ABSTRACT
The combined effects of high pressure processing (HPP) and temperature on meat quality attributes were assessed in bovine M. pectoralis profundus, with particular focus on lipid oxidation and fatty acid composition. Beef samples were pressurised at 200, 300 and 400 MPa at two different temperatures 20°C and 40°C. Both pressure and temperature regimes had significant effects on colour, cook loss and lipid oxidation. Pressurisation at 200 MPa had a lower impact on colour parameters than higher pressurisation levels. Cook loss also increased when higher levels of pressure were applied. Across all pressure conditions, lower cook loss was observed at 40°C compared to 20°C. An increase in TBARS values was observed at the higher pressure levels (300, 400 MPa). While some alterations of individual fatty acids were observed, high pressure had no effect on polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid (PUFA/SFA) or omega 6/omega 3 (n6/n3) ratio. The temperature at which HPP was applied had a significant effect on the sum of saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MONO) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids. HPP at 40°C showed higher SFA and PUFA and lower MONO compared to HPP at 20°C. These results show that high pressure at low or moderate temperatures improves the microbiological quality of the meat with minimal affects on meat quality.
Subject(s)
Fatty Acids/chemistry , Food Handling/methods , Food Preservation/methods , Lipid Peroxidation , Meat/analysis , Temperature , Animals , Cattle , Color , Food Microbiology , Meat/microbiology , Meat/standards , Muscle, Skeletal/chemistry , Pressure , Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive SubstancesABSTRACT
There is a wide range of assessment techniques for tinnitus, but no consensus has developed concerning how best to measure either the presenting features of tinnitus or the effects of tinnitus treatments. Standardization of reliable and valid tinnitus measures would provide many advantages including improving the uniformity of diagnostic and screening criteria between clinics and facilitating comparison of treatment outcomes obtained at different sites. This chapter attempts to clarify issues involved in developing self-report questionnaires for the assessment of tinnitus. While the tinnitus questionnaires that are currently available provide valuable information on which to base diagnostic and screening decisions, they were not originally developed in such a way as to maximize their sensitivity to treatment-related changes in tinnitus. As a result, their construct validity for measuring treatment benefit has not received appropriate attention. In this paper, special emphasis is devoted to the use of effect sizes as an estimate of the ability of questionnaires (and their individual items) to measure changes associated with treatment. We discuss the criteria relevant to evaluating the effectiveness of a questionnaire for diagnostic purposes vs. for treatment-evaluation purposes, and we present a detailed illustration of how the various criteria have been applied in a recent questionnaire development effort.
Subject(s)
Surveys and Questionnaires , Tinnitus/diagnosis , Tinnitus/therapy , Humans , Treatment OutcomeSubject(s)
Burnout, Professional/prevention & control , Consumer Behavior/statistics & numerical data , HIV Infections/psychology , Health Personnel/psychology , Occupational Health Services , Bereavement , Ceremonial Behavior , HIV Infections/therapy , Health Care Surveys , Humans , New York , Occupational Health Services/methods , Occupational Health Services/standards , Organizational Culture , Program EvaluationABSTRACT
For the past decade, end-of-life care decisions, such as advance directives, have come to be viewed as an important component in influencing treatment decisions for patients with serious illness or loss of competence. However, few studies have examined health care providers' compliance with hospital protocols and federal regulations on end-of-life decisions. This article describes a hospital-based standards project to identify the knowledge, beliefs, and practices of physicians, nurses, social workers, and pastoral care associates in end-of-life care decisions.
Subject(s)
Acute Disease/therapy , Attitude of Health Personnel , Critical Care/methods , Decision Making , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Personnel, Hospital/education , Personnel, Hospital/psychology , Terminal Care/methods , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Little systematic information is available concerning the advantages and disadvantages of participation in a clinical trial from the patients' point of view. Surveys were undertaken among participants in the Beta-Blocker Heart Attack Trial (BHAT) and the Aspirin Myocardial Infarction Study (AMIS) to obtain data on these perceptions. In AMIS, an open-ended personal interview format was employed. For BHAT, a questionnaire partially based on hypotheses generated in AMIS, was mailed out. Results from the two studies suggested that patients in both trials felt that the additional medical monitoring, the opportunity for a "second opinion," and the reassurance received were more important benefits than actual physical improvement. Altruistic motivations were high in both studies. Frequency of perceived disadvantages was low, centering mainly around transportation problems and clinic waiting time. The large majority of patients indicated that they would volunteer for similar research in the future. The results are discussed in the context of the available literature and of the possibilities for extensions of this line of research.
