Rumen fluid, a new diagnostic matrix in dairy cattle farms?

Production diseases of dairy cows are considered man-made problems caused by the inability of cowsto achieve a sufficient feed energy intake (Mulligan, 2008).A correct management of production diseases demands early diagnostic and prognostic parameters, inorder to improve the management system and reduce the prevalence of clinical cases (Ingvartsen,2003).A previous study of our group indicated that forestomachs walls express immune receptors andcytokines, and the rumen liquor contains leukocytes able to produce IFN-γ (Trevisi, 2014).Our working hypothesis implied that ruminal fluids could be a source of diagnostic information for theidentification of herds at risk for production diseases.We first demonstrated that the diet can influence the immune response in forestomachs. Diverseleukocyte populations at low concentrations and IFN-γ were revealed in some samples of rumen fluids,with a clear inhibition of the response observed in the animals fed the maize-supplemented diet,compared to a normal and a soy-supplemented diet.We better characterized the leukocytes subpopulations in the rumen liquor, isolating B cells, monocytesand γδT cells.Finally we performed a field survey in order to find correlation among the immune profile of the rumenliquor. Clinically healthy animals showed a farm specific immunologic pattern of the rumen liquor: lowCD45 mRNA expression, low IFN-γ, few/absent B-cells.We can conclude that the epithelial cells of ruminant forestomachs can react to different stresses(metabolic, infectious, inflammatory) and the inflammatory response can be sustained by infiltratingleukocytes.Our data points into the idea that dairy farms could be ranked according to a risk score using theinflammatory markers in rumen fluids, in addition to the traditional analysis.

A comparison study of the inflammatory response in Holstein Friesian versus a local cattle breed (Rendena)

The selective pressure for increased milk production brought about great difficulties in the adaptation of cows to their environment. However, not much is known about the biological mechanisms behind the relationship between genetic selection and higher risk of metabolic and infectious diseases (Oltenacu, P.A., and Broom, D.M., 2010). It is well known that during the calving period, high-yielding dairy cattle are more susceptible to common environmental stressors, affecting disease occurrence and milk production levels (Bach, A., 2011).In this study we compared innate immune response of 6 Holstein Friesian (HF) and 4 Rendena (R) cows reared in the same farm and under the same management conditions. Milk and blood samples were collected at dry-off (T1), 1 day after calving (T2), 7-10 days after calving (T3), and 30 days after calving (T4). Milk samples were subjected to measurement of the inflammation marker cathelicidin and assessment of different innate immune-related mediators; blood samples were used for the analysis of plasma metabolites indicators of systemic inflammation.HF cows showed a more severe systemic inflammatory response at T2 and T3 in comparison with R cows (fig.1). Concerning the milk protein abundance profile, higher levels in R cows were observed in the colostrum (T2). Moreover, at all time points HF showed higher levels of the inflammation marker cathelicidin in milk (fig.2). In addition, the expression of innate immune related genes were different in HF compared with R (fig.3). Our results suggest that HF cows develop a systemic and local mammary inflammatory response that confirms their higher susceptibility to disease compared with R cows.Our findings reveal that fundamental effector activities of innate immunity in the mammary gland could be included in the breeding programs of HF cows and suggest the spread of autochthonous cow farming in order to maintain the biodiversity, reduce the antibiotic consumption and production of high quality dairy products

A ubiquitous service-oriented automatic optical inspection platform for textile industry

Within a highly competitive market context, quality standards are vital for the textile industry, in which related procedures to assess respective manufacture still mainly rely on human-based visual inspection. Thereby, factors such as ergonomics, analytical subjectivity, tiredness and error susceptibility affect the employee's performance and comfort in particular and impact the economic healthiness of each company operating in this industry, generally. In this paper, a defect detection-oriented platform for quality control in the textile industry is proposed to tackle these issues and respective impacts, combining computer vision, deep learning, geolocation and communication technologies. The system under development can integrate and improve the production ecosystem of a textile company through a properly adapted information technology setup and associated functionalities such as automatic defect detection and classification, real-time monitoring of operators, among others.This work was financed by the project “Smart Production Process” (No. POCI-01-0247-FEDER-045366), supported under the Incentive System for Research and Technological Development - Business R&DT (Individual Projects)

Estudo da mensuração de um indicador de qualidade em centro cirúrgico: tempo de turnover e nível de desempenho / Study of measurement of a quality indicator in a surgical center: turnover time and performance level

A unidade de centro cirúrgico compõe uma das mais complexas unidades de uma instituição hospitalar, devido, principalmente, aos diversos processos ligados de forma direta ou indireta à realização dos procedimentos cirúrgicos. A elaboração e regulação de indicadores de qualidade específicos aos trabalhos e rotinas dos centros cirúrgicos regulam seu processo de gestão, evidenciando desvios ou apontando pontos que podem ser melhorados na assistência fornecida ou utilização dos recursos. Este estudo busca mensurar a qualidade do funcionamento em centro cirúrgico por meio da avaliação do tempo de turnover nos serviços em cirurgia, classificar o nível de desempenho em ambiente cirúrgico, bem como traçar o perfil dos usuários e das cirurgias realizadas nestas instituições e realizar uma comparação frente ao desempenho entre a instituição pública (fundação hospital Adriano Jorge) e privada (hospital rio negro). 

Active surveillance of paratuberculosis in Alpine-dwelling red deer (Cervus elaphus)

Paratuberculosis (Johne’s disease) is a globally widespread infectious disease affecting domestic and wild ruminants, caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). The bacterium is excreted in the feces and is characterized by high environmental resistance. The new Animal Health Law (Regulation EU 2016/429) on transmissible animal diseases, recently in force throughout the European Union, includes paratuberculosis within the diseases requiring surveillance in the EU, listing some domestic and wild Bovidae, Cervidae, and Camelidae as potential reservoirs. Taking advantage of a culling activity conducted in the Stelvio National Park (Italy), this study investigated MAP infection status of red deer (Cervus elaphus) between 2018 and 2022, and evaluated the probability of being MAP-positive with respect to individual and sampling-level variables. A total of 390 subjects were examined macroscopically and tested for MAP, using different diagnostic tools: IS900 qPCR, culture, histopathology, and serology. Twenty-three of them were found positive for MAP by at least one test, with an overall prevalence of 5.9% (95% CI 4.0–8.7), that, respectively, ranged from 12.4% in the first culling season to 2.0 and 2.1% in the 2019–2020 and 2021–2022 culling seasons. Quantitative PCR assay on ileocecal valve and mesenteric lymph nodes detected the highest number of MAP positive animals. The results of the study showed the increased probability of being MAP-positive with increasing age and that red deer with lower body mass values were more likely to be infected with MAP. Overall, the absence of signs of clinical paratuberculosis and gross lesions together with the low level of shedding witness early phases of the disease among the positive red deer and support an improvement of the paratuberculosis status of this population, as shown by the decreased prevalence of the disease over the years

Investigation on Antibiotic-Resistance, Biofilm Formation and Virulence Factors in Multi Drug Resistant and Non Multi Drug Resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is a commensal bacterium frequently isolated from canine skin and recognized as a zoonotic agent especially for dog-owners. This study focused on (a) the antibiotic-resistance phenotypes; (b) the ability to produce biofilm (slime); and (c) the dissemination of virulence factors in S. pseudintermedius strains. Seventy-three S. pseudintermedius strains were screened for antibiotic-resistance against 22 different molecules by means of Kirby-Bauer assay. The ability to produce biofilm was investigated using the microtiter plate assay (MtP) and the amplification of icaA and icaD genes. Virulence factors such as cytotoxins (lukI), enterotoxins (seC), and exfoliative toxins (siet, expA, and expB) were evaluated. The antibiotic-resistance profiles revealed 42/73 (57%) multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains and 31/73 (43%) not-MDR. All the MDR strains and 8/31 (27%) of not-MDR resulted in biofilm producers. Leukotoxin LukI was found in 70/73 (96%) of the isolates. Moreover, the enterotoxin gene seC was detected in 47/73 (64%) of the strains. All the isolates carried the siet gene, whereas expA and expB were found in 3/73 (4%) and 5/73 (7%), respectively. In conclusion, S. pseudintermedius should be considered a potential zoonotic and human agent able to carry different virulence determinants and capable of producing biofilm which facilitates horizontal gene transfer

A Journey into Animal Models of Human Osteomyelitis: A Review

Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone characterized by progressive inflammatory destruction and apposition of new bone that can spread via the hematogenous route (hematogenous osteomyelitis (HO)), contiguous spread (contiguous osteomyelitis (CO)), and direct inoculation (osteomyelitis associated with peripheral vascular insufficiency (PVI)). Given the significant financial burden posed by osteomyelitis patient management, the development of new preventive and treatment methods is warranted. To achieve this objective, implementing animal models (AMs) of infection such as rats, mice, rabbits, avians, dogs, sheep, goats, and pigs might be of the essence. This review provides a literature analysis of the AMs developed and used to study osteomyelitis. Historical relevance and clinical applicability were taken into account to choose the best AMs, and some study methods are briefly described. Furthermore, the most significant strengths and limitations of each species as AM are discussed, as no single model incorporates all features of osteomyelitis. HO’s clinical manifestation results in extreme variability between patients due to multiple variables (e.g., age, sex, route of infection, anatomical location, and concomitant diseases) that could alter clinical studies. However, these variables can be controlled and tested through different animal models

Polydimethylsiloxane Surface Modification of Microfluidic Devices for Blood Plasma Separation

Over the last decade, researchers have developed a variety of new analytical and clinical diagnostic devices. These devices are predominantly based on microfluidic technologies, where biological samples can be processed and manipulated for the collection and detection of important biomolecules. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is the most commonly used material in the fabrication of these microfluidic devices. However, it has a hydrophobic nature (contact angle with water of 110°), leading to poor wetting behavior and issues related to the mixing of fluids, difficulties in obtaining uniform coatings, and reduced efficiency in processes such as plasma separation and molecule detection (protein adsorption). This work aimed to consider the fabrication aspects of PDMS microfluidic devices for biological applications, such as surface modification methods. Therefore, we studied and characterized two methods for obtaining hydrophilic PDMS surfaces: surface modification by bulk mixture and the surface immersion method. To modify the PDMS surface properties, three different surfactants were used in both methods (Pluronic® F127, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and polyethylene oxide (PEO)) at different percentages. Water contact angle (WCA) measurements were performed to evaluate the surface wettability. Additionally, capillary flow studies were performed with microchannel molds, which were produced using stereolithography combined with PDMS double casting and replica molding procedures. A PDMS microfluidic device for blood plasma separation was also fabricated by soft lithography with PDMS modified by PEO surfactant at 2.5% (v/v), which proved to be the best method for making the PDMS hydrophilic, as the WCA was lower than 50° for several days without compromising the PDMS’s optical properties. Thus, this study indicates that PDMS surface modification shows great potential for enhancing blood plasma separation efficiency in microfluidic devices, as it facilitates fluid flow, reduces cell aggregations and the trapping of air bubbles, and achieves higher levels of sample purity

Development and Field Demonstration of a Gamified Residential Demand Management Platform Compatible with Smart Meters and Building Automation Systems

Demand management is becoming an indispensable part of grid operation with its potential to aid supply/demand balancing, reduce peaks, mitigate congestions and improve voltage profiles in the grid. Effective deployments require a huge number of reliable participators who are aware of the flexibilities of their devices and who continuously seek to achieve savings and earnings. In such applications, smart meters can ease consumption behavior visibility, while building automation systems can enable the remote and automated control of flexible loads. Moreover, gamification techniques can be used to motivate and direct customers, evaluate their performance, and improve their awareness and knowledge in the long term. This study focuses on the design and field demonstration of a flexible device-oriented, smart meter and building automation system (BAS) compatible with a gamified load management (LM) platform for residential customers. The system is designed, based on exploratory surveys and systematic gamification approaches, to motivate the customers to reduce their peak period consumption and overall energy consumption through competing or collaborating with others, and improving upon their past performance. This paper presents the design, development and implementation stages, together with the result analysis of an eight month field demonstration in four houses with different user types in Istanbul, Turkey

Modelling flexibility from distributed energy resources

A number of distributed energy resources (DER) are emerging at many levels of the distribution network, including various forms of embedded generation, energy storage based on different technologies and energy vectors, and demand response. With large-scale, centralized conventional technologies disappearing from the system, such DER become most promising options for providing flexibility and ancillary services and take up part of the overall system control to deal with large-scale penetration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). Increasing deployment of DER thus creates both opportunities and technical challenges in system-wide planning and control. DER could in fact provide reliable and low-cost demand shifting, load and supply balancing flexibility, and various grid services, consequently reducing the cost of investing in generation and network peak capacity and enhancing local and system-level flexibility and resilience. However, integrating large amounts of DER also change the traditional one-way power flows’ direction – from transmission to distribution networks to customers – into two-way power flows. Hence, visibility and coordination of DER for system-wide operation become essential to maximise the benefits of flexibility of and from DER, for instance considering technical (e.g., thermal and voltage) envelops of aggregated DER to increase the hosting capability of the local network and reduce interventions on the customer sides. On the above premises, this paper aims at reporting on the first year of work carried out by WG C6/C2.34 “Flexibility provision from DER”, which was created to gain new insights into the concept of flexibility and relevant grid and market services that DER could provide from both technical and commercial perspectives and at the levels of local networks as well as whole-system operation. Specific aspects of DER flexibility addressed in this work include: ● Reviewing drivers and new requirements for flexibility at different stages of power system planning and operation, from the whole-system to the local network. ● Providing a definition and characterization of the concept of DER flexibility that is most suitable in the context of renewables integration. ● Compiling preliminary information from selected technologies on the potential of DER to provide flexibility over different time scales, and in different forms, including distributed generation, different forms and technologies of energy storage, electric vehicles, and residential, commercial and industrial demand response. ● Discuss the specific but increasingly important case of DER flexibility in isolated systems