Effects of Transport and Feeding Strategies Before Transportation on Redox Homeostasis and Gastric Ulceration in Horses

Transportation may lead to oxidative stress (OS) and gastric ulceration in horses, and optimal feed man-agement before, or during, transportation is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of trans-portation after three different feeding strategies on OS and to explore possible associations between OS and equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS). Twenty-six mares were transported by truck for 12 hours without food or water. Horses were randomly divided into 3 groups; (1) fed 1 hour before departure (BD), (2) fed 6 hours BD, (3) fed 12 hours BD. Clinical examinations and blood collections were per-formed at approximately 4 hours BD (T0), at unloading (T1), 8 hours (T2) and 60 hours (T3) after un-loading. Gastroscopy was conducted prior to departure, and at T1 and T3. Although OS parameters re-mained in the normal range, transportation was associated with increased reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMS) at unloading (P = 0.004), with differences between horses fed 1 hour and 12 hours BD ( P < .05). The level of total antioxidant (PTAS) was affected by both transportation and feeding strategy ( P = 0.019), with horses fed 1 hour BD demonstrating greater PTAS at T = 0, and a different response in comparison with the other groups and the literature. Nine horses demonstrated clinically significant ulceration of the squamous mucosa at T1 but, although weak correlations were evident between OS parameters and ulcer scores, univariate logistic regression showed no associations. This study suggests that feed management prior to a long journey (12 hours) may affect oxidative balance. Further studies are needed to understand the nexus between feed management before and during transport, transport-related OS and EGUS.(c) 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Dromedary Camel Health Care Practices Reported by Caretakers Working at a Permanent Market

Traditional health care practices and ethnoveterinary medicine are still common in camels. This study aimed at describing camel health issues reported by caretakers including their management and treatment practices. Associations between the health issues and caretakers’ background, management practices, and facilities were also investigated. Camel caretakers (n=49) at a permanent market in Qatar were interviewed and data related to the camel pens (e.g. presence of shelters, water, and feeding points) collected. During the interview, questions sought to elicit the following information; i) caretaker’s background (age, level of education, experience, and how they identify when a camel is sick), ii) caretaker’s management practices (feeding, watering, and health care practices), iii) caretaker’s description of the last health problem (camel details, recalled diagnosis/clinical signs, possible cause, treatment, and outcome). The majority of the caretakers were middle-aged (31-50 years old) and they used to identify a sick camel mainly observing its behavioural modifications (p < 0.001). Treatment for endo- and ectoparasites were usually administered by caretakers, health checks routinely performed by veterinarians, while vaccinations were not conducted in most of the pens (p < 0.001). A total of 38 health problems were described and the high environmental temperature was the most reported possible cause (43.2%; p < 0.001). Among the recalled health problems, sunstrokes were the most common (11/38; p = 0.046), followed by fever (9/38). Sunstroke was more likely to affect males (OR: 5.04; CI95%: 1.87-23.38; p = 0.039), while fever younger animals (OR: 0.68, CI95%: 0.47-1.00; p = 0.050). Sunstrokes were more likely managed by non-veterinarians (OR: 4.75; CI95%: 1.05-21.34; p = 0.042). The majority of the cases were early identified and had a full recovery, but 11/38 camels died. Interestingly, drugs were the most common treatment (73.7%, p < 0.001), but often bought and administered directly by caretakers. Duty of care, infectious disease prevention, early and appropriate treatments could be recommended to guarantee the principle of good health and consequently animal welfare. Education on how to identify a sick camel and how to manage it should be also promoted

The Binding Pocket at the Interface of Multimeric Telomere G-quadruplexes: Myth or Reality?

Human telomeric DNA with hundreds of repeats of the 5’-TTAGGG-3’ motif plays a crucial role in several biological processes. It folds into G-quadruplex (G4) structures and features a pocket at the interface of two contiguous G4 blocks. Up to now no structural NMR and crystallographic data are available for ligands interacting with contiguous G4s. Naphthalene diimide monomers and dyads were investigated as ligands of a dimeric G4 of human telomeric DNA comparing the results with those of the model monomeric G4. Time-resolved fluorescence, circular dichroism, isothermal titration calorimetry and molecular modeling were used to elucidate binding features. Ligand fluorescence lifetime and induced circular dichroism unveiled occupancy of the binding site at the interface. Thermodynamic parameters confirmed the hypothesis as they remarkably change for the dyad complexes of the monomeric and dimeric telomeric G4. The bi-functional ligand structure of the dyads is a fundamental requisite for binding at the G4 interface as only the dyads engage in complexes with 1 : 1 stoichiometry, lodging in the pocket at the interface and establishing multiple interactions with the DNA skeleton. In the absence of NMR and crystallographic data, our study affords important proofs of binding at the interface pocket and clues on the role played by the ligand structure

A naphthalene diimide dyad for fluorescence switch-on detection of G-quadruplexes

A non-fluorescent dimeric naphthalene diimide dye becomes red emitting upon G-quadruplex binding

Changes in the fecal microbiota associated with a broad‐spectrum antimicrobial administration in hospitalized neonatal foals with probiotics supplementation

There is a wide array of evidence across species that exposure to antibiotics is associated with dysbiosis, and due to their widespread use, this also raises concerns also in medicine. The study aimed to determine the changes on the fecal microbiota in hospitalized neonatal foals administered with broad‐spectrum antimicrobials and supplemented probiotics. Fecal samples were collected at hospital admission (Ta), at the end of the antimicrobial treatment (Te) and at discharge (Td). Feces were analysed by next‐generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene on Illumina MiSeq. Seven foals treated with IV ampicillin and amikacin/gentamicin were included. The mean age at Ta was 19 h, the mean treatment length was 7 days and the mean time between Te and Td was 4.3 days. Seven phyla were identified: Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Proteobacteria, TM7 and Verrucomicrobia. At Ta, Firmicutes (48.19%) and Proteobacteria (31.56%) were dominant. The alpha diversity decreased from Ta to Te, but it was the highest at Td. The beta diversity was higher at Ta than at Te and higher at Td than at Te. An increase in Akkermansia over time was detected. The results suggest that the intestinal microbiota of neonatal foals rapidly returns to a high diversity after treatment. It is possible that in foals, the effect of antimicrobials is strongly influenced or overshadowed by the time‐dependent changes in the developing gut microbiota

Hair Cortisol and DHEA-S in Foals and Mares as a Retrospective Picture of Feto-Maternal Relationship under Physiological and Pathological Conditions

Equine fetal hair starts to grow at around 270 days of pregnancy, and hair collected at birth reflects hormones of the last third of pregnancy. The study aimed to evaluate cortisol (CORT) and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) concentrations and their ratio in the trichological matrix of foals and mares in relation to their clinical parameters; the clinical condition of the neonate (study 1); the housing place at parturition (study 2). In study 1, 107 mare-foal pairs were divided into healthy (group H; n = 56) and sick (group S; n = 51) foals, whereas in study 2, group H was divided into hospital (n = 30) and breeding farm (n = 26) parturition. Steroids from hair were measured using a solid-phase microtiter radioimmunoassay. In study 1, hair CORT concentrations measured in foals did not differ between groups and did not appear to be influenced by clinical parameters. A correlation between foal and mare hair CORT concentrations (p = 0.019; r = 0.312, group H; p = 0.006; r = 0.349, group S) and between CORT and DHEA-S concentrations in foals (p = 0.018; r = 0.282, group H; p < 0.001; r = 0.44, group S) and mares (p = 0.006; r = 0.361, group H; p = 0.027; r = 0.271, group S) exists in both groups. Increased hair DHEA-S concentrations (p = 0.033) and decreased CORT/DHEA-S ratio (p < 0.001) appear to be potential biomarkers of chronic stress in the final third of pregnancy, as well as a potential sign of resilience and allostatic load in sick foals, and deserve further attention in the evaluation of prenatal hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity in the equine species. In study 2, hormone concentrations in the hair of mares hospitalized for attended parturition did not differ from those that were foaled at the breeding farm. This result could be related to a too brief period of hospitalization to cause significant changes in steroid deposition in the mare’s hair

Transabdominal ultrasonographic measurement of caudal vena cava to aorta derived ratios in clinically healthy neonatal foals

Background: Ultrasonographic measurement of the vena cava and aorta (Ao) diameters and their ratios have been suggested to be a reliable way of quantifying hypovolemia. Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and reliability of an ultrasonographic technique for measurement of Ao and caudal vena cava (CVC) and derived ratios using three different acoustic windows in a population of healthy neonatal foals. Correlation between Ao and CVC measurements and ratios and foals' age or bodyweight were also investigated. Methods: In 14 healthy foals aged less than 7 days, the diameters of the Ao and of the CVC in long and short axis were measured by two observers from images obtained using three different ultrasonographic imaging planes (left dorsal, left ventral and right views). The Ao and CVC cross-sectional area and the CVC/Ao diameter and area ratios were calculated. Image quality was subjectively assessed. Intraobserver and interobserver reliabilities for image quality scores and measurements were evaluated between the two observers. Simple linear regression models were used to identify correlations between the CVC/Ao measurements and ratios and the age and bodyweight of the foals. Results: The left ventral view showed the highest reliability. A correlation between bodyweight and the short axis measurement of the CVC was found (R2 = 0.385; p = 0.018). Age was positively correlated with the long axis of measurement of the CVC (R2 = 0.426; p = 0.011) and CVC/Ao diameter ratio (R2 = 0.625; p = 0.001). Conclusions: The left ventral view allows the Ao and CVC cross sections to be easily visualized and measured in neonatal foals in right lateral recumbency

Influence of vineyard inter-row management and clone on 'Sauvignon Blanc' performance in Friuli Venezia Giulia (north-eastern Italy)

The vineyard inter-row management affects grapevine vegetative and bunch health status, as well as yield and grape quality parameters. Several studies assessed that cover-cropped inter-row in place of soil tillage often reduced plant vigour and yield but positively contributed to vineyard ecosystem services and, to a lower extent, to grape quality. In 2013 and 2014, two inter-row management strategies, i.e. soil tillage and mowing of spontaneous cover crops, were compared in an organic vineyard in north-eastern Italy and cultivated with 'Sauvignon Blanc' (Vitis vinifera L.), clones R3 and 297. In particular, the effects of tillage and mowing treatments on grapevine vegetative and bunch health status, yield and grape quality were evaluated. The vegetative parameters were lower in the mowing treatment than in the tillage one and in clone R3 compared to 297. The incidence of Botrytis cinerea was higher in the tillage treatment than in the mowing one and in clone 297 compared to R3. A significant reduction of the yield and bunch weight was ascertained in the mowing treatment, and these parameters were higher for clone 297 compared to clone R3. Titratable acidity was significantly higher in the tillage treatment than in the mowing one and in clone 297 compared to R3. Moreover, hue of berry skin was qualitatively better in the tillage treatment than in the mowing one. In the pedo-climatic conditions of Friuli Venezia Giulia (north-eastern Italy), the management of the vineyard inter-row with spontaneous cover crops proved to be effective to manage grapevine vigour, reducing yield and improving quality of the grapes during maturation

Dyads of G-Quadruplex Ligands Triggering DNA Damage Response and Tumour Cell Growth Inhibition at Subnanomolar Concentration

Naphthalene diimide (NDI) dyads exhibiting a different substitution pattern and linker length have been synthesised and evaluated as G-quadruplex (G4) ligands, by investigating their cytotoxicity in selected cell lines. The dyads with the long C7 linker exhibit extremely low IC50 values, below 10\u2005nm, on different cancer cell lines. Contrary, the dyads with the shorter C4 linker were much less effective, with IC values increasing up to 1\u2005\u3bcm. Among the three dyads with the longest linker, small differences in the IC50 values emerge, suggesting that the linker length plays a more important role than the substitution pattern. We have further shown that the dyads are able to induce cellular DNA damage response, which is not limited to the telomeric regions and is likely the origin of their cytotoxicity. Both absorption titration and dynamic light scattering of the most cytotoxic dyads in the presence of hTel22 highlight their ability to induce effective G4 aggregation, acting as non-covalent cross-linking agents

Investigation of the treatment of sand accumulations in the equine large colon with psyllium and magnesium sulphate

Enteropathy associated with sand accumulation in the large colon of horses has been reported worldwide. Intestinal sand accumulations are commonly treated medically, but randomised controlled clinical trials on horses are scarce. This prospective study evaluated the efficacy of an enterally administered combination of psyllium and magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) for the removal of large colonic sand accumulations in horses without clinical signs of acute colic. The two groups comprised 20 untreated control horses and 20 horses treated with 1g/kg bodyweight (bwt) of psyllium and 1g/kg bwt of MgSO4 administered by nasogastric intubation once daily for 4 days. Both groups had no access to soil during the study period. The amounts of accumulated sand were evaluated radiographically before and after treatment. Significantly more treated horses cleared their sand accumulations than horses in the control group. This clearance was determined by observing the estimated quantity by area of sand remaining in the large colon (PPeer reviewe