Outbreak of Salmonella enteritidis phage type 1B associated with frozen pre-cooked chicken cubes, Finland 2012.

In August to October 2012, a nationwide outbreak of Salmonella enteritidis phase type (PT) 1B with 53 cases occurred in Finland. Hypothesis generating interviews pointed toward ready-to-eat chicken salad from a Finnish company and at the same time Estonian authorities informed of a S. enteritidis PT 1B outbreak linked to chicken wrap prepared at an Estonian restaurant. We found that chicken salad was associated with the infection (odds ratio (OR) 16·1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·7-148·7 for consumption and OR 17·5. 95% CI 4·0-76·0 for purchase). The frozen pre-cooked chicken cubes used in Finnish salad and in Estonian wraps were traced back to a production plant in China. Great Britain made two Rapid Alert Systems for Food and Feed notifications on chicken cubes imported to the UK from the same Chinese production plant. Microbiological investigation confirmed that the patient isolates in Estonia and in Finland were indistinguishable from the strains isolated from chicken cubes in Estonia and in the UK. We recommend that despite certificates for tested Salmonella, food items should be analyzed when Salmonella contamination in outbreak investigations is suspected. In outbreak investigations, electronically implemented case-case study saves time, effort, and money compared with case-control study.

Severe Outbreak of Sorbitol-Fermenting Escherichia coli O157 via Unpasteurized Milk and Farm Visits, Finland 2012.

Shiga toxin-producing, sorbitol-fermenting Escherichia coli O157 (SF O157) has emerged as a cause of severe human illness. Despite frequent human findings, its transmission routes and reservoirs remain largely unknown. Foodborne transmission and reservoir in cattle have been suspected, but with limited supporting evidence. This study describes the outbreak of SF O157 that occurred in Finland in 2012. The outbreak originated from a recreational farm selling unpasteurized milk, as revealed by epidemiologic and microbiological investigations, and involved six hospitalized children and two asymptomatic adults with culture-confirmed infection. An identical strain of SF O157 was isolated from patients, cattle and the farm environment, and epidemiologic analysis suggested unpasteurized milk as the vehicle of transmission. This study reports the first milkborne outbreak of SF O157, provides supporting evidence of cattle as a reservoir and highlights the health risks related to the consumption of unpasteurized milk.

Note: Improving long-term stability of hot-wire anemometer sensors by means of annealing.

Annealing procedures for hot-wire sensors of platinum and platinum-plated tungsten have been investigated experimentally. It was discovered that the two investigated sensor metals behave quite differently during the annealing process, but for both types annealing may improve long-term stability considerably. Measured drift of sensors both without and with prior annealing is presented. Suggestions for suitable annealing temperatures and times are given.

Increase of maximum life-span in Sweden, 1861-1999.

A fundamental question in aging research is whether humans and other species possess an immutable life-span limit. We examined the maximum age at death in Sweden, which rose from about 101 years during the 1860s to about 108 years during the 1990s. The pace of increase was 0.44 years per decade before 1969 but accelerated to 1. 11 years per decade after that date. More than 70 percent of the rise in the maximum age at death from 1861 to 1999 is attributable to reductions in death rates above age 70. The rest are due to increased numbers of survivors to old age (both larger birth cohorts and increased survivorship from infancy to age 70). The more rapid rise in the maximum age since 1969 is due to the faster pace of old-age mortality decline during recent decades.

Cytotoxicological safety assessment of papers and boards used for food packaging.

Because of the lack of information about the possible transfer of toxic compounds from papers and boards to food, the overall cytotoxicity induced by six papers and 15 boards was investigated from water extracts prepared according to the European prestandard. Cytotoxicity measurements were based on RNA synthesis rate of human HeLa S3 cells. The tested virgin and recycled papers and boards were differentiated and classified according to their cytotoxicological quality, which ranged from absence of any cytotoxic effect to severe inhibition of RNA synthesis rate. The cytotoxicity level also varied according to the total amount of compounds detected by gas chromatography. No correlation was found between cytotoxicity and endotoxins contained in the samples. No significant difference in cytotoxicity was observed between the papers and boards produced from virgin fibres and from recycled fibres. Moreover, the products obtained from chemical pulp showed lower cytotoxicity than the products based on mechanical pulp. More generally, the cytotoxicological approach is promising for monitoring paper/board treatment-induced problems. Further work is required to assess a modified standard procedure for the preparation of water extracts specifically adapted to paper/board.

Extreme longevity in five countries: presentation of trends with special attention to issues of data quality.

"Data on the maximum age at death and other indicators of extreme longevity are assembled for five countries (Sweden, England & Wales, France, Japan, and the United States) over various time periods. The raw data are shown in both graphical and tabular formats. Two types of measures are presented: the extreme ages at death reported for a given year (i.e., the maximum, second, third, and fourth highest), and the upper percentiles of the age distribution of deaths by year. The analysis demonstrates that the upper tail of the age distribution of deaths has moved steadily higher over a period of at least 130 years in Sweden. Similar trends are observed (over shorter time periods) for other countries, although in many cases it is argued that the raw data are flawed due to misstatement (in particular, exaggeration) of age at death." (SUMMARY IN FRE)

Production of tremorgenic mycotoxins by isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus from sawmills in Sweden.

One hundred and six strains of A. fumigatus were isolated from 21 sawmills in Sweden, and 73 of these strains were examined for production of fumitremorgen B and verruculogen (tremorgenic mycotoxins) on YES-medium using thin layer chromatography (TLC). Twenty-three strains (32%) were tremorgen producers and 50 strains (68%) were non-producers. Tremorgenic mycotoxins were detected in conidia of seven A. fumigatus strains. The amount of toxin varied between 0.6-8.0 microgram/10(8) conidia (mean value 2.3 micrograms/10(8) conidia, equivalent with 0.18%). No production of the mycotoxin gliotoxin was detected in 6 strains of A. fumigatus. No tremorgens were detected during mould growth on wood substrates, in spite of the use of different wood species (Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris: Norway spruce, Picea abies and birch, Betula spp.), dried versus non-dried wood, bark (pine), leached wood, and wood after various sterilization methods.

Enhanced IL-4-mediated D10.G4.1 proliferation with suboptimal concentrations of anti-IL-4 receptor monoclonal antibodies.

Suboptimal concentrations of the anti-IL-4 receptor mAb M1 or M2 gave, in combination with IL-4, an enhanced proliferative response to the IL-4-responsive cell line D10.G4.1, compared to IL-4 alone. Increasing amounts of the M1 antibody inhibited the IL-4-dependent proliferation in a normal fashion. The enhanced IL-4-induced proliferation was only inhibited with the anti-IL-4 mAb 11B11, whereas the anti-IL-2 receptor antibodies had no effect. Addition of M1 or M2 antibodies to the IL-2-dependent cell line CTLL, known to express small amounts of IL-4 receptors and thereby also slightly responsive to IL-4, gave no enhanced IL-4-induced proliferation. Instead these antibodies were found to inhibit both the IL-4 as well as the IL-2-mediated CTLL proliferation.

A completely automated system for on-line monitoring of the production of a growth factor secreted during fermentation of Escherichia coli.

The production of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), expressed in Escherichia coli as a secreted fusion protein with affinity for the Fc region of IgG, was monitored automatically during fermentations. A sampling device was used to automatically inject filtered culture medium from the fermentor onto a small affinity column (IgG Sepharose(R) Fast Flow) connected to a chromatographic system. The area of the eluted peak was proportional to the concentration of the fusion protein. The relationship was linear over the range 25-630 microg/mL with relative standard deviation of around 1% at the higher concentrations. Samples could be monitored automatically every half hour during fermentation (48 h). The method of analysis is nondestructive, allowing further analysis of product quality. A complete evaluation of the monitoring system is described. With this system, fermentations based on the described expression system can be optimized on the basis of product concentration; this will lead to more effective fermentations and higher product yields. It should also be possible to monitor other secreted products with this system by using other affinity gels.

Long-term relative survival rates after heart valve replacement.

The calculation and comparison of relative survival rates after interventional studies is a method that permits correction for important demographic variables, thereby adjusting for the "background mortality" in the general population. Long-term relative survival rates were analyzed in a consecutive series of 2,805 Swedish patients who, on the basis of clinical symptoms, underwent aortic valve replacement (n = 1,741), mitral valve replacement (n = 792) and double (aortic plus mitral) valve replacement (n = 272) between 1969 and 1983. The follow-up period, which closed August 1, 1985, included 100% of patients and covered 16,822 patient-years. Autopsy was performed in 75% of all deaths. The results underscore previously well known differences between the long-term survival after aortic valve replacement and mitral or double valve replacement, whereas no differences were noted between mitral and double valve replacement. Within the subgroup undergoing aortic valve replacement, analysis of relative survival rates disclosed a highly significant (p less than 0.001) difference between patients operated on for aortic stenosis and those operated on for aortic regurgitation, representing a mortality rate more than twice as high in the latter group. This difference was of much lesser magnitude when analyzed in the standard (actuarial) way. With a low (less than 2.5%) operative mortality rate for patients undergoing isolated elective aortic valve replacement in the current era and with an acceptable incidence of late valve-related death (5.2% at 10 years), these results may justify aortic valve replacement earlier in the course of chronic aortic regurgitation to prevent irreversible myocardial damage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Intratracheal exposure of rats to Aspergillus fumigatus spores isolated from sawmills in Sweden.

Five strains of Aspergillus fumigatus (A, B, D, H, and K) isolated from sawmills were used to expose groups of three rats by intratracheal intubation. The dose was 10(9) spores per rat. At 48 h after administration, two rats from the D group and all rats from the K group died with symptoms of strong dyspnea and tachypnea. At 72 h postadministration and after, some animals showed mild to moderate dyspnea and tachypnea. Autopsies of all animals were performed, including a histopathological examination of the lungs. At 72 h after administration, two distinct morphological groups were identified histopathologically. Severe necrotizing pneumonia characterized by the presence of abundant fungal hyphae was seen in animals that died spontaneously within 48 h postadministration and rats with bronchopneumonia and was characterized by the presence of numerous fungal spores. There was an obvious difference in pathogenicity among the strains of A. fumigatus. Strains D and K were more pathogenic, and only the rats exposed to these strains showed the presence of fungal hyphae in the lungs. The mycotoxin gliotoxin that is produced by A. fumigatus and has antiphagocytic activity was not detected in the spores from any of the A. fumigatus strains.

Properties, in theory and practice, of novel gel filtration media for standard liquid chromatography.

The influence of experimental parameters on the separation result in gel filtration may readily be predicted from a few basic equations, as demonstrated with the aid of experimental observations on Sephacryl HR. Excellent agreement between the predicted resolution and that determined experimentally was found for parameters such as temperature, particle size, column length, flow velocity, sample volume and gel porosity. The theoretical prediction of an optimum sample volume for a constant processing rate was also experimentally verified. An exhaustive investigation of the physical, chemical and functional properties of Sephacryl HR was undertaken to facilitate the interpretation of experimental observations.

Energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis, neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectrometry--comparison using biological specimens.

X-ray microanalysis, neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectrometry were performed on normal and injured skeletal muscle. X-ray microanalysis of tenotomized rat soleus muscle showed significantly elevated levels of sodium and chlorine and lower potassium compared with normal muscle. Similar ion shifts could be demonstrated by neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectrometry. The concentrations of sodium and chlorine obtained by these techniques were somewhat higher and that of potassium lower than the values obtained by X-ray microanalysis. This can probably be attributed to the fact that in atomic absorption spectrometry and in neutron activation analysis the entire muscle biopsy contents are measured while in X-ray microanalysis only the content of muscle cells unaffected by extracellular, non-muscular components are determined. It can be concluded that X-ray microanalysis is a reliable technique to study the elemental content of biological tissue, especially tissue undergoing pathological changes affecting the extracellular spaces. Other types of analysis should be used when elements not detectable by X-ray microanalysis are of interest.

Tremorgenic mycotoxins from Aspergillus fumigatus as a possible occupational health problem in sawmills.

Wood-trimmers' disease, generally called extrinsic allergic alveolitis, which affects workers in sawmills, is thought to be caused by fungal diaspores. The importance of Aspergillus fumigatus on the surface of wood dried in kilns is accentuated by its ability to produce tremorgenic mycotoxins. Eight strains of A. fumigatus from five different sawmills were isolated and cultivated on liquid media, and one of the strains was also cultivated on wood blocks. Extracts were prepared, and the tremorgenic reactions were induced by oral administration of extracts to rats. Extracts of the strain grown in liquid medium and on wood blocks induced very strong tremorgenic reactions when administered orally to rats. Four other strains induced mild tremorgenic reactions. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed two tremorgenic mycotoxins, verruculogen and fumitremorgen C, in the five toxic strains. One nontoxic strain produced detectable levels of verruculogen. These results, coupled with the known resemblance of the acutely toxic phase of wood-trimmers' disease to the symptoms produced by these tremorgens, imply that wood-trimmers' disease and similar occupational diseases are, at least in part, mycotoxicoses.

Effects of the reduction and S-carbamidomethylation on the conformation, activity and heparin-binding capacity of human antithrombin III.

Antithrombin III has been shown to contain three disulphide bridges. They can be broken by reduction under non-denaturing conditions. The completely reduced and S-carbamidomethylated protein is devoid of thrombin-inhibiting activity and does not bind heparin. However, the immunological reactivity as determined by electroimmunoassay is almost unchanged, indicating that no large conformational changes occur upon cleavage of the disulphide bonds. This is also supported by the observation that the reduced and S-carbamidomethylated protein has the same fluorescence properties as the native protein dichroic spectrum of the native protein shows a pronounced pattern in the near-ultraviolet region, indicating restricted rotation of the aromatic amino acid side chains. This is drastically changed by the reduction and carbamidomethylation. The character of the far-ultraviolet circular dichroic spectrum is similar in the native and reduced S-carbamidomethylated protein. The reduction and S-carbamidomethylation of antithrombin III induces some local changes in the tertiary structure affecting the inhibitor activity, heparin binding and near-ultraviolet circular dichroic spectrum, but do not seem to induce any substantial general conformation change.