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Exosomes are nanovesicles 30-150 nm in diameter released extracellularly. Those isolated from human body fluids reflect the characteristics of their cells or tissues of origin. Exosomes carry extensive biological information from their parent cells and have significant potential as biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis. However, there are limited studies utilizing exosomes in postmortem diagnostics. In this study, we extended our initial research which identified the presence and established detection methodologies for exosomes in postmortem fluids. We analyzed exosomal miRNA extracted from plasma and pericardial fluid samples of a control group (n = 13) and subjects with acute myocardial infarction (AMI; n = 24). We employed next-generation sequencing (NGS) to investigate whether this miRNA could serve as biomarkers for coronary atherosclerosis leading to acute myocardial infarction. Our analysis revealed 29 miRNAs that were differentially expressed in the AMI group compared to the control group. Among these, five miRNAs exhibited more than a twofold increase in expression across all samples from the AMI group. Specifically, miR-486-5p levels were significantly elevated in patients with high-grade (type VI or above) atherosclerotic plaques, as per the American Heart Association criteria, highlighting its potential as a predictive biomarker for coronary atherosclerosis progression. Our results indicate that postmortem-derived exosomal microRNAs can serve as potential biomarkers for various human diseases, including cardiovascular disorders. This finding has profound implications for forensic diagnostics, a field critically lacking diagnostic markers.

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This study investigates the cardiac safety concerns related to TASER discharges centering on a pivotal case that marked the first TASER-related fatality in South Korea. Employing Pratt et al.'s theoretical framework, the research evaluates the potential for ventricular fibrillation (VF) from these discharges. The methodology incorporated a high-resolution waveform analysis using sophisticated equipment and considered specific incident details, including dart impact locations verified through a forensic examination. A human body impedance of 500 Ω, chosen based on empirical studies and coupled with non-inductive resistance for high-voltage handling, was utilized in the model. By applying a heart-current factor from IEC 60479 standards, the study found a VF risk of up to 5% depending on the impact location and current pathways. In this specific case, although the calculated risk did not exceed critical thresholds, the VF risk was high enough to suggest that TASER discharges played a role in the fatal outcome. This study underscores the importance of dart impact location in TASER safety evaluations, contributing to a broader understanding of TASER cardiac risks and providing a basis to advocate for rigorous safety protocols.

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BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most widespread and threatening health crisis experienced by the Korean society. Faced with an unprecedented threat to survival, society has been gripped by social fear and anger, questioning the culpability of this pandemic. This study explored the correlation between social cognitions and negative emotions and their changes in response to the severe events stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. METHODS: The analysis was based on a cognitive-emotional model that links fear and anger to the social causes that trigger them and used discursive content from comments posted on YouTube's COVID-19-related videos. A total of 182,915 comments from 1,200 videos were collected between January and December 2020. We performed data analyses and visualizations using R, Netminer 4.0, and Gephi software and calculated Pearson's correlation coefficients between emotions. RESULTS: YouTube videos were analyzed for keywords indicating cognitive assessments of major events related to COVID-19 and keywords indicating negative emotions. Eight topics were identified through topic modeling: causes and risks, perceptions of China, media and information, infection prevention rules, economic activity, school and infection, political leaders, and religion, politics, and infection. The correlation coefficient between fear and anger was 0.462 (p < .001), indicating a moderate linear relationship between the two emotions. Fear was the highest from January to March in the first year of the COVID-19 outbreak, while anger occurred before and after the outbreak, with fluctuations in both emotions during this period. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that social cognitions and negative emotions are intertwined in response to major events related to the COVID-19 pandemic, with each emotion varying individually rather than being ambiguously mixed. These findings could aid in developing social cognition-emotion-based public health strategies through education and communication during future pandemic outbreaks.

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Astaxanthin (AST)-encapsulated nanoparticles were fabricated using glycol chitosan (Chito) through electrostatic interaction (abbreviated as ChitoAST) to solve the aqueous solubility of astaxanthin and improve its biological activity. AST was dissolved in organic solvents and then mixed with chitosan solution, followed by a dialysis procedure. All formulations of ChitoAST nanoparticles showed small diameters (less than 400 nm) with monomodal distributions. Analysis with Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy confirmed the specific peaks of AST and Chito. Furthermore, ChitoAST nanoparticles were formed through electrostatic interactions between Chito and AST. In addition, ChitoAST nanoparticles showed superior antioxidant activity, as good as AST itself; the half maximal radical scavenging concentrations (RC50) of AST and ChitoAST nanoparticles were 11.8 and 29.3 µg/mL, respectively. In vitro, AST and ChitoAST nanoparticles at 10 and 20 µg/mL properly inhibited the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROSs), nitric oxide (NO), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). ChitoAST nanoparticles had no significant cytotoxicity against RAW264.7 cells or B16F10 melanoma cells, whereas AST and ChitoAST nanoparticles inhibited the growth of cancer cells. Furthermore, AST itself and ChitoAST nanoparticles (20 µg/mL) efficiently inhibited the migration of cancer cells in a wound healing assay. An in vivo study using mice and a pulmonary metastasis model showed that ChitoAST nanoparticles were efficiently delivered to a lung with B16F10 cell metastasis; i.e., fluorescence intensity in the lung was significantly higher than in other organs. We suggest that ChitoAST nanoparticles are promising candidates for antioxidative and anticancer therapies of B16F10 cells.

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This study was aimed to identify knowledge structure and trends in severe COVID-19 risk factor using text network analysis. The 22,628 papers published during from January 2020 to December 2021. We analyzed and visualized using Text Rank analyzer and Gephi software. They were grouped into 5 central themes - biomedical factors, occupational environmental factors, demographic factors, health behavior factors, and complications. The emerging topics were identified to the chronological trends. This study can promote a systematic understanding of severe COVID-19 risk factors.

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BACKGROUND: The rapid increase of single-person households in South Korea is leading to an increase in the incidence of metabolic syndrome, which causes cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, due to lifestyle changes. It is necessary to analyze the complex effects of metabolic syndrome risk factors in South Korean single-person households, which differ from one household to another, considering the diversity of single-person households. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify the factors affecting metabolic syndrome in single-person households using machine learning techniques and categorically characterize the risk factors through latent class analysis (LCA). METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 10-year secondary data obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2009-2018). We selected 1371 participants belonging to single-person households. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 25.0; IBM Corp), Mplus (version 8.0; Muthen & Muthen), and Python (version 3.0; Plone & Python). We applied 4 machine learning algorithms (logistic regression, decision tree, random forest, and extreme gradient boost) to identify important factors and then applied LCA to categorize the risk groups of metabolic syndromes in single-person households. RESULTS: Through LCA, participants were classified into 4 groups (group 1: intense physical activity in early adulthood, group 2: hypertension among middle-aged female respondents, group 3: smoking and drinking among middle-aged male respondents, and group 4: obesity and abdominal obesity among middle-aged respondents). In addition, age, BMI, obesity, subjective body shape recognition, alcohol consumption, smoking, binge drinking frequency, and job type were investigated as common factors that affect metabolic syndrome in single-person households through machine learning techniques. Group 4 was the most susceptible and at-risk group for metabolic syndrome (odds ratio 17.67, 95% CI 14.5-25.3; P<.001), and obesity and abdominal obesity were the most influential risk factors for metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified risk groups and factors affecting metabolic syndrome in single-person households through machine learning techniques and LCA. Through these findings, customized interventions for each generational risk factor for metabolic syndrome can be implemented, leading to the prevention of metabolic syndrome, which causes cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In conclusion, this study contributes to the prevention of metabolic syndrome in single-person households by providing new insights and priority groups for the development of customized interventions using classification.

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Metformin is the most widely used anti-diabetic drug that helps maintain normal blood glucose levels primarily by suppressing hepatic gluconeogenesis in type II diabetic patients. We previously found that metformin induces apoptotic death in H4IIE rat hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Despite its anti-diabetic roles, the effect of metformin on hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) remains unclear. We investigated the effect of metformin on hepatic DNL and apoptotic cell death in H4IIE cells. Metformin treatment stimulated glucose consumption, lactate production, intracellular fat accumulation, and the expressions of lipogenic proteins. It also stimulated apoptosis but reduced autophagic responses. These metformin-induced changes were clearly reversed by compound C, an inhibitor of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Interestingly, metformin massively increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which was completely blocked by compound C. Metformin also stimulated the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK). Finally, inhibition of p38MAPK mimicked the effects of compound C, and suppressed the metformin-induced fat accumulation and apoptosis. Taken together, metformin stimulates dysregulated glucose metabolism, intracellular fat accumulation, and apoptosis. Our findings suggest that metformin induces excessive glucose-induced DNL, oxidative stress by ROS generation, activation of AMPK and p38MAPK, suppression of autophagy, and ultimately apoptosis.

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PURPOSE: In cases of drowning, the presence of sphenoid sinus fluid is a non-specific autopsy finding. However, studies have reported that fluid accumulation in the paranasal sinuses is more commonly observed in drowning victims. Furthermore, some laboratory tests, such as diatom and electrolyte analysis, can serve as supplementary diagnostic tools for diagnosing drowning. Therefore, accurate sphenoid sinus fluid sampling is an important aspect of an autopsy in suspected drowning cases. The aim of this study was to identify the significance of evaluating sphenoid sinus fluid by PMCT images in cases of drowning. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 54 drowning victims who underwent PMCT and forensic autopsy. Fluid volume in the sphenoid sinus was measured using a graduated syringe during autopsy and a three-dimensional (3D) workstation based on PMCT images was used for the purpose of comparison. The Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to evaluate statistically significant differences and correlations. Additionally, a Bland-Altman plot was employed to assess the agreement between PMCT and autopsy. RESULTS: The median volume was 1.65 (range 0.00-12.4) ml and 1.55 (range 0.00-7.00) ml in the PMCT and autopsy, respectively, showing a statistically insignificant difference (p = 0.294) and a significant correlation (Rs = 0.896). In 35 cases, the PMCT overestimated the fluid volume more than the autopsy, whereas in 14 cases, the PMCT underestimated the fluid volume. No fluid was identified in seven cases during the autopsy, whereas in five patients, no fluid was found in both PMCT and autopsy. By analyzing the Bland-Altman plot, a bias of 0.73 ± 1.4 ml and limits of agreement ranging from -2.04 to 3.51 ml were observed for sphenoid sinus fluid volume measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the limitations of traditional fluid volume measurement in the sphenoid sinus during autopsy, we propose the utilization of PMCT volumetric analysis prior to autopsy as a means to enhance the detection of sphenoid sinus fluid in cases of drowning.

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BACKGROUND: This study focuses on the potential of health big data in the South Korean context. Despite huge data reserves and pan-government efforts to increase data use, the utilization is limited to public interest research centered in public institutions that have data. To increase the use of health big data, it is necessary to identify and develop measures to meet the various demands for such data from individuals, private companies, and research institutes. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify the perceptions of and demands for health big data analysis and use among workers in health care-related occupations and to clarify the obstacles to the use of health big data. METHODS: From May 8 to May 18, 2022, we conducted a web-based survey among 390 health care-related workers in South Korea. We used Fisher exact test and analysis of variance to estimate the differences among occupations. We expressed the analysis results by item in frequency and percentage and expressed the difficulties in analyzing health big data by mean and standard deviation. RESULTS: The respondents who revealed the need to use health big data in health care work-related fields accounted for 86.4% (337/390); 65.6% (256/390) of the respondents had never used health big data. The lack of awareness about the source of the desired data was the most cited reason for nonuse by 39.6% (153/386) of the respondents. The most cited obstacle to using health big data by the respondents was the difficulty in data integration and expression unit matching, followed by missing value processing and noise removal. Thus, the respondents experienced the greatest difficulty in the data preprocessing stage during the health big data analysis process, regardless of occupation. Approximately 91.8% (358/390) of the participants responded that they were willing to use the system if a system supporting big data analysis was developed. As suggestions for the specific necessary support system, the reporting and provision of appropriate data and expert advice on questions arising during the overall process of big data analysis were mentioned. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate respondents' high awareness of and demand for health big data. Our findings also reveal the low utilization of health big data and the need to support health care workers in their analysis and use of such data. Hence, we recommend the development of a customized support system that meets the specific requirements of big data analysis by users such as individuals, nongovernmental agencies, and academia. Our study is significant because it identified important but overlooked failure factors. Thus, it is necessary to prepare practical measures to increase the utilization of health big data in the future.

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This study aimed to investigate the pathogenicity of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) isolated from dog and cat lung samples in South Korea. A total of 101 E. coli isolates were analyzed for virulence factors, phylogroups, and O-serogroups, and their correlation with bacterial pneumonia-induced mortality was elucidated. P fimbriae structural subunit (papA), hemolysin D (hlyD), and cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 (cnf1) were highly prevalent in both species, indicating correlation with bacterial pneumonia. Phylogroups B1 and B2 were the most prevalent phylogroups (36.6% and 32.7%, respectively) and associated with high bacterial pneumonia-induced mortality rates. Isolates from both species belonging to phylogroup B2 showed high frequency of papA, hlyD, and cnf1. O-serogrouping revealed 21 and 15 serogroups in dogs and cats, respectively. In dogs, O88 was the most prevalent serogroup (n = 8), and the frequency of virulence factors was high for O4 and O6. In cats, O4 was the most prevalent serogroup (n = 6), and the frequency of virulence factors was high for O4 and O6. O4 and O6 serogroups were mainly grouped under phylogroup B2 and associated with high bacterial pneumonia-induced mortality. This study characterized the pathogenicity of ExPEC and described the probability of ExPEC pneumonia-induced mortality.

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BACKGROUND: Distal tibiofibular syndesmotic injuries, often misdiagnosed, can lead to substantial morbidity. This study utilized postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) to define normal syndesmotic relationships in 131 subjects. METHODS: Three parameters were measured: fibular rotation (FR), sagittal translation (ST), and incisura depth (ID). RESULTS: Interobserver reliability was excellent for FR and ID but moderate for ST. Anatomical variability was wide, with FR ranging from -0.4° to 16.6°, ST from 0.33 mm to 3.49 mm, and ID from 1.89 mm to 6.05 mm. Side-to-side variability within subjects was minimal. Gender-specific differences were observed in ST, possibly due to size variations, highlighting the need for gender-specific diagnostic criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Although establishing universal reference values is challenging, using contralateral ankles for comparison can enhance diagnostic accuracy in syndesmotic injuries. This study, the first of its kind, offers valuable insights into normal distal tibiofibular syndesmotic relationships based on PMCT data. Future validation studies in patients with syndesmotic injuries can further improve diagnostic accuracy.

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Job embeddedness (JE) has been recognized as a key factor to address the issue of employee turnover and employee attitudes. This study explores underlying mechanisms of job embeddedness that link the organizational environment and the individuals' perceptions of the job. Particularly, the effects of psychological empowerment and learning orientation on organizational commitment were examined. This study hypothesizes that psychological empowerment (PE) and learning orientation (LO) should influence organizational commitment (OC) and job embeddedness plays a significant mediating role in these relationships. Data were collected from 27 offices of Human Resource Development Service of Korea (governmental agency) located in major cities in South Korea. Results indicate that all hypothesized relationships (PE and JE, LO and JE, LO and OC, JE and OC, and the mediating role of JE) are supported, except for psychological empowerment and organizational commitment. While the impact of psychological empowerment was not significantly related to organizational commitment, it is notable that through job embeddedness, psychological empowerment had indirect effects on organizational commitment. Further, learning orientation had significant effects on job embeddedness and organizational commitment. Lastly, the most compelling finding is a full mediation of job embeddedness in the relationship between psychological empowerment and organization commitment. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

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Adenovirus has been detected in a wide range of hosts like dogs, foxes, horses, bats, avian animals, and raccoon dogs. Canine adenoviruses with two serotypes host mammals and are members of the mastadenovirus family. Canine adenovirus type 1 (CAdV-1) and canine adenovirus type 2 (CAdV-2) cause infectious canine hepatitis and infectious bronchial disease, respectively. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of CAdV-1 and 2 in wild Nyctereutes procyonoides in Korea in 2017-2020 from 414 tissue samples, including the liver, kidney, lung, and intestine, collected from 105 raccoon dog carcasses. Only CAdV-2 was detected in two raccoon dogs, whereas CAdV-1 was not detected. Tissue samples from raccoon dogs were screened for CAdV-1 and CAdV-2 using conventional PCR. Adenovirus was successfully isolated from PCR positive samples using the Vero cell line, and the full-length gene sequence of the isolated viruses was obtained through 5' and 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The major genes of the isolated CAdV-2/18Ra54 and CAdV-2/18Ra-65 strains showed the closest relationship with that of the CAdV-2 Toronto A26/61 strain isolated from Canada in 1976. There is no large mutation between CAdV-2, which is prevalent worldwide, and CAdV-2, which is prevalent in wild animals in Korea. In addition, it is still spreading and causing infections. The Toronto A26/61 strain, which showed the most similarity to CAdV-2/18Ra-54, was likely transmitted to wild animals through vaccinated companion animals, suggesting that further research is needed on safety measures surrounding animal vaccination. This study provides information on the genetic characteristics and prevalence of canine adenovirus in domestic wild animals and provides a better understanding of canine adenovirus.

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Exosomes have been mainly studied for their potential applications in biomarker detection and drug delivery for diagnosis and treatment. However, in the field of forensic research, the potential value of exosomes derived from post-mortem body fluids has not been investigated to date. Here, we isolated the exosomes and exosomal RNAs from post-mortem body fluids, including cardiac blood, pericardial fluid, and urine. We also compared commercial exosome isolation kits to determine the optimal method for post-mortem exosome isolation. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the Agilent bioanalyzer system, and western blotting were used to evaluate the efficiencies of alternative isolation methods and the characteristics of isolated exosomes. There were no significant differences between exosomes obtained from post-mortem and ante-mortem body fluids in the expression of exosome surface markers or morphology. The exosomes were well-preserved even under simulated post-mortem conditions. Among the isolation procedures tested, the membrane affinity column-based method was the most suitable for post-mortem exosomal RNA isolation. These results suggest that exosomes are well-preserved in post-mortem body fluids and could be utilized for forensic diagnosis.

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BACKGROUND: Telehealth services are time- and cost-saving solutions for disease management for older adults. Minority older individuals with multiple risk factors have an increasing demand for telehealth services. There are insufficient data on patient safety in telehealth services. This study aimed to enhance the quality of telehealth services by reducing errors and creating a safe user environment for low-income older adults. Failure mode and effects analysis tool (FMEA) was adopted to manage potential risks for sustainable digital transformation. METHOD: An eight-member multidisciplinary team conducted telehealth FMEA to determine risk priority numbers (RPNs). The process included identifying the potential cause and effect failure mode of each step; measuring severity, probability, and detectability scores for RPNs; and generating strategies to decrease potential failures. RESULTS: This study identified 24 risk factors and 34 causes in four major phases with a mean RPN of 90.7: preparation to measure biosignals, measurement of biosignals following instructions from a personal device, confirmation of measurement results, and intervention based on disease or condition type. Risk prioritization revealed four high failure modes and a total RPN of 362.7. Based on fundamental causes, risks were categorized as oblivescence, economic issues, and technology literacy. CONCLUSIONS: To correct these failure modes, stabilization of the platform, adding to the providers' manpower, and support for government policies are recommended. FMEA identifies and evaluates the potential risks of telehealth services. The selected priorities reduce the clinical risks of low-income elders who use telehealth services by weighting clinical actions.

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AIM: To investigate the effects of job embeddedness and nursing working environment on trauma centre nurses' turnover intention. BACKGROUND: Trauma centre nurses have higher average turnover intention than hospital nurses. However, factors that increase the turnover intention of trauma centre nurses remain unexplored. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from August to October 2019, with 120 trauma centre nurses working at three trauma centres in B, D and U cities using measures of demographic characteristics, job embeddedness, nursing working environment and turnover intention. RESULTS: The mean turnover intention score was 3.60/5 points. There were significant correlations among turnover intention and fit, sacrifice, foundation for quality nursing, ability and leadership of nursing managers, cooperation of nurses and doctors, nurse participation in hospital management and sufficient manpower and material support. Turnover intention was predicted by nurse participation in hospital management, gender, clinical experience and fit, which explained 54%. CONCLUSIONS: Factors that influence nurses' turnover intention at trauma centres were gender, clinical experience, job fit and, especially, nurses' participation in hospital management, which had the most effect on the nursing working environment. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: To expand participation of trauma centre nurses, hospital management systems and organisational culture need improvement.

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This study addresses issues associated with limited access to reference skeletal collections and how it hampers regional methodological development. The study also investigates the effects of three different priors on age-at-death estimations of Koreans and quantifies the accuracy of Bayesian estimation compared to a non-Bayesian approach. CT scan images of pubic symphyses were scored following the Suchey-Brooks standards. We specifically examine Bayesian age-at-death estimations under an optimal scenario where both the likelihood and prior probability are derived from a target population of Korean origin. Three different priors (population, forensic, and uniform priors) are evaluated for their age estimation accuracy levels. The results showed that Korean males and females had discrepancies in skeletal aging rates only in certain phases. A similar trend was observed in the comparison of the original Suchey-Brooks and Korean sample aging rates. However, when final age estimates were computed based on an inadequate choice of a prior, the between-group differences may be minimized or even obscured. The uniform and forensic priors produced the most reasonable and unbiased estimates, while the uniform prior consistently provided open-ended estimates for the last phase. The population prior produced consistently higher estimates due to the high survivorship of Koreans. In addition, the original Suchey-Brooks standards persistently under-estimated ages for Korean males and females. Overall, when Bayesian age estimation is based on an informed prior that best matches the context of the case (forensic deaths in this study), there was increased accuracy of final age estimates compared to age estimates of other priors and the original Suchey-Brooks method.

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The development of a guided bone regeneration (GBR) membrane with non-mammalian fish collagen has the advantage of low risk for transmission of infectious diseases in tissue regeneration. In this work, a fish collagen/gellan gum and bone graft material (FC/GG-BGM) composite GBR membrane were fabricated through solution blending and casting procedures in a vacuum. The membranes were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy observation (SEM), and atomic force microscope (AFM) analyses. FT-IR results suggested that ionic interactions were formed between FC and GG both in composite powder and membranes. In vivo experiments showed that these FC/GG-BGM composite membranes could generate osteoblast minerals and promote loose bone calcification, thus accelerating bone regeneration. At 2 weeks, the defected site of rats treated with FC/GG-BGM membrane (0.377 ± 0.012 mm3) showed higher regeneration than that of rats treated with the bovine collagen membrane (0.290 ± 0.015 mm3) and control rats without membrane (0.160 ± 0.008 mm3). Compared with bovine collagen membrane, the FC/GG-BGM composite membrane displays better bone regeneration ability. Therefore, FC/GG-BGM composite membrane is suitable as a GBR membrane for bone regeneration.

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The current trend in monitoring meat quality is to move the quality measurements from the laboratory to the processing line. To provide better meat quality control in the commercial poultry processing plants, we evaluated the quality of broiler breast meat samples, observing different colors, and assessed their freshness using a Torrymeter. Different colors were classified based on the mean ± standard deviation of lightness (L*) values in 1,499 broiler breast fillets: Dark (L* < 56), normal (56 ≤ L* ≤ 62), and pale (L* > 62). To characterize the differences between the pale and normal color groups, we evaluated additional fillets for meat quality traits. Changes in meat quality during storage were also evaluated. The L* and Torrymeter values (freshness values) allowed us to distinguish between the pale and normal meat samples. Normal and pale fillets showed a significant difference in pH, Torrymeter values, and water-holding capacity (P < 0.001). The L* values were significantly correlated with cook and drip loss (P < 0.01) and were higher (paler, +1.2 L* unit) at 72-h postmortem than at 4-h postmortem. Torrymeter values were correlated with cook loss (P < 0.05) and pH (P < 0.001), and significantly decreased with the increase in storage period (P < 0.001). These results suggest the applicability of the Torrymeter, a fast and non-destructive device, in distinguishing stale and fresh breast fillets. With its portability and simplicity, the Torrymeter is expected to be a valuable tool to estimate meat freshness. Especially, the use of Torrymeter for evaluating pale breast fillets may allow easy identification and separation of fillets according to their pale, soft, and exudative properties in commercial poultry processing lines.

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Downer cow can be caused by muscular paralysis, neurological damage, metabolic disorder, and/or the complication of microbial infection. However, downer cow with unknown etiology is issued because of the non-detection of its bacterial etiological agent. In this study, differences in the bacterial community in brain tissues between downer cattle with unknown etiology and healthy slaughtered cattle are investigated. Bacterial diversity and representative genera between downer and normal cattle were significantly different (p < 0.05). There are significant differences in representative genera of downer and normal cattle, especially the significance, fold change, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve score (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the prediction of functional genes in brain microbiota between the downer and normal cattle revealed differences in the cluster of orthologous gene categories, such as lipid transport and metabolism, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and signal transduction (p < 0.05). This study revealed a significant difference in microbiota between the downer and normal cattle. Thus, we demonstrate that representative genera from downer cattle through 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and microbiota analysis have the potential as candidates for bacterial etiological agents for downer cow.