The relationship between alcohol and cannabis use with nonsuicidal self-injury among adolescent inpatients: Examining the 90 days prior to psychiatric hospitalization.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the trajectories of alcohol use, cannabis use, suicide planning (SP), and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) prior to hospitalization and examined the role of alcohol and cannabis use, independently and jointly, in predicting NSSI on a daily level and over time. METHODS: Participants included 71 adolescents hospitalized for suicide risk (75% female; 25% male; Mage = 15.79). All participants drank alcohol at least once in the prior 90-days. We conducted mixed effect models to assess the trajectories of alcohol use, cannabis use, and NSSI over the 90-days prior hospitalization. To test the effect of SP, alcohol use, and cannabis use on NSSI, we conducted logistic random effect models, while controlling for demographics. RESULTS: SP (OR = 4.47, p < 0.001) and suicide ideation (SI) (OR = 10.09, p < 0.001) significantly increased the odds of engaging in NSSI. Neither cannabis nor alcohol use independently predicted the odds of engaging in NSSI, however, the co-occurrence of alcohol and cannabis use increased the odds of engaging in NSSI on a given day (OR = 30.5, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Study findings extend current knowledge about the longitudinal and day-to-day relationships between alcohol and cannabis use and NSSI. Results underscore the importance of developing interventions that address polysubstance use among suicidal adolescents engaging in NSSI.

Inactivation of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Refrigerated and Frozen Meatballs Using High Pressure Processing.

High pressure processing (HPP) was evaluated to inactivate Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in raw meatballs. Ground meat (>90% lean) was inoculated (ca. 7.0 log CFU/g) with a rifampicin-resistant cocktail of eight STEC strains (O26:H11, O45:H2, O103:H2, O104:H4, O111:H-, O121:H19, O145:NM, and O157:H7). Inoculated ground beef, ground veal, or a mixture of ground beef, pork, and veal were separately mixed with liquid whole eggs and seasonings, shaped by hand into meatballs (40 g each), and stored at -20 or at 4 °C for at least 18 h. Samples were then exposed to 400 or 600 MPa for 0 to 18 min. There were no differences (p > 0.05) in pathogen reduction related to the species of meat used or for meatballs that were refrigerated (0.9 to 2.9 log CFU/g) compared to otherwise similar meatballs that were stored frozen (1.0 to 3.0 log CFU/g) prior to HPP treatment. However, less time was needed to achieve a ≥ 2.0 log CFU/g reduction at 600 MPa (1 to 3 min) compared to 400 MPa (at least 9 min). This work provides new and practically useful information on the use of HPP to inactivate STEC in raw meatballs.

Effect of Deep-Frying or Conventional Oven Cooking on Thermal Inactivation of Shiga Toxin-Producing Cells of Escherichia coli in Meatballs.

We investigated the effects of deep-frying or oven cooking on inactivation of Shiga toxin-producing cells of Escherichia coli (STEC) in meatballs. Finely ground veal and/or a finely ground beef-pork-veal mixture were inoculated (ca. 6.5 log CFU/g) with an eight-strain, genetically marked cocktail of rifampin-resistant STEC strains (STEC-8; O111:H, O45:H2, O103:H2, O104:H4, O121:H19, O145:NM, O26:H11, and O157:H7). Inoculated meat was mixed with liquid whole eggs and seasoned bread crumbs, shaped by hand into 40-g balls, and stored at -20°C (i.e., frozen) or at 4°C (i.e., fresh) for up to 18 h. Meatballs were deep-fried (canola oil) or baked (convection oven) for up to 9 or 20 min at 176.7°C (350°F), respectively. Cooked and uncooked samples were homogenized and plated onto sorbitol MacConkey agar with rifampin (100 µg/ml) followed by incubation of plates at 37°C for ca. 24 h. Up to four trials and three replications for each treatment for each trial were conducted. Deep-frying fresh meatballs for up to 5.5 min or frozen meatballs for up to 9.0 min resulted in reductions of STEC-8 ranging from ca. 0.7 to ≥6.1 log CFU/g. Likewise, reductions of ca. 0.7 to ≥6.1 log CFU/g were observed for frozen and fresh meatballs that were oven cooked for 7.5 to 20 min. This work provides new information on the effect of prior storage temperature (refrigerated or frozen), as well as subsequent cooking via deep-frying or baking, on inactivation of STEC-8 in meatballs prepared with beef, pork, and/or veal. These results will help establish guidelines and best practices for cooking raw meatballs at both food service establishments and in the home.

A novel chromogenic medium for isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from the sputa of cystic fibrosis patients.

BACKGROUND: A novel chromogenic medium for isolation and identification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from sputa of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients was evaluated and compared with standard laboratory methods. METHODS: One hundred sputum samples from distinct CF patients were cultured onto blood agar (BA), Pseudomonas CN selective agar (CN) and a Pseudomonas chromogenic medium (PS-ID). All Gram-negative morphological variants from each medium were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and identification using a combination of biochemical and molecular methods. RESULTS: P. aeruginosa was isolated from 62 samples after 72 h incubation. Blood agar recovered P. aeruginosa from 56 samples (90.3%) compared with 59 samples (95.2%) using either CN or PS-ID. The positive predictive value of PS-ID (98.3%) was significantly higher than growth on CN (88.5%) for identification of P. aeruginosa (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PS-ID is a promising medium allowing for the isolation and simultaneous identification of P. aeruginosa from sputa of CF patients.