THERE has been some uncertainty as to whether yeast could synthesise vitamin B when grown on a medium which did not contain it. Macdonald [1922], Heller [1923], and Nelson, Fullmer and Cessna [1921] tested for the factor promoting growth in rats and found it present. Harden and Zilva [1921] and Heller [1923] tested for the antineuritic factor, and found this to be synthesised. But Eijkman, Hoog...

There remain few nationally representative studies of drinking water quality at the point of consumption in developing countries. This study aimed to examine factors associated with E. coli contamination in Ghana. It drew on a nationally representative household survey, the 2012-2013 Living Standards Survey 6, which incorporated a novel water quality module. E. coli contamination in 3096 point-...

Total metals concentrations, Geoaccumulation index (Igeo), Pollution load index (PLI), degree of contamination (DC) and sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) were used to assess heavy metals contamination status and ecological risk in the sediments from the Libyan Mediterranean coast. The distribution pattern of heavy metals in the sediment follows the sequence: Fe>Pb>Mn>Ni>Zn>Cr>Cu>Co>Cd. Over th...

BACKGROUND Biomarker assays are often conducted on whole blood samples in the course of drug development studies. Because bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (endotoxin) contamination is known to cause spontaneous cytokine production by monocytes, contamination of blood collection tubes may interfere with biomarker assay results. METHODS Whole blood from healthy donors was collected into plast...

There is renewed interest in the hospital environment as a potentially important factor for cross-infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other nosocomial pathogens. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA)-filtration unit (IQAir Cleanroom H13, Incen AG, Goldach, Switzerland) at reducing MRSA envir...

There is currently a wide variety of methods used to evaluate soil contamination. We present a discussion of the advantages and limitations of different soil contamination assessment methods. In this study, we analyzed seven trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn) that are indicators of soil contamination in Dexing, a city in China that is famous for its vast nonferrous mineral resource...

Worldwide, contaminated drinking water poses a major health threat, particularly to child development. Diarrhoea represents a large part of the water-related disease burden and enteric infections have been linked to nutritional and growth shortfalls as well as long-term physical and cognitive impairment in children. Previous studies detailed the frequency of infection and the consequences for c...

Microbial contamination is now more common than chemical contamination in Tibet, and water-borne microbes can cause a number of diseases that threaten public health. Thus, in order to clarify the spatiotemporal distribution of bacteria in small watersheds for which there is no data in Tibet, we set up four sampling points along an upstream-downstream transect of the Xincang River Basin. We coll...

Background and Purpose: The contamination by potentially toxic element (PTE) is a common environmental issue in worldwide rivers. The present study examined PTEs concentration in sediments of Talar River which is one of the main rivers in the Sothern Caspian Basin. Materials and Methods: The sediment samples (n= 44) were collected from top 0–5 cm of surface sediment in the main channel and flo...