AIMS To study the effects of water activity (aW ; 0·99, 0·98, 0·97, 0·96 and 0·95), temperature (15, 25 and 30°C), incubation time (7-28 days), and their interactions on mycelial growth and alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME) and tenuazonic acid (TA) mycotoxin production on a synthetic nutrient (SN) media similar to grape composition by three strains of Alternaria alternata is...

Mycotoxins are fungal secondary metabolites detected in many agricultural commodities and water-damaged indoor environments. Susceptibility to mucosal infectious diseases is closely associated with immune dysfunction caused by mycotoxin exposure in humans and other animals. Many mycotoxins suppress immune function by decreasing the proliferation of activated lymphocytes, impairing phagocytic fu...

In this paper, the effect of reclaimed rubber modification on the rheological characteristics of asphalt binders is studied. Reclaimed rubber with the extent of 12, 16 and 20 is added to the neat asphalt binder and then shear complex modulus is obtained for neat and modified asphalt binder via Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) test. Using Christensen-Anderson- Marasteanu (CAM) model, master curves ...

Devosia sp. nov. DDB001, isolated from mycotoxin-contaminated soil, is a potential mycotoxin-degrading alphaproteobacterium. To our knowledge, this is the first draft genome announcement of a Devosia species.

Fusarium diseases of small grain cereals and maize cause significant yield losses worldwide. Fusarium infections result in reduced grain yield and contamination with mycotoxins, some of which have a notable impact on human and animal health. Regulations on maximum limits have been established in various countries to protect consumers from the harmful effects of these mycotoxins. Several factors...

Children in developing countries experience multiple exposures that are harmful to their growth and development. An emerging concern is frequent exposure to mycotoxins that contaminate a wide range of staple foods, including maize and groundnuts. Three mycotoxins are suspected to contribute to poor child health and development: aflatoxin, fumonisin, and deoxynivalenol. We summarize the evidence...

This review presents the different mycotoxins (aflatoxins, fumonisins and ochratoxin A) produced in agricultural crops in the West African sub-region. The acute and chronic toxic effects of the various mycotoxins are presented. Maize and groundnuts have been found to be excellent substrate for aflatoxin contamination, while fumonisins are widely distributed in maize. Other food products for whi...

Traditionally, mycotoxin problems have come to our attention mainly because of outbreaks of animal diseases and in several instances human diseases and there are then related to a mycotoxin as the causative agent. Undoubtedly this will continue to be a very important means for uncovering mycotoxin problems. However, in recent years, now that practical, sensitive analytical methods have become a...

Binding of peptides to specific Major Histo-compatibility Complex (MHC) molecule is important for understanding immunity and has applications to vaccine discovery and design of immunotherapy. Artificial neural networks (ANN) are widely used by predictions tools to classify the peptides as binders or non-binders (BNB). However, the number of known binders to a specific MHC molecule is limited in...

BACKGROUND The effects of calcium compared with non-calcium-based phosphate binders on mortality, cardiovascular events and vascular calcification in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are unknown. METHODS To address this question, we conducted a systematic review. We electronically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and CINAHL. We identified 160 ...