Effects of irradiation on fungi and fumonisin B(1) in corn, and of microwave-popping on fumonisins in popcorn.

Fumonisins are metabolites produced in corn primarily by the fungus Fusarium verticillioides (F. moniliforme) and are toxic to humans and animals. Fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)) is the primary fumonisin produced and is found frequently in corn kernels, some of which may be used as food or food ingredients. A three-part study was conducted to determine the effects of gamma- and electron beam irradiation on the levels of fumonisins in naturally contaminated field corn, and the effects of microwave-popping on fumonisins in selected, naturally contaminated popcorn. To date, no effective means have been found to reduce consistently mycotoxin levels once foods are contaminated. Aqueous solutions of FB(1) at various concentrations, samples of whole corn, and samples of ground corn containing known levels of FB(1) were irradiated with various levels of cobalt and electron beam irradiation. Popcorn samples, taken from the reject streams of popcorn processing, were popped using normal microwave-popping conditions. FB(1) in aqueous solutions was reduced by 99.7% using a minimal level of irradiation (0.5 kGray). Gamma- and electron beam irradiation did not significantly reduce levels of FB(1) in whole and ground corn. Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp. and Fusarium sp. fungi were totally eliminated at 30 kGray in ground corn and at 100 kGray in whole corn. The normal commercial cleaning processes for microwave popcorn before packaging reduced fumonisins to <0.03 microg g(-1) for the cleaned product stream. Microwave popping of popcorn from reject streams of the cleaning operation that contained fumonisins resulted in significant reduction of the mould toxin.     

Spinal injuries in New Zealand rugby and rugby league--a twenty year survey

AIMS: To establish trends in frequency of serious spinal cord injuries in rugby and rugby league over a 20 year period and to elucidate patterns of injury from retrospective analysis of cases admitted to New Zealand's two spinal injuries units. METHODS: A detailed survey of unit records with follow-up of selected patients; statistical analysis of data. RESULTS: During the 20 years 1976 to 1995, 119 rugby and 22 rugby league players (total 141) were admitted to New Zealand's two spinal injuries units suffering serious spinal injuries and 47 of these became permanently confined to wheelchairs. There was a steady increase in frequency throughout the period studied. Of the injuries 83% occurred in forwards and 17% in backs. In rugby it was the scrum which produced most injuries, and in rugby league it was the tackle. The early season month of April produced most spinal injuries. In the eighteen months since intense compulsory educational programmes on safety were introduced by the New Zealand Rugby Union there have been no serious spinal cord injuries from rugby scrums. CONCLUSION: Contrary to widespread belief, there has not been a decrease in spinal cord injuries in rugby following rule changes in the mid 1980s. The information produced by this retrospective study has been an effective educational platform to make rugby and rugby league safer.     

Perception of mistuned harmonics in complex sounds by the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana).

The ability of 73 male bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) to detect single mistuned harmonics in an otherwise periodic signal was studied. Bullfrogs in their natural environment were presented with playbacks of synthetic signals, resembling their species advertisement calls, that differed in the frequency of 1 harmonic component (out of 22). There were significant differences in the number and latency of the males' evoked vocal responses to these stimuli, suggesting that males were sensitive to the differences between the sounds. Differences in envelope shape (rate and depth of amplitude modulation) produced by the harmonic mistunings may underlie the differences in response. Frogs, like birds and humans, can discriminate sounds on the basis of harmonic structure, indicating that this is a general perceptual trait shared among vertebrates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of single-dose oral grepafloxacin with cefixime for treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea in men. The STD Study Group

In a randomized open study, 351 male patients with uncomplicated gonorrhea were given single oral doses of grepafloxacin (400 mg) or cefixime (400 mg). In the 299 microbiologically evaluable patients, urethral infections were cured in 99% (147 of 149) of those receiving grepafloxacin and 97% (145 of 150) of those given cefixime. Eradication rates for both regimens were 100% in the 16% (47 of 299) of participants who were infected with penicillin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae and 97% in the 21% (62 of 299) of participants infected with tetracycline-resistant strains. Grepafloxacin is a well-tolerated alternative to cefixime for treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea in males.     

Systematic environmental, direct, and service sire effects on conception rate in artificially inseminated Holstein cows

Result of insemination was verified for 329,314 artificial inseminations by 882 service sires to 97,245 Holstein cows in 1,075 herds between May 1970 and December 1983. Estimates of systematic environmental and genetic components of cow and service sire components of conception rate were obtained preliminary to development of a fertility monitoring system. Conception rate was 2.9% higher in stanchion than loose housed herds and 2.3% higher in grade than registered cows. Fall months were superior to winter months, the greatest difference being 6.1% between October and January. Conception rate increased with herd milk production, decreased with both increased cow age, and increased herd size in mature and old cows. Regions and inseminators within regions were highly variable. Conception may be influenced by semen price; however, week day of insemination and duration of semen storage had no effect. Conception rate decreased for semen by bulls 8 yr and older, was lowest for semen harvested in June, but no season of collection effect was detected. No genetic trends for cow and service sire conception rate were found; heritability and repeatability were .08 and .06, respectively. Genetic correlations between cow and service sire conception rate and these components with first lactation production and semen output measures were all near zero. Therefore, the relationship between sire fertility and daughter fertility is near zero.     

Computational implementation of a systems prioritization methodology for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: a preliminary example

A systems prioritization methodology (SPM) is under development for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The SPM is based on a large numerical integration problem that must be repeatedly evaluated to determine compliance probabilities associated with different experimental programs and design modifications. Due to the complexity and computational cost of the underlying integration problem, the implementation of the SPM must be planned very carefully. This presentation describes a preliminary application of the SPM, designated SPM-l, performed to provide insights to facilitate the development and implementation of the methodology. Topics illustrated by SPM-1 include definition of probability spaces on which the SPM is based, use of Latin hypercube sampling and simple random sampling to integrate over different probability spaces, selection of mechanistic calculations to be performed, efficient use of the limited number of mechanistic calculations that can be performed, and assembly of many individual calculations into a complete analysis.     

Insulin sensitivity and blood pressure in a biethnic sample: the Miami Community Health Study

An association between blood pressure and insulin sensitivity among normotensive African-Americans has not been demonstrated consistently in epidemiologic studies. Part of the discrepancy may be due to studying persons with profound obesity-an insulin-resistant state itself. The association between insulin-mediated glucose uptake (i.e., insulin sensitivity) and blood pressure was examined among 25 nondiabetic African-American and 28 white non-Hispanic persons aged 25-44 years who ranged from normal weight to obese, using the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp technique. In bivariate analyses, insulin sensitivity was inversely related to systolic (p < 0.01) and diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.08) among African-American persons and to diastolic blood pressure among white non-Hispanic subjects (p < 0.05). Covariate adjustment for age and sex had only a marginal effect on these results. When the data were pooled and further adjusted for ethnicity, insulin sensitivity remained significantly associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.01 for each). To consider the effect of obesity, body mass index (BMI) was divided at the sample median (26.5 kg/m2) and the analyses were repeated within each stratum. Among those whose BMI was below the median value, each increment in insulin sensitivity was associated with a 2-mmHg decrease in systolic blood pressure (p = 0.02). These results suggest that ethnicity was not a strong effect modifier in this sample and indicated that insulin sensitivity was inversely related to blood pressure level in these normotensive African-American and white, non-Hispanic participants.     

Identification of the gene encoding scHelI, a DNA helicase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The gene encoding scHelI, a previously characterized DNA helicase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has been identified as YER176w, an open reading frame on chromosome V. The gene has been named HEL1 to indicate the DNA helicase activity of the gene product. HEL1 was identified by screening a lambda gt11 yeast protein expression library with antiserum to purified scHelI. Several independent immunopositive clones were isolated and shown to contain portions of HEL1 either by sequencing or by hybridization to a probe containing HEL1 sequences. The HEL1 open reading frame includes the seven conserved helicase motifs, consistent with the DNA helicase activity of scHelI, and the predicted size of the protein is in agreement with the size of purified scHelI. Partially purified cellular extracts from a hel1 deletion mutant strain did not contain scHelI activity. Homology searches revealed protein sequence homology between HEL1 and two previously identified and biochemically characterized yeast helicases, encoded by the DNA2 and UPF1 genes. Haploid hel1 deletion strains were constructed and shown to be viable with growth rates equivalent to those of parental strains. These strains did not differ from the parental strains in ultraviolet light sensitivity or the generation of petite colonies. Furthermore, these haploid deletion strains were capable for mating, the resultant diploid homozygous mutants were viable, capable of sporulation, and the spores displayed no reduction in viability.