Variability of Amnesic Shellfish Toxin and Pseudo-nitzschia occurrence in bivalve molluscs and water samples-Analysis of ten years of the official control monitoring programme.

As the official control laboratory for marine biotoxins within Great Britain, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, in conjunction with the Scottish Association for Marine Science, has amassed a decade's worth of data regarding the prevalence of the toxins associated with Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning within British waters. This monitoring involves quantitative HPLC-UV analysis of shellfish domoic acid concentration, the causative toxin for Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning, and water monitoring for Pseudo-nitzschia spp., the phytoplankton genus that produces domoic acid. The data obtained since 2008 indicate that whilst the occurrence of domoic acid in shellfish was generally below the maximum permitted limit of 20 mg/kg, there were a number of toxic episodes that breached this limit. The data showed an increase in the frequency of both domoic acid occurrence and toxic events, although there was considerable annual variability in intensity and geographical location of toxic episodes. A particularly notable increase in domoic acid occurrence in England was observed during 2014. Comparison of Scottish toxin data and Pseudo-nitzschia cell densities during this ten-year period revealed a complex relationship between the two measurements. Whilst the majority of events were associated with blooms, absolute cell densities of Pseudo-nitzschia did not correlate with domoic acid concentrations in shellfish tissue. This is believed to be partly due to the presence of a number of different Pseudo-nitzschia species in the water that can exhibit variable toxin production. These data highlight the requirement for tissue monitoring as part of an effective monitoring programme to protect the consumer, as well as the benefit of more detailed taxonomic discrimination of the Pseudo-nitzschia genus to allow greater accuracy in the prediction of shellfish toxicity.

Effect of Preexercise Ingestion of Modified Amylomaize Starch on Glycemic Response While Cycling.

Amylomaize-7 is classified as a resistant corn starch and is 68% digestible. When modified by partial hydrolysis in ethanol and hydrochloric acid its digestibility is 92%, yet retains its low glycemic and insulinemic properties. The purpose of this study was to characterize the metabolic response when modified amylomaize-7 or dextrose is consumed in the hour before exercise, and to compare the effect on performance of a brief high-intensity cycling trial. Ten male, trained cyclists were given 1 g/kg body mass of dextrose (DEX) or modified amylomaize-7 (AMY-7) or a flavored water placebo (PL) 45 min prior to exercise on a cycle ergometer. A 15-min ride at 60% Wmax was immediately followed by a self-paced time trial (TT) equivalent to 15 min at 80% Wmax. When cyclists consumed DEX, mean serum glucose concentration increased by 3.3 ± 2.1 mmol/L before exercise, compared to stable serum glucose observed for AMY-7 or PL. Glucose concentrations returned to baseline by pre-TT in all treatments. However, the mean post-TT glucose concentration of the DEX group was significantly lower than baseline, AMY-7, or PL. Serum insulin concentration increased nine-fold from baseline to preexercise in the DEX trial, whereas PL or AMY-7 remained unchanged. Time required to complete the performance trial was not significantly different between DEX, AMY-7 or PL. Preexercise ingestion of modified amylomaize-7 compared to dextrose resulted in a more stable serum glucose concentration, but did not offer a performance advantage in this high-intensity cycling trial.

A highly specific Escherichia coli qPCR and its comparison with existing methods for environmental waters.

The presence of Escherichia coli in environmental waters is considered as evidence of faecal contamination and is therefore commonly used as an indicator in both water quality and food safety analysis. The long period of time between sample collection and obtaining results from existing culture based methods means that contamination events may already impact public health by the time they are detected. The adoption of molecular based methods for E. coli could significantly reduce the time to detection. A new quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay was developed to detect the ybbW gene sequence, which was found to be 100% exclusive and inclusive (specific and sensitive) for E. coli and directly compared for its ability to quantify E. coli in environmental waters against colony counts, quantitative real-time NASBA (qNASBA) targeting clpB and qPCR targeting uidA. Of the 87 E. coli strains tested, 100% were found to be ybbW positive, 94.2% were culture positive, 100% were clpB positive and 98.9% were uidA positive. The qPCR assays had a linear range of quantification over several orders of magnitude, and had high amplification efficiencies when using single isolates as a template. This compared favourably with qNASBA which showed poor linearity and amplification efficiency. When the assays were applied to environmental water samples, qNASBA was unable to reliably quantify E. coli while both qPCR assays were capable of predicting E. coli concentrations in environmental waters. This study highlights the inability of qNASBA targeting mRNA to quantify E. coli in environmental waters, and presents the first E. coli qPCR assay with 100% target exclusivity. The application of a highly exclusive and inclusive qPCR assay has the potential to allow water quality managers to reliably and rapidly detect and quantify E. coli and therefore take appropriate measures to reduce the risk to public health posed by faecal contamination.

Iron Deficiency and Anemia among Collegiate Athletes: A Retrospective Chart Review.

PURPOSE: To describe the prevalence of anemia among incoming female college athletes and to characterize the results and expenses of iron-related testing at one National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institution. METHODS: In this retrospective medical record review, hemoglobin (Hgb) and ferritin laboratory values were obtained for student-athletes at a single institution, 2002 to 2014. Laboratories were collected either as part of the preparticipation examination (PPE) for female athletes, routine screening for cross-country athletes, or as needed for medical evaluation. Anemia was defined as Hgb < 11.6 g·dL for females and < 13.6 g·dL for male athletes. Iron deficiency was defined as Fer < 20 ng·mL for both sexes. RESULTS: A total of 5674 laboratory draws were obtained for 2749 individuals (56% female) from 25 different teams. The prevalence of low Hgb among female athletes at PPE was 5.7% (95% confidence interval, 4.4%-6.9%). At PPE, the incidence of anemia was not significantly higher for any sport when compared with the group mean. Ferritin and Hgb were collected together in approximately one third of all blood draws from females (n = 1059) and one sixth of blood draws from males (n = 411). For female athletes, 2.2% indicated iron deficiency anemia and 30.9% indicated iron deficiency without anemia. For male athletes, 1.2% indicated iron deficiency anemia and 2.9% indicated iron deficiency without anemia. The median cost of iron testing exceeded US $20,000 annually for the institution. CONCLUSIONS: One in 20 incoming female athletes was identified with anemia at the PPE. Given the costs of testing, screening practices at each institution should be thoughtfully selected and routinely reassessed.

Developing a Performance Nutrition Curriculum for Collegiate Athletics.

The purpose of this article is to provide a framework for developing a sports nutrition education program in a collegiate athletic department. A review of literature on student-athlete nutrition behaviors is combined with practical suggestions from personnel who wrote a sports nutrition curriculum at a large Midwestern university. There are 2 primary implications for practice. First, maintaining a written curriculum and conducting periodic evaluation are fundamental aspects of sports nutrition education programs. Second, better documentation of program outcomes is needed to establish best practices in collegiate sports nutrition education and demonstrate the value of full-time sports registered dietitians.

Antifouling biocides in discarded marine paint particles.

Antifouling paint fragments collected from marinas and leisure boat maintenance facilities and in the vicinity of abandoned boats have been chemically characterised. High concentrations of Cu (23-380mgg(-1)) and Zn (14-160mgg(-1)) in the samples (n=14) are consistent with the use of these metals in the principal biocidal and non-biocidal pigments in contemporary antifouling formulations. Up to about 2% and 7% of the respective metals were solvent-extractable, suggesting that organo-forms of Cu and Zn (e.g. pyrithiones) were also present. Of the organic biocides, dichlofluanid was present in most samples and at concentrations up to about 20mgg(-1). Chlorothalonil and Irgarol 1051(R) were only detected in one and four cases, respectively, and Sea Nine 211(R) was not detected in any sample. Results are discussed in terms of UK legislation regarding biocide usage and the likely effects and fate of discarded paint particles in coastal environments where boats are repaired or moored.