Effectiveness of daily rinsing of alfalfa sprouts with aqueous chlorine dioxide and ozonated water on the growth of Listeria monocytogenes during sprouting.

Alfalfa sprouts have been implicated in multiple foodborne disease outbreaks. This study evaluated the growth of Listeria monocytogenes during sprouting of alfalfa seeds and the effectiveness of daily chlorine dioxide & ozone rinsing in controlling the growth. Alfalfa seeds inoculated with L. monocytogenes were sprouted for 5 days (25°C) with a daily aqueous ClO2 (3 ppm, 10 min) or ozone water (2 ppm, 5 min) rinse. Neither treatment significantly reduced the growth of L. monocytogenes on sprouting alfalfa seeds. The initial level of L. monocytogenes was 3·44 ± 0·27, which increased to c. 7·0 log CFU per g following 3 days of sprouting. There was no significant difference in the bacterial population between the treatment schemes. Bacterial distribution in roots (7·63 ± 0·511 log CFU per g), stems (7·51 ± 0·511 log CFU per g) and leaves (7·41 ± 0·511 log CFU per g) were similar after 5 days. Spent sanitizers had significantly lower levels of bacterial populations compared to the spent distilled water control. The results indicated that sprouting process provides a favourable condition for the growth of L. monocytogenes and the sanitizer treatment alone may not be able to reduce food safety risks. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Sprouts are high-risk foods. Consumption of raw sprouts is frequently associated with foodborne disease outbreaks. Optimum sprouting procedure involves soaking seeds in water followed by daily water rinsing to maintain a moist environment that is also favourable for the growth of pathogenic micro-organisms. The present study emphasized the potential food safety risks during sprouting and the effect of applying daily sanitizer rinsing in the place of water rinsing to reduce those risks. The finding of this study may be useful in the development of pre-harvest and post-harvest risk management strategies.

Two step esterification-transesterification process of wet greasy sewage sludge for biodiesel production.

Sewage sludge generated in municipal wastewater treatment plants was used as a feedstock for biodiesel production via esterification/transesterification in a two-step process. In the first esterification step, greasy and secondary sludge were tested using acid and enzymatic catalysts. The results indicate that both catalysts performed the esterification of free fatty acids (FFA) simultaneously with the transesterification of triacylglycerols (TAG). Acid catalyst demonstrated better performance in FFA esterification compared to TAG transesterification, while enzymatic catalyst showed the ability to first hydrolyze TAG in FFA, which were esterified to methyl esters. In addition, FAME concentration using greasy sludge were higher (63.9% and 58.7%), compared with those of secondary sludge (11% and 16%), using acid and enzymatic catalysts, respectively. Therefore, only greasy sludge was used in the second step of alkaline transesterification. The alkaline transesterification of the previously esterified greasy sludge reached a maximum FAME concentration of 65.4% when using acid catalyst.

Manejo del paciente con fisura labio-palatina en Arica: experiencia de 15 años / Management of cleft lip palate in Arica: 15 years experience

Introducción: Frente al alto número de pacientes con fisura labial y/o palatina ya existente en la ciudad de Arica y al incremento constante de nuevos casos, en 1987 decidimos abordar el problema desde un punto de vista multidisciplinario e interdisciplinario, integrando además la valiosa ayuda de los padres de los niños fisurados. Objetivo: Mostrar nuestra experiencia y sus resultados parciales en el manejo multidisciplinario del paciente fisurado en la ciudad de Arica entre los años 1987y 2002. Material y método: Mediante la creación y puesta en práctica del "Programa de Atención del Paciente Fisurado", en el Hospital Juan Noé de Arica entre los años 1987y 2002, se atienden 59 pacientes que siguen el programa. Resultados: A modo de resultado preliminar se entrega la experiencia de 59 casos que siguieron el protocolo del programa. Conclusión: El trabajo con el paciente fisurado, es un trabajo de largo aliento. Como factores de importancia se destacan el largo tiempo de seguimiento, el factor crecimiento y la observación atenta de la evolución en cada caso en particular. Resulta imprescindible el trabajo en equipo multidisciplinario, evaluando en conjunto cada caso, elaborando un claro y estructurado plan de acción con cada paciente, así como evaluar en forma periódica y en conjunto los resultados parciales.

Introduction: Due to the high prevalence of patients with cleft lip with or without cleft palate in the city of Arica Chile and the constant increase of new cases, in 1987 we decided to face the problem from a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary point of view, incorporating the valuable help from the parents of the affected children. Aim: To show our experience in the multidisciplinary manage of cleft lip-palate in the city of Arica during the years 1987 to 2002 Material and method: By the creation and set up of the "Cleft Lip-Palate patient attention program", in the Juan Noé Hospital of Arica during the years 1987 to 2002, we follow 59 patients attending the program. Results: Some preliminary results are displayed, according to the experience of 59 cases of patients attending the program. Conclusion: Complete management of the cleflip patient is a longjob. As important factors outstand age, growth and careful observation ofevolution in every single case. Multidisciplinary team work is a must, evaluating each case together, developing a clear structured plan of action for each patient, as well as periodically evaluating partial results.

RNA interference-mediated knock-down of Bla g 1 in the German cockroach, Blattella germanica L., implicates this allergen-encoding gene in digestion and nutrient absorption.

We used RNA interference (RNAi) to silence the expression of a gene encoding Bla g 1, a human allergen produced by the German cockroach, Blattella germanica L., to study its function in cockroach physiology. Females injected with 1 microg of double-stranded RNA contained 64% less Bla g 1 protein and Bla g 1 mRNA abundance was reduced by 91.4% compared to sham-injected females. Bla g 1 knockdown slowed the pace of weight gain, midgut growth, and colleterial gland and basal oocyte maturation, resulting in delayed egg case formation and lower fecundity. Exogenous juvenile hormone treatments rescued reproduction in RNAi-treated females, suggesting that Bla g 1 silencing lowered endogenous juvenile hormone, probably by reducing food intake and nutrient absorption.

Modification of the AFLP protocol applied to honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) DNA.

The established amplified fragment-length polymorphism (AFLP) protocol was simplified and optimized for honey bee DNA (Apis mellifera L.). Compared to the original method, the following simplifications were made: (i) the digestion of DNA and ligation of the adapters are performed in one reaction vs. two, (ii) one restriction enzyme is used vs. two and (iii) amplification is accomplished in one reaction vs. two. PCR products are resolved in agarose-Synergel instead of polyacrylamide and are visualized by ethidium bromide staining rather than by autoradiography of labeled primers. Using the modified procedure for honey bee DNA, high reproducibility of the band patterns of PCR products and low sensitivity to the amplification conditions were seen. Analysis of honey bee DNA revealed considerable genetic variability within and between African and European bee samples. African- and European-specific fragments were found.

[Titers of antibodies for visceral for larva migrans in hospitalized patients]. / Títulos de anticuerpos para larvas migratorias viscerales en pacientes hospitalizados.

The antibody titers for Toxocara and Ascaris were investigated in 49 patients of both sexes and hospitalized because of several pathological conditions, finding an 18% with high titer for Toxocara and 22% for Ascaris. Thirty-seven percent of those with positive titer for Ascaris showed ascaris eggs in the stool. Fifty-five percent of those with positive titer for Toxocara had had contact with dogs and cats and 33%, with dogs only. A correlation among the symptoms, chest x-ray, protein electrophoresis, relative eosinophilia and the elevation of antibodies could not be established; however, the patients with high titers for Ascaris and Toxocara showed an absolute eosinophilia higher than the mean. The diagnosis of systemic infection by larvae of Toxocara and Ascaris can be suspected when there is relative eosinophilia of 10% or more, but its confirmation is still difficult except when finding the parasite "in situ". The serological test can help, but it is not definitive. The recently developed tests are more sensitive and open new expectancies.