Growth and no-growth boundary of Clostridium perfringens in cooked cured meats - A logistic analysis and development of critical control surfaces using a solid growth medium.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of sodium nitrite (NaNO2, 100-200 ppm), sodium erythorbate (SE, 0-547 ppm), sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP, 0-0.5 %), and sodium chloride (NaCl, 2-3 %) on growth of C. perfringens using a solid growth medium and to develop a growth/no-growth boundary (critical control surface, or CCS) to prevent its growth in cooked cured meat under the optimal temperature condition. Melted Shahidi Ferguson Perfringens (SFP) agar, inoculated with a 3-strain spore cocktail and mixed with NaNO2, SE, STPP, and NaCl according to a Box-Behnken response surface experimental design, was dispersed in 96-well microplates and incubated anaerobically in an incubator programmed to remain at 4 °C for 24 h, heat to 80 °C in 1.75 h, quickly (0.5 h) cool to 46 °C (optimum temperature), and then maintain at 46 °C overnight. The plates were examined optically and visually for colony formation. Any well free of growth was designated as no-growth. Logistic regression was used to analyze the growth probability (P) as affected by NaNO2, SE, STPP, and NaCl and define a CSS as meeting the criterion of P < 1/96. The results showed that STPP and the interactions of SE with NaNO2 and NaCl could reduce the growth probability of C. perfringens in SFP agar. The validation of CCS with ground beef showed an accuracy of 96.3 % for no growth of C. perfringens in the inoculated samples. The results of this study proved that cured meat can be formulated with proper combinations of NaNO2, SE, STPP, and NaCl to prevent the growth of C. perfringens even under the optimum temperature condition, thus preventing food poisoning caused by the growth of this microorganism.

Thermal resistance of Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella in animal fat - Kinetic analysis and mathematical modeling.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of fat on thermal resistance of L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, and Salmonella spp. A 4-strain cocktail of each microorganism was inoculated to beef tallow and heated isothermally at temperatures between 55 and 80℃. All survival curves did not follow the 1st-order inactivation kinetics but conformed to a two-stage linear pattern. The first stage was markedly less heat-resistant than the second, as manifested by significantly lower D values. The z values of E. coli O157 H7 and Salmonella spp. were 11.8 °C and 12.3 °C in the first stage (z1) but increased to 23.7 °C and 20.8 °C in the second stage (z2), respectively. For L. monocytogenes, while the z values were similar for both stages (z1 = 19.6 °C and z2 = 18.5 °C), the second stage D values are 3.6-5.9 times of those in the first stage. One-step analysis was used to fit the nonlinear curves to the Weibull model, yielding < 1 exponents for the model (0.495, 0.362, and 0.282, respectively, for L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, and Salmonella spp.), suggesting gradually increased thermal resistance during heating. The experimental results showed that these microorganisms could resist heating for longer time and at higher temperatures in tallow than they do in regular meats containing lower levels of fat. The kinetic models can be used to develop thermal processes to properly inactivate pathogens contaminated in the fat portions of meat products or other high fat products.

Numerical simulation of heat transfer during meat ball cooking and microbial food safety enhancement.

This study was conducted to apply the finite volume method (FVM) to solve the partial differential equation (PDE) governing the heat transfer process during meat cooking with convective surface conditions. For a one-dimensional, round-shaped food, such as meat balls, the domain may be divided into shells of equal thickness, with energy balance established for each adjacent shell using in the finite difference scheme (FDS) to construct a set of finite difference equations, which were then solved simultaneously using the FORTRAN language and the IVPAG subroutine of the International Mathematics and Statistics Library. The FDS is flexible for temperature-dependent physical properties of foods, such as thermal conductivity (k), specific heat (Cp ), thermal diffusivity (α), and boundary conditions, for example, surface heat transfer coefficient (h), to predict the dynamic temperature profiles in beef and chicken meat balls cooked in an oven. Once the FVM model was established and validated, it was used to simulate the dynamic temperature profiles during cooking, which were then used in combination with the general method to evaluate the thermal lethality of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. using D and z values in ground meats during cooking. The method can be applied to design cooking processes that effectively inactivate foodborne pathogens while maintaining the quality of cooked meats and evaluate the adequacy of a cooking process. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The temperature dependences of thermal conductivity (k) and thermal diffusivity (α) of raw ground beef and ground chicken meats were measured. These thermal properties were then used in numerical simulation to predict the dynamic heating temperature profile and thermal lethality of ground beef and chicken meat balls. The numerical simulation method may be used to optimize and evaluate thermal processes and ensure the inactivation of pathogens in meat products during cooking.

Shelf-life boundaries of Listeria monocytogenes in cold smoked salmon during refrigerated storage and temperature abuse.

Cold smoked salmon (CSS) is a high-value ready-to-eat product, but it generally has a short shelf-life even under refrigeration and can support the growth of Listeria monocytogenes. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the growth and survival of L. monocytogenes in CSS during refrigerated storage and temperature abuse. The growth and survival data of L. monocytogenes (116 records, 465 data points) were retrieved from ComBase (https://www.combase.cc). All records contained storage time and temperature, but other information (aw, pH, and salt) was not fully documented. Each data point, normalized with the initial population to calculate relative growth (RG, log CFU/g), was used to classify the probability of growth. Eighty percent (80%) of the data were randomly sampled for examining the effect of storage time and temperature on growth of L. monocytogenes, while the remaining 20% were set aside for model validation. Logistic regression was used to develop a model for classifying L. monocytogenes growth according to 7 different control thresholds (CT), ranging from 0 to 3 log CFU/g in RG. A probability threshold was set to judge if the bacterial growth has exceeded a CT. The validation showed > 89% of true negative rate for not exceeding the control thresholds. A dynamic method was then developed and demonstrated to predict the growth probabilities under fluctuating temperature conditions. The result of this study suggested that storage time and temperature could be used to predict the growth of L. monocytogenes in CSS and to control listeriosis using a risk-based strategy. It can be used by the retailers and consumers to determine if a packaged product is safe to consume based on its time and temperature history.

Autonomous Vehicles Enabled by the Integration of IoT, Edge Intelligence, 5G, and Blockchain.

The wave of modernization around us has put the automotive industry on the brink of a paradigm shift. Leveraging the ever-evolving technologies, vehicles are steadily transitioning towards automated driving to constitute an integral part of the intelligent transportation system (ITS). The term autonomous vehicle has become ubiquitous in our lives, owing to the extensive research and development that frequently make headlines. Nonetheless, the flourishing of AVs hinges on many factors due to the extremely stringent demands for safety, security, and reliability. Cutting-edge technologies play critical roles in tackling complicated issues. Assimilating trailblazing technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), edge intelligence (EI), 5G, and Blockchain into the AV architecture will unlock the potential of an efficient and sustainable transportation system. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art in the literature on the impact and implementation of the aforementioned technologies into AV architectures, along with the challenges faced by each of them. We also provide insights into the technological offshoots concerning their seamless integration to fulfill the requirements of AVs. Finally, the paper sheds light on future research directions and opportunities that will spur further developments. Exploring the integration of key enabling technologies in a single work will serve as a valuable reference for the community interested in the relevant issues surrounding AV research.

Growth competition between lactic acid bacteria and Listeria monocytogenes during simultaneous fermentation and drying of meat sausages - A mathematical modeling.

Listeria monocytogenes is a significant foodborne health hazard in many products and may survive and grow when making fermented meat sausages. The objective of this study was to investigate the competition between lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and L. monocytogenes during simultaneous fermentation and drying (SFD) of meat sausages. Sausages made from irradiated ground beef (90% lean), salt, sugar, and sodium nitrite were inoculated with a 4-stain cocktail of LAB (2 Lactobacillus plantarum and 2 Lb. brevis strains) and a 5-strain cocktail of L. monocytogenes, individually or in combination, and incubated (30 °C, relative humidity 76%) for 5 days to undergo SFD. The changes in the populations of LAB and L. monocytogenes were monitored to determine the growth kinetics and examine the competitive growth between the two. L. monocytogenes grew in the sausage samples unhindered without LAB but was suppressed by LAB during SFD. The interaction between LAB and L. monocytogenes could be described by a modified Lotka-Volterra equation. The decreases of pH and aw in sausages could be related to the SFD time using segmented linear models. The competition model could accurately predict the growth of LAB and L. monocytogenes during SFD and may be used to improve the safety of semi-dry and dry fermented meat sausages.

Involvement of a putative ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) Involved in manganese transport in virulence of Listeria monocytogenes.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen and the causative agent of listeriosis, a disease associated with high fatality (20-30%) and hospitalization rates (>95%). ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters have been demonstrated to be involved in the general stress response. In previous studies, in-frame deletion mutants of the ABC transporter genes, LMOf2365_1875 and LMOf2365_1877, were constructed and analyzed; however, additional work is needed to investigate the virulence potential of these deletion mutants. In this study, two in vitro methods and one in vivo model were used to investigate the virulence potential of in-frame deletion mutants of ABC transporter genes. First, the invasion efficiency in host cells was measured using the HT-29 human cell line. Second, cell-to-cell spread activity was measured using a plaque forming assay. Lastly, virulence potential of the mutants was tested in the Galleria mellonella wax moth model. Our results demonstrated that the deletion mutant, ⊿LMOf2365_1875, displayed decreased invasion and cell-to-cell spread efficiency in comparison to the wild-type, LMOf2365, indicating that LMOf2365_1875 may be required for virulence. Furthermore, the reduced virulence of these mutants was confirmed using the Galleria mellonella wax moth model. In addition, the expression levels of 15 virulence and stress-related genes were analyzed by RT-PCR assays using stationary phase cells. Our results showed that virulence-related gene expression levels from the deletion mutants were elevated (15/15 genes from ⊿LMOf2365_1877 and 7/15 genes from ⊿LMOf2365_1875) compared to the wild type LMOf2365, suggesting that ABC transporters may negatively regulate virulence gene expression under specific conditions. The expression level of the stress-related gene, clpE, also was increased in both deletion mutants, indicating the involvement of ABC transporters in the stress response. Taken together, our findings suggest that ABC transporters may be used as potential targets to develop new therapeutic strategies to control L. monocytogenes.

A rare epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation in small cell lung carcinoma patients.

AIM: Activating mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are predominantly detected in pulmonary adenocarcinoma and have been reported in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) for decades. This retrospective single-center study aimed to determine the frequency and types of EGFR mutations in SCLC in Taiwan. METHODS: This study comprises a consecutive cohort of 161 patients histologically diagnosed with SCLC between January 1992 and August 2014 at the Department of Pathology in Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan. Archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections from 71 patients were eligible for molecular analysis. EGFR mutation analysis was performed using a fully-automated IdyllaTM EGFR Mutation Test and confirmed a comparable result through Qiagen Therascreen® EGFR RGQ PCR. In addition, EGFR gene copy number was assessed in EGFR-mutated tumors by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). RESULTS: Mutational status of the EGFR gene was successfully analyzed in 63 specimens by both IdyllaTM and Qiagen platforms. Both methods detected L858R point mutation in exon 21 in an 81-year-old female and a 47-year-old male non-smoker. Both tumors show no concurrent EGFR gene amplification. The overall agreement between results obtained with the Idylla™ EGFR Mutation Test and Qiagen Therascreen® EGFR RGQ PCR was 100% Conclusions. Our results showed that EGFR mutation is a rare mutation type in a consecutive series of de novo SCLC. Furthermore, the performance of Idylla™ EGFR Mutation Test and Qiagen Therascreen® EGFR RGQ PCR on archived paraffin sections of limited quantities is available with the high agreement of results.

Growth and No-Growth boundary of Listeria monocytogenes in beef - A logistic modeling.

Listeria monocytogenes is a potentially fatal foodborne pathogen. Its growth in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods must be strictly controlled to protect public food safety. This study was conducted to define the growth and no-growth boundary of L. monocytogenes with sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), sodium lactate (NaL), sodium diacetate (NaDiAc), sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium nitrite (NaNO2), and pH as control factors. The growth of L. monocytogenes was first examined using a solid medium incubated under 37 °C for 48 h in 96-well microtiter plates. NaNO2 (1,800 ppm) and NaDiAc (2,500 ppm) were found not effective in preventing the growth when applied alone. STPP was shown highly effective in preventing the growth of L. monocytogenes. Its growth was unhindered at pH 6-7 but was increasingly inhibited beyond the neutral range. High concentrations of NaL and NaCl were needed to inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenes. A multifactor logistic regression model (LRM) was developed to calculate the growth probability (p) and then define the growth boundary using 2 thresholds. With Threshold 1 (p = 0.0104), the Accuracy of classification for growth events is 0.686, with a True positive rate (TPR) of 0.776 (or False negative rate (FNR) of 0.234), True negative rate (TNR) of 0.455 (or False positive rate (FPR) of 0.545), and Precision of 0.803, in PALCAM agar. However, with Threshold 2 (p = 0.04), the Accuracy becomes 0.826, with a TPR of 0.955 (or FNR of 0.045), a TNR of 0.690 (or FPR of 0.310), and Precision of 0.764. For validation in ground beef, the Accuracy of prediction of growth was 0.85, with a TPR of 0.9, TNR of 0.8, and Precision of 0.818 for Threshold 1. With Threshold 2, the Accuracy, TPR, TNR, and Precision are all 0.8, with both FNR and FPR of 0.2. Both thresholds and LRM may be used to formulate RTE products that may prevent the growth of L. monocytogenes even stored under the optimum temperature.

One-step dynamic analysis of growth kinetics of Bacillus cereus from spores in simulated fried rice - Model development, validation, and Marko Chain Monte Carlo simulation.

Bacillus cereus is a spore-forming pathogen capable of producing an emetic toxin and several diarrheal enterotoxins that may cause outbreaks of foodborne illness often associated with rice-based and other farinaceous foods. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the growth kinetics of B. cereus from spores in simulated egg fried rice. The growth of B. cereus was observed under dynamic conditions. Three independent growth curves were analyzed simultaneously using a one-step dynamic analysis (OSDA) to determine the kinetic parameters. The results showed that the minimum, optimum, and maximum growth temperatures were 11.8, 40.8, and 50.6 °C, respectively, with an optimum specific growth rate of 2.4 per h. The root-mean-square-error (RMSE) of model development was 0.4 log CFU/g. Deterministic validation with another 3 independent dynamic temperature profiles showed a RMSE of 0.5 log CFU/g. With Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation, the RMSE of prediction was only 0.3 log CFU/g. This study proved that OSDA is an effective and efficient method for quickly developing integrated predictive models and estimating kinetic parameters. The resulting integrated model can be used to accurately predict the growth of B. cereus and for managing its risks associated with egg fried rice. The developed kinetic models also can be used to guide restaurant owners and catering establishments to properly prepare and store egg fried rice and other related products to prevent the growth of B. cereus. According to the model, the growth of mesophilic B. cereus is unlikely to occur if the food is stored below 10 °C.

Transcriptomic and histological analysis of exposed facial skin areas wrinkled or not and unexposed skin.

BACKGROUND: Skin aging involves genetic, environmental and hormonal factors. Facial wrinkles also depend on muscular activity. Gene expression investigation may be useful for new anti-aging products. METHODS AND RESULTS: To evaluate structure and gene expression differences among exposed and unexposed skin in menopausal women. Cross-sectional study, including 15 menopausal women, 55-65 years, phototype III; photo-exposed, periorbital wrinkles (A1), preauricular, not wrinkled (A2), and unexposed gluteal (A3) areas were described and compared by non-invasive measures, histology, immunohistochemistry and gene expression (RNASeq); participants mean age was 61yo, presenting moderate periorbital wrinkles and light facial photodamage. Higher roughness, wrinkles number and echogenicity were observed in A1 and A2 versus A3. Decreased epidermal thickness and dermal collagen IV were demonstrated in A1 versus A2 and A3. Exposed areas impacted different pathways compared to unexposed. Exposed wrinkled skin (A1) showed impact on cell movement with decreased inflammatory activation state. Pathways related to lipid and aminoacids metabolism were modulated in non-wrinkled exposed (A2) compared to unexposed (A3) skin. CONCLUSIONS: Expected histological findings and gene expression differences among areas were observed. Photoaging in menopausal women may modulate lipid and aminoacids metabolism and decrease inflammatory and keratinization pathways, cellular homeostasis, immune response, fibrogenesis and filament formation. These findings may help development of new therapies for skin health and aging control.

Design of Two-Step Random Access Procedure for URLLC Applications.

The International Telecommunication Union has required that the control plane (C-plane) latency in the fifth generation (5G) ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) application scenarios should not exceed 20 ms and encouraged technical innovation to further reduce it to less than 10 ms. However, the average C-plane latency in the fourth generation (4G) Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) system is 80 ms. Such a high latency is because of the execution of the contention-based random access procedure (RAP). In this paper, we simplify the conventional contention-based RAP from 4 to 2 steps. Furthermore, utilization of demodulation reference signal for representing the UE ID and reservation of preambles for URLLC users significantly reduces the proposed 2-step RAP latency. From the perspectives of fixing the number of URLLC users and fixing the number of preambles reserved for URLLC users, simulation results show the percentage of successes for the 2-step RAP is 83.81% and 71.83% higher than that of the 4-step RAP, respectively. Consequently, the 10 ms latency requirement of the 5G URLLC is achieved.

A Retrospective Cohort Study of Oral Leukoplakia in Female Patients-Analysis of Risk Factors Related to Treatment Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to make a comparison of clinicopathological characteristics of oral leukoplakia between male and female patients following carbon dioxide laser excision for oral leukoplakia and analyze the factors associated with the treatment outcomes in female patients. METHODS: Medical records of patients with oral leukoplakia receiving laser surgery from 2002 to 2020 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed statistically. RESULTS: A total of 485 patients were enrolled, including 412 male (84.95%) and 73 female (15.05%). Regarding the locations, the predilection site of oral leukoplakia in male patients was buccal mucosa (p = 0.0001) and that for women patients was tongue (p = 0.033). The differences of recurrence and malignant transformation between both sexes were not significant (p > 0.05). Among female patients, area of oral leukoplakia was the risk factor related to recurrence (p < 0.05). Clinical morphology and postoperative recurrence were the risk factors related to malignant transformation (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with male patients, there was no significant difference of the postoperative recurrence and malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia in female patients. Among the female patients, clinicians should pay more attention to large-sized and non-homogeneous leukoplakia, and postoperative recurrent lesions.

Effect of water activity on inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes using gaseous chlorine dioxide - A kinetic analysis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of water activity (aw) on inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes using gaseous chlorine dioxide (ClO2 (g)) under room temperature. Surface-inoculated tryptic soy agar (TSA) plates adjusted to 9 different water activity levels ranging from 0.994 to 0.429 were used as samples exposed to ClO2 (g) at 150, 250, and 350 ppm for different durations of treatment time. Results showed that the antimicrobial effect of ClO2 (g) significantly decreases as the aw level and ClO2 (g) concentration decrease. Nonlinear models, such as the modified Chick model and the Weibull model, were used to describe the inactivation kinetics of L. monocytogenes. The results showed that the modified Chick model, which is based on chemical reaction kinetics, was more suitable to describe the inactivation of L. monocytogenes (RMSE < 0.5 log CFU/g) than the Weibull model (RMSE < 1.0 log CFU/g). A multiple regression model was developed for the describing the effect of aw and ClO2 (g) concentration on bacterial inactivation. The results of this study may be used to design ClO2 (g) treatment processes to inactivate L. monocytogenes in low-moisture foods.

Effect of temperature on the growth of Staphylococcus aureus in ready-to-eat cooked rice with pork floss.

Cooked rice with pork floss (CRPF) wrapped in dried seaweed is one of the most popular ready-to-eat (RTE) foods in many Asian countries, particularly in Taiwan. The products are susceptible to Staphylococcus aureus contamination and temperature abuse during manufacturing, distribution, and storage. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of temperature on its growth in RTE CRPF for use in risk assessment and prevention of staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP). Inoculated CRPF samples were stored at 4, 12, 18, 25, and 35°C, and the change in the populations of S. aureus during storage were analyzed using three primary models to determine specific growth rate (µmax), lag-phase duration (λ), and maximum population density (ymax). The Ratkowsky square-root and Huang square-root (HSR) models were used as the secondary models to describe the effect of temperature on µmax, and a linear and an exponential regression models were used to describe the effect of temperature on λ and ymax, respectively. The model performance was evaluated by the root mean square error (RMSE), bias factor (Bf), and accuracy factor (Af) when appropriate. Results showed that three primary models were suitable for describing the growth curves, with RMSE ≤ 0.3 (log MPN/g). Using µmax obtained from the Huang model, the minimum growth temperature (Tmin) estimated by the HSR model was 7.0°C, well in agreement with the reported Tmin. The combination of primary and secondary models for predicting S. aureus growth was validated by additional growth curves at 30°C, which showed that the RMSE was 0.6 (log MPN/g). Therefore, the developed models were acceptable for predicting the growth of S. aureus in CRPF under likely temperature abuse conditions and can be applied to assess the risk of S. aureus in CRPF and design temperature controls to reduce the risk of SFP.

Warthin's tumor with necrotizing tuberculous granulomatous inflammation causing severe facial nerve adhesion in parotid gland: A case report and literature review.

RATIONALE: Warthin's tumor is the second most common tumor arising from the parotid gland, but it rarely occurs concomitantly with tuberculous granulomatous inflammation with only 13 documented case reports in the English literature. PATIENT CONCERNS: An 82-year-old woman had a left infraauricular mass for approximately 3 years that had significantly increased in size over the previous 1 month. DIAGNOSES: A diagnosis of Warthin's tumor was made by ultrasonography (US)-guided core needle biopsy. Pathological examinations of the specimen obtained by total extirpation confirmed that the tumor was superimposed with tuberculous granuloma. INTERVENTIONS: The core biopsy wound did not heal and there was formation of a skin fistula tract with persistent discharge. During the operation with en bloc resection of the necrotic parotid tumor, adhesion between the branches of the facial nerve was too tight to allow preservation. OUTCOMES: A diagnosis of necrotic Warthin's tumor superimposed with tuberculous granuloma was made. Due to the high-clinical suspicion of tuberculosis (TB) due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, anti-TB chemotherapy was given. LESSONS: Poor wound healing from a core biopsy and formation of a skin fistulous tract with persistent discharge should raise concern regarding potential extrapulmonary tuberculous infection. Although very rare, tuberculous granuloma concomitant with Warthin's tumor should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a parotid mass lesion. Adhesion of branches of the facial nerve should be expected, and sacrifice of the nerve may be planned. This consideration can be explained to the patient in preoperative counseling and planning. Anti-TB chemotherapy should be given in cases with a definite pathological report associated with speculative clinical presentation.

In Situ Generation of Chlorine Dioxide for Decontamination of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Pathogenic Escherichia coli on Cantaloupes, Mung Beans, and Alfalfa Seeds.

ABSTRACT: In situ generation of chlorine dioxide to reduce microbial populations on produce surfaces has been shown to be effective on produce models. This study examined the treatment for decontamination of bacterial pathogens on whole cantaloupes and sprout seeds. Whole cantaloupes, mung beans, and alfalfa seeds were inoculated with Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, sprayed with or dipped in 0.4 to 1.6% sodium chlorite (NaClO2) solutions, dried, and treated with 6 mM hydrochloric acid (HCl; sequential treatment). Controls were samples treated with NaClO2 or HCl (individual treatment). The pathogen populations on samples before and after treatments were enumerated to determine the reductions of pathogen populations by the treatments. The methods of applying NaClO2 and HCl (dipping for 30 min or spraying 0.2 g on cantaloupe rind [2 by 2 cm]), NaClO2 concentrations of 0.4 to 1.6% for cantaloupes, and treatment times of 5, 15, and 30 min for sprout seeds were evaluated to identify treatment parameters. For cantaloupes treated with spraying with 1.6% NaClO2, the sequential treatment caused significantly (P < 0.05) higher reductions (6.2 to 7.7 log CFU/cm2) than the combined reductions (3.2 to 5.2 log CFU/cm2) by the individual treatments. For cantaloupes treated by dipping in 1.6% NaClO2 and by spraying with 0.4 and 0.8% NaClO2, the reductions caused by the sequential treatment were not significantly (P > 0.05) different from those by the individual treatments. For mung beans, sequential 15- and 30-min treatments caused significantly (P < 0.05) higher reductions of 4.3 to 5.0 and 4.7 to 6.7 log CFU/g, respectively, than the individual treatments. The sequential 15-min treatment also caused high reductions of 5.1 to 7.3 log CFU/g on alfalfa seeds. The treatments did not bleach the color of cantaloupes and did not affect the germination rates of mung beans and alfalfa seeds. This study identified 1.6% NaClO2 and 6 mM HCl for sequential spraying treatment for cantaloupes and for sequential dipping (15-min) treatment for mung beans and alfalfa seeds that may be used for decontamination of whole cantaloupes and sprout seeds.

Clincopathological characteristics and treatment outcomes of oral leukoplakia by carbon dioxide laser excision in the elderly patients.

BACKGROUND: Older age is one of the factors associated with malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia (OL). The purpose of this study is to analyze the clincopathological features and treatment outcomes of OL in the elderly patients. METHODS: The demographic data and histopathological results of the patients (age ≥ 65) who received carbon dioxide laser surgery for OL from 2002 to 2017 were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: There were 53 males and 16 females, with a mean age 71.2 ± 4.9. The follow-up time was 42.5 ± 35.2 months. In the univariate analysis, morphology, pathology, and area were found to be factors associated with postoperative recurrence. Among these factors, pathology and area were the independent predictive factors for recurrence in the multivariate logistic regression model. Malignant transformation occurred in 8 of 69 patients (11.6%). CONCLUSIONS: The pathological high-risk dysplasia and area of OL were the two prognostic factors for postoperative recurrence.

UV fluorescence excitation spectroscopy as a noninvasive predictor of epidermal proliferation and clinical performance of cosmetic formulations.

BACKGROUND: The epidermis is the outermost layer of skin and is composed of cells primarily containing keratin. It consists of about ten layers of living cells (keratinocytes) and ten layers of dead cells (corneocytes). Thinning of the epidermis and decreased proliferation of its cells are associated with aging related changes in skin, including wrinkling and laxity. Fluorescence excitation spectroscopy is a noninvasive method of monitoring characteristic excitation-emission peaks in skin that have been related to the epidermal and dermal composition. The magnitude of the peak that occurs at 295nm excitation (F295) has been linked to changes in epidermal thickness, proliferation, and skin aging. AIM: The goal of this study is to correlate changes in the F295 signal with proliferation of cells and thickening of the epidermis induced by cosmetic formulations. We hypothesize that two commonly used cosmetic ingredients, retinol and glycolic acid, will increase these markers that have been implicated in skin anti-aging. METHODS: In a placebo-controlled study subjects' forearms were treated with formulations containing retinol or glycolic acid under occlusive patch for a period of 21 days. Skin fluorescence was measured at baseline and after treatment, and biopsies were taken following treatment for histological analysis of epidermal thickness and cell proliferation. RESULTS: After 21 days of treatment retinol and glycolic acid formulas significantly increased F295 (by 265.1±33.5% and 162.2±18.7% respectively), whereas the placebo control formula did not induce a change from baseline. Furthermore, retinol and glycolic acid treatments significantly increased epidermal thickness (by 63.1% and 7.8% respectively) and keratinocyte proliferation (by 236.9% and 62.8% respectively) versus placebo control. CONCLUSION: Increases in F295 were found to correlate with epidermal renewal, but more so with increased cell proliferation than epidermal thickness. We conclude that the F295 signal is a fast and reliable early indicator of epidermal remodeling in skin that can be used to distinguish between formulations with different cosmetic ingredients.

Detection of common diarrhea-causing pathogens in Northern Taiwan by multiplex polymerase chain reaction.

Conventional methods for identifying gastroenteritis pathogens are time consuming, more likely to result in a false-negative, rely on personnel with diagnostic expertise, and are dependent on the specimen status. Alternatively, molecular diagnostic methods permit the rapid, simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens with high sensitivity and specificity. The present study compared conventional methods with the Luminex xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel (xTAG GPP) for the diagnosis of infectious gastroenteritis in northern Taiwan. From July 2015 to April 2016, 217 clinical fecal samples were collected from patients with suspected infectious gastroenteritis. All specimens were tested using conventional diagnostic techniques following physicians' orders as well as with the xTAG GPP. The multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach detected significantly more positive samples with bacterial, viral, and/or parasitic infections as compared to conventional analysis (55.8% vs 40.1%, respectively; P < .001). Moreover, multiplex PCR could detect Escherichia coli O157, enterotoxigenic E coli, Shiga-like toxin-producing E coli, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia, which were undetectable by conventional methods. Furthermore, 48 pathogens in 23 patients (10.6%) with coinfections were identified only using the multiplex PCR approach. Of which, 82.6% were from pediatric patients. Because the detection rates using multiplex PCR are higher than conventional methods, and some pediatric pathogens could only be detected by multiplex PCR, this approach may be useful in rapidly diagnosing diarrheal disease in children and facilitating treatment initiation. Further studies are necessary to determine if multiplex PCR improves patient outcomes and reduces costs.