Ochratoxin a production in Bavarian cereal grains stored at 15 and 19% moisture content

Wheat, barley, and maize, each in 15-kg parcels at 15 and 19% initial moisture content (IMC), were kept in a Bavarian farm granary from June through November 1990. During this period, the grain at each IMC was analyzed for mycotoxins and monitored for grain temperature, carbon dioxide, seed germination, and microfloral incidence and abundance. Barley and maize stored for 20 weeks at 19% IMC contained ochratoxin A in amounts of 70 and 90 g/kg, respectively. This mycotoxin was not detected in wheat stored at 19% IMC, nor in the grains stored at 15% IMC. Aflatoxin B₁, sterigmatocystin, citrinin, and zearalenone were also assayed but not detected in grains stored at either IMC. Principal component analysis of the data indicated that ochratoxin A was produced in a damp niche in maize, when abundant metabolic activity and CO₂ production by Penicillium glandicola and Aspergillus spp. were common.Contribution No. 1476 of the Agriculture Canada Research Station.     

The polymyalgia rheumatica activity score in daily use: proposal for a definition of remission

OBJECTIVE: To confirm the reliability and applicability of the Polymyalgia Rheumatica Disease Activity Score (PMR-AS), and to establish a threshold for remission. METHODS: First, 78 patients with PMR (50 women/28 men, mean age 65.97 years) were enrolled in a cross-sectional evaluation. The PMR-AS, patient's satisfaction with disease status (PATSAT; range 1-5), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR; first hour), and a visual analog scale of patients' general health assessment (VAS patient global; range 0-100) were recorded. Subsequently, another 39 PMR patients (24 women/15 men, mean age 68.12 years) were followed longitudinally. Relationships between the PMR-AS, PATSAT, ESR, and VAS patient global were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis test, Spearman's rank correlation, and kappa statistics. PMR-AS values in patients with a PATSAT score of 1 and a VAS patient global <10 formed the basis to establish a remission threshold. RESULTS: PMR-AS values were significantly related to PATSAT (P < 0.001), VAS patient global (P < 0.001), and ESR (P < 0.01). PATSAT and VAS patient global were reasonably different (kappa = 0.226). The median PMR-AS score in patients with PATSAT score 1 and VAS patient global <10 was 0.7 (range 0-3.3), and the respective 75th percentile was 1.3. To enhance applicability, a range from 0 to 1.5 was proposed to define remission in PMR. The median ESR in these patients was 10 mm/hour (range 3-28), indicating external validity. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated the reliability, validity, and applicability of the PMR-AS in daily routine. Moreover, we proposed a remission threshold (0-1.5) founded on patient-dependent parameters.     

Influence of prothrombin complex concentrates on plasma coagulation in critically ill patients

Objective: To evaluate thrombogenicity of prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs) in critically ill patients.¶Design: Prospective clinical study.¶Setting: Medical intensive care unit at a university hospital.¶Patients: 16 consecutive patients suffering from acquired deficiencies of coagulation factors and with either overt bleeding from any site or a planned invasive procedure.¶Interventions: 2000 factor IX units of PCCs intravenously.¶Measurements and results: Prothrombin time (PT), activated partial prothrombin time, fibrinogen, platelet count, plasma levels of coagulation factors II, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, antithrombin, protein C, thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), prothrombin fragment F₁₊₂, and the fibrin degradation product D-dimer were measured prior to and 1, 3, and 24 h after administration of PCCs. PT as well as coagulation factors II, VII, IX, and X, TAT, and F₁₊₂ showed a significant increase after administration of PCCs. All other parameters remained unchanged.¶Conclusions: Administration of PCCs induces thrombin generation. No evidence for induction of disseminated intravascular coagulation in biochemical terms could be found. When rapid correction of acquired coagulation factor disturbances is warranted, the use of PCCs seems reasonable, but the elevated risk of intravascular thrombus formation should be kept in mind.     

SACRAH: a score for assessment and quantification of chronic rheumatic affections of the hands

OBJECTIVES: To establish a questionnaire to quantify the extent of the function and activities of the hand in patients with degenerative or inflammatory disease of the hand and finger joints. METHODS: One hundred and seventy-two patients with osteoarthritis (OA, n = 69) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA, n = 103) completed a new questionnaire, the SACRAH, that included 23 visual analogue scales covering the extent of hand function, stiffness and level of pain. SACRAH scores may range from 0 to 100. RESULTS: Comparing all studied patients, there was no significant difference in SACRAH scores between OA and RA patients (34 vs 32, not significant). Scores for both patient groups differed significantly from those for 30 healthy controls. Among patients taking NSAIDs only, individuals suffering from OA (n = 50) scored significantly lower than RA patients (n = 42) (36 vs 48, P < 0.004). Sixty-one RA patients taking DMARDs scored lower than the RA patient group treated with NSAIDs only (20 vs 48, P < 0.0001). Thirty-two RA patients were evaluated longitudinally at their first visit and 3 months after the initiation of DMARDs. Following therapy, SACRAH scores were significantly reduced from 50 to 11 (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire enables the quantification of compromised hand function, stiffness and pain in OA and RA patients, and is sensitive to therapy-related changes in RA patients.     

The DAS28 in rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia patients

OBJECTIVE: To compare the DAS28 (Disease Activity Score including a 28-joint count) values of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and fibromyalgia (FM) patients, and to establish whether high pain levels and impaired mood influence DAS28 values. METHODS: DAS28 values were calculated in 62 consecutive patients with RA and in 26 patients suffering from FM. Values for DAS28 scores as well as for the single items of the patient cohorts were compared using Student's t-tests. To evaluate the item weighting and internal consistency of the total score factor analysis was performed and Cronbach's alpha calculated. RESULTS: RA patients showed a mean DAS28 score of 4.23 (+/-1.2; range 0.77-7.46) and in FM patients the mean DAS28 came to 4.04 (+/-1.13; range 1.19-6.28). DAS28 values of RA and FM patients were not significantly different statistically. Comparing the single components of the score, however, highly significant differences (P<0.0005) occurred between RA and FM patients. Cronbach's alpha for the DAS28 in RA patients amounted to 0.7329, indicating high internal consistency, whereas in FM patients it was 0.4832. CONCLUSION: The DAS28, as expected, proved to be inappropriate to express disease activity in FM patients. DAS28 values for expressing disease activity in RA patients may be flawed by coexisting FM and should therefore be regarded with caution as high pain levels more than impaired mood may lead to higher total scores.     

PDK1 regulates growth through Akt and S6K in Drosophila

The insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling pathway promotes growth in invertebrates and vertebrates by increasing the levels of phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-triphosphate through the activation of p110 phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Two key effectors of this pathway are the phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1) and Akt/PKB. Although genetic analysis in Caenorhabditis elegans has implicated Akt as the only relevant PDK1 substrate, cell culture studies have suggested that PDK1 has additional targets. Here we show that, in Drosophila, dPDK1 controls cellular and organism growth by activating dAkt and S6 kinase, dS6K. Furthermore, dPDK1 genetically interacts with dRSK but not with dPKN, encoding two substrates of PDK1 in vitro. Thus, the results suggest that dPDK1 is required for dRSK but not dPKN activation and that it regulates insulin-mediated growth through two main effector branches, dAkt and dS6K.     

Männliches Genitale

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