Transfer of aflatoxin from feed to milk and curd in Sarda ewes with different milk production level

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a toxin produced by some strains of Aspergillus growing in feedstuffs. Dairy animals fed with diet containing AFB1 excrete aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) into the milk. The carry over ratio (AFM1 excreted in milk/ AFB1 ingested) has been found lower in sheep (Battacone et al., 2002a) than in cattle (Veldman et al., 1992). Being AFM1 linked to milk proteins, its concentration in curd is higher than in milk. The AFM1 concentration in milk resulted not influenced by milk production level in cattle, therefore the total amount of AFM1 excreted in milk and, consequently, the carry-over ratio increased with milk yield (Munksgaard et al., 1987; Veldman et al., 1992). A previous study carried out on isoproductive dairy ewes showed an increase of the AFM1 concentration both in milk and in curd as the amount of AFB1 ingested increased (Battacone et al., 2002b). Aim of the present work is to study the influence of AFB1 dose and milk production level on the transfer of AFB1 from feeds to milk and curd as AFM1 in dairy ewes

Electrochemical corrosion behavior of LDX 2101® duplex stainless steel in a fluoride‐containing environment

The effect of fluoride on the electrochemical corrosion behavior of an LDX 2101® duplex stainless steel (DSS) was studied. Open‐circuit potential (EOC) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were carried out in artificial saliva and with the addition of fluoride (1 wt% NaF). The electrochemical corrosion behavior of the AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel (SS) was also evaluated for comparison. Both open‐circuit potential and EIS results indicate that DSS and austenitic SS undergo spontaneous passivation due to spontaneously formed oxide film passivating the metallic surface, in the simulated aggressive environments. However, LDX 2101® exhibits superior corrosion resistance as compared with AISI 316L, and this improvement is ascribed to the formation of a passive film which shows a higher protective effect than the one formed on AISI 316L

La composition de l’évangile de Matthieu. Où en sommes-nous ?

La composition d’un livre Durant le siècle dernier, beaucoup ont tenté de dégager la composition du premier évangile canonique. La première et plus célèbre hypothèse fut celle de Sir William Bacon, appelée « théorie du Pentateuque ». Bacon avait essentiellement identifié cinq formules stéréotypées en conclusion des grandes sections discursives de l’évangile : Le reste du matériel, de nature essentiellement narrative, était lié à celui des discours déjà identifiés, de manière à les précéder..

RTL property abstraction for TLM assertion-based verification

Different techniques and commercial tools are at the state of the art to reuse existing RTL IP implementations to generate more abstract (i.e., TLM) IP models for system-level design. In contrast, reusing, at TLM, an assertion-based verification (ABV) environment originally developed for an RTL IP is still an open problem. The lack of an effective and efficient solution forces verification engineers to shoulder a time consuming and error-prone manual re-definition, at TLM, of existing assertion libraries. This paper is intended to fill in the gap by presenting a technique toautomatically abstract properties defined for RTL IPs with the aim of creating dynamic ABV environments for the corresponding TLM models

An Original Approach for the Treatment of Varicose Veins of the Lower Limbs

BACKGROUND: The Triplex method is a three-step treatment approach to reducing the appearance of small and medium-sized varicose veins and phlebological imperfections of the lower limbs. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effectiveness, duration of results, adverse events, patient satisfaction, and improvements in quality of life in patients with small and medium-sized varicose veins who were treated with the Triplex method. METHODS: We conducted a six-year follow-up study of 4,000 patients from the years 2012 to 2018. Patients with chronic venous insufficiency of the lower limbs were included. Patients with active or previous phlebitis or phlebostatic ulcers were excluded. An average of three sessions was performed on each patient in the Triplex group. Follow-up assessments were performed 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the completion of the treatment, and they included a morphofunctional study, histological examination, and photographic documentation. The first step of the treatment approach utilized an injectable shrinkage solution consisting of sodium salicylate, physiological solution with 10% glycerol, and lidocaine, which was injected into the varices to trigger a reduction of the vessel lumen. For patients in whom the targeted vessels were not sufficienty narrowed by the shrinkage solution, the second step - ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy, or scleromousse - was utilized, which consisted of either lauromacrogol 1% or sodium tetradecyl sulfate 1%, with one group of patients (n=50) receiving the former and the other group of patients (n=50) receiving the latter. All patients were administered Step 3 of the treatment approach, which usually included varicose treatment with low concentrations of sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS) 0.2 to 0.50% or lauromacrogol 0.25%, with compression additionally prescribed in some patients. RESULTS: Over a follow-up period of six years, in patients who underwent full Triplex treatment, we observed 1) a greater duration of the narrowing of the vessel's caliber, with disappearance of the varices; 2) reduced utilization of the foam solution at the reflux point due to the narrowing of the gauge; and 3) no relevant hemodynamic effects emerged in patients with recanalization. In patients who underwent Steps 1 and 2 of the treatment approach, reflux was not hemodynamically significant. No significant differences were observed in the lauromacrogol group of patients compared to the sodium tetradecyl sulfate group. CONCLUSION: Compared to patients in whom only scleromousse was performed at the reflux site, the narrowing of the varicose wall that is achieved using the Triplex method is associated with longer lasting results in the treatment of small and medium-sized varicose veins, with physiological recovery of superficial venous circulation

Correlation between blood and oral fluid psychoactive drug concentrations and cognitive impairment in driving under the influence of drugs

The effects of drugs on driving performance should be checked with drug concentration in the brain and at the same time with the evaluation of both the behavioural and neurophysiological effects. The best accessible indicator of this information is the concentration of the drug and/or metabolites in blood and, to a certain extent, oral fluid. We sought to review international studies on correlation between blood and oral fluid drug concentrations, neurological correlates and cognitive impairment in driving under the influence of drugs. Methods : Relevant scientific articles were identified from PubMed, Cochrane Central, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, EMBASE up to April 2017. Results : Up to 2010, no epidemiological studies were available on this matter and International scientists suggested that even minimal amounts of parent drugs in blood and oral fluid could affect driving impairment. More recently, epidemiological data, systematic reviews and meta-analysis on drugged drivers allowed the suggestion of impairment concentration limits for the most common illicit drugs. These values were obtained comparing driving disability induced by psychotropic drugs with that of established blood alcohol limits. Differently from ethyl alcohol where both detection methods and concentration limits have been well established even with inhomogeneity of ranges within different countries, in case of drugs of abuse no official cut-offs have yet been established, nor any standardized analytical protocols. Conclusion : Multiple aspects of driving performance can be differently affected by illicit drugs, and even if for few of them some dose/concentration dependent impairment has been reported, a wider knowledge on concentration/impairment relationship is still missin

Beneficial effect of ivabradine against cardiovascular diseases.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart failure (HF) are major worldwide threat to health and well-being. Important progress in the treatment of CAD and HF have contributed to a decline in mortality around the world. A considerable number of epidemiological studies reported a strong independent association between elevated heart rate and major cardiovascular risk factors including atherosclerosis, ventricular arrhythmias, and left ventricular dysfunction. Ivabradine (IVA) is a pure heart rate-lowering agent with well-documented anti-anginal and anti-ischemic properties comparable to well-established anti-anginal agents, such as beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers. The heart rate reduction with IVA is beneficial in patients with CAD, chronic stable angina pectoris, and chronic HF, with an acceptable tolerance and safety profile. The pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of this drug make it an important agent in the management of patients with CAD and HF. The aim of this short review is to explore recent results with IVA, a new medication that lowers heart rate by selectively inhibiting the If current, and to describe others future potential applications