Search results for "toxin"

Incidence of grapevine moth Lobesia botrana (Den. & Schif.) on occurrence of ochratoxin A in grapes

2008

Observations were carried out in an organic vineyard (cv malvasia di candia), at salemi (sicily), during 2006-2007, in order to verify the influence of grapevine moth lobesia botrana (den. & schif.) on presence of ochratoxin a (ota) in bunches at harvest time. a percentage of 12.98% of bunches were attacked by grape moth during 2006, while 8.65% of them were infected by grey mould and sour bunch rot (5.77% and 2.88% respectivelly). analyses carried out on 12.98% infested bunches, showed a level of 20 μg/kg of ota, while on intact samples 0.04 μg/kg of toxin was registered. During 2007, infestation of bunches by grape moth was very low (2.05%), due to the particular climatic conditions, and …

Food Contaminants

2014

Chemical contaminants may occur in our food from various sources. Contaminants can be present in foods mainly as a result of the use of agrochemicals, such as residues of pesticides and veterinary drugs, contamination from environmental sources (water, air or soil pollution), cross-contamination or formation during food processing, migration from food packaging materials, presence or contamination by natural toxins or use of unapproved food additives and adulterants. They typically pose a health concern, resulting in strict regulations of their levels by national governments and internationally. Therefore, analysis of relevant chemical contaminants is an essential part of food safety testin…

Two Patients With History of STEC-HUS, Posttransplant Recurrence and Complement Gene Mutations

2013

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a disease of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and acute renal failure. About 90% of cases are secondary to infections by Escherichia coli strains producing Shiga-like toxins (STEC-HUS), while 10% are associated with mutations in genes encoding proteins of complement system (aHUS). We describe two patients with a clinical history of STEC-HUS, who developed end-stage renal disease (ESRD) soon after disease onset. They received a kidney transplant but lost the graft for HUS recurrence, a complication more commonly observed in aHUS. Before planning a second renal transplantation, the two patients underwent genetic screening for aHUS-associat…

Botulinum Toxin Is Effective in the Management of Neurogenic Dysphagia. Clinical-Electrophysiological Findings and Tips on Safety in Different Neurol…

2017

Background and Aims: Neurogenic dysphagia linked to failed relaxation of the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) can be treated by injecting botulinum toxin (BTX) into the cricopharyngeal (CP) muscle. We compared the effects of this treatment in different neurological disorders with dysphagia, to evaluate its efficacy over time including the response to a second injection. Materials and Methods: Sixty-seven patients with neurogenic dysphagia associated with incomplete or absent opening of the UES (24 with brainstem or hemispheric stroke, 21 with parkinsonian syndromes, 12 with multiple sclerosis, and 10 with spastic-dystonic syndromes secondary to post-traumatic encephalopathy) were treated wi…

Sequence of the M28 dsRNA: Preprotoxin Is Processed to an α/β Heterodimeric Protein Toxin

1995

The killer and immunity phenotypes of K28 killer strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are determined by the 1.75-kb M28 dsRNA virus. In the plus strand, M28p, the K28 preprotoxin gene, comprises bases 13-1047 and is followed, after an additional 85 bases, by a 63-bp poly(A) sequence and a 553-base 3'-sequence. This 3'-sequence contains two potential stem-loop structures predicted to bind the L-A encoded cap-pol protein, initiating encapsidation; high-level expression results in curing of M1 dsRNA. Expression of M28p confers the complete K28 killer and immunity phenotype on a cell lacking M28 dsRNA. K28 toxin is a disulfide-bonded heterodimer of alpha (10.5 kDa) and beta (11 kDa) components w…

F17-like fimbriae from an invasive Escherichia coli strain producing cytotoxic necrotizing factor type 2 toxin

1994

The F17b fimbriae encoded by the transmissible virulence plasmid Vir, also coding for cytotoxic necrotizing factor type 2, were characterized. A 5.7-kb region of Vir mediates in vitro N-acetylglucosamine-sensitive adhesion to calf intestinal villi. Sequence analysis revealed that this region codes for a structural subunit and an adhesin closely related to the F17-A and F17-G proteins encoded by the F17 fimbrial gene cluster. The F17b-A gene presents an open reading frame of 540 bp encoding a polypeptide of 180 amino acids with a putative signal peptide of 21 residues. The mature protein shows an identity of 74% with the F17-A structural subunit. This 20-kDa protein is recognized by antiseru…

Gold coated porous silicon nanocomposite as a substrate for photoluminescence-based immunosensor suitable for the determination of Aflatoxin B1.

2017

Abstract A rapid and low cost photoluminescence (PL) immunosensor for the determination of low concentrations of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) has been developed. This immunosensor was based on porous silicon (PSi) covered by thin gold layer (Au) and modified by antibodies against AFB1 (anti-AFB1). PSi layer was formed on silicon substrate, then the surface of PSi was covered by 30 nm layer of gold (PSi/Au) using electrochemical and chemical deposition methods and in such ways PSi/Au (El.) and PSi/Au (Chem.) structures were formed, respectively. In order to find PSi/Au the most efficiently suitable for PL-based sensor design, structure several different PSi/Au (El.) and PSi/Au (Chem.) structures were…

Porous silicon based photoluminescence immunosensor for rapid and highly-sensitive detection of Ochratoxin A.

2017

A rapid and low cost photoluminescence (PL) immunosensor for the determination of low concentrations of Ochratoxin A (OTA) has been developed. This immunosensor was based on porous silicon (PSi) and modified by antibodies against OTA (anti-OTA). PSi layer was fabricated by metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) procedure. Main structural parameters (pore size, layer thickness, morphology and nanograins size) and composition of PSi were investigated by means of X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. PL-spectroscopy of PSi was performed at room temperature and showed a wide emission band centered at 680 ± 20nm. Protein A was covalently immobilized …

Protective effect against mycotoxin occurrence of different additives in smoked fish

2015

Cytoprotection assessment against mycotoxins on HepG2 cells by extracts from Allium sativum L

2021

Abstract Cytoprotection effects of Allium sativum L garlic extract from a local garlic ecotype from Ferrara (Italy) on hepatocarcinoma cells, HepG2 cells, is presented in this study. This garlic type is known as Voghiera garlic and has been characterized as PDO (Protected designation of Origin) product. Voghiera garlic extract (VGE) was evaluated against beauvericin (BEA) and two zearalenone (ZEA) metabolites (α-zearalenol (α-ZEL) and β-zearalenol (β-ZEL))-induced cytotoxicity on HepG2 cells by the MTT (3–4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, over 24 h and 48 h. Direct treatment, simultaneous treatment and pre-treatment strategies at the dilution 1:16–1:00 for VG…