Effect of dietary antioxidant supplementation on rabbit performance, meat quality and oxidative stability of muscles

[EN] The aim of this study was to cast light on the effects of EconomasE™ (EcoE), a patented pre-mixture of nutritional additives consisting mainly of organic selenium (0.15 or 0.30 mg/kg feed; Se) combined with vitamin C (5 and 10 mg/kg feed; VC), compared to DL-α-tocopherol acetate (100 or 200 mg/kg feed; VE) dietary supplementation on rabbit performance and meat quality. In fact, the role of Se supplementation in the rabbit diet has not yet been elucidated in the literature and, more specifically, there are no studies on the possible synergistic action between organic Se compared with VE on lipids, fatty acids (FA) and the oxidative stability of two glycolytic muscles, longissimus lumborum (LL) and biceps femoris (BF). Two hundred and seventy New Zealand White rabbits were divided into five dietary groups of 54 rabbits each: 1) control (basal diet = BD; CTRL); 2) VE100 (BD + VE100 mg/kg); 3) VE200 (BD + VE200 mg/kg); 4) EcoE100 (BD + EcoE100 mg/kg); and 5) EcoE200 (BD + EcoE200 mg/kg). Neither of the antioxidant treatments affected growth performance, carcass traits or meat characteristics. Lipid and fatty acid contents were similar in LL and BF and not influenced by the dietary treatment. Meat oxidative stability was strongly improved by both antioxidants. These findings indicate that both EcoE and VE greatly improved the oxidative stability of LL and BF muscles at the dosage rates which, from an economic point of view, would normally be included in the formulation of feeds for rabbits.This study is part of a multidisciplinary research project funded by the Department of Veterinary Medical Science (University of Bologna, Italy). The authors thank Martini Group Spa (Budrio di Longiano, FC, Italy) who provided animals and feeds, and Alltech (Casalecchio di Reno, BO, Italy) who supplied the EcoE.Minardi, P.; Mordenti, A.; Badiani, A.; Pirini, M.; Trombetti, F.; Albonetti, S. (2020). Effect of dietary antioxidant supplementation on rabbit performance, meat quality and oxidative stability of muscles. World Rabbit Science. 28(3):145-159. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2020.12273OJS145159283Abdel-Khalek A.M. 2013. Supplemental antioxidants in rabbit nutrition: A review. Livest. Sci., 158: 95-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2013.10.019Alasnier C., Gandemer G. 1998. Fatty acid and aldehyde composition of individual phospholipid classes of rabbit skeletal muscles is related to the metabolic type of the fiber. Meat Sci., 48: 225-235. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0309-1740(97)00096-XAlbonetti S., Minardi P., Trombetti F., Savigni F., Mordenti A.L., Baranzoni G.M., Trivisano C., Greco F.P., Badiani A. 2017. 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Heroin versus cocaine: opposite choice as a function of context but not of drug history in the rat

Rationale Previous studies have shown that rats trained to self-administer heroin and cocaine exhibit opposite preferences, as a function of setting, when tested in a choice paradigm. Rats tested at home prefer heroin to cocaine whereas rats tested outside the home prefer cocaine to heroin. Here we investigated whether drug history would influence subsequent drug preference in distinct settings. Based on a theoretical model of drug-setting interaction, we predicted that regardless of drug history rats would prefer heroin at home and cocaine outside the home. Methods Rats with double-lumen catheters were first trained to self-administer either heroin (25 μg/kg) or cocaine (400 μg/kg) for 12 consecutive sessions. Twenty-six rats were housed in the self-administration chambers (thus, they were tested at home) whereas 30 rats lived in distinct home cages and were transferred to self-administration chambers only for the self-administration session (thus, they were tested outside the home). The rats were then allowed to choose repeatedly between heroin and cocaine within the same session for 7 sessions. Results Regardless of the training drug, the rats tested outside the home preferred cocaine to heroin whereas the rats tested at home preferred heroin to cocaine. There was no correlation between drug preference and drug intake during the training phase. Conclusion Drug preferences were powerfully influenced by the setting but, quite surprisingly, not by drug history. This suggests that, under certain conditions, associative learning processes and drug-induced neuroplastic adaptations play a minor role in shaping individual preferences for one drug or the other

Nondestructive rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) freshness estimation by using an affordable open-ended coaxial technique

In the present work, a nondestructive device set up for a rapid and reliable freshness assessment of rainbow trout during 10 days of storage in ice was evaluated. The device was characterized by a vector network analyzer interfaced with an open coaxial probe to be placed in contact with the fish eye. The acquisition of the reflected scattering parameter (S11), which is the ratio between the amplitude of the reflected and the incident signal, was assessed in the 50 kHz-3 GHz spectral range. S11 is composed of a real part and an imaginary part, and both parts were used to predict quality index method for freshness evaluations. Partial least squares regression predictive models of the demerit scores related to fish eye attributes (eye pupil and eye shape) and the day of storage were set up. The main results showed that both the real and imaginary parts of the S11 decrease as a function of storage time. The combination with multivariate analysis allowed to set up predictive models of the storage time and the demerit scores with R-2 values up to 0.946 (root mean square error [RMSE] = 0.88 days) and 0.942 (RMSE = 3.17 demerit scores related to the fish eyes attributes), respectively (external validation). According to our results, the proposed cheap solution appears a useful tool for the freshness assessment of rainbow trout

The active heroin metabolite 6-acetylmorphine has robust reinforcing effects as assessed by self-administration in the rat

Previous studies have suggested that at least some of the behavioral effects of heroin might be mediated by its active metabolite 6-acetylmorphine (6-AM). The aim of the present study was to investigate the reinforcing effects of 6-AM and its role in mediating those of heroin. We used an intravenous self-administration procedure in male Sprague-Dawley rats including four phases: acquisition, extinction, reinstatement of drug-seeking, and re-acquisition. Independent groups of rats readily learned to self-administer equimolar doses (0.135 μmol/kg) of either 6-AM (44.3 μg/kg) or heroin (50 μg/kg). Under a fixed ratio 1 (FR1) schedule of reinforcement, the rate of responding was the same for 6-AM and heroin, but it was significantly higher for 6-AM than for heroin under a FR2 schedule. A non-contingent infusion (‘priming’) of 0.068 μmol/kg of either 6-AM or heroin reinstated non-reinforced drug-seeking (relapse). The rats readily re-acquired self-administration behaviour when given access to one of two doses (0.068 and 0.135 μmol/kg) of 6-AM or heroin. Pretreatment with a specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) against 6-AM blocked the priming effect of 6-AM, and modified the rate of lever-pressing on re-acquisition of 6-AM self-administration in a manner compatible with a shift to the right of the dose-effect curve. The mAb did not affect heroin responding. The present results show that 6-AM possesses reinforcing effects similar to those of heroin. The lack of effect of 6-AM mAb on heroin priming and heroin self-administration calls for further studies to clarify the role of heroin and its metabolites in heroin reward

Repeated Methamphetamine Administration Differentially Alters Fos Expression in Caudate-Putamen Patch and Matrix Compartments and Nucleus Accumbens

Background: The repeated administration of psychostimulant drugs produces a persistent and long-lasting increase (‘‘sensitization’’) in their psychomotor effects, which is thought to be due to changes in the neural circuitry that mediate these behaviors. One index of neuronal activation used to identify brain regions altered by repeated exposure to drugs involves their ability to induce immediate early genes, such as c-fos. Numerous reports have demonstrated that past drug experience alters the ability of drugs to induce c-fos in the striatum, but very few have examined Fos protein expression in the two major compartments in the striatum—the so-called patch/striosome and matrix. Methodology/Principal Findings: In the present study, we used immunohistochemistry to investigate the effects of pretreatment with methamphetamine on the ability of a subsequent methamphetamine challenge to induce Fos protein expression in the patch and matrix compartments of the dorsolateral and dorsomedial caudate-putamen and in the ventral striatum (nucleus accumbens). Animals pretreated with methamphetamine developed robust psychomotor sensitization. A methamphetamine challenge increased the number of Fos-positive cells in all areas of the dorsal and ventral striatum. However, methamphetamine challenge induced Fos expression in more cells in the patch than in the matrix compartment in the dorsolateral and dorsomedial caudate-putamen. Furthermore, past experience with methamphetamine increased the number of methamphetamine-induced Fos positive cells in the patch compartment of the dorsal caudate putamen, but no

Amphetamine and cocaine induce different patterns of c- fos mRNA expression in the striatum and subthalamic nucleus depending on environmental context

In the dorsal striatum, there are two major populations of medium spiny projection neurons. One population is positive for dynorphin mRNA (DYN+), and these cells project preferentially to the substantia nigra, forming the so-called ‘direct pathway’. A second population is positive for enkephalin mRNA (ENK+), and these cells influence the substantia nigra indirectly, via the globus pallidus and subthalamic nucleus. Psychostimulant drugs, such as amphetamine and cocaine, are reported to induce immediate early genes (IEGs) in only one subpopulation of dorsal striatal projection neurons, DYN+ cells. However, this apparent selectivity appears to be a function of environmental context. We found that when given in the animal's home cage, amphetamine and cocaine increased expression of the IEG, c- fos , almost exclusively in DYN+ cells. However, when given in a novel environment, amphetamine and cocaine increased c- fos mRNA in both DYN+ and ENK+ cells. Furthermore, amphetamine and cocaine increased c- fos mRNA expression in the subthalamic nucleus when administered in the novel environment, but not when given at home. We conclude that the neural circuitry engaged by psychostimulant drugs, and their ability to induce specific patterns of gene expression, are determined by the environmental context in which they are experienced. This may be related to the ability of environmental novelty to facilitate psychostimulant drug-induced neuroplasticity.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75267/1/j.0953-816x.2001.01574.x.pd

Sex Dimorphism in the Myocardial Response to Aortic Stenosis

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to explore sex differences in myocardial remodeling in aortic stenosis (AS) by using echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), and biomarkers. BACKGROUND: AS is a disease of both valve and left ventricle (LV). Sex differences in LV remodeling are reported in AS and may play a role in disease phenotyping. METHODS: This study was a prospective assessment of patients awaiting surgical valve replacement for severe AS using echocardiography, the 6-min walking test, biomarkers (high-sensitivity troponin T and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide), and CMR with late gadolinium enhancement and extracellular volume fraction, which dichotomizes the myocardium into matrix and cell volumes. LV remodeling was categorized into normal geometry, concentric remodeling, concentric hypertrophy, and eccentric hypertrophy. RESULTS: In 168 patients (age 70 ± 10 years, 55% male, indexed aortic valve area 0.40 ± 0.13 cm2/m2, mean gradient 47 ± 4 mm Hg), no sex or age differences in AS severity or functional capacity (6-min walking test) were found. CMR captured sex dimorphism in LV remodeling not apparent by using 2-dimensional echocardiography. Normal geometry (82% female) and concentric remodeling (60% female) dominated in women; concentric hypertrophy (71% male) and eccentric hypertrophy (76% male) dominated in men. Men also had more evidence of LV decompensation (pleural effusions), lower left ventricular ejection fraction (67 ± 16% vs. 74 ± 13%; p < 0.001), and higher levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (p = 0.04) and high-sensitivity troponin T (p = 0.01). Myocardial fibrosis was higher in men, with higher focal fibrosis (late gadolinium enhancement 16.5 ± 11.2 g vs. 10.5 ± 8.9 g; p < 0.001) and extracellular expansion (matrix volume 28.5 ± 8.8 ml/m2 vs. 21.4 ± 6.3 ml/m2; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CMR revealed sex differences in associations between AS and myocardial remodeling not evident from echocardiography. Given equal valve severity, the myocardial response to AS seems more maladaptive in men than previously reported. (Regression of Myocardial Fibrosis After Aortic Valve Replacement [RELIEF-AS]; NCT02174471.)

A photoelectrochemical-thermoelectric device for semi-artificial CO2 fixation employing full solar spectrum utilization

Funding Information: We acknowledge support from the Leverhulme Trust for an Early Career Fellowship ( ECF-2021-072 to S.J.C. and ECF-2022-392 to L.S.), the Isaac Newton Trust (20.08(r) to S.J.C. and 22.08(c) to L.S.), the Cambridge Trust ( Cambridge Thai Foundation Award to C.P.), a Trinity-Henry Barlow Scholarship (to C.P.), the Cambridge Philosophical Society (to C.P.), the Program Management Unit for Human Resources and Institutional Development, Research, and Innovation ( B16F640166 to C.P.), the EPSRC Graphene CDT ( EP/L016087/1 to V.M.B.), St John\u2019s College Cambridge ( Title A Research Fellowship to V.A.), the European Research Council (ERC) for a Consolidator Grant (MatEnSAP, 682833 to E.R.) and a UKRI/ERC Advanced Grant ( EP/X030563/1 to E.R.), the Funda\u00E7\u00E3o para a Ci\u00EAncia e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) for fellowship DFA/BD/7897/2020 (to R.R.M.), grant PTDC/BII-BBF/2050/2020 (to I.A.C.P.) and MOSTMICRO-ITQB unit ( UIDB/04612/2020 and UIDP/04612/2020 ), and Associated Laboratory LS4FUTURE ( LA/P/0087/2020 ). Funding Information: We acknowledge support from the Leverhulme Trust for an Early Career Fellowship (ECF-2021-072 to S.J.C. and ECF-2022-392 to L.S.), the Isaac Newton Trust (20.08(r) to S.J.C. and 22.08(c) to L.S.), the Cambridge Trust (Cambridge Thai Foundation Award to C.P.), a Trinity-Henry Barlow Scholarship (to C.P.), the Cambridge Philosophical Society (to C.P.), the Program Management Unit for Human Resources and Institutional Development, Research, and Innovation (B16F640166 to C.P.), the EPSRC Graphene CDT (EP/L016087/1 to V.M.B.), St John's College Cambridge (Title A Research Fellowship to V.A.), the European Research Council (ERC) for a Consolidator Grant (MatEnSAP, 682833 to E.R.) and a UKRI/ERC Advanced Grant (EP/X030563/1 to E.R.), the Funda\u00E7\u00E3o para a Ci\u00EAncia e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) for fellowship DFA/BD/7897/2020 (to R.R.M.), grant PTDC/BII-BBF/2050/2020 (to I.A.C.P.) and MOSTMICRO-ITQB unit (UIDB/04612/2020 and UIDP/04612/2020), and Associated Laboratory LS4FUTURE (LA/P/0087/2020). Conceptualization, S.J.C. C.P. and E.R; investigation, S.J.C. C.P. V.M.B. L.S. and R.R.M.; resources, R.R.M. and I.A.C.P.; formal analysis, S.J.C. C.P. V.M.B. L.S. R.R.M.; writing \u2013 original draft, S.J.C. C.P. and E.R.; writing \u2013 review & editing, V.A. L.S. R.R.M. and I.A.C.P.; visualization, S.J.C. C.P. V.A. and L.S.; supervision, E.R.; funding acquisition, S.J.C. I.A.C.P. and E.R. The authors declare no competing interests. Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s)Natural and most artificial photosynthesis systems utilize a pair of light absorbers to convert CO2 into sugar and fuels. However, much of the solar energy is lost as unabsorbed (mainly infrared [IR]) irradiation and thermalization heat, limiting efficiency. Here, we show that a thermoelectric (TE) generator can harvest this waste heat toward unassisted CO2 reduction with a water-oxidizing BiVO4 photoanode upon irradiation by concentrated sunlight. We employ the enzyme formate dehydrogenase (FDh) as a model catalyst to achieve selective CO2-to-formate conversion with minimal overpotential. The catalytic activity of the FDh cathode and BiVO4 photoanode benefits from solar heating, enabling the bias-free semi-artificial FDh-TE-BiVO4 device to attain a 97% faradic yield for formate production under 3-sun irradiation. This work demonstrates unassisted CO2 reduction coupled to water oxidation using only a single semiconductor light absorber through effective waste heat utilization, overcoming the challenges of (non-)complementary light absorption and IR losses in both natural and artificial photosynthesis.proofinpres

Direct in-vivo assessment of global and regional mechano-electric feedback in the intact human heart

BACKGROUND: Inhomogeneity of ventricular contraction is associated with sudden cardiac death, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Alterations in cardiac contraction impact electrophysiological parameters through mechano-electric feedback. This has been shown to promote arrhythmias in experimental studies, but its effect in the in-vivo human heart is unclear. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of regional myocardial deformation provoked by a sudden increase in ventricular loading (aortic occlusion) on human cardiac electrophysiology. METHODS: In ten patients undergoing open-heart cardiac surgery, left ventricular (LV) afterload was modified by transient aortic occlusion. Simultaneous assessment of whole-heart electrophysiology and LV deformation was performed using an epicardial sock (240 electrodes) and speckle-tracking transoesophageal echocardiography. Parameters were matched to six AHA LV model segments. The association between changes in regional myocardial segment length and in the activation-recovery interval (ARI, a conventional surrogate for action potential duration) was studied using mixed-effect models. RESULTS: Increased ventricular loading reduced longitudinal shortening (P=0.01) and shortened the ARI (P=0.02), but changes were heterogeneous between cardiac segments. Increased regional longitudinal shortening was associated with ARI shortening (effect size 0.20, 0.01 - 0.38, ms/% P=0.04) and increased local ARI dispersion (effect size -0.13, -0.23 - -0.03) ms/%, P=0.04). At the whole organ level, increased mechanical dispersion translated into increased dispersion of repolarization (correlation coefficient, r=0.81, P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Mechano-electric feedback can establish a potentially pro-arrhythmic substrate in the human heart and should be considered to advance our understanding and prevention of cardiac arrhythmias

Effect of different inclusion levels of defatted Hermetia illucens larvae meal on fillet quality of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata)

In recent years, insect meal has attracted increasing interest as an innovative protein source to replace fish meal in feed formulation due to its valuable nutritional profile. This research aimed to compare the effects of different dietary inclusion levels (5, 10, and 15%) of Hermetia illucens (HI) larvae meal on Sparus aurata (initial weight: 98.6 ± 0.6 g) sensorial, technological, and nutritional fillets quality. Fish were fed experimental diets over 113 days. Results showed that the inclusion of defatted HI larvae meal did not induce off-flavours in gilthead sea bream fillets. No significant differences were found in appearance, mouthfeels, and texture, while a difference emerged in the trait ‘cooked chicken breast’ for odour and flavour characteristics. Moreover, fillets’ quality traits and proximate composition analyses performed did not show significant differences between the treatments. The fillets’ fatty acid content showed that higher inclusion of HI meal leads to higher saturated fatty acids content, while no significant difference in polyunsaturated fatty acids was observed among treatments. Results have a positive implication as dietary HI did not negatively affect the fatty acids composition or quality of sea bream fillets