The effects of immunocastration, pelvic suspension and wet ageing on the meat quality of the longissimus lumborum et thoracis (LTL) and biceps femoris (BF) muscles of male common eland were evaluated. Ten subadult males were either immunocastrated (n = 5) or remained intact (n = 5) throughout a four-month growth trial, after which their carcass sides were randomly allocated to either pelvic- or Achilles-suspension. The LTL and BF were further aged for 14 days, measuring changes in the physical quality weekly. The sensory quality of the LTL and BF were determined after ageing (8/9 days, respectively). Immunocastration had minimal effects on the meat quality of male eland, but pelvic suspension decreased the shear force. All muscles reached minimum shear force after seven days of ageing, and the panellists ranked the pelvic-suspended muscles higher for tenderness traits. Incorporating pelvic suspension and wet ageing into the commercial processing of eland carcasses should be considered to improve overall meat quality.

• MeSH
• Antelopes MeSH
• Abattoirs MeSH
• Muscle, Skeletal MeSH
• Food Quality * MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Food Handling methods   MeSH
• Meat analysis   MeSH
• Orchiectomy methods   veterinary   MeSH
• Shear Strength MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Bonding orthodontic brackets to ceramic materials is a challenging procedure; femtosecond (FS) laser conditioning could provide improved results, but the ideal settings for effective bracket-zirconia bonding have never been established. This study aimed to analyze the differences in surface roughness and shear bond strength (SBS) produced by different femtosecond laser settings and establish a protocol to prepare zirconia surfaces for optimal adhesion to metal orthodontic brackets. One hundred eighty zirconia samples were assigned to six groups according to surface treatment: (1) control; (2) air-particle abrasion (APA); (3) FS laser irradiation (300 mW output power, 60 μm inter-groove distance); (4) FS laser irradiation (200 mW, 100 μm); (5) FS laser irradiation (40 mW, 60 μm); and (6) FS laser irradiation (200 mW, 60 μm). Surface roughness was measured. Orthodontic brackets were bonded to the zirconia specimens, and SBS was measured. SBS in groups 3 and 6 was significantly higher than the other groups (5.92 ± 1.12 MPa and 5.68 ± 0.94 MPa). No significant differences were found between groups 1, 2, 4, and 5 (3.87 ± 0.77 MPa, 4.25 ± 0.51 MPa, 3.74 ± 0.10 MPa, and 3.91 ± 0.53 MPa). Surface roughness was significantly greater for FS laser than for control and APA groups (p = 1.28 × 10-8). FS laser at 200 mW, 60 μm can be recommended as the ideal settings for treating zirconia surfaces, producing good SBS and more economical energy use.

• MeSH
• Time Factors MeSH
• Orthodontic Brackets * MeSH
• Shear Strength MeSH
• Surface Properties MeSH
• Materials Testing MeSH
• Dental Bonding MeSH
• Zirconium chemistry   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

To investigate the potential of eland for meat production, the yield, physical quality and chemical composition of seven muscles were characterized from both male (n = 6) and female (n = 6) carcasses. Although carcass weights did not differ, cows had greater biceps femoris (BF), semitendinosus (ST) and supraspinatus (SS) muscle yields. The semimembranosus (SM) from cows had the greatest drip loss and were more yellow (b*) than all muscles evaluated from both sexes. Shear force measurements showed no effect of sex but large variations between muscles existed (65.5 to 97.6 N). Moisture content was greater within the BF, SS, ST and infraspinatus (IS) than the longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and SM. The LTL and IS had the lowest intramuscular fat content, while the LTL and SM muscle had the highest crude protein content. Sex had little effect on eland meat composition, showing potential for the meat of both sexes to be marketed as a lean meat source.

• MeSH
• Antelopes * MeSH
• Color MeSH
• Muscle, Skeletal anatomy & histology   chemistry   MeSH
• Lipids analysis   MeSH
• Meat analysis   MeSH
• Shear Strength MeSH
• Sex Factors MeSH
• Muscle Proteins analysis   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Physical meat quality measurements were conducted on the longissimus thoracis et lumborum, biceps femoris, semimembranosus, semitendinosus, infraspinatus and supraspinatus muscles from male (n=6) and female (n=6) fallow deer (Dama dama) harvested in South Africa. Ultimate pH (pHu), drip loss, cooking loss and shear force values were influenced (p≤0.05) by muscle, but not gender. Mean pHu readings were 5.4-5.6 in the muscles with the two forequarter muscles having the highest readings, while drip loss, cooking loss and shear force values ranged from 1.3-1.6%, 29.4-36.1% and 31.3-61.9N, respectively. Muscle, however, had an effect (p≤0.05) on all the measured colour parameters (L*, a*, b*, chroma, hue angle), whereas gender only influenced (p≤0.05) the a* and chroma values in certain muscles. It can be concluded that the physical meat quality attributes of the fallow deer muscles compare favourably with that from other game species commonly consumed in South Africa.

• MeSH
• Color MeSH
• Hydrogen-Ion Concentration MeSH
• Muscle, Skeletal metabolism   MeSH
• Meat analysis   MeSH
• Shear Strength MeSH
• Sex Factors MeSH
• Cooking MeSH
• Deer * MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• South Africa MeSH

In this work, two antifouling polymer brushes were tested at different shear stress conditions to evaluate their performance in reducing the initial adhesion of Escherichia coli. Assays were performed using a parallel plate flow chamber and a shear stress range between 0.005 and 0.056 Pa. These shear stress values are found in different locations in the human body where biomedical devices are placed. The poly(MeOEGMA) and poly(HPMA) brushes were characterized and it was shown that they can reduce initial adhesion up to 90% when compared to glass. Importantly, the performance of these surfaces was not affected by the shear stress, which is an indication that they do not collapse under this shear stress range. The brushes displayed a similar behavior despite the differences in their chemical composition and surface energy. Both surfaces have shown ultra-low adsorption of macromolecules from the medium when tested with relevant biological fluids (urine and serum). This indicates that these surfaces can potentially be used in biomedical devices to reduce initial bacterial colonization and eventually reduce biofilm formation on these devices.

• MeSH
• Bacterial Adhesion physiology   MeSH
• Biofilms growth & development   MeSH
• Escherichia coli MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Stress, Mechanical MeSH
• Shear Strength physiology   MeSH
• Polymers chemistry   MeSH
• Surface Properties MeSH
• Body Fluids microbiology   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

Nowadays, a high-induction magnetic stimulation is starting to be increasingly applied as a biophysical stimulation in the conservative treatment of the degenerative locomotor system diseases. These are mainly in correlation with the changes in soft tissue elasticity, which should be positively influenced by the flow-induced electrical currents of high current density during high-induction magnetic stimulation. This assumption was verified within the interventional and prospective study using the ultrasound elastography. The group consisted of 6 volunteers, whose elasticity of the patellar tendons was measured using the 2D shear-wave ultrasound elastography. The volunteers were then exposed to a 20-minute high-induction magnetic stimulation session with a frequency of 20 Hz, in 2 s package intervals, with a 5 s pause, and a induced electric current density of 100 Am-2 in the tendons area. A tendon tension was measured five times for all volunteers, where mean tension at the marked area of the tendon, as well as the highest point tension indicated by the Q-Box, was monitored. The measurement results show that high-induction magnetic stimulation has an influence on the patellar tendon tension change, which occurred in the case of all involved volunteers when the patellar tension was decreased.

• MeSH
• Algorithms MeSH
• Biophysics MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Elasticity Imaging Techniques * MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Patellar Ligament diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Shear Strength MeSH
• Movement MeSH
• Elasticity MeSH
• Rehabilitation methods   MeSH
• Ultrasonography * MeSH
• Healthy Volunteers MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

AIM: To create a predictive score for the discrimination between benign and malignant parotid tumors using elastographic parameters and to compare its sensitivity and specificity with standard ultrasound. METHODS: A total of 124 patients with parotid gland lesions for whom surgery was planned were examined using conventional ultrasound, Doppler examination, and shear wave elastography. Results of the examinations were compared with those ones of histology. RESULTS: There were 96 benign and 28 malignant lesions in our cohort. Blurred tumor margin alone proved to be an excellent predictor of malignancy with the sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 97%. Enlarged cervical lymph nodes, tumor vascularisation, microcalcifications presence, homogeneous echogenicity, and bilateral occurrence also discriminated between benign and malignant tumors. However, their inclusion in a predictive model did not improve its performance. Elastographic parameters (the stiffness maxima and minima ratio being the best) also exhibited significant differences between benign and malignant tumors, but again, their inclusion did not significantly improve the predictive power of the blurred margin classifier. CONCLUSION: Even though elastography satisfactorily distinguishes benign from malignant lesions on its own, it hardly provides any additional value in evaluation of biological character of parotid gland tumors when used as an adjunct to regular ultrasound examination.

• MeSH
• Diagnosis, Differential * MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Elasticity Imaging Techniques methods   MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Adolescent MeSH
• Parotid Neoplasms diagnosis   diagnostic imaging   pathology   MeSH
• Parotid Gland diagnostic imaging   pathology   MeSH
• Shear Strength MeSH
• Aged, 80 and over MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Ultrasonography methods   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Adolescent MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Aged, 80 and over MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

U nemocného s restenózou zjištěnou šest měsíců po implantaci lékového stentu (drug-eluting stent, DES) byla ve snaze zhodnotit vliv zmenšování průměru stentu směrem k jeho distálnímu konci (step-down) na smykové napětí ve stěně tepny (wall shear stress, WSS) provedena retrospektivní remodelace 3D koronarografickou rekonstrukcí a průběhu intrakoronárního tlaku během srdečního cyklu. Kinetika WSS se vypočítávala v průběhu celého cyklu podél rekonstruované tepny metodou analýzy dynamiky tekutin. Na rozdíl od starších zpráv byla největší amplituda a průměrná hodnota WSS tepny zjištěna v místě zmenšení průměru (step-down), kde později došlo ke vzniku restenózy.

Retrospective modeling was performed in a case with restenosis after 6 months of a DES implantation to investigate the effect of the step-down at the distal edge of the stent on the wall shear stress (WSS) using 3D coronary angiography reconstruction and the intracoronary pressure traces during a cardiac cycle. The kinetics of the WSS was calculated through the cardiac cycle along the reconstructed vessel by fluid dynamic analysis. Contrary to the previous reports the greatest amplitude and average of the arterial WSS was detected where the restenosis developed later at the site of the step-down.

• MeSH
• Kinetics MeSH
• Coronary Restenosis * diagnosis   etiology   physiopathology   MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Shear Strength drug effects   MeSH
• Vascular Remodeling MeSH
• Drug-Eluting Stents MeSH
• Vascular Stiffness MeSH
• Check Tag
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Case Reports MeSH

Hemodynamics in the distal end-to-side anastomosis is related to early development of intimal hyperplasia and bypass failure. In this study we investigated the effect of diameter ratios between the target artery and the bypass at three different angles of the connection. The pulsatile flow field was visualized using particle image velocimetry in transparent models with three different angles of the connection (25°, 45°, 60°) and the diameter ratio between the bypass and the target artery was 4.6 mm : 6 mm, 6 mm : 6 mm, and 7.5 mm : 6 mm. Six parameters including location and oscillation of the stagnation point, local energy dissipation, wall shear stress (WSS), oscillatory shear index, spatial and temporal gradient of WSS and their distribution in the target artery were calculated from the flow field. In the wider bypass, the stagnation point oscillated in a greater range and was located more proximal to the anastomosis. Energy dissipation was minimal in a wider bypass with a more acute angle. The maximum WSS values were tree times greater in a narrow bypass and concentrated in a smaller circular region at the floor of the anastomosis. The oscillatory shear index increased with wider bypass and more acute angle. The maximum of spatial gradient of WSS concentrated around the floor and toe of the anastomosis and decreased with more acute angle and wider bypass, the temporal gradient of WSS was stretched more towards the side wall. Greater bypass to target vessel ratio and more acute anastomosis angle promote hemodynamics known to reduce formation of intimal hyperplasia.

• MeSH
• Anastomosis, Surgical * MeSH
• Arteries anatomy & histology   physiology   surgery   MeSH
• Stress, Physiological MeSH
• Hemodynamics * MeSH
• Hyperplasia * MeSH
• Stress, Mechanical MeSH
• Models, Cardiovascular MeSH
• Shear Strength MeSH
• Energy Transfer MeSH
• Pulsatile Flow MeSH
• Blood Flow Velocity MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

The adhesive material used to bond orthodontic brackets to teeth should neither fail during the treatment period, resulting in treatment delays, untoward expenses or patient inconvenience nor should it damage the enamel on debonding at the end of the treatment. Although the effectiveness of a bonding system and any unfavorable effects on the enamel may be studied by conducting in-vivo studies, it is nearly impossible to independently analyze different variables that influence a specific bonding system in the oral environment. In-vitro studies, on the other hand, may utilize more standardized protocols for testing different bonding systems and materials available. Thus, the present review focused attention on in-vitro studies and made an attempt to discuss material-related, teeth-related (fluorotic vs non-fluorotic teeth) and other miscellaneous factors that influences the shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets. Within the limitations of this review, using conventional acid-etch technique, ceramic brackets and bonding to non-fluorotic teeth was reported to have a positive influence on the shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets, but higher shear bond strength found on using ceramic brackets can be dangerous for the enamel.

• MeSH
• Fluorosis, Dental complications   MeSH
• Acid Etching, Dental methods   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Orthodontic Brackets standards   MeSH
• Shear Strength * MeSH
• Surface Properties MeSH
• Materials Testing methods   MeSH
• Dental Cements pharmacology   MeSH
• Dental Enamel drug effects   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH