Risk assessment of skin damage due to pre-slaughter conditions and RYR1 gene in pigs

A polychotomous logistic regression was used to assess the risk factors for skin damage prior to slaughter. A total of 116 deliveries (15,695 pigs) from commercial farms to five Spanish pig abattoirs were surveyed. The skin damage condition was described as an ordinal response (1: no damage; 2: very slight damage; and 3: slight or more damage). The abattoir by the season (p<0.01), the floor surface of the lorry (p=0.02), and the mixing of unfamiliar pigs at loading (p=0.01) influenced the occurrence of skin blemishes. Skin damage increased with on-farm fasting time (p<0.01), loading time (p<0.01), lairage time (p<0.01), as well as with carcass weight (p<0.01). In winter transports the risk of skin damage decreased (p<0.01) at higher space allowance in the lorry. The risk of developing PSE and DFD pork increased with the skin damage score (p<0.01). The nn genotype for the RYR1 gene was less prone to skin damage but at the same time it is more sensitive to skin damage in relation to PSE risk. It is concluded that the skin damage score can be used as a rapid indicator of animal welfare and pork quality.

Consumers' sensory acceptability of pork from immunocastrated male pigs

Boar taint is the off-odour or off flavour of cooked pork. Currently, the most common method of controlling boar taint is surgical castration. However, immunocastration has been used in some parts of the world as an alternative to surgical castration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensory acceptability of meat from immunocastrated pigs (IM) compared with meat from females (FE), surgically castrated (CM) and entire males (EM). Twenty animals of each type were evaluated by 201 consumers in 20 sessions. Longissimus thoracis muscle of the different animals was cooked in an oven at 180°C for 10min. Consumers scored the odour and the flavour of the meat in a 9-point category scale without an intermediate level. There were no significant differences in consumer's evaluation of meat from IM, CM, and FE. In contrast, EM meat presented a higher percentage of dissatisfied scores and was significantly (P<0.05) less accepted than meat from CM, IM and FE. Consumers' acceptability of EM meat was always lower, independently of its androstenone levels. However meat with low levels of androstenone was more accepted that meat with medium or high levels of this substance. It can be concluded that immunocastration produced pork that was accepted by the consumers, and was indistinguishable from pork from CM or FE.

Relationships between carcass quality parameters and genetic types

It is important for the meat industry, including pig farmers and breeding companies, to know the composition of the carcass including the proportions of the different commercial cuts when making decisions on the type of pigs to be produced and marketed. Carcass composition is influenced significantly by the genotype of the animals. The aim of this work was to characterise carcasses from five different pig genotypes, by means of the quantification and comparison of their physical composition. Carcasses from 500 gilts from five different genetic types were studied. These lines were based on the following breeds: Large White, Landrace, Duroc, Piétrain and a Meishan synthetic population developed from a cross with a Large White based line. Measurements were taken in the carcasses directly with a ruler and with the Fat-O-Meat'er. The carcasses were cut following the European reference method and the four main joints were dissected. Carcasses from the Piétrain based line, which was halothane negative, presented the highest killing-out (83.34%) and were the shortest (81.81cm). The Piétrain based line was also the leanest and the Meishan based line the fattest. The highest proportion of ham (270.9g/kg) and the lowest proportion of belly (97.97g/kg) were found in the Piétrain line. The proportion of lean in all of the dissected cuts was higher in carcasses from this line while the Meishan line presented the highest proportions of intermuscular fat in all of the pieces. Carcasses came from the Piétrain line received the highest conformation scores and they were leaner and with better ham yield.

Cortisol-binding globulin and meat quality in five European lines of pigs1

The gene (Cbg) encoding cortisol-binding globulin (CBG) has been proposed as a candidate gene to explain genetic variation in cortisol secretion and carcass composition in pigs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between CBG and pork quality in 5 European breeding lines, Piétrain, Large White (LW), and Landrace purebred lines, a Duroc synthetic line, and a Meishan (MS) x LW advanced intercross. Cortisol-binding globulin maximum binding capacity (CBG-Bmax) was twice as high (P < 0.05) in MS x LW pigs compared with the other lines. There was no (P > or = 0.364) association between CBG-Bmax and carcass quality traits in Piétrain gilts, but CBG-Bmax was associated with increased loin yields in LW (P = 0.010) and Landrace (P = 0.103) gilts, decreased ham yields (P = 0.082) in Duroc gilts, and increased fat depth (P = 0.064) and leaf fat (P = 0.001) in MS x LW gilts. There was no association between CBG-Bmax and pork quality traits in Piétrain (P > or = 0.269) and Duroc (P > or = 0.114) gilts. Conversely, CBG-Bmax was associated with lighter (higher L* values; P < 0.05) pork in Land-race gilts, as well as lower (P < or = 0.055) ultimate pH in the LM and semimembranosus, and a tendency for lower (P = 0.095) L* values of pork from LW gilts. Within MS x LW pigs, CBG-Bmax was associated with increased drip loss (P = 0.001) and decreased i.m. fat in the semimembranosus (P = 0.005). Because drip loss is an economically important pork quality trait, results of this study could be used in the selection of improved water-holding capacity of pork from synthetic lines involving the MS breed.

[Physicochemical and biological factors affecting atmospheric methane oxidation in gray forest soils]

The decline of methane oxidizing activities in gray forest soil upon its conversion into arable land was shown to be caused by major changes in biotic and physicochemical properties of soil. Using the method of immune serums, methane-oxidizing bacteria were detected in both forest and agricultural soils, but their populations differed significantly in both abundance and composition. In the forest soil, the number of methanotrophs was an order of magnitude higher than in arable soil, amounting to 3.5 x 10(8) and 0.24 x 10(8) cells/g soil, respectively. All methane-oxidizing bacteria identified in the forest soil belonged to the genus Methylocystis, and 94% of these were represented by a single species, M. parvus. The arable soil was dominated by type I methanotrophs (Methylobacter and Methylomonas, 67.6%), occurring along with bacteria of the genus Methylocystis. In addition, arable soil is characterized by a low content of microbial biomass, lower porosity and water permeability of soil aggregates, and the predominance of nitrogen mineralization processes over those of nitrogen immobilization. These factors can also contribute to lower rates of methane oxidation in arable soil as compared to forest soil.

[Seasonal dynamics of atmospheric methane oxidation in gray forest soils]

Seasonal fluctuations in the methane flow in the soil-atmosphere system were determined for gray forest soils of Central Russia. Consumption of atmospheric methane was found to exceed methane emission in gray forest soils under forest and in agrocenosis. The average annual rates of atmospheric methane consumption by the soil under forest and in agrocenosis were 0.026 and 0.008 mg CH4-C/(m2 h), respectively. The annual rate of atmospheric methane oxidation in the gray forest soils of Moscow oblast was estimated to be 0.68 kton. Seasonal fluctuations in the methane oxidation activity were due to changes in the hydrothermal conditions and in the reserves of readily decomposable organic matter and mineral nitrogen, as well as to changes in the activity of methane oxidizers.

Personality factors related to black teenage pregnancy and abortion

48 pregnant adolescents who applied for therapeutic abortions (TAs) were compared with 55 adolescents who planned to have their babies (Terms) and 67 adolescents who were not pregnant (Controls) on the California Psychological Inventory (CPI). All the subjects were single, black, and ages 15-16. CPI results point to psychological differences with the Controls being most socialized, followed by the TAs, and then the Terms. Term girls seem to be experiencing a void and appear to be trying to fill it by assuming an adult role and having a baby; the TAs do not seem to have these same needs. In addition, those girls who became pregnant and described the relationship with the putative father as casual, appear on the CPI to have more daily problems, lack socialization, be less clear thinking, and have poor self-control. Pregnant girls who have good communication with their mothers showed no differences on the CPI from girls with poor communication with their mothers.

Effects of vehicle movements during transport on the stress responses and meat quality of sheep

Two groups of 26 lambs were transported for 15 hours either on smooth highways or on rougher secondary roads. Nine of the animals in each group were monitored for heart rate and the plasma levels of cortisol, creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase, before the journey began, after four, eight and 12 hours and at slaughter. The pH of the meat was measured 45 minutes and 24 hours postmortem and its colour was assessed 24 hours postmortem. The lambs transported on smooth roads had a lower heart rate and lower plasma cortisol concentrations after eight and 12 hours than the lambs transported on rougher roads. Twenty-four hours after slaughter the pH of the meat of the lambs transported on smooth roads was lower than that of the lambs transported on rougher roads.

Survey of the effectiveness of stunning procedures used in Spanish pig abattoirs

Two pig abattoirs (A and B) equipped with an automated head-only and head-to-chest electrical stunning system, and two (C and D) equipped with a manual carbon dioxide stunning system, were evaluated to compare the effectiveness of stunning in a total of 10,454 pigs slaughtered under commercial conditions. In the abattoirs with the electrical stunning system, the percentage of animals that responded to a nose prick was significantly lower (P<0.05) in abattoir B, where a higher current intensity was used (P<0.05), than in abattoir A. No righting reflex was observed in the electrically stunned pigs. In the abattoirs with the carbon dioxide stunning system, the percentage of animals that responded to a nose prick and showed a righting reflex was significantly lower (P<0.05) in abattoir C, where the duration of the carbon dioxide cycle was longer and the interval between discharge from the system to sticking was shorter (P<0.05), than in D. Comparing the electrical and carbon dioxide stunning systems, the pigs stunned with carbon dioxide were significantly more responsive to a nose prick (P<0.05) and 25 per cent of them showed a righting reflex. Under the conditions of the study the fully automated head-only stunning with additional chest electrodes appeared to be more effective and less susceptible to incorrect handling than the manual carbon dioxide stunning system.

The role of matching menstrual data with hormonal measurements in evaluating effectiveness of postcoital contraception

The effectiveness of postcoital contraception can only be estimated. The most commonly used method of calculation compares the expected pregnancy rate in the exposed population to the resultant pregnancies after treatment. Estimation of the fertile period and the day of ovulation are critical to calculate the expected pregnancies. The aim of this study was to improve the accuracy of calculations by evaluating the hormonal status on the day of contraceptive treatment. A total of 483 consecutive women requesting postcoital contraception was included in a prospective observational trial. A blood sample was obtained at the moment of consultation to measure serum luteinizing hormone, estradiol, and progesterone concentrations. An ethinylestradiol-levonorgestrel combination (100 micrograms/500 mg for two doses, 12 h apart) was then prescribed. The fertile period was estimated according to previous hormonal studies in the normal cycling population. Of 483 women, 64 (13.25%) women were excluded because they presented irregular menstrual cycles and 37 (7.6%) women were lost to follow-up. Two pregnancies occurred in the remaining 382 women. Following Wilcox's and Trussell's methods, 21.1 and 17.75 pregnancies should be expected, yielding an overall treatment effectiveness of 90.52% (95% confidence interval [CI] 62.58%-97.6%) and 88.73% (95% CI 55.93%-97.12%), respectively. Hormonal data were available in 356 women; 303 of whom presented with regular cycles. Hormonal information in this group restricted the number of exposed cases to 88 women. Of the women included in Trussell's method of analysis, only 51 (51.5%; p < 0.05) were at risk using hormonal data. Fifty-six percent (95% CI 34.9%-75.6%) of women with luteinizing hormone levels > 20 IU/L were not between days-1 and +1 of the cycle. Hormonal studies suggest that methods based on pregnancy risk calculated by cycle day do not faithfully reflect the real exposure.

Predictive factors in repeated suicide attempts by adolescents

A significant number of adolescents treated for attempted suicide have made previous attempts and will make subsequent attempts. These youths have a high risk of actually committing suicide. To find predictive factors of suicide risk, the authors compared 43 adolescent patients who had attempted suicide once with 38 who reported multiple attempts. The repeaters were less successful in school, displayed more hostility, reported more dysphoria, and had undergone more long-term stress. The authors believe assessing suicide risk requires evaluating the repeater's internal state of rage and dysphoria; they recommend that future studies look closely at these internal states as well as at external factors.

Predictors of repeat pregnancies among low-income adolescents

The authors compared a group of 58 adolescent girls who had been pregnant once during a two-year period with an age-matched group of 58 girls who had become pregnant at least twice during the same period. They found that the girls' attitudes toward contraception did not predict contraceptive use. Regular use of contraception was associated with a positive relationship between the girls and their mothers and with the presence of the girls' fathers in the home. The authors suggest that parental support of contraception plays a more important role in preventing repeat pregnancies than does the adolescents' reported attitudes toward contraception.

Adolescent sexual activity: contraception and abortion

One hundred twenty-five pregnant adolescents 16 years of age or younger and their parents were studied prior to abortion and were compared with 72 nulligravid control subjects. The control group reported less incidence of sexual intercourse and more causal heterosexual relationships of shorter durations. A significantly larger percentage of the abortion group approved of premarital sexual intercourse "when the couple is going steady." Sixty-eight per cent of the adolescents who were seeking abortions had never used a contraceptive. Abortion "on demand" was favored by the majority of the abortion group, whereas the control group favored "abortion under special circumstances." Neither were the pregnant teenagers' parents aware of nor had they discussed their daughter's sexual activities, much less contraception. Prevention of unwanted pregnancies in early adolescence should encompass an educational effort on the part of the health professions, involving both the adolescents and their parents.