Dry-ageing impacts on meat quality, oxidative stability, and release of free amino acids in striploins from dairy crossbred yearling and 2-year-old steers.

This study determined the impacts of dry-ageing on meat quality, oxidative stability, and release of free amino acids (FAAs) in striploins from dairy-crossbred yearlings and 2-year-old steers (n = 12 each group) over 21 days of in-bag dry-ageing. Dry-ageing increased weight losses, with higher % drying rates in yearling meat during dry-ageing, likely due to the smaller loin size and lower intramuscular fat content (P < 0.05). Yearling meat showed greater (P < 0.05) decreases in moisture content, but both meats reached similar moisture levels by day 21. pH values increased with dry-ageing with variations at different ageing times. Dry-ageing reduced a*, b*, and chroma while increasing L* and hue angles on day 21 (P < 0.05), likely due to dehydration and lipid oxidation (higher TBARS, P < 0.05) after 14 days, especially in yearling meat. The decreased levels (P < 0.05) of some monounsaturated fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid cis-9, trans-11 were likely linked with lipid oxidation. Total levels of FAAs and essential amino acids increased significantly, especially within the first 7 days, with distinct patterns between the two meats. Dry-aged yearling meat contained more FAAs associated with sweat taste (e.g., glutamine and glycine) and fewer FAAs associated with bitter taste (e.g., phenylalanine and tyrosine). Carnosine levels varied and significantly increased after 21 days. Dry-ageing demonstrated distinct effects on dehydration, lipid oxidation, and release of FAAs in meat from yearlings compared with 2-year-old steers, which can be tailored to develop high-quality beef products with unique flavours.

The Effect of Average Value Mounting and Facebow Transfer on Condylar Guidance Settings in a Semi-Adjustable Articulator - A Comparative Study using Digital Lateral Cephalographs in Edentulous Patients.

BACKGROUND: While we attempt to restore occlusion in completely edentulous patients there is a consensus among clinicians to articulate the cast using average value and avoid performing facebow transfer. Various studies question the application of facebow transfer in the fabrication of removable complete denture fabrication. AIM: This study was therefore aimed to study the effect on condylar guidance with casts mounted by the facebow method, Bonwill's method, and radiographic method. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed using casts of edentulous patients attending the Department of Prosthodontics. After establishing a tentative jaw relationship using wax occlusal rims in the edentulous participants, the casts were mounted by Bonwill's method and the facebow transfer method to a semi-adjustable articulator. Protrusive records of the subjects were used to program the articulator to obtain the condylar guidance values. Digital lateral cephalographs were made both in centric and protrusive jaw relationships. The mandibular condyles were then traced and overlapped to obtain radiographic values. The condylar guidance values obtained by Bonwill's method, facebow method and radiographic method were compared using Wilcoxon's signed rank test and Mann-Whitney U test. The SPSS Statistics for Windows (Version 21.0. Armonk, NY, USA:IBM Corp.), and, at a probability value of 0.05, the significance of every statistical test was predetermined. RESULTS: Ten edentulous 45-70 year olds participated in the study. The mean discrepancy between radiography and facebow methods was 12.8° for the right side and 12.7° for the left (P < 0.005). The difference between radiography and Bonwill's methods was significant (P < 0.005), with a mean difference of 34.3° for the right side and 34.7° for the left side. The difference between Bonwill's method and the facebow method was significant (P < 0.005), with a mean difference of 21.5° for the right side and 22° for the left side. CONCLUSION: The condylar guidance values obtained by clinical methods (Bonwill's and Facebow) were significantly lesser (P < 0.005) compared to the values obtained by radiographic method.

Multiscale mapping of transcriptomic signatures for cardiotoxic drugs.

Drug-induced gene expression profiles can identify potential mechanisms of toxicity. We focus on obtaining signatures for cardiotoxicity of FDA-approved tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in human induced-pluripotent-stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes, using bulk transcriptomic profiles. We use singular value decomposition to identify drug-selective patterns across cell lines obtained from multiple healthy human subjects. Cellular pathways affected by cardiotoxic TKIs include energy metabolism, contractile, and extracellular matrix dynamics. Projecting these pathways to published single cell expression profiles indicates that TKI responses can be evoked in both cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts. Integration of transcriptomic outlier analysis with whole genomic sequencing of our six cell lines enables us to correctly reidentify a genomic variant causally linked to anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity and predict genomic variants potentially associated with TKI-induced cardiotoxicity. We conclude that mRNA expression profiles when integrated with publicly available genomic, pathway, and single cell transcriptomic datasets, provide multiscale signatures for cardiotoxicity that could be used for drug development and patient stratification.

Combination diuretic therapies in heart failure: Insights from GUIDE-IT.

Introduction: Diuretics are the mainstay of maintaining and restoring euvolemia in the management of heart failure. Loop diuretics are often preferred, however, combination diuretic therapy (CDT) with a thiazide diuretic is often used to overcome diuretic resistance and increase diuretic effect. We performed an analysis of the GUIDE-IT study to assess all-cause mortality and time to first hospitalizations in patients necessitating CDT. Methods: Patients from the GUIDE-IT dataset were stratified by their requirement for CDT with a thiazide to achieve euvolemia. A total of 894 patients were analyzed, 733 of which were treated with loop diuretics alone vs 161 used either chlorothiazide or metolazone in addition to loop diuretics. Kaplan-Meir curves were derived with log-rank p-values to evaluate for differences between the groups. Results: There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality regardless of CDT utilization status (mean survival of 612.704 days vs 603.326 days, p = 0.083). On subgroup analysis, there was no significant difference in all-cause mortality amongst those using loop diuretics compared to CDT in the BNP-guided therapy group, (mean survival time 576.385 days vs 620.585 days, p = 0.0523), nor the control group (614.1 days vs 588.9 days; p = 0.5728). Time to first hospitalization was reduced in all using CDT compared to loop diuretics alone (280.5 days vs 407.2 days, p < 0.0001). On subgroup analysis, both the BNP-guided group as well as the control group had reduced time to first hospitalization in the CDT group compared to those who did not require CDT (BNP group: 287.503 days vs 402.475 days, p ≤0.0001; control group 248.698 days vs 399.035 days, p = 0.0009). Conclusion: Use of CDT is associated with earlier time to hospitalization, though no association was identified with increased all-cause mortality. Further prospective studies are likely needed to determine the true risk and benefits of combination diuretic therapy.

Natural recovery of cardiac allograft diastolic function, a retrospective longitudinal report.

Cardiac allografts suffer diastolic dysfunction early post-heart transplantation (HTx) due to ischemic injury, however the natural course of diastology recovery post HTx remains unknown (Tallaj et al., 2007 [1]). We retrospectively reviewed 60 adult HTx patients between 2015 and 2021 at a single site. Invasive hemodynamics and echocardiograms were obtained at 2 weeks and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-HTx. RA strain by 2D feature tracking was compared to intracardiac pressure measurements. In all patients, we observed normalization of RV and RA filling pressures by post-operative week 12 and recovery of diastolic dysfunction by month 6. There was an inverse correlation between RV end-diastolic pressure and RA contractile (r = -0.192, p < 0.05) and reservoir (r = -0.128, p < 0.05) functions in the allograft. As the post-transplant care paradigm shifts away from invasive procedures, right atrial indices should be included in imaging-based allograft surveillance studies.

Changes in Thyroglobulin Antibody Levels in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Patients After Thyroidectomy: A Retrospective Study in Basrah, Iraq.

INTRODUCTION: Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), the most common endocrine malignancy is subdivided into papillary (the most common) and follicular type. Generally, DTC has a good prognosis with standard treatments such as surgery and, in some cases, radioactive iodine (RAI). Post-treatment follow-up includes thyroglobulin (Tg) and anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) measurement and imaging to assess treatment success and detect recurrence. However, TgAb can interfere with Tg measurements, making it essential to measure TgAb at different times (months).  Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in TgAb level in DTC patients after thyroidectomy and its association with recurrence. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study done at the Faiha Specialized Diabetes, Endocrine, and Metabolism Center (FDEMC), Basrah, Iraq, for individuals diagnosed with DTC between 2008 and 2023. The data collected were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0 (Released 2012; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). The categories were classified according to the TgAb level as: (i) elevated (>115 IU/ml) and (ii) normal (<115 IU/ml), where TgAb levels measured at 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 24-36 months, 36-48 months, and beyond 48 months. RESULTS: The mean age at diagnosis of the study population (n=108) was 40.15 years with a female-to-male ratio of 4:1. Among these individuals, 52.8% (n=57) were found to be obese. Total thyroidectomy was performed on 84.3% (n=91). Papillary thyroid cancer was diagnosed in 69.5% (n=75). TgAb levels were influenced by body mass index (BMI); higher BMI (>30kg/m2) was associated with less consistent TgAb normalization, particularly beyond 48 months (P = 0.04). The study found no significant differences in TgAb normalization based on gender, age, BMI, type of surgery, type of cancer, American Thyroid Association (ATA) risk of recurrence, or radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment. CONCLUSION:  Factors including gender, age, type of surgery, type of cancer, ATA risk of recurrence, and RAI treatment did not significantly affect TgAb normalization in DTC individuals over the study period. However, higher BMI is associated with less consistent TgAb normalization in the long term.

Experimental Study to Investigate the Performance-Related Properties of Modified Asphalt Concrete Using Nanomaterials Al2O3, SiO2, and TiO2.

The dual nature of asphalt binder necessitates improvements to mitigate rutting and fatigue since it performs as an elastic material under the regime of rapid loading or cold temperatures and as a viscous fluid at elevated temperatures. The present investigation assesses the effectiveness of Nano Alumina (NA), Nano Silica (NS), and Nano Titanium Dioxide (NT) at weight percentages of 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8% in asphalt cement to enhance both asphalt binder and mixture performance. Binder evaluations include tests for consistency, thermal susceptibility, aging, and workability, while mixture assessments focus on Marshall properties, moisture susceptibility, resilient modulus, permanent deformation, and fatigue characteristics. NS notably improves binder viscosity by about 138% and reduces penetration by approximately 40.8% at 8% nanomaterial (NM) content, significantly boosting hardness and consistency. NS also enhances Marshall stability and decreases air voids, increasing the mix's durability. For moisture resistance, NS at 8% NM content elevates the Tensile Strength Ratio (TSR) to 91.0%, substantially surpassing the 80% standard. Similarly, NA and NT also show improved TSR values at 8% NM content, with 88.0% and 84.1%, respectively. Additionally, NS, NA, and NT reduce permanent deformation by 82%, 69%, and 64% at 10,000 cycles at 8% NM content, illustrating their effectiveness in mitigating pavement distress. Notably, while higher NM content generally results in better performance across most tests, the optimal NM content for fatigue resistance is 4% for NS and 6% for both NA and NT, reflecting their peak performance against various types of pavement distresses. These results highlight the significant advantages of nanoparticles in improving asphalt's mechanical properties, workability, stability, and durability. The study recommends further field validation to confirm these laboratory findings and ensure that enhancements translate into tangible improvements in real-world pavement performance and longevity.

Tailoring meat products for the elderly: A comprehensive review.

The population of the elderly is projected to grow significantly in most of the developed countries in the near future. This should earn this demographic the title of 'Consumer of the future'. Meat has high quality proteins and essential vitamins which are important for all demographics but more so for the elderly due to their susceptibility to sarcopenia. This review explored the landscape of meat research and product development that meets the distinctive requirements of the elderly, drawing from published refereed articles, industry reports, and unpublished grey literature. The review emphasised the importance of understanding the evolving dietary and sensory requirements associated with ageing and how they intersect with meat consumption. One notable aspect observed is the diversity within the elderly population, which underscores the necessity for tailored approaches in meat product development to cater to the varying preferences and nutritional needs of different individuals. This review also highlights the ongoing efforts in developing meat-based products that span a spectrum of consistencies, ranging from solid to liquid forms, to accommodate the diverse needs of elderly consumers. Despite these advancements, the review found a discrepancy between the pace of meat product development for the elderly and the rapid advancements in kitchen-level technologies and suggests that further research is needed to bridge this gap and align product innovation with emerging technological trends.

Anti-dandruff effects of butterfly pea flowers (Clitoria ternatea)-based shampoo: A pretest-posttest control study.

Butterfly pea flower (Clitoria ternatea) may serve as an alternative anti-dandruff treatment; however, its effects on Malassezia spp. remain unexplored. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of C. ternatea as an herbal-based anti-dandruff treatment on Malassezia spp. DNA expression, plakoglobin levels, IL-8 levels, sebum levels, dandruff severity scores, adverse effects, and patient satisfaction. An experimental study with a pretest-posttest control design was conducted at the Outpatient Clinic of Dermatology and Venereology, Arifin Achmad Hospital, Pekanbaru, Indonesia, from November 2023 to January 2024. The flower of C. ternatea was used to formulate the shampoo. The study involved 70 female patients aged 18-25 with dandruff, who were divided into two groups: (a) experimental group using 20% C. ternatea shampoo and (b) control group using 2% ketoconazole shampoo. The present study found that 2% ketoconazole shampoo significantly reduced Malassezia spp. DNA expression compared to 20% C. ternatea shampooo (Clitoria ternatea: ΔCq=1.76±3.18; ketoconazole: ΔCq=3.77±2.90; p=0.008). No significant difference was observed in plakoglobin levels (C. ternatea: ΔCq=1.98±3.63; ketoconazole: ΔCq=2.50±2.36; p=0.427) or IL-8 levels (C. ternatea: ΔCq=3.46±4.00; ketoconazole: ΔCq=4.16 ± 3.62; p=0.459). C. ternatea significantly reduced sebum levels more than ketoconazole (C. ternatea: 1.16±0.98%; ketoconazole: 0.22±0.38%; p<0.001). Dandruff scores and patient satisfaction were similar for both shampoos (p=0.115 and p=0.336, respectively). Adverse effects were more common in the 2% ketoconazole shampoo group, affecting 21.2% of the patients. In conclusion, 2% ketoconazole shampoo is more effective in reducing Malassezia spp. DNA expression, while 20% C. ternatea shampoo offers better sebum control. Both shampoos are similarly effective in ameliorating dandruff severity and are well-tolerated, with fewer adverse effects reported for C. ternatea.