Effects of gender and slaughter age on meat quality of Anatolian water buffaloes.

The study aimed to investigate the effects of slaughter age and gender on specific carcass and technological meat quality characteristics in Anatolian water buffaloes. The study was conducted on 55 water buffaloes using a 2 × 2 factorial design with two independent variables at two levels. Gender subgroups of male (n = 29) and female (n = 26) and slaughter age subgroups of younger than 2 years of age (n = 29) and older than 2 years of age (n = 26) were evaluated. Hot carcass and cold carcass weights were higher in old water buffaloes than young ones (P < 0.001). The skin weight of old buffaloes was also higher than young buffaloes (P < 0.01). Drip loss, expressed juice, and Warner Bratzler (WB) shear force values of longissimus dorsi (LD) muscles were not influenced by age group and gender of buffaloes. The lightness (L*) and hue (H*) values were higher in young buffaloes than old animals (P < 0.001). The meat of male buffaloes had lower redness (a*) and chroma (C*) values than that of female buffaloes. The current results indicated that female water buffalo could also be used for meat production away from negative impressions on the meat quality of female water buffalo.

The Impact of a Multidisciplinary Education Program for Intensive Care Unit Staff Regarding Ventilator Care Bundle on the Frequency of Ventilator-Associated Events.

BACKGROUND: Ventilator bundles have been reported to reduce the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia. However, data concerning the role of the education of the intensive care unit (ICU) staff regarding the items in the bundle and the importance to adhere to its items on the development of ventilator-associated events (VAEs) are limited. This study aimed to compare the frequency of VAEs in subjects admitted to the ICU before and after the education of the ICU staff. METHODS: A total of 105 subjects were enrolled in this retrospective study. The ICU staff, including the physicians, respiratory therapists, and nurses, received a 2-day educational lecture regarding items in the bundle as well as the need to adhere to its items. The study population was divided into two according to the admission date: subjects who were admitted before the education of the ICU staff regarding the ventilator bundle (preeducation) and subjects who were admitted after the education of the ICU staff regarding the ventilator bundle (posteducation). The difference in VAE rate in subjects admitted before and after bundle training was the primary outcome measure of this study. RESULTS: The bundle compliance rates presented by days were significantly higher in the posteducation group compared with the preeducation group. Moreover, the frequency of VAEs was significantly lower in posteducation subjects compared with preeducation subjects (4.7% vs 19.0%, P = .042). Ventilator-associated event rate was also lower in posteducation subjects compared with preeducation subjects (2.5/1000 vs 9.8/1000 ventilator days). There were no significant differences among the groups with respect to ICU mortality. CONCLUSION: The educational intervention performed in this study not only increased the adherence to the ventilator care bundle but also led to a significant reduction in the rate of the VAEs in patients receiving mechanical ventilator support in the ICU.