Sensory and physicochemical characteristics of Japanese jidori chicken (Choshu-Kurokashiwa) and broiler thigh meat: Effect of cooking procedure.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of various cooking procedures on the sensory and physicochemical properties of Japanese jidori chicken (Choshu-Kurokashiwa) and broiler thigh meat. Thigh meats were cooked using three different procedures: grilling, boiling, and deep-frying. Subsequently, we performed sensory evaluation by a trained panel and instrumental analysis on both raw and cooked meat to determine changes in pH, shear force value, cooking loss, nucleotide metabolite contents, and proximate, free amino acid, and fatty acid composition. From the sensory evaluation, "springiness" and "chewiness" were found to be characteristics of Choshu-Kurokashiwa thigh meat among all cooking procedures. In terms of "juiciness" and "sulfur flavor," chicken breed and cooking procedure interacted, and these were considerably higher in Choshu-Kurokashiwa meat than in broiler meat only when boiling. In the instrumental analysis, Choshu-Kurokashiwa meat showed a considerably higher shear force value and lower free amino acid content than broiler meat, regardless of the cooking procedure used. Again, in terms of cooking loss, chicken breed and cooking procedure interacted, and this was considerably lower in Choshu-Kurokashiwa meat than in broiler meat only when boiling. These results showed that cooking procedure should be considered when describing the sensory characteristics of jidori thigh meat.

D-Dimer Trends Predict Recurrent Stroke in Patients with Cancer-Related Hypercoagulability.

INTRODUCTION: In patients with cancer-associated hypercoagulability (CAH)-related stroke, D-dimer trends after anticoagulant therapy may offer a biomarker of treatment efficacy. The purpose of this study was to clarify the association between D-dimer trends and recurrent stroke after anticoagulant therapy in patients with CAH-related stroke. METHODS: We performed retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients with CAH-related stroke at two stroke centers from 2011 to 2020. The ratio of posttreatment to pretreatment D-dimer levels (post/pre ratio) was used as an indicator of D-dimer trends after anticoagulant therapy. Fine-Gray models were used to evaluate the association between post/pre ratio and recurrent stroke. RESULTS: Among 360 acute ischemic stroke patients with active cancer, 73 patients with CAH-related stroke were included in this study. Recurrent stroke occurred in 13 patients (18%) during a median follow-up time of 28 days (interquartile range, 11-65 days). Multivariate analysis revealed that high post/pre ratio was independently associated with recurrent stroke (per 0.1 increase: hazard ratio 2.20, 95% confidence interval 1.61-3.01, p = 0.012). CONCLUSION: D-dimer levels after anticoagulant therapy were associated with recurrent stroke in CAH-related stroke patients. Patients with neutral trends in high D-dimer levels after anticoagulant therapy were at high risk of recurrent stroke.

Evaluation of Medial Meniscal Extrusion Using Radiography.

Recently, there has been increasing interest in medial meniscal extrusion (MME), but few reports have evaluated MME via X-ray. In this study, the amount of MME and meniscal height at the medial border of the tibia were measured via X-ray with gradation processing. The extrusion length divided by the meniscal height yields the meniscal extrusion ratio, which was used as an index. In addition, the medial meniscal length of the part protruding from the medial border of the tibia on MRI was measured as an absolute value. Then, the correlation between the meniscal extrusion ratio and the amount of MME on MRI was examined, and there was a strong correlation between the meniscal extrusion ratio via X-ray and the amount of MME on MRI (correlation coefficient 0.860, p < 0.0001). The cut-off value of the meniscal extrusion ratio via X-ray for positive meniscal extrusion on MRI was 0.50, with an AUC of 0.9825, sensitivity of 0.9063, and specificity of 0.8663. From the present study, it was possible to measure the extrusion length and meniscal height via gradation processing, with X-ray and without MRI, and to calculate the meniscal extrusion ratio, which strongly correlates with the amount of MME on MRI.

Relationship between the Lactic Acid Content and Sour Taste of Broiler Broth and the Broth of Choshu-Kurokashiwa-a Japanese Jidori Chicken.

The present study aimed to determine whether lactic acid content is associated with the intensity of the sour taste of Choshu-Kurokashiwa broth. Chicken broth was prepared using breast (pectoralis major) and leg (thigh + drumstick) meat of male and female Choshu-Kurokashiwa and broilers. These broths were assessed by a screened and trained panel and analyzed for sour taste substances (lactic, citric, pyruvic, malic, succinic, acetic, phosphoric, aspartic, and glutamic acids) and pH. The sensory sour taste was significantly higher in the Choshu-Kurokashiwa breast broth than in the broiler breast broth (P>0.001), and no significant difference was observed in the leg broths among the breeds (P<0.05). Choshu-Kurokashiwa breast broth had a significantly higher lactic acid content than broiler breast broth (P<0.001). The leg meat broth of male Choshu-Kurokashiwa had a significantly lower lactic acid content than that of female Choshu-Kurokashiwa and broiler leg meat (P<0.01). The sensory sour taste score was significantly and positively correlated with lactic acid content in the breast broth (P<0.001), but not in the leg broth (P<0.1). No other organic acids were detected. Phosphoric acid and glutamic acid contents were higher in broiler broth than in Choshu-Kurokashiwa broth for both breast and leg meat (P<0.001). In the breast broth, the aspartic acid content was not significantly different (P>0.1), and in the leg broth, it was higher in broiler and female Choshu-Kurokashiwa broth than in male Choshu-Kurokashiwa broth (P<0.001). The present study suggests that high lactic acid content contributes to the sour taste of the Choshu-Kurokashiwa breast broth and demonstrated that the lactic acid content is an essential indicator for determining the sour taste of Choshu-Kurokashiwa breast meat.

Contralaterally controlled functional electrical stimulation immediately improves hand function.

Murata S, Koike Y, Kasukawa Y, Saito K, Okada K, Kudo D, Shimada Y, Miyakoshi N. Contralaterally controlled functional electrical stimulation immediately improves hand function. Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 2022; 13: 26-30. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the immediate effects of contralaterally controlled functional electrical stimulation (CCFES) on upper limb function in stroke patients. Methods: CCFES and mirror therapy (MT) exercises were conducted for 13 stroke patients at least 4 weeks post-onset. A sufficient interval of at least 24 hours was left between the two types of rehabilitation exercises. Before treatment and immediately after each training session, grip strength, Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) score and FMA-UE subscores for the shoulder/elbow/forearm, wrist, hand, and coordination were evaluated. Results: Grip strength, FMA-UE and FMA-UE shoulder/elbow/forearm, wrist, and coordination did not differ significantly after CCFES and MT compared to before therapy. FMA-UE hand did not change significantly after MT compared to before therapy, but it improved significantly after CCFES (p = 0.013). Conclusion: CCFES for the upper extremities immediately improves hand function and may be effective in maintaining and improving patients' motivation for rehabilitation treatment.

A new double level osteotomy procedure to restore a joint line and joint angles in severe varus osteoarthritis. - Double level osteotomy associated with tibial condylar valgus osteotomy (DLOTO).

High tibial valgus osteotomy (HTO) is a well-established surgical procedure to correct a varus malalignment and treat medial compartment osteoarthritis. Recently, double level osteotomy (DLO) was recommended for extensive varus knees as a single level osteotomy (SLO) approach may create an excessive joint line obliquity and eventually result in a new bony deformity. However, a severe varus knee in cases of advanced osteoarthritis involves not only a bony deformity (extra-articular deformity) but also a medial joint space narrowing with a widened lateral joint space (intra-articular deformity). A DLO alone cannot reduce this intra-articular deformity. However, tibial condylar valgus osteotomy (TCVO) can complement DLO as to reduce this intra-articular deformity. This technical note describes a novel modified DLO procedure associated with TCVO which can restore a normal alignment and a joint line and achieve joint preservation even in cases of extensive varus osteoarthritis.

Successful treatment of valgus knee osteoarthritis involving external tibial torsion with a double level osteotomy: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Abnormal torsion of the lower leg affects the alignment of the knee joint and foot, and causes impairment of both knee joint function and gait. We here present a successful adult case treated with a double level osteotomy at the distal femur and tibia. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 59-year-old woman complained of right knee pain for three years and had a deformity of her right lower limb since childhood. An advanced right tibial external torsion deformity with valgus alignment was revealed. We performed a double level osteotomy to correct both the valgus knee osteoarthritis and the external tibial torsional deformity. At the 2 year follow-up, the patient could run without pain and sit normally. DISCUSSION: The indications for surgery for abnormal rotation in the lower extremity are also not clear. In addition, most prior surgical reports on torsional deformity of the lower leg have been on childhood cases. Surgical treatment of valgus knee osteoarthritis involving external tibial torsion in adult has been rarely reported. CONCLUSIONS: In our current report, we present an adult case of valgus knee osteoarthritis involving external tibial torsion that was successfully treated using a double level osteotomy. A longer follow-up is still needed however despite these positive outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Ⅴ.