Free calcium concentration, calpain-2 activity, and final product tenderness of electrically stimulated beef

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of timing of electrical stimulation on free calcium concentration, calpain-2 activity, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), and consumer sensory analysis. Twenty-three beef steers were harvested and stimulated (S) using extra-low voltage or not stimulated (NS), at exsanguination and/or 1 h postmortem, resulting in 4 different stimulation treatments: NS-NS, NS-S, S-NS, or S-S. Samples were removed from the longissimus lumborum (LL) and semimembranosus (SM) for free calcium and calpain-2 analysis on days 1, 4, and 14 postmortem. WBSF and sensory analysis steaks were removed on day 4 and frozen (4 d) or aged to 14 d postmortem. Data were analyzed using the mixed model or generalized linear mixed model procedure of SAS (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC), with significance determined at P < 0.05. There was a tendency for an aging-period-by-stimulation-treatment interaction for LL free calcium concentration (P = 0.05), and there was a significant difference between aging periods (P < 0.01). No difference was observed in free calcium concentration in the SM between stimulation treatments (P = 0.44); aging, however, significantly increased SM free calcium concentration (P < 0.01). Stimulation did not impact native calpain-2 activity in the LL (P = 0.71) or SM (P = 0.89). Stimulation treatment did not improve tenderness values for WBSF analysis for the LL (P = 0.69) or SM (P = 0.61) or consumer sensory analysis in the LL (P = 0.56) or SM (P = 0.36). A longer aging period tended to increase calpain-2 activity in the SM (P = 0.08), improve WBSF in the LL (P = 0.09), and significantly improve consumer tenderness scores in the SM (P < 0.01). In conclusion, the timing of electrical stimulation utilized in the current study tended to influence free calcium concentration in the LL but did not influence calpain-2 activity or beef tenderness. Aging, however, improved tenderness.This work is/was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch Project W4177 Enhancing the Competitiveness and Value of U.S. Beef. Support was also received from the Idaho Experiment Station

Campus closures and students’ mental health in Lebanon and Sharjah: A comparative cross-sectional study

Background: Since October 2019, Lebanon has been immersed in political paralysis and economic crisis. Rising inflation and financial distress have added to the stressors on university students. Sharjah is a wealthy and politically stable state in the United Arab Emirates. Investigators have researched the impact of COVID-19 on university students but have yet to compare campus closure effects on students in crisis-torn and high-income countries. Accordingly, the study aimed to compare students’ perceptions of online learning, prevalence rates for anxiety, depression, and burnout, and life satisfaction, resilience, and engagement scores following campus closures in Lebanon and Sharjah. Methods: The electronic anonymous survey was conducted from November 2021 to July 2022. The 370 participants were 232 undergraduates, 37 nursing students in Lebanon, and 101 nursing students in Sharjah. The students in Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, the Mann-Whitney U, and Hotelling T-tests were used. Parametric test results were interpreted for non-equal sample sizes. Results: All the non-nursing students in Lebanon and 87.1 % of the nursing students in Sharjah screened positive for anxiety. Students in Sharjah had a higher prevalence of depression than undergraduates and nursing students in Lebanon (92.7 % versus 90.5 % and 87.4 %). Undergraduates had a higher prevalence of high burnout than nursing students in Lebanon and Sharjah (83.2 % versus 54.1 % and 53.5 %). The effect sizes for differences between students’ mean scores in Lebanon and Sharjah were life satisfaction η2 = 0.13, anxiety = η2 = 0.09, and high burnout 2 = 0.06. There were no statistically significant location effects for depression, engagement, or resilience. Students in Lebanon were more concerned about online learning than students in Sharjah (p = 0<.001). Final-year students in Lebanon were more concerned about their post-graduation prospects than others (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence rates for anxiety, depression, and high burnout in Lebanon and Sharjah indicate the need for whole-of-institution strategies to build healthy campus cultures. Students who screen positive for anxiety, depression, or high burnout require professional mental health assessment and access to evidence-based interventions. Online resources are available to supplement institutional resources, promote best practices, and encourage continuous innovation

[In Press] The protective role of resilience in the reporting of post-concussive symptoms within a non-clinical sample

Objective: Despite being common following a brain injury, post-concussive symptoms (PCS) are highly prevalent in healthy and non-concussed individuals. Psychosocial factors likely subserve the maintenance of symptoms, and numerous studies have identified prominent risk factors associated with post-concussive symptom reporting (e.g. history of depression). However, few studies have investigated protective factors in this context. The aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between resilience and PCS, and to identify the factors subserving resilience within this relationship. Method: Healthy and non-concussed participants (n = 283, Mage = 22.70 years) completed questionnaires examining PCS (Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptom Questionnaire) and resilience (Resilience Scale for Adults), together with a screener of background demographic/clinical factors. Results: Resilience negatively predicted PCS above and beyond the effect of demographic and clinical factors previously implicated in the reporting of PCS. Interestingly, heightened “perception of self” was the resilience factor uniquely associated with PCS symptoms. The final model accounted for 33% of the variance in PCS. Overall, female gender, a history of headaches, and diagnoses of ADHD and depression, and reduced “perception of self” were all predictive of greater PCS (ps < .05). Conclusion: Resilience, particularly perception of self, is a positive protective factor in the reporting of PCS. These findings highlight the importance of early identification of less resilient individuals following trauma—such as an mTBI and provide a potential rationale for the incorporation of resilience-based rehabilitation programs into the recovery process, particularly those that promote greater self-efficacy and self-competency

Parent, Child and Physiotherapist Perceptions of Effectiveness of Parent Performed Manually Assisted Cough on Children With Neuromuscular Disease

Published research exploring confidence and perceptions of effectiveness in performing a manually assisted cough on children with neuromuscular disease is not available. This descriptive study aimed to describe confidence and perceived effectiveness of parents, children, and therapists in parent performed manually assisted cough. A total of 28 children with neuromuscular disease, one of their parents, and physiotherapist participated. Overall, 40% of parents, 52% of children, and 46% of therapists were very confident in parents’ ability to perform effective manually assisted coughs. Parents, children, and therapists largely perceived the parental manually assisted coughs as somewhat effective (68%, 60%, and 57%, respectively). Approximately, half of parents (48%), children (52%), and therapists (50%) felt very confident in parents’ ability to retain the technique between clinic visits. Interestingly, percentage agreement statistics indicate that a reasonable proportion (30%) of pairs of respondents did not agree in their ratings. Overall, high percentages of favourable ratings were noted for all questions

Evaluating the Alimentary and Respiratory Tracts in Health and disease (EARTH) research programme: a protocol for prospective, longitudinal, controlled, observational studies in children with chronic disease at an Australian tertiary paediatric hospital

IntroductionChronic gastrointestinal and respiratory conditions of childhood can have long-lasting physical, psychosocial and economic effects on children and their families. Alterations in diet and intestinal and respiratory microbiomes may have important implications for physical and psychosocial health. Diet influences the intestinal microbiome and should be considered when exploring disease-specific alterations. The concepts of gut-brain and gut-lung axes provide novel perspectives for examining chronic childhood disease(s). We established the ‘Evaluating theAlimentary andRespiratoryTracts inHealth and disease’ (EARTH) research programme to provide a structured, holistic evaluation of children with chronic gastrointestinal and/or respiratory conditions.Methods and analysisThe EARTH programme provides a framework for a series of prospective, longitudinal, controlled, observational studies (comprised of individual substudies), conducted at an Australian tertiary paediatric hospital (the methodology is applicable to other settings). Children with a chronic gastrointestinal and/or respiratory condition will be compared with age and gender matched healthy controls (HC) across a 12-month period. The following will be collected at baseline, 6 and 12 months: (i) stool, (ii) oropharyngeal swab/sputum, (iii) semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, (iv) details of disease symptomatology, (v) health-related quality of life and (vi) psychosocial factors. Data on the intestinal and respiratory microbiomes and diet will be compared between children with a condition and HC. Correlations between dietary intake (energy, macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients), intestinal and respiratory microbiomes within each group will be explored. Data on disease symptomatology, quality of life and psychosocial factors will be compared between condition and HC cohorts.Results will be hypothesis-generating and direct future focussed studies. There is future potential for direct translation into clinical care, as diet is a highly modifiable factor.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval: Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/18/SCHN/26). Results will be presented at international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberNCT04071314</jats:sec

Relationship between heifer carcass maturity and beef quality characteristics

Abstract Our objective was to determine the relationship between heifer carcass maturity and beef palatability of the longissimus lumborum (LM) and biceps femoris (BF). Left sides of A (n = 30), B (n = 30), and C (n = 30) maturity heifer carcasses under 30 mo of age by dentition were used. Carcasses were selected to ensure similar marbling scores across maturity groups (Small to Modest). Beef strip loins (LM) and outside rounds (BF) were obtained from these carcasses. Steaks were used to measure color stability, lipid oxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances; TBARS), Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), soluble and insoluble collagen, and consumer sensory perceptions. Heifer carcass maturity did not affect pH, fluid loss, WBSF, or collagen content of LM or BF steaks (P &amp;gt; 0.29). In LM and BF steaks, a maturity × day of retail display interaction occurred for TBARS, in which B maturity steaks had lower levels of lipid oxidation compared with A and C maturity steaks from the fourth day to the end of the retail display (P &amp;lt; 0.01). Nevertheless, LM steaks from B maturity carcasses tended to have lower overall acceptability (P = 0.08) and juiciness (P = 0.09) than steaks from C maturity carcasses, but steaks from B and C maturity carcasses did not differ from LM steaks obtained from A maturity carcasses. No differences in tenderness or flavor were observed due to maturity (P &amp;gt; 0.24). Similarly, maturity had no effect on sensory characteristics of BF steaks (P &amp;gt; 0.30). In conclusion, our results indicate that advanced physiological maturity does not decrease palatability of strip loin or outside round steaks from carcasses of heifers under 30 mo of age.</jats:p