Whole body computed tomography for trauma patients in the Nordic countries 2014: survey shows significant differences and a need for common guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Whole body computed tomography in trauma (WBCTT) is a standardized CT examination of trauma patients. It has a relatively high radiation dose. Therefore, well-defined clinical indications and imaging protocols are needed. This information regarding Nordic countries is limited. PURPOSE: To identify Nordic countries' WBCTT imaging protocols, radiation dose, and integration in trauma care, and to inquire about the need for common Nordic guidelines. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey with 23 multiple choice questions or free text responses was sent to 95 hospitals and 10 trauma centers in and outside the Nordic region, respectively. The questions were defined and the hospitals selected in collaboration with board members of "Nordic Forum for Trauma and Emergency Radiology" (www.nordictraumarad.com). RESULTS: Two Nordic hospitals declined to take part in the survey. Out of the remaining 93 Nordic hospitals, 56 completed the questionnaire. Arterial visualization is routine in major trauma centers but only in 50% of the Nordic hospitals. The CT scanner is located within 50 m of the emergency department in all non-Nordic trauma centers but only in 60% of Nordic hospitals. Radiation dose for WBCTT is in the range of 900-3600 mGy × cm. Of the 56 responding Nordic hospitals, 84% have official guidelines for WBCTT. Eighty-nine percent of the responders state there is a need for common guidelines. CONCLUSION: Scanning protocols, radiation doses, and routines differ significantly between hospitals and trauma centers. Guideline for WBCTT is presently defined locally in most Nordic hospitals. There is an interest in most Nordic hospitals to endorse new and common guidelines for WBCTT.

The miR-143/-145 cluster regulates plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Upregulation of the proto-oncogene plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is a common hallmark of various solid tumours, but the mechanisms controlling its expression are not fully understood. METHODS: We investigate microRNAs (miRNAs) regulating PAI-1 in a panel of normal bladder urothelial biopsies, superficial Ta bladder tumours and invasive T1-T4 tumours using expression microarrays and qRT-PCR. The prognostic implications of PAI-1 deregulation are established by tissue microarray staining of non-muscle-invasive bladder tumours. MicroRNA repression of PAI-1 is assayed by ectopic miRNA expression, argonaute immunoprecipitation and luciferase assays. RESULTS: We found that the miR-143/-145 cluster is downregulated in all stages of bladder cancer and inversely correlated with PAI-1 expression. Mature miR-143 and miR-145 are coordinately expressed, and both directly target the PAI-1 3'UTR, leading to reduced PAI-1 mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, we show that PAI-1 and miR-145 levels may serve as useful prognostic markers for non-muscle-invasive bladder tumours for which accurate progressive outcome is currently difficult to predict. CONCLUSION: This report provides the first evidence for direct miRNA regulation of PAI-1 in bladder cancer. We also demonstrate mRNA co-targeting by a cluster of non-family miRNAs, and suggest miR-145 and PAI-1 as clinically relevant biomarkers in bladder cancer.

Carcass composition and yield of Alaskan reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) steers and effects of electrical stimulation applied during field slaughter on meat quality.

Twenty six adult reindeer steers (>3 years old) were used in a study to evaluate the effect of electrical stimulation (ES) on the quality of hot-boned, rapidly frozen shoulder meat and of the striploin (M. longissimus, LD) from carcasses held at +3°C for 48h. Carcass yield and composition was determined from the left carcass half from which the shoulder meat was not removed. The shoulder meat was processed frozen into cubed, sliced or ground products. Proximate composition of the LD, meat color and water-holding capacity were very similar for the ES (n=15) and non-electrical stimulation (NES; n=11) groups. Ultimate pH and shear force values were significantly lower in the ES meat (LD), however a trained sensory panel could not detect differences between the two groups in any of the measured sensory attributes. Consumer preference tests demonstrated that ES increased tenderness in the cubed and sliced products made from field slaughtered reindeer shoulder meat. ES in combination with hot boning and processing of boneless frozen meat can be used in field slaughter systems for reindeer to improve meat quality and to increase the potential value of the carcass.

Influence of diet on fatty acids and tocopherols in M. longissimus dorsi from reindeer.

Our aim was to compare the effects of two pelleted diets containing differing FA composition with natural lichen pasture on reindeer's meat FA composition. In addition we wanted to increase the knowledge about reindeer FA metabolism and the effect of animal sex and age on FA composition in reindeer muscle. The trial included five reindeer groups: three grazing, consisting of adult males, adult females, and calves; and two groups of calves fed conventional pellets (CPD) and pellets containing crushed linseed (LPD), respectively, for two months before slaughter. Differences between male and female animals were mainly found in the neutral lipid fraction and related to fatness. Calves differed significantly from adult males and females in FA and lipid class composition. CPD led to a higher ratio of n-6 to n-3 FA compared with grazing. The ratio n-6/n-3 in the polar lipid (PL) fraction of the animals fed LPD was slightly, but not significantly, higher than that in the grazing reindeer. LPD-fed animals had lower proportions of long-chain polyunsaturated FA (LCPUFA), namely 20:4n-6, 22:5n-3, and 22:6n-3, in the PL fraction compared with the grazing animals due to the content of these FA in the natural feed. The animals seemed unable to elongate dietary FA in significant amounts. We conclude that by adding crushed linseed to the pellets it was possible to keep the favorable FA composition of meat from grazing reindeer with regard to the n-6/n-3 ratio but not in LCPUFA.

Game and venison - meat for the modern consumer.

This review focuses on how game meat from southern Africa and venison that are increasingly being imported into Europe and the US addresses consumer issues as pertaining to production (wild, free range or intensive production) and harvesting methods, healthiness (chemical composition, particularly fatty acid composition), and traceability. Although African game meat species are farmed extensively, deer species are farmed using extensive to intensive production systems. However, the increasingly intensive production of the cervids and the accompanying practices associated with this (castration, velvetting, feeding of balanced diets, etc.) may have a negative impact in the near future on the consumer's perception of these animals. These alternative meat species are all harvested in a sustainable manner using acceptable methods. All these species have very low muscle fat contents consisting predominantly of structural lipid components (phospholipid and cholesterol) that have high proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This results in the meat having desirable polyunsaturated:saturated and n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratios. The South African traceability system is discussed briefly as an example on how these exporting countries are able to address the requirements pertaining to the import of meat as stipulated by the European Economic Community.

Pre-slaughter handling of reindeer-effects on meat quality.

The centralization of the slaughter industry has created one of the biggest problems for beef quality, namely dark-cutting or DFD. After studying the various handling routines and their effects on meat quality, it was found possible, by applying simple and clearcut rules, to minimize the DFD frequency in beef. We then started to scrutinize the slaughter procedure for reindeer, as we realized that new directives in Sweden would lead to centralization of the slaughter industry. Before the new directives were introduced we obtained sufficient funding to set up a four-year research project dealing with old and new slaughter handling procedures for reindeer and their effects on meat quality. The overall objective was to devise simple and effective rules for the handling of slaughter reindeer in order to avoid meat quality deterioration. Various preslaughter handling routines for reindeer, such as gathering and herding, selection, feeding, road transport and lairage, imply stressful events which can affect glycogen stores in muscle and hence meat quality. During a 3 day helicopter drive (20 km/day), we found no negative effects on glycogen stores or ultimate pH values. Lorry transport of reindeer over various distances (0 up to 1000 km) did not cause any increase in ultimate pH values in bulls and calves, though cows did show a slight increase in pH. A 2-day pre-slaughter waiting period at a slaughterhouse, where the reindeer were fed hay and water, caused no deleterious effects on muscle glycogen content or pH. Sorting out reindeer by use of the traditional lasso technique, however, seems to be the only handling procedure so far studied causing considerable physical and mental stress leading to muscle glycogen depletion and dark-cutting. The effects of various handling procedures are very much dependent on the physical condition of the animals. From our studies we can conclude that feeding has a major influence on physical condition, muscle glycogen content and hence meat quality.

Fatty acids, antioxidants and oxidation stability of processed reindeer meat.

The effect of hot smoking and drying on reindeer meat (M. semimembranosus) was investigated with regard to vitamin content, fatty acids (FA), lipid oxidation and lipolysis. In smoked and dried meat, free fatty acids were found to increase (P<0.001), whereas polar lipids, cholesterol and triacylglycerols decreased. Only slight changes in FA composition of the smoked meat were found but the composition of the dried meat differed significantly from both smoked and fresh meat. Fresh and smoked meat were found to have low values (0.11 µg/g dry matter (DM); 0.21 µg/g DM) of thiobarbituric acid reacting substances but dried meat had high values (8.33 µg/g DM; P<0.001). Retinol was found only in the fresh meat and the tocopherol content decreased significantly (P<0.001) as a result of the processing. We conclude that the smoking process slightly changed FA composition, lipid class composition and vitamin content, whereas drying resulted in major changes in all the analysed parameters.

Fatty acid composition of M. longissimus lumborum, ultimate muscle pH values and carcass parameters in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L) grazed on natural pasture or fed a commercial feed mixture.

The effects of feeding regimen on the fatty acid composition of M. longissimus, ultimate pH values in three muscles (Mm. longissimus, triceps brachii and biceps femoris) and carcass quality were studied in15 reindeer bulls. Nine animals came from natural pasture and six had been fed a pelleted commercial feed mixture for two months prior to slaughter. The pellet fed reindeer had significantly better carcass grading scores (EUROP conformation), higher trim fat content, more intramuscular fat and lower ultimate pH values in all three muscles than the group from pasture. The polar and neutral lipid fatty acid composition of the meat was analysed separately. Meat from pasture fed reindeer showed a high content of the fatty acid 18:3 n-3 in the polar lipid fraction. In the same lipid fraction, the fatty acid 18:2 n-6 was dominant in meat from the pellet fed animals. Similar differences in the neutral lipid fraction were found when comparing fatty acid composition between treatment groups, however the abundance of these fatty acids was much less. The present results confirm previous findings that reindeer fed typical pelleted commercial feed mixtures generally have an improved nutritional status.

Muscle glycogen levels and blood metabolites in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.) after transport and lairage.

A total of 66 reindeer cows and calves were included in a study on the effects of supplementary feeding, transport and lairage on muscle glycogen content, ultimate pH and blood metabolite values. Thirty reindeer (10 not transported, 20 transported 800 km) received no supplementary feed (groups A-C), another 30 animals (10 not transported, 20 transported 1000 km) were given a supplementary reindeer feed mixture 2 months prior to slaughter (groups D-F) and six animals, which had been part of a feeding experiment, were fed for 5 months and slaughtered at the research unit. Glycogen determinations and pH measurements were made in m. longissimus, m. biceps femoris and m. triceps brachii. Blood samples were collected at slaughter and muscle samples were taken 30 min after slaughter. Ultimate pH was measured 30 hr post mortem. The glycogen content in the muscles of groups A-C was very low (100-200 mmol/kg). In groups D-G, the glycogen content was equivalent to normal beef muscle values (300-500 mmol/kg). The values of the blood metabolites urea and creatinine, both of which could indicate protein catabolism caused by stress, were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in animals not having received supplemental feed (groups A-C). Alkaline phosphatase values were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in supplemental fed animals (groups D-G), indicating that their nutritional status was good. Total protein values were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in groups A, D, E and F compared to the other groups. Lorry transport did not significantly (p > 0.05) reduce the muscle glycogen content. Lairage (groups C and F) showed no negative effect on the parameters examined. These results suggest that the animals' physical condition and nutritional status have a considerable effect on their ability to tolerate various stress factors, such as lorry transport and lairage.

Ultrastructural changes during aging in M. longissimus thoracis from moose and reindeer.

Game meat is commonly consumed in Europe but few studies have examined the quality related parameters. In this study we examined the changes in ultrastructure at four times postmortem in M. longissimus from moose (Alces alces) and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus). The moose were slaughtered during a hunt and reindeer by Swedish standard practices for this semi-domestic animal. Ultrastructural changes occurring in all animals included separation of the sarcolemma from myofibrils, I band breaks, and cytoskeleton breaks; however both I band breaks and cytoskeletal breaks were less common in moose and reindeer than values reported for sheep and beef. Fiber area in the longissimus thoracis muscle was approximately 3270 µm(2) for moose and 1170 µm(2) for reindeer indicating that the tenderness of reindeer meat may be largely determined by fiber size.

Electrical stimulation of red deer (Cervus elaphus) carcasses - effects on rate of pH-decline, meat tenderness, colour stability and water-holding capacity.

A total of 14 female red deer were included in a study on the effects of low voltage carcass electrical stimulation on meat tenderness, colour stability and water-holding capacity. Carcasses were randomly allocated to either electrical stimulation treatment (ES; 90-95 V unipolar pulses, 7.5 ms duration, 15 Hz for a duration of 55 s) or no electrical stimulation (non-ES) (n=7 in each group). Temperature and pH decline was recorded in M.m. triceps brachii, longissimus dorsi et lumborum (at the last rib; LD) and biceps femoris, at intervals from 0.5 to 20 h post-mortem. At 24 h post-mortem, LD from the left side were excised, vacuum packaged and refrigerated at -1.5°C. Glycogen concentrations, measured at 30 min post-mortem, and ultimate pH did not differ between groups. Compared to controls, ES increased the rate of muscle pH decline and produced lower shear forces at 1 day, 1 week and 3 weeks post-mortem, but these differences disappeared by 6 and 12 weeks post-mortem. Sarcomere lengths at 24 h post-mortem were unchanged by ES. After 1 week of refrigerated storage, ES significantly reduced display life (hours of Minolta a* value ⩾ 12), but this difference disappeared at 3, 6 and 12 weeks of ageing. ES did not affect drip at any ageing time point. The present results demonstrate that the benefits of ES on tenderness are not permanent, and the procedure is not necessary for a long-term, chilled product. This study showed no detrimental effects of using electrical stimulation on meat colour stability or drip loss.

Proteolysis and tenderisation in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.) bull longissimus thoracis muscle of varying ultimate pH.

Proteolysis and tenderisation in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.) M. Longissimus Thoracis were studied. Mm. Longissimus ( the part cut out between vertebrae thoracales 6-7 and vertebrae lumbales 5-6) from 12 reindeer bulls (age 1 1 2 years) were, after ultimate pH and temperature measurements, excised and then sampled at various times post mortem for determination of sarcomere length, Warner-Bratzler shear force, calpain and calpastatin activities, cathepsins B + L activities, active site titration of cystatin-like inhibitors, myofibrillar protein degradation, collagen content and heat solubility. Upon measurement of ultimate pH, the carcasses were divided into two pH groups; normal pH (5.65 ≤ pH ≤ 5.79) and high pH (pH ≥ 5.80). Temperature and pH fall were relatively rapid in all reindeer carcasses. Sarcomere lengths tended to be shorter in the carcasses of the high pH group. In the three carcasses with the highest ultimate pH values (6.11, 6.34 and 6.38), sarcomere lengths were around or below 40% of resting length (1.37µm, 1.25µm and 1.25µm, respectively) which is likely associated with the occurrence of heat shortening. Total collagen content was higher and heat solubility lower in the high pH group, which could have masked differences in tenderness. However, all reindeer longissimus muscle samples were found to be extremely tender regardless of ultimate pH. By 3 days post mortem Warner-Bratzler shear force values were varying between 2.1-4.9 kg cm(2). There was a significantly higher activity of µ-calpain in the high pH group at 1 day post mortem. No differences in shear force, myofibrillar protein degradation as observed by SDS-PAGE, m-calpain and calpastatin activities, calhepsins B+ L activities or the levels of cystatin-like inhibitors were found between the two pH groups.

Small heat shock proteins and their role in meat tenderness: a review.

The eating quality of meat is a result of complex interactions between the biological traits and biochemical processes during the conversion of muscle to meat. It was hypothesised that muscles inevitably engage towards apoptotic cell death due to the termination of oxygen and nutrient supply to the muscle following exsanguination. Thus, factors that regulate the process of apoptotic cell death of muscle cells are believed to ultimately influence meat quality. Proteomic studies have associated the regulation of small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) with various meat quality attributes including tenderness, colour, juiciness and flavour. Due to the anti-apoptotic and chaperone functions of sHSPs, they are proposed to be involved with the eating quality of meat. In this review, we discuss the possible chaperone and anti-apoptotic role of sHSPs during the conversion of muscle to meat and consider the repercussions of this on the development of meat tenderness.

Effect of pelvic suspension on the instrumental meat quality characteristics of red deer (Cervus elaphus) and fallow deer (Dama dama) venison.

The effect of pelvic and Achilles tendon suspension of red and fallow deer carcasses on meat quality parameters were compared. Venison was evaluated from red deer stags (n=14), bucks (n=14) and fallow deer does (n=10) between 12 and 36months old. Immediately after slaughter, carcasses were split down the dorsal midline and assigned to one of the two hanging methods and pH and core body temperature measured. Twenty-four hours post-slaughter muscles were excised. Venison from fallow deer and red deer stags pelvic-suspended had significantly lower (P<0.001) cooked shear force values than Achilles hung carcasses. There was no significant difference between hanging technique for other characteristics measured. These data indicated that pelvic suspension should be adopted by the deer industry to increase tenderness of venison.

Epigenetic-induced repression of microRNA-205 is associated with MED1 activation and a poorer prognosis in localized prostate cancer.

Deregulation of microRNA (miRNA) expression can have a critical role in carcinogenesis. Here we show in prostate cancer that miRNA-205 (miR-205) transcription is commonly repressed and the MIR-205 locus is hypermethylated. LOC642587, the MIR-205 host gene of unknown function, is also concordantly inactivated. We show that miR-205 targets mediator 1 (MED1, also called TRAP220 and PPARBP) for transcriptional silencing in normal prostate cells, leading to reduction in MED1 mRNA levels, and in total and active phospho-MED1 protein. Overexpression of miR-205 in prostate cancer cells negatively affects cell viability, consistent with a tumor suppressor function. We found that hypermethylation of the MIR-205 locus was strongly related with a decrease in miR-205 expression and an increase in MED1 expression in primary tumor samples (n=14), when compared with matched normal prostate (n=7). An expanded patient cohort (tumor n=149, matched normal n=30) also showed significant MIR-205 DNA methylation in tumors compared with normal, and MIR-205 hypermethylation is significantly associated with biochemical recurrence (hazard ratio=2.005, 95% confidence interval (1.109, 3.625), P=0.02), in patients with low preoperative prostate specific antigen. In summary, these results suggest that miR-205 is an epigenetically regulated tumor suppressor that targets MED1 and may provide a potential biomarker in prostate cancer management.

Effect of concentrate feeding on instrumental meat quality and sensory characteristics of fallow deer venison.

Venison from twenty four hybrid fallow deer does, 36months old with an initial body condition score (BCS) of 2, was tested to determine the influence of feed type on meat quality. Feeding with concentrates increased BCS (P<0.01) but did not affect ultimate pH (P>0.05). BCS 4 animals had higher intra muscular fat (IMF) (P<0.01), and more tender meat (P<0.05). Venison from does fed over 24weeks exhibited less redness (P<0.01) than those fed for 19weeks regardless of feed type. Panellists evaluated samples for colour, flavour, tenderness, juiciness and overall liking. They detected significantly (P<0.05) stronger flavour in meat from animals fed concentrates. Male panellists detected flavour differences within meat from animals fed concentrates (P<0.05), with longer feeding periods resulting in stronger flavour. There was no difference in overall liking, therefore finishing fallow deer on grain-based concentrate feeds prior to slaughter provided little commercial advantage.

Seasonal variation in red deer (Cervus elaphus) venison (M. longissimus dorsi) drip loss, calpain activity, colour and tenderness.

Sixty four young red deer (Cervus elaphus) stags (<2 years old) were slaughtered at four different times (December (Group 1); n=17, March (Group 2); n=8, July (Group 3); n=20 and September (Group 4); n=19) to evaluate seasonal effects on venison quality. M. longissimus dorsi samples for calpain analysis were collected on the slaughter line and the rest of these muscles were collected at 1 day post-slaughter. Loins were divided into four parts and randomly allocated to storage for 1 day, 3, 9 or 14weeks at -1.5°C and then vacuum packaged. Seasonal variation was demonstrated in venison pH. Highly significant positive regressions were found for shear force (P<0.001) and colour display life (P<0.001) on pH, where higher pH values were associated with tougher venison and longer colour display life. A clear trend of increasing fluid loss during storage, calculated as amount of purge at 14 weeks of storage minus the amount of drip loss at 1 day post-slaughter, was evident, averaging 2.5% (SEM 0.17) over the four groups. The relative activities of the calpastatin-bound calpain, µ-calpain and m-calpain all exhibited a seasonal pattern although there was no evidence (P>0.05) that this affected tenderness. There was a highly significant (P<0.001) negative regression for the average over the four storage times of drip and purge on calpastatin-bound calpain activity.

Rate of blood loss and timing of exsanguination on prevalence of ecchymosis in fallow deer (Dama dama).

Blood loss associated with four combinations of stunning and exsanguination methods was determined as part of studying prevalence of ecchymosis in slaughtered fallow deer (Dama dama). A fifth treatment simulated incomplete severance of the extended neck after captive bolt stunning. Predicted mean weights of blood collected from the five slaughter treatments, including electrical stunning followed by the thoracic stick method of exsanguination, captive bolt stunning followed by the thoracic stick, captive bolt stunning followed by the gash cut method of exsanguination, electrical stunning followed by the gash cut, and captive bolt stunning followed by incomplete severance of the extended neck, were 1458.7, 1072.7, 684.5, 463.7, and 228.5 g, respectively. The overall effect of exsanguination method was highly significant (p<0.001) with the thoracic stick resulting in the greatest weight of blood collection in the 10s period immediately after initiation. The overall effect of stunning method on blood loss was not significant, although there was a significant (p<0.05) stunning method by exsanguination method interaction. Ecchymosis of varying severity occurred in some carcases from all treatment groups. Using the total loin and round ecchymosis scores, when little or no ecchymosis (grades 0 or 1) was compared with some ecchymosis (grade 2) by logistic regression, castrated bucks were 9.8 times more likely (p=0.002) and does 4.2 times more likely (p=0.06) to have some ecchymosis than entire bucks. The results indicate that ecchymosis can be reduced in fallow deer carcases by thoracic stick exsanguination incorporated less than 10s after stunning.

Evaluation of stored lamb bio-preserved using a three-strain cocktail of Lactobacillus sakei.

Commercially prepared lamb was stored at -1.5 °C after inoculation with a combination of three Lactobacillus sakei strains previously shown to inhibit spoilage and pathogenic bacteria of importance to the meat industry. Between 6 and 14 weeks storage samples were evaluated for growth of inoculated strains, production of fermentation end-products and sensory acceptance of the cooked product. All three L. sakei strains flourished during storage, formed consistently dominant populations and were associated with lower surface pH and increased levels of lactic and acetic acids. Inoculated samples were determined to be as equally acceptable for smell, acidity, rancidity and overall liking as un-inoculated controls.

Spray chilling of deer carcasses--effects on carcass weight, meat moisture content, purge and microbiological quality.

Twenty red deer carcasses were included in the study. Two treatments were applied to the carcasses; control (air chilling) and spray chilling (n=10 for each treatment). Carcass weight and temperature change were registered during over-night chilling. Meat moisture content was measured in the shoulder, loin, flap and leg before and after the chilling treatments; purge, cooking loss and tenderness were measured in loin samples stored at -1.5 °C for 3 and 9 weeks. Microbiological status was assessed on swabs taken at the lumbar end of the loin before and after the chilling treatments. Spray chilling reduced carcass weight loss significantly; air chilled and spray chilled carcasses lost 1 kg and less than 0.01 kg, respectively. No effects of spray chilling on tenderness, purge and cooking loss were found. Bacterial levels were low in general even after 9 weeks of vacuum packaged chilled storage.