lanreotide 60 mg a new long acting formulation effectiveness in the chronic treatment of acromegaly

Lanreotide (LAN) 60 mg (LAN60), a new long-acting formulation of LAN alleged to suppress GH/IGF-I hypersecretion for 28 d in acromegalic patients, was administered in a prospective open multicenter study to 92 patients with active acromegaly (61 women and 31 men, aged 20–79 yr). LAN60 was given as adjuvant treatment (AT) in 62 patients; the other 30 patients [primary treatment (PT)] were de novo (n = 20) or previously treated only by pharmacotherapy (n = 10). After wash-out from previous treatments, LAN60 was started im every 28 d for 3 injections; the dose was then individually tailored, aiming at lowering GH to less than 2.5 μg/liter and IGF-I to the normal range. After a median follow-up of 24 months (range, 6–48 months), IGF-I normalized in 65% of patients, decreasing from 199 ± 8% (expressed as a percentage of the upper limit of normal range; mean ± se) to 87 ± 4% (P < 0.0001). GH fell to less than 2.5 μg/liter in 63% of patients and to less than 1 μg/liter in 25%, decreasing from 20 ± 3 to 3 ± 0.4 μ..

USEFULNESS OF AN AD HOC QUESTIONNAIRE (ACRO-CQ) FOR THE SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT OF ACROMEGALY COMORBIDITIES AT DIAGNOSIS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT AT FOLLOW-UP

Purpose: To determine the validity of a self-administered questionnaire (Acro-CQ) developed to systematically assess the presence, type and time of onset of acromegaly comorbidities. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study; 105 acromegaly patients and 147 controls with other types of pituitary adenoma, referred to a specialized Italian Center, autonomously compiled Acro-CQ in an outpatient clinical setting. To test its reliability in a different setting, Acro-CQ was administered via mail to 78 patients with acromegaly and 100 with other pituitary adenomas, referred to a specialized US Center. Data obtained from questionnaires in both settings were compared with medical records (gold standard). Results: Demographics of patients and controls from both countries were similar. In both settings, >95 % of the questionnaires were completely filled; only one item was missed in the others. Concordance with medical record was excellent (k > 0.85) for most of the items, independently from the way of administration, patient age, gender and nationality, pituitary adenoma type and disease activity. Conclusions: Acro-CQ is an inexpensive, highly accepted from patients and reliable tool recommended to expedite systematic collection of relevant clinical data in acromegaly at diagnosis, to be replicated at follow-ups. This tool may guide a targeted, cost-effective management of complications. Moreover, it could be applied to retrieve data for survey studies in both acromegaly and other pituitary adenomas, as information is easily and rapidly accessible for statistical analysis

Cecal volatilome and microbiota profile of organic chickens supplemented with black soldier fly live larvae

Insects have shown to be a potential nutritional replacement in poultry nutrition as substitute of traditional protein sources, with positive effects on gut microbiota. However, only few studies have investigated the effects of live black soldier fly (BSF) live larvae provision on short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and microbiota composition in chicken’s gut. Label naked neck (LNN, n. 240) chickens were reared in an organic production system from 21 to 82 days of age and randomly allocated into four experimental groups (10 birds/pen, 6 replicates/treatment) according to bird gender and larvae provision. Experimental groups were fed with 10% supplementation of BSF live larvae, based on the expected daily feed intake (DFI). At slaughter, samples of cecal digesta were collected from 60 animals (15 birds/treatment), frozen and stored at -80°C until to be analyzed by SPME-CG-MS and DNA sequencing techniques, respectively. Results showed that seven SCFAs were identified, with butyrate as the most abundant. Even if no significant differences were found between treatments, the cecal SCFAs concentration in insect-fed animals were noticed to be less variable than control group. Cecal microbiota analyses of birds fed with BSF live larvae, showed a higher incidence of Coprobacillus, Synergistaceae and Christensenellaceae, with the latter to having the potential to degrade chitin’s insect meal, a compound with immunoregulatory properties. In conclusion, results showed that even a dietary 10% supplementation of BSF live larvae can slightly improve microbiota profile and potentially, SCFAs production in LNN chickens. These results confirm what observed in recent studies on broilers, but with lower (5% of DFI) live larvae inclusion levels. Financial support for Poultrynsect project was provided by transnational funding bodies under the Joint SUSFOOD2/CORE Organic Call 2019

Sensorial evaluation of breast of chicken reared in organic system and supplemented with live black soldier fly larvae

Live larvae fed to poultry has shown to provide good nutrients and bioactive compounds with positive effects on bird's health. However, trials on chicken reared for meat consumption are still scarce. A total of 240 Label naked neck (LNN) birds were reared from 21 to 82 days of age, and four experimental groups (10 birds/pen, 6 replicates/treatment) were considered according to the birds’ gender and larvae provision. Experimental groups were fed 10% supplementation of black soldier fly (BSF) live larvae based on the daily feed intake. Birds (12/diet, 2 birds/pen) were slaughtered according to the standard EU regulations. Following storage at 4°C for 24 h, breast fillets were excised, vacuum packaged and transported to the laboratory for analysis. Vacuum packed breasts were cooked in a water bath at 75°C for 45 min, then breast color and drip loss were measured. Sensory descriptive analysis was performed, in duplicate, by 11 trained judges, experts in sensory evaluation with a specific software for sensory data acquisition, (FIZZ Biosystèmes), using a nine points intensity scale. Results were elaborated by a statistical analysis using R software. Color measurement, drip loss percentage and sensorial profiles were analyzed through the ANOVA and post hoc test (Tukey’s HSD). No significant differences were found in mean percentages of drip loss while color measurement showed only differences based on chicken gender and only for the b* (yellowness) parameter that resulted higher in females. Concerning sensory evaluation, no significant differences were found. In conclusion, results highlighted that a dietary 10% supplementation of BSF live larvae did not affected sensorial quality of breast fillets of LNN chickens reared in an organic production system. The authors acknowledge the financial support for Poultrynsect project provided by transnational funding bodies under the Joint SUSFOOD2/CORE Organic Call 2019

Can black soldier fly live larvae supplementation modify gut histomorphology of organic chickens?

The effects of insect meal on gut health have recently been reported in free-range and broiler chickens, but no data are available for intermediate growing chickens supplemented with black soldier fly (BSF) live larvae. Label naked neck chickens were reared from 21 to 82 days of age and randomly allotted into four groups (n=240, 10 birds/pen, 6 replicates/treatment) according to bird gender (male-M and female-F) and larvae provision (Control-C and larvae-L). LM and LF groups received 10% supplementation of BSF live larvae, based on the average daily feed intake. At slaughter, samples of liver, spleen, bursa of Fabricius, and gut were collected from 60 animals (15 birds/treatment) and routinely processed for histomorphological examination. The following morphometrical parameters were evaluated on duodenum, jejunum, and ileum: villus height (Vh), villus width (Vw), crypt depth (Cd), Vh/Cd ratio, total absorptive area, mucosal and muscular thickness. The observed histopathological findings were evaluated using a semi-quantitative scoring system (0: absent, 1: mild, 2: moderate, 3: severe). Morphometrically,Vh,TAA and mucosal tickness depended on sex ,being greater in M than in F(P<0.05). Also, Vw was influenced by the interation diet x sex, being greater in CM than in CF (P= 0,016). Apart fom Cd, all the evaluated morphometric indices depended on gu segment (P<0,001). Histologically, gut showed absent to moderate multifocal lymphoplasmacytic enteritis. Liver showed mild lymphoplasmacytic inflammation and absent to moderate multifocal vacuolar degeneration. Bursa of Fabricius presented absent to mild cortical depletion while spleen did not show any alterations. Althoug the severity of all the observed lesions was not influenced by diet (P>0.05), liver degeneration depended on sex, being higher in F than in M (P= 0,025). In conclusion, despite the slight reduction of the total absorptive area in females, results showed that BSF live larvae provision did not impair gut and general health of organic chickens, assuring a physiological, sex-dependent gut morphological asset. Financial support for Poultrynsect project was provided by transnational funding bodies under the Joint SUSFOOD2/CORE Organic Call 2019

Black Soldier Fly live larvae as environmental enrichment in medium-growing chicken diet

Introduction. Few studies on the effects of live larvae provision in poultry have been previously conducted [1,2,3]. However, trials on the long-term provision of live larvae in chicken reared for meat consumption have never been performed before. This study evaluated the impact of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) live larvae provision on growth performance and larvae consumption behavior of intermediate-growing strains. Material and methods. A total of 240 Label naked neck birds were reared from 21 to 82 days of age, and four experimental groups (10 birds/pen, 6 replicates/treatment) were considered according to the birds’ gender and larvae provision. Experimental groups were fed 10% supplementation of BSF live larvae based on the daily feed intake. The live weight (LW), feed conversion ratio (FCR), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily gain (ADG) were evaluated considering two periods: 21-35d and 35-82d. The larvae were provided daily and consumption times were analyzed considering periods of 10 days (5 time frame-T1,T2,T3,T4,T5). Data were analyzed by means of a GLMM (SPSS software, P<0.05). Results. The larvae groups displayed a lower ADFI than the control groups regardless the birds’ gender at 21-35d (P=0.01). This could be explained by the larvae nutritional contribution that led to a lower feed consumption in the experimental groups. Moreover, treated birds revealed a lower FCR than control groups (21-35d; P<0.001). Otherwise, only treated males performed a better FCR than control groups during the second period (P<0.01). Overall, time of larvae consumption at T1 and T5was respectively higher and lower than the other considered periods in both sexes (P<0.05). Such differences could be related to a progressive birds’ adaptation to larvae consumption. Significant differences between sexes were recorded only at T5, when females employed much time than males in larvae consumption (P<0.05). Conclusion. Live larvae provision ameliorated both the ADFI and FCR. Furthermore, the time of larvae consumption shrinked as birds became older. References. [1] Star L. et al. (2020). Animals. 10,216. [2] Bellezza Oddon et al. (2021). J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. 00,1–9. [3] Veldkamp T. and T.G.C.M. Van Niekerk (2019). J. Insects as Food Feed. 5,301-31