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Inactivation of Escherichia coliO157:H7 in beef roasts cooked under selected cooking conditions was evaluated. Eye of round roasts were each inoculated at five sites in the central plane with a five-strain cocktail of E. coliO157:H7 at ca. 6.3 log CFU per site and cooked to center temperatures of 56 to 71°C in a convection oven set at 120, 140, 180, or 200°C, in a conventional oven set at 120 or 210°C, and in a slow cooker set on high or low. Prime rib roasts were each inoculated at 10 sites throughout the roast with the same E. coliO157:H7 cocktail at ca. 6.6 log CFU per site and cooked in the conventional oven set at 140 or 180°C to center temperatures of 58 to 71°C. The number of sites yielding E. coliO157:H7 after cooking decreased with increasing roast center temperature for the eye of round roasts cooked in the convection oven or in the slow cooker at a given setting, but this trend was not apparent for roasts of either type cooked in the conventional oven. Reductions of E. coliO157 in both types of roasts were generally less at the center than at other locations, particularly locations closer to the surface of the meat. When eye of round roasts were cooked to the same center temperature in the convection oven, the reduction of E. coliO157:H7 increased with increasing oven temperature up to 180°C and decreased after that. The reduction of E. coliO157:H7 in replicate roasts cooked under conditions in which the organism was not eliminated during cooking mostly differed by >1 log CFU per site. However, E. coliO157:H7 was not recovered from any of the inoculation sites when eye of round roasts were cooked to 65, 60, 60, or 63°C in the convection oven set at 120, 140, 180, and 200°C, respectively; cooked to 63 or 71°C in the conventional oven set at 120 and 210°C, respectively; or cooked to 63°C in the slow cooker set at high or low. For prime rib roasts, E. coliO157:H7 was not recovered from any of the inoculation sites in roasts cooked to 71 or 58°C in the conventional oven set at 140 and 180°C, respectively.

Background:Men diagnosed with localised prostate cancer have to make a well-informed treatment choice between (robot-assisted) radical prostatectomy, external beam radiotherapy and, in selected cases, brachytherapy and active surveillance. We developed and validated a questionnaire to determine the cognitive reasons motivating this choice.Materials and methods:The Prostate Cancer Decision-Making Questionnaire (PC-DMQ) was designed in-house and validated through the Delphi method. Finally, we tested the questionnaire in a cohort of 24 men, recently diagnosed with localised PC, before undergoing RARP (n  16), EBRT (n  6), brachytherapy (n  1) or active surveillance (n  1).Results:The experts reached consensus after three rounds. In the patient cohort, 75% of men undergoing RARP chose this treatment because ‘it provides the best chance of cure’. Reasons to choose EBRT were not as explicit: 33.3% chose this treatment because ‘it provides the best chance of cure’ and 33.3% because ‘the maintenance of potency is important to them’.Conclusions:The PC-DMQ is a comprehensive and standardised tool that allows further research into cognitive factors that influence treatment decision-making in patients with localised PC.

ABSTRACTDried blood spots (DBS) are an alternative specimen type for HIV drug resistance genotyping in resource-limited settings. Data relating to the impact of DBS storage and shipment conditions on genotyping efficiency under field conditions are limited. We compared the genotyping efficiencies and resistance profiles of DBS stored and shipped at different temperatures to those of plasma specimens collected in parallel from patients receiving antiretroviral therapy in Uganda. Plasma and four DBS cards from anti-coagulated venous blood and a fifth card from finger-prick blood were prepared from 103 HIV patients with a median viral load (VL) of 57,062 copies/ml (range, 1,081 to 2,964,191). DBS were stored at ambient temperature for 2 or 4 weeks or frozen at -80°C and shipped from Uganda to the United States at ambient temperature or frozen on dry ice for genotyping using a broadly sensitive in-house method. Plasma (97.1%) and DBS (98.1%) stored and shipped frozen had similar genotyping efficiencies. DBS stored frozen (97.1%) or at ambient temperature for 2 weeks (93.2%) and shipped at ambient temperature also had similar genotyping efficiencies. Genotyping efficiency was reduced for DBS stored at ambient temperature for 4 weeks (89.3%, P= 0.03) or prepared from finger-prick blood and stored at ambient temperature for 2 weeks (77.7%, P< 0.001) compared to DBS prepared from venous blood and handled similarly. Resistance profiles were similar between plasma and DBS specimens. This report delineates the optimal DBS collection, storage, and shipping conditions and opens a new avenue for cost-saving ambient-temperature DBS specimen shipments for HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) surveillances in resource-limited settings.

Beef steaks (2 cm thick) were each inoculated at three sites in the central plane with Escherichia coliO157:H7 at 5.9 ± 0.3 log CFU per site. Temperatures at steak centers were monitored during cooking on a hot plate or the grill of a gas barbeque. Steaks were cooked in groups of five using the same procedures and cooking each steak to the same temperature, and surviving E. coliO157:H7 at each site was enumerated. When steaks cooked on the hot plate were turned over every 2 or 4 min during cooking to between 56 and 62°C, no E. coliO157:H7 was recovered from steaks cooked to ≥58 or 62°C, respectively. When steaks were cooked to ≤71°C and turned over once during cooking, E. coliO157:H7 was recovered from steaks in groups turned over after ≤8 min but not from steaks turned over after 10 or 12 min. E. coliO157:H7 was recovered in similar numbers from steaks that were not held or were held for 3 min after cooking when steaks were turned over once after 4 or 6 min during cooking. When steaks were cooked on the grill with the barbeque lid open and turned over every 2 or 4 min during cooking to 63 or 56°C, E. coliO157:H7 was recovered from only those steaks turned over at 4-min intervals and cooked to 56°C. E. coliO157:H7 was recovered from some steaks turned over once during cooking on the grill and held or not held after cooking to 63°C. E. coliO157:H7 was not recovered from steaks turned over after 4 min during cooking to 60°C on the grill with the barbeque lid closed or when the lid was closed after 6 min. Apparently, the microbiological safety of mechanically tenderized steaks can be assured by turning steaks over at intervals of about 2 min during cooking to ≥60°C in an open skillet or on a barbecue grill. When steaks are turned over only once during cooking to ≥60°C, microbiological safety may be assured by covering the skillet or grill with a lid during at least the final minutes of cooking.

A measurement technique is described that is capable of producing accurate numerical maps of the parallelism defect of optically contacted Fabry-Perot etalons. A photoelectric raster scan of the etalon transmission intensity distribution is performed at each of three closely spaced etalon tunings, one at maximum on-axis and two at the half-maxima on-axis positions. Simple data manipulation gives numerical or contour maps of the parallelism defect. Results demonstrating the effect of mechanical constraints on etalon parallelism are presented.

In 10 healthy volunteers the time course of cardiac beta-adrenoceptor blocking activity, plasma levels and cumulative urinary excretion of pindolol were compared during a 4-day course of pindolol 5 mg (Visken®) t. d. s., and one tablet of pindolol 20 mg retard (Visken® retard) once a day. After oral administration of the 20 mg retard tablet, plasma concentrations of pindolol higher than half the maximum value (1/2 Cp (tmax)) were maintained about 2.5 times as long as after administration of the conventional 5 mg tablet. This is evidence for an important and marked retardation of drug release. During treatment with pindolol 20 mg retard once daily, cardiac beta-adrenoceptor blockade, measured by the reduction in exercise-induced tachycardia and in the exercise-induced rise in systolic blood pressure, at almost all times throughout the 24 h period was at least as great as during treatment with pindolol 5 mg t. d. s. This suggests that patients successfully treated with pindolol 5 mg t. d. s. can be maintained with the same beta-adrenoceptor blockade by a single tablet of pindolol 20 mg retard once daily.

The31P(γ, xn) cross section was measured from threshold up to 25 MeV, using the bremsstrahlung photon beam from the 35 MeV linac. Several analysis procedures were used to compute the photoneutron cross section from the experimental yield curve. Our results are compared with other bremsstrahlung measurements and with the quasimonoenergetic photon work by the Saclay group. The leading edge of the giant resonance shows an extremely rich fine structure which seems to be characteristic for nuclei in the 1d-2s shell.

A two-year wintering beef cow study was conducted evaluating effects of strategic supplementation of straw-based diets with an energy-protein supplement fed over the last 75 days of gestation on cow and pre-weaning calf performance. Residual feed intake (RFI) ranks from the 2015 gestation period (RFI2015) were compared to RFI determined in 2016 and 2017 using intraclass correlations and Spearman correlation coefficients. Gestating crossbred beef cows (n = 116, 141 ± 18 days in gestation, 672.6 ± 99.2 kg BW) were allocated to one of five nutritional regimens (NR): 1) 70% haylage, 30% millet straw on a dry matter basis (DMB) fed ad libitum (HAYL), 2) straw fed ad libitum along with haylage at 0.8% DMB of cow BW (MSHAYL), 3) MSHAYL along with energy-protein supplement once/week, 4) twice/week, or 5) three times/week. Supplement contained 54.6% corn gluten meal and 23.4% SBM, and 21.0% calcium propionate, fed at 0.32 g/kg BW per day (DMB). Cows were evaluated during 22015 values were ranked into quartiles; 12015 rankings. HAYL cows had greater (P < 0.001) gestation DMI, ADG, and fat deposition. No effects (P > 0.05) for supplementation or supplementation frequency were found except that supplementation increased (P = 0.016) DMI. RFI2015 rank was not repeatable (R = 0.06, P > 0.48), nor correlated to RFI rank measures found during 2016 (r = -0.03, P > 0.76) or 2017 (r = 0.23, P < 0.06). Both NR and year affected (P < 0.001) reranking between years. Overall, RFI ranks measured during 2015 were not repeatable between years and were affected by NR. Wintering cow performance was related to NR.

Exploring pre-natal nutrition to modulate and improve post-natal growth and development in cattle continues to reveal new opportunities for researchers, and ultimately cattle producers. Effects of pre-natal dietary interventions have been shown to be markedly time- and treatment-specific, although a few particular patterns of changes in post-natal growth present themselves recurrently. Male calves, both bulls and steers, appear to be more susceptible to alterations in pre-natal maternal nutrition and, when the opportunity presents, turn it into increased growth performance at a later stage of life (Fitzsimmons unpublished, Añez-Osuna et al. 2018). Male calves may also develop differences in growth patterns in association with pre-natal nutrition even if no differences in weight are detected at birth. Elucidating the how and why behind these changes is more challenging, as well as any long-term effects upon animal health and longevity. Examination of gene expression patterns within tissues that are highly connected with growth and metabolism in cattle, for example skeletal muscles and liver, shows that expression of genes connected to overall growth such as the IGFfamily, myogenesis (MYOD1, MYOG, etc.), adipogenesis (PPARG), as well as microRNAs that modulate proliferation and differentiation in skeletal muscle, can be associated with pre-natal maternal diet (Paradis et al. 2017). Furthermore, DNA methylation patterns of differentially-methylated regions (DMRs) near the genes for IGF2and IGF2Rin the bovine have been found to be significantly associated with pre-natal maternal diet, and the degree of methylation of IGF2 DMR2 to be negatively correlated with IGF2expression (Paradis et al. 2017, Fitzsimmons et al. 2017). Dissecting the causes and effects of these associations still presents a great challenge, but the possibility of explaining more of the ‘E’ in the classic equation of Phenotype = Genotype (G) + Environment (E) + G X E is a fascinating and exciting opportunity.

The total photoneutron cross section of208Pb was measured between 8 and 13 MeV using the bremsstrahlung photon facility from a 35 MeV linac. Considerable resonance structure was observed in the cross section, of which the peak around 9 MeV, as well as the structure around 10.8 MeV may be due toE2 excitations.

The in vitro activity of cefoxitin was compared with those of metronidazole and clindamycin against 322 strains of anaerobic bacteria collected from several hospitals during 1982 and tested by an agar dilution method. Metronidazole and cefoxitin inhibited at least 89% of strains tested, whereas clindamycin was less active.

A 53-year-old man developed a Legionella pneumophila pneumonia complicated by rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury, and protracted ileus. Risk factors were smoking and chronic alcoholism, but the patient had no history of previous abdominal surgery. Hemodialysis was required for a period of 5 weeks with a full renal recovery. Pneumonia required respiratory support but for a limited period of 6 days. The protracted course of the ileus led to explorative laparotomy despite negative computed tomography findings. No cause of mechanical obstruction was found at surgery and common etiologies of intestinal obstruction were excluded. Parenteral nutrition was needed for a total of 4 weeks, before recovery of intestinal motility. This case illustrates the apparent discrepancy between the pulmonary symptoms and the extrapulmonary manifestations that could be seen as a consequence of an exaggerated immune response.

Dans l’étude des cellules souches pluripotentes, l’injection des cellules souches pluripotentes induites à des souris immunodéprimées est une étape habituelle. Cette étape est censée vérifier la pluripotence de ces cellules, par la genèse d’un tératome multi-tissulaire. L’examen anatomopathologique joue à ce niveau un rôle primordial. Il permet, de même, de vérifier certaines étapes cruciales de l’embryogenèse.

This article describes the Java-based version of the magnetic resonance user interface (MRUI) quantitation package. This package allows MR spectroscopists to easily perform time-domain analysis of in vivo MR spectroscopy data. We show that the Java programming language is very well suited for developing highly interactive graphical software applications such as the MRUI software. We have also established that MR quantitation algorithms, programmed in other languages, can easily be embedded into the Java-based MRUI by using the Java native interface (JNI). This new graphical user interface (GUI) has been conceived for the processing of large data sets and uses prior knowledge data-bases to make interactive quantitation algorithms more userfriendly.