Application of N and P Fertilizers on Pasture of Southern Italy: Effects on Forage Species, Production and Quality

The effects of N and P fertilization on the productive and qualitative characteristics of improved pastures in inside Southern Italy areas were investigated. The trial was carried out in two sites characterized by different altitude above sea level and soil properties; also previous fertilization treatments and botanical composition characteristics are significantly different. The N fertilization reduced negative effects of climatic variations (typical of these areas) on botanical composition of “Bella” grassland at lower altitude. On the contrary a more stable botanical composition assured good yields and quality of forage at “Li Foy” field (higher a.s.l.) because more regular weather conditions were recorded. The botanical composition of inside grasslands of Southern Italy plays an important role on forage yield and nutritional value, as determined by chemical analyses of crude protein and fibre

Minerals in Forages of Southern Italy Relate to Climate and Harvest Time Effects

Three cultivars of Alfalfa (Ascolana, Bresaola L 202 and Canè) in the Apulian “Tavoliere” (southern Italy) environment were studied. The effects of three water levels (watering of 1000 m3 ha-1 after each cut; 500 m3 ha-1 as above and another water supply with the same volume when the plant reached wilting conditions; with watering of 300 m3 ha-1 every 8 days to assure continuous water availability) and two cutting times (flower bud and 50% of flowering) were investigated. The cultivars showed a different mineral composition only for quantities not for qualities. The mineral composition of three cultivars were similarly influenced by irrigation treatments but it changes for effects of cutting times. Ca, Mg and K contents were higher and Fe content was lower at 50% flowering cutting time than flower bud one

Forage Production and Nitrogen Status in Mixed Fodder Crops

In Southern Italy, the lack of rain during the summer period is one of the main factors limiting fodder crop production. Another very important parameter, linked to drought, is N fertilisation. In these conditions, it is necessary to find mixtures of legumes and grasses able to ensure good production and quality in the driest months, and to rationalise N fertilisation through control of the nutritional status of the crops at the beginning of spring. By this approach, it is possible to adjust N application during the cropping cycle. The aim of this research was to evaluate in a hilly area of Apulia Region the production of several mixtures of annual grasses and legumes, cropped in temporary grassland, and to investigate their N nutritional status

Biological, Productive and Qualitative Evaluation of Permanent Meadows in Southern Italy

In the four-year period 1992-95 the biological and productive capabilities of two pure permanent meadow species, sainfoin (Onobrychis viciaefolia Scop.) and cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.), subjected to three harvest times (when plant height reached 10, 15 and 20 cm) and two cutting heights (0 and 5 cm) were tested under dry conditions. Sainfoin adapted better to environmental conditions than cocksfoot and proved to perform better in terms of number of annual cuttings, green forage and dry matter production and persistence throughout the years. Among the harvest times and cutting heights, the best responses were obtained, respectively, in the 15 cm treatment and in cutting close to the ground

Transcription of the mitochondrial citrate carrier gene: identification of a silencer and its binding protein ZNF224

In the last few years, we have been functionally characterizing the promoter of the human mitochondrial citrate carrier (CIC). In this study we show that CIC silencer activity extends over 26 bp (-595/-569), which specifically bind a protein present in HepG2 cell nuclear extracts. This transcription factor was purified by DNA affinity and identified as ZNF224. Overexpression of ZNF224 decreases LUC transgene activity in cells transfected with a construct containing the CIC silencer region, whereas ZNF224 silencing activates reporter transcription in cells transfected with the same construct. Moreover, overexpression and silencing of ZNF224 diminishes and enhances, respectively, CIC transcript and protein levels. Finally, ZNF224 is abundantly expressed in fetal tissues contrary to CIC. It is suggested that CIC transcriptional repression by ZNF224 explains, at least in part, the low expression of CIC in fetal tissues in which fatty acid synthesis is low

Ensemble consensus: An unsupervised algorithm for anomaly detection in network security data

Unsupervised network traffic monitoring is of paramount importance in cyber security. It allows to detect suspicious events that are defined as non-normal and report or block them. In this work the Anomaly Consensus algorithm for unsupervised network analysis is presented. The algorithm aim is to fuse the three most important anomaly detection techniques for unsupervised detection of suspicious events. Tests are performed against the KDD Cup'99 dataset, one of the most famous supervised datasets for automatic intrusion detection created by DARPA. Accuracies reveal that Anomaly Consensus performs on-par with respect to state-of-the-art supervised learning techniques, ensuring high generalization power also in borderline tests when small amount of data (5%) is used for training and the rest is for validation and testing

Epidemiological patterns of asbestos exposure and spatial clusters of incident cases of malignant mesothelioma from the Italian national registry

Abstract BACKGROUND: Previous ecological spatial studies of malignant mesothelioma cases, mostly based on mortality data, lack reliable data on individual exposure to asbestos, thus failing to assess the contribution of different occupational and environmental sources in the determination of risk excess in specific areas. This study aims to identify territorial clusters of malignant mesothelioma through a Bayesian spatial analysis and to characterize them by the integrated use of asbestos exposure information retrieved from the Italian national mesothelioma registry (ReNaM). METHODS: In the period 1993 to 2008, 15,322 incident cases of all-site malignant mesothelioma were recorded and 11,852 occupational, residential and familial histories were obtained by individual interviews. Observed cases were assigned to the municipality of residence at the time of diagnosis and compared to those expected based on the age-specific rates of the respective geographical area. A spatial cluster analysis was performed for each area applying a Bayesian hierarchical model. Information about modalities and economic sectors of asbestos exposure was analyzed for each cluster. RESULTS: Thirty-two clusters of malignant mesothelioma were identified and characterized using the exposure data. Asbestos cement manufacturing industries and shipbuilding and repair facilities represented the main sources of asbestos exposure, but a major contribution to asbestos exposure was also provided by sectors with no direct use of asbestos, such as non-asbestos textile industries, metal engineering and construction. A high proportion of cases with environmental exposure was found in clusters where asbestos cement plants were located or a natural source of asbestos (or asbestos-like) fibers was identifiable. Differences in type and sources of exposure can also explain the varying percentage of cases occurring in women among clusters. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates shared exposure patterns in territorial clusters of malignant mesothelioma due to single or multiple industrial sources, with major implications for public health policies, health surveillance, compensation procedures and site remediation programs

Liposome-mediated inhibition of inflammation by hydroxycitrate

Hydroxycitrate (HCA), a main organic acid component of the fruit rind of Garcinia cambogia, is a natural citrate analog that can inhibit the ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) enzyme with a consequent reduction of inflammatory mediators (i.e., nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)) levels. Therefore, HCA has been proposed as a novel means to prevent, treat, and ameliorate conditions involving inflammation. However, HCA presents a low membrane permeability, and a large quantity is required to have a biological effect. To overcome this problem, HCA was formulated in liposomes in this work, and the enhancement of HCA cell availability along with the reduction in the amount required to downregulate NO, ROS, and PGE2 in macrophages were assessed. The liposomes were small in size (~60 nm), monodispersed, negatively charged (−50 mV), and stable on storage. The in vitro results showed that the liposomal encapsulation increased by approximately 4 times the intracellular accumulation of HCA in macrophages, and reduced by 10 times the amount of HCA required to abolish LPS-induced NO, ROS, and PGE2 increase. This suggests that liposomal HCA can be exploited to target the citrate pathway involved in inflammatory processes

Mitochondrial Role in Intrinsic Apoptosis Induced by a New Synthesized Chalcone in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer and the fourth cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Presently, a few drugs are available for HCC treatment and prevention, including both natural and synthetic compounds. In this study, a new chalcone, (E)-1-(2,4,6-triethoxyphenyl)-3-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (ETTC), was synthesized and its effects and mechanisms of action over human hepatoma cells were investigated. Cytotoxic activity was revealed in HCC cells, while no effects were observed in normal hepatocytes. In HCC cells, ETTC caused subG1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, characterized by nuclear fragmentation. The activation of caspases 3/7 and 9, the increase in pro-apoptotic BAX, and the decrease in anti-apoptotic BCL-2 suggest the activation of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. ETTC mitochondrial targeting is confirmed by the reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential and Complex I activity together with levels of superoxide anion increasing. Our outcomes prove the potential mitochondria-mediated antitumor effect of newly synthesized chalcone ETTC in HCC

Immunometabolism Modulation by Extracts from Pistachio Stalks Formulated in Phospholipid Vesicles

Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of plant extracts against various diseases, especially skin disorders; namely, they exhibit overall protective effects. The Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is known for having bioactive compounds that can effectively contribute to a person’s healthy status. However, these benefits may be limited by the toxicity and low bioavailability often inherent in bioactive compounds. To overcome these problems, delivery systems, such as phospholipid vesicles, can be employed. In this study, an essential oil and a hydrolate were produced from P. vera stalks, which are usually discarded as waste. The extracts were characterized by liquid and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and formulated in phospholipid vesicles intended for skin application. Liposomes and transfersomes showed small size (<100 nm), negative charge (approximately −15 mV), and a longer storage stability for the latter. The entrapment efficiency was determined via the quantification of the major compounds identified in the extracts and was >80%. The immune-modulating activity of the extracts was assayed in macrophage cell cultures. Most interestingly, the formulation in transfersomes abolished the cytotoxicity of the essential oil while increasing its ability to inhibit inflammatory mediators via the immunometabolic citrate pathway