Depending on the chemical and the outcome, prenatal exposures to environmental chemicals can lead to adverse effects on the pregnancy and child development, especially if exposure occurs during early gestation. Instead of focusing on prenatal exposure to individual chemicals, more studies have taken into account that humans are exposed to multiple environmental chemicals on a daily basis. The objectives of this analysis were to identify the pattern of chemical mixtures to which women are exposed and to characterize women with elevated exposures to various mixtures. Statistical techniques were applied to 28 chemicals measured simultaneously in the first trimester and socio-demographic factors of 1744 participants from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environment Chemicals (MIREC) Study. Cluster analysis was implemented to categorize participants based on their socio-demographic characteristics, while principal component analysis (PCA) was used to extract the chemicals with similar patterns and to reduce the dimension of the dataset. Next, hypothesis testing determined if the mean converted concentrations of chemical substances differed significantly among women with different socio-demographic backgrounds as well as among clusters. Cluster analysis identified six main socio-demographic clusters. Eleven components, which explained approximately 70% of the variance in the data, were retained in the PCA. Persistent organic pollutants (PCB118, PCB138, PCB153, PCB180, OXYCHLOR and TRANSNONA) and phthalates (MEOHP, MEHHP and MEHP) dominated the first and second components, respectively, and the first two components explained 25.8% of the source variation. Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (first component) were positively associated with women who have lower education or higher income, were born in Canada, have BMI ≥25, or were expecting their first child in our study population. MEOHP, MEHHP and MEHP, dominating the second component, were detected in at least 98% of 1744 participants in our cohort study; however, no particular group of pregnant women was identified to be highly exposed to phthalates. While widely recognized as important to studying potential health effects, identifying the mixture of chemicals to which various segments of the population are exposed has been problematic. We present an approach using factor analysis through principal component method and cluster analysis as an attempt to determine the pregnancy exposome. Future studies should focus on how to include these matrices in examining the health effects of prenatal exposure to chemical mixtures in pregnant women and their children.

In the present paper, we provide comprehensive information related to labeling claims and standards of identity of milk fat and spread products. By reviewing the standards and regulations for dairy and non-dairy fat products, Codex Alimentarius and several other countries have clearly specified these products and set the requirements for use of the product name to prevent misleading or confusing the consumers. Generally, for the milkfat products, the fat in the products should be exclusively from milk and/or the products obtained from milk. The milkfat contents of these products should be no less than 10%. Whereas, the blends or blended spreads are mixture of butter and vegetable oils with more than 3% of milkfat of the total fat content. The fat spreads are defined that any milkfat content must be no more than 3% of the total fat content. Although the specification of each fat product might be different, most countries still adopt the labeling system of Codex Alimentarius, including the use of the food names and the "reduced fat" claims. Each of the ingredients used in the food also need to be declared on the label.

AbstractsBackgroundThe production of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) confer resistance to the commonly used beta-lactam antimicrobials and ESBL–producing bacteria render treatment difficulty in human and veterinary medicine. ESBL–producing bacteria have emerged in livestock in recent years, which may raise concerns regarding possible transfer of such bacteria through the food chain. The swine industry is important in Taiwan, but investigations regarding the status of ESBL in swine are limited.ResultsWe collected 275 fecal swab samples from piglets with diarrhea in 16 swine farms located in central and southern Taiwan from January to December 2015 and screened them for ESBL–producing Escherichia coli. ESBL producers were confirmed phenotypically by combination disc test and genotypically by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. The occurrence rate of ESBL–producing E. coli was 19.7% (54 of 275), and all were obtained in swine farms located in southern Taiwan. bla CTX-M-1-group and bla CTX-M-9-group were the two bla CTX-M groups found. bla CTX-M-55 (34 of 54; 63.0%) and bla CTX-M-15 (16 of 54; 29.6%), which belong to the bla CTX-M-1-group, were the two major bla gene types, whereas bla CTX-M-65 was the only type found in the bla CTX-M-9 group. Twenty-seven strains contained bla TEM-1, and the other 27 strains contained bla TEM-116. One strain found in Pingtung harbored three bla genes: bla TEM-116, bla CTX-M-55, and bla CTX-M-65. ESBL–producing E. coli exhibited a multidrug-resistant phenotype, and multilocus sequence typing revealed that the ST10 clonal complexes, including ST10, 167, 44, and 617 accounted for 35% (19 of 54) of these strains.ConclusionsESBL-producing E. coli from piglets with diarrhea were isolated from swine farms located in southern Taiwan. The most commonly detected bla were bla CTX-M-15 and bla CTX-M-55. The ST10 clonal complexes comprised most of our ESBL-producing E. coli strains. Fecal shedding from swine may contaminate the environment, resulting in public health concerns; thus, continued surveillance of ESBL is essential in swine and in other food animals.

Background and aims Although methamphetamine use is a serious public health problem, large‐scale cohort studies assessing methamphetamine‐related mortality are scant. This study investigated all‐cause mortality and suicide methods in people with methamphetamine use disorder. Design A cohort record‐linkage study using data from Taiwan's National Health Research Institute Database (NHIRD) linked to Taiwan's National Death Certification System. Setting Taiwan. Participants A total of 23 248 individuals with methamphetamine use disorder between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2005. Measurements The outcome variables included mortality rates and standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for all causes of death and for each suicide method. Findings Compared with the general population, the current cohort had an increased all‐cause mortality (SMR = 5.4), with the SMR for unnatural causes (14.8) higher than that for natural causes (7.5). Among all causes of death, suicide had the highest SMR (16.3), followed by neurological diseases (9.7). Among the methods of choice for suicide, drug overdose had the highest SMR (24.9). The incidence of charcoal burning and hanging was significantly higher in men and that of jumping from a high place was significantly higher in women. Conclusion People in Taiwan with methamphetamine use disorder appear to have a significantly increased all‐cause mortality rate compared with the general population, with suicide having the highest contribution, particularly suicide via drug overdose. The methods of choice for suicide revealed distinct patterns between men and women.