Advances in holography have led to applications including data storage, displays, security labels, and colorimetric sensors.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the most important mycotoxins, and contaminates several agricultural products, particularly cereals, grapes, maize, barley, spices and coffee. The aim of this project was to reduce the levels of OTA by supplementing the artificially contaminated solutions with seven strains of actinobacteria (AT10, AT8, SN7, MS1, ML5, G10 and PT1) in order to evaluate their capacity for binding and metabolizing the OTA, as well as their ability to reduce the expression of the genes responsible for its production in A. carbonarius. In the first part of this study, we evaluated the capacity of Streptomyces strains for binding OTA on their surfaces after 0, 30 and 60 min of incubation with PBS solution supplemented with OTA. In the second part, we tested the ability of these strains, as well as their supernatants, to detoxify the ISP2 medium. Finally, we studied the effect of the Streptomyces cocultured with Aspergillus carbonarius on the expression of OTA biosynthesis genes. Results showed that, among the strains co-cultured with A. carbonarius, the strain G10 was able to reduce the expression of acpks, acOTApks, acOTAnrps and vea genes, thus reducing OTA from solid PDA medium to 13.50% of reduction. This strain was remarkably able to detoxify and bind OTA up to 47.07%. Strain AT8 was stronger in detoxifying OTA (52.61%), but had no significant effect on the studied gene expression.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by several species of Aspergillus and Penicillium that contaminate food and feed raw materials. To reduce OTA contamination, we first tested in vitro, actinobacterial strains as potential biocontrol agents and afterward, through a physical decontamination method using activated carbon fibers (ACFs). Actinobacterial strains were screened for their ability to reduce OTA in solid co-culture with A. carbonarius, which is the major OTA-producing species in European vineyards. Four strains showed a high affinity for removing OTA (67%–83%) with no significant effect on fungal growth (<20%). The mechanism of action was first studied by analyzing the expression of OTA cluster genes (acOTApks, acOTAnrps, acOTAhal) by RT-qPCR showing a drastic reduction in all genes (7–15 times). Second, the ability of these strains to degrade OTA was assessed in vitro on ISP2 solid medium supplemented with OTA (100 µg/L). Two strains reduced OTA to undetectable levels. As for the physical method, high adsorption rates were obtained for ACFs at 0.8 g/L with a 50% adsorption of OTA in red wine by AC15 and 52% in grape juice by AC20 within 24 h. These promising methods could be complementarily applied toward reducing OTA contamination in food chains, which promotes food safety and quality.

This study is intended to prevent ochratoxin A (OTA) production by Aspergillus carbonarius S402 using essential oils (EOs) and total phenolic compounds extracted from plants and herbs. The EOs used in this study are the following: bay leaves, cumin, fenugreek, melissa, mint, and sage. As for the phenolic compounds, they were extracted from bay leaves, cumin, fenugreek, melissa, mint, sage, anise, chamomile, fennel, rosemary, and thyme. The experiments were conducted on Synthetic Grape Medium (SGM) medium at 28 °C for 4 days. OTA was extracted from the medium with methanol and quantified using HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography). Results showed that EOs had a greater impact than the total phenolic extracts on the OTA production. Reduction levels ranged between 25% (sage) and 80% (melissa) for the EOs at 5 µL mL−1, and 13% (thyme) and 69% (mint) for the phenolic extracts. Although they did not affect the growth of A. carbonarius, total phenolic extracts and EOs were capable of partially reducing OTA production. Reduction levels depended on the nature of the plants and the concentration of the EOs. Reducing OTA with natural extracts could be a solution to prevent OTA production without altering the fungal growth, thus preserving the natural microbial balance.

The aim of the study was to determine the levels of aflatoxin B1 (AFB 1 ) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in durum wheat samples collected over six period of time, from two official warehouses A and B in Lebanon. The concentrations of AFB 1 in wheat samples taken from warehouses A and B were ranging from 1.05 to 7.36 µg/kg. Results showed that 23.3% and 25.3% of samples taken from warehouse A and B respectively had AFB 1 levels greater than 2 μg/kg (&gt; 2 μg/kg). Regarding OTA analysis, the contamination level of wheat samples taken from warehouses A and B was 52.0% and 44.6% respectively, with concentrations ranging from 0.51 to 9.71 µg/kg. The percentage of samples with high detectable OTA levels (&gt; 3 μg/kg) was found to be 28.6% and 25.3% for wheat samples taken from warehouses A and B, respectively.  Based on these results, the consumption of wheat and derived products in Lebanon can be considered hazardous and may present a significant risk on the health of the Lebanese population regarding the overall daily exposure of these mycotoxins.

Rationale Hepatoid adenocarcinoma (HAC) is an extrahepatic primary tumor that expresses morphological features resembling hepatocellular carcinoma. This rare malignant tumor has been described in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the testes, the ovaries, and rarely, the lungs. Despite there being no standardized management protocol for this case with poor prognosis, the literature describes responses to treatment with cisplatin-etoposide chemotherapy. Objective We present an updated review of all cases of HAC of the lung and the favorable results of a novel management method for this type of tumor. Results A table including all the HAC of the lung cases on the electronic database PubMed since 1980 is compiled. Here we present a case of primary HAC of the lungs, initially managed with cisplatin-etoposide without favorable response to treatment. The immunohistochemical profile of the tumor allowed for the novel use of immunotherapy in the setting of primary lung HAC, with favorable response. Conclusion and outlook The case presented here is of interest as it adopts a novel immunotherapeutic approach to HAC, yielding a promising outcome. This highlights the importance of molecular typing and immunohistochemical profiling in the diagnosis and management of non-small cell lung cancer.

RationaleHypothermia forms a part of the diagnostic criteria for Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), National Early Warning Score (NEWS) and has repeatedly been shown to be associated with worse outcomes when compared to normothermic and hyperthermic patients with sepsis. We evaluate whether this is the case in COVID-19 patients. ObjectiveTo determine whether there is an association between hypothermia and worse prognosis in COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit. MethodsRetrospective study of a cohort of patients (n = 57) admitted to the intensive care unit of a community hospital with a positive test for COVID-19. MeasurementsData relating to mortality, comorbidities and length of stay was recorded from electronic medical records for each patient. Hypothermia was defined as ≥2 recorded body temperatures of less than 96.5℉ (35.83℃) at the time of admission. Main resultsOf the 57 patients enrolled in the study, 21 developed hypothermia during their stay and 36 did not. Our results show that patients who have hypothermia at the time of admission spend a longer time intubated (p < 0.01) and go through longer ICU stays (p < 0.01). These patients are also 2.18 times more likely to suffer a fatal outcome compared to patients that did not develop hypothermia while in the intensive care unit (Chisquared = 8.6209, p < 0.01, RR = 2.18). ConclusionsHypothermia in patients with severe COVID-19 at the time of admission to the ICU is associated with poorer outcomes for patients. This manifests as a longer period of intubation, longer ICU stay, and increased risk of mortality.

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