Application of AutoFom III equipment for prediction of primal and commercial cut weight of Korean pig carcasses

Objective This study was conducted to enable on-line prediction of primal and commercial cut weights in Korean slaughter pigs by AutoFom III, which non-invasively scans pig carcasses early after slaughter using ultrasonic sensors. Methods A total of 162 Landrace, Yorkshire, and Duroc (LYD) pigs and 154 LYD pigs representing the yearly Korean slaughter distribution were included in the calibration and validation dataset, respectively. Partial least squares (PLS) models were developed for prediction of the weight of deboned shoulder blade, shoulder picnic, belly, loin, and ham. In addition, AutoFom III’s ability to predict the weight of the commercial cuts of spare rib, jowl, false lean, back rib, diaphragm, and tenderloin was investigated. Each cut was manually prepared by local butchers and then recorded. Results The cross-validated prediction accuracy (R2cv) of the calibration models for deboned shoulder blade, shoulder picnic, loin, belly, and ham ranged from 0.77 to 0.86. The R2cv for tenderloin, spare rib, diaphragm, false lean, jowl, and back rib ranged from 0.34 to 0.62. Because the R2cv of the latter commercial cuts were less than 0.65, AutoFom III was less accurate for the prediction of those cuts. The root mean squares error of cross validation calibration (RMSECV) model was comparable to the root mean squares error of prediction (RMSEP), although the RMSECV was numerically higher than RMSEP for the deboned shoulder blade and belly. Conclusion AutoFom III predicts the weight of deboned shoulder blade, shoulder picnic, loin, belly, and ham with high accuracy, and is a suitable process analytical tool for sorting pork primals in Korea. However, AutoFom III’s prediction of smaller commercial Korean cuts is less accurate, which may be attributed to the lack of anatomical reference points and the lack of a good correlation between the scanned area of the carcass and those traits

Defining the Optimal Time of Adaptive Replanning in Prostate Cancer Patients with Weight Change during Volumetric Arc Radiotherapy: A Dosimetric and Mathematical Analysis Using the Gamma Index

We evaluated the changes in the dose distribution of radiation during volumetric arc radiotherapy (VMAT), to determine the right time for adaptive replanning in prostate cancer patients with progressive weight (WT) changes. Five prostate cancer patients treated with VMAT were selected for dosimetric analysis. On the original computed tomography images, nine artificial body contours were created to reflect progressive WT changes. Combined with three different photon energies (6, 10, and 15-MV), 27 comparable virtual VMAT plans were created per patient. The dosimetric analysis included evaluation of target coverage (D95%,Dmax), conformity index, homogeneity index, and organs at risk doses. The dose differences among the plans were determined using the gamma index analysis and were compared with the dosimetric analysis. Mean D95% became lower than 98% when body contour expanded by 2.0 cm or more and Dmax became higher than 107% when body contour contracted by 1.5 cm or more in 10-MV plans. This cut-off values correlated well with gamma index analysis results. Adaptive replanning should, therefore, be considered if the depth of body contour becomes 1.5 cm smaller (WT loss) or 2.0 cm larger (WT gain) in patients treated by VMAT with 10-MV photons

Genome-wide comparative analysis of the Brassica rapa gene space reveals genome shrinkage and differential loss of duplicated genes after whole genome triplication

Euchromatic regions of the Brassica rapa genome were sequenced and mapped onto the corresponding regions in the Arabidopsis thaliana genome

The Antibacterial Assay of Tectorigenin with Detergents or ATPase Inhibitors against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Tectorigenin (TTR) is an O-methylated isoflavone derived from the rhizome of Belamacanda chinensis (L.) DC. It is known to perform a wide spectrum of biological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor. The aim of this study is to examine the mechanism of antibacterial activity of TTR against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The anti-MRSA activity of TTR was analyzed in combination assays with detergent, ATPase inhibitors, and peptidoglycan (PGN) derived from S. aureus. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to monitor survival characteristics and changes in S. aureus morphology. The MIC values of TTR against all the tested strains were 125 μg/mL. The OD(600) of each suspension treated with a combination of Triton X-100, DCCD, and NaN3 with TTR (1/10 × MIC) had been reduced from 68% to 80%, compared to the TTR alone. At a concentration of 125 μg/mL, PGN blocked antibacterial activity of TTR. This study indicates that anti-MRSA action of TTR is closely related to cytoplasmic membrane permeability and ABC transporter, and PGN at 125 μg/mL directly bind to and inhibit TTR at 62.5 μg/mL. These results can be important indication in study on antimicrobial activity mechanism against multidrug resistant strains

Relationship Between the Extent of Chromosomal Losses and the Pattern of CpG Methylation in Gastric Carcinomas

The extent of unilateral chromosomal losses and the presence of microsatellite instability (MSI) have been classified into high-risk (high- and baseline-level loss) and low-risk (low-level loss and MSI) stem-line genotypes in gastric carcinomas. A unilateral genome-dosage reduction might stimulate compensation mechanism, which maintains the genomic dosage via CpG hypomethylation. A total of 120 tumor sites from 40 gastric carcinomas were examined by chromosomal loss analysis using 40 microsatellite markers on 8 chromosomes and methylation analysis in the 13 CpG (island/non-island) regions near the 10 genes using the bisulfite-modified DNAs. The high-level-loss tumor (four or more losses) showed a tendency toward unmethylation in the Maspin, CAGE, MAGE-A2 and RABGEF1 genes, and the other microsatellite-genotype (three or fewer losses and MSI) toward methylation in the p16, hMLH1, RASSF1A, and Cyclin D2 genes (p<0.05). The non-island CpGs of the p16 and hMLH1 genes were hypomethylated in the high-level-loss and hypermethylated in the non-high-level-loss sites (p<0.05). Consequently, hypomethylation changes were related to a high-level loss, whereas the hypermethylation changes were accompanied by a baseline-level loss, a low-level loss, or a MSI. This indicates that hypomethylation compensates the chromosomal losses in the process of tumor progression

Impact of Metabolic Syndrome and Its Individual Components on the Presence and Severity of Angiographic Coronary Artery Disease

∙The authors have no financial conflicts of interest. Purpose: Metabolic syndrome (MS) has been reported as a potential risk factor of coronary artery disease (CAD). The aims of this study were to assess whether there was a relationship between MS score and CAD angiographic severity, and to assess the predictive value of individual components of MS for CAD. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 632 patients who underwent coronary angiography for suspected CAD (394 men, 61.0 ± 10.6 years of age). MS was defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program criteria with the waist criterion modified into a body mass index (BMI) of more than 25 kg/m 2. The MS score defined as the number of MS components. CAD was defined as&gt; 50% luminal diameter stenosis of at least one major epicardial coronary artery. CAD angiographic severity was evaluated with a Gensini scoring system. Results: Of the patients, 497 (78.6%) had CAD and 283 (44.8%) were diagnosed with MS. The MS score was significantly related to the Gensini score. High fasting blood glucos

Cytokine Profiles of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy with Regards to Radiation Pneumonitis Severity

The immunologic aspects of radiation pneumonitis (RP) are unclear. We analyzed variations in cytokine profiles between patients with grade (Gr) 0–1 and Gr ≥ 2 RP. Fifteen patients undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer were included. Blood samples of 9 patients with Gr 0–1 and 6 with Gr ≥ 2 RP were obtained from the Biobank. Cytokine levels were evaluated using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay at before radiotherapy (RT) initiation, 1, 3, and 6 weeks post-RT initiation, and 1 month post-RT completion. Concentrations of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17, interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β were analyzed; none were related to the occurrence of Gr ≥ 2 RP at pre-RT initiation. At 3 weeks, relative changes in the G-CSF, IL-6, and IFN-γ levels differed significantly between the groups (p = 0.026, 0.05 and 0.026, respectively). One month post-RT completion, relative changes of IL-17 showed significant differences (p = 0.045); however, relative changes in TNF-α, IL-10, IL-13, and TGF-β, did not differ significantly. Evaluation of changes in IL-6, G-CSF, and IFN-γ at 3 weeks after RT initiation can identify patients pre-disposed to severe RP. The mechanism of variation in cytokine levels in relation to RP severity warrants further investigation