Commercial Bacteriophage Cocktail Treatment Reduces Salmonella Infantis Levels in Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water.

Contaminated irrigation water in the pre-harvest environment can lead to outbreaks associated with fruits and vegetables. The potential of microbial contamination in pre-harvest waters by bacterial pathogens has created an ongoing demand for effective water treatment methods to mitigate this risk. This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of a commercial bacteriophage cocktail against Salmonella Infantis in agricultural water.

Evaluating the recovery of pan-susceptible and antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in synthetic test agricultural water using membrane filtration and colilert methods.

Membrane filtration and Colilert assays are commonly used to quantify Escherichia coli levels in agricultural water. These methods have not been evaluated in test agricultural water (TAW), a formulation used for assessing chemical sanitizer effectiveness. Quantitative recovery of E.

Toward a Self-Inflating Bag Mechanical Ventilator, Maturation in Continuous Use, Safety, and Repeatability for Ventilatory Variables.

Background: Researchers proposed mechanical ventilators (MVs) based on the automated compression of a self-inflating bag (SIB) to save lives during the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Many proposals had problems with continuous use time, repeatability of ventilatory variables, high partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO) values, and a decreasing fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO) for high respiratory rates.

Objective: This study aimed to demonstrate that our technology, based on automated compression of an SIB, can operate for several days, is repeatable in its ventilatory variables, and is safe in the ventilator-patient interaction.

Effectorless Fc-fusion improves FLT3L drug-like properties for cancer immunotherapy combinations.

Background: Conventional dendritic cells (cDCs), are central to antitumour immunity, but their low prevalence in tumours limits the efficacy of immunotherapies. FLT3L is a key growth factor regulating cDCs development in the bone marrow. It expands cDCs when administered exogenously, favouring antitumour T cell priming and tumour control.

Biological soil amendments can support survival of pathogenic and non-pathogenic Escherichia coli in soils and sporadic transfer to Romaine lettuce.

Biological soil amendments (BSAs) are essential agricultural inputs that provide critical nutrients in organic leafy green production. Heat-treated poultry pellets (HTPP) and seabird guano (SBG), which have been treated to reduce microbial pathogen loads, are gaining popularity among growers. Using these BSAs in the process of side-dressing, providing nutrients to crops while growing, may provide opportunities for externally introduced bacterial pathogens to survive in soil.

IL-27 elicits a cytotoxic CD8 T cell program to enforce tumour control.

Although cytotoxic CD8 T lymphocytes (CTLs) are essential for anti-tumour immunity, they are frequently dysfunctional in tumours. Cytokines that sustain CTL activity are attractive for cancer immunotherapy, but avoiding inflammatory toxicity remains a challenge for their clinical use. Here we show that expression of a CTL signature is strongly associated with IL27 expression in human and mouse tumours.

Decreased T helper 1 cell function underlies recurrent sinopulmonary infections in the 17q12 deletion syndrome.

Background: The 17q12 deletion syndrome (17q12DS) is a heterozygous deletion of a 1.4 megabase‒spanning DNA sequence on chromosome 17. The clinical characteristics of 17q12DS include neurodevelopmental disorders, kidney and urinary tract abnormalities.

Zero-Valent Iron and Sand Filtration Reduces Levels of Surrogates, and , in Water.

Recurring outbreaks of cyclosporiasis linked to fresh produce demonstrate the need to develop interventions to reduce in irrigation water. is resistant to commonly used irrigation water treatments, such as chemical sanitizers, making removal of oocysts by filtration the most suitable intervention. This study evaluated the reduction of and , as surrogates for , in water using filters packed with sand alone or mixtures of sand and zero-valent iron (ZVI).

Immune-checkpoint inhibitor-mediated myocarditis: CTLA4, PD1 and LAG3 in the heart.

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized oncology, with nearly 50% of all patients with cancer eligible for treatment with ICIs. However, patients on ICI therapy are at risk for immune-related toxicities that can affect any organ. Inflammation of the heart muscle, known as myocarditis, resulting from ICI targeting cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4), programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) and PD1 ligand 1 (PDL1) is an infrequent but potentially fatal complication.

Southern Region Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training: Using Pre- and Post-Training Knowledge Assessments to Understand Training Effectiveness.

The Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) grower training was introduced in 2016 as the standardized curriculum to meet the training requirements of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act's (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR). The PSR states that at least one supervisor or responsible party from each farm must have successfully completed this food safety training or one equivalent to the standardized curriculum, as recognized by the FDA. This study evaluated the effectiveness of PSA trainings conducted between 2017 and 2019 in the Southern United States by the Southern Regional Center for Food Safety Training, Outreach, and Technical Assistance by analyzing pre- and posttest assessments.

The Exonuclease TREX1 Constitutes an Innate Immune Checkpoint Limiting cGAS/STING-Mediated Antitumor Immunity.

The DNA exonuclease three-prime repair exonuclease 1 (TREX1) is critical for preventing autoimmunity in mice and humans by degrading endogenous cytosolic DNA, which otherwise triggers activation of the innate cGAS/STING pathway leading to the production of type I IFNs. As tumor cells are prone to aberrant cytosolic DNA accumulation, we hypothesized that they are critically dependent on TREX1 activity to limit their immunogenicity. Here, we show that in tumor cells, TREX1 restricts spontaneous activation of the cGAS/STING pathway, and the subsequent induction of a type I IFN response.

Impact of insurance status on healthcare resource utilization and outcomes in adolescent patients presenting with spinal cord injuries.

Objective: Insurance disparities have been suggested to influence the medical and surgical outcomes of adult patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), with a paucity of studies demonstrating their impact on the outcomes of pediatric and adolescent SCI patients. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of insurance status on healthcare utilization and outcomes in adolescent patients presenting with SCI.

Methods: An administrative database study was performed using the 2017 admission year from 753 facilities using the National Trauma Data Bank.

Draft Genome Sequences of 110 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Isolates Collected from Bovine Manure Samples in the Southern United States.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) bacteria continue to impact the food industry. Environmental sampling of potential sources of contamination is important to aid epidemiologic efforts in tracking foodborne illnesses throughout the United States. Here, the draft genome sequences of 110 STEC isolates from bovine manure collected in Florida and Texas are reported.

CD203c is expressed by human fetal hepatoblasts and distinguishes subsets of hepatoblastoma.

Background & Aims: Hepatocytic cells found during prenatal development have unique features compared to their adult counterparts, and are believed to be the precursors of pediatric hepatoblastoma. The cell-surface phenotype of hepatoblasts and hepatoblastoma cell lines was evaluated to discover new markers of these cells and gain insight into the development of hepatocytic cells and the phenotypes and origins of hepatoblastoma.

Methods: Human midgestation livers and four pediatric hepatoblastoma cell lines were screened using flow cytometry.

Draft Genome Sequences of 278 Salmonella enterica Isolates from Poultry Litter in the Southeastern United States.

Salmonella enterica continues to be a pervasive food safety concern in the poultry industry, contributing to the annual burden of foodborne illnesses in the United States. Poultry litter is a known environmental source for the transmission of Salmonella among broiler flocks. Here, we describe the draft genome sequences of 278 S.

Survival and inactivation kinetics of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in irradiated and natural poultry litter microcosms.

The use of poultry litter as a biological soil amendment presents a risk for the preharvest contamination of fresh produce by Salmonella. In order to properly assess this risk, it is important to understand the factors influencing the persistence of Salmonella in poultry litter. This research was performed to investigate the influence of indigenous microflora on the survival of Salmonella Typhimurium in poultry litter.

Factors Impacting Persistence of Phi6 Bacteriophage, an Enveloped Virus Surrogate, on Fomite Surfaces.

The persistence of Phi6 (Φ6) bacteriophage on surfaces commonly encountered in consumer-facing environments was evaluated. Φ6 has been utilized as a surrogate for enveloped viruses, including SARS-CoV-2-the causative agent of COVID-19-due to structural similarities, biosafety level 1 (BSL-1) status, and ease of use. Φ6 persistence on fomites was evaluated by characterizing the impact of the inoculum matrix (artificial saliva, phosphate-buffered saline [PBS], tripartite), inoculum level (low and high), and surface type (nonporous-aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, touchscreen, vinyl; porous-wood).

Antimicrobial Efficacy of Un-Ionized Ammonia (NH) against Salmonella Typhimurium in Buffered Solutions with Variable pH, NH Concentrations, and Urease-Producing Bacteria.

The presence of Salmonella in poultry litter, when used as a biological soil amendment, presents a risk for the preharvest contamination of fresh produce. Poultry litter is rich in organic nitrogen, and previous studies have suggested that ammonia (NH) in poultry litter may affect the survival of Salmonella. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium was inoculated into buffer solutions to characterize the pH dependency, minimum antimicrobial concentration, and efficacy of NH production.

Effects of water activity, ammonia and Corynebacterium urealyticum on the survival of Salmonella Typhimurium in sterile poultry litter.

Aims: This study examined the effects of water activity (a ), ammonia and Corynebacterium urealyticum on the survival of Salmonella Typhimurium in sterile poultry litter.

Methods And Results: Sterile poultry litter inoculated with S. Typhimurium was adjusted to pH 9.

Influence of Free Chlorine and Contact Time on the Reduction of Salmonella Cross-Contamination of Tomatoes in a Model Flume System.

Abstract: The process of washing tomatoes in dump (flume) tanks has been identified as a potential source of cross-contamination. This study's objective was to assess the potential for Salmonella enterica cross-contamination at various inoculation levels in the presence of free chlorine (HOCl) and organic matter. Uninoculated tomatoes were introduced into a laboratory-based model flume containing tomatoes inoculated with a cocktail of five rifampin-resistant S.