The functional milk

Introduction - In addition to providing all the essential nutrients for the neonate, milk is also a vector of a wide range of immune effector molecules. It has been recently observed that milk IgA can be successfully used for prophylactic or therapeutic treatment against infections by Candida albicans and Helicobacter pylori, which represent serious risk for the health of the digestive system. IgA is the major immunoglobulin present in human milk, but it is 4-5 times less abundant in bovine milk. Since bovine milk is the most consumed milk worldwide, the detection of factors affecting the level of IgA in bovine milk offers great potential to add value to the dairy products. Aim - The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of day in milk and parity on IgA level in colostrum and milk of dairy cows. Materials and methods - Seven primiparous and 7 multiparous healthy Fresian cows were studied for 3 months after calving. All the cows were fed the same experimental diet, over the study period. On day 0, 1, 3, 7, 30, 60 and 90 of lactation, milk yield was recorded, colostrum and milk samples were taken. Colostrum and milk samples were obtained mixing morning and evening milkings and then tested for protein, fat, lactose, casein and urea content, somatic cell count and total bacterial count (TBC). Skimmed colostrum and milk were tested for IgA by ELISA. Data were evaluated by ANOVA. Results - Maximum milk production was observed on day 30 for multiparous cows (43.3 L/d) and on day 60 for the primiparous ones (40.5 L/d). In both groups, the highest levels of IgA were found at calving. The day after, colostrum IgA concentration dramatically decreased, remaining at low levels for the rest of the study period. On calving, IgA level was higher in the colostrum from multiparous than primiparous cows (782 vs. 640 \ub5g/ml; P<0.01). On day 0, 60 and 90, TBC was higher in milk from multiparous than primiparous cows (P=0.06). Between 7 and 90 days of lactation, TBC was negatively correlated whether with milk IgA levels (r = -0.506, P<0.01; r = -0.396, P<0.05 for multiparous and primiparous cows, respectively) and with milk IgA daily yield (r = -0.504, P<0.01; r = -0.501, P<0.01). Conclusions - This research gives a description of the pattern of IgA in colustrum and milk of dairy cows, during the first months of lactation, providing valuable information to maximize the positive effects of milk consumption on consumer health

Adherence to the mediterranean diet in association with self-perception of diet sustainability, anthropometric and sociodemographic factors: A cross-sectional study in italian adults

The adoption of sustainable dietary models, such as the Mediterranean Diet (MD), can be a valuable strategy to preserve ecosystems and human health. This study aims to investigate in an Italian adult representative sample the adherence to the MD and to what extent it is associated with the self-perceived adoption of a sustainable diet, the consideration of the MD as a sustainable dietary model, and anthropometric and sociodemographic factors. By applying an online survey (n = 838, 18–65 years, 52% female), an intermediate level of MD adherence (median: 4.0, IR: 3.0–4.0) in a 0–9 range was observed. Only 50% of the total sample confirmed the MD as a sustainable dietary model, and 84% declared no or low perception of adopting a sustainable diet. Being female, having a higher income and education level, considering the MD as a sustainable dietary model, as well as the perception of having a sustainable diet were the most relevant factors influencing the probability of having a high score (≥6) of adherence to the MD. This study suggests a gradual shift away from the MD in Italy and supports the need to address efforts for developing intervention strategies tailored to adults for improving diet quality. Furthermore, a public campaign should stress the link between a diet and its environmental impact to foster nutritionally adequate and eco-friendly dietary behaviors

Plasma insulin and IGF-1 and hepatic activity in Saanen goat kids, around weaning

Weaning is a crucial event in the life of young ruminants. At weaning ruminal and digestive activity are still incomplete, so weaning may coincide with a period of growth stasis. Since insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) can play a fundamental role in post-natal development, the aim of the present study was to evaluate plasma variations of insulin and IGF-1 levels and their relationships with the hepatic activity, around weaning. For this purpose, eleven 3-days-old Saanen goat kids were randomly divided into MILK (6 animals) and WMIX (5 animals) groups. All kids were fed goat milk to age 29 days. After that, MILK kids continued to receive milk, while WMIX ones underwent weaning, based on the progressive replacement of milk with solid feed. WMIX kids were completely weaned on day 48. Blood samples were weekly analyzed for metabolic traits, insulin and IGF-1 levels, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities. On day 50, all animals were slaughtered, liver weight was recorded and liver samples were analyzed for DNA, RNA, phospholipids, glicogen and soluble protein content, ALT and AST activity. On day 50, plasma insulin and IGF-1 were lower in WMIX group, as possible consequence of the lower plasma glucose and amino acids levels. Liver weight was not different between groups, but liver weight expressed as percentage of body weight was lower in WMIX kids and highly correlated to plasma IGF-1. Liver glycogen was also lower in WMIX kids, as possible consequence of the lower plasma glucose. Hepatic ALT and AST activities were not different between groups and both were strongly correlated to plasma insulin. Moreover, insulin was positively correlated to the proteosynthetic capability per cell (RNA/DNA) of the liver. Our results indicate that the adopted livestock practice permitted the normal development of the animal used, avoiding growth stasis. Anyway, weaning altered plasma insulin and IGF-1, without affecting neither hepatic activity of aminotransferases, nor hepatic DNA and RNA content. Interestingly, plasma insulin was positively correlated to hepatic ALT and AST activity and proteosynthetic capability per cell, suggesting a role for insulin as indicator of hepatic aminotransferase and proteosynthetic activity

Trend-analysis of plasma insulin level around parturition, in relation to parity in Saanen goats

The present study investigated the effect of parity on plasma insulin level around parturition in Saanen goats. On d -14, -7, 0, 3, 7, 10 and 14 from parturition, plasma glucose, NEFA, free AAs, cortisol and insulin concentrations were analyzed in 10 primiparous and 10 multiparous goats. At parturition, BW of primiparous goats was about 75% of that of multiparous ones (P < 0.001) and then their milk production was lower than that of multiparous ones (P < 0.001). At parturition, glucose increased (P < 0.01) in both primiparous and multiparous goats, and then decreased (P < 0.01) on d 3 of lactation, remaining higher (P < 0.01) in primiparous than multiparous goats until the end of the study period. In both groups, free AAs decreased (P < 0.01) at parturition, returning to pre-partum levels (P < 0.01) on d 3 of lactation without difference between groups. Only in multiparous goats, plasma NEFA increased at parturition (P < 0.01), returning to pre-partum levels on d 14 (P < 0.01). Changes in glucose and AAs could have been caused by cortisol, which increased (P < 0.01) at parturition in both primiparous and multiparous goats, returning to pre-partum levels (P < 0.01) on d 7 of lactation, without difference between the parity groups. In multiparous goats insulin decreased soon after parturition (P < 0.05), remaining at low levels until the end of the study period, whereas, in primiparous goats, insulin did not vary until d 14 of lactation, when it decreased (P < 0.05) also in this group. Therefore, between d 3 and 14 of lactation, insulin was higher in primiparous than multiparous goats (P < 0.05). Only in primiparous goats, at kidding, insulin was negatively correlated to body weight (P < 0.01), and after parturition it was negatively correlated with milk yield (P < 0.05) and plasma NEFA (P < 0.05). We hypothesize that higher insulin levels in primiparous Saanen goats, which are still immature at their first breeding season, acted to limit both the mobilization of bodily reserves and the capture of nutrients by the lactating mammary gland, thus providing nutrients for their own physical and physiological development

Influence of food intake timing on daily variations of leptin and other metabolic variables in NZW rabbits

The aim of this study was to investigate circadian rhythms of plasma leptin and other metabolic variables in rabbits, to assess the influence of the timing of food intake and to investigate the relationship between leptin and lipid metabolites. Conclusions: The data of this study show clearly that the time of administration of food is a potent synchronizer of the circadian patterns of leptin and the other parameters investigated. The diurnal variations in leptin therefore depend on the \u201cnutritional status\u201d of the animal, rather than light cues, as Schoeller et al. (1997) and Ahima et al. (1996) also inferred in humans and mice. Leptin correlations with the variables investigated indicate that in rabbits leptin is an index of the lipid metabolism

Starvasi Nitrogen Dan Pengaruhnya Terhadap Biomassa Dan Protein Total Nannochloropsis SP. (Nitrogen Starvation Effect on Biomass and Crude Protein of Nannochloropsis SP)

Pengurangan nitrogen anorganik sebagai nutrien pada media kultur merupakan salahsatu metode untuk mempersingkat fase eksponensial pada kultur mikroalgae.Pengurangan nitrat anorganik pada media kultur Nannochloropsis sp hingga 50%dari konsentrasi normal pada media kultur Conwy ternyata mampu menurunkankepadatan rata-rata (sel/ml) hingga 15,16 % dan menurunkan pula kandungan proteintotal 13,93 %. Fenomena tersebut mengindikasikan bahwa pengurangan nitrogenanorganik pada media kultur berdampak negatif pada kepadatan (sel/ml) dankandungan protein total namun mampu mereduksi waktu kultur pada faseeksponensial mikroalgae Nannochloropsis sp

High affinity immobilization of proteins using the CrAsH/TC tag

Protein microarrays represent important tools for biomedical analysis. We have recently described the use of the biarsenical-tetracysteine (TC) tag for the preparation of protein microarrays. The unique feature of this tag enables the site-specific immobilization of TC-containing proteins on biarsenical-modified surfaces, resulting in a fluorescence enhancement that allows the direct quantification of the immobilized proteins. Moreover, the reversibility of the binding upon incubation with large quantities of thiols permits the detachment of the proteins from the surface, thereby enabling recovery of the substrate to extend the life time of the slide. Herein, we describe our recent results that further extend the applicability of the CrAsH/TC tag to the fabrication of biochips. With this aim, the immobilization of proteins on surfaces has been investigated using two different spacers and two TC tags, the minimal TC sequence (CCPGCC) and an optimized motif (FLNCCPGCCMEP). While the minimal peptide motif enables a rapid recycling of the slide, the optimized TC sequence reveals an increased affinity due to its greater resistance to displacement by thiols. Moreover, the developed methodology was applied to the immobilization of proteins via on-chip ligation of recombinant protein thioesters

Evaluation of the effect of six different paint cross section preparation methods on the performances of Fourier Transformed Infrared microscopy in attenuated total reflection mode

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The influence of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on serum leptin concentration in lactating sows

CLA may be useful in sow nutrition to increase CLA content in colostrum and milk (Bee, 2000). However CLA fed animals displayed also significantly reduced body fat (Pariza et al., 2001) and this effect may be detrimental to reproductive efficiency in sows per se and for the effects on metabolic hormones as well. Moreover some CLA isomers has been reported to influence leptin gene expression (Houseknacht et al., 1998). The present study examined the effects of dietary supplement of CLA on serum leptin in lactating sows. Conclusions: These results indicate that dietary CLA does not influence feed intake and body condition in lactating sows. By these results it does not seem that circulating leptin in lactating sows may be related to body weight and body condition as established in humans and rodents. Further research could explain if the higher leptin level in CLA fed sows is due to changes in leptin gene expression or in leptin clearance as well