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Quality of life (QoL) is important to stroke survivors yet is often recorded as a secondary measure in acute stroke randomized controlled trials. We examined whether commonly used stroke outcome measures captured aspects of QoL.

To investigate the feasibility of using information about the health and management of lambs on farms to predict the risk of gross abnormalities at post-mortem meat inspection, 6732 lambs from 30 different farms in Great Britain were followed through to slaughter in 1995/6. The farm-level data were collected during farm visits at the beginning of the study. Routine meat inspection findings for the lambs were obtained from the 10 participating abattoirs. The most common abnormalities found during post-mortem inspection were pneumonia/pleurisy (53% of cohorts), lungworm (40%), abscesses (30%), liver fluke (27%) and nephritis/nephrosis (27%). The farm-level risk factors associated with abnormalities at slaughter varied with the type of lesion. The most significant risk factor was the age of the lambs at slaughter. Lambs slaughtered at an older age were more likely to have an abnormality, especially pneumonia, abscesses and liver fluke. After age, environmental factors appeared to be better predictors of those cohorts that would have lesions at slaughter than health and disease control variables. However, a much larger study would be required to identify a set of farm-level factors that adequately discriminated between lambs with high and low risks of lesion at slaughter. At the end of the study, the farmers were informed of the meat inspection findings for their lambs and a third indicated that they would improve their animal husbandry as a result of the information.

A novel instrument using reflected near-infra-red light spectroscopy to measure cerebral oxygen saturation non-invasively was evaluated during carotid endarterectomy; cerebral perfusion was compared with jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation and transcranial Doppler ultrasonographic measurements. Initially, oximetry sensors with light source-detector separation distances of 10 and 27 mm were positioned over the frontal area, while a cannula positioned in the jugular bulb permitted sampling for jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation. To increase cerebral oxygen saturation sensitivity, modified sensors with light source-detector separation distances of 30 and 40 mm were relocated over the middle cerebral artery territory. The changes in cerebral and jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation, and in peak blood flow velocity before and 30 s after carotid clamping and declamping were recorded. The modified cerebral perfusion system achieved improved correlations between cerebral and jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation changes during carotid clamping and declamping (r= 0·92, P<0·001). The correlation between change in cerebral oxygen saturation and the percentage change in peak flow velocity on both cross-clamping and declamping was equally strong (r=0·90, P< 0·001). Near-infra-red cerebral spectroscopy reliably detects changes in cerebral oxygen saturation during carotid endarterectomy and may have wide applications in monitoring brain perfusion during neurosurgery and cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, and in closed head injury.

1. Nine different sites at a poultry processing plant were selected in the course of a hazard analysis to investigate the degree of microbial cross-contamination that could occur during processing and the effectiveness of possible control measures.2. At each site, carcases, equipment or working surfaces were inoculated with a non-pathogenic strain of nalidixic acid-resistant Escherichia coli K12; transmission of the organism among carcases being processed was followed qualitatively and, where appropriate, quantitatively.3. The degree of cross-contamination and the extent to which it could be controlled by the proposed measures varied from one site to another.

Proceedings of the Fourth European Symposium on Poultry Welfare, Edited by C. J. Savory and B. O. hughes, 1993. 318 pp. illustrated. Potters Bar, London, Universities Federation for Animal Welfare. £ 10.00 ISBN 0 900767 83 9.Microbiology of the Avian Egg. Edited by R. G. Board AND R. Fuller, 1994. 181 pp., illustrated. London, Chapman and Hall. £45.00 ISBN 0-412-47570-7.Handbook of Avian Anatomy: Nomina Anatomic Avium. Second edition, Edited by J. J. Baumel, 1993. XXIV + 229 pp illustrated. Nutall Ornithological Club, c/o Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. $65.00

1. Neck skin samples were taken from chickens and turkeys at all the main stages of processing to monitor changes in total viable count (TVC) and counts of coliforms and pseudomonads.2. Processing reduced TVC by up to 100-fold. Geometric mean counts after packaging were log10 4.4 to 5.3 CFU/g whilst corresponding counts of coliforms were 2.7 to 3.8 CFU/g.3. Increases in mean TVC or coliforms as a result of either defeathering or evisceration did not exceed 0.6 log.4. Pseudomonads represented only a minor fraction of the initial microflora of the bird and were often reduced by scalding to a figure which could not be detected by direct plating of samples; however, subsequent contamination resulted in means between log10 2.9 and 4.0 CFU/g for packaged carcases.5. Although Staphylococcus aureus was readily isolated from defeathering equipment, mean counts from defeathered carcases were always below log10 3.0 CFU/g.

Egg Incubation: Its Effects on Embryonic development in Birds and Reptiles. Edited by D. Charles Deeming and Mark W. J. Ferguson, 1991. xiii+448 pp., illustrated. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. £110. ISBN 0-521-39071-0.Foodborne Pathogens. By A. H. Varnum and M. G. Evans. 557 pp., illustrated in colour. London, Wolfe Publishing. £70. ISBN 0-7234-1521-8.Diseases of Poultry, 9th ed. Edited by B. W. Calnek, H. John Barnes, C. W. Beard, W. M. Reid and H. W. Yoder, 1991. Illustrated in colour. Wolfe Publishing Ltd. £60. ISBN 0-7234-17067.

1. Conditions affecting the keeping quality of traditional farm-fresh turkeys were investigated.2. Storage of uneviscerated Wrolstad turkeys at 4 °C for 10 days caused no statistically significant changes in meat flavour or texture.3. During further storage at - 2 °C, however, there was a slight but significant change in flavour, which became more marked with time in birds which had been eviscerated after the initial period at 4 °C.4. Both eviscerated and uneviscerated birds became slightly tougher during storage.5. Initial holding at 4 °C increased the numbers of psychrotrophic bacteria on the skin by about 103 but subsequent changes at - 2 °C were slight for uneviscerated birds.6. Eviscerated carcases had higher counts than uneviscerated birds after storage at - 2 °C and, although 'off' odours were not detected, spoilage appeared to be imminent at the end of the 20-d period.

1. An attempt has been made to modify the composition of the gut flora of broiler chickens by dietary means in order to determine any concurrent changes in meat flavour.2. Birds given a diet containing an increasing proportion of whole wheat supplemented with fresh green vegetable matter (special diet) were compared with conventionally-fed controls. At 12 weeks of age those receiving the special diet had 10 to 100-fold higher counts of Escherichia colt and faecal streptococci in the duodenum and lower small intestine and showed differences in the intestinal incidence of species and biotypes of lactobacilli.3. Evaluation of cooked breast-meat samples by a trained sensory panel showed a significant difference in flavour (P < 0.01) between conventional and special-diet birds which varied from perceptually very slight to slight. The main terms used in distinguishing special-diet birds from conventional controls included 'richer', 'meatier' and 'sweeter'.4. Storage of plucked, uneviscerated birds at 4 °C for 8 d maintained the flavour difference between the dietary groups but the effect of storage on flavour was greater in both groups of birds than the influence of diet alone. The likely influence on flavour of autolytic changes occurring in the muscle during storage of the birds is discussed.

1. A device was developed to permit standardisation of the scrape-sampling method and facilitate sampling of different parts of the poultry-carcass.2. Scrape-sampling of turkey carcasses from five different stages in processing yielded only slightly lower counts of micro-organisms than maceration of excised skin samples in the Colworth Stomacher, thus indicating that the scrape method removed a large proportion of the organisms present on the skin. Only at two stages of processing were the differences in count significant (P<0.05).

1. When chicken giblet tissues wrapped individually in polythene were stored at 1 °C, " off" odours were detected in 11 to 14 d with necks (mean 12.3 d) tending to spoil before gizzards, hearts and livers (means 13.0 to 13.7 d).2. In all cases, the predominant organisms at spoilage were Pseudo-monas spp. with lower numbers of Acinetobacter spp.3. Chlorination of process water at about 50 mg total residual chlorine/1 (including 0.1 to 0.9 mg free chlorine/1) extended the shelf-life of giblets held at 1 °C by up to 3 d, and prior freezing of these tissues gave an extension of 1 to 2 d but combining the two treatments did not have an additive effect.4. Immersing giblets for 1 min in a solution containing 100 g potassium sorbate/1 (pH 8.0) doubled the shelf-life of each type of tissue by retarding growth of the normal spoilage microflora.

1. A study has been made of changes occurring in the numbers and types of faecal streptococci in the intestines of chicks from hatching to 23 d of age, when fed on a diet containing 50 mg bacitracin/kg.2. It was found that Streptococcus faecalis sub-species liquefaciens predominated in chicks prior to feeding and in control birds the organism remained as a significant part of the flora throughout the experiment.3. Strep. faecalis s.s. liquefaciens was not found after the first week in birds given dietary bacitracin.4. Although outnumbered initially in the caeca by Strep, faecalis s.s. liquefaciens, other streptococci were present at 106 to 107/g contents from 14 d onwards in both control and bacitracin-treated birds; these included Strep. faecium biotypes and two other unidentified but related groups.5. Tests made in vitro showed that Strep. faecalis s.s. liquefaciens was more sensitive to bacitracin than Strep. faecium.6. The possible effects of Strep. faecalis s.s. liquefaciens on the developing bird are discussed.

1. A new selective medium (CFC) has been developed for the rapid isolation of pigmented and non-pigmented pseudomonads associated with the spoilage of poultry meat held under chill conditions. It comprises Difco Heart Infusion Agar supplemented with 50 μg cephaloridine, 10 μg fucidin and 10 μg cetrimide/ml.2. CFC medium was found to be more selective than three other media which have been used for isolating pseudomonads from foods, when tested with pure cultures of 28 reference organisms.3. CFC supported the growth of a higher proportion of pseudomonads from freshly-eviscerated carcasses and processing equipment when the organisms were present only in low numbers relative to other genera.

Objectives:: To study the effect of contralateral carotid stenosis on oxygen saturation (CsO"2) of both cerebral hemispheres monitored by reflective near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during carotid surgery. Methods:: NIRS was compared to ipsilateral transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) of the middle cerebral artery and jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation (JvSO"2) in 54 patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. Results:: Median operated side and contralateral CsO"2 were 68(54-88)% and 69(55-85)% before carotid clamping falling to 63(44-80)% and 69(55-84)% respectively on clamping the carotid (p < 0.0001 and p = ns). JvSO"2 fell from 78(38-98)% to 72(30-97)% on carotid clamping with a percentage fall in peak TCD of -28(0 to -100)% (p < 0.0001). Patients with a contralateral carotid artery occlusion experienced falls in ipsi and contralateral CsO"2 of -8(-4 to -10)% and -3(2 to -7)% compared to -4(0 to -14)% and 0(-5 to 4)% in those with a lesser stenosis (p < 0.05). On declamping, median ipsilateral and contralateral CsO"2 rose from 65(46-82)% and 67(52-87)% to 68(53-84)% respectively (p < 0.0001 and p = ns). JvSO"2 increased from 75(33-95)% to 79(42-95)% (p < 0.0001) with an increase in median peak TCD of 35(-34 to 506)%. Conclusions:: The greatest changes in CsO"2 occurred in the operated side cerebral hemispheres in those with a contralateral carotid artery occlusion. However, a contralateral carotid artery occlusion does not reliably predict the need for a shunt and cerebral monitoring remains essential; although is only required on the operated side.

This article describes the development of a user's guide to microbiological challenge testing (MCT), which seeks to ensure the safety of different food products. Before undertaking such a test, each situation must be carefully reviewed and both relevant micro-organisms and the risks involved must be established. Only in the absence of the necessary information will a MCT be required. The test involves: (1) an appropriate experimental design; (2) an inoculation procedure; (3) a test procedure; and (4) interpretation of results; The results are evaluated in relation to set safety criteria and, if satisfactory, should be confirmed under field conditions (verification). Based on this approach, a practical example is given to predict the safety and stability of vacuum-packed cooked potatoes. Copyright 1993, 1999 Academic Press

By comparison with birds examined 1 d after slaughter, those held uneviscerated at 4 °C for a further 7 d showed a statistically-significant difference in flavour (P < 0·01) when examined by a trained taste panel and the difference increased progressively up to 24 d when the experiment ended. Changes in the composition of the microflora in the small intestine and caecum were investigated because of previous evidence that meat flavour development may be influenced by the metabolic activities of intestinal organisms. The only marked effect of storage was a decline in the numbers of lactose-positive coliform bacteria in the small intestine; there was no clear evidence of any microbial growth in the gut. Although birds examined at day 8 by a sensory panel or by means of a tenderometer were slightly more tender than those tested at day 1, the differences were not statistically significant; nor were there any significant changes in texture during the remainder of the storage period. Possible reasons for the lack of any marked tenderisation are discussed.

Sand culture experiments were performed in the glasshouse to determine the internal potassium concentrations required by lettuce and cabbage seedlings. Because the presence of sodium in the nutrient medium may have affected the potassium requirements, the experiments were repeated with and without sodium in the medium. The critical concentrations of potassium for maximum plant size varied as the plants grew larger because the potassium concentrations tended to increase over time. However, critical concentrations for maximum relative growth rate (RGR) were almost independent of time or plant weight. In the absence of sodium, the critical levels for a 10% reduction in RGR of cabbage was 2.2%K in the dry matter and for lettuce was 4.3%. In the presence of sodium, the corresponding critical levels were 0% and 1.0%, demonstrating that cabbage was more able to substitute sodium for potassium than was lettuce. Levels of sodium in commercial fields in the U.K. tend to be fairly low, suggesting that the critical levels determined in the absence of sodium would usually be more applicable.

1. Microbiological, chemical and sensory changes were determined for turkey breast fillets and drumsticks in either oxygen-permeable film or vacuum packs during storage at 1 °C.2. The use of vacuum packs delayed "off" odour development from 16 to 25 d in the case of breast fillets and from 14 to 20 d for drumsticks but in each case the detection of definite "off" odours was often preceded by marked changes in flavour.3. At spoilage, pseudomonads predominated on both breast fillets and drumsticks in oxygen-permeable packs whilst in vacuum packs the predominant organisms comprised two groups of bacteria resembling " a typical lactobacilli ", one being more common on breast fillets, the other on drumsticks.4. Protein breakdown (measured in tyrosine equivalents) was observed in all samples during storage and occurred most rapidly in vacuum-packed breast fillets. Hypoxanthine, which has been associated with flavour changes in meats, increased in concentration at least four-fold over the storage period.

Abstract1. Five volunteers, with experience of eviscerating poultry or game birds in the home, each eviscerated three New York dressed chicken carcases that had been artificially inoculated in the colon with a readily identifiable ‘marker’ strain of Escherichia coli.2. In all cases, evisceration resulted in breakage of the intestines at one or more sites, often with leakage of gut contents, or extrusion of faeces from the cloaca because of pressure on the colon during the manipulations involved.3. The marker organism was detected in the vent region and abdominal cavity of each carcase and sometimes on the breast and back, which appeared to reflect the degree of handling during evisceration, because the hands of each individual became heavily contaminated.With some individuals, the marker also spread beyond the immediate preparation area and was detected on exposure plates.5. Results support the view that evisceration of poultry in a domestic environment could lead to cross‐contamination of other foods with any food‐borne human pathogens present.