Development Of Rigor Mortis Research Articles

A CASE OF ACCELERATED RIGOR MORTIS

Introduction. Rigor mortis is the tension of skeletal and smooth muscles that occurs after death and fixes the body in a certain position. It is one of the signs of biological death and usually develops in 1.5 - 3 hours, starting from the lower jaw. The full development of rigor mortis is observed in 12 - 24 hours after death. But in rare cases, its development can be significantly accelerated. Clinical case. A 34-year-old man was in the department of anesthesiology and intensive care for 4 days with a diagnosis of explosive trauma, neck injury with damage to the right carotid artery, hemispheric ischemic stroke. In the setting of multiple organ failure, moderate coma, central hyperthermia (40.3 °C), resistant to antipyretics, he went into a cardiac arrest. Resuscitation measures (including triple defibrillation) for 50 minutes were without effect. During the ascertainment of biological death, the presence of rigor mortis was noted in the lower jaw, neck and extremities, which was absent during the first 30 minutes of resuscitation and at the beginning of the asystolic rhythm. Discussion. The occurrence of rigor mortis is explained by the release of calcium ions from myocytes and the depletion of muscle adenosine triphosphate, which leads to the formation of a stable bond between actin and myosin. Instant or accelerated rigor mortis is rare. According to the literature, high body temperature, strenuous exercise before death, electric shock, convulsions and muscular dystrophy contribute to the acceleration of rigor mortis. Conclusions. In our case, the patient had severe hyperthermia (40.3 ° C), and defibrillation was performed during resuscitation, ie the body was exposed to electric current. Probably, these factors caused the accelerated development of rigor mortis.

Study on the changes of goat meat quality and the expression of 17 quality-related genes within 48 h of postmortem aging

This research revealed the changes of color, cooking loss, texture, protein, amino acids, and the expression of 17 meat quality-related genes in longissimus thoracis from goats during postmortem aging of 0, 12, 24 and 48 h at 4 °C, and preliminarily studied the expression of 11 genes in cultured muscle cells under similar aging conditions. Along with the development of rigor mortis, shear force, texture indicators and cooking loss reached maximum at 12 h. The color and contents of aspartic acid, serine, tyrosine, phenylalanine changed significantly within 48 h. Both myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic proteins were degraded from 12 h onwards with myosin heavy chain, troponin T, desmin and actin as the main degraded proteins. The expression levels of the 17 genes in muscle tissues mostly peaked at 12 or 24 h, which was consistent with the changes of some physicochemical indexes. Gene expression in cultured muscle cells demonstrated similarity to those in muscle tissues, whereas the corresponding variations in same genes occurred later.

Rigor development and meat quality of Murrah buffalo from different production systems

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rigor mortis development and its effects on striploins quality of Murrah buffalos from meat (males) and dairy (females) productions. The rigor was monitored during carcass chilling (up to 22 h postmortem) and the meat physicochemical traits was accessed after 72 h postmortem. Glycolytic rate, measured by decreasing pH and glycogen content, was higher (p < 0.05) in female than in male buffalo, leading to a different onset rigor time (5-6 h and 9-10 h, respectively). Male meat had (p < 0.05) lower fat (1.41 vs 3.58%) and insoluble collagen (1.18 vs 1.58 mg g-1) contents, but higher soluble collagen content (5.16 vs 20.38%), sarcomere length (1.65 vs 1.84 µm), myofibrillar fragmentation (334 vs 295) and shear force (39.38 vs 25.92 N) than females. These results suggest that dairy buffalo meat is more tender and can be used on the market as high-quality meat such as from buffalo raised to meat production.

RIGOR MORTIS: FISIOLOGIA

Introduction: Estimating the time of death is an important task in day-to-day forensic work and many factors for its designation are understood, one of which is rigor mortis. They can be altered by extrinsic and intrinsic factors, such as temperature location, humidity, heat, age, sex, length and body weight, and can be used as a parameter for approximate identification of the time of death. Objective: To carry out a brief review on the topic in order to promote a better understanding of the subject addressed and fully understand its physiology. Materials and Methods: Pubmed, Scielo and Medline databases were searched without date restrictions for articles published in English and Portuguese using the descriptors rigor mortis, autolysis and changes after death. Results: The theme presents consolidated researches regarding its natural course, being an important tool to estimate the time of death along other signs that appear after death, as well as to estimate some causes of death. Conclusion: Understanding the development of rigor mortis, helps to identify and distinguish processes that may have led to death and the post-mortem time.

Effect of Electrical Stimulation on Qualitative Characteristics of Aged Chicken Carcasses: A Comprehensive Review

The aim of this review was to summarize the histological, physical, chemical and microbial aspects and ways to stop the fluctuation in meat quality in addition to enhance its sensory quality using electrical stimulation. The low-voltage electrical stimulation and high-voltage electrical stimulation were employed. Electrical stimulation improves quality of poultry meat by reducing shear, increasing Sarcomere length, and reducing the diameter of muscle fibers. Low-voltage electrical stimulation affects voltages (120 volts directly in the nervous system, while high voltages were more than enough) to remove the polarization of the cover and produce a dense physio-chemical response in the muscles that had a direct effect. Electrical stimulation and injection with salts of sodium chloride and calcium chloride in the carcasses of female goats improved the tenderness of the meat. It was found that electrical stimulation accelerated the development of rigor mortis. Although electrical stimulation reduces breast meat shear, there was limited information about the effects of electrical stimulation on the other quality attributes of poultry meat and the results vary with quality attribute and differ from experimental conditions High voltage (higher than 120 volts) electrical stimulation improved meat quality and decreased the pH. Low voltages (below 120 volts) are used to ensure the safety of workers and give the desired results when used in commercial applications.

Changes on the Development of Rigor Mortis in Cultured Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Fed with a Mixture of Plant Proteins

In recent years it has been pointed out that the feed of farmed fish has an effect on the quality of the final product. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of fishmeal (FM) replacement by a mixture of plant protein (MPP) on the development of rigor mortis of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). One hundred and twenty fish at an initial average weight of 123 ± 6.3 g were fed with three extruded isonitrogenous and isolipidic 6.2% crude lipids experimental diets, in which FM were replaced by 0% (D0), 50% (D50), and 100% (D100) of MPP (soybean meal, corn meal, wheat meal, and sorghum meal). A reference diet (DC) containing FM as the main protein source was used as a control. The fish were divided into triplicate groups per dietary treatment. The experiment was conducted in a tank system at 26.8°C water temperature for 67 days. The chemical composition of experimental diets and muscle were determined. The glycogen, adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) and related compounds, pH, shear force, and rigor index (RI%) were monitored during storage on ice for 48 h. The results indicated that FM replacement affected (p≤0.05) the muscle composition, where the fish fed with D100 presented the higher content of lipids and ash. Fish fed with D0 and DC presented a more pronounced onset of rigor mortis and also showed a higher IR%, a lower content of glycogen, ATP, adenosine 5′-diphosphate (ADP), adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP), pH, and shear force. The changes in chemical composition of muscle and other parameters evaluated indicated that FM replacement increases energy reserves (glycogen, ATP, ADP, and AMP) which delayed the onset of rigor mortis, as well as a lower pH and shear force in the muscle of tilapia. Therefore, the substitution of FM by MPP could contribute to delaying the onset of rigor mortis and with this, the quality and shelf life of tilapia could be increased.

Effects of stunning methods on pre rigor changes in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) reared at two different temperatures

The effects of two stunning methods (carbon monoxide asphyxia, CO, and electroshock, E) on blood plasma parameters, rigor index, fillet pH and shape changes, ATP breakdown and Adenylate Energy Charge (AEC) in muscle immediately post mortem were investigated in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) kept in tanks containing water set at 8 °C or 12 °C. Both the methods here adopted induced a stress-response which, however, was not able to affect the rigor mortis development and fillet pH. The fillets from the E group showed the strongest length contraction and width increase at 48 h post mortem. The CO stunning method exhibited the highest levels of both ATP and AEC in the muscle immediately after death, equal to 2.28 µmol/g and 0.83, respectively, while 1.12 µmol/g and 0.64 values were found in the E group. In addition, we found that the water temperature might interact with the stunning method and minimise the stress response. In the present trial, the most suitable use of the CO stunning method would be coupled with 12 °C of rearing water temperature to better preserve ATP and AEC in muscles. Highlights CO stunning preserves ATP and AEC in trout muscle better than electrical stunning Water temperature might interact with the stunning and minimise the stress response CO stunning is suggested to be coupled with 12 °C of water temperature Electricity should be avoided at 8 °C of water temperature

Determination of pH in Pre rigor Fish Muscle – Method Matters

ABSTRACTThe determination of post mortem muscle pH are often carried out in studies on how pre-slaughter handling influences the development of rigor mortis and the quality of the fish products. The analysis might be performed by inserting a pH-electrode into the intact flesh or using a suspension containing a minced muscle sample. Although it has been known for a long time that mincing muscle tissue accelerates glycolysis and breakdown of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), more recent studies quite commonly determine pH after mincing pre rigor muscle without including an enzyme inhibitor that arrests glycolysis. This may have resulted in anomalously low pre rigor muscle pH. The aim of the present work was to compare the two methods of pH determination in pre rigor fish muscle and to highlight the importance of including the enzyme inhibitor when homogenizing pre rigor fish muscle prior to pH analysis.

Signos de Vida en la Figura de la Síndone de Turín

In this article several signs of life present in the Shroud of Turin are pointed out. Following the development of rigor mortis, the body posture of the image on the Shroud is analyzed. This, together with the presence of specific facial folds indicate that the person wrapped in it is alive. Therefore, the image on the Shroud of Turin shows both signs of death and life in a person whose image was imprinted when he was alive. If this is a fraud case, it should be considered as an artwork performed by a genius with medical, forensic and image processing knowledge from at least the XX century. But if we read the Gospels, a (perfect) remarkable symmetry is found between the data obtained from the image and the events described in the Gospels, both regarding the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Rigor mortis development and effects of filleting conditions on the quality of Tra catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) fillets

South-East Asian countries produce several million tons annually of Tra catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) fillets for export and domestic consumption. However, the processing procedure has not yet been investigated. This study was carried out to analyze the rigor mortis development of the fish and to evaluate the effects of filleting conditions on the quality of the fillets. Compared to pre-rigor fillet processing, post-rigor fillet processing resulted in higher fillet mass yield, less fillet length contraction and reduced exudation loss during chilled storage for both fillets before freezing and fillets after freezing and thawing. The post-rigor fillet processing led to significantly less drip loss after thawing. For fresh fish fillets, pre-rigor processing led to lower cooking loss compared to post-rigor processing. For frozen and thawed fish fillets there was no significant difference in those two parameters. The present research serves as a foundation for further investigations on the modification of processing practices for better fillet quality.

Quality Assessment of cattle, buffalo and sheep carcasses at Mansoura municipal abattoir

This study evaluated the quality of cattle, buffalo and sheep carcasses at Mansoura municipal abattoir through determining bleeding efficiency after incision left ventricles of their hearts, as well as estimating pHu (ultimate pH after complete development of rigor mortis of the muscle) levels in their diaphragm muscles besides estimating different microbial populations on their surfaces. Our results of bleeding efficiency revealed that 75.21% of examined carcasses were moderately bled also 76.92% of examined carcasses had pHu exceed than 5.8. Aerobic plate (APC) (log10cfu/cm2) were 7.73 ± 6.82, 7.56 ± 6.96 and 7.57 ± 6.99 in neck, 7.57 ± 6.97, 7.70 ± 7.05 and 7.50 ± 6.94 in shoulder and 7.43 ± 6.79, 7.69 ± 7.17 and 7.37 ± 6.73 in topside surfaces of cattle, buffalo and sheep carcasses, respectively. Enterobacteriaceae counts )log10 cfu/cm2) were 3.01 ± 1.98, 2.94 ± 2.04 and 3.03 ± 2.22 in neck ,3.06 ± 2.26, 3.05 ± 2.10 and 3.13 ± 2.30 in shoulder and 2.99 ± 2.19, 2.99 ± 2.02 and 3.10 ± 2.28 in topside surfaces of cattle, buffalo and sheep carcasses, respectively. Within the 3 species mould count ranged from 0.39 to 2.77 and yeast count ranged from 0.39 to 2.68. The present study revealed that unhygienic practices during slaughtering, dressing of carcasses and handling of animals prior to slaughter affect meat quality so hygienic standards should be strictly followed in the Egyptian abattoirs for obtaining high quality meat.

Effects of Long-Term Feed Deprivation on the Development of Rigor Mortis and Aspects of Muscle Quality in Live-Stored Mature Atlantic Cod (Gadus Morhua L.)

ABSTRACTFresh Atlantic cod is available in large amounts in Norway during the first 5 months of the year. Live-storage of cod may extend the marketing period of fresh cod products throughout the year. In addition, this concept makes pre-rigor processing possible. The main problem of keeping wild cod in captivity is that it does not easily accept formulated dry feed. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to investigate how long-term live-storage of mature Atlantic cod in the absence of feed (79 days) affects the onset and development of rigor mortis, as well as fillet quality by assessing hardness and water-holding capacity of the muscle, pH, protein, and water content. The results showed that starvation of Atlantic cod for 23 days reduces the pre-rigor time from 29 to 17 h. Further starvation did not decrease this period significantly, suggesting that live-stored cod deprived of feed for 79 days may still be industrially processed before the onset of rigor mortis. More than 51 days of starvation reduced protein concentration and increased water content of the muscle. After 51 days, the muscle texture was softer than in fish starved for a shorter period.

Study of Rigor Mortis and Factors Affecting its Development for Determination of Postmortem Interval

Rigor mortis, a physico-chemical change that occurs within muscles after death, is one of the significant component in determination of post-mortem interval in warm countries like India, though its development is affected by various factors. This prospective study was carried out to evaluate and interpret variations in development of rigor mortis with respect to cause of death and media from which the body was brought and to determine time and sequence of its development in various muscle groups and joints. It was observed that commencement and full development of rigor mortis is earlier in deaths due to infectious conditions, regional injuries, head injury and deaths due to poisoning as compared to that of deaths due to hanging. Rigor commenced late and developed fully late in water media as compared to air media. It appeared first in the eyelid, then in the face, followed by neck, upper limbs, trunk, lower limbs and lastly the fingers and toes. It disappeared in the same order as it appeared.

Developing Rested Harvest Strategies for Rainbow Trout

AbstractHarvesting fish for slaughter commonly elicits a generalized stress response, which can negatively affect meat quality and processing efficiency. Sedatives used before or during harvest (i.e., “rested harvest”) can minimize these effects. Use of chemical sedatives is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and, unfortunately, none are approved for rested harvest. Electrosedation technology is not currently subject to the same regulatory constraints as chemosedation, but its effectiveness in the context of rested harvest has not been adequately tested. Accordingly, we tested the influence of chemo‐ and electrosedation rested harvest protocols on Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Marketable‐sized fish (~500 g/fish) were subjected to 3 min of crowding and chasing directly after capture (control) or following treatment with eugenol (10 mg/L) or one of five DC electrosedation protocols. After the challenge, fish were sampled to determine blood chemistry profiles or slaughtered by dewatering (asphyxia) to determine time to mortality and rigor, processing efficiency, and fillet quality. In addition, another group of Rainbow Trout (~520 g/fish) were slaughtered by dewatering or percussion following sedation and the above‐described harvest stressors. Overall, results indicated that rested harvest appears to mitigate some aspects of preslaughter stress in Rainbow Trout. Further, rested harvest, including electrosedation‐based protocols, appeared to improve some aspects of product quality and may be perceived as a more humane means of slaughter and harvest. The development of rigor mortis was influenced by slaughter method and was delayed by some, but not all, rested harvest protocols. Percussion appears to offer some advantage over dewatering; however, the high postmortem levels of cortisol observed in percussed fish raises some concern. Further research is needed to unequivocally establish the advantages and disadvantages of rested harvest protocols in Rainbow Trout and other cultured fish, but results to date suggest this approach has some merit.

Electrical Injuries in Animals: Causes, Pathogenesis, and Morphological Findings.

Electrical injuries in animals occur most often accidentally. They comprise contact to various forms of currents, including alternating, rotary, or direct currents. Depending on various parameters of the current (including the type of circuit, voltage, current and duration of exposure) and conditions of the animal (such as wet or dry hair coat and pathway of current through the body), lesions may be absent or may include early or localized development of rigor mortis, signs of acute circulatory failure, or severe thermoelectrical burns. Such burns may present as external current marks, singed hair or feathers, metallization of the skin, or occasionally internal electroporation injury resulting in muscle necrosis, hemolysis, vascular damage with thrombosis, injury to brain and spinal cord, or skeletal fractures. Furthermore, lightning strikes occur regularly in grazing animals, which have greater risk of death from step potentials (ground current) in addition to direct strike and contact injury. Such cases may have no lesions, external signs of linear or punctate burns, keraunographic markings, or exit burns on the soles of the hooves or the coronary bands. Besides detailed information about the circumstances at the location where the animal was found, electrical injuries in animals require a thorough morphological workup, including additional investigations in conjunction with certain knowledge about the possible lesion spectrum.

Estimation of Time since Death from Rigor Mortis in Central India

Rigor mortis is an important factor in determination of time since death. Appearance and disappearance of rigor mortis and other factors influencing the development of rigor mortis like age, sex, weight and temperature were studied in 121 medico legal autopsies, in which exact time of death was known. In 21–60 years age group, the mean time of appearance and full development of rigor mortis was 1.46 hrs and 8.40 hrs, respectively. There was no obvious difference between males and females as regards to commencement and full development of rigor mortis. Time required for commencement of rigor mortis prolongs, as weight increases. In a temperature range of 21°C to 25°C, mean time for appearance and full development of rigor mortis was 1.31 hrs and 8.23 hrs respectively, while time range for start of disappearance was 14 to 23 hrs.

Necromechanics: Death-induced changes in the mechanical properties of human tissues.

After the death phenomenon, the rigor mortis development, characterized by body stiffening, is one of the most evident changes that occur in the body. In this work, the development of rigor mortis was assessed using a skinfold caliper in human cadavers and in live people to measure the deformation in the biceps brachii muscle in response to the force applied by the device. Additionally, to simulate the measurements with the finite element method, a two-dimensional model of an arm section was used. As a result of the experimental procedure, a decrease in deformation with increasing postmortem time was observed, which corresponds to an increase in rigidity. As expected, the deformations for the live subjects were higher. The finite element method analysis showed a correlation between the c1 parameter of the neo-Hookean model in the 4- to 8-h postmortem interval. This was accomplished by adjusting the c1 material parameter in order to simulate the measured experimental displacement. Despite being a preliminary study, the obtained results show that combining the proposed experimental procedure with a numerical technique can be very useful in the study of the postmortem mechanical modifications of human tissues. Moreover, the use of data from living subjects allows us to estimate the time of death paving the way to establish this process as an alternative to the existing techniques. This solution constitutes a portable, non-invasive method of estimating the postmortem interval with direct quantitative measurements using a skinfold caliper. The tools and methods described can be used to investigate the subject and to gain epidemiologic knowledge on rigor mortis phenomenon.

Muscle temperature at the point of filleting--Subsequent effect on storage quality of prerigor filleted raw- and cold-smoked Atlantic salmon.

The impact of increased muscle temperature at the point of filleting on fillet quality of raw- and cold-smoked Atlantic salmon was investigated. Commercially reared fish (5.65 kg, Kf: 1.23, pH: 7.29, muscle temperature: 6.68 ℃) were killed and immediately tempered in three different containers. Muscle temperatures after filleting (<3 h postmortem) of the three groups were 2.08 ℃ (hereafter named T-2); 9.07 ℃ (hereafter named T-9), and 14.09 ℃ (hereafter named T-14), respectively. The pH after filleting was significantly low for T-14 (6.93) followed by T-9 (7.06) and T-2 (7.22). Raised temperature at point of filleting was found to significantly alter development of rigor mortis, which subsequently affected muscle pH and the reflective properties of the fillet surface during 14 days' ice storage. Of cold-smoked fillets, however, a more distinct effect of raised temperature was observed on visual perception resulting in lighter and more yellowish cold-smoked fillets after 14 days' storage. In addition, raised temperature also affects the development of muscle pH in cold-smoked fillets during refrigerated storage. No effects of raised muscle temperature were found regarding drip loss, water-holding capacity, or fillet firmness either for raw- or cold-smoked fillets throughout the storage period.

Quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis of porcine muscle within 24 h postmortem.

The manuscript describes the characterization of postmortem (PM) porcine muscle within 24 h postmortem from the perspective of protein phosphorylation using advanced phosphoproteomic techniques. In the study, the authors employed the dimethyl labeling combined with the TiSH phosphopeptide enrichment and LC-MS/MS strategy. This was the first high-throughput quantitative phosphoproteomic study in PM muscle of farm animals. In the work, both the proteome and phosphoproteome were analyzed, and the large number of identified peptides, phosphopeptides and phosphorylation sites can greatly enrich the current farm animal protein database. The proteins involved in glycometabolism, muscle contraction and heat shock proteins (HSPs) showed significantly changed phosphorylation levels during PM meat development. This work indicated that PM muscle proteins underwent significant changes at phosphorylation level but were relatively stable at the total protein level, suggesting that protein phosphorylation may have important roles in meat development through the regulation of proteins involved in metabolism and muscle contraction, thereby affecting glycolysis and rigor mortis development in PM muscle. The work can promote the understanding of PM muscle metabolism and meat quality development, and be helpful for future meat quality control.

Effect of Temperature and Humidity on Rigor Mortis: A Retrospective Medicolegal Study

Rigor mortis is considered to be one of the early signs of death. Rigor mortis or post-mortem stiffening is a physico-chemical process involving both voluntary and involuntary muscles of the body. Though it is a reliable tool of estimating post-mortem interval, its onset, development and disappearance is affected by many external and internal factors. Temperature and humidity of the place from where body is recovered or where it remains after death plays an important role in the development of rigor mortis, which further affects the estimation of post-mortem interval.