Incidence of aflatoxins in Iran pistachio nuts.

Aflatoxins (AF) are highly toxic and carcinogenic secondary fungal metabolites and have been detected in various food commodities including pistachio nuts. Pistachio nuts were produced in Iran during March 2002-February 2003 analyzed for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), aflatoxin G1 (AFG1) and aflatoxin G2 (AFG2) using immunoaffinity column and quantitated by HPLC and/or TLC-scanner. In this regard, 3356 pistachio nut samples were collected. After dividing samples to sub-samples, 10,068 AF analyses were done. Among 10,068 samples analyzed, AFB1 was detected in 3699 samples (36.7% of the total) with the mean and median of 5.9 (+/-41.7) ng/g and 0.1 ng/g, respectively. Total AF (AFT) was detected in 2852 samples (28.3% of the total) with the mean and median of 7.3 (+/-53.2)ng/g and 0.4 ng/g, respectively. AFB1 level in 1191 samples (11.8%) was above the maximum tolerated level (MTL) of AFB1 in pistachio nut in Iran (5 ng/g). Regarding AFT, the mean contamination level (7.3 ng/g) was lower than MTL of AFT in pistachio nut in Iran as well as lower than the proposed draft maximum level of Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants for AFT (15 ng/g), and only 7.5% of samples had levels above the MTL.

A longitudinal study of negative emotional states and adjustment from early childhood through adolescence.

The relations among various negative emotional and behavioral characteristics (e.g., aggression, anxiety, undercompliance, depressive mood) and adjustment were examined through use of data from the 31-year-old New York Longitudinal Study. 75 white, middle-class children were rated on these negative characteristics from infancy to adolescence. Measures of family, peer, and personal adjustment were also obtained. Because of the longitudinal nature of the data, we were able to use structural equation models to address the following questions: (1) How stable are these negative behaviors from early life through adolescence? (2) What is the degree of relation between these emotional characteristics and adjustment in childhood and adolescence? and (3) To what degree do these emotional characteristics differentially predict multiple adjustment dimensions in adolescence? 2 factors of negative emotional behavior, labeled as Aggression and Affect, respectively, were identified in early and late childhood and were found to have relatively high stability of individual differences. Aggression significantly predicted adolescent maladjustment, whereas Affect had no independent prediction of maladjustment. Moreover, emotional problems provided better prediction of adolescent adjustment problems than did earlier childhood adjustment ratings.

Depression in childhood and adolescence. A prospective study of six cases.

Two cases of recurrent major depression, three cases of dysthymic disorder (depressive neurosis), and one of adjustment disorder with depressed mood beginning in childhood or adolescence have been identified in the 133 subjects of the New York Longitudinal Study. The prospective behavioral data from early infancy to early adult life in each of the six cases are summarized. Differences in etiology are emphasized and the implications for treatment indicated. There was no evidence for a separate clinical entity of depression for the childhood period. Review of the longitudinal data did not show a significant earlier life tendency to negative mood temperamentally. The dysthymic and adjustment disorder cases also did not show significant differences in environmental stresses or parental functioning from other clinical cases in the longitudinal study without depressive symptoms.