Assessing the resilience of rice varieties against bioterrorism agents is critical to safeguarding food security.This study evaluated Food and Drug Administration-approved and recognized as safe metallic oxide nanopar...Assessing the resilience of rice varieties against bioterrorism agents is critical to safeguarding food security.This study evaluated Food and Drug Administration-approved and recognized as safe metallic oxide nanoparticles(NPs)of zinc oxide(ZnO)and magnesium oxide(MgO)as protective strategies to reduce susceptibility in imported rice varieties to a biothreat model,Escherichia coli.Two types of rice(brown and white)from four countries(USA,Mexico,India,and Thailand)were treated with 60 mg/L NPs or their ionic forms and sterilized before inoculation.The treatments were analyzed for nutritional profiles,heavy metal content,and pathogen susceptibility.Rice organic compositions were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,and metal were contents quantified using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy.Pathogenic response was monitored using ultraviolet mass spectrophotometry.The findings revealed that nutrient-rich varieties like brown rice from Mexico displayed reduced susceptibility to E.coli compared with white rice from India,which showed the highest susceptibility.NP fortification demonstrated significant antimicrobial efficacy,particularly with ZnO and MgO NPs,which were more effective than their ionic counterparts in inhibiting bacterial growth.Results showed that ZnO and MgO NP treatments reduced E.coli growth by 72%and 68%,respectively,compared with untreated controls.Brown rice from Mexican treated with MgO NPs exhibited the lowest optical density at 600 nm(OD6000.01),indicating significantly enhanced resistance to bacterial proliferation.This research underscores the potential of nano-fortification not only to improve pathogen resilience in rice but also to maintain its nutritional integrity.This study provides a foundational framework for enhancing food safety against bioterrorism agents and supports the development of resilient agricultural practices.展开更多
Gabapentin(Neurontin)is an anti-epileptic drug that has had wide off-label prescription use since market release due to presumed negligible abuse potential.However,trends in drug misuse have demonstrated that gabapent...Gabapentin(Neurontin)is an anti-epileptic drug that has had wide off-label prescription use since market release due to presumed negligible abuse potential.However,trends in drug misuse have demonstrated that gabapentin misuse is occurring,particularly in those with a history of opioid misuse.This is concerning,because although gabapentin has no direct ligand activity at opioid receptors,it does potentiate the analgesic effect of opioids,and concurrent use of gabapentin and opioids may increase the risk of respiratory depressive effects of opioids.This study investigates the incidence of gabapentin detected in urine samples collected for clinical drug screening purposes in a local hospital emergency department and in postmortem samples submitted by medical examiners in the St.Louis metropolitan area.The prevalence of gabapentin and co-detected drugs in both populations is contrasted,compared,and discussed.This study found that 30%of urine samples collected from patients with suspected drug intoxication presenting to SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital,a quaternary care medical center,were positive for gabapentin,and nearly two thirds of those were also positive for oxycodone.Over a 6-month period,the incidence of gabapentin positive postmortem cases increased from 18%to 20%.Nearly all gabapentin positive postmortem cases were also positive for an opioid,the most significant being fentanyl,suggesting that gabapentin misuse may be due to its potentiating effect of opioid drug action.This study also highlights the limited utility of immunoassay-based urine drug screens.展开更多
Seeds,the reproductive organs of plants,are common as trace evidence from crime scenes.Seed evidence could be grouped into several categories based on the types of crimes they are associated with,including child abuse...Seeds,the reproductive organs of plants,are common as trace evidence from crime scenes.Seed evidence could be grouped into several categories based on the types of crimes they are associated with,including child abuse,homicides and drugs.Most commonly,seeds are examined microscopically and identified to the plant species level to show a linkage between persons and places.More recently,forensic researchers have evaluated the poten-tial for extracting and typing DNA from seeds to further individualize the samples.As a model system,tomato seeds were examined microscopically after different cooking treat-ments and assessed for the potential to DNA type seeds for variety identification.A sufficient quantity and quality of DNA were recovered from uncooked,digested and undigested tomato seeds for amplified fragment length polymorphism(AFLP)analysis;however,any form of cooking destroyed the seed DNA.A simple microscopic analysis was able to distin-guish between a cooked tomato seed versus an uncooked seed.This article is intended to provide an overview of case examples and current techniques for the forensic examination of seeds as plant-derived evidence.展开更多
Background:Fingermark is an individual’s primary identification source.It is helpful in determining individuals involved in illegal activities and is frequently encountered in clandestine laboratories.During forensic...Background:Fingermark is an individual’s primary identification source.It is helpful in determining individuals involved in illegal activities and is frequently encountered in clandestine laboratories.During forensic investigation,the critical question to be answered is whether a fingermark was left on a surface before or after the initiation of an unlawful activity.Aims and Objectives:This study aimed to investigate the visualization of methamphetamine-contaminated fingermarks on glass surfaces and estimate the immediacy of their depositions.Materials and Methods:In this study,the prior-deposition contaminated fingermarks,i.e.,fingermarks deposited a surface priorly contaminated by methamphetamine,and the postdeposition contaminated fingermarks,i.e.,fingermarks deposited on a clean surface but subsequently contaminated with methamphetamine were visualized and compared using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope(FESEM).Results:Under FESEM,the latent fingermarks and the crystalline structure of methamphetamine were clearly visualized.The postdeposition contaminated fingermarks appeared in smudge conditions in all the three replicate samples,where the ridge and nonridge areas could not be well-distinguished.On the contrary,the prior-deposition contaminated fingermark demonstrated distinct separations between ridges and nonridges.However,the application of fingerprint powders reduced the possibility to determine the immediacy of deposition.Conclusion:To conclude,both prior-deposition contaminated fingermarks and postdeposition contaminated fingermarks can be discriminated,providing information on the instance when a fingermark was left on a surface.展开更多
The National Research Council recommends that genetic differentiation among subgroups of ethnic samples be lower than 3%of the total genetic differentiation within the ethnic sample to be used for estimating reliable ...The National Research Council recommends that genetic differentiation among subgroups of ethnic samples be lower than 3%of the total genetic differentiation within the ethnic sample to be used for estimating reliable random match probabilities for forensic use.Native American samples in the United States’Combined DNA Index System(CODIS)database represent four language families:Algonquian,Na-Dene,Eskimo-Aleut,and Salishan.However,a minimum of 27 Native American language families exists in the US,not including language isolates.Our goal was to ascertain whether genetic differences are correlated with language groupings and,if so,whether additional language families would provide a more accurate representation of current genetic diversity among tribal populations.The 21 short tandem repeat(STR)loci included in the Globalfiler^(■)PCR Amplification Kit were used to characterize six indigenous language families,including three of the four represented in the CODIS database(i.e.Algonquian,Na-Dene,and Eskimo-Aleut),and two language isolates(Miwok and Seri)using major population genetic diversity metrics such as F statistics and Bayesian clustering analysis of genotype frequencies.Most of the genetic variation(97%)was found to be within language families instead of among them(3%).In contrast,when only the three of the four language families represented in both the CODIS database and the present study were considered,4%of the genetic variation occurred among the language groups.Bayesian clustering resulted in a maximum posterior probability indicating three genetically distinct groups among the eight language families and isolates:(1)Eskimo,(2)Seri,and(3)all other language groups and isolates,thus confirming genetic subdivision among subgroups of the CODIS Native American database.This genetic structure indicates the need for an increased number of Native American populations based on language affiliation in the CODIS database as well as more robust sample sets for those language families.展开更多
文摘Assessing the resilience of rice varieties against bioterrorism agents is critical to safeguarding food security.This study evaluated Food and Drug Administration-approved and recognized as safe metallic oxide nanoparticles(NPs)of zinc oxide(ZnO)and magnesium oxide(MgO)as protective strategies to reduce susceptibility in imported rice varieties to a biothreat model,Escherichia coli.Two types of rice(brown and white)from four countries(USA,Mexico,India,and Thailand)were treated with 60 mg/L NPs or their ionic forms and sterilized before inoculation.The treatments were analyzed for nutritional profiles,heavy metal content,and pathogen susceptibility.Rice organic compositions were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,and metal were contents quantified using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy.Pathogenic response was monitored using ultraviolet mass spectrophotometry.The findings revealed that nutrient-rich varieties like brown rice from Mexico displayed reduced susceptibility to E.coli compared with white rice from India,which showed the highest susceptibility.NP fortification demonstrated significant antimicrobial efficacy,particularly with ZnO and MgO NPs,which were more effective than their ionic counterparts in inhibiting bacterial growth.Results showed that ZnO and MgO NP treatments reduced E.coli growth by 72%and 68%,respectively,compared with untreated controls.Brown rice from Mexican treated with MgO NPs exhibited the lowest optical density at 600 nm(OD6000.01),indicating significantly enhanced resistance to bacterial proliferation.This research underscores the potential of nano-fortification not only to improve pathogen resilience in rice but also to maintain its nutritional integrity.This study provides a foundational framework for enhancing food safety against bioterrorism agents and supports the development of resilient agricultural practices.
文摘Gabapentin(Neurontin)is an anti-epileptic drug that has had wide off-label prescription use since market release due to presumed negligible abuse potential.However,trends in drug misuse have demonstrated that gabapentin misuse is occurring,particularly in those with a history of opioid misuse.This is concerning,because although gabapentin has no direct ligand activity at opioid receptors,it does potentiate the analgesic effect of opioids,and concurrent use of gabapentin and opioids may increase the risk of respiratory depressive effects of opioids.This study investigates the incidence of gabapentin detected in urine samples collected for clinical drug screening purposes in a local hospital emergency department and in postmortem samples submitted by medical examiners in the St.Louis metropolitan area.The prevalence of gabapentin and co-detected drugs in both populations is contrasted,compared,and discussed.This study found that 30%of urine samples collected from patients with suspected drug intoxication presenting to SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital,a quaternary care medical center,were positive for gabapentin,and nearly two thirds of those were also positive for oxycodone.Over a 6-month period,the incidence of gabapentin positive postmortem cases increased from 18%to 20%.Nearly all gabapentin positive postmortem cases were also positive for an opioid,the most significant being fentanyl,suggesting that gabapentin misuse may be due to its potentiating effect of opioid drug action.This study also highlights the limited utility of immunoassay-based urine drug screens.
基金This research supplies was funded by The National Institute of Justice(NIJ)[grant number 2001-IJ-CX-K011]the University of New Haven and the Henry C.Lee Forensic Science Institute.The scholarship for Dr.Cheng-Lung Lee was supported by the education authority of Taiwan.
文摘Seeds,the reproductive organs of plants,are common as trace evidence from crime scenes.Seed evidence could be grouped into several categories based on the types of crimes they are associated with,including child abuse,homicides and drugs.Most commonly,seeds are examined microscopically and identified to the plant species level to show a linkage between persons and places.More recently,forensic researchers have evaluated the poten-tial for extracting and typing DNA from seeds to further individualize the samples.As a model system,tomato seeds were examined microscopically after different cooking treat-ments and assessed for the potential to DNA type seeds for variety identification.A sufficient quantity and quality of DNA were recovered from uncooked,digested and undigested tomato seeds for amplified fragment length polymorphism(AFLP)analysis;however,any form of cooking destroyed the seed DNA.A simple microscopic analysis was able to distin-guish between a cooked tomato seed versus an uncooked seed.This article is intended to provide an overview of case examples and current techniques for the forensic examination of seeds as plant-derived evidence.
基金Universiti Sains Malaysia RUI grant(1001/PPSK/8012236).
文摘Background:Fingermark is an individual’s primary identification source.It is helpful in determining individuals involved in illegal activities and is frequently encountered in clandestine laboratories.During forensic investigation,the critical question to be answered is whether a fingermark was left on a surface before or after the initiation of an unlawful activity.Aims and Objectives:This study aimed to investigate the visualization of methamphetamine-contaminated fingermarks on glass surfaces and estimate the immediacy of their depositions.Materials and Methods:In this study,the prior-deposition contaminated fingermarks,i.e.,fingermarks deposited a surface priorly contaminated by methamphetamine,and the postdeposition contaminated fingermarks,i.e.,fingermarks deposited on a clean surface but subsequently contaminated with methamphetamine were visualized and compared using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope(FESEM).Results:Under FESEM,the latent fingermarks and the crystalline structure of methamphetamine were clearly visualized.The postdeposition contaminated fingermarks appeared in smudge conditions in all the three replicate samples,where the ridge and nonridge areas could not be well-distinguished.On the contrary,the prior-deposition contaminated fingermark demonstrated distinct separations between ridges and nonridges.However,the application of fingerprint powders reduced the possibility to determine the immediacy of deposition.Conclusion:To conclude,both prior-deposition contaminated fingermarks and postdeposition contaminated fingermarks can be discriminated,providing information on the instance when a fingermark was left on a surface.
基金This study was funded by a National Institute of Justice grant[grant number 2014-DN-BX-K024]to Sreetharan Kanthaswamy,and a research grant from the UC Davis Forensic Science Graduate Program to Jessica A.Weise.
文摘The National Research Council recommends that genetic differentiation among subgroups of ethnic samples be lower than 3%of the total genetic differentiation within the ethnic sample to be used for estimating reliable random match probabilities for forensic use.Native American samples in the United States’Combined DNA Index System(CODIS)database represent four language families:Algonquian,Na-Dene,Eskimo-Aleut,and Salishan.However,a minimum of 27 Native American language families exists in the US,not including language isolates.Our goal was to ascertain whether genetic differences are correlated with language groupings and,if so,whether additional language families would provide a more accurate representation of current genetic diversity among tribal populations.The 21 short tandem repeat(STR)loci included in the Globalfiler^(■)PCR Amplification Kit were used to characterize six indigenous language families,including three of the four represented in the CODIS database(i.e.Algonquian,Na-Dene,and Eskimo-Aleut),and two language isolates(Miwok and Seri)using major population genetic diversity metrics such as F statistics and Bayesian clustering analysis of genotype frequencies.Most of the genetic variation(97%)was found to be within language families instead of among them(3%).In contrast,when only the three of the four language families represented in both the CODIS database and the present study were considered,4%of the genetic variation occurred among the language groups.Bayesian clustering resulted in a maximum posterior probability indicating three genetically distinct groups among the eight language families and isolates:(1)Eskimo,(2)Seri,and(3)all other language groups and isolates,thus confirming genetic subdivision among subgroups of the CODIS Native American database.This genetic structure indicates the need for an increased number of Native American populations based on language affiliation in the CODIS database as well as more robust sample sets for those language families.
