Microbiological, physicochemical and sensory parameters of dry fermented sausages manufactured with high hydrostatic pressure processed raw meat.

The aim of this trial was to describe physicochemical, microbiological and organoleptic characteristics of dry fermented sausages produced from high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) pre-processed trimmings. During ripening of the meat products pH, weight, water activity (aw), and several microbiological parameters were measured at zero, eight, fifteen days and after 6weeks. Sensory characteristics were estimated at day 15 and after six weeks by a test panel by using several sensory tests. Enterobacteriaceae were not detected in sausages from HHP-processed trimmings. Fermentation was little affected, but weight and aw of the HHP-processed sausages decreased faster during ripening. HHP-treated sausages were consistently less favoured than non HHP-treated sausages, but the strategy may be an alternative approach if the process is optimized.

Assessing quality parameters in dry-cured ham using microwave spectroscopy.

Microwave spectroscopy has been applied in numerous non-food industry applications, and recently also in the food industry, for non-destructive measurements. In this study, a dry-cured ham model was designed and chemical analyses were performed for determining water activity, water content and salt content (sodium chloride) for all samples. These chemical parameters were also measured using microwave spectroscopy, with a rectangular microwave cavity resonator. Results indicate that microwave spectroscopy may be a promising technique for determination of water activity, salt content and water content in dry-cured ham using either reflected or transmitted signals.

Norwegian consumers' acceptability of boar tainted meat with different levels of androstenone or skatole as related to their androstenone sensitivity.

The aim of work was to study Norwegian consumers' acceptance of pork meat with different levels of skatole and androstenone. One group of androstenone sensitive consumers (N=46) and one group of non sensitive consumers (N=55) participated in a home test and evaluated 11 samples with different skatole (range 0-0.35 ppm) and androstenone (range 0-9.0 ppm) levels. Liking of odour during frying and odour and flavour of the fried meat were evaluated. Results showed that the non sensitive consumers accepted all levels of androstenone in the samples. Sensitive consumers gave a significantly lower liking score for androstenone samples containing 3 ppm (and more) than the reference sample when evaluating these samples above the frying pan, but no significant difference were found between 3 ppm samples and reference samples when liking of fried meat was evaluated. This indicated that the sensitive consumers accepted 3 ppm in fried meat, but not if 3 ppm was present in the sample during the frying process. The same consumer's differentiated skatole samples with regard to flavour at 0.15 ppm. The Norwegian established practise with a threshold value of 0.21 ppm skatole is higher than the value accepted by the consumers.

Long-term results after intracoronary injection of autologous mononuclear bone marrow cells in acute myocardial infarction: the ASTAMI randomised, controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate long-term safety and efficacy after intracoronary injection of autologous mononuclear bone marrow cells (mBMCs) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). DESIGN: Randomised, controlled trial. SETTING: Two university hospitals in Oslo, Norway. PATIENTS: Patients from the Autologous Stem cell Transplantation in Acute Myocardial Infarction (ASTAMI) study were re-assessed 3 years after inclusion. INTERVENTIONS: 100 patients with anterior wall ST-elevation myocardial infarction treated with acute percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were randomised to receive intracoronary injection of mBMCs (n = 50) or not (n = 50). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change in left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (primary). Change in exercise capacity (peak VO(2)) and quality of life (secondary). Infarct size (additional aim), and safety. RESULTS: The rates of adverse clinical events in the groups were low and equal. There were no significant differences between groups in change of global LV systolic function by echocardiography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during the follow-up. On exercise testing, the mBMC-treated patients had larger improvement in exercise time from 2-3 weeks to 3 years (1.5 minutes vs 0.6 minutes, p = 0.05), but the change in peak oxygen consumption did not differ (3.0 ml/kg/min vs 3.1 ml/kg/min, p = 0.75). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that intracoronary mBMC treatment in AMI is safe in the long term. A small improvement in exercise time in the mBMC group was found, but no other effects of treatment could be identified 3 years after cell therapy.

Marinating as a technology to shift sensory thresholds in ready-to-eat entire male pork meat.

This study investigated the effect of marinades in improving the eating quality in ready-to-eat boar meat. Neck chops with fat content below 18.9%, skatole ⩽1.1ppm (range 0.03-1.1) and androstenone ⩽5.6ppm (range 0.01-5.6) were used. In a screening experiment different marinades were tested for their ability to mask boar taint (defined as manure and urine odour and flavour). Liquid smoke and oregano extracts appeared to have the best potential for masking, and were studied in detail. Results from the study indicated that marinated chops with skatole content of approximately 0.4ppm appeared similar to castrates in boar taint. Chops with skatole contents above 0.7ppm remained unmasked despite the use of strongly flavoured marinades. Unmarinated chops served at 60°C were more tainted than those served at 15°C, but scored lower for boar taint when reheated, although the concentrations of androstenone and skatole remained the same. The fat content of the chops was not well correlated to the perception of boar taint. The attributes manure and urine were correlated with the level of skatole, but urine attribute was not a good indicator of the androstenone level.

Effects of an external nasal dilator strip (ENDS) compared to xylometazolin nasal spray.

Nasal blockage is a common complaint in Family Practice. Decongestive nosedrops are frequently employed therapeutic measures. Due to a considerable risk of abuse and side effects, alternatives are wanted. The purpose of this study was to elucidate to what extent ENDS might represent an alternative to decongestive nose sprays (DNS). The effects of DNS (xylometazolin) and ENDS (BreatheRight) on subjective and objective nasal blockage were compared in 89 patients. Main outcome measures were recordings of nasal symptom scores on visual analogue scales (VAS), minimal cross-sectional areas (MCA) and nasal cavity volumes (NCV) as measured by acoustic rhinometry (AR), and peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF). ENDS significantly increased the MCA and the NCV in the anterior 0.0-3.0 cm of the nose compared to DNS, but had no effect on MCA from 3.0 to 5.4 cm behind the nostrils. In contrast to DNS, ENDS had no effect on the posterior NCV. ENDS and DNS gave comparable increase in nasal inspiratory flow as measured by PNIF, and in the subject's own experience of nasal obstruction. ENDS may represent an alternative to DNS as a measure against nasal blockage.

spiel ohne grenzen/pou2 is required during establishment of the zebrafish midbrain-hindbrain boundary organizer.

The vertebrate midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB) organizes patterning and neuronal differentiation in the midbrain and anterior hindbrain. Formation of this organizing center involves multiple steps, including positioning of the MHB within the neural plate, establishment of the organizer and maintenance of its regional identity and signaling activities. Juxtaposition of the Otx2 and Gbx2 expression domains positions the MHB. How the positional information is translated into activation of Pax2, Wnt1 and Fgf8 expression during MHB establishment remains unclear. In zebrafish spiel ohne grenzen (spg) mutants, the MHB is not established, neither isthmus nor cerebellum form, the midbrain is reduced in size and patterning abnormalities develop within the hindbrain. In spg mutants, despite apparently normal expression of otx2, gbx1 and fgf8 during late gastrula stages, the initial expression of pax2.1, wnt1 and eng2, as well as later expression of fgf8 in the MHB primordium are reduced. We show that spg mutants have lesions in pou2, which encodes a POU-domain transcription factor. Maternal pou2 transcripts are distributed evenly in the blastula, and zygotic expression domains include the midbrain and hindbrain primordia during late gastrulation. Microinjection of pou2 mRNA can rescue pax2.1 and wnt1 expression in the MHB of spg/pou2 mutants without inducing ectopic expression. This indicates an essential but permissive role for pou2 during MHB establishment. pou2 is expressed normally in noi/pax2.1 and ace/fgf8 zebrafish mutants, which also form no MHB. Thus, expression of pou2 does not depend on fgf8 and pax2.1. Our data suggest that pou2 is required for the establishment of the normal expression domains of wnt1 and pax2.1 in the MHB primordium.

[Attitudes towards treatment of extremely premature infants in Norwegian obstetric and pediatric departments]. / Holdninger til behandling av ekstremt premature barn ved norske føde- og barneavdelinger.

The aim of this questionnaire survey was to investigate whether Norwegian hospitals have guidelines for lifesaving treatment in cases of extreme prematurity and severe morbidity. 66 out of 71 doctors in charge of Norwegian obstetric and paediatric units answered our questionnaire. 79% of the units had guidelines for starting medical treatment, 45% for ending treatment. Gestational age and the infant's vitality were the most important criteria in decisions concerning withholding of treatment. Two out of three units (44) had a lower gestational age limit, varying from 23 to 25 weeks; 41 of these 44 units used 23 or 24 weeks as the lower limit. Disability risk and the infants' suffering were the most important criteria for termination of treatment. One in five respondents attached little or no emphasis on the infants' suffering. Half of the respondents reported that they felt that making life or death decisions for premature infants had become more difficult over the last few years. Unrealistic expectations and pressure from the media and from parents were important reasons for this. We conclude equality of treatment for premature infants calls for an examination of all factors, medical and psychosocial, with a bearing on decisions.

The effect of trematode infection on amphibian limb development and survivorship.

The causes of amphibian deformities and their role in widespread amphibian declines remain conjectural. Severe limb abnormalities were induced at high frequencies in Pacific treefrogs (Hyla regilla) exposed to cercariae of a trematode parasite (Ribeiroia sp.). The abnormalities closely matched those observed at field sites, and an increase in parasite density caused an increase in abnormality frequency and a decline in tadpole survivorship. These findings call for further investigation of parasite infection as a cause of amphibian deformities in other sites and species.

The knirps and knirps-related genes organize development of the second wing vein in Drosophila.

The neighboring homologous knirps (kni) and knirps-related (knrl) genes in Drosophila encode transcription factors in the steroid hormone receptor superfamily. During early embryogenesis, kni functions as a gap gene to control expression of segmentation genes within the abdominal region of the embryo. In this study, we present evidence that kni and knrl link A/P positional information in larval wing imaginal discs to morphogenesis of the second longitudinal wing vein (L2). We show that kni and knrl are expressed in similar narrow stripes corresponding to the position of the L2 primordium. The kni and knrl L2 stripes abut the anterior border of the broad central expression domain of the Dpp target gene spalt major (salm). We provide evidence that radius incompletus (ri), a well-known viable mutant lacking the L2 vein, is a regulatory mutant of the kni/knrl locus. In ri mutant wing discs, kni and knrl fail to be expressed in the L2 primordium. In addition, the positions of molecular breakpoints in the kni/knrl locus indicate that the ri function is provided by cis-acting sequences upstream of the kni transcription unit. Epistasis tests reveal that the kni/knrl locus functions downstream of spalt major (salm) and upstream of genes required to initiate vein-versus-intervein differentiation. Mis-expression experiments suggest that kni and knrl expressing cells inhibit neighboring cells from becoming vein cells. Finally, kni and knrl are likely to refine the L2 position by positively auto-regulating their own expression and by providing negative feedback to repress salm expression. We propose a model in which the combined activities of kni and knrl organize development of the L2 vein in the appropriate position.

Septal perforation repair with acellular human dermal allograft.

BACKGROUND: Connective tissue autografts are commonly used as interpositional grafts between septal flaps in the repair of septal perforations. The most common graft materials used include temporalis fascia and pericranium, both of which are accompanied by donor site morbidity, do not provide septal bulk, and are exceedingly thin and difficult to manage. OBJECTIVE: To study the use of an acellular human dermal allograft (AlloDerm, LifeCell Corp, The Woodlands, Tex) as a connective tissue interpositional graft in septal perforation repair. SETTING: Private facial plastic surgery and reconstructive practice of 1 of the authors (R.W.H.K.), Houston, Tex, and the private and university practice of another author (H.F.), Alexandria, Egypt. PATIENTS: Twelve consecutive patients with septal perforation who received the acellular dermal allograft constituted this evaluation. The causes of the septal perforations were previous nasal surgery, previous nasal cautery, or cocaine use by the patient. DESIGN: Interposition grafting between mucoperichondrial flaps for septal perforation repair was accomplished with decellularized human dermal grafts. Follow-up periods ranged from 3 to 14 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The repair was considered successful when, on postoperative examination at 3 months, the right and left mucoperichondrial flaps were entirely healed. From the experience of 1 author (R.W.H.K.) with the repair of more than 75 septal perforations, no perforation that was healed at 3 months broke down at a later date, unless trauma or cocaine use occurred after the operation. An outcome was considered acceptable but nondesirable if a perforation was still present after the operation but the number and severity of the patient's symptoms were reduced and the perforation was considerably smaller than before the operation. RESULTS: Eleven of the 12 patients had successful outcomes with complete closure of their perforations. The 1 remaining patient had an acceptable result but incomplete closure; his initial perforation of 3 cm was reduced to 5 mm, making him asymptomatic after surgery. CONCLUSION: Acellular human dermal grafts can be used as connective tissue interpositional grafts in the repair of septal perforations with success rates similar to the use of temporalis fascia, mastoid periosteum, or pericranium. One distinct advantage is the absence of donor-site morbidity. In addition, this graft material is thicker and easier to place and suture and may give more substance to the repaired septum.

The extra sex combs product contains WD40 repeats and its time of action implies a role distinct from other Polycomb group products.

The extra sex combs (esc) gene product is a transcriptional repressor of homeotic genes. Although it is classified in the Polycomb group (PcG) on the basis of phenotypic criteria, it is distinct from most other PcG repressors in its time of action during development. We describe the temporal profile of esc mRNA expression during embryogenesis and the stage-specific rescue of esc mutants with a heat shock-inducible esc cDNA transformation construct. Both experiments support the idea that esc product plays an early, transient role in repression of homeotic genes. We also present the sequence of a full-length esc cDNA. The predicted esc protein is composed primarily of multiple copies of a repeat motif, termed the WD40 repeat, which are likely used in protein-protein contact. We provide evidence that individual copies of the esc WD40 repeats are needed for function in vivo. We suggest that esc protein is an adaptor that binds to multiple protein partners and assists in the assembly or targeting of other PcG proteins.

Influence of serum protein binding on the pharmacokinetics of quinidine in normal and anuric rats.

The pharmacokinetics of quinidine were investigated in normal and anuric rats after intravenous injection (25 mg per kg b.wt.). In normal rats only 2.6% of the injected dose was excreted as unchanged quinidine in the urine. Quinidine concentrations were determined in the blood and in different tissues after injection, and the serum protein binding was measured. Results were applied to a one compartment model. In normal rats a total body clearance of 18.5 ml/min. and a renal clearance of 0.5 ml/min. was found. The residual non-renal clearance (18.0 ml/min.), presumably taking place in the liver, exceeds the estimated liver blood flow (16.8 ml/min.), indicating efficient extraction of quinidine from plasma and blood cells (non-restrictive elimination). The apparent volume of distribution was greatly reduced, biological half-life slightly longer and the body clearance greatly reduced in anuric as compared to normal rats. The fraction of unbound quinidine in serum was 30.6 +/- 0.6 (n = 23) and 16.7 +/- 0.5) (n = 23) percent in normal and anuric rats. The reduction in the apparent volume of distribution is mainly explained by increased serum binding. The decline of body clearance of quinidine is most likely caused by a decreased liver blood flow in this complex state of renal insufficiency.