Whole-genome sequencing of a pandoravirus isolated from keratitis-inducing acanthamoeba.

Following the recent discovery of two Pandoravirus species in 2013, a previously described endocytobiont isolated from the inflamed eye of a patient with keratitis was subjected to whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Here, we present the complete genome sequence of a new Pandoravirus isolate.

[Recombinant activated factor VIIa for treatment of traumatic liver rupture]. / Einsatz von rekombinantem aktiviertem Faktor VIIa zur Behandlung der traumatischen Leberruptur.

Hepatic rupture after blunt abdominal trauma may lead to severe bleeding, depletion and consumption of clotting factors, with the risk of packing to defer the definitive operation. We report two cases of hepatic rupture after blunt trauma with intrahepatic hematoma and severe intraabdominal bleeding. In both cases the bleeding could be stopped by early intervention with recombinant activated factor VIIa (rFVIIa). In neither case was surgical intervention necessary and after 3 weeks both patients were released without complications. These cases demonstrate that the early therapy with a single dose of rFVIIa before the development of a hemostatic crisis is a therapeutic option in selected cases where surgical therapy of the bleeding is difficult and risky.

The characterization and incidence of pale, soft, and exudative broiler meat in a commercial processing plant.

Pale, soft, exudative (PSE) turkey meat is a growing problem for the industry of further processed poultry meat. The low pH condition due to rapid glycolysis while the body temperature is still high leads to protein denaturation, causing pale color and reduced water-holding capacity. This condition impacts product yield and quality. These studies were designed to estimate the incidence of PSE broiler meat in a commercial plant and to use response surface methodology to characterize the relationship between pH and lightness (at deboning and at 24 h postmortem), expressible moisture, drip loss, and cook loss. Pale fillets had significantly lower pH, greater L* values at 3 and 24 h postmortem, and higher expressible moisture, drip loss, and cook loss. The lower water-holding capacity of the pale fillets was characteristic of PSE meat. Additionally, L* values were measured on 3,554 boneless broiler breast fillets in a commercial processing line. By using the L* value range (>54) from the pale group of fillets as an indication of paleness, approximately 47% of the 3,554 fillets were pale and could potentially exhibit poor water-holding capacity. These results may not represent the entire industry but indicate that PSE chicken can represent a substantial proportion of commercially processed broiler meat.

Marination performance of pale broiler breast meat.

Pale, soft, exudative (PSE) meat is a growing problem in the poultry industry and is characterized by rapid postmortem pH decline. The low pH condition while the body temperature has not yet chilled leads to protein denaturation, causing pale color and reduced water-holding properties. The water loss and the protein damage from the PSE condition may impact the ability of the muscle to uptake or retain marinade solution. This study was conducted to determine if a marination with salt and alkaline phosphates could rectify the protein functionality losses imparted by the PSE condition and to determine if marinade pH affects pale and normal fillets in the same manner. Pale (n = 175) and normal-colored (n = 160) fillets were collected from deboning lines at two commercial processing plants based on subjective color evaluation alone. The fillets were then characterized by L* value, pH, and expressible moisture. They were then tumbled with a solution containing salt and sodium tripolyphosphate at 4 C for 30 min. Marinade uptake, drip loss, and cook loss were all measured. As expected, the pale fillets had higher L* values and lower pH values than the normal fillets. For the pH 9 marinade, uptake and drip losses were similar in pale and normal fillets, but cook loss from pale fillets was greater than that of the normal fillets. Marinade solution at pH 11 showed no difference in pH or cook loss between pale and normal fillets. These results indicate that the PSE condition cannot be reversed by the marination treatments used in this study.