Importance of Knife Sharpness during Slaughter: Shariah and Kosher Perspective and Scientific Validation

Halal and kosher slaughter have given the utmost importance to the sharpness of knives during the slaughter of animals. A sharp knife of appropriate dimension (blade length) makes slaughter less painful during neck severance and facilitates desirable bleeding. The role of knife sharpness has not been given due credit from an animal welfare perspective and is likely ignored by the people involved in slaughterhouses. A neat, clean, and efficient neck cut by an extremely sharp knife reduces the pain. It improves the bleeding out, thus making animals unconscious early without undergoing unnecessary pain and stress. It also helps in improving meat quality and food safety. A slight incremental improvement in knife sharpness could significantly improve the animal welfare, productivity, efficiency, and safety of meat plant workers. The present review critically analyzed the significance of knife sharpness in religious slaughter by reducing stress and pain and improving meat quality and food safety. The objective quantification of knife sharpness, proper regular training of slaughterers, and slow slaughter rate are the challenges faced by the meat industry.

Technological interventions in improving the functionality of proteins during processing of meat analogs

Meat analogs have opened a new horizon of opportunities for developing a sustainable alternative for meat and meat products. Proteins are an integral part of meat analogs and their functionalities have been extensively studied to mimic meat-like appearance and texture. Proteins have a vital role in imparting texture, nutritive value, and organoleptic attributes to meat analogs. Processing of suitable proteins from vegetable, mycoproteins, algal, and single-cell protein sources remains a challenge and several technological interventions ranging from the isolation of proteins to the processing of products are required. The present paper reviews and discusses in detail various proteins (soy proteins, wheat gluten, zein, algal proteins, mycoproteins, pulses, potato, oilseeds, pseudo-cereals, and grass) and their suitability for meat analog production. The review also discusses other associated aspects such as processing interventions that can be adapted to improve the functional and textural attributes of proteins in the processing of meat analogs (extrusion, spinning, Couette shear cell, additive manufacturing/3D printing, and freeze structuring). '.

Physiological and electroencephalographic changes in goats subjected to transportation, lairage, and slaughter

This preliminary trial investigated the effect of transportation and lairage periods on physiological parameters of goats subjected to slaughter. Nine male Boer cross goats aged 8-12 months were transported for 6 h and kept at lairage for 3, 6, or 16 h (n = 3). Blood samples were collected at pre- (pre-T) and post-transportation (post-T), and post-slaughter (post-S) for determination of hematological parameters, serum enzyme, protein, and cortisol concentrations. Electroencephalogram readings were taken at pre-T, post-T, pre-slaughter (pre-S), and post-S to determine the median frequency (F₅₀ ) and total power (Ptot) values. At post-T, there were manifestations of stress leukogram; increase in hematocrit, total protein, and muscle enzyme concentrations; and decrease in Ptot (p < 0.05). The high pre-T cortisol concentration suggests that the goats were already under stress before transportation. Stress leukogram became less evident after lairage, indicating that the goats had recovered from the stress of transportation. Although the Ptot increased at post-S especially following 3 h of lairage, F₅₀ values at post-S did not differ from pre-L, suggesting that the pre-slaughter stress may have affected the pain threshold. It is suggested that after 6 h of transportation, goats should ideally be placed in lairage for a minimum period of 3 h before slaughter.

Effects of Slaughter Positions on Catecholamine, Blood Biochemical and Electroencephalogram Changes in Cattle Restrained Using a Modified Mark IV Box

The proper slaughter positioning of animals is among the most crucial factors in animal welfare. The lateral position in Halal slaughter is a technique used around the world by Muslims, with a few practicing the upright position. The literature on the effects of slaughter in upright versus lateral positions on pain and stress is scarce. Thus, this study was designed to evaluate the effects of slaughter positions on blood biochemical parameters, plasma catecholamines, and electroencephalographic (EEG) responses. Twenty Brahman crossbred steers were subjected to slaughter in either lateral recumbency (LP) (n = 10) or an upright position (UP) (n = 10). There was a significant increase in adrenaline (p < 0.0001) and noradrenaline (p < 0.05) at T2 compared to T1 in the animals of both groups. A significant difference (p < 0.0001) was observed in the median frequency (MF) and total power (Ptot) of EEG, parameters for pain and stress, between the animals slaughtered in the upright and the lateral position. However, MF and delta waves were significantly higher (p < 0.05) after slaughter in the UP group than in the LP group. The results demonstrate a lesser amount of stress and pain responses among the LP group.

Effects of Slaughter Knife Sharpness on Blood Biochemical and Electroencephalogram Changes in Cattle

Simple Summary

The role of knife sharpness in slaughtering animals, from the perspective of animal welfare, is likely subconsciously ignored by the masses involved in the abattoir industry. This might be due to the difficulty in objectively quantifying the sharpness of a knife. Furthermore, a small incremental improvement in sharpness might result in a huge productivity trade-off at the abattoir when the slaughterman needs to dedicate more time to sharpen their blades in between slaughters. This study attempts to assess the effects of sharp and commercial sharp knives on the pain and stress levels of animals. After objectively measuring the sharpness of knives with an ANAGO^® sharpness tester, animals were slaughtered with commercial sharp and sharp knives. The results obtained from blood and brain activities related to pain and stress revealed that the two sharpness levels had different effects on the stress and pain level in animals, suggesting that the sharp knife produced the least amount of stress and pain in animals compared to those slaughtered using a commercial sharp knife.

Abstract

The sharpness of the knife used for slaughter is of the utmost importance from an animal welfare perspective. The quantification of knife sharpness is almost impossible in abattoirs. The sharpness of the knife blade used to slaughter an animal, as well as its effects on animals’ pain and stress levels, is an important area of investigation that needs to be addressed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of knife sharpness on blood biochemical parameters, plasma catecholamines, and electroencephalographic (EEG) responses. Twenty Brahman crossbred steers were either subjected to slaughter with a sharp knife (n = 10) or a commercial sharp knife (n = 10); knife sharpness was measured with the ANAGO^® sharpness tester. There was significant increase in adrenaline (p < 0.0001), glucose (p = 0.0167), creatinine kinase (p = 0.0123) and lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.0151) at post-slaughter compared to pre-slaughter in commercial sharp knife group than in thesharp knife group. A significant increase was observed in the median frequency (p < 0.0001) and total power (p < 0.0001) of the EEG, the parameters for pain and stress, in the animals slaughtered with the commercial sharp knife than those slaughtered with the sharp knife. Thus, EEG results also supported the hormonal and biochemical results. From the results, it is concluded that animals slaughtered with a sharp knife experienced the least amount of pain and stress compared to those slaughtered with a commercial sharp knife.

Pattern of renal diseases in children attending paediatric nephrology clinic of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano

Background

The pattern of pediatric kidney diseases varies from one region to another because of genetic, racial, and environmental differences. This study was aimed at determining the pattern of renal diseases among children presenting at the pediatric nephrology clinic of the hospital.

Subjects and Methods

It was a retrospective study of all children aged less than 15 years seen at the pediatric nephrology clinic of the hospital over a period of 30 months. The records of 244 patients seen at nephrology clinic over the period of study were retrieved and studied.

Results

There were 155 males (63.5%) and 89 females (36.5%), with a male to female ratio of 1.7:1. The ages ranged between two months and 179 months, with a mean age of 104.8 ± 46.7 months. Nephrotic syndrome was the commonest renal disease and accounted for 33.6% (n = 82) of all cases, followed by acute glomerulonephritis with 25.8% (n = 63). Acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease follow with frequencies of 34 (13.9%) each. The commonest congenital anomaly of the kidneys was ectopic kidney with 12 cases (4.9%).

Conclusions

Our data reflects a high burden of renal diseases among children in our environment, and also reflects variations in regional patterns. The need for improvement of pediatric renal services and training of health workers in early detection and treatment of these conditions cannot be overemphasized.

The use of rats and mice as animal models in ex vivo bone growth and development studies

In vivo animal experimentation has been one of the cornerstones of biological and biomedical research, particularly in the field of clinical medicine and pharmaceuticals. The conventional in vivo model system is invariably associated with high production costs and strict ethical considerations. These limitations led to the evolution of an ex vivo model system which partially or completely surmounted some of the constraints faced in an in vivo model system. The ex vivo rodent bone culture system has been used to elucidate the understanding of skeletal physiology and pathophysiology for more than 90 years. This review attempts to provide a brief summary of the historical evolution of the rodent bone culture system with emphasis on the strengths and limitations of the model. It encompasses the frequency of use of rats and mice for ex vivo bone studies, nutritional requirements in ex vivo bone growth and emerging developments and technologies. This compilation of information could assist researchers in the field of regenerative medicine and bone tissue engineering towards a better understanding of skeletal growth and development for application in general clinical medicine.Cite this article: A. A. Abubakar, M. M. Noordin, T. I. Azmi, U. Kaka, M. Y. Loqman. The use of rats and mice as animal models in ex vivo bone growth and development studies. Bone Joint Res 2016;5:610-618. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.512.BJR-2016-0102.R2.

Efficient halal bleeding, animal handling, and welfare: A holistic approach for meat quality

Traditional halal slaughter and other forms of religious slaughter are still an issue of debate. Opposing arguments related to pre-slaughter handling, stress and pain associated with restraint, whether the incision is painful or not, and the onset of unconsciousness have been put forward, but no consensus has been achieved. There is a need to strike a balance between halal bleeding in the light of science and animal welfare. There is a paucity of scientific data with respect to animal welfare, particularly the use of restraining devices, animal handling, and efficient halal bleeding. However, this review found that competent handling of animals, proper use of restraining devices, and the efficient bleeding process that follows halal slaughter maintains meat eating quality. In conclusion, halal bleeding, when carried out in accordance with recommended animal welfare procedures, will not only maintain the quality and wholesomeness of meat but could also potentially reduce suffering and pain. Maintained meat quality increases consumer satisfaction and food safety.

Bleeding Efficiency, Microbiological Quality and Oxidative Stability of Meat from Goats Subjected to Slaughter without Stunning in Comparison with Different Methods of Pre-Slaughter Electrical Stunning

The influence of pre-slaughter electrical stunning techniques and slaughter without stunning on bleeding efficiency and shelf life of chevon during a 14 d postmortem aging were assessed. Thirty two Boer crossbred bucks were randomly assigned to four slaughtering techniques viz slaughter without stunning (SWS), low frequency head-only electrical stunning (LFHO; 1 A for 3 s at a frequency of 50 Hz), low frequency head-to-back electrical stunning (LFHB; 1 A for 3 s at a frequency of 50 Hz) and high frequency head-to-back electrical stunning (HFHB; 1 A for 3 s at a frequency of 850 Hz). The SWS, LFHO and HFHB goats had higher (p<0.05) blood loss and lower residual hemoglobin in muscle compared to LFHB. The LFHB meat had higher (p<0.05) TBARS value than other treatments on d 7 and 14 d postmortem. Slaughtering methods had no effect on protein oxidation. Higher bacterial counts were observed in LFHB meat compared to those from SWS, LFHO and HFHB after 3 d postmortem. Results indicate that the low bleed-out in LFHB lowered the lipid oxidative stability and microbiological quality of chevon during aging.

Comparison of histopathologic classification and surgical stage by cytokeratin 8 and cytokeratin 18 in endometrial cancer

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION

The aim of the study was to show the role of the cytoskeletal proteins CK8 and CK18 in endometrial cancer invasion and to histopathologically classify endometrial cancer patients.

METHODS

This study was a prospective analysis of 49 histologic samples of consecutively surgically operated endometrial cancer patients. After histopathologic classification the most invasive tumor area was selected for immunohistochemistry. Monoclonal antihuman keratin Ab-4 and keratin Ab-1 were applied.

RESULTS

CK8 and CK18 stained tumoral tissue and tumoral cell debris in the lymphovascular space were significantly correlated with stage (p < or = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

To understand the causes of early treatment failure in endometrial cancer patients, further studies are needed to show the role of enhancing factors of endometrial cancer invasion.

Radiographic and anatomic locations of mental foramen in northern Nigerian adults

This study was undertaken to provide information on the most probable positions of the mental foramen among northern Nigerian adults. 157 panoramic radiographs randomly selected from patient's records at the Department of Dental Surgery, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and 32 unsexed mandibles from the collection of bones in the Department of Human Anatomy, University of Maiduguri, were examined for the location of the mental foramen. The most common location was the interdental space between the first and second mandibular premolars (radiographs=34% , dry mandibles=32.8% ), closely followed by the position apical to the second premolars (radiographs=25.5% , dry mandibles=35.9% ). No significant difference in the distribution between males and females and the quantitative position was found to be bilaterally symmetrical in most cases. There is almost an equal chance of locating the mental foramen between the mandibular premolars and apical to the mandibular second premolar. This is of clinical importance with regards to the achievement of effective mental nerve block anaesthesia and the prevention of injury to the mental nerve during surgical procedures.

A possible correlation between growth-factor sensitivity and response to mitoxantrone treatment in a murine myeloid leukaemia (SA7HD) cell line

SA7 murine myeloid leukaemia cells usually respond to stimulation in vitro by WEHI-conditioned medium by displaying increased dose-dependent proliferation. However, at recurrence following in vivo treatment of the leukaemia with mitoxantrone, the leukaemia cells developed significant insensitivity (p = 0.04) to stimulation by WEHI-conditioned medium. This altered growth-factor sensitivity was detected when two different assays were used. The recurrent leukaemic cells were morphologically indistinguishable from untreated leukaemic cells, but in normal mice they regained sensitivity to growth factors after a single transplant. The recurrent leukaemic cells were significantly resistant to some concentrations of mitoxantrone in vitro (p = 0.012). The magnitude of this resistance was mainly a function of the dose of mitoxantrone used in the initial treatment of the leukaemia. These data suggest an association between growth-factor sensitivity and response to mitoxantrone treatment including the development of resistance in the SA7HD murine myeloid leukaemia cell line.

Mitoxantrone treatment of murine myeloid leukaemia sublines

The low-cell-dose (LD) and the high-cell-dose (HD) transplant variants of the SA7 murine myeloid leukaemia cell line have different growth characteristics and clinical presentations. In addition, the low-cell-dose transplant subline (SA7LD) was more responsive than the high-cell-dose variant (SA7HD) to mitoxantrone treatment in vivo. Bone-marrow cells of mice cured of SA7LD leukaemia, as well as bone-marrow cells of normal mice treated with priming doses of mitoxantrone in vivo became significantly (p = 0.012) less sensitive to subsequent treatment with mitoxantrone in vitro. This effect was detected by both the colony assay and the tritiated thymidine uptake assay. There appears to be a correlation between the ability of normal bone-marrow cells present in leukaemic mice to develop this protective effect and their ability to survive chemotherapy with mitoxantrone. The protective effect was "lost" by bone-marrow cells of mice dying while in remission. Doses of mitoxantrone that resulted in the loss of protective effect by bone-marrow cells of normal mice were found to be fatal to SA7HD leukaemia-bearing mice. However, these doses were not toxic to normal mice.