Hyperthermia effect and antibacterial efficacy of Fe3+ /Co2+ co-substitutions in ß-Ca3 (PO4 )2 for bone cancer and defect therapy.

The combined effect of cobalt and iron substitutions in ß-Ca3 (PO4 )2 as a potent material for application in hyperthermia and as a bone substitute is presented. Structural analysis reveals the preferential accommodation of Co2+ and Fe3+ at the Ca2+ (5) sites of ß-Ca3 (PO4 )2 until the limit of ∼10 mol % and, thereafter, prefer Ca2+ (4) lattice sites. Occupancy of both the Co2+ and Fe3+ ions induces a significant contraction of the ß-Ca3 (PO4 )2 unit cell. The Co2+ /Fe3+ co-substitutions in ß-Ca3 (PO4 )2 display magnetic characteristics that enhances hyperthermia effect. In addition, the presence of Co2+ in ß-Ca3 (PO4 )2 enunciates pronounced antibacterial efficacy against tested microorganisms. Nevertheless, the enhanced level of Co2+ in ß-Ca3 (PO4 )2 results to induce significant toxicity. The biocompatibility of the synthesized thermoseeds is verified from the hemolytic tests and cytotoxicity test performed on human sarcoma cell line MG-63. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1317-1328, 2018.

Sensitive method for the detection of fumonisin B1 in human urine.

Fumonisins are a group of carcinogenic mycotoxins that occur worldwide. This paper reports a sensitive method for the detection and quantitation of fumonisin B1 in human urine. Amberlite XAD-2 non-ionic polymeric adsorbent resin is used prior to strong anion-exchange (SAX) cartridge clean-up. As much as 100 ml of undiluted human urine can be loaded onto the column. Recoveries obtained using this method were 93.6, 95.1 and 94.4% when samples were spiked with 10, 50 and 500 ng/ml of fumonisin B1, respectively. This method is highly reproducible (R.S.D.<5%) and gives good sample clean-up, which is suitable for HPLC analysis.

A foodborne disease outbreak due to the consumption of moldy sorghum and maize containing fumonisin mycotoxins.

BACKGROUND: Unseasonal rains beginning in 1995 damaged the maize and sorghum crops harvested in a few villages of the Deccan plateau in India. Human consumption of those grains resulted in a foodborne disease outbreak characterized by abdominal pain, borborygmi and diarrhea. METHODS: A rapid epidemiological survey was conducted in the affected villages and a detailed house to house survey in selected villages. RESULTS: People in 27 out of 50 villages surveyed were affected and disease was seen only in households and subjects consuming the rain damaged moldy sorghum or maize. The disease was self limiting. Diarrhea was reproduced in day old cockerels fed contaminated grains from affected households. All 20 sorghum and 12 maize samples collected from affected households had Fusarium sp. as the dominant mycoflora and contained fumonisin B1 in the range of 0.14-7.8 mg/kg and 0.25-64.7 mg/kg, respectively. In contrast, samples collected from unaffected households had fumonisin B1 in low levels ranging from 0.07-0.36 mg/kg and 0.05-0.24 mg/kg, respectively. CONCLUSION: The higher water activity in the grains left in the field following harvest led to the production of high levels of fumonisin B1 and consumption of such grains by humans resulted in the disease.

Sterols in the plasma and digestive gland-gonad complex of Biomphalaria glabrata snails, fed lettuce versus hen's egg yolk, as determined by GLC.

1. Gas-liquid chromatography studies were done on sterols in plasma and the digestive gland-gonad (DGG) complex of Biomphalaria glabrata snails fed lettuce vs hen's egg yolk. 2. The major sterols present in the DGG of both populations were cholesterol, stigmasterol, beta-sitosterol, campesterol, and desmosterol. 3. The percentage composition of cholesterol in the DGG of yolk vs lettuce fed snails was 82 and 51, respectively. 4. The elution profiles of sterols in the plasma of yolk vs lettuce fed snails were similar; both contained desmosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol, negligible amounts of cholesterol, and unidentified sterols. 5. The high lipid diet increased the level of cholesterol in the DGG but not in the plasma.