Abundant bacteria in the proximal and distal intestine of healthy Siberian sturgeons (Acipenser baerii)

The gut microbiota plays a key role in animal health, including immune and metabolic homeostasis. Despite the economic relevance of the sturgeon, studies addressing the gut microbiome of this species are scarce and have focused only on the hindgut. The objective of this work was to use Illumina metabarcoding technology to compare the bacterial microbiomes of two different intestinal locations, the proximal intestine (small intestine) and the distal intestine (hindgut containing the spiral valve), of healthy Siberian sturgeons (Acipenser baerii) reared on two different farms in Spain. Although a high degree of interindividual variability was observed, certain differences between the anatomical parts and between the geographical locations were clear. The results show that the sequences corresponding to the most abundant taxa were the basis for clustering according to anatomical region (proximal and distal intestine), whereas the less abundant taxa were the basis for clustering according to the geographical location of the fish farms. Finally, the results also indicate the existence of certain bacteria that are present in the intestinal tracts of all the fish analyzed in this study; this information may be useful in future studies aiming to establish differences based upon fish health or disease

Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis infection in waterfowl: first confirmation in animals.

We report the first description, confirmed by bacteriologic and molecular (polymerase chain reaction and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) analysis, of an infection in animals caused by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, affecting waterfowl

Carotid Ultrasound Boundary Study (CUBS): An Open Multicenter Analysis of Computerized Intima–Media Thickness Measurement Systems and Their Clinical Impact

Common carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT) is a commonly used marker for atherosclerosis and is often computed in carotid ultrasound images. An analysis of different computerized techniques for CIMT measurement and their clinical impacts on the same patient data set is lacking. Here we compared and assessed five computerized CIMT algorithms against three expert analysts’ manual measurements on a data set of 1088 patients from two centers. Inter- and intra-observer variability was assessed, and the computerized CIMT values were compared with those manually obtained. The CIMT measurements were used to assess the correlation with clinical parameters, cardiovascular event prediction through a generalized linear model and the Kaplan–Meier hazard ratio. CIMT measurements obtained with a skilled analyst's segmentation and the computerized segmentation were comparable in statistical analyses, suggesting they can be used interchangeably for CIMT quantification and clinical outcome investigation. To facilitate future studies, the entire data set used is made publicly available for the community at http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/fpv535fss7.1

Overcoming fish defences: the virulence factors of Yersinia ruckeri

Yersinia ruckeri is the causative agent of enteric redmouth disease, a bacterial infection of marine and freshwater fish. The disease mainly affects salmonids, and outbreaks have significant economic impact on fish farms all over the world. Vaccination routines are in place against the major serotypes of Y. ruckeri but are not effective in all cases. Despite the economic importance of enteric redmouth disease, a detailed molecular understanding of the disease is lacking. A considerable number of mostly omics-based studies have been performed in recent years to identify genes related to Y. ruckeri virulence. This review summarizes the knowledge on Y. ruckeri virulence factors. Understanding the molecular pathogenicity of Y. ruckeri will aid in developing more efficient vaccines and antimicrobial compounds directed against enteric redmouth disease

STOP&GO. Il riuso delle aree industriali dismesse in Italia. Trenta casi studio

The text is the outcome of the interdisciplinary research activity “For a catalogue of vacant industrial sites: strategies, typologies, geographies between re-use and sustainability” carried out with the contribution of the Ministry of Education, of the University and Research (Miur), as part of the Young Researchers Project, and Compagnia Generale Ripreseaeree Spa Parma (Guido Callegari, scientific project leader). This book provides an overview of the situation of vacant industrial sites and of problems and opportunities tied to this phenomenon, proposing a critical analysis starting from the Eighties when this process first became perceptible and continuing with a description of a broad selection of project case studies and also suggesting a rich bibliography. This work aims to delineate and provide a general overview of the state of the art of this issue by drafting a reference critical outline applied to the Italian situation in order to analyse issues, approaches and stakeholders of recent transformation processes. The volume comprises three parts: - the first focusses on various aspects of this phenomenon through four contributions: the "geography" of the transformation, its rapport with traditional architecture and urban culture, the role of complex urban programmes and also the debate on issues such as environmental sustainability - the second presents a selection of 30 projects already implemented or in course, described in form of monographic reports in order to compare various information and data regarding the history of the sites, procedures, town planning instruments, morphology, type and quantity involved in the related transformation processes - the third part comprises various contributions furnished by stakeholders in the debate on requalification of these areas, forming, each with its own peculiarities, an emblematic sample group: Carlo Alberto Barbieri, Silvano Bassetti, Andreas Kipar, Massimo Pica Ciamarra, Carlo Puri Negri, Dionisio Vianello, thus completing the general outline revealed by analysis of the case studies