Microbial Assessment and Proximate Composition of Pepper (Capsicum annum) and Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Displayed for Sales

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and pepper (Capsicum annuum) are among the world’s most important vegetable crops. A total of 20 samples made up of fresh tomatoes, spoilt tomatoes, fresh pepper and spoilt pepper were analysed in this study. Standard microbiological practices were carried out on the samples. Total Heterotrophic Bacterial (THB) Count for Spoilt tomatoes ranged from 1.98x107cfu/g to 2.39x107cfu/g. Fresh tomatoes samples had a THB counts ranging from 1.43x106cfu/g to 2.14x106cfu/g. Spoilt pepper total heterotrophic bacteria counts ranged from 1.46x107cfu/g to 2.01x107cfu/g. Fresh pepper had a THB count of 1.22x106cfu/g to 1.66x106cfu/g. Spoilt tomatoes samples had a higher fungal count that ranged from 3.5x105cfu/g to 5.25x105cfu/g while the fresh tomatoes samples had lower fungal counts ranging from 1.95x104cfu/g to 3.45x104cfu/g. The spoilt pepper had fungal counts ranging from 1.45x105cfu/g to 2.65x105cfu/g which was higher than that of fresh pepper with a low count of 1.6x104cfu/g to 2.75x104.cfu/g. The bacterial isolates identified during this study are Staphylococcus sp., Escherichia coli, Bacillus sp., klebsiella sp., Pseudomonas sp., Shigella sp., Protues sp., Enterobacter sp., Citrobacter sp., Lactobacillus sp. Micrococcus sp. Listeria sp. Streptococcus sp. and Serratia sp. Spoilt tomatoes had the highest coliform count 1.02x105cfu/g to 9.0x105cfu/g while fresh tomatoes had a lower count of 4.65x105cfu/g to 6.75x105cfu/g. Spoilt pepper recorded coliform counts ranging from 3.8x105cfu/g to 9.4x105cfu/g. Most of the fungi isolated from both the tomatoes and pepper samples were molds and yeast which include Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Candida sp., Saccharomyces sp., Penicillium sp. Mucor sp. and Fusarium sp. Adequate cooking is recommended before consumption.

Impact of COVID-19 on Radiation Oncology, an Austrian Experience

The COVID-19 pandemic has an unprecedented impact on cancer treatment worldwide. We aimed to evaluate the effects of the pandemic on the radiation treatment of patients in order to provide data for future management of such crises. We compared the number of performed radiotherapy sessions of the pandemic period from February 2020 until May 2021 with those of 2018 and 2019 for reference. At our department, no referred patients had to be rejected or postponed, nor any significant changes in fractionation schedules implemented. Nevertheless, there was a substantial drop in overall radiotherapy sessions in 2020 following the first incidence wave of up to −25% (in June) in comparison to previous years. For breast cancer, a maximum decline of sessions of −45% (July) was recorded. Only a short drop of prostate cancer sessions (max −35%, May) followed by a rebound (+42%, July) was observed. Over the investigated period, a loss of 4.4% of expected patients never recovered. The severe impact of COVID-19 on cancer treatment, likely caused by retarded diagnosis and delayed interdisciplinary co-treatment, is reflected in a lower count of radiotherapy sessions. Radiation oncology is a crucial cornerstone in upholding both curative treatment options and treatment capacity during a pandemic.

Factors influencing the flush response and flight initiation distance of three owl species in the Andaman Islands

Effects of anthropogenic pressures on birds of the Andaman Islands have been documented to some extent, however studies on the effect of human activities on the behavioural response of these birds are limited. This study assessed the anti-predatory behaviour (flush response - FR and flight initiation distance - FID) of three owl species (Otus sunia, Otus balli, and Ninox obscura) in response to human stimuli and factors influencing it on the Andaman Islands. In total, 63 % of owls flushed from their roost sites in response to approaching human, and such a response varied between species. Similarly, FID varied widely among the species ranging from 4.23 to 6.73 m. The FR of N. obscura was influenced by the count of climbers, presence of spine, and branch status, while roost height, ambient temperature, and lower count of climbers contributed to a higher FID. For the two Otus species, camouflage and pairing were found to influence their FR while FID of O. balli was influenced by roost height, pairing, and presence of spines. Our results indicated that the anti-predatory behaviour of owls on the Andaman Islands was species- and site-specific and prolonged disturbance to their roost sites may affect the survival and reproductive rate of these owls.

Application of PET/Sepiolite Nanocomposite Trays to Improve Food Quality

New PET and nanosepiolite materials are produced for its application in innovative packaging with better performance. In our previous work, we demonstrate that the use of different percentages of sepiolite modified with different organosilanes improved mechanical and barrier properties of PET. Nanocomposites permeability can decrease up to 30% compared to that of pure PET and the mechanical analyses show that, although PET nanocomposites are more brittle than virgin PET, they are also harder. In the present work, we are going to study the properties of this innovative packaging with real food analyzing mechanical properties related to the product transport together with permeability and microbiological characteristics. At the same time, it has been seen that it is possible to lighten trays, which is very important both industrially and environmentally. On the other hand, a good quality packaging for food needs to ensure that organoleptic and physico-chemical characteristics of the product inside are not modified due to migration of any of the packaging material to the food itself. Results obtained in this work also show lower count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae (EB), reducing the incidence of food contaminations by microorganisms.

Modulation of gut immune response by probiotic fermented milk consumption to control IgE in a respiratory allergy model

Allergies are a world increasing health issue and most treatments are oriented to alleviate symptoms. Probiotics have several health benefits including the improvement of the immune system. In previous work we found that consumption of commercial probiotic fermented milk (PFM) significantly reduced specific-immunoglobulin (Ig) E in serum and lungs by increasing specific-IgG and controlled allergic response to ovalbumin (OVA) in an adult mouse respiratory allergy model. Here we continued our study determining the mechanism triggered in the gut by the PFM ingestion that influenced the results previously reported. Five groups of BALB/c mice were assessed: normal-control, basal (drinks PFM five days without OVA sensitisation), sensitisation-control (no PFM intake), previous and continuous-PFM administration. Allergen administration: 3 OVA injections (1% in PBS) followed by aerosols exposure for 7 days. We determined total secretory-IgA and cytokines in small intestine (SI) fluid; CD11b+, CD103+, IgA+ cells and cytokine producing cells in SI tissue. In lungs we analysed co-expression of CD4/interferon (IFN)-γ or CD4/interleukin (IL)-10, IgE+ cells and IL-12 production. Results: continuous intake of PFM increased the expression of CD103 marker and decreased CD11b and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Coexpression of CD4/IFN-γ was confirmed in lungs of animals that consumed PFM continuously. This group had a lower count of IgE+ cells and a higher concentration of IL-12. The consumption of PFM reinforces the mucosal barrier by increasing IgA+ cells and induces signalling from the intestine to the lungs by increasing the expression of CD103+ dendritic cells related to regulatory mechanisms. The results found in this work together with those previously reported demonstrated that the intake of PFM induces a clear balance towards the Th1 response, preventing the Th2 allergic response by controlling the previously reported IgE level. According to our model, the intake of PFM could be a good strategy to alleviate the development of allergies.

Does ABO and RhD matching matter for platelet transfusion?

Platelets express ABO antigens and are collected in plasma, which contains ABO antibodies as would be consistent with the donor ABO group. Platelet ABO antigens that are incompatible with recipient ABO antibodies may have accelerated clearance from circulation and result in lower count increments. ABO antibodies that are passively transferred from donor plasma may result in hemolysis of recipient red blood cells. Although platelets do not express Rh antigens, they contain small numbers of intact red blood cells or fragments, which can lead to alloimmunization in the recipient. Alloimmunization to the RhD antigen may occur when platelets obtained from RhD-positive donors are transfused to RhD-negative recipients. All of these compatibility considerations must be balanced against the available supply, which may be limited due to the 5- to 7-day shelf life of platelets. This articles describes considerations for platelet ABO and RhD selection for platelet transfusions, including the impact of major ABO incompatibility on count increments, the risks of hemolysis associated with minor ABO incompatibility, and the risk of RhD alloimmunization when RhD-negative patients receive platelets obtained from RhD-positive donors.

Analysis of RNA yield in extracellular vesicles isolated by membrane affinity column and differential ultracentrifugation

Extracellular vesicles (EV) have attracted much attention as potential biomarkers due to their protein, RNA and other nucleic acid content. The most common method used for EV isolation is differential ultracentrifugation (DU), however given the DU technical difficulties, other more practical methods have surged, such as membrane-affinity column commercial kits. Here, we assessed one commercial kit in terms of EV recovery and EV-derived RNA yield and compared it with a DU protocol. Our data shows that the commercial kit preparation results in a lower count of EV-like structures and a reduced expression of EV markers when compared to DU samples. Thus, apparently suggesting that the commercial kit had a lower EV yield. However, these findings did not reflect on RNA yield, which was greater with the commercial kit, even after an enzymatic treatment with proteinase K and RNAse A. We conclude that the kit has a higher EV-derived RNA yield in comparison to our DU protocol, suggesting that it may be the method of choice for RNA sequencing purposes.

JAK2 or CALR Mutations Status and Bone Marrow Histology in Patients with Essential Thrombocythemia in Chinese

Objectives: To characterize the clinical, and bone marrow histopathological features of essential thrombocythemia (ET) with different gene mutations status of CALR and JAK2.Methods: 159 patients of ET were centrally analyzed from January 2016 to December 2019, including 59 cases with CALR mutation, 96 JAK2 mutation, 2 MPL mutation, and 2 cases were triple-negative (TN). Bone marrow pathology observation and determination were performed by 2 immobilized experienced morphological specialists.Results: Compared to ET with JAK2 mutation, patients with CALR mutation were younger (p=0.000), showed lower count of white blood cell (WBC) and level of hemoglobin (p=0.001, p=0.001), and higher count of platelet (p=0.001). In the bone marrow (BM) biopsy, the median number of megakaryocyte and clusters of megakaryocytes in each high power field (HPF) of vision in patients with CALR mutations were lower than JAK2 mutations patients (p=0.001, p=0.001), thrombotic events in two group was different (5% vs 11.5%) (p=0.03).Conclusion: In Chinese ET patients, patients with CALR mutations were younger, and had lower levels of Hb, and count of WBC, the lower thrombotic evens although with higher platelet counts than those with JAK2 mutation. Patients with JAK2 mutations had a higher median number of megakaryocytes and median number of clusters of megakaryocytes, the clinical significance is worth exploring.

Neutrophilia is associated with a poorer clinical outcome in dogs with chronic hepatitis

BackgroundLiver disease is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in dogs. Currently, it is challenging to prognosticate in these cases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of the haematological variables in dogs with chronic hepatitis.MethodsDogs with chronic hepatitis confirmed on histopathology had presenting haematological values retrospectively obtained and evaluated against survival time. Eighty-two dogs met the inclusion criteria and their data analysed.ResultsNeutrophilic patients, with a count greater than 12×109/l, controlled for sex and age, had a shorter survival time (P≤0.01). In dogs, neutrophilia at presentation predicted a poor outcome, whereas the other haematological parameters were not prognostically informative. When the dogs were split into even quarters on the basis of their neutrophil count, those within the higher quartiles had poorer survival times. Neutrophilia was associated with a poorer survival time in comparison to those patients with a lower count.ConclusionThe relationship between neutrophils, inflammation and clinical outcome is deserving of future study in dogs with chronic hepatitis.

Hematological Parameters Throughout the First Month of Direct-Acting Antivirus (DAA) Plus Ribavirin for HCV

Introduction Hematological complications such as neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia of DAAs/ribavirin in HCV can result in suboptimal outcomes. This study was aimed to investigate the frequency of hematological variations and their impact on the response to DAA therapy. Patients were defined as having hematological abnormalities if they had the presence of either/or a combination of the following hematological parameters at least once during the first month of treatment: drop in (Hb) level, TLC, and PLT count. Pretreatment, Hb, WBC count, and PLT count were not statistically related to the treatment response. However, lower count of all parameters was associated with moderate or advanced hepatic fibrosis stages according to the METAVIR scoring (P < .001). Static analysis showed that drop in Hb, TLC, and PLT count was significantly associated with response to treatment; P < .001, .21, and .41, respectively. Methods Fifty-eight patients for treatment of chronic hepatitis were studied. Their hematological parameters including TLC, Hb, and platelet counts were recorded before starting antiviral therapy and then at 3 monthly intervals. All the patients were given DAAS/ribavirin as antiviral therapy. Data were collected over a period of 3 months. Results Fifty-eight patients with mean (SD) age of 54.38 (12.67) years were studied. There was a mean hemoglobin (Hb) fall of 1.5 g/dL at the first 4 weeks of antiviral therapy. Mean TLC fell to 1.03 × 10⁹/L in the first month. A similar downward trend was noted in platelet values with a mean fall of 12.3 × 10⁹/mm in the first month of the antiviral therapy. Of the cases, 41.4% developed clinically significant anemia as evidenced by hemoglobin 11 g/dL after 4 weeks of antiviral therapy; this fall was noted only in first 4 weeks of treatment. Conclusion Significant hematological abnormalities occurred within the first 4 weeks of antiretroviral therapy. There was significant decrease in hemoglobin level.