Effects of Additions of Monascus and Laccaic acid on the Color and Quality Properties of Nitrite-Free Emulsion Sausage during Refrigerated Storage

This effect of Monascus and Laccaic acid on the chemical composition, physical, texture and sensory properties of sausage were investigated during storage. Eight treatments (T) of sausage such as T1 (12 ppm sodium nitrite), while T2, T3, T4, T5, T6 and T7 were formulated with different ratios of Monascus/Laccaic acid: 63/7.0, 108/12, 135/15, 59.5/10.5, 102/18 and 127.5/22.5 ppm, respectively. The batch formulated without nitrite or Monascus and laccaic acid was served as control (C). The control sausages had higher pH values compared to the treated ones at 3, 10 and 28 d storage (p<0.05). After 10 d storage, the pH values decreased in treated sausage samples (p<0.05). The T1 and T4 presented the lowest yellowness and lightness values, respectively over the storage period. The redness values were increased as increasing Monascus and Laccaic acid amounts (T2-T4, T5-T7). The addition of Monascus and Laccaic acid had significantly higher hardness and springiness values (p<0.05) compared with the control in 3, 19 or 28 d storage. The results indicated that the addition of Monascus and Laccaic acid could improve the redness of the products.

Relation between amniotic fluid infection or cytokine levels and hearing screen failure in infants at 32 wk gestation or less

BACKGROUND

To determine whether the presence of intra-amniotic infection and elevated proinflammatory cytokine levels in amniotic fluid (AF) are associated with failure in the newborn hearing screen (NHS) test in very preterm neonates.

METHODS

This is a retrospective cohort study of 112 premature singleton neonates born to women with preterm labor or preterm premature rupture of membranes at ≤32 wk. AF obtained through amniocentesis was cultured, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 levels were determined.

RESULTS

Fourteen (12.5%) neonates failed the NHS test. The prevalence of a positive AF culture was 40% (45/112). Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that intra-amniotic infection was significantly associated with failure in the NHS test after adjusting for baseline covariates such as maternal white blood cell count (WBC) and periventricular leukomalacia. However, the IL-6 and IL-8 levels in AF were not significantly associated with hearing screen failure. Moreover, neither gestational age at birth nor birth weight was associated with NHS failure.

CONCLUSION

The presence of intra-amniotic infection, but not elevated levels of AF IL-6 and IL-8, may contribute to the risk for failure in the NHS test in very preterm neonates. This finding suggests that intra-amniotic infection in utero might contribute to the development of congenital sensorineural hearing loss.

Measurement of Interleukin 8 in Cervicovaginal Fluid in Women With Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes: A Comparison of Amniotic Fluid Samples

Cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) samples may be a feasible alternative to amniotic fluid (AF) sampling in women with preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROMs), because PPROM causes AF to spill into the CVF. We aimed to assess the correlation and limits of agreement of interleukin 8 (IL-8) levels between CVF and AF in women with PPROM and to compare the clinical value of CVF IL-8 to AF IL-8 for the prediction of microbial invasion of amniotic cavity (MIAC). A retrospective cohort observational study was conducted on 85 women with singleton pregnancies (24-34 weeks) presenting with PPROM. The CVF samples were obtained simultaneously with AF samples retrieved by transabdominal amniocentesis. The levels of IL-8 in paired CVF and AF samples were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the same plate in duplicate using the same dilutions. The prevalence of a positive AF culture was 40% (34 of 85). The CVF IL-8 levels were significantly and positively correlated with AF IL-8 levels ( r = 0.778). However, the level of agreement between CVF and AF IL-8 levels yielded a Cohen κ statistic of 0.276. Paired Student t test revealed that the difference between CVF and AF IL-8 levels was statistically significant. The area under the curve for AF IL-8 was significantly higher than that for CVF IL-8 ( P = .013). In women with PPROM, IL-8 levels in CVF were significantly correlated with, but were significantly different from, those in AF samples. The CVF IL-8 has moderate predictive capability for the risk of MIAC, but this is inferior to AF IL-8.

Cholesterol-lowering and lipid oxidation reduction potentials of traditional seasonings in Salchichon dry-fermented sausages

Five different natural/traditional seasonings including doenjang (fermented soybean paste), gochu-jang (red pepper paste), fresh medium-hot and hot peppers, and garlic were used, and 1 % (w/w) each was incorporated into formulations of Salchichon fermented sausage type. After ripening for 51 days, the products were assessed for quality parameters, lipid oxidation, cholesterol content and sensory characteristics. In general, incorporation of the seasonings did not cause color or texture defects whereas it had beneficial effects on improvement of product's quality; however the effects differed depending on each type of seasonings added. Noticeably, most treatments with the seasonings significantly reduced the lipid oxidation. Additionally, incorporating doenjang, gochu-jang, medium-hot peppers, hot peppers and garlic resulted in reduction of 32.03, 28.96, 36.30, 19.53 and 33.03 mg cholesterol/100 g sample, corresponding to 26.78, 24.21, 30.35, 16.33 and 27.61 %, respectively. Higher scores for the sensory traits such as aroma, taste, color and acceptability were also observed for the samples with seasonings. The current work demonstrated that the tested seasonings represent potentially natural ingredients for producing healthier Salchichon fermented sausages.

Prediction of spontaneous preterm birth in women with cervical insufficiency: Comprehensive analysis of multiple proteins in amniotic fluid

AIM

The purpose of this study is to determine whether proinflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in amniotic fluid (AF), alone or in combination with clinical risk factors, can predict spontaneous preterm delivery (SPTD) at < 34 weeks in women with cervical insufficiency.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included 57 consecutive singleton pregnant women (17-28 gestational weeks) with cervical insufficiency who underwent amniocentesis. AF was assayed for five cytokines (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-8, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, macrophage inflammatory protein [MIP]-1α, and MIP-1β) and five MMPs (MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-8, and MMP-9) using multiplex immunoassay kits. The primary outcome measure was SPTD at < 34 weeks.

RESULTS

The AF concentrations of MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-8, MMP-9, IL-6, IL-8, MIP-1α and MIP-1β were significantly higher in women with SPTD at < 34 weeks. Women who had SPTD at < 34 weeks were younger, had significantly more advanced cervical dilatation at presentation and a higher rate of positive AF cultures. Using stepwise regression analysis, a combined prediction model was developed that included maternal age, cervical dilatation at presentation, AF MMP-1 and AF MMP-8 (area under the curve [AUC] 0.951). The AUC for this model was significantly greater than for any single protein alone in AF or for each of the clinical risk factors alone.

CONCLUSION

A model combining proteins in AF and clinical factors can improve the accuracy of risk prediction for preterm birth and this combination is more accurate than each of the biomarkers alone in women with cervical insufficiency.

Beneficial Effects of Traditional Seasonings on Quality Characteristics of Fermented Sausages

Though traditional seasonings are widely used in many dishes, however, no attention has been paid to the investigation of their effects on quality characteristics of food products. The present investigation was undertaken to study the effects of incorporating several traditional seasonings including doenjang (fermented soybean paste), gochu-jang (red pepper paste), fresh medium-hot, and hot peppers, and fresh garlic on the lipid oxidation, cholesterol content and sensory characteristics of fermented sausages. Six fermented sausage treatments (5 with 1% (w/w) each test seasoning and 1 without added test seasoning (control) were prepared. The addition of seasonings generally had beneficial effects on the improvement of fermented sausage's quality however the effects differed depending on the each type of seasonings added. Significant lower pH values were found in all fermented sausages made with the seasonings while, lower levels of lipid oxidation were found in the treatments with hot peppers and garlic as compared with the control (p<0.05). The treatment with seasonings did not cause color or texture defects in the products whereas the sausages made with gochu-jang had significantly higher Commission International de l'Eclairagea* (redness) value in comparison with the control. Noticeably, incorporating doenjang, medium-hot peppers, hot peppers and garlic resulted in reduction of 26.50, 32.54, 47.04, and 48.54 mg cholesterol/100 g samples, respectively (p<0.05). Higher scores for the sensory traits such as aroma, taste, color and acceptability were also given for the sausages made with seasonings. The current work demonstrates that the test seasonings represent potentially natural ingredients to be used for producing healthier fermented sausages.

Quality Properties of Sausages Made with Replacement of Pork with Corn Starch, Chicken Breast and Surimi during Refrigerated Storage

This effect of replacing pork with corn starch, chicken breast and surimi on the chemical composition, physical, texture and sensory properties of sausage were investigated during storage. Five treatments of sausage such as; T1 (10:0:0, %), T2 (10:5:0, %), T3 (10:10:5, %), T4 (10:15:10, %) and T5 (10:20:15, %) were prepared with replacement of pork with corn starch, chicken breast and surimi. The sausage made with pork meat served as control (C). The sausage in the control had higher moisture and fat contents, but lower protein content than the treatments (p<0.05). The sausages in the T2 and T5 had decreased pH values after 3 wk storage (p<0.05). The lightness value was lowest in the T3, while the yellowness values were lowest in the T5 during the storage. The TBARS (2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substance) values were lowest in the control in all storage times (p<0.05). However, the sausage in the control had higher VBN (volatile basic nitrogen) value than the treatments during the 1 wk storage (p<0.05). All treatments had significantly higher hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess and chewiness values (p<0.05) than the control. The results indicated that corn starch, chicken breast and surimi can used as a pork replacer, that it also improves the physicochemical and texture properties of pork sausages.

Effect of cut type and post-mortem ageing on the technological quality, textural profile and sensory characteristics of horse meat

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of cut type and ageing period on the technological quality, colour, texture and sensory characteristics of horse meat. Nine different cuts: loin, shoulder chuck roll, shank, outside round, tenderloin, shoulder clod, brisket, top round and striploin from 28-month-old female horses were used in the present investigation. The cuts were randomly assigned into 2, 10, 20 and 30 days’ ageing groups and ageing was carried out in a chilling room (2 ± 2°C). The results showed that there were significant (P < 0.05) differences among the cuts for the drip loss, pH and cooking loss at all ageing days; particularly, striploin had the lowest pH and highest drip loss whereas shoulder chuck roll had the highest pH value. Ageing significantly (P < 0.05) increased in pH and drip loss in most cuts with the highest drip loss ~5.17% in striploin and the highest cooking loss ~9.27% in shoulder chuck roll after 30 days of ageing. At Day 2 of ageing, no differences in Warner–Bratzler shear force values occurred between the cuts (P > 0.05). Ageing only decreased Warner–Bratzler shear force in the loin and outside round (P < 0.05). Colour parameters also revealed differences between cuts and ageing periods, particularly the L* (lightness) values ranged between the cuts from 34.38 to 37.14, 34.0 to 37.24, 33.24 to 37.07, and 34.7 to 38.92 at Days 2, 10, 20 and 30 of ageing, respectively; similarly the a* (redness) values ranged between the cuts from 16.76 to 17.81, 16.61 to 17.85, 17.46 to 19.46, and 17.72 to 20.47 at Days 2, 10, 20 and 30 of ageing, respectively. For the compression, the lowest hardness values (4.41–5.73 kg) were found in tenderloin at all ageing days. Furthermore, the scores for tenderness, flavour, juiciness and acceptability were different (P < 0.05) among the cuts at all ageing days. Ageing improved flavour of loin, shank and striploin, and juiciness of tenderloin and striploin whereas it decreased the juiciness and acceptability scores of some cuts (e.g. shoulder chuck roll). Thus, the present data provide not only useful information for horse meat producers but also important databases for further investigations.

Prediction of impending preterm delivery based on sonographic cervical length and different cytokine levels in cervicovaginal fluid in preterm labor

AIMS

The aim of this study was to determine whether cervicovaginal interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 levels, and cervical length, alone or in combination, could predict impending preterm delivery in women with preterm labor and intact membranes.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Cervicovaginal swab samples for IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 assays were taken from 136 consecutive women with preterm labor (23-34 weeks) before the transvaginal ultrasonography examination to measure cervical length. The primary outcome measurement was spontaneous preterm delivery within 7 days of sampling.

RESULTS

Spontaneous preterm delivery within 7 days occurred in 28.6% (39/136) of patients. Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curves indicated that cervical length (P < 0.001), cervicovaginal IL-6 (P < 0.001) and IL-8 (P = 0.014), but not IL-1β, could predict delivery within 7 days. According to the logistic regression analysis, high cervicovaginal IL-8 (P = 0.008) and IL-6 (P = 0.038) levels and short cervical length (P < 0.001) were significantly associated with delivery within 7 days, even after controlling for baseline variables. A combination of cervix length and cervicovaginal IL-8 increased the specificity of detecting delivery within 7 days to 92.8%, which was superior to either test alone (P < 0.001), but the sensitivity was only 56.4%.

CONCLUSION

In women with preterm labor, among the parameters assessed, cervicovaginal IL-6 and IL-8 and cervical length are the most important parameters in predicting impending preterm delivery. A combination of cervix length and cervicovaginal IL-8 appeared to be the best for predicting impending preterm delivery, but the relatively low sensitivity of this test may limit its clinical usefulness.

Developmental Dynamic Analysis of the Excreted Microbiome of Chickens Using Next-Generation Sequencing

Poultry contamination can be largely attributed to the presence of chicken feces during the production process. Fecal contamination is often found in raw chicken products sold for human consumption. Quantitative analysis of the fecal microbial community of chickens using next-generation sequencing techniques is the focus of this study. Fecal samples were collected from 30 broiler chickens at two time points: days 1 and 35 of development. 454 pyrosequencing was conducted on 16S rRNA extracted from each sample, and microbial population dynamics were investigated using various automated bioinformatics pipelines. Diversity of the microbial community at the genus level increased during the 5-week growth period. Despite this growth, only a few dominant bacteria groups (over 80%) were identified in each fecal sample, with most groups being unique and only a few were shared between samples. Population analysis at the genus level showed that microbial diversity increased with chicken growth and development. Classification and phylogenetic analysis of highly represented microbes (over 1%) clearly showed high levels of sequence similarity between groups such as Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. These results suggest that the chicken fecal excreted microbiome is a dynamic system with a differentiated population structure that harbors a highly restricted number of higher taxa.

The prognostic significance of pretreatment [18F]FDG-PET/CT imaging in patients with uterine cervical cancer: preliminary results

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION

To evaluate the prognostic significance of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in patients diagnosed with cervical cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with cervical cancer in FIGO Stages IB1 to IVB were imaged with PET/CT prior to treatment during one of the staging work-ups. The patients were observed for a median of 31.4 months (range, six to 89 months) after the initial treatment. The standardized uptake value (SUV) max of the primary cervical tumor mass was compared with the prognostic factors. RESULTs: A total of 81 patients who were primarily treated with radical hysterectomy (RH, n = 45) or concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT, n = 36) were analyzed. Multivariate analysis indicated that larger tumor size (> 4 cm, OR 8.694, 95% CI, 1.638-46.146), deep stromal invasion (≥ 1 cm, OR 7.249, 95% CI, 1.141-46.039) by the primary tumor, and pathologically confirmed pelvic lymph node involvement (positive, OR 14.586, 95% CI, 2.072-102.674) were significantly associated with recurrence after treatment. However, pretreatment SUVmax was not a significant independent predictor of disease recurrence (OR 1.058, 95% CI, 0.255-4.398).

CONCLUSION

[18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake by the primary tumor showed a significant association with several risk factors that have been identified as treatment predictors. However, a high pretreatment SUVmax was not predictive of recurrence in uter- ine cervical cancer patients.

NLRP3 inflammasome activation by mitochondrial ROS in bronchial epithelial cells is required for allergic inflammation

Abnormality in mitochondria has been suggested to be associated with development of allergic airway disorders. In this study, to evaluate the relationship between mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in allergic asthma, we used a newly developed mitochondrial ROS inhibitor, NecroX-5. NecroX-5 reduced the increase of mitochondrial ROS generation in airway inflammatory cells, as well as bronchial epithelial cells, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-κB, increased expression of various inflammatory mediators and pathophysiological features of allergic asthma in mice. Finally, blockade of IL-1β substantially reduced airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness in the asthmatic mice. These findings suggest that mitochondrial ROS have a critical role in the pathogenesis of allergic airway inflammation through the modulation of NLRP3 inflammasome activation, providing a novel role of airway epithelial cells expressing NLRP3 inflammasome as an immune responder.

Beef quality traits of heifer in comparison with steer, bull and cow at various feeding environments

The present review has been focused largely on the sex type differences in beef quality among heifers, cows, steers and bulls in various feeding environments. Genetic groups, feeding systems and gender are the major factors that change carcass characteristics and fatty acid profiles of cattle. Studies identified that heifer beef has super characteristics in eating quality and a better healthy composition in fatty acids than steer, cow and bull. Diet influences the variation of fatty acid profile; particularly the level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) interacts with breed and sex. Animals finished in pasture systems were reported to show better ratios of PUFA/ saturated fatty acids and n-6/n-3. Carcasses of roughage-fed beef are lighter and have less marbling and lower quality grades but have higher cutability than carcasses of grain-fed bulls. Heifers and cows are reported to deposit more fat than steers and bulls. Among males, lower production of testosterone by steers favors more fat thickness compared with bulls. Marbling greatly varies among cattle belonging to different sexes, and particularly, females have genetic makeup that efficiently controls deposition. The current review identified that heifers can be a premium beef brand, while steer beef currently take a large part of market share across the world.

Genome-wide Association Study for Warner-Bratzler Shear Force and Sensory Traits in Hanwoo (Korean Cattle)

Significant SNPs associated with Warner-Bratzler (WB) shear force and sensory traits were confirmed for Hanwoo beef (Korean cattle). A Bonferroni-corrected genome-wide significant association (p<1.3×10⁻⁶) was detected with only one single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on chromosome 5 for WB shear force. A slightly higher number of SNPs was significantly (p<0.001) associated with WB shear force than with other sensory traits. Further, 50, 25, 29, and 34 SNPs were significantly associated with WB shear force, tenderness, juiciness, and flavor likeness, respectively. The SNPs between p = 0.001 and p = 0.0001 thresholds explained 3% to 9% of the phenotypic variance, while the most significant SNPs accounted for 7% to 12% of the phenotypic variance. In conclusion, because WB shear force and sensory evaluation were moderately affected by a few loci and minimally affected by other loci, further studies are required by using a large sample size and high marker density.

Genetic Polymorphisms of the Bovine NOV Gene Are Significantly Associated with Carcass Traits in Korean Cattle

The objective of this study was to investigate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the bovine nephroblastoma overexpressed (NOV) gene and to evaluate whether these polymorphisms affect carcass traits in the Korean cattle population. We resequenced to detect SNPs from 24 unrelated individuals and identified 19 SNPs within the full 8.4-kb gene, including the 1.5-kb promoter region. Of these 19 SNPs, four were selected for genotyping based on linkage disequilibrium (LD). We genotyped 429 steers to assess the associations of these four SNPs with carcass traits. Statistical analysis revealed that g.7801T>C and g.8379A>C polymorphisms in the NOV gene were associated with carcass weight (p = 0.012 and 0.008, respectively), and the g.2005A>G polymorphism was associated with the back fat thickness (BF) trait (p = 0.0001). One haplotype of the four SNPs (GGTA) was significantly associated with BF (p = 0.0005). Our findings suggest that polymorphisms in the NOV gene may be among the important genetic factors affecting carcass yield in beef cattle.

Effects of Dietary Scutellaria baicalensis Extract on Growth, Feed Utilization and Challenge Test of Olive Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)

Effects of dietary Scutellaria baicalensis extract (SBE) on growth, feed utilization and challenge test of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) were determined. Six hundred thirty fish averaging 5.0 g were distributed into 18, 180-L tanks. Six experimental diets were prepared in triplicate: SBE-0, SBE-0.5, SBE-1, SBE-2, SBE-3 and SBE-5 diets containing SBE at the concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3 and 5%, respectively. Fish were hand-fed to apparent satiation twice a day for 8 wks. At the end of 8-wk feeding trial, ten fish from each tank were infected by Edwardsiella tarda for challenge test. Survival and weight gain of fish were not affected by dietary concentrations of SBE. However, specific growth rate of fish fed the SBE-2 diet was higher than that of fish fed the SBE-0, SBE-1, SBE-3 and SBE-5 diets. Neither feed efficiency nor serum chemical composition of fish was affected by dietary concentrations of SBE. The cumulative mortality of fish fed the SBE-0 diet was 100% at 96 h after E. tarda infection, but 77 to 87% for fish fed the other diets. Dietary inclusion of 2% SBE appears to be recommendable to improve specific growth rate of fish and SBE had the potential to mitigate mortality of fish at E. tarda infection.

Clinical significance of an increased cochlear 3D fluid-attenuated inversion recovery signal intensity on an MR imaging examination in patients with acoustic neuroma

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The increased cochlear signal on FLAIR images in patients with acoustic neuroma is explained by an increased concentration of protein in the perilymphatic space. However, there is still debate whether there is a correlation between the increased cochlear FLAIR signal and the degree of hearing disturbance in patients with acoustic neuroma. Our aim was to investigate the clinical significance of an increased cochlear 3D FLAIR signal in patients with acoustic neuroma according to acoustic neuroma extent in a large patient cohort.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective study enrolled 102 patients with acoustic neuroma, who were divided into 2 groups based on tumor location; 22 tumors were confined to the internal auditory canal and 80 extended to the cerebellopontine angle cistern. Pure tone audiometry results and hearing symptoms were obtained from medical records. The relative signal intensity of the entire cochlea to the corresponding brain stem was calculated by placing regions of interest on 3D FLAIR images. Statistical analysis was performed to compare the cochlear relative signal intensity between the internal auditory canal acoustic neuroma and the cerebellopontine angle acoustic neuroma. The correlation between the cochlear relative signal intensity and the presence of hearing symptoms or the pure tone audiometry results was investigated.

RESULTS

The internal auditory canal acoustic neuroma cochlea had a significantly lower relative signal intensity than the cerebellopontine angle acoustic neuroma cochlea (0.42±0.15 versus 0.60±0.17, P<.001). The relative signal intensity correlated with the audiometric findings in patients with internal auditory canal acoustic neuroma (r=0.471, P=.027) but not in patients with cerebellopontine angle acoustic neuroma (P=.427). Neither internal auditory canal acoustic neuroma nor cerebellopontine angle acoustic neuroma showed significant relative signal intensity differences, regardless of the presence of hearing symptoms (P>.5).

CONCLUSIONS

The cochlear signal on FLAIR images may be an additional parameter to use when monitoring the degree of functional impairment during follow-up of patients with small acoustic neuromas confined to the internal auditory canals.