Further Characterization of the Mitigation of Radiation Lethality by Protective Wounding

There continues to be a major effort in the United States to develop mitigators for the treatment of mass casualties that received high-intensity acute ionizing radiation exposures from the detonation of an improvised nuclear device during a radiological terrorist attack. The ideal countermeasure should be effective when administered after exposure, and over a wide range of absorbed doses. We have previously shown that the administration of a subcutaneous incision of a defined length, if administered within minutes after irradiation, protected young adult female C57BL/6 mice against radiation-induced lethality, and increased survival after total-body exposure to an LD50/30 X-ray dose from 50% to over 90%. We refer to this approach as "protective wounding". In this article, we report on our efforts to further optimize, characterize and demonstrate the validity of the protective wounding response by comparing the response of female and male mice, varying the radiation dose, the size of the wound, and the timing of wounding with respect to administration of the radiation dose. Both male and female mice that received a subcutaneous incision after irradiation were significantly protected from radiation lethality. We observed that the extent of protection against lethality after an LD50/30 X-ray dose was independent of the size of the subcutaneous cut, and that a 3 mm subcutaneous incision is effective at enhancing the survival of mice exposed to a broad range of radiation doses (LD15-LD100). Over the range of 6.2-6.7 Gy, the increase in survival observed in mice that received an incision was associated with an enhanced recovery of hematopoiesis. The enhanced rate of recovery of hematopoiesis was preceded by an increase in the production of a select group of cytokines. Thus, a thorough knowledge of the timing of the cytokine cascade after wounding could aid in the development of novel pharmacological radiation countermeasures that can be administered several days after the actual radiation exposure

Effects of Geometric Shape and Serving Temperature on Quality Characteristics of Irradiated Bologna and Frankfurters

The effects of irradiation (1.1 kGy, and 2.2 kGy) on bologna and frankfurters were measured to determine if variations in geometric size create differences in quality of irradiated ready-to-eat meats. Irradiation up to 2.2 kGy had no effect on color, TBARS values, pH, or texture of vacuum packaged bologna and frankfurters. Irradiation significantly (P \u3c 0.05) lowered aroma and flavor scores while increasing off-aroma and off-flavor scores in product served cold, but was not significant when the product was served hot. Geometric size did not create differences in quality of irradiated bologna and frankfurters but serving temperature did. New information on the effects of processing variables and product differences would provide opportunities to improve control of potential quality changes from irradiation of Ready-to-Eat (RTE) meat products

Improving the Control of Listeria monocytogenes on No-Nitrateor-Nitrite-Added (Natural or Organic) Frankfurters with Clean Label Antimicrobials

Consumers are critical of the ingredients used in the production of processed meat products. With the increased growth in natural and organic processed meats, suppliers have begun to offer clean label solutions to improve the safety of minimally processed foods. This study investigated the growth of Listeria monocytogenes on uncured, no-nitrate-or-nitrite-added frankfurters with or without clean-label antimicrobials, during a 120 day storage period. No-nitrate-or-nitrite-added brands with no antilisterial control measures exhibited a decreased lag time and shorter generation time for initiation of growth, resulting in a greater population of L. monocytogenes when compared to the sodium nitrite, sodium lactate/diacetate controls or alternatively cured products with clean label antimicrobials. Results indicate that clean label antimicrobials may serve as an effective intervention strategy for L. monocytogenes in the production of uncured, no-nitrate-or-nitrite-added (natural or organic) RTE meat products

Pediocin for Control of Listeria monocytogenes on Frankfurters

Application of pediocin, as ALTA™ 2341, on the surface of frankfurters before packaging reduced the population of contaminating Listeria monocytogenes and delayed growth of the remaining cells. Therefore, pediocin provides an effective intervention treatment for control of L. monocytogenes on frankfurters and contributes to improved safety of these products for consumers