The Potential of Peroxidases Extracted from the Spent Mushroom (Flammulina velutipes) Substrate Significantly Degrade Mycotoxin Deoxynivalenol

Little is known about the degradability of mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) by the spent mushroom substrate (SMS)-derived manganese peroxidase (MnP) and lignin peroxidase (LiP) and its potential. The present study investigated the growth inhibition of Fusarium graminearum KR1 and the degradation of DON by MnP and LiP extracted from SMS. The results from the 7-day treatment period showed that mycelium inhibition of F. graminearum KR1 by MnP and LiP were 23.7% and 74.7%, respectively. Deoxynivalenol production in the mycelium of F. graminearum KR1 was undetectable after treatment with 50 U/mL of MnP or LiP for 7 days. N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) content and chitinase activity both increased in the hyphae of F. graminearum KR1 after treatment with MnP and LiP for 1, 3, and 6 h, respectively. At 12 h, only the LiP-treated group had higher chitinase activity and GlcNAc content than those of the control group (p < 0.05). However, more than 60% of DON degradabilities (0.5 mg/kg, 1 h) were observed under various pH values (2.5, 4.5, and 6.5) in both MnP (50 U/g) and LiP (50 U/g) groups, while DON degradability at 1 mg/kg was 85.5% after 50 U/g of LiP treatment for 7 h in simulated pig gastrointestinal tracts. Similarly, DON degradability at 5 mg/kg was 67.1% after LiP treatment for 4.5 h in simulated poultry gastrointestinal tracts. The present study demonstrated that SMS-extracted peroxidases, particularly LiP, could effectively degrade DON and inhibit the mycelium growth of F. graminearum KR1.     

Simple,Efficient, and Cost-Effective Multiplex Genotyping with Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry of Hemoglobin Beta Gene Mutations

A number of common mutations in the hemoglobin β (HBB) gene cause β-thalassemia, a monogenic disease with high prevalence in certain ethnic groups. As there are 30 HBB variants that cover more than 99.5% of HBB mutant alleles in the Thai population, an efficient and cost-effective screening method is required. Three panels of multiplex primer extensions, followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry were developed. The first panel simultaneously detected 21 of the most common HBB mutations, while the second panel screened nine additional mutations, plus seven of the first panel for confirmation; the third panel was used to confirm three HBB mutations, yielding a 9-Da mass difference that could not be clearly distinguished by the previous two panels. The protocol was both standardized using 40 samples of known genotypes and subsequently validated in 162 blind samples with 27 different genotypes (including a normal control), comprising heterozygous, compound heterozygous, and homozygous β-thalassemia. Results were in complete agreement with those from the genotyping results, conducted using three different methods overall. The method developed here permitted the detection of mutations missed using a single genotyping procedure. The procedure should serve as the method of choice for HBB genotyping due to its accuracy, sensitivity, and cost-effectiveness, and can be applied to studies of other gene variants that are potential disease biomarkers.To date, 739 point mutations in the hemoglobin, β (HBB) gene causing β-thalassemia (MIM# 141900) have been reported in HbVar: A Database of Human Hemoglobin Variants and Thalassemias (http://globin.cse.psu.edu/globin/hbvar/menu.html, accessed March 2009), but each ethnic group has a limited number of common mutations and a considerable number of rarer mutations.¹ The c.79G>A (also known as CD26G>A or Hb E) is the most frequent HBB variant in Southeast Asia including Thailand.² “Thai” generally refers to speakers of Thai (Tai) languages. The ethnic groups of Thailand comprise Thais (constituting 85% of the population) and Hill Peoples living primarily in the north, as well as other groups including the Chinese and minorities in the south.³ In the Thai population, approximately 40 HBB mutations have been identified,⁴ of which 30 variants account for more than 99.5% of all mutant HBB alleles

Risk assessment towards tuberculosis among hospital personnel: administrative control, risk exposure, use of protective barriers and microbial air quality

A recent increase in the rate of tuberculosis among hospital personnel has led to a greater concern about the risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission in the hospital. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the risk of tuberculosis infection among hospital personnel of a governmental hospital in Bangkok by applying hospital tuberculosis control strategies, including administrative control, risk exposure, use of protective barriers when in contact with TB patients, and microbial air quality in the studied wards. Fourteen members of the infection control committee (ICC) and 118 hospital personnel were interviewed regarding the infection control policy and its implementation. The history of TB exposure at work and the use of protective barriers when in contact with TB patients were recorded for the studied hospital personnel. Air samples in the studied wards were collected to investigate bacterial and fungal counts. The results reveal that all the studied ICC members and more than 85% of studied hospital personnel knew the infection control policy and attempted to implement it. However, 35.71, 37.50, 80.90,93.93, and 88.46% of personnel working in ER, OPD, ICU, female medical ward, and male medical ward, respectively, implemented the TB isolation policy. More than 80% of studied personnel had histories of exposure to TB patients, but only 52.73% (31.57% in OPD to 80.00% in ICU) used the appropriate barriers (N95) when in contact with TB patients. Air samples collected from the studied wards, except ICU, had high bacterial and fungal counts (> 500 cfu/m3). These findings show that hospital personnel working in the studied wards, except ICU, were at risk for tuberculosis infection. The hospital ICC should advertise the use of TB standard precautions to hospital personnel and provide a ventilation system for reducing the microbial counts in the air of the studied wards.     

Mycotoxin Fumonisin B1 Interferes Sphingolipid Metabolisms and Neural Tube Closure during Early Embryogenesis in Brown Tsaiya Ducks

Fumonisin B₁ (FB₁) is among the most common contaminants produced by Fusarium spp. fungus from corns and animal feeds. Although FB₁ has been known to cause physical or functional defects of embryos in humans and several animal species such as Syrian hamsters, rabbits, and rodents, little is known about the precise toxicity to the embryos and the underlying mechanisms have not been fully addressed. The present study aimed to investigate its developmental toxicity and potential mechanisms of action on sphingolipid metabolism in Brown Tsaiya Ducks (BTDs) embryos. We examined the effect of various FB₁ dosages (0, 10, 20 and 40 µg/embryo) on BTD embryogenesis 72 h post-incubation. The sphingomyelin content of duck embryos decreased (p < 0.05) in the highest FB₁-treated group (40 µg). Failure of neural tube closure was observed in treated embryos and the expression levels of a neurulation-related gene, sonic hedgehog (Shh) was abnormally decreased. The sphingolipid metabolism-related genes including N-acylsphingosine amidohydrolase 1 (ASAH1), and ceramide synthase 6 (CERS6) expressions were altered in the treated embryos compared to those in the control embryos. Apparently, FB₁ have interfered sphingolipid metabolisms by inhibiting the functions of ceramide synthase and folate transporters. In conclusion, FB₁-caused developmental retardation and abnormalities, such as neural tube defects in Brown Tsaiya Duck embryos, as well as are partly mediated by the disruption of sphingolipid metabolisms.     

Utilization of a Scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment in Detecting a Malnourished Status in Gynecologic Cancer Patients

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of malnutrition in gynecologic cancer patients using the Scored Patient- Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) questionnaire. Materials and Methods: A total of 97 gynecologic cancer patients who never had any treatment but were planned for surgery were enrolled. The patients were asked to complete the scored PG-SGA form before the treatment was started. Attending physicians were also asked to complete other information in the PG-SGA form. Total scores were calculated and the patients were classified into 3 nutritional status levels. Results: Mean age was 54 years. Postoperative diagnoses were endometrial cancer in 42 cases (43.2%), ovarian cancer in 29 cases (29.9%), and cervical cancer in 26 cases (26.8%). Mean PG-SGA score was 5.24.7. Malnutrition (PG-SGA B and C) was found in 52 patients (53.6%, 95% CI 43.7% - 63.2%). Preoperative BMI, hemoglobin, serum albumin, and cancer stage were not significantly associated with nutritional status. Malnutrition was significantly more common among patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer, compared to other types of cancer (79.3% vs. 42.6%, p 0.004). Conclusions: Prevalence of malnutrition among gynecologic cancer patients was 53.5%, according to the scored PG-SGA. Malnutrition was significantly more common among patients with ovarian cancer.     

Obstetrics and perinatal outcomes of Thai pregnant adolescents: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Adolescent pregnancy is considered a high risk pregnancy. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare pregnancy outcomes in adolescent females aged 19 and younger with those of adult women aged 20-34 years. DESIGN: A retrospective case control study was designed to address the purpose of the study. PARTICIPANTS: Participants of this study consisted of 401 randomly selected adolescent females and 815 adult mothers who gave birth at a regional hospital in Bangkok from 2001 to 2003. METHODS: Two domains of pregnancy outcomes; maternal and infant outcomes were collected from participants' medical and prenatal records by trained observers. RESULTS: The study revealed that, compared to the adult mothers, teenage mothers were less likely to make the first prenatal visit in their first trimester (16% and 38.9%, p<.001), to have adequate prenatal care (83% and 91%, p<.01), and cesarean sections (odds ratio (OR) 2.05, confidence interval (CI) 1.44, 2.92). They had higher rates of anemia (OR 0.44, CI 0.26, 0.75), preterm deliveries (OR 1.21, CI 1.01, 1.75), and lower mean birth weight babies (2931 g and 3077 g, p<.001). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that, while teenage pregnancy outcomes have improved in recent years due to medical accessibility, pregnant adolescents continue to be complicated requiring clinical interventions from the health care providers.