Influence of high levels of beet pulp in the diet on endocrine/metabolic traits, slaughter dressing percentage, and ham quality in Italian heavy pigs

Seventy two Landrace x Large White barrows were divided into three groups and fed different diets: a control traditional diet based on cereals (C) and two with 15 or 30% dried sugar beet pulp (BP15 and BP30, respectively). Animals weighed 106 kg at start and 167 kg at the end of the experiment. Feeding was restricted (2.5 kg DM/head, on average). The aim of the present experiment was to investigate the influence of high levels of beet pulp in the diet of fattening heavy pigs on some endocrine/metabolic traits, on the slaughter dressing percentage and on some parameters related to meat quality, composition and on the ham quality, after 14 months of seasoning. During the experimental period, jugular vein blood samples were collected from C and BP30-fed pigs and plasma was analysed for several metabolic traits. BP30 diet initially increased the plasma glucose level and decreased free amino acids (P<0.05), but this difference disappeared at the end of the experimental period, when insulin level was decreased (P=0.06) by beet pulp administration. During the entire period, 30% beet pulp diet increased total protein and albumin levels (P<0.001) and decreased urea (P<0.05) without affecting plasma leptin. At slaughter, pigs fed BP30 diet were lighter (P<0.001) and with a lower dressing percentage (P<0.001) in comparison with the other two treatments. Pigs fed BP30 diet also had lower ham and loin weights (P<0.05) (but similar ham and loin percentages) and higher liver weight (P<0.05), liver/carcass ratio (P<0.001), gastrointestinal- tract weight (P<0.001) and gastrointestinal-tract/carcass ratio (P<0.001). Pigs fed C diet had a higher dressing percentage in comparison with pigs fed BP15 diet (P<0.01), but no other significant difference was found between pigs fed diets C and BP15. At slaughter, liver samples were taken from C and BP30-fed pigs in order to evaluate the effect of the diet on liver composition. BP30 diet increased dry liver weight (P<0.05) and liver fat content (P<0.01). The iodine value and the fatty acid composition of the backfat revealed no significant difference between pigs fed the control diet and those fed the high fibre diets. Finally, considering the economic importance of ham production, the characteristics of the seasoned hams were evaluated. No difference was observed on ham quality. In conclusion, feeding a diet with a high percentage of dried sugar beet pulp alters protein and energy metabolism and slaughter parameters, without affecting the quality of the seasoned ham

Nutritive value of different hybrids of sorghum forage determinedin vitro

Eight hybrids of sorghum forage were tested in large plots of two farms in two consecutive years to evaluate their chemical characteristics, nutritive value and yield as a possible substitute for maize silage. Two or three cuts were made depending on climatic conditions. On forage samples taken at ensiling chemical analyses and 24 h gas production were performed, to predict the NEl content. In comparison with maize silage, the sorghum hybrids registered higher protein (13.7% on DM) and NDF (62.6% on DM) contents. Interestingly, the fibre fraction had a low lignin content (3.1% on DM). NEl content ranged from 4.53 to 5.28 MJ/kg DM, the latter for the hybrid with the lowest NDF content. Hybrid effect was significant for ash, NDF, ADF and NEl contents, whilst cut effect was significant for EE, CP, NDF and ADF. Yield was strongly influenced by fertilisation; when the latter was applied, it was in the range of 10-18 t DM, 1.7-2.8 t CP and 47-88 thousand MJ NEl per hectare, as a sum of the 2- 3 cuts. Sorghum forage seems to be a possible alternative to the fibrous maize silage fraction in diets of lactating cows, and an excellent forage for the rations of dry cows and heifers

Effects of benzoic acid on nitrogen, phosphorus and energy balance and on ammonia emission from slurries in the heavy pig

The effects of two dietary levels of benzoic acid on nitrogen, phosphorus and energy balance were evaluated in the typical Italian heavy pig during the last phase of growth. Six Landrace x Large White barrows of 125 kg body weight (BW) on average were used in a repeated 3x3 Latin Square design and housed in metabolic cages to collect faeces and urine separately, in 3 collection periods of 7 days, after 14 days of adaptation. The animals were individually housed in open circuit respiration chambers to determine the energy metabolism. The dietary treatments were as follows [% on dry matter (DM)]: i) diet C (control): 14.2 crude protein (CP), 3.7 EE, 13.8 NDF; ii) diet B05: diet C plus 0.5% benzoic acid; iii) diet B10: diet C plus 1.0% benzoic acid. DM fed was fixed at 6.8% BW0.75. Apparent digestibility was similar among treatments for all the parameters studied. Nitrogen (N) retention was 35.8, 37.4, 41.6% of intake N for C, B05 and B10, respectively, with no significant difference. Energy and phosphorus balances were not influenced by dietary treatments. Ammonia nitrogen emission from the slurry, expressed as a proportion of the initial slurry nitrogen, was decreased (P=0.049) by the inclusion of benzoic acid in the diet: 35.2, 28.1, 26.2% for C, B05, B10, respectively. The addition of benzoic acid to the diet determined a numerically decrease of the urinary pH. In conclusion, the inclusion of benzoic acid in the diet of the heavy pig is beneficial to the environment without effects on N, phosphorus (P) and energy balances

The prevalence of resistant arterial hypertension and secondary causes in a cohort of hypertensive patients: a single center experience

The prevalence of resistant hypertension (RHT) still remains unknown. Aim of the study was to investigate in a large cohort of hypertensive patients the prevalence of RHT, and to identify in these patients the secondary forms of arterial hypertension (SH). We enrolled a series of 3685 consecutive hypertensive patients. All patients underwent complete physical examination, laboratory tests, screening for SH. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) was performed to exclude white-coat hypertension. Further, we investigated for any obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA). Only 232 (5.8%) hypertensive patients fulfilled criteria for RHT. 91 (39%) had a SH; 56 (61%) hypertensive patients had a primary aldosteronism, 22 (24%) had OSA, 7 (7.7%) had a hypercortisolism, and 5 (5.5%) had a renovascular hypertension (RVH). Only one patient had adrenal pheochromocytoma. An accurate definition and investigation into RHT is needed. We recommend ABPM to all patients at diagnosis. Finally, all patients must be screened for SH, such as adrenal hypertension, OSA and RVH, especially those who are apparently resistant to polypharmacological treatment

In hepatocellular carcinoma miR-221 modulates sorafenib resistance through inhibition of caspase-3\u2013mediated apoptosis

Purpose: The aberrant expression of miR-221 is a hallmark of human cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and its involvement in drug resistance, together with a proved in vivo efficacy of anti-miR-221 molecules, strengthen its role as an attractive target candidate in the oncologic field. The discovery of biomarkers predicting the response to treatments represents a clinical challenge in the personalized treatment era. This study aimed to investigate the possible role of miR-221 as a circulating biomarker in HCC patients undergoing sorafenib treatment as well as to evaluate its contribution to sorafenib resistance in advanced HCC. Experimental Design: A chemically induced HCC rat model and a xenograft mouse model, together with HCC-derived cell lines were employed to analyze miR-221 modulation by Sorafenib treatment. Data from the functional analysis were validated in tissue samples from surgically resected HCCs. The variation of circulating miR-221 levels in relation to Sorafenib treatment were assayed in the animal models and in two independent cohorts of patients with advanced HCC. Results: MiR-221 over-expression was associated with Sorafenib resistance in two HCC animal models and caspase-3 was identified as its target gene, driving miR-221 anti-apoptotic activity following Sorafenib administration. Lower pre-treatment miR-221 serum levels were found in patients subsequently experiencing response to Sorafenib and an increase of circulating miR-221 at the two months assessment was observed in responder patients. Conclusions: MiR-221 might represent a candidate biomarker of likelihood of response to Sorafenib in HCC patients to be tested in future studies. Caspase-3 modulation by miR-221 participates to Sorafenib resistance

QPO emission from moving hot spots on the surface of neutron stars: a model

We present recent results of 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations of neutron stars with small misalignment angles, as regards the features in lightcurves produced by regular movements of the hot spots during accretion onto the star. In particular, we show that the variation of position of the hot spot created by the infalling matter, as observed in 3D simulations, can produce high frequency Quasi Periodic Oscillations with frequencies associated with the inner zone of the disk. Previously reported simulations showed that the usual assumption of a fixed hot spot near the polar region is valid only for misalignment angles relatively large. Otherwise, two phenomena challenge the assumption: one is the presence of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities at the disk-magnetospheric boundary, which produce tongues of accreting matter that can reach the star almost anywhere between the equator and the polar region; the other one is the motion of the hot spot around the magnetic pole during stable accretion. In this paper we start by showing that both phenomena are capable of producing short-term oscillations in the lightcurves. We then use Monte Carlo techniques to produce model lightcurves based on the features of the movements observed, and we show that the main features of kHz QPOs can be reproduced. Finally, we show the behavior of the frequencies of the moving spots as the mass accretion rate changes, and propose a mechanism for the production of double QPO peaks.Comment: MNRAS accepted on 2009 December 11, 14 pages, 12 figure

Morphological and genetic aspects of Marfan Syndrome as demonstrated by a case of death during pregnancy with the discovery of two de novo missense mutations in the FBN1 gene

Marfan Syndrome (MFS) is an autosomal dominant disease caused in most cases by mutations in the FNB1 gene, which encodes for fibrillin 1. MFS does not alway shows typical phenotypic signs. Indeed, the occurrence of sudden death of unknown cause is increasingly seen in young adults without ante mortem preexisting pathology to explain the event. In many cases the diagnosis of Marfan Syndrome (MFS) is carried out post mortem, especially in cases where the disease’s external phenotype is absent. Here is reported a case of a young woman who died during a twin pregnancy investigated with medico-legal and forensic anthropological procedures. The autopsy showed the absence of a typical marfanoid habitus and the presence of a dissecting aneurysm of the aorta with histopathological degeneration of the aortic elastic fibers. The genetic investigation revealed two previously undetected de novo mutations of the FBN1 gene: c.T6181C: p.C2061R and c.G1415A: p.C472Y. This new mutations, together with a comprehensive analysis, demonstrates the existence of a causal relationship between these mutations and the dissecting aneurysm of the aorta. This also stresses the importance of a combined multidisciplinary approach to this condition which includes morphological and genetic studies

In vitro effects of different levels of quebracho and chestnut tannins on rumen methane production, fermentation parameters, and microbiota

Both condensed and hydrolysable tannins (CTs and HTs, respectively) have the ability to reduce enteric CH4 production in ruminants. However, the precise mechanism of action is not fully understood. Among the proposed hypotheses are the reduction of ruminal digestibility, direct control action on protozoa, reduction of archaea, and a hydrogen sink mechanism. In this in vitro study, which simulated rumen fermentation, two additives, one containing CTs (70% based on DM) from quebracho and one with HTs (75% based on DM) from chestnut, at four levels of inclusion (2, 4, 6, 8% on an as-fed basis) were added to the fermentation substrate and tested against a negative control. Both types of tannins significantly reduced total gas (GP) and CH4 (ml/g DM) production during the 48 h of incubation. The lower GP and CH4 production levels were linked to the reduction in dry matter digestibility caused by CTs and HTs. Conversely, no significant differences were observed for the protozoan and archaeal populations, suggesting a low direct effect of tannins on these rumen microorganisms in vitro. However, both types of tannins had negative correlations for the families Bacteroidales_BS11 and F082 and positive correlations for the genera Prevotella and Succinivibrio. Regarding the fermentation parameters, no differences were observed for pH and total volatile fatty acid production, while both CTs and HTs linearly reduced the NH3 content. CTs from quebracho were more effective in reducing CH4 production than HTs from chestnut. However, for both types of tannins, the reduction in CH4 production was always associated with a lower digestibility without any changes in archaea or protozoa. Due to the high variability of tannins, further studies investigating the chemical structure of the compounds and their mechanisms of action are needed to understand the different results reported in the literature

Impact of different exposure models and spatial resolution on the long-term effects of air pollution.

Abstract Long-term exposure to air pollution has been related to mortality in several epidemiological studies. The investigations have assessed exposure using various methods achieving different accuracy in predicting air pollutants concentrations. The comparison of the health effects estimates are therefore challenging. This paper aims to compare the effect estimates of the long-term effects of air pollutants (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm, PM10, and nitrogen dioxide, NO2) on cause-specific mortality in the Rome Longitudinal Study, using exposure estimates obtained with different models and spatial resolutions. Annual averages of NO2 and PM10 were estimated for the year 2015 in a large portion of the Rome urban area (12 × 12 km2) applying three modelling techniques available at increasing spatial resolution: 1) a chemical transport model (CTM) at 1km resolution; 2) a land-use random forest (LURF) approach at 200m resolution; 3) a micro-scale Lagrangian particle dispersion model (PMSS) taking into account the effect of buildings structure at 4 m resolution with results post processed at different buffer sizes (12, 24, 52, 100 and 200 m). All the exposures were assigned at the residential addresses of 482,259 citizens of Rome 30+ years of age who were enrolled on 2001 and followed-up till 2015. The association between annual exposures and natural-cause, cardiovascular (CVD) and respiratory (RESP) mortality were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for individual and area-level confounders. We found different distributions of both NO2 and PM10 concentrations, across models and spatial resolutions. Natural cause and CVD mortality outcomes were all positively associated with NO2 and PM10 regardless of the model and spatial resolution when using a relative scale of the exposure such as the interquartile range (IQR): adjusted Hazard Ratios (HR), and 95% confidence intervals (CI), of natural cause mortality, per IQR increments in the two pollutants, ranged between 1.012 (1.004, 1.021) and 1.018 (1.007, 1.028) for the different NO2 estimates, and between 1.010 (1.000, 1.020) and 1.020 (1.008, 1.031) for PM10, with a tendency of larger effect for lower resolution exposures. The latter was even stronger when a fixed value of 10 μg/m3 is used to calculate HRs. Long-term effects of air pollution on mortality in Rome were consistent across different models for exposure assessment, and different spatial resolutions

Attività di testing rapido HIV al Pride di Torino per determinare politiche strategiche e organizzative tra gli MSM

L’offerta del test HIV presso un evento sociale frequentato prevalentemente da giovani uomini che fanno sesso con uomini (MSM) fornisce una possibilità unica di intervenire nel processo di diagnosi precoce dell’HIV. Il progetto Torino Fast Track City permette di osservare elementi organizzativi utili per l’organizzazione dei test rapidi sul territorio, al tempo stesso l’adesione a COBATEST Network fornisce la possibilità di osservare un campione determinando le variabili utili per la costruzione di strategie di intervento e campagne di prevenzione. La somministrazione dei test rapidi HIV da parte delle associazioni è uno strumento chiave per incrementare il numero di soggetti che si sottopongono al test, accedono alle cure precocemente e vengono informati sulle terapie e sui possibili comportamenti a rischio