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J Gittins

Publications and source records attributed to J Gittins.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

An assessment of the microbiological risks involved with egg washing under commercial conditions.

The potential benefits of washing eggs is offset by a historical perception in the European Union that wetted eggs are prone to spoilage and water loss. This study describes the effects of spray jet washing under various processing conditions to shell surface counts of Salmonella and the presence of bacteria in egg contents. Experiments used eggs that were contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 or Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 before cuticle hardening. Washing of contaminated eggs under optimum conditions resulted in a more than 5-log reduction of Salmonella counts from the shell surface. Salmonella was not isolated from the yolk or albumen of any egg washed by the optimal protocol, suggesting that when properly controlled, egg washing did not cause Salmonella to enter the contents. However, contamination did arise if strict control was not maintained over the wash and rinse water temperatures. Both Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium were shown to enter the egg contents when water temperatures were lowered, indicating that strict temperature control must be maintained in order to prevent the ingress of Salmonella into egg contents. Other washing machine parameters that were investigated did not significantly affect Salmonella entry into the egg contents but influenced shell surface kill levels to varying degrees.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

The DNA-binding domain of the gene regulatory protein AreA extends beyond the minimal zinc-finger region conserved between GATA proteins.

The AreA protein of Aspergillus nidulans regulates the activity of over 100 genes involved in the utilisation of nitrogen, and has a limited region of homology with the vertebrate family of GATA proteins around a zinc finger (Zf) motif. A 66 amino acid (a.a.) residue fragment (Zf(66)) corresponding to the zinc finger, a 91 a.a fragment (Zf(91)) containing an additional 25 a.a. at the C-terminus, and a much larger 728 a.a. sequence (3'EX) corresponding to the 3'exon have been over-expressed as fusion proteins in E. coli and purified. The DNA-protein complexes formed by these proteins have been examined by gel retardation analysis. The 91 a.a. protein forms a discrete shifted species with a GATA-containing DNA fragment with high affinity (K(d)=0.15 nM), whereas the 66 a.a. protein has very low ( approximately microM) affinity for the same sequence. The results show that the region of AreA required for high affinity DNA binding extends beyond the zinc finger motif that is homologous to GATA-1, requiring in addition a region within the 25 a.a. sequence C-terminal to the zinc finger. Using hydroxyl radical and ethylation interference footprinting, the minimal Zinc finger protein (Zf(66)) shows no appreciable interference effects whereas Zf(91) shows much stronger interference effects, identical to those of the larger protein. These effects extend over sequences up to two nucleotides either side of the GATA site, and indicate contacts additional to those observed in the three-dimensional structure of the complex of the minimal zinc-finger protein with DNA. We suggest that these additional contacts are responsible for the enhanced DNA binding affinity of the extended zinc-finger protein Zf(91).

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Electrical stimulation as a therapeutic option to improve eyelid function in chronic facial nerve disorders.

PURPOSE: To establish whether it is possible to improve orbicularis oculi muscle function in the eyelids of patients with a chronic seventh cranial nerve palsy by using transcutaneous electrical stimulation to the point at which electrical stimulation induces a functional blink. METHODS: Ten subjects (one woman, nine men) aged 36 to 76 with chronic, moderate to severe facial nerve palsy were recruited into the study. Voluntary and spontaneous eyelid movements were assessed, using an optical measuring system, before, during, and after a 3-month treatment period. Voluntary and spontaneous lid velocities were also measured and compared with eyelid kinematic data in normal subjects (12 women, 18 men; age range, 22-56 years). RESULTS: Therapeutic electrical stimulation applied over 3 months produced improvement in eyelid movement (>2 mm) in 8 of 10 patients during voluntary eyelid closure. However, there was no significant improvement recorded in spontaneous blink amplitudes or peak downward-phase velocity of the upper eyelid. This regimen of stimulation failed to recover function well enough that a functional blink could be induced in the paretic eyelid by electrical stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Electrical stimulation using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulators units can improve voluntary eye closure, apparently because of a reduction in stiffness of eyelid mechanics, rather than an improvement of muscle function. Investigation of alternative stimulation regimens is warranted.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

A line imaging system for measurement of eyelid movements.

A line scan imaging system which provides a facility for comprehensive measurement and analysis of eyelid motion in human subjects is described. The device obtains parasagittal line images of the eye and eyelids by focusing an image of the eye onto a linear 256-element CCD array. Line images are acquired and digitized at a rate of 200 per second and stored in a buffer memory. The stored data are subsequently analysed on a PC to give measurements of eyelid displacement and velocity. Measurements of eyelid displacement and velocity during normal blinks in five subjects were comparable with published results from other measurement techniques.

Blinking↗