Effects of Administration of Three Different By-Pass Lipids on Growth Performance, Rumen Activity and Feeding Behaviour of Beef Cattle

A study was carried out on beef cattle to compare three different by-pass lipids administration in relation to their intake, performance, bunk behaviour and rumen fermentation characteristics. Ninety-six Charolaise males were subdivided into three groups. Each group was fed a specific diet including differentiated sources of rumen by-pass fats. The first group received 500 g/head/day of calcium salts (CaS), the second and the third received 420 g/head/day of hydrogenated fatty acids (HF) and triglycerides (AL), respectively. The three by-pass fats differ in fatty acids composition, chain length and mean particle size. AL group had average daily gain significantly greater (P = 0.0005) than animals fed calcium soaps. No difference was observed between AL and HF groups (P = 0.08) and between HF and CaS groups. Final body weights of AL animals were significantly higher (P = 0.005) than CaS group. There were no differences between AL group and HF group and between HF group and CaS group. Average dry matter intake (DMI) was higher (P < 0.05) in AL and HF groups compared with CaS group. Feed conversion rate was better for AL and CaS groups (P<0.05) compared with HF group. Evaluating their behaviours in approaching feed, the animals seemed to prefer hydrogenated fats flavour as regard to calcium soaps. No differences were highlighted in ruminal pH and ruminal volatile fatty acids composition among the three groups. When high dosage of fat is included into a beef cattle diet, the administration of hydrogenated triglycerides, characterized by a pleasant flavour and a small mean particle size, is likely to prove more suitable than adding calcium soaps or hydrogenated free fatty acids, probably thanks to its higher DMI and feed conversion rate, respectively. With regard to the latter higher rate, it could be only supposed that it is related to the smaller mean particle size of hydrogenated triglycerides

Transcriptomic stratification of breast carcinomas with double-equivocal HER2 status

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Robotic prostatectomy : an update on functional and oncologic outcomes

Since the first procedure performed in 2000, robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) has been rapidly gaining increasing acceptance from both urologists and patients. Today, RARP is the dominant treatment option for localised prostate cancer (PCa) in the United States, despite the absence of any prospective randomised trial comparing RARP with other procedures. Robotic systems have been introduced in an attempt to reduce the difficulty involved in performing complex laparoscopic procedures and the related steep learning curve. The recognised advantages of this kind of minimally invasive surgery are three-dimensional (3D) vision, ten-fold magnification, Endowrist technology with seven degrees of freedom, and tremor filtration. In this article, we examine this technique and report its functional (in terms of urinary continence and potency) and oncologic results. We also evaluate the potential advantages of RARP in comparison with open and laparoscopic procedures. Copyright

Olfactometric techniques in feed analysis: preliminary calibration of DON in durum wheat

Approcci olfattometrici nell\u2019analisi dei mangimi: calibrazione preliminare per il rilievo di DON nel grano duro. Le analisi olfattometriche, attraverso l\u2019uso del naso elettronico, trovano sempre pi\uf9 spazio nella valutazione della qualit\ue0 e sicurezza in campo alimentare. I principali vantaggi di tale approccio risiedono nella sua flessibilit\ue0 di impiego. Una volta messi a punto adeguati protocolli d\u2019analisi e modelli statistici di tipo multivariato, infatti, il naso elettronico si pu\uf2 rivelare uno strumento adatto alle realt\ue0 di campo in quanto caratterizzato da rapidit\ue0 e basso costo d\u2019esercizio. Lo scopo di questo lavoro \ue8 stato quello di verificare, a livello preliminare, l\u2019efficienza del naso elettronico nel riconoscere la presenza di micotossina deossinivalenolo (DON) in 10 campioni di grano duro (Triticum durum) di diversa provenienza geografica. I risultati hanno dimostrato che il protocollo applicato consente di riconoscere la presenza di DON nonch\ue9 di discriminare i diversi campioni in funzione del loro livello di contaminazione

Review of the development of cesium iodide photocathodes for application to large RICH detectors

CsI photocathodes were studied in order to evaluate their potential use as large photo converters in RICH detectors for the PID system of ALICE at LHC in heavy-ion collider mode. It has been demonstrated that a quantum efficiency close to the reference value obtained on small samples can be obtained on CsI layers evaporated on large pad electrodes operated in a MWPC at atmospheric pressure. We present a survey of the results obtained in the laboratory on small samples irradiated with UV-monochromatic beams and with large area RICH detectors of proximity-focusing geometry in a 3 GeV/c pion beam

Clinical and experimental efficacy of gemtuzumab ozogamicin in core binding factor acute myeloid leukemia

Leukemia-initiating cells of core binding factor (CBF) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) likely derive from early committed hematopoietic precursors expressing CD33. As such, targeting CD33 could ameliorate the chance of cure of CBF AML patients. We compared 12 CBF AML patients treated with Fludarabine, Cytarabine, Idarubicin and Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin (FLAI-GO regimen) with 25 CBF AML patients treated with the same schedule, but without GO. With the limit of small numbers, we observed a consistent trend toward better overall survival, disease free survival and event free survival in the FLAI-GO group. We also demonstrated the ability of GO to induce the disappearance in vitro of the AML1-ETO molecular transcript in a polymerase chain reaction-positive graft without decreasing the clonogenic potential of CD34+/CD38- cells. This represent the proof of principle for using GO in a purging strategy before autologous stem cell transplantation. Therefore, our data argue in favor of the reinstitution of GO in the therapy of CBF AML

On reliable discovery of molecular signatures

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Molecular signatures are sets of genes, proteins, genetic variants or other variables that can be used as markers for a particular phenotype. Reliable signature discovery methods could yield valuable insight into cell biology and mechanisms of human disease. However, it is currently not clear how to control error rates such as the false discovery rate (FDR) in signature discovery. Moreover, signatures for cancer gene expression have been shown to be unstable, that is, difficult to replicate in independent studies, casting doubts on their reliability.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We demonstrate that with modern prediction methods, signatures that yield accurate predictions may still have a high FDR. Further, we show that even signatures with low FDR may fail to replicate in independent studies due to limited statistical power. Thus, neither stability nor predictive accuracy are relevant when FDR control is the primary goal. We therefore develop a general statistical hypothesis testing framework that for the first time provides FDR control for signature discovery. Our method is demonstrated to be correct in simulation studies. When applied to five cancer data sets, the method was able to discover molecular signatures with 5% FDR in three cases, while two data sets yielded no significant findings.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our approach enables reliable discovery of molecular signatures from genome-wide data with current sample sizes. The statistical framework developed herein is potentially applicable to a wide range of prediction problems in bioinformatics.</p

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of vaccinated patients hospitalised with SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection: Multi-IPV, a multicentre study in Northern Italy

Background: Despite the well-known efficacy of anti-COVID-19 vaccines in preventing morbidity and mortality, several vaccinated individuals are diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection, which might require hospitalisation. This multicentre, observational, and retrospective study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of vaccinated vs. non -vaccinated patients, both hospitalised with SARS-CoV-2 infection in 3 major hospitals in Northern Italy. Methods: Data collection was retrospective, and paper and electronic medical records of adult patients with a diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infection were pseudo-anonymised and analysed. Vaccinated and non -vaccinated individuals were manually paired, using a predetermined matching criterion (similar age, gender, and date of hospitalisation). Demographic, clinical, treatment, and outcome data were compared between groups differing by vaccination status using Pearson's Chi-square and Mann -Whitney tests. Moreover, multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the impact of vaccination status on ICU admission or intra-hospital mortality. Results: Data from 360 patients were collected. Vaccinated patients presented with a higher prevalence of relevant comorbidities, like kidney replacement therapy or haematological malignancy, despite a milder clinical presentation at the first evaluation. Non -vaccinated patients required intensive care more often than their vaccinated counterparts (8.8% vs. 1.7%, p = 0.002). Contrariwise, no difference in intra-hospital mortality was observed between the two groups (19% vs. 20%, p = 0.853). These results were confirmed by multivariable logistic regressions, which showed that vaccination was significantly associated with decreased risk of ICU admission (aOR=0.172, 95%CI: 0.039-0.542, p = 0.007), but not of intra-hospital mortality (aOR=0.996, 95%CI: 0.582-1.703, p = 0.987). Conclusions: This study provides real -world data on vaccinated patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Northern Italy. Our results suggest that COVID-19 vaccination has a protective role in individuals with higher risk profiles, especially regarding the need for ICU admission. These findings contribute to our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes among vaccinated individuals and emphasise the importance of vaccination in preventing severe disease, particularly in those countries with lower first -booster uptake rates