fecal nitrogen and dietary quality relationships in fallow deer

Fecal nitrogen of free ranging and captive herbivores is correlated with dietary nitrogen, as well as other dietary chemical characteristics. Besides, only few experimental studies examined in depth the precision of these relationships. This study investigates the correlation between fecal and dietary nitrogen in fallow deer (Dama dama), using data from 38 feeding trials collected from captive subjects. Significant linear regressions were found for all the dietary and fecal chemical components, but only nitrogen showed a noteworthy result (R2=0.76), very similar to the results obtained by several authors in other deer species (Robbins, 1993). Use of fecal nitrogen however, has been criticised because plant secondary compounds, such as tannin, may artificially inflate levels of fecal nitrogen; moreover, the binding effect of tannin is strongly reduced in mixed diets. After all, fecal nitrogen confirms its usefulness in studies about feeding strategies of free living ruminants

Environmental improvement and conservation of useful pastures for wild herbivores in a Regional Park on the Apennines mountains

In order to investigate some effects of the environmental management with faunistic purpose on pastures located on the Apennines mountains, in open areas subjected to bracken fern (Pteridium aqulinum) infestation, samples of vegetation were taken for three years on an open area in the Regional Park of "Laghi di Suviana e Brasimone" (BO). Experimental samples, taken before and after the agronomical works, showed the effects of the pasture improvement on botanical composition, richness and biodiversity. The agronomical pasture management produced a considerable decrease in bracken density and an increase on biodiversity, and the final average value of the Pastoral Value index was quadruplicate. These results confirmed the effectiveness of the actions carried out and the importance of maintaining a continuous programme of pasture management through annual clearing of vegetation

Distribution of deer keds (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) in free-living cervids of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, central Italy, and establishment of the allochthonous ectoparasite Lipoptena fortisetosa

Lipoptena fortisetosa and L. cervi are hematophagous ectoparasites belonging to the Hippoboscidae family and preferentially living on cervids. In recent years, they have received specific attention due to the great increase in the abundance of their host species, and to their medical and veterinary importance as possible vectors of pathogens harmful to humans and animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the parasitism level of both of these flies on their main hosts in Italy, which are red deer, fallow deer, and roe deer, and to highlight a possible preference for a species, sex, or age class among the hosts. Deer keds were collected by examining 326 cervids hunted in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. Outcomes showed that L. fortisetosa has greatly spread throughout the study area, where it competes with the autochthonous L. cervi. Moreover, red deer was the favored host species of both ectoparasites, while different preferences for host sex and age classes were observed in the two hippoboscids. The regular monitoring of deer ked populations, especially the allochthonous L. fortisetosa, which is continuously spreading in Europe, is recommended to expand the knowledge on these parasitic species that are potentially dangerous to public health

Feeding evaluation of spontaneous species used by wild ungulates

Abandonment of traditional agricultural practices can produce remarkable effects on land use and on the vegetal composition of marginal areas. This is particularly true in the once grazed zones in the mountain environments, that are now affected by encroachment of shrubby vegetation. The conservation of these open areas and the preservation of a correct ratio pasture/wood are of extremely importance for wild animals. In this note we describe the effectiveness of agronomical intervention carried out to enhance pasture quality in a protected area of central Italy. Data collection concerned botanical composition, floristic richness and biodiversity of vegetation, before and after the intervention efforts. Moreover, data on utilization of single species were collected in order to evaluate the real consumption of each plant species by wild animals. Results confirmed the efficiency of the improvement of the studied area in terms of botanical composition and of pastoral value and they provided useful indications about the actual utilization of non forage plants by wild ungulates

Asia and europe: So distant so close? the case of lipoptena fortisetosa in Italy

In Europe, 5 Lipoptena species have been recorded, including Lipoptena fortisetosa. This species, native to Asian countries, was described as a parasite of sika deer and its appearance in Europe dates back to more than 50 years ago. Lipoptena fortisetosa has been recently reported in Italy, sharing its hosts with Lipoptena cervi. A morpho-molecular approach was developed to determine the phylogenetic interrelationship of Italian and Asian CO1 haplotypes sequenced from Lipoptena fly individuals collected in Italy, and their DNA sequences were compared with conspecifics available in GenBank; morphological key-characters (terminalia) of L. fortisetosa were compared with the original description. Two haplotypes were recorded from Italy and assigned to L. cervi and L. fortisetosa, respectively. The latter was part of the monophyletic clade L. fortisetosa, along with 2 Central European and 2 Korean haplotypes (100% identical with one of the Korean haplotypes); moreover, Italian L. fortisetosa female terminalia were consistent with the original description of Asian individuals. Pending more in-depth investigations, this study provides a first answer to the hypothesis of the recent colonization of Italy by L. fortisetosa from Asia as we did not detect any obvious and stable morphological and molecular differences in specimens from the 2 geographical areas. The presence of the sika deer in Europe was retraced and the possible route traveled by the parasite from Asia and the eco-biological factors that may have enhanced its settlement are discussed

Neutrophils Driving Unconventional T Cells Mediate Resistance against Murine Sarcomas and Selected Human Tumors

Neutrophils are a component of the tumor microenvironment and have been predominantly associated with cancer progression. Using a genetic approach complemented by adoptive transfer, we found that neutrophils are essential for resistance against primary 3-methylcholantrene-induced carcinogenesis. Neutrophils were essential for the activation of an interferon-γ-dependent pathway of immune resistance, associated with polarization of a subset of CD4- CD8- unconventional αβ T cells (UTCαβ). Bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analyses unveiled the innate-like features and diversity of UTCαβ associated with neutrophil-dependent anti-sarcoma immunity. In selected human tumors, including undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, CSF3R expression, a neutrophil signature and neutrophil infiltration were associated with a type 1 immune response and better clinical outcome. Thus, neutrophils driving UTCαβ polarization and type 1 immunity are essential for resistance against murine sarcomas and selected human tumors

No evidence of association between prothrombotic gene polymorphisms and the development of acute myocardial infarction at a young age

Background : we investigated the association between 9 polymorphisms of genes encoding hemostasis factors and myocardial infarction in a large sample of young patients chosen because they have less coronary atherosclerosis than older patients, and thus their disease is more likely to be related to a genetic predisposition to a prothrombotic state Methods and Results : this nationwide case-control study involved 1210 patients who had survived a first myocardial infarction at an age of 45 years who underwent coronary arteriography in 125 coronary care units and 1210 healthy subjects matched for age, sex, and geographical origin. None of the 9 polymorphisms of genes encoding proteins involved in coagulation (G-455A -fibrinogen: OR, 1.0; CI, 0.8 to 1.2; G1691A factor V: OR, 1.1; CI, 0.6 to 2.1; G20210A factor II: OR, 1.0; CI, 0.5 to 1.9; and G10976A factor VII: OR, 1.0; CI, 0.8 to 1.3), platelet function (C807T glycoprotein Ia: OR, 1.1; CI, 0.9 to 1.3; and C1565T glycoprotein IIIa: OR, 0.9; CI, 0.8 to 1.2), fibrinolysis (G185T factor XIII: OR, 1.2; CI, 0.9 to 1.6; and 4G/5G plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1: OR, 0.9; CI, 0.7 to 1.2), or homocysteine metabolism (C677T methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase: OR, 0.9; CI, 0.8 to 1.1) were associated with an increased or decreased risk of myocardial infarction Conclusions : this study provides no evidence supporting an association between 9 polymorphisms of genes encoding proteins involved in hemostasis and the occurrence of premature myocardial infarction or protection against it

Agronomic methods for mountain grassland habitat restoration for faunistic purposes in a protected area of the northern Apennines (Italy)

The abandonment of pastures often leads to a remarkable deterioration of grasslands, caused by the spread of intrusive, herbaceous and woody species which reduces the general quality of pastures. Different treatments aimed at improving the grassland and enhancing the forage quality of herbaceous resources have been developed to face this problem. We report the results of a five-year experiment conducted in a protected area of central Italy (the “Laghi di Suviana e Brasimone” regional park) on an abandoned pasture inside a beech forest encroached by intrusive species (mainly bracken). We analyzed the effect on sward’s specific composition and grazing value of two agronomic factors: (i) the establishment method (ploughing followed by sowing of a forage mixture versus no intervention), and (ii) the number of cuts performed on vegetation during the growing season (0, 1 or 2 cuts). Plots were arranged according to a split-split-plot experimental design with three replications, with the sampling dates as the main factor, the establishment technique as the subplot factor, and the number of cuts as the sub-subplot factor. In each plot, data were recorded once a month from June to September every year from 2006 to 2010, in order to assess the botanical composition and the quality of the sward. The main pastoral and botanical parameters of pastures were significantly affected by both cutting and sowing. Establishment by sowing significantly reduced the presence of bracken, even with no cuts, with strong effects on the qualitative value of the pasture. A single cut resulted in an efficient recovery of the pasture as compared to cutting twice, especially in sown plots. Our results confirmed that the regular and continued maintenance of the recovered areas is crucial to ensure the long-term preservation of the results achieved by the improvements