BACKGROUND: In 2012, the Alaska Section of Epidemiology investigated personnel potentially exposed to a Brucella suis isolate as it transited through three laboratories. METHODS: We summarize the first implementation of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2013 revised recommendations for monitoring such exposures: (1) risk classification; (2) antimicrobial postexposure prophylaxis; (3) serologic monitoring; and (4) symptom surveillance. RESULTS: Over 30 people were assessed for exposure and subsequently monitored for development of illness. No cases of laboratory-associated brucellosis occurred. Changes were made to gaps in laboratory biosafety practices that had been identified in the investigation. CONCLUSION: Achieving full compliance for the precise schedule of serologic monitoring was challenging and resource intensive for the laboratory performing testing. More refined exposure assessments could inform decision making for follow-up to maximize likelihood of detecting persons at risk while not overtaxing resources.
Alaska ; Appointments and Schedules ; Brucella suis ; Brucellosis* ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Classification ; Compliance ; Decision Making ; Epidemiology ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans

The waste rates of 98 food items after pre-preparation were surveyed to provide database for good menu planning. The waste rates turned out 0~64.27% in vegetables, 6.38~7.03% in potatoes, 6.25~68.75% in fishes and shellfishes, 16.61% in eggs, and 16.00~56.84% in fruits. Foods with high waste rates were vegetables, fishes and shellfishes. Survey results were compared with other food composition tables. Foods with 30% higher waste rate than other food composition tables were squash leaf, pacific ocean perch, sweet potato stalk, water cress, green peas, alaska pollack, bluefin tuna, beka squid, crown daisy, dodok, amaranth, beef ribs. Food which waste rates turned out to be decreased by about 30% in this study were corb shell, pomfret, sea mussel, warty sea squirt. For the menu planning, reasonaly exact waste rates for each food items are essential. Since survey results show signigicant deviations, there should be more studies for exact waste rates for each food.
Alaska ; Bivalvia ; Brassicaceae ; Crowns ; Decapodiformes ; Eggs ; Fishes ; Fruit ; Ipomoea batatas ; Menu Planning* ; Ovum ; Pacific Ocean ; Peas ; Perches ; Ribs ; Shellfish ; Solanum tuberosum ; Tuna ; Vegetables

There is a limitation to estimate vitamin B12 intake due to a lack of data on vitamin B12 content in many Korean foods. In this study, vitamin B12 content was determined in some seaweeds, fish, and shellfish and their product that are consumed in Korea using a modified microbioassay with Lactobacillus delbruecki ATCC 7830. Dried laver and dried seasoned and toasted laver contained very high levels of vitamin B12 (66.8 and 55.2-71.3 microg/100 g, respectively. Sea lettuce and seaweed fulvescene also contained high vitamin B12 content of 5.47-9.41 and 6.46-7.20 microg/100 g, respectively, whereas sea mustard and sea tangle contained low levels of vitamin B12; vitamin B12 was not detected in seaweed fusifome. Pacific saury, trout, sea-bass, or squid contained 12.01, 2.00, 0.49 and 2.33 microg vitamin B12/100 g, respectively. Ochellatus octopus, and naked sand lance contained 0.72-1.43 and 3.68 microg vitamin B12/100 g, respectively. Dried Alaska pollack contained 0.19-2.64 microg vitamin B12/100 g. Shellfish such as little neck clam and small ark shellfish contained high levels of vitamin B12 of 30.5-40.5 microg/100 g, and mussel and abalone contained 17.71 and 7.82 microg/100 g, respectively. Of unique Korean traditional fermented seafood products, salt-fermented products of squid (2.91 microg/100 g), clams (34.31 microg/100 g), Alaska pollack roe (9.98-12.02 microg/100 g), hairtail guts (4.58 microg/100 g) or small shrimp (0.58-1.55 microg/100 g), and fish sauce from anchovies (1.52-1.78 microg/100 mL), sand eel (0.22-0.24 microg/100 mL) or small shrimp (0.19-0.78 microg/100 mL) were analyzed. A few commercial brands of flying fish roe (0.73-1.73 microg/100 g), canned tuna (0.40 microg/100 g), and fried fish paste (0.25-0.69 microg /100 g) were also analyzed. In conclusion, vitamin B12 content in these foods, chosen considering the Korean food culture, should contribute to improve the present vitamin B12 food database. It may be helpful to estimate vitamin B12 intake more correctly than before, and provide additional information for dietary education related to vitamin B12 and meal management.
Alaska ; Bivalvia ; Decapodiformes ; Diptera ; Eels ; Korea ; Lactobacillus ; Meals ; Mustard Plant ; Neck ; Octopodiformes ; Seafood ; Seasons ; Seaweed ; Shellfish ; Silicon Dioxide ; Trout ; Tuna ; Ulva ; Vitamin B 12 ; Vitamins