Coagulation combined with ultraviolet irradiation activated sodium percarbonate as pretreatment prior to ultrafiltration: Analysis of free radical oxidation mechanism and membrane fouling control.

Novel pre-coagulation-sedimentation integrated with ultraviolet activated sodium percarbonate (SPC) (Fe(III)-UV/SPC) processes are promising methods for ultrafiltration (UF) pretreatment to ensure the safety of rural drinking water and mitigate UF membrane fouling. The process of surface water purification using the integrated coagulation-advanced oxidation processes (AOPs)-UF system relies on the idea that pre-coagulation can remove hydrophobic macromolecular organic compounds, thus facilitating the oxidation of hydrophilic molecules or medium-sized macromolecules to improve the utilization efficiency of free radicals in AOPs. Compared with the UV/SPC process, the removal rates of UV254 and DOC in the Fe(III)-UV/SPC process (Fe(III) = 0.1 mM, SPC = 0.5 mM) were increased from 87.39 % to 41.45 %-93.56 % and 52.51 %, respectively. Furthermore, the dosage of SPC was reduced from 0.75 mM in UV/SPC process to 0.5 mM due to effects of pre-coagulation. The free radical quenching experiment showed that a significant radical sink of reactions with organic contaminants was formed by •OH and CO3•- in the UV/SPC process, rather than a single specific radical. The destruction of the cake layer structure, reduction in contaminant concentration, and appearance of many permeable holes on the membrane surface were the main reasons for the alleviation of UF membrane fouling. Finally, the trans-membrane pressure and reversible membrane resistance decreased from 22.33 kPa to 3.68 × 1011 m-1 to 18.28 kPa and 0.93 × 1011 m-1, respectively. These results provide new insights into the behavior of membrane fouling control and offer technical references for the long-term stable operation of the UF process.

Classification of dairy properties according to the geometric mean of the somatic cell count and its antimicrobial resistance profile / Classificação de propriedades leiteiras de acordo com a média geométrica da contagem de células somáticas e seu perfil de resistência aos antimicrobianos

Milk and its derivatives are highly consumed foods worldwide, with recognized nutritional importance. The search for the production of products with superior quality is constant. For the present work, 26 milk-producing properties were selected, with a total of 506 milk samples collected during the period from October 2019 to May 2020 being evaluated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of milk produced in dairy properties in the region west Paraná, classified as good or bad based on the results of the Somatic Cell Count (SCC) and through sampling (n = 10) to evaluate the resistance profile of enterobacteria and Staphylococcus spp. isolated from milk samples, in addition to the presence of the mecA gene in strains of Staphylococcus spp. resistant to oxacillin. There were significant differences between the good and bad properties for the levels of lactose, SCC (cell/mL), and Standard Plate Count (SPC) (CFU/mL). The strains of Staphylococcus spp. showed differences in the percentage of resistance in relation to the good and bad properties for antibiotics: tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, oxacillin, amikacin, clindamycin, gentamycin, and erythromycin. The mecA gene was not detected in any of the coagulase-negative Staphylococcus isolates that showed resistance to oxacillin. For enterobacteria, the isolated species differed in relation to the classification of properties, with predominance for Escherichia coli (40%) for properties classified as bad and Hafnia alvei (40%) for those classified as good. The percentage of antibiotic resistance compared to enterobacteria isolates was higher in properties classified as good. Monitoring through microbial culture and antibiogram is extremely important, favoring the correct choice for the treatment of animals with a reduced selection of resistant strains.(AU)

O leite e seus derivados são alimentos altamente consumidos em todo mundo, com importância nutricional reconhecida. A busca pela produção de produtos com qualidade superior é constante. Para o presente trabalho foram selecionadas 26 propriedades produtoras de leite, sendo avaliado um total de 506 amostras de leite colhidas durante o período de outubro de 2019 a maio de 2020. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a qualidade do leite produzido em propriedades leiteiras da região oeste do Paraná, classificadas como boas ou ruins com base nos resultados da Contagem de Células Somáticas (CCS) e por meio de amostragem (n=10) avaliar o perfil de resistência das enterobactérias e Staphylococcus spp. isolados das amostras de leite, além da presença do gene mecA em cepas de Staphylococcus spp. resistentes à oxacilina. Houve diferenças significativas entre as propriedades boas e ruins para os teores de lactose, CCS (cél./mL) e Contagem Padrão em Placas (CPP) (UFC/mL). As cepas de Staphylococcus spp. apresentaram diferenças no percentual de resistência em relação às propriedades boas e ruins para os antibióticos: tetraciclina, ciprofloxacina, oxacilina, amicacina, clindamicina, gentamicina e eritromicina. Não foi detectada a presença do gene mecA em nenhum dos isolados de Staphylococcus coagulase negativa que apresentaram perfil de resistência à oxacilina. Para as enterobactérias as espécies isoladas diferiram em relação à classificação das propriedades, com predomínio para Escherichia coli (40%) para as propriedades classificadas como ruins e Hafnia alvei (40%) para as classificadas como boas. O percentual de resistência aos antibióticos frente aos isolados de enterobactérias foi maior nas propriedades classificadas como boas. É extremamente importante o monitoramento por meio de cultura microbiana e antibiograma, favorecendo a correta escolha para o tratamento dos animais com redução da seleção de cepas resistentes.(AU)

Application of statistical process control for spotting compliance to good pharmaceutical practice

ABSTRACT For the release of pharmaceutical products into the drug market; most of the pharmaceutical companies depend on acceptance criteria - that are set internally, regulatory and/or pharmacopeially. However, statistical process control monitoring is underestimated in most quality control in cases; although it is important not only for process stability and efficiency assessment but also for compliance with all appropriate pharmaceutical practices such as good manufacturing practice and good laboratory practice, known collectively as GXP. The current work aims to investigate two tablet inspection characteristics monitored during in-process control viz. tablet average weight and hardness. Both properties were assessed during the compression phase of the tablet and before the coating stage. Data gathering was performed by the Quality Assurance Team and processed by Commercial Statistical Software packages. Screening of collected results of 31 batches of an antibacterial tablet - based on Fluoroquinolone -showed that all the tested lots met the release specifications, although the process mean has been unstable which could be strongly evident in the variable control chart. Accordingly, the two inspected processes were not in the state of control and require strong actions to correct for the non-compliance to GXP. What is not controlled cannot be predicted in the future and thus the capability analysis would be of no value except to show the process capability retrospectively only. Setting the rules for the application of Statistical Process Control (SPC) should be mandated by Regulatory Agencies.

Monitoring breeding herd production data to detect PRRSV outbreaks.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv) causes substantial economic impact due to significant losses in productivity. Thus, measuring changes in farm productivity before and after PRRS infection enables quantifying the production and economic impact of outbreaks. This study assessed the application of exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA), a statistical process control method, on selected production data (number of abortions, pre-weaning mortality rate and prenatal losses) to supplement PRRS surveillance programs by detecting significant deviations on productivity in a production system with 55,000 sows in 14 breed-to-wean herds in Minnesota, U.S.A. Weekly data from diagnostic monitoring program (available through the Morrison's Swine Health Monitoring Project) implemented on the same herds was used as reference for PRRS status. The time-to-detect, percentage of early detection of PRRSv-associated productivity deviations, and relative sensitivity and specificity of the production data monitoring system were determined relative to the MSHMP. The time-to-detect deviations on productivity associated with PRRS outbreaks using the EWMA method was -4 to -1 weeks (interquartile range) for the number of abortions, 0-0 for preweaning mortality and -1 to 3 weeks for prenatal losses compared to the date it was reported in the MSHMP database. Overall, the models had high relative sensitivity (range 85.7-100%) and specificity (range 98.5%-99.6%) when comparing to the changes in PRRS status reported in the MSHMP database. In summary, the use of systematic data monitoring showed a high concordance compared to the MSHMP-reported outbreaks indicating that on-farm staff and veterinary oversight were efficient to detect PRRSv, but can be more efficient if they were monitoring closely the frequency of abortions. The systematic monitoring of production indicators using EWMA offers opportunity to standardize and semi-automate the detection of deviations on productivity associated with PRRS infection, offering opportunity to early detect outbreaks and/or to quantify the production losses attributed to PRRS infection.

Identification of genes associated with asexual reproduction in Phyllosticta citricarpa mutants obtained through Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation.

Phyllosticta citricarpa is the epidemiological agent of Citrus Black Spot (CBS) disease, which is responsible for large economic losses worldwide. CBS is characterized by the presence of spores (pycnidiospores) in dark lesions of fruit, which are also responsible for short distance dispersal of the disease. The identification of genes involved in asexual reproduction of P. citricarpa can be an alternative for directional disease control. We analyzed a library of mutants obtained through Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation system, looking for alterations in growth and reproductive structure formation. Two mutant strains were found to have lost the ability to form pycnidia. The flanking T-DNA insertion regions were identified on P. citricarpa genome by using blast analysis and further gene prediction. The predicted genes containing the T-DNA insertions were identified as Spindle Poison Sensitivity Scp3, Ion Transport protein, and Cullin Binding proteins. The Ion Transport and Cullin Binding proteins are known to be correlated with sexual and asexual reproduction in fungi; however, the exact mechanism by which these proteins act on spore formation in P. citricarpa needs to be better characterized. The Scp3 proteins are suggested here for the first time as being associated with asexual reproduction in fungus. This protein is associated with microtubule formation, and as microtubules play an essential role as spindle machinery for chromosome segregation and cytokinesis, insertions in this gene can lead to abnormal formations, such as that observed here in P. citricarpa. We suggest these genes as new targets for fungicide development and CBS disease control, by iRNA.

Effects of α-eleostearic acid on asolectin liposomes dynamics: relevance to its antioxidant activity.

In this study, the effect of α-eleostearic acid (α-ESA) on the lipid peroxidation of soybean asolectin (ASO) liposomes was investigated. This effect was correlated to changes caused by the fatty acid in the membrane dynamics. The influence of α-ESA on the dynamic properties of liposomes, such as hydration, mobility and order, were followed by horizontal attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (HATR-FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and UV-vis techniques. The α-ESA showed an in vitro antioxidant activity against the damage induced by hydroxyl radical (OH) in ASO liposomes. The analysis of HATR-FTIR frequency shifts and bandwidths and (1)H NMR spin-lattice relaxation times, related to specific lipid groups, showed that α-ESA causes an ordering effect on the polar and interfacial regions of ASO liposomes, which may restrict the OH diffusion in the membrane. The DSC enthalpy variation analysis suggested that the fatty acid promoted a disordering effect on lipid hydrophobic regions, which may facilitate interactions between the reactive specie and α-ESA. Turbidity results showed that α-ESA induces a global disordering effect on ASO liposomes, which may be attributed to a change in the lipid geometry and shape. Results of this study may allow a more complete view of α-ESA antioxidant mode of action against OH, considering its influence on the membrane dynamics.