Search

Copyright of Social & Preventive Medicine is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A novel chemical assay, the so-called Kdo-DMB-liquid chromatography (LC) assay, was used for the accurate and cost-effective determination of the endotoxin content in supernatants of Gram-negative bacteria bioreactor samples. During mild acid hydrolysis, the endotoxin-specific sugar acid 3-deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulsonic acid (Kdo) is quantitatively released. Kdo is reacted with 1,2-diamino-4,5-methylenedioxybenzene (DMB) to obtain the highly fluorescent derivate Kdo-DMB. It is separated from the reaction mixture by reversed phase-(U)HPLC and detected by fluorescence. From the Kdo content the endotoxin content of the sample is calculated. For three batch cultivations of Escherichia coli K12 and a fed-batch cultivation of Pseudomonas putida KT2440, the evolution of the endotoxin content in dependence on the cultivation time was monitored. Under optimal, constant cultivation conditions a linear correlation between the endotoxin content and the easy-to-access bioreactor parameters optical density at 600 nm and dry cell weight was found for both endotoxin kinds. Under stress cultivation conditions the E. coli K12 cultivation showed a stronger increase of the endotoxin content at harvest in comparison to optimal conditions. Optical density and dry cell weight may be used for production reactors as an economic real-time estimation tool to determine the endotoxin content at different cultivation time points and conditions. The optical density can further be used to establish straightforward sample dilution schemes for endotoxin quantification in samples of unknown endotoxin content. The endotoxin content [ng mL -1 ] measured by the Kdo-DMB-LC assay and the endotoxin activity [EU mL -1 ] obtained by the compendial Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate assay show a high correlation for the bacterial bioreactor samples tested., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Renal reabsorption of inorganic phosphate (Pi) is mediated by the phosphate transporters NaPi-IIa, NaPi-IIc, and Pit-2 in the proximal tubule brush border membrane (BBM). Dietary Pi intake regulates these transporters; however, the contribution of the specific isoforms to the rapid and slow phase is not fully clarified. Moreover, the regulation of PTH and FGF23, two major phosphaturic hormones, during the adaptive phase has not been correlated. C57/BL6 and NaPi-IIa(-/-) mice received 5 days either 1.2 % (HPD) or 0.1 % (LPD) Pi-containing diets. Thereafter, some mice were acutely switched to LPD or HPD. Plasma Pi concentrations were similar under chronic diets, but lower when mice were acutely switched to LPD. Urinary Pi excretion was similar in C57/BL6 and NaPi-IIa(-/-) mice under HPD. During chronic LPD, NaPi-IIa(-/-) mice lost phosphate in urine compensated by higher intestinal Pi absorption. During the acute HPD-to-LPD switch, NaPi-IIa(-/-) mice exhibited a delayed decrease in urinary Pi excretion. PTH was acutely regulated by low dietary Pi intake. FGF23 did not respond to low Pi intake within 8 h whereas the phospho-adaptator protein FRS2α necessary for FGF-receptor cell signaling was downregulated. BBM Pi transport activity and NaPi-IIa but not NaPi-IIc and Pit-2 abundance acutely adapted to diets in C57/BL6 mice. In NaPi-IIa(-/-), Pi transport activity was low and did not adapt. Thus, NaPi-IIa mediates the fast adaptation to Pi intake and is upregulated during the adaptation to low Pi despite persistently high FGF23 levels. The sensitivity to FGF23 may be regulated by adapting FRS2α abundance and phosphorylation.

A Natural Phenomenon, Molestation or a Health Risk? For the last two decades an avenue in the centre of Basel (Altrheinweg, Klybeckquartier) is known as site for overnight accommodation and assembly of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) during autumn. The nightly visitors cause an immense contamination that directly affects a nursery and a primary school. The aim of the present study was the evaluation of the health risk for the population due to the starlings' droppings, particularly for the children from the nursery school. Between August and December of the years 1995 and 1996 the population of starlings was observed, the contamination of the area with faeces was quantified, the presence of microorganisms in the faeces was determined and the contamination of the soil from the Altrheinweg was compared with that from other avenues and parks. Furthermore, the children attending the nursery school were monitored for possible infections due to the birds' droppings. In mid-October, when the population of starlings reached their maximum of about 15,000 birds, 1053 defecations per night and square metre were counted on an average in 1995 and 1821 in 1996. The microbiological analysis of the starlings' faeces showed a high contamination with Campylobacter spp. (1995: 95.5%; 1996: 100%), L. monocytogenes (1995: 36.5%; 1996: 26.7%) and C. psittaci (1995: 40.5%), a lower contamination with Salmonella spp. (1995: 1.0%), S. aureus (1995: 2.0%), Y. enterocolitica (1995: 1.5%) and Y. pseudotuberculosis (1995: 1.0%). Mycotic and parasitic human pathogens were not found. The contamination of the soil from the Altrheinweg with Campylobacter spp. and L. monocytogenes was significantly greater than that of the other avenues and parks in Basel. However, the investigations conducted by the school medical service showed that no infections among the children attending the nursery school could be correlated to the presence of the starlings. Even if the heavy contamination of the area with droppings of starlings presents a potential health risk, a continuous or systematic transmission of infectious agents seems rather improbable due to the contamination-avoiding behaviour of the children, the characteristics of the microorganisms involved and the climatic conditions in autumn. This situation showed however not reduce our awareness of such a potential health risk.

In the spring of 1992, young actors, actresses and musicians presented in Basel for their schoolmates of the 8th and 9th school year a musical on the subject of AIDS. The information content of AIDS prevention was communicated by means of feelings, that means, in an emotional way (and no longer in a mainly cognitive way such as the conventional explanations in the classroom). The performance by youngsters of the same age made what was shown on the stage more credible, and at the same time, contributed to the "otherness" by means of this instruction: not as usual from superiors to inferiors, but on an equal level. This project of a workteam from the Basel Board of Education and the AIDS assistance had a pilot character for the rest of Switzerland and because of this could not draw from experience of similar presentations. Accordingly, there are both several positive as well as negative aspects to the present realisation of the project.

229 patients who showed an immediate-type allergy to one or more specific foodstuffs diagnosed from 1983 to 1987 at the Allergy Unit of the Department of Dermatology, Zurich University Hospital, have been studied. Of these predominantly adult patients, 66 (28.8%) were male and 163 (71.2%) female. 70.7% of the food allergic patients also showed one or more atopic manifestations, in particular 53.3% a pollinosis. The food-induced symptoms included involvement of the skin (rashes, urticaria, angioedema) (46.4), the respiratory tract (asthma, rhinorrhea) (24.1%) and the gastrointestinal tract (21.8%). 14.4% reacted with anaphylactic shock. Generally the patients showed involvement of two or more organs. In only 7% of all cases was food allergy responsible for a chronic allergic condition such as urticaria, asthma or intestinal symptoms. Concerning diagnostic procedures, a careful case history and various techniques of skin testing, particularly with raw foods, are helpful. RAST was negative in more of the half of the diagnosed cases. Confirming previously published work, food allergens were mainly found among vegetables, such as celery with 44.5%, followed by carrots (14.4%) and spices (16.6%). In these cases there were cross-reactivities between birch or mugwort pollens. Cheese and milk allergies (14%) were present in patients without previous atopic manifestations. We confirm that the so-called "celery-carrot-mugwort-spice-syndrome" is more frequent in females (81.4%) than in males. In 24 cases celery-spice sensitization was responsible for severe anaphylactic reactions.

By means of written questionnaires and (with every third or fourth subject, selected at random) standardized interviews, 4082 recruits from various regions of Switzerland were asked about their alcohol and drug consumption and smoking habits in civilian life. To estimate the consumption pattern during military training all recruits still available towards the end of military service (64.3 percent) were questioned again regarding intake of alcohol, tobacco and drugs during military service. The inquiry showed that in civilian life only 10.4 percent were alcohol abstainers, 39.8 percent were non-smokers and 77 percent had no drug experience. 8.6 percent reported a weekly alcohol consumption of more than 350 g alcohol 100 percent (an amount corresponding to 9 1 beer, 41/2 1 wine, 1 1 brandy), 17.4 percent had smoked more than 24 g tobacco per day (corresponding to more than 24 cigarettes daily), and 10.6 percent had taken drugs more than 6 times in their lives. The study was also designed to demonstrate the relations between family or socioeconomic data and intake of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. It was found that French and Italian speaking recruits indicated a higher alcohol consumption, that the lower socioeconomic class was exposed to be greater risk with regard to alcohol and tobacco consumption and the separately interviewed group of pupils to the greatest risk of drug experinece. Sons of divorced or separated parents, of parents married after the subject's birth or of parents who are heavy alcohol, tobacco or medicament consumers represent a higher percentage among the highest consumption class for alcohol, tobacco and drugs than subjects who had grown up in stable families or whose parents had been non-consumers or only moderate consumers of alcohol, tobacco or drugs. Finally, a correlation was also found between use of leisure time and alcohol, tobacco and drug consumption. It was in the groups of recruits who spent their spare time rather passively that the highest percentage of subjects in the upper consumption classes for alcohol, tobacco and drugs was observed. During military training consumption patterns withregard to alcohol and tobacco hardly changed, and only a small number of subjects (7.7 percent of 2587) took drugs during this time.

In September 1977 a 24 hour recall interview on nutritional habits, especially on the consumption of oligosacchrides was performed on 2'563 school children of Basel, aged 7 to 15 years after having attended a dental examination. 80,4% did consume sugar containing sweets between the 5 regular meals. The higher the degree of education among the three intermediate schooltypes, the less consumers were found (p less than 0,05). Factors which may influence the different consumption patterns are social status and knowledge on nutritional diseases (e.g. diabetes), but not pocket money. A link between data of the nutritional study and those of the dental examination will follow.

In a representative inquiry we found significant differences in the self-assessment of 4082 20-year-old Swiss men, as to whether their consumption of alcohol and drugs is high, low, or zero. The heavy users of alcohol and drugs describe themselves as men with frequent personal difficulties and psychosomatic disturbances. They tend to separate earlier from their family and prefer a less conventional, more consume-orientated, and passive way of life than the remainder.