Complement in glomerular injury

In recent years, research into the role of complement in the immunopathogenesis of renal disease has broadened our understanding of the fragile balance between the protective and harmful functions of the complement system. Interventions into the complement system in various models of immune-mediated renal disease have resulted in both favourable and unfavourable effects and will allow us to precisely define the level of the complement cascade at which a therapeutic intervention will result in an optimal effect. The discovery of mutations of complement regulatory molecules has established a role of complement in the haemolytic uremic syndrome and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, and genotyping for mutations of the complement system are already leaving the research laboratory and have entered clinical practice. These clinical discoveries have resulted in the creation of relevant animal models which may provide crucial information for the development of highly specific therapeutic agents. Research into the role of complement in proteinuria has helped to understand pathways of inflammation which ultimately lead to renal failure irrespective of the underlying renal disease and is of major importance for the majority of renal patients. Complement science is a highly exciting area of translational research and hopefully will result in meaningful therapeutic advances in the near future

Cholesterol, fatty acid profile, and mineral content of commercial cheeses predicted by near-infrared transmittance spectroscopy

Cheese supplies bioactive peptides, fatty acids (FA), minerals, and vitamins essential for human health. Common laboratory analyses of these components are expensive and time consuming. Near-infrared spectroscopy is a rapid, objective, non-destructive, and cheap method to determine several composition traits. However, heterogeneity of cheese, and low concentration of FA and minerals make their prediction difficult. This study aimed to develop prediction models for cholesterol, FA profile, and mineral content of commercial European cheeses using near infrared transmittance (NIT) spectroscopy. A total of 145 ground cheese samples from different dairy species and ripening time (fresh to 24 mo) were scanned with a NIT spectrophotometer every 2 nm from 850 to 1,050 nm wavelength. Sample spectra were matched with absolute content of cholesterol, FA, and mineral reference data to develop prediction models. Modified partial least squares regressions were validated through external validation after dividing the data in calibration (75%) and external validation (25%) sets. Cheese moisture, fat, protein, total solids, and cholesterol averaged 43.24 \ub1 0.97%, 27.24 \ub1 0.47%, 24.87 \ub1 0.54%, 56.76 \ub1 0.97%, and 0.07 \ub1 0.001%, respectively. Cholesterol content was inadequately predicted, exhibiting a coefficient of determination of external validation (R2ExV) of 0.50 and a residual prediction deviation of external validation (RPDExV) of 1.36. Satisfactory models were developed for saturated, unsaturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated FA, and myristic, palmitic, oleic, and some minor FA (R2ExV from 0.87 to 0.97; RPDExV from 2.74 to 4.73). Promising predictions were obtained for Ca, Na, P, S, Mg, Zn, and Cu (R2ExV from 120.94 to 0.83; RPDExV from 123.73 to 2.35). Results of the present study are a prelude to the at-line utilization of prediction models for the most abundant cheese FA and minerals

Multi-breed herd approach to detect breed differences in composition and fatty acid profile of cow milk

The objective of the present study was to estimate the effect of breed on milk fatty acid (FA) composition of dairy (Brown Swiss, Holstein-Friesian, and Jersey) and dual-purpose cows (Simmental and Alpine Grey) in multi-breed herds. Information on individual milk samples was collected during routine cow milk testing between 2011 and 2014, and consisted of 285 606 observations from 17 445 cows in 617 herds. Fixed effects included in the mixed model were breed, parity, stage of lactation and the interaction between parity and stage of lactation, and random effects were cow, herd-test-date and residual. Contrast estimates for the studied traits were used to compare specific sets of breeds. Holstein-Friesian produced more milk than the other cattle breeds, with the greatest trans FA and C18:1 and the lowest C18:0 content. Comparison between the specialised dairy vs the dual-purpose breeds highlighted significant differences for all traits except for polyunsaturated FA and trans FA content. Specialised dairy breeds had greater milk saturated FA, short-chain FA, medium-chain FA, C14:0 and C16:0 content, and dual-purpose breeds produced milk with greater content of monounsaturated FA, long-chain FA, C18:0 and C18:1. Results demonstrated that, although specialised dairy produced more milk than dual-purpose breeds, milk FA profile of the latter was more favourable from a human nutrition point of view

Short communication: Fourier-transform mid-infrared spectroscopy to predict coagulation and acidity traits of sheep bulk milk

Sheep milk is mainly transformed into cheese; thus, the dairy industry seeks more rapid and cost-effective methods of analysis to determine milk coagulation and acidity traits. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of Fourier-transform mid-infrared spectroscopy to determine milk coagulation and acidity traits of sheep bulk milk and to classify milk samples according to their renneting capacity. A total of 465 bulk milk samples collected in 140 single-breed flocks of Comisana (84 samples, 24 flocks) and Sarda (381 samples, 116 flocks) breeds located in Central Italy were analyzed for coagulation properties (rennet coagulation time, curd firming time, and curd firmness) and acidity traits (pH and titratable acidity) using standard laboratory procedures. Fourier-transform mid-infrared spectroscopy prediction models for these traits were built using partial least squares regression analysis and were externally validated by randomly dividing the full data set into a calibration set (75%) and a validation set (25%). The discriminant capacity of the rennet coagulation time prediction model was determined using partial least squares discriminant analysis. Prediction models were more accurate for acidity traits than for milk coagulation properties, and the ratio of prediction to deviation ranged from 1.01 (curd firmness) to 2.14 (pH). Moreover, the discriminant analysis led to an overall accuracy of 74 and 66% for the calibration and validation sets, respectively, with greater sensitivity for samples that coagulated between 10 and 20 min and greater specificity to detect early-coagulating (<10 min) and late-coagulating (20\u201330 min) samples. Results suggest that Fourier-transform mid-infrared spectroscopy has the potential to help the dairy sheep industry identify milk with better coagulation ability for cheese production and thus improve milk transformation efficiency. However, further research is needed before this information can be exploited at the industry level

Caracterizaci\uf3n del perfil lip\ueddico y mineral de la leche de cabra en razas locales italianas

El inter\ue9s en las razas aut\uf3ctonas ha aumentado debido a su adaptabilidad a zonas marginales y a las propiedades nutritivas y tecnol\uf3gicas de su leche. El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar la variaci\uf3n fenot\uedpica del perfil lip\ueddico y mineral de la leche de cabra de 5 razas locales italianas (Garganica, Girgentana, Jonica, Maltesa y Rossa Mediterranea) y de una raza cosmopolita (Saanen, SA). Un total de 226 muestras de leche se recogieron mensualmente durante la lactaci\uf3n de 38 cabras del mismo reba\uf1o para su an\ue1lisis qu\uedmico, \ue1cidos grasos (AG) y minerales. La raza fue una de las fuentes de variaci\uf3n m\ue1s importantes. Las razas locales produjeron menos leche con mayor contenido graso que la SA, y similar contenido proteico. El perfil lip\ueddico fue similar entre las razas locales, y la SA diferi\uf3 (P<0,05) con las razas locales en el contenido de AG saturados (C4:0, C14:0, C18:0) y CLA. El contenido mineral, a excepci\uf3n del Zn y el Mg, fue similar entre la SA y las razas aut\uf3ctonas (P<0,05)