Microsatellite diversity of the Nordic type of goats in relation to breed conservation: how relevant is pure ancestry?

In the last decades, several endangered breeds of livestock species have been re-established effectively. However, the successful revival of the Dutch and Danish Landrace goats involved crossing with exotic breeds and the ancestry of the current populations is therefore not clear. We have generated genotypes for 27 FAO-recommended microsatellites of these landraces and three phenotypically similar Nordic-type landraces and compared these breeds with central European, Mediterranean and south-west Asian goats. We found decreasing levels of genetic diversity with increasing distance from the south-west Asian domestication site with a south-east-to-north-west cline that is clearly steeper than the Mediterranean east-to-west cline. In terms of genetic diversity, the Dutch Landrace comes next to the isolated Icelandic breed, which has an extremely low diversity. The Norwegian coastal goat and the Finnish and Icelandic landraces are clearly related. It appears that by a combination of mixed origin and a population bottleneck, the Dutch and Danish Land-races are separated from the other breeds. However, the current Dutch and Danish populations with the multicoloured and long-horned appearance effectively substitute for the original breed, illustrating that for conservation of cultural heritage, the phenotype of a breed is more relevant than pure ancestry and the genetic diversity of the original breed. More in general, we propose that for conservation, the retention of genetic diversity of an original breed and of the visual phenotype by which the breed is recognized and defined needs to be considered separately

Aorta Structural Alterations in Term Neonates: The Role of Birth and Maternal Characteristics

Aim. To evaluate the influence of selected maternal and neonatal characteristics on aorta walls in term, appropriately grown-for-gestational age newborns. Methods. Age, parity, previous abortions, weight, height, body mass index before and after delivery, smoking, and history of hypertension, of diabetes, of cardiovascular diseases, and of dyslipidemia were all assessed in seventy mothers. They delivered 34 males and 36 females healthy term newborns who underwent ultrasound evaluation of the anteroposterior infrarenal abdominal aorta diameter (APAO), biochemical profile (glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fibrinogen, and D-dimers homeostasis model assessment [HOMAIR]index), and biometric parameters. Results. APAO was related to newborn length (r=+0.36; P=0.001), head circumference (r=+0.37; P=0.001), gestational age (r=+0.40, P=0.0005), HOMA index (r=+0.24; P=0.04), and D-dimers (r=+0.33, P=0.004). Smoke influenced APAO values (odds ratio: 1.80; confidence interval 95%: 1.05–3.30), as well as diabetes during pregnancy (r=+0.42, P=0.0002). Maternal height influenced neonatal APAO (r=+0.47, P=0.00003). Multiple regression analysis outlined neonatal D-dimers as still significantly related to neonatal APAO values. Conclusions. Many maternal and neonatal characteristics could influence aorta structures. Neonatal D-dimers are independently related to APAO

Endothelial function in obese and overweight patients: the role of olive oil, fish and nuts.

Objective: To assess the effect of olive oil, non fried fish and nuts on endothelial function in overweight/obese patients. Methods: 47 overweight/obese patients (24 men, mean age 54 ± 11 years) fed healthy diet (HD) defined according to the Nureta- PREDIMED study for 3 months; after this 3 months of HD, the patients were blindly divided into 4 groups: Controls (24: HD), Group A (8: HD+olive oil), Group B (8: HD+not-fried fish), Group C (7: HD+nuts). These four groups were also followed-up for further 15 months. All patients were evaluated at baseline, at 3 and 18 months for glucose and lipid profile, anthropometric measures and brachial artery Flow-Mediated Dilatation (FMD). Results: HD alone significantly increased FMD at 3 and 18 months follow-up as compared to baseline. Olive oil or not-fried fish or nuts significantly increased FMD as compared to HD at 18 months follow-up. Waist circumference, body mass index significantly decreased after 3 and 18 months; lipid parameters at 18 months improved in all groups as compared to baseline. Fasting glycemia did not change after 18 months (baseline: 101 ± 19 mg/dl vs 18 months: 98 ± 12 mg/dl; p=ns). Conclusions: HD is able to improve endothelial function after a short (3 months) period and olive oil, not fried fish and nuts adding seem to increase such an improvement at a longer (18 months) period. Thus, HD and some of its components can improve cardiovascular risk profile of individuals

Relationship between imaging‐derived parameters and circulating microRNAs to study the degree of lung involvement in hospitalized geriatric patients with COVID‐19 pneumonia

Aim: Chest computed tomography (CT) scan is useful to evaluate the type and extent of lung lesions in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. This study explored the association between radiological parameters and various circulating serum-derived markers, including microRNAs, in older patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods: A retrospective analysis was designed to study geriatric patients (≥75 years) with COVID-19 pneumonia, who underwent chest CT scan on admission, and for whom clinical data and serum samples were obtained. To quantify the extent of lung involvement, CT-score, the percentage of healthy lung (HL%), the percentage of ground glass opacity (GGO%), and the percentage of lung consolidation were assessed using computer-aided tools. The association of these parameters with two circulating microRNAs, miR-483-5p and miR-320b, previously identified as biomarkers of mortality risk in COVID-19 geriatric patients, was tested. Results: A total of 73 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia were evaluable (median age 85 years; interquartile range 82-90 years). Among chest CT-derived parameters, the percentage of lung consolidation (HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02-1.14), CT-score (HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03-1.25), and HL% (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95-0.99) emerged as significant predictors of mortality, whereas non-significant trends toward increased mortality were observed in patients with higher GGO%. We also found a significant positive association between serum miR-483-5p and GGO% (correlation coefficient 0.28; P = 0.018) and a negative association with HL% (correlation coefficient -0.27; P = 0.023). Conclusions: Overall, the extent of lung consolidation can be confirmed as a prognostic parameter of COVID-19 pneumonia in older patients. Among various serum-derived markers, miR-483-5p can help in exploring the degree of lung involvement, due to its association with higher GGO% and lower HL%

Geographical contrasts of Y‐chromosomal haplogroups from wild and domestic goats reveal ancient migrations and recent introgressions

International audienceBy their paternal transmission, Y-chromosomal haplotypes are sensitive markers of population history and male-mediated introgression. Previous studies identified biallelic single-nucleotide variants in the SRY, ZFY and DDX3Y genes, which in domestic goats identified four major Y-chromosomal haplotypes, Y1A, Y1B, Y2A and Y2B, with a marked geographical partitioning. Here, we extracted goat Y-chromosomal variants from whole-genome sequences of 386 domestic goats (75 breeds) and seven wild goat species, which were generated by the VarGoats goat genome project. Phylogenetic analyses indicated domestic haplogroups corresponding to Y1B, Y2A and Y2B, respectively, whereas Y1A is split into Y1AA and Y1AB. All five haplogroups were detected in 26 ancient DNA samples from southeast Europe or Asia. Haplotypes from present-day bezoars are not shared with domestic goats and are attached to deep nodes of the trees and networks. Haplogroup distributions for 186 domestic breeds indicate ancient paternal population bottlenecks and expansions during migrations into northern Europe, eastern and southern Asia, and Africa south of the Sahara. In addition, sharing of haplogroups indicates male-mediated introgressions, most notably an early gene flow from Asian goats into Madagascar and the crossbreeding that in the 19th century resulted in the popular Boer and Anglo-Nubian breeds. More recent introgressions are those from European goats into the native Korean goat population and from Boer goat into Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe. This study illustrates the power of the Y-chromosomal variants for reconstructing the history of domestic species with a wide geographical range