Factors Affecting Oxidative Stability of Pork, Beef, and Chicken Meat

2-Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) values of raw pork, and chicken breast and thigh meats did not change during a 7-d storage period. Low free iron content and high ferric ion reducing capacity (FRC) were responsible for the low TBARS values in those meats during storage. TBARS values of raw beef loin, however, significantly increased during 7-d storage because of high free iron content and high lipoxygenase-like activities by ferrylmyoglobin. The TBARS values of cooked meat increased significantly with storage. Heat-stable FRC was detected in all cooked meat and was responsible for the increase of TBARS in cooked meat during storage. The rate of TBARS increases and the amounts of nonheme iron and heat-stable FRC in cooked beef loin were higher than those in cooked pork loin and chicken breast. In spite of lower amounts of nonheme iron and heat-stable FRC, cooked chicken thigh showed similar levels of TBARS to cooked beef loin after 7-d storage because of its high PUFA content. The total amount of PUFA in meat, most of which were present in triglycerides, influenced the development of lipid peroxidation only in the presence of sufficient amounts of free irons in cooked meat. This indicated that the content of free ionic iron, myoglobin, and ferric ion reducing capacity (FRC) were the primary determinants for the different susceptibility of raw meats to lipid peroxidation. In cooked meat, the contents of free ionic iron and heat-stable FRC played a key role on the development of lipid peroxidation. PUFA was important for lipid oxidation in cooked meat only when sufficient amount of free iron was present

Irradiation of Shell Egg on the Physicochemical and Functional Properties of Liquid Egg White

The effect of irradiation of shell eggs on the physiochemical and functional properties, and color and textural parameters of liquid egg white during storage were determined. Shell eggs were irradiated at 0, 2.5, 5, or 10 kGy using a linear accelerator. Viscosity, pH, turbidity, foaming properties, color, and volatile profile of liquid egg white, and color and texture properties of cooked egg white were determined at 0, 7, and 14 days of storage. Irradiation increased the turbidity but decreased viscosity of liquid egg white. Foaming capacity and foam stability were not affected by irradiation at lower dose (2.5 kGy), but were deteriorated at higher doses (≥ 5.0 kGy) of irradiation. Sulfur-containing volatiles were generated by irradiation and their amounts increased as the irradiation dose increased. However, the sulfur volatiles disappeared during storage under aerobic conditions. Lightness (L* value) and yellowness (b* value) decreased, but greenness (-a * value) increased in cooked egg white in irradiation dose-dependent manners. All textural parameters (hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, chewiness, and resilience) of cooked egg white increased as the irradiation dose increased, but those changes were marginal. Our results indicated that irradiation of shell egg at lower doses (up to 2.5 kGy) had little negative impact on the physiochemical and functional properties of liquid egg white, but can improve the efficiency of egg processing due to its viscosity-lowering effect. Therefore, irradiation of shell eggs at the lower doses has high potential to be used by egg processing industry to improve the safety of liquid egg without compensating its quality

Leukoaraiosis is associated with pneumonia after acute ischemic stroke

Diagnostic criteria for stroke associated pneumonia based on the CDC criteria. (DOCX 25 kb

Packaging Determines Color and Odor of Irradiated Ground Beef

Irradiation of ground beef under aerobic conditions oxidized myoglobin and drastically reduced color a*-values. Under vacuum or non-oxygen conditions, however, irradiation did not influence the redness of ground beef. Also, the red color of ground beef was maintained even after the irradiated beef was exposed to aerobic conditions. Vacuum-packaged irradiated ground beef had lower metmyoglobin content and lower oxidation-reduction potential than the aerobically packaged ones. Irradiating ground beef under vacuum-packaging conditions was also advantageous in preventing lipid oxidation and aldehydes production. Vacuum-packaged irradiated beef, however, produced high levels of sulfur volatiles during irradiation and maintained their levels during storage, which resulted in the production of characteristic irradiation off-odor. Double-packaging (V3/A3: vacuum-packaging during irradiation and the first 3 days of storage and then aerobic-packaging for the remaining 3 days) was an effective alternative in maintaining original beef color (red), and minimizing lipid oxidation and irradiation off-odor. The levels of off-odor volatiles in double-packaged irradiated ground beef were comparable to that of aerobically packaged ones, and the degree of lipid oxidation and color changes were close to those of vacuum-packaged ones. Ascorbic acid at 200 ppm level was not effective in preventing color changes and lipid oxidation in irradiated ground beef under aerobic conditions, but was helpful in minimizing quality changes in doublepackaged irradiated ground beef. This suggested that preventing oxygen contact from meat during irradiation and early storage period (V3/A3 double-packaging) and doublepackaging+ascorbic acid combination are excellent strategies to prevent off-odor production and color changes in irradiated ground beef. Developing methods that can prevent quality changes of irradiated beef is important for the implication of irradiation, which will improve the safety of beef

Clinical significance of D-dimer levels during acute period in ischemic stroke

Background Initial D-dimer level is a well-known prognostic parameter in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, there have been no studies on the clinical significance of follow-up D-dimer levels. In this study, we evaluated the association between initial and follow-up D-dimer levels and early neurological deterioration (END) in patients with AIS. Methods We included consecutive patients with AIS who had a positive initial D-dimer test (> 0.55mg/L) between March 2021 and November 2022. The follow-up D-dimer test was performed on the 7th day after hospitalization and on the day of discharge if discharged earlier. END was defined as an increase of ≥ 2 in the total NIHSS score, or ≥ 1 in the motor NIHSS score within the first 7 days of admission. As medical conditions closely associated with the initial and follow-up D-dimer levels in AIS patients, we also evaluated the history of cancer, active cancer, and venous thromboembolism (VTE) that occurred during hospitalization together. Results A total of 246 patients with AIS were evaluated (median age: 87 years, male: 56.5%). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, the initial D-dimer level was closely associated with END after adjusting for confounders (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.06–2.05). The follow-up D-dimer level also showed a close correlation with END (aOR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.16–2.20). Regarding the analysis of the association between D-dimer levels and underlying cancer or VTE, the initial D-dimer level showed a statistically significant positive relationship only with active cancer (P = 0.024). On the other hand, the follow-up D-dimer level was found to be statistically significantly associated with a history of cancer (P = 0.024), active cancer (P = 0.001), and VTE (P = 0.001). Conclusions Initial and follow-up D-dimer levels were associated with END in AIS patients. Particularly, the follow-up D-dimer level showed a clear correlation not only with END but also with the underlying cancer or the occurrence of VTE during the acute period

Effects of Posture and Acute Sleep Deprivation on Heart Rate Variability

PURPOSE: In our previous study to investigate autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity due to radio frequency (RF) radiation using heart rate variability (HRV), drowsiness was observed in approximately half of all subjects. Therefore, the usage of HRV with unwanted drowsiness could falsely indicate the effects of RF radiation by mobile phones on the ANS. The objective of this study was to determine which posture is appropriate for accurate HRV analysis for provocation study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 52 healthy subjects (25 males and 27 females) participated in this experiment. We measured the number of times a subject showed drowsiness or sleep deprivation due to awakening, and analyzed HRV six times over 30 minutes in sitting and recumbent postures, using power spectrum. RESULTS: We employed the ratio of low frequency power to high frequency power (LFP/HFP) to analyze the changes in the ANS. The number of sleep deprivation occurrences in the sitting posture was significantly less than that in the recumbent posture (p<0.01), resulting in smaller increase of LFP/HFP. Although LFP/HFP of the two postures varied with time without any provocation, it was more stable in sitting than in recumbent postures. CONCLUSION: A sitting posture is preferable to a recumbent posture for analyzing HRV, because of decreased drowsiness and sleep deprivation, thereby decreasing variation of LFP/HFP during experiment. Considering the drowsiness, it is also recommended that any experiment should be completed within 15 minutes, if possible.ope

Genome-Based Construction of the Metabolic Pathways of Orientia tsutsugamushi and Comparative Analysis within the Rickettsiales Order

Orientia tsutsugamushi, the causative agent of scrub typhus, is an obligate intracellular bacterium that belongs to the order of Rickettsiales. Recently, we have reported that O. tsutsugamushi has a unique genomic structure, consisting of highly repetitive sequences, and suggested that it may provide valuable insight into the evolution of intracellular bacteria. Here, we have used genomic information to construct the major metabolic pathways of O. tsutsugamushi and performed a comparative analysis of the metabolic genes and pathways of O. tsutsugamushi with other members of the Rickettsiales order. While O. tsutsugamushi has the largest genome among the members of this order, mainly due to the presence of repeated sequences, its metabolic pathways have been highly streamlined. Overall, the metabolic pathways of O. tsutsugamushi were similar to Rickettsia but there were notable differences in several pathways including carbohydrate metabolism, the TCA cycle, and the synthesis of cell wall components as well as in the transport systems. Our results will provide a useful guide to the postgenomic analysis of O. tsutsugamushi and lead to a better understanding of the virulence and physiology of this intracellular pathogen

Investigation on the calibration for the membrane type heat flux sensor using micro heater

This paper presents the calibration accuracy of the membrane type heat flux sensor using micro heater. The directional heat flow rate into the thermal sensor is simulated with FEM to estimate the heat flux from micro heater for calibration. Thin film thermopile which is fabricated on the dielectric membrane directly converts the temperature difference between hot and cold junctions of thermopile into heat flux signal created by the thermoelectric effect. However, symmetric design of thermopile is restricted to only measure x-directional heat flow rate, when heat also propagates through y direction via heat conduction and z direction with convection. Therefore, it is highly needed to investigate how amount of heat from the micro heater contributes to the calibration of heat flux sensor. In the case of the calibration using micro heater, heat conduction through the membrane dominates heat flow. Thus, 97% of heat flow from micro heater propagates through the thermopile and generates 1.038 V/W of sensitivity that was estimated by the simulated model as 1.066 V/W. On the other hand, in case of water filled micro channel, 87% of heat flow reaches to thermopile and estimated 0.392 V/W of sensitivity. This heat loss leads to the inaccurate calibration as well as the lowered sensitivity.Papers presented to the 12th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Costa de Sol, Spain on 11-13 July 2016

Production of Radiation-Induced Compounds in Irradiated Raw and Cooked Meats

The objective of this study was to determine the best irradiation markers in irradiated meat. Raw and cooked beef loins, pork loins and chicken thighs were irradiated at 0 or 5 kGy. The amounts of hydrocarbons, 2-alkylcyclobutanones, and sulfur volatiles were determined after 0 and 6 months of frozen storage. Two hydrocarbons (8-heptadecene (C17:1) and 6,9-heptadecadiene (C17:2)) and two 2- alkylcyclobutanones (2-dodecylcyclobutanone (DCB) and 2-tetradecylcyclobutanone (TCB)) were detected only in irradiated raw and cooked meats. Although pre-cooked irradiated meats produced more hydrocarbons and 2- alkylcyclobutanones than the irradiated cooked ones, the amounts of individual hydrocarbons and 2- alkylcyclobutanones, such as 8-heptadecene, 6,9- heptadecadiene, DCB, and TCB, were sufficient enough to identify whether the meat was irradiated or not. Dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide were detected only in irradiated meats, but dimethyl trisulfide disappeared after 6 months of frozen storage under oxygen permeable packaging conditions. This indicated that only dimethyl disulfide could be used as an irradiation marker for the meat stored in frozen conditions for a long time