Bacillus cereus is a common foodborne pathogen. Accidently eating food contaminated by B. cereus will cause vomiting or diarrhea, and even death in severe cases. In the present study, a B. cereus strain was isolated from spoiled rice by streak culture. The pathogenicity and drug resistance of the isolated strain were analyzed by drug sensitivity test and PCR amplification of virulence-associated gene respectively. Cultures of the purified strain were injected intraperitoneally into mice to examine their effects on intestinal immunity-associated factors and gut microbial communities, to provide references for the pathogenic mechanism and medication guidance of these spoilage microorganisms. The results showed that the isolated B. cereus strain was sensitive to norfloxacin, nitrofurantoin, tetracycline, minocycline, ciprofloxacin, spectinomycin, clindamycin, erythrocin, clarithromycin, chloramphenicol, levofloxacin, and vancomycin, but resistant to bactrim, oxacillin and penicillin G. The strain carries seven virulence-associated genes including hblA, hblC, hblD, nheA, nheB, nheC and entFM, which are involved in diarrhea-causing toxins production. After infecting mice, the isolated B. cereus strain was found to cause diarrhea in mice, and the expression levels of immunoglobulins and inflammatory factors in the intestinal mucosae of the challenged mice were significantly up-regulated. Gut microbiome analysis showed that the composition of gut microbial community in mice changed after infection with B. cereus. The abundance of the uncultured_bacterium_f_Muribaculaceae in Bacteroidetes, which is a marker of body health, was significantly decreased. On the other hand, the abundance of uncultured_bacterium_f_Enterobacteriaceae, which is an opportunistic pathogen in Proteobacteria and a marker of dysbacteriosis, was significantly increased and was significantly positively correlated with the concentrations of IgM and IgG. These results showed that the pathogenic B. cereus carrying diarrhea type virulence-associated gene can activate the immune system by altering the composition of gut microbiota upon infection.
Animals ; Mice ; Bacillus cereus/metabolism* ; Food Microbiology ; Immunity, Mucosal ; Diarrhea ; Microbiota ; Enterotoxins/genetics*

By investigating the contamination status and predicting the exposure risk of mycotoxin in Coicis Semen, we aim to provide guidance for the safety supervision of Chinese medicinal materials and the formulation(revision) of mycotoxin limit standards. The content of 14 mycotoxins in the 100 Coicis Semen samples collected from five major markets of Chinese medicinal materials in China was determined by UPLC-MS/MS. The probability evaluation model based on Monte Carlo simulation method was established after Chi-square test and One-way ANOVA of the sample contamination data. Health risk assessment was performed on the basis of margin of exposure(MOE) and margin of safety(MOS). The results showed that zearalenone(ZEN), aflatoxin B_1(AFB_1), deoxynivalenol(DON), sterigmatocystin(ST), and aflatoxin B_2(AFB_2) in the Coicis Semen samples had the detection rates of 84%, 75%, 36%, 19%, and 18%, and the mean contamination levels of 117.42, 4.78, 61.16, 6.61, and 2.13 μg·kg~(-1), respectively. According to the limit standards in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition), AFB_1, AFs and ZEN exceeded the standards to certain extents, with the over-standard rates of 12.0%, 9.0%, and 6.0%, respectively. The exposure risks of Coicis Semen to AFB_1, AFB2, ST, DON, and ZEN were low, while 86% of the samples were contaminated with two or more toxins, which needs more attention. It is suggested that the research on the combined toxicity of different mycotoxins should be strengthened to accelerate the cumulative exposure assessment of mixed contaminations and the formulation(revision) of toxin limit standards.
Humans ; Mycotoxins/analysis* ; Coix ; Aflatoxin B1/analysis* ; Chromatography, Liquid/methods* ; Food Contamination/analysis* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods*

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major pathogen frequently found in seafood. Rapid and accurate detection of this pathogen is important for the control of bacterial foodborne diseases and to ensure food safety. In this study, we established a one-pot system that combines uracil-DNA glycosylase (UDG), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 12b (Cas12b) for detecting V. parahaemolyticus in seafood. This detection system can effectively perform identification using a single tube and avoid the risk of carry-over contamination.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus/genetics* ; Uracil-DNA Glycosidase/genetics* ; Hot Temperature ; CRISPR-Cas Systems ; Food Safety

Objective To investigate the food preferences and explore the potential association between dietary knowledge and food preferences in residents aged 18 and over in China,so as to provide a basis for promoting healthy diets.Methods The latent class analysis was carried out with the 2015 cross-sectional data of China health and nutrition survey to categorize the food preferences among 8 783 residents aged 18 and over.Multinomial Logistic regression was adopted to assess the association between and dietary knowledge and food preferences.Results The food preferences of the residents aged 18 and over in China were classified into preference for less vegetable(3.28%),lack of preference(11.20%),diverse preferences(4.19%),and preference for healthy diets(81.33%).The proportion of the adults with dietary knowledge was 36.87%(3 238/8 783).The dietary knowledge varied in the adults with different food preferences(all P<0.001).After adjusting for gender,age,urban and rural distribution,education background,and annual household income,for each point increase in the dietary knowledge score,there was an estimated reduction of 22% in the probability of preferring less vegetables(OR=0.78,95%CI=0.76-0.80, P<0.001),13% in the probability of lacking preference(OR=0.87,95%CI=0.86-0.89, P<0.001),and 3% in the probability of having diverse preferences(OR=0.97,95%CI=0.94-1.00, P=0.030).Compared with those lacking dietary knowledge,the individuals with dietary knowledge had a 77% less probability of preferring less vegetables(OR=0.23,95%CI=0.16-0.32, P<0.001),a 55% less probability of lacking preference(OR=0.45,95%CI=0.39-0.53, P<0.001),and a 23% less probability of having diverse preferences(OR=0.77,95%CI=0.61-0.96, P=0.023).Conclusions The residents aged 18 and over in China presented four food preferences,including preference for less vegetables,lack of preference,diverse preferences,and preference for healthy diets,the last of which had the highest proportion.The individuals with lower levels of dietary knowledge have higher probability of preferring unhealthy food.
Adult ; Humans ; Adolescent ; Food Preferences ; Latent Class Analysis ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diet ; Nutrition Surveys ; China

Objective: This study identified the prevalence of Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP) use. It determined the factors associated with NFP use among young adults aged 19-30 years old in the National Capital Region (NCR). Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study collected data using a developed survey questionnaire. It was pretested to 32 respondents and administered online among young adults aged 19 to 30 years old residing in NCR at the time of the study, with a target sample size of 384. Convenience sampling was used to gather study participants. Nominal, ordinal, and interval data were summarized as frequencies and proportions. Mean and standard deviation were computed for ratio and interval data. Multiple logistic regression was used to test for the association to NFP use, reported as odds ratios. Results: Study findings showed that the prevalence of NFP use among the respondents was 50.49% (95% CI: 44.64 – 54.81%). The factors found to be associated to NFP use were: 1) being a primary household food shopper (p-value= 0.029; OR: 1.67; 95% CI: 1.05–2.63), 2) having a special diet (p-value= 0.001; OR: 3.40; 95% CI: 1.62–7.14), 3) using nutritional supplements (p-value= 0.041; OR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.02–2.25), 4) preparing food at home (p-value= 0.019; OR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.08–2.49), and 5) engaging in physical activity (p-value< 0.001; OR: 2.05; 95% CI: 1.37–3.06) regularly. Conclusion The findings show the need for improved nutrition education and promotion, especially in the NFP. The study recommended improvement in the study methodology and nutrition education programs. It suggested several research areas and topics to be explored.
Food Labeling ; Diet ; Young Adult

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether chewing gum affects mask contamination. Methodology and results: Two groups of participants were requested to wear a mask for 15 min with (experimental group) or without (control group) chewing gum. Then, masks were collected and CFU calculation and 16S rDNA sequencing was performed. We found that temperature, humidity and bacterial CFU inside of the mask significantly increased when wearing a mask while chewing gum. Staphylococcus epidermidis was found in both groups. Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus parasanguinis and Bacillus wiedmannii were found in only the experimental group. Conclusion, significance and impact of study Chewing gum significantly increased the temperature, humidity and bacterial CFU inside the mask. Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. aureus, S. haemolyticus, S. oralis, S. parasanguinis and B. wiedmannii were detected inside the mask after chewing gum.
Chewing Gum ; Food Contamination

Objective: To systematically review the available evidence on the association of HBA1c levels and development of sensorineural hearing loss and to quantitatively analyze the available data on HBA1c levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and sensorineural hearing loss to determine an HbA1c level that may be associated with the risk of having sensorineural hearing loss. Methods: Design: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Eligibility Criteria: Cross-sectional studies, or cohort studies which were limited to English language that investigated the correlation of glycemic index using HBA1c and sensorineural hearing loss among adult type 2 diabetic patients which were done from January 2010 to December 2021. Studies with no published outcome, incomplete data or that were ongoing as of August 1, 2022 were also excluded. Information Sources: MEDLINE (through PubMed), Cochrane Library, Scopus, Embase (through OVID@journal), Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Google Scholar and HERDIN Plus Risk of Bias: Risk of Bias was assessed using the Guidelines for Cochrane Collaboration Synthesis of Results: Results were presented using forest plots for representation. Results: A total of 8 studies were reviewed with 2,103 participants in all. Six articles compared hearing loss incidence between diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Overall, there were a total of 881 diabetic patients and 1222 non-diabetic patients. There was a significantly lower incidence of sensorineural hearing loss in non-diabetic patients with a risk ratio of 1.89, 95% CI [1.65, 2.16]. Three articles compared the HbA1c levels of diabetic patients with or without sensorineural hearing loss. Diabetic patients without sensorineural hearing loss had significantly lower HbA1c levels compared to those with sensorineural hearing loss with mean difference of 1.04, 95%CI [0.82, 1.25]. Conclusion In conclusion, this meta-analysis showed a higher prevalence rate of sensorineural hearing loss among patients with diabetes mellitus compared to non-diabetic patients. Moreover, poor glycemic control among diabetic patients with a glycemic index based on HbA1c of more than 8.3 (6.97-9.6) is associated with sensorineural hearing loss.
diabetes mellitus ; glycemic index ; sensorineural hearing loss ; pure tone audiometry ; deafness

In recent years, emerging technology medical devices have developed rapidly. How to more scientifically and more efficiently regulate these novel medical devices so as to improve access to advanced medical technology while ensuring safety and effectiveness is a new challenge faced by regulatory authorities, and is also the core topic of regulatory science. New tools, new standards and new methods are important means to achieve regulatory science. "Medical Device Development Tool" proposed by the U.S. FDA is a novel medical device regulatory science tool, which can help medical device developers to predict and evaluate product performance more efficiently. It is also helpful for regulatory authorities to make regulatory decisions more efficiently. This study introduces the concept, qualification process, role of MDDT in medical device regulation and MDDT examples, and makes some discussion on the device evaluation from the perspective of reliability and validity. MDDT can facilitate the developing of novel medical device.
United States ; Medical Device Legislation ; Reproducibility of Results ; United States Food and Drug Administration ; Technology ; Device Approval

The improvement of food labeling can improve consumers' health awareness, reduce the burden of chronic diseases on the health and economy, and promote the development of the healthy food industry. Disease Risk Reduction Claim has been developed in European Union and the U.S. for over 20 years, with mature management methods and experience, but it is still lacking in China. Learning and drawing on the international management experience of food disease risk reduction claims can assist China to establish food disease risk reduction claims and improve the food health claims and labeling system.
Humans ; United States ; European Union ; Food Labeling ; Food Industry ; China/epidemiology*

The improvement of food labeling can improve consumers' health awareness, reduce the burden of chronic diseases on the health and economy, and promote the development of the healthy food industry. Disease Risk Reduction Claim has been developed in European Union and the U.S. for over 20 years, with mature management methods and experience, but it is still lacking in China. Learning and drawing on the international management experience of food disease risk reduction claims can assist China to establish food disease risk reduction claims and improve the food health claims and labeling system.
Humans ; United States ; European Union ; Food Labeling ; Food Industry ; China/epidemiology*