Effect of the feeding method of a complete pelleted feed (Unipellet) as supplement of grazing in dairy ewes

This trial was carried out to compare, in grazing ewes, two feeding techniques of the Unipellet, which is a complete pelleted feed with a high un-milled fibre content and a high energy concentration, obtained using fatty acid calcium soaps. 100 Sardinian dairy ewes were divided in 2 groups (A and B) and fed, during l0 weeks, at grazing during the day + either 500 g/d of Unipellet (group A), given twice/d at milking time, or Unipellet ad libitum during the night (group B). The group A ate completely the Unipellet supplied (454 g/d of DM), whereas the group B ate as average 1241 g/d of Unipellet (1121 g/d of DM). The milk yield did not differ significantly between the two groups (g/d 1507 vs 1414). The milk fat content was higher in the group B (5.89% vs 6.31%, P ≤ 0.01) whereas the milk protein content and the somatic cells count did not vary at allo The body weight increased more in the group B (+3.79 kg vs +5.73 kg, P ≤ 0.01)

Synchronous primary papillary breast cancer, medullary thyroid carcinoma and neuroendocrine tumor in postmenopausal woman.

Multiple endocrine neoplasia are syndromes involving two or more endocrine tissues, often correlated to RET proto-oncogene mutations. We herein present the first reported case of a 57-years-old woman with three synchronous primary cancers of breast (papillary), thyroid (medullary) and pancreas (neuroendocrine), the latter with liver metastasis. The patient first underwent surgery for papillary breast cancer with axillary lymph nodes metastases. A staging whole body computerized tomography (CT) showed a right lateral cervical lymph node, pancreatic inhomogeneity, peri-pancreatic nodes and a single liver metastasis. The poor response to an antracycline and taxane-based chemotherapy, the good performance status of patient, and associated symptoms, suggested a different origin for pancreatic and hepatic lesions. A careful re-evaluation of clinical history, an octreotide-labeled scan and an immunohistochemical analysis, on both hepatic and pancreatic tissues and on laterocervical lymph node, determined the diagnosis of synchronous papillary breast cancer, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (pNET) with liver metastasis and an occult medullary thyroid carcinoma in a patient who had proto-oncogene RET wild type

Living in a fringe environment: three Late Roman settlements in the Kharga Oasis (Egypt's Western Desert)

This article presents a comparative analysis of three Late Roman sites located at the northern outskirts of the Kharga Oasis in Egypt's Western Desert: Umm al-Dabadib, Ayn al-Labakha, and the Gib/Sumayra Complex. These were part of the district of the Oasis Magna, which included the oases of Dakhla and Kharga. An analysis of their layout, including both shape and extent, is followed by an evaluation of their absolute and relative positions. These data are then compared to the administrative and historical contexts within which the three sites flourished. Both administrative and economic aspects are considered, as well as the presence of the army. The complex picture that emerges suggests that these three sites played several roles at the same time and were part of a large-scale strategic design that encompassed not only the Kharga Oasis but the entire Western Desert

Lung ultrasound in systemic sclerosis: correlation with high-resolution computed tomography, pulmonary function tests and clinical variables of disease

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a hallmark of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Although high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is the gold standard to diagnose ILD, recently lung ultrasound (LUS) has emerged in SSc patients as a new promising technique for the ILD evaluation, noninvasive and radiation-free. The aim of this study was to evaluate if there is a correlation between LUS, chest HRCT, pulmonary function tests findings and clinical variables of the disease. Thirty-nine patients (33 women and 6 men; mean age 51 ± 15.2 years) underwent clinical examination, HRCT, pulmonary function tests and LUS for detection of B-lines. A positive correlation exists between the number of B-lines and the HRCT score (r = 0.81, p < 0.0001), conversely a negative correlation exists between the number of B-lines and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) (r = −0.63, p < 0.0001). The number of B-lines increases along with the progression of the capillaroscopic damage. A statistically significant difference in the number of B-lines was found between patients with and without digital ulcers [42 (3–84) vs 16 (4–55)]. We found that the number of B-lines increased with the progression of both HRCT score and digital vascular damage. LUS may therefore, be a useful tool to determine the best timing for HRCT execution, thus, preventing for many patients a continuous and useless exposure to ionizing radiatio

Trial on use of a complete pelleted feed (Unipellet) in lactating ewes: metabolic profile results

A trial was carried out to examine the metabolic and productive effects of a complete pelleted feed (Unipellet) in dairy ewes feeding. 24 Sardinian lactating ewes were divided in 3 groups (A, B, C) and fed with: group A = pasture + pelleted concentrate; group B = alternatively either pasture + Unipellet ad libitum or only Unipellet ad libitum; group C = pasture + Unipellet ad libitum. The intake of concentrate was 756 g/d in the group A, whereas the intake of Unipellet was 998 g/d in the group C and 858 g/d in the group B when the ewes grazed and 2277 g/d when the Unipellet was the only fed. The milk yie1d of the 3 groups did not differ significative1y (g/d 906 vs 1044 vs 975); the milk fat content was highest in the group B (6.42% vs 7.08% vs 6.33%); the milk protein content was highest in the group A and lowest in the group B (6.32% vs 5.55% vs 5.92%). The body weight increased more in the group B. The metabolic profile showed that the Unipellet did not seem to have an adverse effect on the alimentary canal, whereas the function of the liver appeared to be slight1y impaired

Sviluppo applicativo per l'integrazione della Coordinate Measuring Machine con un sensore ottico (Confocal Chromatic Sensor)

Questo documento descrive l'upgrade del software della CMM (Coordinate Measuring Machine) per l'integrazione della stessa con uno strumento di misura ottica. L'applicativo sviluppato, denominato PC-DMIS Automation Support Tool, è stato realizzato per eseguire misure di rivelatori soggetti a stress termici per l'esperimento ATLAS-ITk. L'integrazione dei due strumenti amplia notevolmente le potenzialità del Centro Misure presente in Sezione, consentendo misure prima impossibili

Leptin activates the anandamide hydrolase promoter in human T lymphocytes through STAT3

Physiological concentrations of leptin stimulate the activity of the endocannabinoid-degrading enzyme anandamide hydrolase (fatty acid amide hydrolase, FAAH) in human T lymphocytes up to approximately 300% over the untreated controls. Stimulation of FAAH occurred through up-regulation of gene expression at transcriptional and translational levels and involved binding of leptin to its receptor with an apparent dissociation constant (K(d)) of 1.95 +/- 0.14 nm and maximum binding (B(max)) of 392 +/- 8 fmol x mg protein(-1). Leptin binding to the receptor triggered activation of STAT3 but not STAT1 or STAT5 or the mitogen-activated protein kinases p38, p42, and p44. Peripheral lymphocytes of leptin knock-out (ob/ob) mice showed decreased FAAH activity and expression (approximately 25% of the wild-type littermates), which were reversed to control levels by exogenous leptin. Analysis of the FAAH promoter showed a cAMP-response element-like site, which is a transcriptional target of STAT3. Consistently, mutation of this site prevented FAAH activation by leptin in transient expression assays. Electrophoretic mobility shift and supershift assays further corroborated the promoter activity data. Taken together, these results suggest that leptin, by up-regulating the FAAH promoter through STAT3, enhances FAAH expression, thus tuning the immunomodulatory effects of anandamide. These findings might also have critical implications for human fertility

An agricultural system in a hostile environment: the Late Roman site of Umm al-Dabadib - Kharga Oasis (Egypt)

Funded by an ERC consolidator Grant, focuses on archaeological and environmental methodology used to investigate a chain of Late Roman fortified settlements of the Kharga Oasis, located in Egypt’s Western Desert, that in the Fourth Century AD represented a portion of the southern boundary of the Roman empire. The best-preserved site is Umm al-Dabadib containing the virtually intact remains of an imposing settlement with a vast and elaborated agricultural system. The site fully represents the struggle between man and environment on a knife edge. Ancient Roman centuriatio (field division), subterranean aqueducts (qanat), covered conduits, open-air canals, outlines of fields are studied using a combination of classic and innovative investigation techniques (3D survey, archaeological excavations of the built-up area and the agricultural system, archaeobotanical analyses, ceramic studies, analyses of satellite images)

Progesterone activates fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) promoter in human T lymphocytes through the transcription factor Ikaros. Evidence for a synergistic effect of leptin.

Physiological concentrations of progesterone stimulate the activity of the endocannabinoid-degrading enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) in human T lymphocytes, up to a ∼270% over the untreated controls. Stimulation of FAAH occurred through up-regulation of gene expression at transcriptional and translational level and was specific. Indeed, neither the activity of the anandamide-synthesizing N-acyltransferase and phospholipase D, nor the activity of the anandamide transporter, nor the binding to cannabinoid receptors were affected by progesterone under the same experimental conditions. The activation of FAAH by progesterone was paralleled by a decrease (down to 60%) of the cellular levels of anandamide and involved increased nuclear levels of the transcription factor Ikaros. Analysis of the FAAH promoter showed an Ikaros binding site, and mutation of this site prevented FAAH activation by progesterone in transient expression assays. Electrophoretic mobility shift and supershift assays further corroborated the promoter activity data. Furthermore, the effect of progesterone on FAAH promoter was additive to that of physiological amounts of leptin, which binds to a cAMP response element-like site in the promoter region. Taken together, these results suggest that progesterone and leptin, by up-regulating the FAAH promoter at different sites, enhance FAAH expression, thus tuning the immunomodulatory effects of anandamide. These findings might also have critical implications for human fertility

Characterization of Keratinocyte Differentiation Induced by Ascorbic Acid: Protein Kinase C Involvement and Vitamin C Homeostasis11The authors declared not to have a conflict of interest.

Epidermal keratinocytes undergo differentiation in response to several stimuli to form the cornified envelope, a structure that contributes to the barrier function of skin. Although differentiation has been extensively analyzed, the precise role of vitamin C during this process is still not defined. Ascorbic acid, besides acting as a radical scavenger, has been shown to promote mesenchymal differentiation. In this study, we found that keratinocytes grown in ascorbate-supplemented medium developed a differentiated phenotype, as demonstrated by enhanced expression of marker genes and increase in cornified envelope content. The pro-differentiating effects of ascorbate were mediated by the protein-kinase-C-dependent induction of activating protein 1 DNA binding activity; indeed, down-modulation of protein kinase C activity abolished differentiation triggered by ascorbic acid. Although vitamin C appeared to regulate the same signaling pathway modulated by calcium, a classical in vitro inducer of epidermal differentiation, nonetheless terminally differentiated keratinocytes exhibited different ascorbate homeostasis and cellular antioxidant status. Indeed, we found that, unlike calcium, differentiation promoted by ascorbate was accompanied by (i) an enhanced ascorbate transport, due to overexpression of specific transporters, (ii) a great efficiency of dehydroascorbate uptake, and (iii) an increase in glutathione content with respect to proliferating cells. Ascorbic acid may be useful to promote epidermal differentiation, avoiding depletion of hydrophilic antioxidant stores