Ultraljudsmätning av benens muskulatur

Att mäta muskelutveckling kan vara användbart exempelvis för att monitorera hypertrofi i samband med prestationshöjande träning eller utvärdera muskelutveckling i samband med rehabilitering efter skada. Ultraljudsmätning har visats vara en snabb, enkel, repeterbar och tillförlitlig metod för att mäta muskulatur på människa och hund. På häst saknas det validerade metoder för att mäta muskulatur. Denna studie är ett första steg mot att validera en metod för att mäta muskelutveckling hos häst. Studien syftar till att undersöka repeterbarheten och reproducerbarheten av tvärsnittsmätning med ultraljud. I en experimentell studie har tre observatörer gjort upprepade ultraljudsmätningar på elva hästar enligt ett standardiserat protokoll. Mätningar har gjorts distalt om armbågen på frambenet samt proximalt och distalt om knäleden på bakbenet. Observatörerna har gjort fyra olika endimensionella tvärsnittsmätningar av muskelgrupperna i respektive anatomiskt område. För att analysera överensstämmelsen inom och mellan observatörerna har intraklasskorrelation beräknats. Beräkningarna visar generellt på god till utmärkt intrareliabilitet men dålig till måttlig interreliabilitet. Detta indikerar att mätningarna är repeterbara men ej särskilt reproducerbara. Det har uppmärksammats brister i mätmetodens utformning som sannolikt har påverkat reliabiliteten. Bristerna innefattar bland annat mätplanens placering, vinkel på ultraljudsproben och mängden applicerat tryck. Studien ger indikationer på att tvärsnittsmätning med ultraljud kan vara en enkel och repeterbar metod för mätning av muskulatur hos häst. Upprepade mätningar av en och samma häst bör göras av samma person och enligt rekommendationer kring brister i mätmetodens utformning. För att utveckla interreliabiliteten och validera metoden krävs mer forskning.Measurements of muscular development could be useful e.g., to monitor muscular hypertrophy in response to performance enhancing training or to evaluate muscular development during rehabilitation after injury. Ultrasonographic cross-sectional measurements has shown to be fast, simple, repeatable and reliable when measuring musculature in humans and in dogs. There is no validated method available for horses as of today. This study aims to be a first step towards validating a method to measure muscular development in horses. The study seeks to investigate the repeatability and reproducibility of ultrasonographic cross-sectional measurements. In an experimental study, three observers performed multiple ultrasonographic measurements of eleven horses. Measurements were taken distal to the elbow in the front leg and proximal as well as distal to the stifle in the hind leg. The observers made four different one-dimensional cross-sectional measurements for each of the various anatomical areas. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were calculated to analyze agreement within and between observers. Calculations demonstrated a good to excellent intra-observer reliability but a poor to moderate interobserver reliability. These results indicate that measurements are repeatable but not very reproducible. Several shortcomings regarding the design of the measuring method has been noticed. Some of these involve the position of the measuring planes, the angle of the ultrasonographic transducer and the applied amount of pressure. These shortcomings may explain some of the poor reliability. This study indicates that ultrasonographic cross-sectional measurements could be a simple and repeatable method to measure equine musculature. Repeated measurements should be performed by the same individual for each patient and in accordance with the recommendations that has been given regarding the measuring method. More studies need to be conducted in order to develop the inter-observer reliability and validate this method

Growth and survival of exponential and stationary phase Salmonella during sausage fermentation

When raw meat is contaminated with enteropathogens, the growth state may appear in a mixture of phases. Survival for exponential and stationary phase cells differs, with stationary phase cells being generally more resistant. Our aim of this study was to investigate the survival of exponential and stationary phase Salmonella during freezing and to follow the survival/growth of these cells during subsequent sausage fermentation. Minced meat was inoculated with exponential and stationary phase Salmonella Thyphimurium, respectively, and frozen at -20ºC for up to 35 days. The meat was thawed overnight at 5ºC prior to sausage production

Revisiting the psychometric properties of a revised Danish version of the McGill ingestive skills assessment

Background: During a longstanding validation process of the Danish version of the McGill Ingestive Skills Assessment (MISA2-DK) for measuring mealtime performance in dysphagic clients, extensive revisions have been undertaken. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the psychometric properties of this revised version. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 328 adults referred to occupational therapy for swallowing evaluation were included. MISA2-DK with 36 items distributed into four subscales (positioning for meals, self-feeding skills, liquid ingestion, and solid ingestion) was administered as observation during a meal. Statistical analysis included item analysis by the Rasch model and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Results: The initial analysis of MISA2-DK presented misfit to the Rasch model, which was resolved by grouping items within subscales into testlets to adjust for local item dependency. However, when testing the items within each subscale, the subscale structure was not supported. The EFA and further item analysis by the Rasch model suggested a different distribution of items—namely, anticipation, bolus preparation, bolus propulsion, and airway protection. Conclusion: The total MISA2-DK score might provide a unidimensional measure of mealtime performance. However, for detailed information of qualitative aspects of dysphagic clients’ mealtime performance, the four EFA-derived subscale domains are recommended