Risk assessment of recent Egyptian H5N1 influenza viruses.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses of the H5N1 subtype are enzootic in poultry populations in different parts of the world, and have caused numerous human infections in recent years, particularly in Egypt. However, no sustained human-to-human transmission of these viruses has yet been reported. We tested nine naturally occurring Egyptian H5N1 viruses (isolated in 2014-2015) in ferrets and found that three of them transmitted via respiratory droplets, causing a fatal infection in one of the exposed animals. All isolates were sensitive to neuraminidase inhibitors. However, these viruses were not transmitted via respiratory droplets in three additional transmission experiments in ferrets. Currently, we do not know if the efficiency of transmission is very low or if subtle differences in experimental parameters contributed to these inconsistent results. Nonetheless, our findings heighten concern regarding the pandemic potential of recent Egyptian H5N1 influenza viruses.

Direct observation of depth-dependent atomic displacements associated with dislocations in gallium nitride.

We demonstrate that the aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope has a sufficiently small depth of field to observe depth-dependent atomic displacements in a crystal. The depth-dependent displacements associated with the Eshelby twist of dislocations in GaN normal to the foil with a screw component of the Burgers vector are directly imaged. We show that these displacements are observed as a rotation of the lattice between images taken in a focal series. From the sense of the rotation, the sign of the screw component can be determined.

Evidence of PCDD/Fs and PCBs contamination in trees grown in forests far from their production and contamination-free areas.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in trees grown in pathless forests were analyzed to investigate their dispersal patterns in the atmosphere. The pg/g levels of 23 PCCD, 22 PCDF, and 54 PCB congeners were identified. The total amount of PCDDs in the red pine tree sample (95.8 pg/g) was approximately 7 times that in the beech tree sample (13.2 pg/g). The total amount of PCDFs in the red pine tree sample (71.1 pg/g) was also approximately 7 times that in the beech tree sample (11.1 pg/g). The total amounts of PCBs in the red pine tree and beech tree samples were 1,380 and 1,150 pg/g, respectively. The (Cl1-Cl3)-PCBs comprised 63.1 % and 67.6 % of total PCBs in the red pine and in the beech, respectively. The results of the present study indicate that PCDD/Fs and PCBs are transferred over long distances in the atmosphere and accumulated in the contamination-free areas.

Significance of the non-oxidative route of the pentose phosphate pathway for supplying carbon to the purine-nucleotide pathway in Corynebacterium ammoniagenes.

To evaluate the strategy of supplying ribose 5-phosphate to the purine-nucleotide pathway exclusively via the nonoxidative route, the glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase gene zwf was disrupted in inosine- and 5'-xanthylic acid-producers of Corynebacterium ammoniagenes. In both producers, interruption of the oxidative route caused a decrease in production yields of about 50%. Attempts to increase the capacity of the nonoxidative route through overexpression of the transketolase or transaldolase gene in the zwf mutants led to no discernable effects on production, indicating that, in C. ammoniagenes, the nonoxidative route alone cannot provide sufficient ribose 5-phosphate for high-level production, although nonoxidative synthesis of the precursor is possible.

Music therapy for children with Rett syndrome.

The Rett syndrome is good reactivity for sound and music. We enforced active music therapy (MT) individual session to patients with Rett syndrome. The patients were 4, 5 and 6-year-old. The active music therapy and individual session of 30 min/week were performed. It was recorded in video and description, and using the original evaluation list, six items of fact. On largest problem that is hand operation with purpose in childhood of Rett syndrome, we recorded the longest duration and frequency of hand grasping time in one session. There was the improvement of 35.0% of listening music, 33.3% play music, 13.3% singing music, 11.7% minute motion, 11.7% language, and 20.0% personal relation and sociality. The longest duration of hand grasping time was improved from 2 to 12 s in case 2 and from 7 to 80 s in case 3. Grasp frequency which showed the volition rapidly increased from 3 to 41 times, though the elongation for the duration of grasping was little for case 2. Rett syndrome is the disease in which the psychomotor performance regresses with the age, but the aspect that surely developed in the session could be evaluated. Rett syndrome has the ability understanding the music, and music therapy is suitable for them.

[Multidrug-resistant and fluoroquinolone-resistant Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium definitive phage type 12 isolated from infantile diarrhea].

A 35-day-old male infant was admitted to our hospital, presenting a high fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. Multidrug-resistant and fluoroquinolon-resistant Salmonella serotype Typhimurium was isolated from his stool. The phage type of the strain was DT12. The strain was resistant to ampicillin, streptomycin, gentamicin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, and fluoroquinolones (levofloxacin; MIC 8 micrograms/ml, norfloxacin; 24 micrograms/ml, ciprofloxacin; 16 micrograms/ml, sparfloxacin; 32 micrograms/ml). He was cured by antibiotic therapy using fosfomycin (< or = 1 microgram/ml). We could not determine a route of infection. Domestic surveillance for fluoroquinolon-resistant Sallmonella is necessary.

Effect of transketolase modifications on carbon flow to the purine-nucleotide pathway in Corynebacterium ammoniagenes.

Transketolase, one of the enzymes in the nonoxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway, operates to shuttle ribose 5-phosphate and glycolytic intermediates together with transaldolase, and might be involved in the availability of ribose 5-phosphate, a precursor of nucleotide biosynthesis. The tkt and tal genes encoding transketolase and transaldolase, respectively, were cloned from the typical nucleotide- and nucleoside-producing organism Corynebacterium ammoniagenes by a PCR approach using oligonucleotide primers derived from conserved regions of each amino acid sequence from other organisms. Enzymatic and molecular analyses revealed that the two genes were clustered on the genome together with the glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (zwf). The effect of transketolase modifications on the production of inosine and 5'-xanthylic acid was investigated in industrial strains of C. ammoniagenes. Multiple copies of plasmid-borne tkt caused about tenfold increases in transketolase activity and resulted in 10-20% decreased yields of products relative to the parents. In contrast, site-specific disruption of tkt enabled both producers to accumulate 10-30% more products concurrently with a complete loss of transketolase activity and the expected phenotype of shikimate auxotrophy. These results indicate that transketolase normally shunts ribose 5-phosphate back into glycolysis in these biosynthetic processes and interception of this shunt allows cells to redirect carbon flux through the oxidative pentose pathway from the intermediate towards the purine-nucleotide pathway.

Contrasting fates for 6-alpha-methylpenicillin N upon oxidation by deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase (DAOCS) and deacetoxy/deacetylcephalosporin C synthase (DAOC/DACS).

6-alpha-methylpenicillin N was synthesised via known routes from 6-aminopenicillanic acid, and tested as a substrate for recombinant DAOCS and DAOC/DACS. Incubation with DAOCS resulted in conversion of 2-oxoglutarate without oxidation of the penicillin substrate ('uncoupled turnover'). Incubation with DAOC/DACS resulted in oxidation to the cephem aldehyde. This is the first example of substrate-induced 'uncoupled turnover', which has been proposed to be an editing mechanism for these enzymes.

Seasonal and spatial studies on pesticide residues in surface waters of the Shinano river in Japan.

Water samples collected once a week from early April 1996 to the end of August 1996 from four sites on the Shinano River in Japan were analyzed for pesticides and their metabolites using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. Among the total of 53 chemicals found, 22 were herbicides, 15 were insecticides, 11 were fungicides, and 5 were metabolites. The concentrations of chemicals found ranged from 3 ng/L (bromobutide) to 8200 ng/L (isoprothiolane). Herbicides were found primarily during May and June at all four sites. Insecticides and fungicides were found primarily during July and August at all four sites. The presence of pesticides in the river water correlated with the time of pesticide application to the rice fields near the river.

Formation of dioxins during the combustion of newspapers in the presence of sodium chloride and poly(vinyl chloride).

Exhaust gases from the combustion of newspaper alone, from branches of London plane tree alone, and from newspapers mixed with sodium chloride (NaCl), polyethylene, or poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) were collected. The samples were analyzed for dioxins by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Total amounts of dioxins found in the samples were 0.186 ng/g from newspapers alone, 1.42 ng/g from the branches of London plane, 102 ng/g from newspapers impregnated with sodium chloride (CI wt % = 3.1), 101 ng/g from newspapers impregnated with sodium chloride mixed with PVC (Cl wt % = 2.6), and 146 ng/g from newspapers mixed with PVC (Cl wt % = 5.1). Samples with a higher chloride content produced more dioxins, and there is a clear correlation between dioxin formation and chloride content. The amount of dioxins formed in the samples according to the number of chlorides was Cl5 > Cl4 > Cl6 > Cl7 > Cl8 in PCDD isomers and Cl4 > Cl5 > Cl6 > Cl7 > Cl8 in PCDF isomers, except in the case of newspapers alone. Benzofurans composed 78-92% of the total dioxins formed in the exhaust gases. The higher the number of the chlorides, the lower the production of benzofuran observed. NaCl vaporized at the temperature of the flame used for combustion of the samples (760-1080 degrees C). The results indicate that NaCl and PVC contribute significantly to dioxin formation from waste materials combusted in incinerators.

Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric determination of hydrophilic compounds in environmental water by solid-phase extraction with activated carbon fiber felt.

Simple gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric determination of hydrophilic organic compounds in environmental water was developed. A cartridge containing activated carbon fiber felt was made by way of trial and was evaluated for solid-phase extraction of the compounds in water. The hydrophilic compounds investigated were acrylamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, N,N-dimethylformamide, 1,4-dioxane, furfural, furfuryl alcohol, N-nitrosodiethylamine and N-nitrosodimethylamine. Overall recoveries were good (80-100%) from groundwater and river water. The relative standard deviations ranged from 4.5 to 16% for the target compounds. The minimum detectable concentrations were 0.02 to 0.03 microg/l. This method was successfully applied to several river water samples.

Bisphenol A in hazardous waste landfill leachates.

The levels of bisphenol A in hazardous waste landfill leachates collected in Japan in 1996 were determined by gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS). Bisphenol A was found in seven of 10 sites investigated. All the hazardous waste landfills with leachates contaminated by bisphenol A were controlled. The concentrations of bisphenol A ranged from 1.3 to 17,200 microg/l with a median concentration of 269 microg/l. The source of bisphenol A in landfill leachates may be the waste plastics in waste landfill. The concentrations of bisphenol A in some samples exceeded the EC50 or LC50 levels for aquatic biota. Landfill leachates may be a significant source of bisphenol A found in the environment.