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Examines the effects of aerobic exercise on blood pressure in the U.S. Reduction of systolic and diastolic blood pressure; Importance in the treatment of high blood pressure; Magnitude of exercise-related reductions in blood pressure.

Investigates legume consumption and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) among men and women in the United States. Estimation of frequency of legume intake; Inverse relationship between legume intake and risk of CHD; Role of legumes in the prevention of CHD.

Dickeya dianthicola has caused an outbreak of blackleg and soft rot of potato in the eastern half of the United States since 2015. To investigate genetic diversity of the pathogen, a comparative analysis was conducted on genomes of D. dianthicola strains. Whole genomes of 16 strains from the United States outbreak were assembled and compared with 16 previously sequenced genomes of D. dianthicola isolated from potato or carnation. Among the 32 strains, eight distinct clades were distinguished based on phylogenomic analysis. The outbreak strains were grouped into three clades, with the majority of the strains in clade I. Clade I strains were unique and homogeneous, suggesting a recent incursion of this strain into potato production from alternative hosts or environmental sources. The pangenome of the 32 strains contained 6,693 genes, 3,377 of which were core genes. By screening primary protein subunits associated with virulence from all U.S. strains, we found that many virulence-related gene clusters, such as plant cell wall degrading enzyme genes, flagellar and chemotaxis related genes, two-component regulatory genes, and type I/II/III secretion system genes, were highly conserved but that type IV and type VI secretion system genes varied. The clade I strains encoded two clusters of type IV secretion systems, whereas the clade II and III strains encoded only one cluster. Clade I and II strains encoded one more VgrG/PAAR spike protein than did clade III. Thus, we predicted that the presence of additional virulence-related genes may have enabled the unique clade I strain to become predominant in the U.S. outbreak.

An outbreak of blackleg and soft rot of potato, caused primarily by the bacterial pathogen Dickeya dianthicola , has resulted in significant economic losses in the northeastern United States since 2015. The spread of this seedborne disease is highly associated with seed distribution; therefore, the pathogen likely spread with seed tubers. To describe the blackleg epidemic and track inoculum origins, a total of 1,183 potato samples were collected from 11 states associated with blackleg outbreak from 2015 to 2019. Of these samples, 39.8% tested positive for D. dianthicola . Seventeen isolates of D. dianthicola were recovered from these samples and the genetic diversity of these isolates was examined. Fingerprinting with BOX-A1R-based repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR and phylogenetic analysis based on sequences of the 16S rRNA and gapA genes indicated that D. dianthicola isolates were divided into three genotypes, denoted types I, II, and III. Ninety-five percent of samples from Maine were type I. Type II was found in Maine only in 2015 and 2018. Type II was present throughout the 5 years in some states at a lower percentage than type I. Type III was found in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, but not in Maine. Therefore, type I appears to be associated with Maine, but type II appeared to be distributed throughout the northeastern United States. The type II and rarer type III strains were closer to the D. dianthicola type strain isolated from the United Kingdom. This work provides evidence that the outbreak of blackleg of potato in the northeastern United States was caused by multiple strains of D. dianthicola . The geographic origins of these strains remain unknown.

Unlabelled: Cronobacter are opportunistic food-borne pathogens associated with meningitis, sepsis, and necrotizing enterocolitis. Little attempt has focused on detection of viable cell of Cronobacter spp. in dry aquatic products, which were frequently used for raw materials of infant foods due to high nutrition. In this paper, one-step reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was developed for detection of viable Cronobacter spp. in dry aquatic products. Specificity test indicated that clearly expected amplicon in size 469 bp was amplified from RNA of Cronobacter, but not from RNA of negative controls and DNA of Cronobacter strains. The sensitivity was 10(4) CFU/mL of Cronobacter strain in artificially fish meal samples and 10(1) CFU/mL of Cronobacter after 10-h enrichment. In a total of 81 dry aquatic products, 9.8%, 8.6%, and 9.8% of samples were found to be positive for Cronobacter by one-step RT-PCR, U.S. Food and Drug Administration method, and Druggan-Forsythe-Iversen medium, respectively. The results clearly indicated that one-step RT-PCR could avoid the interference of residual DNA of Cronobacter in food samples and be used to specifically detect viable Cronobacter spp. for large-scale monitoring of food samples., Practical Application: The use of rapid and specific detection of food borne pathogens in food samples was most of importance for control and precaution of food borne diseases. In this study, one-step RT-PCR was developed for detection of Cronobacter spp. in aquatic products. A comparison of different methods for detection of Cronobacter indicated that the newly developed method could be widely used to specifically detect Cronobacter spp. in food samples., (© 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®)