR-α/-β; c-KIT) was expressed at significant levels leaving RAF proteins as its likely molecular target. Low sorafenib concentrations paradoxically increased cell viability, whereas higher concentrations induced G1 arrest and eventually apoptosis. MAPK signaling remained partly active after sorafenib treatment, especially in T24 cells with an oncogenic HRAS mutation. AKT phosphorylation was increased, suggesting compensatory activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway. Sorafenib regularly down regulated the anti-apoptotic myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1) protein, but combinatorial treatment with ABT-737 targeting other B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family proteins did not result in synergistic effects. In summary, efficacy of sorafenib in urothelial cancer cell lines appears hampered by limited effects on MAPK signaling, crosstalk with further cancer pathways and an anti-apoptotic state of UCCs. These observations may account for the lack of efficacy of sorafenib in clinical trials and should be considered more broadly in the development of signaling pathway inhibitors for drug therapy in urothelial carcinoma.     

德国化妆品和盥洗用品市场

德国摇摇欲坠的经济已经深深影响到德国的化妆品和盥洗用品行业。据预测,一系列灾难性的损失将会使2009年成为黯淡的一年。虽经过严格的整合和改组方案,德国的化妆品和盥洗用品公司仍处在苦苦挣扎之中。最近的一项消费者行为研究发现,德国女性人均每年在高档化妆品,诸如香水、面部护肤品和化妆品之类产品的花费为540欧元。介绍了德国护发品、护肤品、彩妆品、男性美容品、浴用品和女性香水的市场概况,并对德国的折扣店、药店及百货店的情况进行了介绍。     

A Systematic Quantification of the Sources of Variation of Process Analytical Measurements in the Steel Industry

A strategy is proposed for the identification and quantification of sources of variation in a manufacturing process. The strategy involves six steps: identification and selection of factors, model selection, design of the experiments, performing the experiments, estimation of sources of variation, and finally, interpretation of the results. This strategy helps in finding those factors that contribute mostly to the total variation apparent in analysis results due to the production process itself, sampling, and analysis of samples. The strategy is then applied to a case study in which sources of variation in steel analysis are identified and quantified. The study develops mixed (random and fixed) effect models for the three phases of steel manufacturing—stirring, tundish, and mold. The models show that differences between spectrometers can have an important influence on the total variation apparent in the final analysis results.     

Ethische Aspekte der aktuellen Rechtsprechung in der Substitutionsbehandlung

Definition of the problem

Although maintenance therapy is known to increase the health status and to simultaneously decrease criminal behaviour of opiate-dependent patients, German legal regulations interfere with this therapy by ordaining not only the therapeutic goal (abstinence) but also therapeutic procedures that aim to control patients’ therapeutic compliance. German physicians who did not strictly adhere to these regulations were frequently sentenced to imprisonment.

Arguments

As the article shows, the current regulations mislead in achieving goals like the protection of the community regarding the illegal “marketing” of opioids and simultaneously impact the physician–patient relationship of maintained patients by facilitating control instead of motivation and confidence.

Conclusion

Reaching the goal of protecting the public from illegal and potentially dangerous opiates cannot be achieved by restrictive regulatory frameworks. Necessary control mechanisms regarding maintenance therapy should focus on patients’ health instead of the adherence to abstract legal norms.