Determination of MIC and Disk Diffusion Quality Control Guidelines for Meropenem–Vaborbactam, a Novel Carbapenem/Boronic Acid β-Lactamase Inhibitor Combination

Meropenem–vaborbactam is a carbapenem/cyclic boronic acid β-lactamase inhibitor combination primarily active against Gram-negative bacilli, including those harboring class A serine carbapenemases such as Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC). A Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute M23-A4 (Tier 2) quality control study established broth microdilution and disk diffusion ranges for reference strains. Two KPC-producing K. pneumoniae ATCC strains are recommended for quality control testing

Economic Analysis of Increased Levels of Intramuscular Fat in Pork: Producer and Industry Opportunities

Ultrasound technology is available for accurately measuring intramuscular fat (IMF) in live pigs. This report provides information on the costs for pig producers and processors to implement this technology and what consumers are willing to pay for pork with improved levels of intramuscular fat. About half the participants in the willingness to pay study preferred the high IMF chop. They paid a premium of 25 percent over the low IMF chop.ultrasound technology, measure intramuscular fat live pigs, pig producer cost, pig processor costs, consumer willingness to pay, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing,

Degradation of Filamin in Aged Pork Loins Classified by High and Low Star Probe Values

Filamin is necessary to maintain the integrity of muscle structure. Postmortem degradation of filamin results in loss of organizational structure at the Z-disk and improves meat tenderness. Intact and degraded filamin was successfully identified in aged pork loin. The removal of amino acids to form this degradation product is likely the first cleavage of intact filamin observed in postmortem muscle. A significant decrease in abundance of intact filamin in low star probe (SP) value samples demonstrates that degradation of filamin varies when aging period and pH are similar. Filamin degradation was significantly different in SP groups, suggesting that filamin proteolysis and formation of degradation products may have an impact on the SP values of aged pork loin

Effects of Blast Chilling on Fresh Pork Quality in Cuts from the Psoas Major, Semimembranosus, and Triceps Brachii

Carcasses (n=40) with defined fat free lean and carcass weight were selected 45 minutes postmortem. Carcasses were split and sides subjected to conventional chill (CC) or blast chilling (BC) regimens. The Psoas Major (PM) from BC sides had increased purge loss, but was juicier, more tender and less chewy than the PM from CC sides. The Semimembranosus (SM) from BC sides had higher 30 hour pH, darker color scores, and had a lower Hunter a value than the SM from CC sides. No treatment effect was found in the Triceps Brachii

Breast meat quality and composition in unique chicken populations

The objective of this project was to examine the diversity of breast meat composition and quality traits among unique resource populations. Birds from 5 groups (inbred Leghorn, inbred Fayoumi, commercial broilers, F5 broiler-inbred Leghorn cross, and F5 broiler-inbred Fayoumi cross) were utilized. Contemporary stocks (broilers, inbreds, and crosses) were grown in a single house but in separate pens. Birds were harvested at 8 wk of age. Breast muscle weight, moisture, lipid and protein contents, color, pH, and Kramer shear force values were determined on birds from each group. Breasts from broilers contained lower percentages of protein (P \u3c 0.05) and greater percentages of lipid (P \u3c 0.05) compared with all other groups. The 5 genetic stocks did not differ for Hunter L values or pH. The data indicate that the Leghorn inbred line breasts were a more pure and more intense red color than the crossbred contemporary (P \u3c 0.05). Kramer shear force (kg/g sample) was higher (P \u3c 0.05) in breasts from broilers than in breasts from the inbred lines. Our results demonstrate that the 5 genetic groups differed markedly in breast meat composition and quality characteristics. The described outbred by inbred advanced intercross lines will be useful in searches for genes affecting meat quality traits. Definition of the molecular factors that influence these traits will enhance our ability to make improvements in composition and quality of poultry meats

Response to ibudilast treatment according to progressive multiple sclerosis disease phenotype

OBJECTIVE: Determine whether a treatment effect of ibudilast on brain atrophy rate differs between participants with primary (PPMS) and secondary (SPMS) progressive multiple sclerosis. BACKGROUND: Progressive forms of MS are both associated with continuous disability progression. Whether PPMS and SPMS differ in treatment response remains unknown. DESIGN/METHODS: SPRINT-MS was a randomized, placebo-controlled 96-week phase 2 trial in both PPMS (n = 134) and SPMS (n = 121) patients. The effect of PPMS and SPMS phenotype on the rate of change of brain atrophy measured by brain parenchymal fraction (BPF) was examined by fitting a three-way interaction linear-mixed model. Adjustment for differences in baseline demographics, disease measures, and brain size was explored. RESULTS: Analysis showed that there was a three-way interaction between the time, treatment effect, and disease phenotype (P \u3c 0.06). After further inspection, the overall treatment effect was primarily driven by patients with PPMS (P \u3c 0.01), and not by patients with SPMS (P = 0.97). This difference may have been due to faster brain atrophy progression seen in the PPMS placebo group compared to SPMS placebo (P \u3c 0.02). Although backward selection (P \u3c 0.05) retained age, T2 lesion volume, RNFL, and longitudinal diffusivity as significant baseline covariates in the linear-mixed model, the adjusted overall treatment effect was still driven by PPMS (P \u3c 0.01). INTERPRETATION: The previously reported overall treatment effect of ibudilast on worsening of brain atrophy in progressive MS appears to be driven by patients with PPMS that may be, in part, because of the faster atrophy progression rates seen in the placebo-treated group

Predicting aged pork quality using a portable Raman device

The utility of Raman spectroscopic signatures of fresh pork loin (1 d & 15 d postmortem) in predicting fresh pork tenderness and slice shear force (SSF) was determined. Partial least square models showed that sensory tenderness and SSF are weakly correlated (R2 = 0.2). Raman spectral data were collected in 6 s using a portable Raman spectrometer (RS). A PLS regression model was developed to predict quantitatively the tenderness scores and SSF values from Raman spectral data, with very limited success. It was discovered that the prediction accuracies for day 15 post mortem samples are significantly greater than that for day 1 postmortem samples. Classification models were developed to predict tenderness at two ends of sensory quality as “poor” vs. “good”. The accuracies of classification into different quality categories (1st to 4th percentile) are also greater for the day 15 postmortem samples for sensory tenderness (93.5% vs 76.3%) and SSF (92.8% vs 76.1%). RS has the potential to become a rapid on-line screening tool for the pork producers to quickly select meats with superior quality and/or cull poor quality to meet market demand/expectations

Global Emergence of Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole Resistance in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Mediated by Acquisition of sul Genes

The first sul2 genes have been found in S. maltophilia from several different countries