Fine structural analyses of pancreatic acinar cell nuclei from mice fed on genetically modified soybean

We carried out ultrastructural morphometrical and immunocytochemical analyses on pancreatic acinar cell nuclei from mice fed on genetically modified (GM) soybean, in order to investigate possible structural and molecular modifications of nucleoplasmic and nucleolar constituents.We found a significant lowering of nucleoplasmic and nucleolar splicing factors as well as a perichromatin granule accumulation in GM-fed mice, suggestive of reduced post-transcriptional hnRNA processing and/or nuclear export. This is in accordance to already described zymogen synthesis and processing modifications in the same animals

Negative symptoms as key features of depression among cannabis users: a preliminary report.

OBJECTIVE: Cannabis use is frequent among depressed patients and may lead to the so-called "amotivational syndrome", which combines symptoms of affective flattening and loss of emotional reactivity (i.e. the so-called "negative" symptomatology). The aim of this study was to investigate the negative symptomatology in depressed patients with concomitant cannabis use disorders (CUDs) in comparison with depressed patients without CUDs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-one patients with a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and concomitant CUD and fifty-one MDD patients were enrolled in the study. The 21-Item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the negative symptoms subscales of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were used to assess depressive and negative symptomatology. RESULTS: Patients with cannabis use disorders presented significantly more severe negative symptoms in comparison with patients without cannabis use (15.18 ± 2.25 vs 13.75 ± 2.44; t100 = 3.25 p = 0.002). DISCUSSION: A deeper knowledge of the "negative" psychopathological profile of MDD patients who use cannabis may lead to novel etiopathogenetic models of MDD and to more appropriate treatment approaches

The gene expression profiles of canine mammary cancer cells grown with carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) as a co-culture in vitro

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It is supposed that fibroblasts present in tumour microenvironment increase cancer invasiveness and its ability to metastasize but the mechanisms have not been clearly defined yet. Thus, the current study was designed to assess changes in gene expression in five various cancer cell lines grown as a co-culture with the carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) <it>in vitro</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A carcinoma-associated fibroblast cell line was isolated from a canine mammary cancer. Then, a co-culture of cancer cells with the CAFs was established and maintained for 72 hrs. Having sorted the cells, a global gene expression in cancer cells using DNA microarrays was examined. The analysis revealed an up-regulation of 100 genes and a down-regulation of 106 genes in the cancer cells grown as a co-culture with the CAFs in comparison to control conditions. The PANTHER binomial statistics tool was applied to determine statistically over-manifested pathways (<it>p </it>< 0.05). Bulk of the up-regulated genes are involved in the adhesion, the angiogenesis, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and generally take part in the developmental processes. These results were further confirmed using real-time qPCR. Moreover, a wound-healing assay and growth characteristics on Matrigel matrix showed that CAFs increase cancer cell migration and matrix invasion.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results of the current study showed that the co-culturing of cancer cells and the CAFs caused significant changes to the cancer gene expression. The presence of the CAFs in a microenvironment of cancer cells promotes adhesion, angiogenesis and EMT.</p

A web-based tumor registration system for a regional Canine Cancer Registry in Umbria, central Italy

The Umbria Canine Cancer Registry (CCR) is a web-based platform for cancer registrationset up in order to estimate the incidence of spontaneous tumors. It is an integralpart of the regional canine demographic registry in which veterinary practitioners andpathologists interact. Veterinary pathologists perform double-blind comparisons andclassify neoplasms in an automated classification process using the WHO criteria forcanine neoplasms and the ICD-O tumor topographical and morphological keys. Herewe describe the organization, on-line procedures and the methods used to assess caninedemography, a pre-requisite for accurately estimating the incidence of cancer.In its first 4 years the CCR recruited 4857 cases of suspected tumors, as diagnosed bypractitioners, clinics and a veterinary hospital. After the first year the number of enrolledcases increased by 63%, suggesting growing interest from the regional veterinarycommunity

A comparative study of the in vitro activity of iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and amphotericin B against Prototheca spp. isolates from European dairy herds.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to assess the in vitro effect of iodopropynyl butylcarbamate (IPBC) and amphotericin B (AMB) on Prototheca zopfii genotype 2 and Prototheca blaschkeae isolates recovered from dairy herds of Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, and Poland. The combination of IPBC with AMB on Prototheca isolates and toxicity of IPBC to the bovine mammary epithelial cells were also evaluated. The in vitro activity of IPBC and AMB against 96 isolates of P. zopfii genotype 2 and 42 isolates of P. blaschkeae was performed. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum algicidal concentrations (MAC) of IPBC and AMB were determined. To determine any synergistic, additive, or antagonistic effect of the combination of IPBC and AMB, 2-dimensional checkerboard combination tests were also performed to calculate fractional inhibitory concentrations. Cytotoxicity analysis of IPBC to the bovine mammary epithelial cell line was performed using a 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The MIC for 50 and 90% of isolates (MIC 50 and MIC 90 , respectively) for IPBC were 4 and 8 mg/L versus 0.5 and 1 mg/L for AMB, respectively. The MIC profiles differed between P. zopfii genotype 2 and P. blaschkeae , with the latter species being more susceptible to both compounds. The MIC 50 and MIC 90 of IPBC were 4 and 8 mg/L for P. zopfii genotype 2 and 1 and 2 mg/L for P. blaschkeae , respectively. The MIC 50 and MIC 90 of AMB were both 1 mg/L for P. zopfii genotype 2 and 0.25 and 1 mg/L for P. blaschkeae , respectively. Both IPBC and AMB exhibited the ability to kill Prototheca spp. The MAC for 90% of isolates of IPBC was twice the MIC 90 , whereas an 8-fold increase of the MIC 90 was algicidal in the case of AMB. Overall, the combined use of IPBC and AMB exhibited an increased algicidal effect, albeit the fractional inhibitory concentration index showed synergistic activity only against 3 P. zopfii genotype 2 isolates. For all the remaining isolates (87.5%), this combination produced only an additive effect. The MTT assay results showed both IPBC and AMB, at the concentrations employed in the study, to be nontoxic to the epithelial mammary gland cells (cell viability >90%). Notably, only IPBC at the highest concentration (i.e., 8 mg/L) exerted a slight cytotoxic effect on the cell line tested (mean cell viability: 88.54 ± 3.88 and 90.66 ± 3.0, after 2 and 4 h of MTT treatment, respectively). The anti- Prototheca activity of IPBC was here demonstrated for the first time. In addition, the combined use of IPBC with AMB enhanced each other's effect, creating an additive rather than synergistic interaction. Both agents, used at concentrations corresponding to MIC values against Prototheca spp., showed no toxic effect for the mammary epithelial cells. In conclusion, IPBC, used either alone or in combination with AMB, can be considered a promising option in the treatment armamentarium for protothecal mastitis in dairy cows

Effects of two different probiotics on microflora, morphology, and morphometry of gut in organic laying hens

ABSTRACT The current study investigated the effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis, used as probiotics, on the microflora, morphology, and morphometry of the gut in organic laying hens. The birds (180 Hy-Line laying hens) were divided into 3 homogenous groups and received a pre-deposition diet from 16 to 20 wk of age and a deposition diet for the remaining 7 months of the experiment. The control group (CTR) was fed a corn-soybean cake-based diet, the second group (L) received the same diet supplemented with 0.1% of L. acidophilus while in the third group (B) the basal diet was supplemented with 0.05% of B. subtilis. At 18 wk of age (T1) and at 5 (T2) and 7 months (T3) from the beginning of deposition, 9 subjects per group were humanely killed for microbiological, morphological and morphometric analyses of the intestinal tract. The 2 probiotic-supplemented diets increased Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. counts compared with the CTR diet. The lowest viable counts of E. coli, coliforms and staphylococci were observed in the L group (

Dietary Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii CNCM I-1079 positively affects performance and intestinal ecosystem in broilers during a campylobacter jejuni infection

In poultry production, probiotics have shown promise to limit campylobacteriosis at the farm level, the most commonly reported zoonosis in Europe. The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effects of Saccharomyces supplementation in Campylobacter jejuni challenged chickens on performance and intestinal ecosystem. A total of 156 day old male Ross 308 chicks were assigned to a basal control diet (C) or to a Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii CNCM I-1079 supplemented diet (S). All the birds were orally challenged with C. jejuni on day (d) 21. Live weight and growth performance were evaluated on days 1, 21, 28 and 40. The histology of intestinal mucosa was analyzed and the gut microbiota composition was assessed by 16S rRNA. Performance throughout the trial as well as villi length and crypt depth were positively influenced by yeast supplementation. A higher abundance of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) annotated as Lactobacillus reuteri and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and a lower abundance of Campylobacter in fecal samples from S compared to the C group were reported. Supplementation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii can effectively modulate the intestinal ecosystem, leading to a higher abundance of beneficial microorganisms and modifying the intestinal mucosa architecture, with a subsequent improvement of the broilers' growth performance

West Nile Virus lineage 2 overwintering in Italy

In January 2022, West Nile virus (WNV) lineage 2 (L2) was detected in an adult female goshawk rescued near Perugia in the region of Umbria (Italy). The animal showed neurological symptoms and died 15 days after its recovery in a wildlife rescue center. This was the second case of WNV infection recorded in birds in the Umbria region during the cold season, when mosquitoes, the main WNV vectors, are usually not active. According to the National Surveillance Plan, the Umbria region is included amongst the WNV low-risk areas. The necropsy evidenced generalized pallor of the mucous membranes, mild splenomegaly, and cerebral edema. WNV L2 was detected in the brain, heart, kidney, and spleen homogenate using specific RT-PCR. Subsequently, the extracted viral RNA was sequenced. A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis performed through a maximum-likelihood tree showed that the genome sequence clustered with the Italian strains within the European WNV strains among the central-southern European WNV L2 clade. These results, on the one hand, confirmed that the WNV L2 strains circulating in Italy are genetically stable and, on the other hand, evidenced a continuous WNV circulation in Italy throughout the year. In this report case, a bird-to-bird WNV transmission was suggested to support the virus overwintering. The potential transmission through the oral route in a predatory bird may explain the relatively rapid spread of WNV, as well as other flaviviruses characterized by similar transmission patterns. However, rodent-to-bird transmission or mosquito-to-bird transmission cannot be excluded, and further research is needed to better understand WNV transmission routes during the winter season in Ital