Search

The search for natural food additives makes propolis an exciting alternative due to its known antimicrobial activity. This work aims to investigate propolis' behavior as a nitrite substitute ingredient in cooked ham (a ready-to-eat product) when confronted with pathogenic microorganisms of food interest. The microbial evolution of Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Clostridium sporogenes inoculated at known doses was examined in different batches of cooked ham. The design of a challenge test according to their shelf life (45 days), pH values, and water activity allowed the determination of the mesophilic aerobic flora, psychotropic, and acid lactic bacteria viability. The test was completed with an organoleptic analysis of the samples, considering possible alterations in color and texture. The cooked ham formulation containing propolis instead of nitrites limited the potential growth (δ < 0.5 log10) of all the inoculated microorganisms until day 45, except for L. monocytogenes, which in turn exhibited a bacteriostatic effect between day 7 and 30 of the storage time. The sensory analysis revealed the consumer's acceptance of cooked ham batches including propolis as a natural additive. These findings suggest the functionality of propolis as a promising alternative to artificial preservatives for ensuring food safety and reducing the proliferation risk of foodborne pathogens in ready-to-eat products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Caesarean section is necessary to save the lives of mothers and newborns at times, but it is important to perform it only when it is essential due to all the risks involved. This study aimed to examine the rate of caesarean sections performed at a tertiary hospital using the Robson classification to detect methods for the detection of and/or reduction in these caesarean section rates. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study of a retrospective database was carried out. Results: A total of 10,317 births were assessed. The Robson classification was used to assess these interventions and verify whether the indication for performed caesarean sections was appropriate. In total, 2036 births by caesarean section were performed in the whole sample. The annual caesarean section rate varied between 18.67% and 21.18%. Conclusions: Caesarean sections increased by about 20% in 2021 compared to 2020 even though the trend over the years of study was decreasing. Vaginal delivery after caesarean section is a reasonable and safe option. Caesarean section rates could be improved, mostly in Robson's Group 2. The Robson classification facilitated progress in the implementation of measures aimed at improving care and adjusting caesarean section rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial characteristics of propolis, a bioactive compound collected from hives, have prompted its use in the food sector in recent times. This study investigated the physicochemical characteristics, phenolic profile, and antioxidant capacity of 31 propolis extracts collected from Northern Spain. The physicochemical composition (resins, waxes, ashes mineral content, and heavy metals) was within the allowable regulatory limits. The analysis of bioactive compounds enabled the identification of 51 constituents: flavonoids (apigenin, catechin, chrysin, quercetin, and pinocembrin) and phenolic acids (caffeic, ferulic, and coumaric). The mean value of total polyphenols was 42.72 ± 13.19 Pinocembrin–Galangin Equivalents/100 g, whereas a range between 1.64 ± 0.04 and 4.95 ± 0.36 Quercetin Equivalents (QE) g/100 g was found for total flavonoids content. The determination of bioactivities revealed significant antioxidant capacity using DPPH (1114.28 ± 10.39 µM Trolox Equivalents and 3487.61 ± 318.66 µM Vitamin C Equivalents). Resin content in propolis samples was positively and significantly correlated with both polyphenols (rho = 0.365; p = 0.043) and flavonoid composition (rho = 0.615; p = 0.000) as well as the antioxidant capacity TEAC DPPH (rho = 0.415; p = 0.020). A multiple regression analysis modeled the correlation between resin composition, flavonoids, and TEAC DPPH values, yielding a significant regression equation (R2 = 0.618; F (2,28) = 22.629; p < 0.000; d = 2.299). Therefore, evaluating physicochemical parameters and biological activities provides a promising framework for predicting propolis' quality and antioxidant properties, thus suggesting its potential as a functional and bioactive compound for the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in 30 samples of poultry was determined using culture-dependent (isolation on OCLA and confirmation by conventional polymerase chain reaction -PCR-, OCLA&PCR) and culture-independent (real-time polymerase chain reaction, q-PCR) methods. L. monocytogenes was detected in 15 samples (50.0%) by OCLA&PCR and in 20 (66.7%) by q-PCR. The concentrations (log10 cfu/g) of L. monocytogenes (q-PCR) ranged from 2.40 to 5.22 (total cells) and from <2.15 to 3.93 (viable cells). The two methods, q-PCR using a viability marker (v-PCR) and OCLA&PCR (gold standard), were compared for their capacity to detect viable cells of L. monocytogenes, with the potential to cause human disease. The values for sensitivity, specificity and efficiency of the v-PCR were 100%, 66.7% and 83.3%, respectively. The agreement between the two methods (kappa coefficient) was 0.67. The presence of nine virulence genes (hlyA, actA, inlB, inlA, inlC, inlJ, prfA, plcA and iap) was studied in 45 L. monocytogenes isolates (three from each positive sample) using PCR. All the strains harbored between six and nine virulence genes. Fifteen isolates (33.3% of the total) did not show the potential to form biofilm on a polystyrene surface, as determined by a crystal violet assay. The remaining strains were classified as weak (23 isolates, 51.1% of the total), moderate (one isolate, 2.2%) or strong (six isolates, 13.3%) biofilm producers. The strains were tested for susceptibility to a panel of 15 antibiotics. An average of 5.11 ± 1.30 resistances per isolate was observed. When the values for resistance and for reduced susceptibility were taken jointly, this figure rose to 6.91 ± 1.59. There was a prevalence of resistance or reduced susceptibility of more than 50.0% for oxacillin, cefoxitin, cefotaxime, cefepime ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin and nitrofurantoin. For the remaining antibiotics tested, the corresponding values ranged from 0.0% for chloramphenicol to 48.9% for rifampicin. The high prevalence and level of L. monocytogenes with numerous virulence factors in poultry underline how crucial it is to follow correct hygiene procedures during the processing of this foodstuff in order to reduce the risk of human listeriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different Machine Learning techniques to detect software vulnerabilities have emerged in scientific and industrial scenarios. Different actors in these scenarios aim to develop algorithms for predicting security threats without requiring human intervention. However, these algorithms require data-driven engines based on the processing of huge amounts of data, known as datasets. This paper introduces the SonarCloud Vulnerable Code Prospector for C (SVCP4C). This tool aims to collect vulnerable source code from open source repositories linked to SonarCloud, an online tool that performs static analysis and tags the potentially vulnerable code. The tool provides a set of tagged files suitable for extracting features and creating training datasets for Machine Learning algorithms. This study presents a descriptive analysis of these files and overviews current status of C vulnerabilities, specifically buffer overflow, in the reviewed public repositories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Listeria monocytogenes is the bacterium responsible for the majority of cases of human listeriosis, a foodborne infection that, in certain groups in the population (children, elderly, pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals), exhibits a high fatality rate (of up to 30%), and the need for hospital admission in more than 90% of cases. An awareness of the minimal concentrations for disinfectants and antibiotics necessary to destroy L. monocytogenes, may assist with choosing the most effective antimicrobials for controlling this microorganism, whether in the food industry or in the health system. The lethal concentrations of three disinfectants (sodium hypochlorite, benzalkonium chloride, and peracetic acid) and eight antibiotics (ampicillin, cephalothin, cefoxitin, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, tetracycline, vancomycin, and fosfomycin) for eight different strains of L. monocytogenes were determined in this research work. It was demonstrated that the lethal concentrations for the disinfectants tested were much lower than the concentrations customarily used of these compounds. The characteristics of the cell surface play an important role in the tolerance of L. monocytogenes to these biocides. A considerable prevalence of resistance to most of the antibiotics tested was noted, making it clear that the necessary measures to control resistance in L. monocytogenes must be adopted. When selecting effective doses of antimicrobials, be they biocides or antibiotics, it is essential to know the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of these substances. The present research determined the MICs and MBCs for three biocides, sodium hypochlorite (SH), benzalkonium chloride (BC), and peracetic acid (PAA), and nine antibiotics in eight strains of Listeria monocytogenes of varying serotypes. Marked intra-species differences were observed in the resistance of L. monocytogenes to the biocides and antibiotics. The MICs (ppm) for the biocides ranged between 1750 and 4500 for SH, 0.25 and 20.00 for BC, and 1050 and 1700 for PAA. Their MBCs (ppm) ranged from 2250 to 4500 for SH, 0.50 to 20.00 for BC, and 1150 to 1800 for PAA. The MICs (ppm) for antibiotics lay between 1 and 15 for ampicillin, 8 and 150 for cephalothin, 20 and 170 for cefoxitin, 0.05 and 0.20 for erythromycin, 4 and 50 for chloramphenicol, 3 and 100 for gentamicin, 2 and 15 for tetracycline, 2 and 80 for vancomycin, and 160 and 430 for fosfomycin. The corresponding MBCs (ppm) were from 5 to 20 for ampicillin, 9 to 160 for cephalothin, 70 to 200 for cefoxitin, 4 to 5 for erythromycin, 9 to 70 for chloramphenicol, 5 to 100 for gentamicin, 3 to 30 for tetracycline, 3 to 90 for vancomycin, and 160 to 450 for fosfomycin. Notably, erythromycin showed considerable efficacy, demonstrated by the low values for both MIC and MBC. Based on EUCAST and the CLSI criteria, all strains were susceptible to erythromycin. All strains were resistant to cephalothin, cefoxitin, gentamicin, and fosfomycin. Further values for resistance were 87.50% for ampicillin and vancomycin, 75.00% for tetracycline, and 62.50% for chloramphenicol. The high prevalence of antibiotic resistance is a matter for concern. A positive correlation was found between MIC and MBC values for most of the biocides and antibiotics. The higher the hydrophobicity of the cell surface, the higher the susceptibility to biocides, suggesting that surface characteristics of bacterial cells influence resistance to these compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prognostic value of a prolonged QT interval in SARS-Cov2 infection is not well known. Objective: To determine whether the presence of a prolonged QT on admission is an independent factor for mortality in SARS-Cov2 hospitalized patients. Methods: Single-center cohort of 623 consecutive patients with positive polymerase-chain-reaction test (PCR) to SARS Cov2, recruited from 27 February to 7 April 2020. An electrocardiogram was taken on these patients within the first 48 h after diagnosis and before the administration of any medication with a known effect on QT interval. A prolonged QT interval was defined as a corrected QT (QTc) interval >480 milliseconds. Patients were followed up with until 10 May 2020. Results: Sixty-one patients (9.8%) had prolonged QTc and only 3.2% had a baseline QTc > 500 milliseconds. Patients with prolonged QTc were older, had more comorbidities, and higher levels of immune-inflammatory markers. There were no episodes of ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation during hospitalization. All-cause death was higher in patients with prolonged QTc (41.0% vs. 8.7%, p < 0.001, multivariable HR 2.68 (1.58–4.55), p < 0.001). Conclusions: Almost 10% of patients with COVID-19 infection have a prolonged QTc interval on admission. A prolonged QTc was independently associated with a higher mortality even after adjustment for age, comorbidities, and treatment with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. An electrocardiogram should be included on admission to identify high-risk SARS-CoV-2 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, response surface methodology (RSM) designs and an artificial neural network (ANN) are used to obtain the optimal conditions for the oxy-combustion of a corn–rape blend. The ignition temperature (Te) and burnout index (Df) were selected as the responses to be optimised, while the CO2/O2 molar ratio, the total flow, and the proportion of rape in the blend were chosen as the influencing factors. For the RSM designs, complete, Box–Behnken, and central composite designs were performed to assess the experimental results. By applying the RSM, it was found that the principal effects of the three factors were statistically significant to compute both responses. Only the interactions of the factors on Df were successfully described by the Box–Behnken model, while the complete design model was adequate to describe such interactions on both responses. The central composite design was found to be inadequate to describe the factor interactions. Nevertheless, the three methods predicted the optimal conditions properly, due to the cancellation of net positive and negative errors in the mathematical adjustment. The ANN presented the highest regression coefficient of all methods tested and needed only 20 experiments to reach the best predictions, compared with the 32 experiments needed by the best RSM method. Hence, the ANN was found to be the most efficient model, in terms of good prediction ability and a low resource requirement. Finally, the optimum point was found to be a CO2/O2 molar ratio of 3.3, a total flow of 108 mL/min, and 61% of rape in the biomass blend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of road accidents and the adoption of measures to reduce them is one of the most important targets of the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. To further progress in the improvement of road safety, it is necessary to focus studies on specific groups, such as light trucks and vans. Since 2013 in Spain, there has been an upturn in accidents in these two categories of vehicles and a renewed interest to deepen our understanding of the causes that encourage this behavior. This paper focuses on using machine learning methods to explain driver-injury severity in run-off-roadway and rollover types of accidents. A Random Forest (RF)-classification tree (CART) approach is used to select the relevant categorical variables (driver, vehicle, infrastructure, and environmental factors) to obtain models that classify, explain, and predict the severity of such accidents with good accuracy. A support vector machine and binomial logit models were applied in order to contrast the variable importance ranking and the performance analysis, and the results are convergent with the RF+CART approach (more than 70% accuracy). The resulting models highlight the importance of using safety belts, as well as psychophysical conditions (alcohol, drugs, or sleep deprivation) and injury localization for the two accident types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using agglutination techniques, 118 Listeria monocytogenes isolates from red meat and poultry were serotyped. Strains were ascribed to the serotypes 4b/4e (44.1% of the strains), 1/2 (a, b or c; 28.0%), 4c (6.8%), 4d/4e (5.9%) and 3 (a, b or c; 2.5%). Among these are the serotypes most frequently involved in cases of human listeriosis. The susceptibility of 72 strains to 26 antibiotics of clinical importance was determined by disc diffusion (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute; CLSI). High levels of resistance were observed to cefoxitin (77.8% of the strains showed resistance), cefotaxime (62.5%), cefepime (73.6%), and nalidixic acid (97.2%), nitrofurantoin (51.4%) and oxacillin (93.1%). Less than 3% of the strains showed resistance to the antibiotic classes used in human listeriosis therapy (i.e., ampicillin, gentamicin, rifampicin, chloramphenicol, enrofloxacin, vancomycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin, and tetracycline). The influence of species and serotype on the growth kinetics (modified Gompertz equation) and on the adhesion ability (crystal violet staining) of nine isolates of L. monocytogenes (serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b, 1/2c, 3a, 3b, 3c, 4a, 4b, and 4d), and one strain of Listeria ivanovii were investigated. The maximum growth rate (ΔOD420-580/h) varied between 0.073 ± 0.018 (L. monocytogenes 1/2a) and 0.396 ± 0.026 (L. monocytogenes 4b). The isolates of L. monocytogenes belonging to serotypes 3a and 4a, as well as L. ivanovii, showed a greater (p < 0.05) biofilm-forming ability than did the remaining strains, including those that belong to the serotypes commonly implied in human listeriosis (1/2a, 1/2b, 1/2c and 4b). The need for training in good hygiene practices during the handling of meat and poultry is highlighted to reduce the risk of human listeriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An expansion in the consumption of pigeon meat has occurred in recent years. However, little is known about microbial load and antibiotic resistance of this foodstuff. The hygiene status and the antibiotic resistance patterns (disc diffusion; Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, CLSI) of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis isolates from wild and domestic pigeon carcasses were investigated. Average microbial loads (log10 cfu/cm2) ranged from 1.40 ± 1.17 (fecal coliforms) to 3.68 ± 1.40 (psychrotrophs). The highest (p < 0.05) microbial loads were observed in domestic pigeons. No substantial differences were found between isolates from domestic and wild pigeons with regard to the prevalence of antibiotic resistance. Of the E. coli strains, 20.00% were susceptible, 25.00% showed resistance or reduced susceptibility to one antimicrobial and 55.00% were multi-resistant. Among the E. faecalis isolates, 2.22% were susceptible and 97.78% were multi-resistant. The greatest prevalence of resistance or reduced susceptibility among E. coli was observed for amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (20.00% strains), ampicillin (26.67%), streptomycin (55.00%) and tobramycin (20.00%). The prevalence of resistance or reduced susceptibility among E. faecalis ranged from 31.11% (trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole) to 97.78% (erythromycin). Meat from pigeons is a major reservoir of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The need for the correct handling of this foodstuff in order to reduce risks to consumers is underlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon coatings are used in many different industrial areas, for example in cutting, electronics, or medical applications. On the one hand, carbon coatings have improved the functional properties of medical products because of their high biotolerance, which makes them an important material for implant coatings. On the other hand, high rigidity and abrasion resistance are properties needed in case of surgical tools. Thus, the aim of this research was to study the influence of mechanical abrasion by tumbling and chemical passivation on carbon coatings deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering (RMS) and radio frequency plasma activated chemical vapor deposition (RF PACVD) of X39Cr13 (mainly used for surgical tools) and 316LVM (mainly used for implants). Functional properties, such as roughness, coatings adhesion (scratch test), and wettability were investigated. As a result, DLC coatings applied by magnetron sputtering were found to be the optimum surface treatment in terms of adhesion and wettability properties, being more appropriate for the use of X39Cr13 base than 316LVM for carbon layer deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When selecting effective doses of antimicrobials, be they biocides or antibiotics, it is essential to know the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of these substances. The present research determined the MICs and MBCs for three biocides, sodium hypochlorite (SH), benzalkonium chloride (BC), and peracetic acid (PAA), and nine antibiotics in eight strains of Listeria monocytogenes of varying serotypes. Marked intra-species differences were observed in the resistance of L. monocytogenes to the biocides and antibiotics. The MICs (ppm) for the biocides ranged between 1750 and 4500 for SH, 0.25 and 20.00 for BC, and 1050 and 1700 for PAA. Their MBCs (ppm) ranged from 2250 to 4500 for SH, 0.50 to 20.00 for BC, and 1150 to 1800 for PAA. The MICs (ppm) for antibiotics lay between 1 and 15 for ampicillin, 8 and 150 for cephalothin, 20 and 170 for cefoxitin, 0.05 and 0.20 for erythromycin, 4 and 50 for chloramphenicol, 3 and 100 for gentamicin, 2 and 15 for tetracycline, 2 and 80 for vancomycin, and 160 and 430 for fosfomycin. The corresponding MBCs (ppm) were from 5 to 20 for ampicillin, 9 to 160 for cephalothin, 70 to 200 for cefoxitin, 4 to 5 for erythromycin, 9 to 70 for chloramphenicol, 5 to 100 for gentamicin, 3 to 30 for tetracycline, 3 to 90 for vancomycin, and 160 to 450 for fosfomycin. Notably, erythromycin showed considerable efficacy, demonstrated by the low values for both MIC and MBC. Based on EUCAST and the CLSI criteria, all strains were susceptible to erythromycin. All strains were resistant to cephalothin, cefoxitin, gentamicin, and fosfomycin. Further values for resistance were 87.50% for ampicillin and vancomycin, 75.00% for tetracycline, and 62.50% for chloramphenicol. The high prevalence of antibiotic resistance is a matter for concern. A positive correlation was found between MIC and MBC values for most of the biocides and antibiotics. The higher the hydrophobicity of the cell surface, the higher the susceptibility to biocides, suggesting that surface characteristics of bacterial cells influence resistance to these compounds.