Abnormal Odour Research Articles

The Effect of the Boar Taint Masking Strategy (Adding Dried Origanum vulgare or Allium sativum) on Sensory Characteristics.

With increasing efforts to ban surgical castration, it is important to find ways to mask the level of boar taint in meat. The aim of this study was to test the possibility of masking boar taint or skatole levels by adding dried Origanum vulgare or Allium sativum and to evaluate consumer sensory preferences towards the skatole concentration in different carcass parts (longissimus lumborum; semimembranosus; neck chop and subcutaneous fat) and the masking strategy (addition of Allium sativum or Origanum vulgare). In the first experiment, the effect of the masking strategy was evaluated at three different skatole concentrations (0.069, 0.269 and 0.463 µg/g). The results showed that the samples with low and medium skatole levels were significantly different between the control group and the groups treated with Origanum vulgare or Allium sativum. In both cases, the addition of Allium sativum and Origanum vulgare had a positive effect on the parameters of abnormal odour and pleasantness of odour (p < 0.05). According to the results of the second experiment, meat samples from leaner parts, such as the neck chop semimembranosus and longissimus lumborum, not treated with Allium sativum and Origanum vulgare for masking, were significantly (p < 0.05) worse in terms of the occurrence of boar taint or abnormal odour than the masked samples. No significant differences were found between the two masking methods.

An electronic nose based on adaptive fusion of transformer-ELM with active temperature modulation algorithm for accurate odor detection in refrigerators

Accurate detection of food spoilage in refrigerators is crucial for ensuring food freshness and safety. However, due to the wide variety of gases emitted by decaying food and their uneven distribution of gases within the refrigerator, current mixed odor detection methods are not satisfactory. This study proposes a dedicated algorithm for a refrigerator electronic nose that enables precise classification of mixed food odors and prediction of their intensity. To achieve this objective, a dataset of food odor samples was collected from refrigerators, and sensory identification as well as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis were performed to obtain freshness and intensity labels. The developed electronic nose algorithm incorporates key techniques, including active temperature modulation and an adaptive fusion model of lightweight Transformer-ELM, to enhance sensitivity, selectivity, and global modeling capabilities for identifying abnormal odors in volatile compounds of mixed gases. Experimental evaluations on a large-scale dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in classifying refrigerated food freshness and predicting odor intensity. This research contributes to the field of electronic nose technology and has potential for applications beyond refrigerator odor detection.

First Report of Root Rot caused by Coniella fragariae on Paeoniae radix Rubra in China.

Paeoniae radix Rubra is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, which has the effect of clearing heat and cooling blood, activating blood and removing stasis. It has become popular in the Chinese market in recent years due to its extremely high medicinal value and showy flower color. In May 2021, typical symptoms of root rot were observed in a field (35°7'12″ N, 103°58'48″ E) in Dingxi, Gansu province, China. Approximately 10% of the plants in the field had typical root rot symptoms, and the root of each affected plant is at least 5% severe. The roots of the naturally infected plants in the field discolored and decayed with black brown spots on the surface of the root bark, the root bark detached from the phloem，and some leaves were chlorosis, shrunken and smaller, and the branches were dead and underdeveloped. In the transverse section, the xylem was black diffusion and abnormal odor. Three diseased plants with typical symptoms were chosen at random and brought back to the lab. Small pieces cut from the margins of lesions were surface disinfested with 75% ethanol for 15 s, and 0.5% NaClO solution for 30 s, rinsed three times in sterile distilled water, dried on sterile filter paper, plaed onto potato dextrose agar (PDA), and incubated at 25 ± 1℃ for 7 days in the dark. The pure cultures were obtained by single-spore isolation. All isolates produced wavy on the surface, radial from the inside out, initially white or milky white to orange colonies with abundant black brown oily conidiomata pycnidia on PDA at 25 ± 1℃ after 15 days in the dark. The conidiomata pycnidia is spherical to irregularly spherical, 231.5 to 512.4 μm, initially transparent with age turning brown, with a dark brown internal conidial mass inside, and with a 13.1 to 45.4 μ m wide ostiole central. Young conidia (n=100) developed from conidiogenous cells, which were simple, tapering, hyaline, smooth, and 12.3 to 18.0 × 2.5 to 4.6 μm, 1.0 to 1.5 µm wide at apex. Mature conidia (n=100) were ellipsoid, apices tapering, subobtusely rounded, brown, and 6.5 to 11.0 × 4.1 to 7.5 µm. The morphological characteristics of the isolates were consistent with previous descriptions of the genus Coniella (Crous et al., 2014). A representation isolate CS-1 was deposited in the Institute of Plant Protection, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences and used for further studies. To confirm the identity of the causal fungus, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), 28S large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA (LSU) and partial translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1-α) gene of the representative isolate CS-1 were amplified and sequenced using primers ITS1/ITS4 (White et al., 1990), LROR/LR7 (Chethan et al., 2017) and EF1-728F/EF1-986R (Carbone and Kohn, 1999), respectively, and deposited on GenBank with accession numbers OP824764 (ITS), OP824767 (LSU)/span>and OP903926 (TEF1-α). Blastn analysis of all sequences resulted in E-value of 0.0 (ITS and LSU) and nearly 0.0 (TEF1-α), with Query cover values of 90% to 99% identity with C. fragariae, confirming the hypothesis based on morphological features examination. To conduct a pathogenicity test, three root segments of healthy plants were wounded using sterilized needles and inoculated by pipetting 10 μL of conidial suspension (1×107 conidia/mL) onto each wound, and controls were inoculated with 10 μL sterile distilled water. These root segments were kept in a moist chamber at 25°C in the dark. The experiment was repeated three times. After 14 days, root rot symptoms were observed on all of the inoculated root segments and identical to those observed in the field, whereas control root segments did not develop symptoms. The pathogen was re-isolated from the lesions of inoculated root segments, fulfilling Koch's postulates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of C. fragariae causing root rot on P. radix Rubra in China. This identification can aid in the selection of appropriate management measures for this disease.

Vaginal Infection: Review Article

Vaginitis is a disorder characterized regarding to abnormal bad odor vaginal discharge, discomfort , itching, and burning. Bacterial vaginosis, particularly Gardnerella vaginalis, vulvovaginal candidiasis, particularly Candida albicans, and trichomoniasis are the most common causes of vaginitis. When a cause is established, bacterial vaginosis is implicated in 40% to 50% of cases, with vulvovaginal candidiasis accounting for 20% to 25% of cases and trichomoniasis accounting for 15% to 20% of cases. Physical examination , symptoms, , and laboratory testing are used for final identification. Gardnerella vaginalis DNA or vaginal fluid sialidase activity, as well as Gram stain, are now available in newer laboratory assays. A mixture of clinical manifestations, as well as potassium hydroxide microscopy, are used to diagnose vulvovaginal candidiasis. Culture and DNA probe testing are also available. For such diagnosis of trichomoniasis in asymptomatic or high-risk women, molecular approaches (nucleic acid amplification) are indicated. This study aimed to review the most recent knowledge on vaginal infection, with the most common causal agents being bacteria, yeast, and parasites Keywords—component, formatting, style, styling, insert.

A 6-year-old Refugee Girl with Profound Developmental Disability and Seizures.

1. Julia M. Rosenberg, MD*,† 2. Camille Brown, MD* 3. Michele J. Spencer-Manzon, MD*,‡ 1. *Department of Pediatrics, Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, New Haven, CT 2. †National Clinician Scholars Program, 3. ‡Yale School of Medicine, Department of Genetics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 1. Address correspondence to Julia M. Rosenberg, MD, National Clinician Scholars Program, PO Box 208088, New Haven, CT 06510. E-mail: julia.rosenberg{at}yale.edu A 6-year-old girl presents to the pediatric refugee clinic for her initial refugee health assessment shortly after arrival from Syria. Her past history is notable for a seizure disorder of unknown etiology and global developmental disability. After an uncomplicated prenatal and postnatal course, the patient’s seizures and developmental delays reportedly first manifested at 7 months of age. At that time, the family attributed the seizure to a fall from a stroller. After this event, she had a total of 4 more lifetime seizures, which were characterized by eye rolling, clonic posturing, and left arm jerking. Her only medications are clobazam and valproic acid. Her family history is negative for known seizures or genetic disorders, although her parents are consanguineous (first cousins). Her review of systems is otherwise negative, and her family denies previous infectious diseases nor exposure to individuals with tuberculosis. At presentation to our clinic, her estimated developmental age is ∼9 months; her global developmental deficiencies include speech, fine motor, and gross motor delays. She is nonverbal, has poor receptive language skills, and is unable to follow commands. She can scoot but is nonambulatory. She cannot feed herself and is not toilet-trained. On examination, the patient has no dysmorphic features. She demonstrates intermittent posturing and rocking movements and has generalized hypotonia and motor weakness; she can maintain sitting and standing positions only with support. She was found on ophthalmologic examination to have myopia. Cranial nerves II-XII are intact. Strength is III/V in both upper and lower extremities. She does not have neurocutaneous markings nor abnormal odors. Initial refugee screening laboratory results, which are expanded to include a complete metabolic …

Examination Techniques of the First Cranial Nerve: What Neurosurgical Residents Should Know.

Olfactory or smell dysfunction is often overlooked by clinicians despite being prevalent in the population. To date in Malaysia, there is no standard and reliable test to examine the function of olfaction. Tests used at developed countries such as the Sniffin’ Sticks Test (SST), the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) test, the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) and the Brief Smell Identification Test (B-SIT) are not readily available in this region and may be costly to procure. The first cranial nerve can be tested using commonly available materials to assess: i) the function of odour detection; ii) the odour discrimination; and iii) the odour identification. An abnormal odour detection threshold test generally indicates a peripheral olfactory problem while the odour discrimination and identification test attribute the problem to the cerebral cortex. An olfactory complaint should not be taken lightly and a proper olfactory function examination is important: i) to determine the legitimacy of a patient’s complaint; ii) to monitor the progress of patient’s olfactory function; iii) to establish insurance payout for disability; and iv) to characterise the specific nature of the problem.A video has been produced to demonstrate the examination techniques explained in this article.

Clinical and Laboratory Markers of Hereditary Metabolic Diseases in Children of the First Half of Life

A significant contribution to the morbidity and mortality of children is due to hereditary pathology, which is manifested by high mortality. Aim of the research. To study the frequency of occurrence, structure and clinical and laboratory markers of hereditary metabolic diseases in children of the first half of the year with suspicion of this pathology. Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of case histories (form No. 003/y) and a face-to-face examination of patients directed to blood tests by tandem mass spectrometry, from Surgery Unit No. 2 for Newborns and Premature Babies and from the Unit of Pathology of Newborns, (Ivano-Matryoninskaya City Children’s Clinical Hospital, Irkutsk). Results. In 2019, 21 children with suspected hereditary metabolic diseases were examined using the tandem mass spectrometry method in the above mentioned departments. All of them had at least one of the main clinical criteria for hereditary metabolic diseases: 67 % had hepatomegaly in combination with an increase in the level of liver enzymes, 43 % had a hereditary history and metabolic acidosis, 33 % showed a sudden deterioration after a period of normal development, 24 % had hypoglycemia, and 14 % had an abnormal urine or body odor, in 4.7 % of cases there was an increase in ketone bodies in the blood and (or) urine. All children identified from 3 to 7 additional criteria, which are indications for examination on the hereditary metabolic diseases. The results of the study revealed 5 children with hereditary metabolic diseases namely amino acid metabolism. 90 % of them had a burdened hereditary history, 100 % had a concomitant pathology – hepatitis and cholestatic lesions of the liver, anemia, an open oval window and others. Conclusion. Despite the obvious economic and medical significance of preclinical identification of patients with hereditary metabolic diseases, the screening problem contains many open questions that need to be addressed at all levels of the organization.

Determination and Improvement of the Postharvest Storability of Little Mallow (Malva Parviflora L.): A Novel Crop for a Sustainable Diet

Little mallow (Malva parviflora L.) has been traditionally used as an alternative food source. To the authors’ knowledge, there is no available published information about the postharvest storability of little mallow. This study was conducted in three steps. It aimed to determine the postharvest storability of little mallow leaves and to improve its storability using different strategies. First, the effects of four different storage conditions on the storability of little mallow leaves were tested to determine the most favorable conditions for further studies: 5 ± 1 °C and 95% relative humidity (RH); 9 ± 1 °C and 95% RH; 13 ± 1 °C and 95% RH; and 24 ± 1 °C and 55% RH as control. Preliminary experiments suggested that the best temperature and RH combination is 9 ± 1 °C and 95% RH. Hence, the effects of hot water dipping (HWD) were tested at three different temperatures (40, 45, and 50 °C) for two different durations (60 and 120 seconds); the results suggested that the 40 °C treatment is the most suitable heat treatment for improving the storability of mallow. The final experiments were conducted with 15 different treatments, including HWD, eco-friendly edible bio-materials, modified atmosphere packaging, and ultraviolet radiation. Results showed that low-density polyethylene (LDPE) (60 × 60 cm; thickness, 50 μ) and polypropylene (PP) (35 × 50 cm; thickness, 35 μ) packaging provide the highest efficacy for preserving overall quality. The edible quality of little mallow can be extended to 15 days with PP and 12 days with LDPE. However, both materials caused an abnormal odor after that time. Further studies involving additional edible coatings are necessary to determine if the storage duration of little mallow leaves could be extended.

Odor identification in 7-year-old children at familial high risk of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder - the Danish high risk and resilience study VIA 7

BackgroundOdor identification deficits occur in individuals with schizophrenia and their unaffected first-degree relatives, while deficits are less pronounced in individuals with bipolar disorder. We hypothesized that children at familial high-risk for schizophrenia (FHR-SZ) show odor identification deficits compared to population-based controls and that children at familial high-risk for bipolar disorder (FHR-BP) perform intermediate. MethodsOdor identification was assessed at age 7 in 184 children with FHR-SZ, 106 children with FHR-BP, and 186 population-based controls with the Brief Smell Identification Test. Dimensional and predefined categorical outcomes were used in the analyses. Potential relationships with psychopathological, cognitive, and home environmental variables were conducted using hierarchical and logistic multiple regression analyses. ResultsANOVA revealed no between-group differences in odor identification. Using the recommended cut-off (below 5), we found a significantly greater proportion of boys at FHR-SZ than population-based boys with an abnormal odor identification (p = .013). However, a supplementary analysis using a Danish-based cut-off (below 4) did not support this. All children showed significant, positive associations of odor identification with female gender, social responsiveness, and verbal working memory. Lower social responsiveness predicted abnormal odor identification in boys at FHR-SZ, only using the recommended cut-off. ConclusionsOdor identification efficacy and risk status appear independent in this early developmental phase. Using the recommended threshold, abnormal odor identification is more frequent in young boys at FHR-SZ than in population-based boys and is linked to lower social responsiveness. The validity of these results is questioned by non-significant differences in the rates when using an exploratory Danish-based threshold.

Volatile compounds and odour characteristics during long-term storage of kombu seaweed (Laminaria ochroleuca) preserved by high pressure processing, freezing and salting

Kombu seaweed (Laminaria ochroleuca) was preserved by refrigeration at 5 °C (control), by high pressure processing (HPP) at 400 or 600 MPa for 5 min followed by refrigeration at 5 °C, or by freezing at −24 °C. Those treatments were applied to both unsalted and salted kombu samples, which were stored for 180 days. One hundred three compounds belonging to 16 chemical groups were identified in the volatile fraction of kombu. Groups including the highest number of volatile compounds were alcohols (24), aldehydes (13), ketones (10), alkanes (9), haloalkanes (9), alkenes (8) and acids (7). HPP lowered the levels of acids, aldehydes, ketones, lactones + ionones, pyranones and terpenes + terpenoids, and increased alkenes and furans. Freezing lowered the levels of alkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons, pyranones and terpenes + terpenoids, and increased aldehydes, haloalkanes and thiazoles. Salting lowered the levels of pyranones, and increased acids, alcohols, aldehydes, alkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons, furans, haloalkanes, lactones + ionones and thiazoles. Control kombu odour acceptance fell below rejection level on day 60 while HPP-treated kombu showed the highest odour acceptance until day 180. Frozen kombu exhibited abnormal odours whereas salted kombu maintained acceptable odour characteristics. Principal component analysis associated the most relevant groups of volatile compounds with kombu microbiological and sensory characteristics.

Abnormal Odor Detection in Electronic Nose via Self-Expression Inspired Extreme Learning Machine

The electronic nose (E-nose), as a metal oxide semiconductor gas sensor system coupled with pattern recognition algorithms, is developed for approximating artificial olfaction functions. Ideal gas sensors should be with selectivity, reliability, and cross-sensitivity to different odors. However, a new problem is that abnormal odors (e.g., perfume, alcohol, etc.) would show strong sensor response, such that they deteriorate the usual usage of E-nose for target odor analysis. An intuitive idea is to recognize abnormal odors and remove them online. A known truth is that the kinds of abnormal odors are countless in real-world scenarios. Therefore, general pattern classification algorithms lose effect because it is expensive and unrealistic to obtain all kinds of abnormal odors data. In this paper, we propose two simple yet effective methods for abnormal odor (outlier) detection: 1) a self-expression model (SEM) with l <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1</sub> /l <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> -norm regularizer is proposed, which is trained on target odor data for coding and then a very few abnormal odor data is used as prior knowledge for threshold learning and 2) inspired by self-expression mechanism, an extreme learning machine (ELM) based self-expression (SE <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> LM) is proposed, which inherits the advantages of ELM in solving a single hidden layer feed-forward neural network. Experiments on several datasets by an E-nose system fabricated in our laboratory prove that the proposed SEM and SE <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> LM methods are significantly effective for real-time abnormal odor detection.

Lipolysis and aroma generation as mechanisms involved in masking boar taint in sodium reduced fermented sausages inoculated with Debaryomyces hansenii yeast.

The use of boar back fat for processing of fermented sausages may cause the presence of abnormal odours. In dry-cured products, ripening time is essential to develop the sensory characteristics. Yeast has been proposed as an alternative to mask boar taint odour through its metabolic activity but it is necessary to elucidate which mechanisms are involved. The aim is to study the effect of Debaryomyces hansenii inoculation on the lipolysis process and generation of aroma compounds in fermented sausages manufactured with boar back fat at two different ripening times. D. hansenii inoculated sausages had a higher degree of lipolysis as demonstrated by higher content of free fatty acids, ester compounds and branched aldehydes which contribute the fruity odour. The increase in lipolysis produced by D. hansenii inoculation was not followed by an increase in oxidation during processing possibly due to the metabolic activity of yeast. The effect of back fat type was scarcely appreciated whereas ripening time had a stronger effect on sausage. Boar sausages were characterised by a lower polyunsaturated fatty acid profile and lesser lipolysis than gilt sausages. Yeast inoculation with D. hansenii and long ripening time were appropriate strategies to limit the perception of boar taint in dry fermented sausages. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Clinical and laboratory findings and outcomes of classic organic acidurias in children from north-eastern Thailand: a 5-year retrospective study

Background: Classic organic acidurias, including isovaleric aciduria (IVA), propionic aciduria (PA) and methylmalonic aciduria (MMA), are rare inherited metabolic disorders caused by deficiencies of enzymes in catabolic pathways. Objective: To report clinical and laboratory findings and outcomes of classic organic acidurias in children north-eastern Thailand and their outcomes over the past 5 years. Methods: During 2010?2014, twelve patients were identified as having classic organic acidurias confirmed by urine organic acids analysis. Results: Classic organic acidurias were identified as follows; 5 patients with IVA, 4 patients with PA, and 3 patients with MMA. Ten patients had neonatal-onset and 9 cases were diagnosed during the neonatal period with clinical signs and symptoms of altered consciousness, poor feeding, respiratory distress, abnormal odor, and shock. Common laboratory findings included metabolic acidosis with an elevated anion gap, hyperammonemia, hypocalcemia, and cytopenia. Ammonia levels could be extremely high, especially in PA. Three patients with neonatal-onset of acidurias died during their first catabolic crisis, and one patient died later. One patient with MMA had exfoliative erythema after excessive dietary restriction. Four of 8 surviving patients had IVA and had better neurodevelopmental outcomes than those with PA and MMA. Conclusion: Neonatal-onset classic organic acidurias are more common than late-onset cases and usually mimic neonatal sepsis. Laboratory findings that include hematologic abnormalities should raise suspicion. Close monitoring of biochemical parameters, growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes is necessary in a long-term follow-up. Keywords: Isovaleric aciduria, methylmalonic aciduria,neutropenia, organic acidurias, propionic aciduria

Aroma-enhancing role of Pichia manshurica isolated from Daqu in the brewing of Shanxi Aged Vinegar

ABSTRACTDaqu is an essential starter for the brewing of Shanxi Aged Vinegar, and high contents of total acid and total ester are two important indices for highly qualified vinegar. The present study is amied to investigate the aroma-enhancing role of a yeast strain screened from Daqu in fortified vinegar fermentation. A Daqu-originated yeast strain Y14 showed the highest ester-producing ability, up to 36.055 g/L, and was identified as Pichia manshurica by sequence analysis of the D1/D2 domain of the 26S rRNA gene in combination with morphological and physiological properties. When it was re-inoculated into the Daqu-based fermentation, Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC/MC) analysis for alcohol fermentation showed a significant increase of total alcohol and total ester. The levels of ethanol, ethyl acetate, and isoamyl acetate increased from 31.912%, 9.839%, and 1.025% to 39.861%, 22.707%, and 1.291%, respectively. Moreover, an additional seven volatile aroma components appeared in the Y14 fortified fermentation (FF). Correspondingly in the resulting vinegar, the total acid and total ester markedly increased from 37.4 and 15.3 g/L to 38.0 and 21.5 g/L, respectively. Sensory assay revealed no abnormal odour but a distinct fruity, flowery fragrance and a lingering ester taste in the vinegar of the FF. With this approach, Pichia manshurica isolated from Daqu, when reintroduced into the Daqu-based fermentation, can significantly increase the acid and the ester production, improve the vinegar quality by endowing it flowery and fruity notes, and a long-lingering buttery and nut-like taste.

Urinary tract infection in children.

In children less than two years of age, a fever (> 39°C) without an apparent source is the most common sign of urinary tract infection (likelihood ratio 4.0).[1][1] Abnormal or strong urinary odour has poor predictive accuracy (i.e., sensitivity 43%, specificity 48%; Appendix 1, available at [www.

Is transport distance correlated with animal welfare and carcass quality of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus)?

BackgroundSlaughter reindeer are exposed to stress caused by gathering, handling, loading and unloading, and by conditions in vehicles during transport. These stress factors can lead to compromised welfare and trauma such as bruises or fractures, aspiration of rumen content, and abnormal odour in carcasses, and causing condemnations in meat inspection and lower meat quality. We investigated the statistical association of slaughter transport distance with these indices using meat inspection data from years 2004–2016, including inspection of 669,738 reindeer originating from Finnish reindeer herding areas.ResultsIncreased stress and decreased welfare of reindeer, as indicated by higher incidence of carcass condemnation due to bruises or fractures, aspiration of rumen content, or abnormal odour, were positively associated with systems involving shorter transport distances to abattoirs. Significant differences in incidence of condemnations were also detected between abattoirs and reindeer herding cooperatives.ConclusionsThis study indicates that in particular the short-distance transports of reindeer merit more attention. While the results suggest that factors associated with long distance transport, such as driver education, truck design, veterinary supervision, and specialist equipment, may be favourable to reducing pre-slaughter stress in reindeer when compared with short distance transport systems, which occur in a variety of vehicle types and may be done by untrained handlers. Further work is required to elucidate the causal factors to the current results.

Factors affecting reproductive performance of dairy cow in Algeria: Effects of clinical mastitis

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of clinical mastitis at the beginning of lactation on reproductive performance of dairy cows in Algeria. Calving to first insemination and calving to conception intervals, number of insemination per conception and conception rate at the first artificial insemination were recorded for 432 cows from 16 dairy herds in Algeria. Cows were examined for clinical mastitis during milking by the personnel or the herd manager. A clinical mastitis case was recognized by the presence of modified milk (more watery, presence of lumps, abnormal odor) or by the presence of signs of inflammation in one or all quarters of the udder. Cows were classified according to the time of clinical mastitis occurrence in three groups: cows presenting clinical mastitis before the first artificial insemination (MG1; n = 62 dairy cows), cows presenting clinical mastitis between the first artificial insemination and pregnancy diagnosis (MG2; n = 54 dairy cows), and cows without any signs of clinical mastitis before or after the first insemination (Control - CG; n = 316 dairy cows). Calving to first artificial insemination and calving to conception intervals for cows with signs of clinical mastitis before the first artificial insemination (137.26 ± 7.36 days and 180.48 ± 7.25 days) and in cows with signs of clinical mastitis after the first artificial insemination (190.85 ± 9.23 and 202.51 ± 10.32 days) were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that of the clinically healthy cows (111.01 ± 5.42 and 147.32 ± 8.44 days), respectively. The number of inseminations per conception in cows that exhibited clinical mastitis before the first artificial insemination (1.94 ± 0.85) and in cows with signs of clinical mastitis after the first artificial insemination (2.4 ± 0.94) was significantly higher compared to that of the control cows (1.61 ± 0.75) (p < 0.05). Conception rate at first artificial insemination in control cows was significantly (p < 0.05) greater than in cows that exhibit clinical mastitis before or after the first artificial insemination (61.39 compared to 38.71 and 33.33% for CG, MG1 and MG2, respectively). The negative effects of clinical mastitis were observed in both primiparous and multiparous cows. In conclusion, results of our study clearly indicate that, clinical mastitis decreases reproductive performance of dairy cows. Key words: Clinical mastitis, calving to first artificial insemination interval, calving to conception interval, reproduction, dairy cattle.

생산 초기 초음속 항공기 조종석의 고품질 공기 확보를 위한 burn-in test 연구

생산 초기의 초음속 항공기는 블리드 에어 덕트에 존재하는 생산용 자재의 부가 물질이 가열될 경우 조종실에 타는 냄새와 유사한 비정상적인 냄새가 조종실로 유입된다. 조종사가 이와 같은 냄새를 엔진의 화재와 같은 비상 상황으로 오인하는 것을 방지하기 위해 비정상적인 냄새의 원인 물질은 시험 비행 전에 burn-in test를 통해 제거되어야 한다. 그러나, 현재의 절차의 최고 온도보다 고고도 비행의 최고 온도가 더 높기 때문에 냄새를 완벽히 제거 할 수 없다. 본 논문은 고고도 비행의 열적 상황을 분석하여 개선된 burn-in test 절차를 제시한다. 비연속적인 유량 조절, 단위 시간당 높은 온도 변화율, 응축기와 터빈의 한계 온도 차이 때문에 현재의 절차로는 고고도 조건을 모사하지 못하는 것이 확인되었다. 이러한 한계를 극복하기 위해 램에어 입구 제어를 통해 연속적 유량 조절이 가능한 burn-in test 절차를 제시하였다. 제시된 방법을 통해 블리드 에어 온도가 지상에서 고고도 비행 조건 이상임을 확인하였으며, 비행 시험을 통해 비정상적인 냄새를 제거할 수 있음을 검증했다. Abnormal odor similar with burning smell often appears at the cockpit in the beginning of ultra-sonic aircraft without air filter due to the heating of production materials remained at the bleed air duct. Sources of the odor should be removed by burn-in test before test flight in order to prevent pilot confuses order with emergency such as fire of engine. However, the present method cannot prevent abnormal odor completely at the high altitude flight because maximum temperature of flight is higher than it of burn-in-test. This paper suggests burn-in test improved based on the analysis of thermal conditions of high altitude flight. It is verified that the existing burn-in test cannot cover thermal conditions of high altitude flight due to the discontinuous flow control, high change rate of temperature per unit time and difference between limit temperature of condenser and turbine. In order to overcome the limitations of current methods, the new burn-in test with continuous flow control are suggested. The continuous flow control are achieved by ram air inlet control. The effect of suggested method are verified by ground tests and flight tests. The results show the bleed air temperature can cover the temperature of high altitude flight and prevent abnormal odor at the flight test.

Metabolic Disorders

Inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) are individually rare but have a collective incidence of approximately one in 1000. Most IEM can manifest with neurologic symptoms. It is crucial for the pediatric neurologist to be familiar with the evaluation and management of these disorders because many are amenable to specific treatments. This review provides a category-based approach to the diagnosis and treatment of IEM organized by metabolic pathway and organelle. Categories include disorders of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and carnitine metabolism, urea cycle disorders, organic acidemias, aminoacidopathies, lysosomal disorders, peroxisomal disorders, vitamin- and diet-responsive metabolic epilepsies, and neurotransmitter disorders. Multiple summary tables for quick reference are provided. Figures show mitochondrial β-oxidation and carnitine cycle; urea cycle; T2-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRI) of ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency presenting with hyperammonemic encephalopathy, propionic academia, methylmalonic academia, glutaric acidemia type 1, ethylmalonic encephalopathy, mitochondrial complex 1 deficiency, pyruvate dehydrogenase complex E3 deficiency, untreated biotin-thiamine-responsive basal ganglia disease, homocysteinemia and low plasma methionine (suspected remethylation defect), attenuated Krabbe disease, Hunter syndrome, and GM1-gangliosidosis; branched-chain amino acid catabolic pathway; lysine, hydroxylysine, and tryptophan catabolic pathway; intracellular cobalamin metabolism; metabolism of homocysteine; diffusion-weighted imaging of maple syrup urine disease, nonketotic hyperglycinemia, and poorly controlled phenylketonuria; sphingolipid metabolic pathway; skeletal surveys of Hurler syndrome demonstrating features of dysostosis multiplex and rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata type 1; MRI of Salla disease; peroxisomal oxidation reactions, and the biogenic amine biosynthetic pathway. Tables list fatty acid oxidation and carnitine disorders, metabolic myopathies presenting with recurrent rhabdomyolysis, urea cycle disorders, organic acidemias, IEM associated with abnormal head size, cobalamin disorders, aminoacidopathies, IEM associated with abnormal odor, lysosomal disorders, lysosomal disease Symptom categories (Not mutually exclusive), peroxisomal disorders, IEM associated with brain malformations, vitamin- and diet-responsive epilepsies, neurotransmitter disorders, and IEM associated with brain mineralization. This review contains 26 highly rendered figures, 15 tables, and 71 references. Key words: Inborn errors of metabolism, organic acidemia, cobalamin disorders, aminoacidopathy, lysosomal disorders

Effect of the use of entire male fat in the production of reduced salt fermented sausages

The effect of the use of entire male fat and salt reduction in dry fermented sausages was evaluated. Four different sausage formulations were manufactured with back fat from gilt or entire male and two different salt contents. The physicochemical parameters, sensory characteristics, texture, lipid composition, volatile compounds and boar taint compounds were analysed. The use of entire male fat produced the highest weight losses producing high hardness and chewiness while salt reduction produced a decrease in hardness. Entire male sausages had the lowest oxidation values due to the low content of C18:2n6 while salt reduction did not affect the oxidation process. Boar taint odour was due to the presence of androstenone and skatole but entire male fat sausages had different generations of volatile compounds. The presence of androstenone was perceived by consumers as abnormal odours but also other sausage characteristics such as texture (high hardness) and oxidation were detected due to the different chemical compositions of entire males versus gilts.