Influence of immersion freezing in NaCl solutions and of frozen storage on the viscoelastic behavior of mozzarella cheese.

The freezing of Mozzarella cheese by immersion in NaCl solutions may be an innovative procedure for the dairy industry because it combines conveniently salting and freezing processes. In this work, the influence of this type of freezing method and of the frozen storage of samples on the viscoelastic behavior of Mozzarella cheese was studied. Slabs (2 x 10 x 10 cm(3)) were immersed in 23% w/w NaCl solutions (control samples: 4 degrees C, 90 min; frozen samples: -15 degrees C, 180 min). Half of the frozen samples were immediately thawed at 4 degrees C . The other half was stored at -20 degrees C for 2 mo and then was thawed at 4 degrees C (frozen-stored samples). Samples were stored at 4 degrees C and assayed at 1, 7, 14, 20, 27, 34, and 41 d. Rheological tests were carried out in oscillatory mode (parallel-plate geometry, diameter: 20 mm, gap: 1 mm, frequency: 1 Hz). Strain sweeps were run (0.001

Effectiveness of the Michigan splint in reducing functional cervical disturbances: a preliminary study.

There is controversial evidence for a functional link between the masticatory apparatus and the cervical spine. The aim of this work was to perform a preliminary study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Michigan splint for the treatment of functional cervical disturbances. Forty patients with functional cervical disturbances were randomly organized into test and control groups. The patients in each group were examined by a physiologist to ascertain the extent of functional changes. The test group underwent splint therapy (Michigan type) during a two-month period. The other patients were sent home and did not receive active treatment. After two months, all patients were reassessed physiologically. Cervical pain and pain induced by epispinal or paraspinal pressure were reduced to a statistically significant extent in the treated group, compared with those in the control group.