Milk from cows fed a diet with a high forage:concentrate ratio improves inflammatory state, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial function in rats.

Excessive energy intake may evoke complex biochemical processes characterized by inflammation, oxidative stress, and impairment of mitochondrial function that represent the main factors underlying noncommunicable diseases. Because cow milk is widely used for human nutrition and in food industry processing, the nutritional quality of milk is of special interest with respect to human health. In our study, we analyzed milk produced by dairy cows fed a diet characterized by a high forage:concentrate ratio (high forage milk, HFM). In view of the low n-6:n-3 ratio and high content of conjugated linoleic acid of HFM, we studied the effects of this milk on lipid metabolism, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress in a rat model. To this end, we supplemented for 4 wk the diet of male Wistar rats with HFM and with an isocaloric amount (82 kJ, 22 mL/d) of milk obtained from cows fed a diet with low forage:concentrate ratio, and analyzed the metabolic parameters of the animals. Our results indicate that HFM may positively affect lipid metabolism, leptin:adiponectin ratio, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress, providing the first evidence of the beneficial effects of HFM on rat metabolism

Gemcitabine-loaded liposomes: rationale, potentialities and future perspectives

Cinzia Federico, Valeria M Morittu, Domenico Britti, Elena Trapasso, Donato CoscoDepartment of Health Sciences, Building of BioSciences, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, Campus Universitario “S Venuta”, Germaneto, ItalyAbstract: This review describes the strategies used in recent years to improve the biopharmaceutical properties of gemcitabine, a nucleoside analog deoxycytidine antimetabolite characterized by activity against many kinds of tumors, by means of liposomal devices. The main limitation of using this active compound is the rapid inactivation of deoxycytidine deaminase following administration in vivo. Consequently, different strategies based on its encapsulation/complexation in innovative vesicular colloidal carriers have been investigated, with interesting results in terms of increased pharmacological activity, plasma half-life, and tumor localization, in addition to decreased side effects. This review focuses on the specific approaches used, based on the encapsulation of gemcitabine in liposomes, with particular attention to the results obtained during the last 5 years. These approaches represent a valid starting point in the attempt to obtain a novel, commercializable drug formulation as already achieved for liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil®, Caelyx®).Keywords: gemcitabine, liposomes, multidrug, poly(ethylene glycol), tumor

Consequences of behaviour on productive performances of rabbits reared in pens

The aim of this work was to evaluate the behaviour of rabbits fattened in an alternative pen housing system, and to study its effects on growing performances. Two hundred and twelve hybrid rabbits (Hyplus), half males and half females, homogeneous in weight, were divided into three experimental treatments: control group, housed in traditional two place cages (cm 40x30x28h); P30, with 30 rabbits reared in wire net floor pens (cm 200x100x70h) at the density of 15 heads/m2; P15, with 15 rabbits reared in wire net floor pens (cm 100x100x70h) at the same density. To evaluate different behaviours and to relate them with growth performances, 36 male rabbits, 12 for each experimental group, chosen at random and individually marked to recognise them, were recorded by video camera in the last week of fattening. A relation between some behavioural parameters and weight gain appears at linear regression analyses. For all the treatments, growth is tightly related to activity and resting. Particularly, weight gain is negatively related to motility (b=-0.121), aggressiveness (b=-0.158) and sitting-up behaviour (b=-0.040). Conversely, feeding behaviour and lying positively influence growth performances (b=+0.034 and b=+0.065, respectively). The caged rabbits, which had the best growth, are also characterised by less locomotory activity, less aggressiveness and longer resting time. The pen housed animals, which show the worst weight gain, had a significantly higher motility, increased by the necessity of running away from aggressive rabbits and by fighting, and so spending less time in eating. Aggressiveness is not only detrimental for animals subjected to it but also for those which exercise an aggressive behaviour, spending time and inducing a stressing situation