Effects of packaging on bone marrow discoloration in beef arm, rib, shoulder blade, and thoracic vertebra bones

Meat retailers have reported bone marrow discoloration to be a problem, especially in modified-atmosphere packages (MAP). To evaluate causes of bone marrow discoloration in different beef bones and packaging systems, 36 beef arm bones, ribs, shoulder blades, and thoracic vertebrae from USDA Select and Choice carcasses were obtained from a commercial abattoir, cut into 1-inch-thick sections at 4 days postmortem, and packaged into 1) polyvinyl chloride film (PVC) overwrap; 2) high-oxygen (80% O2, 20% CO2) MAP; or 3) ultra-low-oxygen (70% N2, 30% CO2) MAP. Packages were displayed under continuous fluorescent lighting for 4 days at 35.6°F. Ribs, shoulder blades, and thoracic vertebrae packaged in PVC and high-oxygen MAP developed undesirable gray or black discoloration during display. In ultra-low-oxygen MAP, mean visual-color scores were acceptable throughout display. The a* values (larger values equate to redder color) for ribs, shoulder blades, and thoracic vertebrae decreased (P<0.05) over time. Arm-bone marrow had less oxidation and dramatically less total iron and hemoglobin than did marrow from ribs and thoracic vertebrae. The much larger amounts of iron and hemoglobin in ribs and thoracic vertebrae likely correspond to marrow discoloration. In summary, bone marrow discoloration occurs in ribs, shoulder blades, and thoracic vertebrae packaged in PVC or high-oxygen MAP. Bones packaged in ultralow- oxygen MAP or arm bones packaged in PVC or high-oxygen MAP had minimal oxidation and discoloration

Co-occurrence of the bla(VIM-1) and bla(SHV-12) genes on an IncHI2 plasmid of an Escherichia coli isolate recovered from German livestock

The dissemination of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) is an important public health issue. The number of human CPE isolates has been steadily increasing during recent years, worldwide. Despite the fact that carbapenems are not licensed for use in veterinary medicine, increasing numbers of CPE from the veterinary sector have been reported. The transmission of CPE between pets/livestock and exposed humans as well as via food has been demonstrated. In this study, a detailed characterization of a carbapenem-resistant porcine Escherichia coli co-harbouring blaVIM-1, blaSHV-12 and blaACC-1 genes, along with other resistance genes, is provided

Technological Pathways to Produce Compressed and Highly Pure Hydrogen from Solar Power

Hydrogen H2 produced from renewables will have a growing impact on the global energy dynamics towards sustainable and carbon neutral standards. The share of green H2 is still too low to meet the net zero target, while the demand for high quality hydrogen continues to rise. These factors amplify the need for economically viable H2 generation technologies. The present article aims at evaluating the existing technologies for high quality H2 production based on solar energy. Technologies such as water electrolysis, photoelectrochemical and solar thermochemical water splitting, liquid metal reactors and plasma conversion utilize solar power directly or indirectly as carbon neutral electrons and are reviewed from the perspective of their current development level, technical limitations and future potentia

Simplified automatic method for measuring the visual field using the perimeter ZERK 1

Background: Currently available perimeters have limited capabilities of performing measurements of the visual field in children. In addition, they do not allow for fully automatic measurement even in adults. The patient in each case (in any type of perimeter) has at his disposal a button which he uses to indicate that he has seen a light stimulus. Such restrictions have been offset in the presented new perimeter ZERK 1. Methods: The paper describes a new type of automated, computerized perimeter designed to test the visual field in children and adults. The new perimeter and proprietary software enable to carry out tests automatically (without the need to press any button). The presented full version of the perimeter has been tested on a head phantom. The next steps will involve clinical trials and a comparison with measurements obtained using other types of perimeters. Results: The perimeter ZERK 1 enables automatic measurement of the visual field in two axes (with a span of 870 mm and a depth of 525 mm) with an accuracy of not less than 1o (95 LEDs on each arm) at a typical position of the patient's head. The measurement can be carried out in two modes: default/typical (lasting about 1 min), and accurate (lasting about 10 min). Compared with available and known types of perimeters, it has an open canopy, proprietary software and cameras tracking the eye movement, automatic control of fixation points, light stimuli with automatically preset light stimulus intensity in the following ranges: 550-700 mcd (red 620-630 nm), 1100-1400 mcd (green 515-530 nm), 200-400 mcd (blue 465-475 nm). Conclusions: The paper presents a new approach to the construction of perimeters based on automatic tracking of the eye movements in response to stimuli. The unique construction of the perimeter and the software allow for its mobile use in the examination of children and bedridden patients

Effects of antioxidants on bone marrow discoloration in beef lumbar vertebrae in different packaging systems

To evaluate how antioxidants might prevent bone marrow discoloration, beef lumbar vertebrae held at 35.6°F for 6 or 14 days postmortem before packaging were cut into 1- inch-thick sections and packaged into 1) PVC overwrap; 2) high-oxygen (80% O2, 20% CO2) modified atmosphere packages (MAP); or 3) ultra-low-oxygen (70% N2, 30% CO2) MAP. Before packaging, bones were treated with: no treatment application (control); 1.25% or 2.5% ascorbic acid; 0.1% or 0.2% rosemary; or a combination treatment of 0.15% Origanox™ + 0.3% ascorbic acid. Packages were displayed under continuous fluorescent lighting for 4 days at 35.6°F. Untreated lumbar vertebrae and those treated with 0.1 or 0.2% rosemary discolored to gray or grayish-black, as measured by visual color scores and instrumental a* values, in PVC and high-oxygen MAP. The 1.25% ascorbic acid and 0.15% Origanox™ + 0.3% ascorbic acid were able to maintain desirable color scores through day 2 of display in PVC and high-oxygen MAP, but not after 4 days. The 2.5% ascorbic acid treatment was most effective in preventing discoloration and maintaining initial color in both PVC and high-oxygen MAP. In ultra-low-oxygen MAP, the 1.25% ascorbic acid treatment was as effective as the 2.5% ascorbic acid treatment in preventing bone marrow discoloration. In general, discoloration tended to be greater in bones held 14 days postmortem before packaging than in those held 6 days. Ascorbic acid treatments, particularly the 2.5% application, were effective in preventing bone marrow discoloration

Genomic and functional analysis of emerging virulent and multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli lineage sequence type 648

The pathogenic extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli lineage ST648 is increasingly reported from multiple origins. Our study of a large and global ST648 collection from various hosts (87 whole-genome sequences) combining core and accessory genomics with functional analyses and in vivo experiments suggests that ST648 is a nascent and generalist lineage, lacking clear phylogeographic and host association signals. By including large numbers of ST131 (n = 107) and ST10 (n = 96) strains for comparative genomics and phenotypic analysis, we demonstrate that the combination of multidrug resistance and high-level virulence are the hallmarks of ST648, similar to international high-risk clonal lineage ST131. Specifically, our in silico, in vitro, and in vivo results demonstrate that ST648 is well equipped with biofilm-associated features, while ST131 shows sophisticated signatures indicative of adaption to urinary tract infection, potentially conveying individual ecological niche adaptation. In addition, we used a recently developed NFDS (negative frequency-dependent selection) population model suggesting that ST648 will increase significantly in frequency as a cause of bacteremia within the next few years. Also, ESBL plasmids impacting biofilm formation aided in shaping and maintaining ST648 strains to successfully emerge worldwide across different ecologies. Our study contributes to understanding what factors drive the evolution and spread of emerging international high-risk clonal lineages.Katharina Schaufler, Torsten Semmler, Lothar H. Wieler, Darren J. Trott, Johann Pitout, Gisele Peirano, Jonas Bonnedahl, Monika Dolejska, Ivan Literak, Stephan Fuchs, Niyaz Ahmed, Mirjam Grobbel, Carmen Torres, Alan McNally, Derek Pickard, Christa Ewers, Nicholas J. Croucher, Jukka Corander, Sebastian Guenthe

Polar bear encephalitis: establishment of a comprehensive next-generation pathogen analysis pipeline for captive and free-living wildlife

This report describes three possibly related incidences of encephalitis, two of them lethal, in captive polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Standard diagnostic methods failed to identify pathogens in any of these cases. A comprehensive, three-stage diagnostic 'pipeline' employing both standard serological methods and new DNA microarray and next generation sequencing-based diagnostics was developed, in part as a consequence of this initial failure. This pipeline approach illustrates the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of these tools in determining pathogen caused deaths in non-model organisms such as wildlife species and why the use of a limited number of diagnostic tools may fail to uncover important wildlife pathogens

Management of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

Funding Information: JH and CL are supported by the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF). TS is supported by The Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation and the Swedish Research Council. KD is supported by the South African Medical Research Council and the European Union (EDCTP) Publisher Copyright: © 2019 The Union.The emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB; defined as resistance to at least rifampicin and isoniazid) represents a growing threat to public health and economic growth. Never before in the history of mankind have more patients been affected by MDRTB than is the case today. The World Health Organization reports that MDR-TB outcomes are poor despite staggeringly high management costs. Moreover, treatment is prolonged, adverse events are common, and the majority of affected patients do not receive adequate treatment. As MDR-TB strains are often resistant to one or more second-line anti-TB drugs, in-depth genotypic and phenotypic drug susceptibility testing is needed to construct personalised treatment regimens to improve treatment outcomes. For the first time in decades, the availability of novel drugs such as bedaquiline allow us to design potent and well-tolerated personalised MDR-TB treatment regimens based solely on oral drugs. In this article, we present management guidance to optimise the diagnosis, algorithm-based treatment, drug dosing and therapeutic drug monitoring, and the management of adverse events and comorbidities, associated with MDRTB. We also discuss the role of surgery, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, palliative care and smoking cessation in patients with MDR-TB. We hope that incorporating these recommendations into patient care will be helpful in optimising treatment outcomes, and lead to more MDRTB patients achieving a relapse-free cure.publishersversionPeer reviewe