Evaluation of Bovine Myosin Heavy Chain Isoforms and Muscle Fiber Cross-Sectional Area on the Eating Quality of 11 Different Beef Muscles

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the contribution of muscle fiber type and size on the eating quality of 11 different beef muscles. Study Description: Eleven different beef muscles were utilized from two separate studies. In study 1, shoulder clod, flank, knuckle, mock tender, top sirloin butt, brisket, eye of round, and ribeye were collected from 10 U.S. Department of Agriculture choice carcasses (n = 80), and each muscle was fabricated into steaks at 2 days postmortem. In study 2, strip loin, tri-tip, and heel were collected from 10 USDA low choice carcasses (n = 30). Myofibrillar proteins were extracted and analyzed by immunoblot to determine muscle fiber type. Cross sectional area (CSA) and muscle fiber diameter were determined under the microscope. An average of 400 fibers per sample were analyzed to determine CSA and muscle fiber diameter. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between muscle fiber type, CSA, and diameter with the results for the eating quality of beef as determined by a trained panel that were reported in previous studies. Results: In study 1, there was a positive correlation between fiber type 1 and initial juiciness (r = 0.37; P \u3c 0.05), sustained juiciness (r = 0.39; P \u3c 0.05) and lipid flavor (r = 0.41; P \u3c 0.05). Conversely, there was a negative correlation between fiber type 2A and initial juiciness (r = -0.40; P \u3c 0.05) sustained juiciness (r = -0.42; P \u3c 0.05), and lipid flavor (r = -0.45; P \u3c 0.01). Both studies saw a negative correlation between muscle fiber CSA and diameter with connective tissue content (P \u3c 0.05), but positive correlations to overall tenderness (P \u3c 0.05). The Bottom Line: This study shows that muscles predominated by type 1 fibers will likely deliver a higher eating quality experience for consumers, while muscles with more glycolytic fibers 2A and 2X will deliver a less favorable eating experience for consumers. On the other hand, these data also demonstrated that larger muscle fiber CSA and diameter are not necessarily a negative eating quality marker as muscles with those characteristics had less connective tissue and had greater tenderness scores

Evaluating the Effect of Accelerated Aging at Different Temperature and Time Points on Beef Quality and Enzyme Activity of Lower Quality Beef Cuts

Objective: This study aimed to explore the effects of four accelerated aging (AA) methods at different temperature and time points on meat quality and enzymatic activity of two lower quality beef cuts. Study Description: Shoulder clod and top round were collected from 10 U.S. Department of Agriculture choice beef carcasses, fabricated into steaks, and assigned to one of six treatments: 3 days postmortem (control), cooler aged for 21 days, AA 120°F for 2 h, AA 120°F for 3 h, AA 130°F for 2 h, and AA 130°F for 3 h. Yield was calculated based on loss during AA and cooking loss, and purge was collected for collagen analysis. Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) was determined, and purge for microbial analysis was collected from primal bags as well as the package after AA treatment. Steak surfaces were swabbed on the anterior side prior to AA treatment, then swabbed on the posterior side after treatment. Aerobic plate counts (APC) were performed on purge and swab samples. Cathepsin activity was determined through zymography. Soluble collagen content and total collagen in the purge were determined through hydroxyproline content. Results: All AA treatments decreased APC on the steak surfaces (P \u3c 0.01) and in the purge (P \u3c 0.05). The 130°F samples had a lower yield after AA than the 120°F groups (P \u3c 0.05). The cooler aged samples had a lower cook yield than all of the AA samples (P \u3c 0.01), and shoulder clod samples displayed higher cooking yield than the top round (P \u3c 0.01). The WBSF results showed that AA 120°F for 3 h samples and both AA 130°F samples displayed similar tenderness to the samples that were cooler aged for 21 days (P \u3c 0.01). All the AA treatments had higher collagen in the purge than the control or cooler aged samples (P \u3c 0.01). There was heightened cathepsin enzymatic activity during all treatments when compared to the control samples, and the AA at 120°F for 3 h treatment displayed the highest activity compared to other AA treatments (P \u3c 0.01). The Bottom Line: Accelerated aging has shown to be a promising technique to increase value in lower priced beef cuts through increasing enzymatic activity and tenderness without accelerating microorganism growth

Bartter- and Gitelman-like syndromes: salt-losing tubulopathies with loop or DCT defects

Salt-losing tubulopathies with secondary hyperaldosteronism (SLT) comprise a set of well-defined inherited tubular disorders. Two segments along the distal nephron are primarily involved in the pathogenesis of SLTs: the thick ascending limb of Henle’s loop, and the distal convoluted tubule (DCT). The functions of these pre- and postmacula densa segments are quite distinct, and this has a major impact on the clinical presentation of loop and DCT disorders – the Bartter- and Gitelman-like syndromes. Defects in the water-impermeable thick ascending limb, with its greater salt reabsorption capacity, lead to major salt and water losses similar to the effect of loop diuretics. In contrast, defects in the DCT, with its minor capacity of salt reabsorption and its crucial role in fine-tuning of urinary calcium and magnesium excretion, provoke more chronic solute imbalances similar to the effects of chronic treatment with thiazides. The most severe disorder is a combination of a loop and DCT disorder similar to the enhanced diuretic effect of a co-medication of loop diuretics with thiazides. Besides salt and water supplementation, prostaglandin E2-synthase inhibition is the most effective therapeutic option in polyuric loop disorders (e.g., pure furosemide and mixed furosemide–amiloride type), especially in preterm infants with severe volume depletion. In DCT disorders (e.g., pure thiazide and mixed thiazide–furosemide type), renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) blockers might be indicated after salt, potassium, and magnesium supplementation are deemed insufficient. It appears that in most patients with SLT, a combination of solute supplementation with some drug treatment (e.g., indomethacin) is needed for a lifetime

Renoprotective RAAS inhibition does not affect the association between worse renal function and higher plasma aldosterone levels

Abstract Background Aldosterone is elevated in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and may be involved in hypertension. Surprisingly, the determinants of the plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and its role in hypertension are not well studied in CKD. Therefore, we studied the determinants of aldosterone and its association with blood pressure in CKD patients. We also studied this during renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibition (RAASi) to establish clinical relevance, as RAASi is the treatment of choice in CKD with albuminuria. Methods We performed a post-hoc analysis on data from a randomized controlled double blind cross-over trial in non-diabetic CKD patients (n = 33, creatinine clearance (CrCl) 85 (75–95) ml/min, proteinuria 3.2 (2.5–4.0) g/day). Patients were treated with losartan 100 mg (ARB), and ARB + hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg (HCT), during both a regular (200 ± 10 mmol Na+/day) and low (89 ± 8 mmol Na+/day) dietary sodium intake, in 6-week study periods. PAC data at the end of each study period were analyzed. The association between PAC and blood pressure was analyzed continuously, and according to PAC above or below the median. Results Lower CrCl was correlated with higher PAC during placebo as well as during ARB (β = −1.213, P = 0.008 and β = −1.090, P = 0.010). Higher PAC was not explained by high renin, illustrated by a comparable association between CrCl and the aldosterone-to-renin ratio. The association between lower CrCl and higher PAC was also found in a second study with single RAASi with ACE inhibition (ACEi; lisinopril 40 mg/day), and dual RAASi (lisinopril 40 mg/day + valsartan 320 mg/day). Higher PAC was associated with a higher systolic blood pressure (P = 0.010) during different study periods. Only during maximal treatment with ARB + HCT + dietary sodium restriction, blood pressure was no longer different in subjects with a PAC above and below the median. Conclusions In CKD patients with a standardized regular sodium intake, worse renal function is associated with a higher aldosterone, untreated and during RAASi with either ARB, ACEi, or both. Furthermore, higher aldosterone is associated with higher blood pressure, which can be treated with the combination of RAASi, HCT and dietary sodium restriction. The first study was performed before it was standard to register trials and the study was not retrospectively registered. The second study was registered in the Netherlands Trial Register on the 5th of May 2006 (NTR675)

Comparison of outcome and characteristics between 6343 COVID-19 patients and 2256 other community-acquired viral pneumonia patients admitted to Dutch ICUs

Purpose: Describe the differences in characteristics and outcomes between COVID-19 and other viral pneumonia patients admitted to Dutch ICUs. Materials and methods: Data from the National-Intensive-Care-Evaluation-registry of COVID-19 patients admitted between February 15th and January 1th 2021 and other viral pneumonia patients admitted between January 1st 2017 and January 1st 2020 were used. Patients' characteristics, the unadjusted, and adjusted in-hospital mortality were compared. Results: 6343 COVID-19 and 2256 other viral pneumonia patients from 79 ICUs were included. The COVID-19 patients included more male (71.3 vs 49.8%), had a higher Body-Mass-Index (28.1 vs 25.5), less comorbidities (42.2 vs 72.7%), and a prolonged hospital length of stay (19 vs 9 days). The COVID-19 patients had a significantly higher crude in-hospital mortality rate (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.80), after adjustment for patient characteristics and ICU occupancy rate the OR was respectively 3.62 and 3.58. Conclusion: Higher mortality among COVID-19 patients could not be explained by patient characteristics and higher ICU occupancy rates, indicating that COVID-19 is more severe compared to other viral pneumonia. Our findings confirm earlier warnings of a high need of ICU capacity and high mortality rates among relatively healthy COVID-19 patients as this may lead to a higher mental workload for the staff. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

DivFolio: a Shiny application for portfolio divestment in green finance wealth management

This paper introduces DivFolio, a multiperiod portfolio selection and analytic software application that incorporates automated and user-determined divestment practices accommodating Environmental Social Governance (ESG) and portfolio carbon footprint considerations. This freely available portfolio analytics software tool is written in R with a GUI interface developed as an R Shiny application for ease of user experience. Users can utilize this software to dynamically assess the performance of asset selections from global equity, exchange-traded funds, exchange-traded notes, and depositary receipts markets over multiple time periods. This assessment is based on the impact of ESG investment and fossil-fuel divestment practices on portfolio behavior in terms of risk, return, stability, diversification, and climate mitigation credentials of associated investment decisions. We highlight two applications of DivFolio. The first revolves around using sector scanning to divest from a specialized portfolio featuring constituents of the FTSE 100. The second, rooted in actuarial considerations, focuses on divestment strategies informed by environmental risk assessments for mixed pension portfolios in the US and UK