Influence of Beef Hot Carcass Weight on Sensory Characteristics of Strip Loin, Eye of Round, and Denver Cut Steaks.

The objective of this research was to investigate the influence of beef hot carcass weight (HCW) on consumer sensory attributes. Beef carcasses (n = 116) were selected based on the USDA quality grade and HCW. Lightweight (LW; 296-341 kg), middleweight (MW; 386-432 kg), or heavyweight (HW; 466-524 kg) carcasses with USDA Choice (LC) or USDA Select (SEL) quality grades were used in this study. Carcasses were tracked through fabrication and the semitendinosus, chuck roll, and strip loin were collected and fabricated into eye of round, Denver cut, and strip loin steaks, respectively, for consumer sensory evaluation. USDA Select MW Denver cut steaks had increased overall liking and texture liking scores and were more tender and juicier than the SEL LW steaks (p ≤ 0.02). USDA Select MW strip loin steaks had increased overall and flavor liking scores and were more tender than the SEL LW steaks (p ≤ 0.02). USDA Choice MW eye of round steaks had increased overall, flavor, and texture liking scores and were juicier than the LW eye of round steaks (p ≤ 0.04). The steaks evaluated in this study were differentially impacted by HCW and little to no clear pattern of effects could be determined across cut or quality grade. Additional research is needed to determine the most acceptable HCW from a consumer perspective.

Analysis of pulmonary vascular injury and repair during Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection-induced pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Herein we describe lung vascular injury and repair using a rodent model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) during: 1) the exudative phase (48-hour survivors) and 2) the reparative/fibro-proliferative phase (1-week survivors). Pneumonia was induced by intratracheal instillation of P. aeruginosa strain PA103, and lung morphology and pulmonary vascular function were determined subsequently. Pulmonary vascular function was assessed in mechanically ventilated animals in vivo (air dead space, PaO2, and lung mechanics) and lung permeability was determined in isolated perfused lungs ex vivo (vascular filtration coefficient and extravascular lung water). At 48 hours post infection, histological analyses demonstrated capillary endothelial disruption, diffuse alveolar damage, perivascular cuffs, and neutrophil influx into lung parenchyma. Infected animals displayed clinical hallmarks of ARDS, including increased vascular permeability, increased dead space, impaired gas exchange, and decreased lung compliance. Overall, the animal infection model recapitulated the morphological and functional changes typically observed in lungs from patients during the exudative phase of ARDS. At 1 week post infection, there was lung histological and pulmonary vascular functional evidence of repair when compared with 48 hours post infection; however, some parameters were still impaired when compared with uninfected controls. Importantly, lungs displayed increased fibrosis and cellular hyperplasia reminiscent of lungs from patients during the fibro-proliferative phase of ARDS. Control, sham inoculated animals showed normal lung histology and function. These data represent the first comprehensive assessment of lung pathophysiology during the exudative and reparative/fibro-proliferative phases of P. aeruginosa pneumonia-induced ARDS, and position this pre-clinical model for use in interventional studies aimed at advancing clinical care.

G-protein ßγ subunit dimers modulate kidney repair after ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.

Heterotrimeric G-proteins play a crucial role in the control of renal epithelial cell function during homeostasis and in response to injury. In this report, G-protein ßγ subunit (Gßγ) dimer activity was evaluated during the process of tubular repair after renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) in male Sprague Dawley rats. Rats were treated with a small molecule inhibitor of Gßγ activity, gallein (30 or 100 mg/kg), 1 hour after reperfusion and every 24 hours for 3 additional days. After IRI, renal dysfunction was prolonged after the high-dose gallein treatment in comparison with vehicle treatment during the 7-day recovery period. Renal tubular repair in the outer medulla 7 days after IRI was significantly (P < 0.001) attenuated after treatment with high-dose gallein (100 mg/kg) in comparison with low-dose gallein (30 mg/kg), or the vehicle and fluorescein control groups. Gallein treatment significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the number of proliferating cell nuclear antigen-positive tubular epithelial cells at 24 hours after the ischemia-reperfusion phase in vivo. In vitro application of gallein on normal rat kidney (NRK-52E) proximal tubule cells significantly reduced (P < 0.05) S-phase cell cycle entry compared with vehicle-treated cells as determined by 5'-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation. Taken together, these data suggest that Gßγ signaling contributes to the maintenance and repair of renal tubular epithelium and may be a novel therapeutic target for the development of drugs to treat acute kidney injury.