Relationship between water-holding capacity and intramuscular fat content in Japanese commercial pork loin

Objective The relationship between water-holding capacity (WHC) and intermuscular fat (IMF) was studied in Japanese commercial pork. Methods Longissimus muscles of pigs (n = 62), obtained from two meat packing plants, were analyzed for IMF content, moisture content, drip loss, cooking loss, and pH. Pairwise relationships among these traits were determined using correlation analyses. Results IMF content was significantly correlated with moisture content (r = −0.88; p<0.01) and pH (r = 0.32; p<0.05), but not with drip loss (r = −0.23; p = 0.07) or cooking loss (r = −0.10; p = 0.42). In contrast, drip loss was significantly (and negatively) correlated with pH (r = −0.57; p<0.01). Conclusion IMF content was not significantly correlated with WHC in pork, and so ultimately, we consider pH to be one of the most important factors influencing WHC in pork meat

Epstein–Barr Virus-induced Meningitis-Retention Syndrome

Meningitis-retention syndrome (MRS) is a rare disorder where aseptic meningitis is accompanied by urinary retention, which can be easily misdiagnosed as urinary tract infection. We present the case of a 55-year-old man with fever and dysuria. At the time of hospitalization, the patient had no symptoms of meningitis, but signs of meningeal irritation appeared later during the course of the disease. Investigation revealed that this was a case of MRS due to Epstein–Barr virus. We have to consider MRS when examining patients with fever and urinary retention, as dysuria may precede meningitis symptoms

Polarimetric Decomposition Analysis of ALOS PALSAR Observation Data before and after a Landslide Event

Radar scattering mechanisms over landslide areas were studied using representative full polarimetric parameters: Freeman–Durden decomposition, and eigenvalue–eigenvector decomposition. Full polarimetric ALOS (Advanced Land Observation Satellite) PALSAR (Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar) datasets were used to examine landslides caused by the 2008 Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake in northern Japan. The Freeman–Durden decomposition indicates that areas affected by large-scale landslides show dominance of the surface scattering component in both ascending and descending orbit data. The polarimetric parameters of eigenvalue–eigenvector decomposition, such as entropy, anisotropy, and alpha angle, were also computed over the landslide areas. Unsupervised classification based on the &lt;em&gt;H-&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;plane explicitly distinguishes landslide areas from others such as forest, water, and snow-covered areas, but does not perform well for farmland. A landslide area is difficult to recognize from a single-polarization image, whereas it is clearly extracted on the full polarimetric data obtained after the earthquake. From these results, we conclude that 30-m resolution full polarimetric data are more useful than 10-m resolution single-polarization PALSAR data in classifying land coverage, and are better suited to detect landslide areas. Additional information, such as pre-landslide imagery, is needed to distinguish landslide areas from farmland or bare soil

A Raman Spectroscopic Method of Evaluating Fat Crystalline States and Its Application in Detecting Pork Fat

International audienceRaman spectroscopy is one of the vibrational spectroscopies. Raman spectra of fats inform us of the vibrational states of acylglycerol molecules that reflect chemical structure, physical states, and the microenvironment at the molecular level. One of the great advantages of Raman spectroscopy is that it is less invasive; a sample can be studied in situ using laser light without pretreatment. Taking advantage of this spectroscopy, we investigated the crystalline states of meat fats and developed an in situ method of evaluating the degree of crystallinity and the crystalline polymorphs of fats. This method serves as a basis for such applications as the on-site quality measurement of meat fats and the species-specific detection of pork fat. This review describes the basics of Raman spectral analysis of the crystalline state of fat and its applications to meat products

A raman spectroscopic method of evaluating fat crystalline states and its application in detecting pork fat

International audienceRaman spectroscopy is one of the vibrational spectroscopies. Raman spectra of fats inform us of the vibrational states of acylglycerol molecules that reflect chemical structure, physical states, and the microenvironment at the molecular level. One of the great advantages of Raman spectroscopy is that it is less invasive; a sample can be studied in situ using laser light without pretreatment. Taking advantage of this spectroscopy, we investigated the crystalline states of meat fats and developed an in situ method of evaluating the degree of crystallinity and the crystalline polymorphs of fats. This method serves as a basis for such applications as the on-site quality measurement of meat fats and the species-specific detection of pork fat. This review describes the basics of Raman spectral analysis of the crystalline state of fat and its applications to meat products

Multilineage-differentiating stress-enduring (Muse)-like cells exist in synovial tissue

Introduction: Cartilage regeneration is a promising therapy for restoring joint function in patients with cartilage defects. The limited availability of autologous chondrocytes or chondrogenic progenitor cells is an obstacle to its clinical application. We investigated the existence and chondrogenic potential of synovial membrane-derived multilineage-differentiating stress-enduring (Muse)-like cells as an alternative cell source for cartilage regeneration. Methods: Cells positive for stage-specific embryonic antigen-3 (SSEA-3), a marker of Muse cells, were isolated from the synovial membranes of 6 of 8 patients (median age, 53.5 years; range 36–72 years) by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. SSEA-3-positive cells were cultured in methylcellulose to examine their ability to form Muse clusters that are similar to the embryoid bodies formed by human embryonic stem cells. Muse clusters were expanded and chondrogenic potential of M-cluster-derived MSCs examined using a pellet culture system. Chondrogenic differentiation was evaluated by proteoglycan, safranin O, toluidine blue and type II collagen staining. To evaluate the practicality of the procedure for isolating Muse-like cells, we compared chondrogenic potential of M-cluster derived MSCs with expanded cells derived from the clusters formed by unsorted synovial cells. Results: Synovial membranes contained SSEA-3-positive cells that after isolation exhibited Muse-like characteristics such as forming clusters that expressed NANOG, OCT3/4, and SOX2. In the pellet culture system, cell pellets created from the M-cluster-derived MSCs exhibited an increase in wet weight, which implied an increase in extracellular matrix production, displayed metachromasia with toluidine blue and safranin O staining and were aggrecan-positive and type II collagen-positive by immunostaining. Unsorted synovial cells also formed clusters in methylcellulose culture, and the expanded cell population derived from them exhibited chondrogenic potential. The histological and immunohistochemical appearance of chondrogenic pellet created from unsorted synovial cell-derived cells were comparable with that from M-cluster-derived MSCs. Conclusions: Muse-like cells can be isolated from the human synovial membrane, even from older patients, and therefore may provide a source of multipotent cells for regenerative medicine. In addition, the cluster-forming cell population within synovial cells also has excellent chondrogenic potential. These cells may provide a more practical option for cartilage regeneration. Keywords: Cartilage, Regenerative medicine, Chondrogenic potential, Multilineage-differentiating stress-enduring cells, Stage-specific embryonic antigens-

Descriptive Sensory Traits of Cooked Eggs Laid from Hens Fed Rice Grain

Descriptive sensory characteristics of eggs produced by conventional corn-based feeding and unhulled whole rice grain-feeding were compared in two cooking procedures using a trained panel. Rice-feeding significantly decreased brothy and roasted odor in eggs cooked into half-cooked egg yolks, and decreased the creamy odor, smoothness and moisture of eggs cooked into custard puddings. However, a statistical interaction between rice-feeding and production farm was not observed in every sensory attribute. These findings indicated that replacing corn with unhulled whole rice grain in diets for laying hens alters the sensory attributes of eggs