bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Oxygen radicals in living systems and in food
Authors: DONNELLY JUDITH K. , ROBINSON DAVID S. 
Published: October 2007

SummaryOxygen‐derived free radicals are produced both within cells of living systems and in fresh and processed foods by electron transfer reactions usually catalysed by enzymes or transition metal ions, or by ultraviolet or other types of radiation. The production of free radicals is a normal biochemical event, but if reactive radicals are allowed to come into contact with susceptible molecules this may result in damage, e.g. to DNA, enzymes and other proteins, as well as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in cell membranes. Reactive free radicals cause deterioration of the nutritional value of foods through free radical chain reactions which may also be responsible for the alteration of the colour and flavour of food. The deleterious action of free radicals in living tissue and during the storage or processing of fresh foods may be prevented by their rapid conversion to non‐radical (stable) products; this may occur through radical‐radical interactions or by the action of antioxidants.
Observations on Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Authors: SYMONDS HERB 
Published: October 2007

SummaryPublic concern over bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, stems from the fear that, because the disease is transmissible between some animal species there may be a potential risk to man from the consumption of beef. It cannot be claimed that there is no risk to man because the information necessary to make such a statement is not yet available. However there is considerable evidence which indicates that the potential risk to man is very low. This article reviews the evidence from laboratory and epidemiological studies on both animal and human encephalopathies.
Myco‐protein —a new food
Authors: SADLER MICHÈLE 
Published: October 2007

SummaryUntil recently the main contribution of micro‐organisms to the human diet has been through fermentation, which is the basis of many traditional foods and drinks. The successful production of myco‐protein marks a new role in the diet for microfungi, and is a good example of the modern application of biotechnology to food production.
Calcium
Authors: HALLIDAY ANNE 
Published: October 2007

SummaryCalcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and has important structural and metabolic roles. In the average British diet, milk and other dairy products and fortified white bread provide the major supply. The average intake in the UK is well above the current recommended daily amount although the intakes of some school girls are quite low and may be a cause for concern. The amount of calcium which is absorbed and excreted is affected by a number of dietary and physiological factors. The plasma ionized calcium concentration is maintained by the concerted action of 3 hormones, parathyroid hormone, vitamin D and calcitonin. Dietary calcium has been implicated in the development of osteoporosis through failure to achieve an adequate peak base mass during early years or an increased rate of bone loss in later life. The first possibility has not yet been addressed and the second has not yet been resolved. Calcium requirements are difficult to determine confidently and further research on the relationship between calcium and the attainment of peak bone mass in early life and of the ability of individuals to adapt to different calcium intake is needed.
Diet and cancer — experimental evidence
Authors: CONNING DAVID M. 
Published: October 2007

SummaryThere is much evidence that nutrients can influence the outcome of studies of carcinogenesis in experimental animals. At present, much of the information is contradictory and of uncertain relevance to man. This is because different nutrients appear to affect different stages of the cancerous process and there may be many interactions between the nutrients, and between the nutrients and the cancer‐causing agents. It is unlikely that such agents will ever be entirely eliminated from the human diet but there is a real possibility that several classes of nutrients have a protective effect.
Thirty foods a day — is this the well‐balanced way?
Authors: MATSUMURA MACHIKO , RYLEY JANICE 
Published: October 2007

SummaryIt is 35 years since the Japanese diet started to show the effects of increased availability of milk and meat products but there are still major differences in the food and nutrient composition of the Japanese and UK diets. The Japanese now live longer than the British with only a third of the UK death rate from heart disease and a little more than half the UK death rate from cancer. Notwithstanding the problems inherent in comparing national statistics and the hazards of interpreting epidemiological correlations, such major differences remain thought provoking.
Food for thought — hindsight in history
Authors: SEAMAN ALAN 
Published: October 2007

SummaryThe Emperor Tiberius asked what song the Sirens sang. Sir Thomas Browne cautiously said this was ‘not beyond all conjecture’. In recent times scientists have applied their specialities to conjecture on historic events and peoples. Famous people attract such attention and in some cases their death or illness may be food related. Ten such cases are presented here.
Quality, safety and choice: a European food policy for the 1990s
Authors: SAUNDERS BARBARA 
Published: October 2007

SummaryThe European Community is fortunate to have sufficient food to be able to address the issues of quality, safely and choice rather than sufficiency alone. When the EC was founded in 1958, agricultural issues dominated, with the need to secure a regular supply of food high on the political agenda. It was that concern which produced the Common Agricultural Policy. Now, in a more prosperous, high tech age, consumers are able to concentrate on how food is produced, what they want to buy, and the level of safety appropriate. It is in this context that the European Community's food policy, and the action necessary if the Community (that is the 12 Member States, with their 350 million consumers) is to establish a food policy which will suit the twenty‐first century, is considered.
Public notions on nutrition and the role of food scientists
Authors: GRENBY T. H. 
Published: October 2007

SummaryThe Food Chemistry Group of the Industrial Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry was invited to organise a session at the Annual Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Plymouth, 26–30 August 1991, with the key object of explaining the importance of chemistry and other scientific disciplines in assuring the safety and quality of our food supply. This article is based on one of the presentations, outlining the need for scientific input to the food industry, the public's sources of information on food, some of the major advances that have been made by food chemists in recent years, and the industry's need for scientists and technologists.
Rapid methods of detection and enumeration of food poisoning micro‐organisms
Authors: WAITES WILL , DODD CHRIS , STEWART GORDON 
Published: October 2007

SummaryTraditional methods of microbial detection and enumeration of food poisoning micro‐organisms can take up to seven days. In this time a product with a short shelf‐life can be distributed, sold and eaten. There is, therefore, an urgent need for more rapid methods, preferably those producing results at least within an eight hour working day. This article discusses the rapid methods of detection and enumeration which are currently under development. In particular, antibody‐linked probes, DNA hybridization, the polymerase chain reaction and the lux gene system will be examined, with a view to indicating where major advances could occur.
A longitudinal study over 5 to 10 years of clinical outcomes in women with idiopathic detrusor overactivity
Authors: Morris AR , Westbrook JI , Moore KH 
Published: October 2007

Objective  To evaluate the long‐term clinical outcome in women with idiopathic detrusor overactivity (IDO) and to identify significant prognostic factors.Design  Longitudinal study incorporating retrospective case note review and a postal questionnaire.Setting  Tertiary referral urogynaecology clinic in Australia.Population  Women with a sole urodynamic diagnosis of IDO.Methods  Audit of urodynamic records and case notes. Postal questionnaire incorporating validated disease‐specific quality‐of‐life (QoL) instruments.Main outcome measure  Subjective assessment of overall improvement on a 4‐point scale followed by scoring of short forms of the urogenital distress inventory and incontinence impact questionnaire.Results  One hundred and thirty two women were identified following examination of 1975 consecutive records with 76 (67%) returning questionnaires. Median follow up was 8 years (6–9), and the duration of symptoms was 13 years (9–18). Improvement was achieved in 25 (35%) women. Disease symptoms fluctuated in severity and QoL were worse in nonresponders to therapy (P < 0.0001). Urge incontinence at presentation was associated with treatment failure (P= 0.001) as was nocturia (P= 0.04), but urodynamic variables were not associated with outcome. Only 3 of 46 (6.5%) women not responding to therapy thought that their symptoms would improve with time.Conclusions  IDO seldom resolves and fluctuates in severity. Individual response is unpredictable, although the presence of urge incontinence is associated with a significantly worse prognosis.
One‐year infant outcome in women with early‐onset hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
Authors: Rep A , Ganzevoort W , Van Wassenaer AG , Bonsel GJ , Wolf H , De Vries JIP ,   PETRA investigators
Published: October 2007

Objectives  To evaluate the role of plasma volume expansion on 1‐year infant outcome after severe hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and to determine prognostic factors for adverse neurodevelopmental infant outcome.Design  Randomised controlled trial, observational prognostic study.Setting  Two university hospitals in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.Population  One hundred and seventy‐two infants alive of 216 mothers with severe hypertensive disorders of pregnancy who were randomised for a temporising management strategy with or without plasma volume expansion.Methods  At 1 year of corrected age, a neurological examination according to Bayley (mental development index [MDI] and psychomotor development index [PDI]) and Touwen was performed.Main outcome measures  Adverse neurodevelopmental infant outcome was defined as a MDI/PDI score below 70 and/or an abnormal Touwen. Risk factors for adverse neurodevelopmental outcome were explored by univariate and multivariate analyses.Results  Adverse neurodevelopmental infant outcome was observed in 31 infants (18%). There were no differences between the randomisation groups. In multivariate analysis, an association with abnormal umbilical artery/middle cerebral artery Doppler ratio higher than the median, major neonatal morbidity, higher education of the parents, multiparity and Caucasian ethnicity was observed.Conclusion  Nearly 70% of the infants were alive at 1 year without adverse neurodevelopmental outcome. Maternal plasma volume expansion during pregnancy has no effect on 1‐year infant outcome. The prediction of adverse outcome at 1 year by perinatal parameters is limited.
Characterization of nine microsatellite loci in the sea star Astropecten aranciacus and cross‐species amplification for related taxa
Authors: ZULLIGER D. , RUCH M. , TANNER S. , RIBI G. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractSo far, only few microsatellite markers have been developed and extensively tested for echinoderms. To study the population genetic structure of the sea star Astropecten aranciacus, we developed primers for nine polymorphic microsatellite loci and tested them on two populations from Faro in Portugal (N = 25) and from La Herradura in Spain (N = 20). Within populations, allele numbers varied from four to 20, while expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.593 to 0.936 and from 0.222 to 0.900, respectively. Additional cross‐species amplifications were polymorphic at some loci, indicating their potential usefulness for related taxa.
A PCR assay for gender assignment in dugong (Dugong dugon) and West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus)
Authors: MCHALE M. , BRODERICK D. , OVENDEN J. R. , LANYON J. M. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractGender assignment for some aquatic mammals in the field is difficult. Molecular sexing from tissue biopsies is possible as males are heterogametic. Here we describe a multiplex PCR assay that amplifies the male specific SRY gene and differentiates ZFX and ZFY gametologues in two sirenian species, dugong (Dugong dugon) and West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus). The assay was validated with animals of known gender and proved accurate and robust to experimental failure.
Autoscreening of Restriction Endonucleases for PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Identification of Fungal Species, with
Pleurotus
spp. as an Example
Authors: Yang Zhi-Hui , Huang Ji-Xiang , Yao Yi-Jian 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACT

A molecular method based on PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) ribosomal DNA sequences was designed to rapidly identify fungal species, with members of the genus
Pleurotus
as an example. Based on the results of phylogenetic analysis of ITS sequences from
Pleurotus
, a PCR-RFLP endonuclease autoscreening (PRE Auto) program was developed to screen restriction endonucleases for discriminating multiple sequences from different species. The PRE Auto program analyzes the endonuclease recognition sites and calculates the sizes of the fragments in the sequences that are imported into the program in groups according to species recognition. Every restriction endonuclease is scored through the calculation of the average coefficient for the sequence groups and the average coefficient for the sequences within a group, and then virtual electrophoresis maps for the selected restriction enzymes, based on the results of the scoring system, are displayed for the rapid determination of the candidate endonucleases. A total of 85 haplotypes representing 151 ITS sequences were used for the analysis, and 2,992 restriction endonucleases were screened to find the candidates for the identification of species. This method was verified by an experiment with 28 samples representing 12 species of
Pleurotus
. The results of the digestion by the restriction enzymes showed the same patterns of DNA fragments anticipated by the PRE Auto program, apart from those for four misidentified samples. ITS sequences from 14 samples (of which nine sequences were obtained in this study), including four originally misidentified samples, confirmed the species identities revealed by the PCR-RFLP analysis. The method developed here can be used for the identification of species of other living microorganisms.
Low Densities of Epiphytic Bacteria from the Marine Alga
Ulva australis
Inhibit Settlement of Fouling Organisms
Authors: Rao Dhana , Webb Jeremy S. , Holmström Carola , Case Rebecca , Low Adrian , Steinberg Peter , Kjelleberg Staffan 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACT

Bacteria that produce inhibitory compounds on the surface of marine algae are thought to contribute to the defense of the host plant against colonization of fouling organisms. However, the number of bacterial cells necessary to defend against fouling on the plant surface is not known.
Pseudoalteromonas tunicata
and
Phaeobacter
sp. strain 2.10 (formerly
Roseobacter gallaeciensis
) are marine bacteria often found in association with the alga
Ulva australis
and produce a range of extracellular inhibitory compounds against common fouling organisms.
P. tunicata
and
Phaeobacter
sp. strain 2.10 biofilms with cell densities ranging from 10
2
to 10
8
cells cm
−2
were established on polystyrene petri dishes. Attachment and settlement assays were performed with marine fungi (uncharacterized isolates from
U. australis
), marine bacteria (
Pseudoalteromonas gracilis
,
Alteromonas
sp., and
Cellulophaga fucicola
), invertebrate larvae (
Bugula neritina
), and algal spores (
Polysiphonia
sp.) and gametes (
U. australis
). Remarkably low cell densities (10
2
to 10
3
cells cm
−2
) of
P. tunicata
were effective in preventing settlement of algal spores and marine fungi in petri dishes.
P. tunicata
also prevented settlement of invertebrate larvae at densities of 10
4
to 10
5
cells cm
−2
. Similarly, low cell densities (10
3
to 10
4
cells cm
−2
) of
Phaeobacter
sp. strain 2.10 had antilarval and antibacterial activity. Previously, it has been shown that abundance of
P. tunicata
on marine eukaryotic hosts is low (<1 × 10
3
cells cm
−2
) (T. L. Skovhus et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70:2373-2382, 2004). Despite such low numbers of
P. tunicata
on
U. australis
in situ, our data suggest that
P. tunicata
and
Phaeobacter
sp. strain 2.10 are present in sufficient quantities on the plant to inhibit fouling organisms. This strongly supports the hypothesis that
P. tunicata
and
Phaeobacter
sp. strain 2.10 can play a role in defense against fouling on
U. australis
at cell densities that commonly occur in situ.
Molecular Dissection of a Bifidobacterial Replicon
Authors: Cronin Michelle , Knobel Moritz , O'Connell-Motherway Mary , Fitzgerald Gerald F. , van Sinderen Douwe 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACT

The 2.1-kb cryptic plasmid pCIBAO89 from
Bifidobacterium asteroides
harbors a 1.4-kb segment which is sufficient for its autonomous replication. The segment is divided into two parts, the presumed replication origin,
ori89
, and the
rep
gene encoding the putative 41-kDa Rep89 replication initiation protein. This minimal replication region of pCIBAO89 was functionally dissected by transcriptional analyses as well as by DNA-binding studies, and the information obtained was exploited to create a number of
Escherichia coli
-
Bifidobacterium
shuttle vectors capable of transforming various bifidobacteria with an efficiency of up to 10
6
transformants/μg DNA.
Effects of Dried Distillers’ Grain on Fecal Prevalence and Growth of
Escherichia coli
O157 in Batch Culture Fermentations from Cattle
Authors: Jacob M. E. , Fox J. T. , Drouillard J. S. , Renter D. G. , Nagaraja T. G. 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACT

Distillers’ grains (DG), a by-product of ethanol production, are fed to cattle. Associations between
Escherichia coli
O157 prevalence and feeding of DG were investigated in feedlot cattle (
n
= 379) given one of three diets: steam-flaked corn (SFC) and 15% corn silage with 0 or 25% dried distillers’ grains (DDG) or SFC with 5% corn silage and 25% DDG. Ten fecal samples were collected from each pen weekly for 12 weeks to isolate
E. coli
O157. Cattle fed 25% DDG with 5 or 15% silage had a higher (
P
= 0.01) prevalence of
E. coli
O157 than cattle fed a diet without DDG. Batch culture ruminal or fecal microbial fermentations were conducted to evaluate the effect of DDG on
E. coli
O157 growth. The first study utilized microbial inocula from steers fed SFC or dry-rolled corn with 0 or 25% DDG and included their diet as the substrate. Ruminal microbial fermentations from steers fed DDG had higher
E. coli
O157 contents than ruminal microbial fermentations from steers fed no DDG (
P
< 0.05) when no substrate was included. Fecal fermentations showed no DDG effect on
E. coli
O157 growth. In the second study with DDG as a substrate, ruminal fermentations with 0.5 g DDG had higher (
P
< 0.01)
E. coli
O157 concentrations at 24 h than ruminal fermentations with 0, 1, or 2 g DDG. In fecal fermentations, 2 g DDG resulted in a higher concentration (
P
< 0.05) at 24 h than 0, 0.5, or 1 g DDG. The results indicate that there is a positive association between DDG and
E. coli
O157 in cattle, and the findings should have important ramifications for food safety.
Effects of Granule-Associated Protein PhaP on Glycerol-Dependent Growth and Polymer Production in Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate)-Producing
Escherichia coli
Authors: de Almeida Alejandra , Nikel Pablo I. , Giordano Andrea M. , Pettinari M. Julia 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACT

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are accumulated as intracellular granules by many bacteria under unfavorable conditions, enhancing their fitness and stress resistance. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is the most widespread and best-known PHA. Apart from the genes that catalyze polymer biosynthesis, natural PHA producers have several genes for proteins involved in granule formation and/or with regulatory functions, such as phasins, that have been shown to affect polymer synthesis. This study evaluates the effect of PhaP, a phasin, on bacterial growth and PHB accumulation from glycerol in bioreactor cultures of recombinant
Escherichia coli
carrying
phaBAC
from
Azotobacter
sp. strain FA8. Cells expressing
phaP
grew more, and accumulated more PHB, both using glucose and using glycerol as carbon sources. When cultures were grown in a bioreactor using glycerol, PhaP-bearing cells produced more polymer (2.6 times) and more biomass (1.9 times) than did those without the phasin. The effect of this protein on growth promotion and polymer accumulation is expected to be even greater in high-density cultures, such as those used in the industrial production of the polymer. The recombinant strain presented in this work has been successfully used for the production of PHB from glycerol in bioreactor studies, allowing the production of 7.9 g/liter of the polymer in a semisynthetic medium in 48-h batch cultures. The development of bacterial strains that can efficiently use this substrate can help to make the industrial production of PHAs economically feasible.
Density Gradient Enrichment of
Escherichia coli
Conditional
msbA
Mutants
Authors: Doerrler William T. 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACT

Insight into the mechanism of lipid transport to the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria has been hampered by the lack of an effective genetic screen for defective mutants. This work demonstrates an enrichment of conditional mutants defective in lipopolysaccharide export by Ludox density gradient centrifugation and selection for detergent resistance. New temperature-sensitive mutants with lipid export defects were isolated with single missense mutations in
msbA
. The results demonstrate the power of this approach for the study of lipid export in
Escherichia coli
.