Effect of Islamic ritual slaughter on beef quality.

The aim of this study was to evaluate several quality characteristics of meat obtained from 20 Limousine calves slaughtered either according to conventional methods (n=10) or by the Islamic ritual slaughtering procedure (n=10). After 7 days of ageing under vacuum, pH, drip loss, colour and oxymyoglobin percentage were measured on longissimus dorsi muscle after 2h, 2 and 6 days of storage to study their evolution. With conventional slaughter pH remained stable until the 6th day of storage, while with ritual slaughter it increased from the 2nd to 6th day of storage. Drip loss increased considerably from the 2nd to 6th day of storage in conventional slaughter, while in ritual slaughter the drip loss increase was lower. Meat colour was not influenced by the slaughtering system but only by the different lengths of storage

Oxidation and antioxidant status: effects on shelf-life of meat from Limousine cattle fed with supplements of α-tocopherol

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant status of meat from cattle fed diets supplemented with vitamin E (α-tocopherol acetate) during the finishing period and to evaluate the effect of this treatment on meat shelf-life. Twenty purebred Limousine calves reared in the same farm, were randomly selected, divided into control group (n=10) and treated group (n=10) and fed a total mixed ration: treated group received a supplementation of vitamin E (900 mg/kg of CMF) for a period of 150 days before slaughter. Meat quality was evaluated by the following analyses: pH, water holding capacity (drip loss), colour (L*, a*, b*, C*, H*), chemical forms of myoglobin, substances reactive to thiobarbituric acid (MDA) and enzymatic antioxidant activity (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutation peroxidase). Dietary vitamin E supplementation had a positive effect on water holding capacity; in the control group a considerable increase in drip loss from the 2nd to 6th day of conservation was observed (2.83% vs 7.54%), while in the treated group during the same time period this increase appeared to be much more gradual and occurred to a lesser degree (2.31% vs 4.15%). Moreover, administration of vitamin E led to greater stability of colorimetric coordinates and reduced discoloration of the longissimus dorsi muscle during conservation as indicated by the redness a* (control: 23.85 and 23.87 vs 19.34 at 2h, 2 and 6 days, respectively; treated: 24.88, 23.91 and 24.01 at 2h, 2 days and 6 days, respectively) and in the Chroma* (control: 26.89 and 26.77 vs 21.90 at 2h, 2 days and 6 days, respectively; treated: 27.67, 26.57 and 26.77 at 2h, 2 and 6 days, respectively). Superoxide dismutase activity was significantly greater in the meat from cattle treated with vitamin E compared to that observed in the meat from controls (0.204 vs 0.167). The study showed that vitamin E supplementation in the finishing diets of calves caused only slight modifications in the antioxidant status of the meat; however, it positively influenced several qualitative characteristics which appeared to be more stable over time, thus extending the shelf-life of the meat

Quantitative ultrasonometry for the diagnosis of osteoporosis in human skeletal remains: New methods and standards

Abstract Osteoporosis, a complex and heterogeneous disorder with a multi-factorial etiology, is characterized by abnormal bone loss leading to an increased risk of fractures. In recent years, the study of osteoporosis and bone mineral quality has received increasing interest by biological anthropologists. In particular, the study of bone quality in ancient populations in relation to sex, age and cultural background can provide important insights into the diachronic evolution of a seemingly modern pathology. However, a number of challenges remain in the determination of bone loss in ancient remains, partly due to the methodological approaches applied in the anthropological analysis. This underlines the need for a new methodology and new standards, specifically created and adapted to human skeletal remains. The current study aims to develop a new methodology to assess bone quality in modern and ancient human skeletal remains using Quantitative Ultrasonometry, applied for the first time to a skeletal sample of known age-at-death and sex (Frassetto collection, University of Bologna). After the assessment of intra- and inter-observer reliability, new ultrasonometric standards based on the analysis of age-related and sex-related changes in bone quantity and quality were created, providing a reference point for the analysis of osteoporosis and bone loss in skeletal remains. The applicability of the method was tested in a medieval sample including both males and females. The low intra- and inter-observer errors suggest that the Phalangeal Ultrasonometry is a reliable and valid technique that can be applied to modern and ancient human skeletons

Default-Mode Network Connectivity Changes Correlate with Attention Deficits in ALL Long-Term Survivors Treated with Radio- and/or Chemotherapy

: Whether chemotherapy (ChT) and radiotherapy (RT) determine neurocognitive impairment in acute lymphoblastic leukemia long-term survivors (ALL LTSs) through similar mechanisms affecting the same brain regions is still unknown. We compared neurocognitive alterations, regional brain tissue volumes (by voxel-based morphometry), and functional connectivity of the main default-mode network hubs (by seed-based analysis of resting state functional MRI data), in 13 ALL LTSs treated with RT and ChT (Group A) and 13 treated with ChT only (Group B). Group A performed significantly worse than Group B at the digit span and digit symbol tests (p = 0.023 and 0.013, respectively). Increased connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex (the main anterior hub of the default-mode network) and the rolandic operculi was present in Group A compared to Group B, along with the absence of significant differences in regional brain tissue volumes. In these regions, the functional connectivity correlated inversely with the speed of processing scores, independent of treatment group. These results suggest that similar mechanisms may be involved in the neurocognitive deficits in ALL LTS patients, regardless of the treatment group. Further studies are needed to clarify whether these changes represent a direct expression of the mechanisms underlying the cognitive deficits or ineffective compensatory phenomena

Perché fare il trial con Piridossina nelle convulsioni neonatali refrattarie: un caso di epilessia PNPO responsiva alla Piridossina

L’epilessia piridossino dipendente (PDE) e l’epilessia piridossal/fosfato dipendente (PNPO) sono difficilmente distinguibili da un punto di vista clinico: si caratterizzano per spasmi mioclonici (talora a esordio prenatale), associati a irritabilità, insonnia e startles

Longitudinal study on low-dose aspirin versus placebo administration in silent brain infarcts: the silence study

Background. We investigated low-dose aspirin (ASA) efficacy and safety in subjects with silent brain infarcts (SBIs) in preventing new cerebrovascular (CVD) events as well as cognitive impairment. Methods. We included subjects aged ≥45 years, with at least one SBI and no previous CVD. Subjects were followed up to 4 years assessing CVD and SBI incidence as primary endpoint and as secondary endpoints: (a) cardiovascular and adverse events and (b) cognitive impairment. Results. Thirty-six subjects received ASA while 47 were untreated. Primary endpoint occurred in 9 controls (19.1%) versus 2 (5.6%) in the ASA group (p=0.10). Secondary endpoints did not differ in the two groups. Only baseline leukoaraiosis predicts primary [OR 5.4 (95%CI 1.3-22.9, p=0.022)] and secondary endpoint-A [3.2 (95%CI 1.1-9.6, p=0.040)] occurrence. Conclusions. These data show an increase of new CVD events in the untreated group. Despite the study limitations, SBI seems to be a negative prognostic factor and ASA preventive treatment might improve SBI prognosis. EU Clinical trial is registered with EudraCT Number: 2005-000996-16; Sponsor Protocol Number: 694/30.06.04