1,168 research outputs found
Effect of the origin farm on cortisol levels in European hare (Lepus europaeus) bred in Italy for hunting.
Pregnancies following Protocols for Repetitive Synchronization of Ovulation in Primiparous Buffaloes in Different Seasons
Primiparous buffaloes were tested in two periods of the year characterized, by either low or high reproductive efficiency. They were subjected to two protocols for synchronization of ovulation: (i) Ovsynch (OV) and (ii) progesterone based (P4) treatment. After calving, the animals underwent a series of four cycles of re-synchronization protocols. The season did not affect pregnancy rates when the results of the two treatments were pooled together with regard to the first synchronization protocol, followed by AI. Pregnancy rates were similar during the low breeding season (50.3% vs. 57.4% in OV and P4, respectively), but different during the high breeding season (50.4% vs. 67.7% in OV and P4, respectively; p = 0.000). Logistic regression confirmed a significant effect of treatment and season interaction on pregnancy (p = 0.003). Following re-synchronization, a treatment by season interaction was detected during the low breeding season (odds ratio = 2.233), in favor of P4. Finally, a survival analysis showed a better response of animals subjected to P4 treatment from the second AI onward. In conclusion, the pooled data of pregnancy rates from both treatments between seasons are not different following AIs. Better results, though, were obtained from the implementation of P4 treatment, and are recorded in a season-fashioned mode when the comparison is made following first or cumulative AIs
Endoscopic and Surgical Removal of Gastrointestinal Foreign Bodies in Dogs: An Analysis of 72 Cases
In emergency veterinary practice, gastrointestinal foreign body (GFB) removal is a common procedure that is performed with different techniques, such as endoscopy or surgery. The aims of this retrospective, multicentre, clinical study were to report the common locations and types of objects recovered and to investigate clinical factors and outcomes in dogs after surgical or endoscopic treatment for GFB removal. Records of dogs with a GFB diagnosis referred to the Teaching Veterinary Hospital or treated in three different veterinary hospitals from September 2017 to September 2019 were examined. The data obtained from each case included breed, age, clinical signs at presentation, duration of clinical signs, type and location of the GFB, treatment, length of hospitalisation and outcome. Seventy-two dogs were enrolled in the study. There were 42 males (58%) and 30 females (42%). The median age was 36 months (range: 3 months to 8 years). Endoscopic retrieval was performed in 56% of GFBs (located in the stomach or duodenum), whereas 44% of dogs underwent surgery. The type of FB detected varied greatly: kid toy (14%), metallic object/coin (13%), cloth (13%), sock (8%), ball (8%), plastic material (8%), peach stone (7%), fishhook (6%), sewing needle (4%), hair tie (4%), pacifier (3%), plant materials (3%) and others (9%). Moreover, the FBs were classified as sharp (13%, n = 9), pointed (33%, n = 24), blunt (26%, n = 19), or linear (28%, n = 20). In this study, 68% of FBs were localised in the stomach, 25% in the intestinal tract (50% duodenum, 28% jejunum, and 22% ileum), and 7% in both the stomach and small intestine. The type of GFB was not significantly associated with age, site or breed. There was a significant association between the type of GFB and sex: if the dog was male, there was a 38% probability of ingesting linear GFBs. The dog survival rate was 100% in cases treated by gastric endoscopic or surgical removal, 94% in cases treated with enterotomy and 33% in cases in which enterectomy was necessary. Enterectomy and multiple surgical sites were associated with a poor outcome. The presence of vomiting for more than 24 h was significantly associated with death
Targeting monocyte chemotactic protein-1 synthesis with bindarit induces tumor regression in prostate and breast cancer animal models
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Geographical information system analysis on road accidents involving wandering dogs in the urban area of Naples
In this study, the spatial distribution of road accidents involving wandering dogs on urban roads of Naples was assessed using kernel density estimation (KDE). The study included 423 dogs victim of road collisions in the period 2012-2015 collected from the medical records of Interdepartmental Centre of Veterinary Radiology, of Pathological Anatomy Service, of Veterinary Teaching Hospital, "Federico II" University of Naples, and of Veterinary Hospital Attendance of the Local Public Health Unit Napoli1. There were a significant prevalence of young male dogs and the KDE demonstrated the presence of five hotspots in five city neighbourhoods. All areas with the highest KDE were found to be peripheral zones in which wide green areas, uncultivated or cultivated, merged with built areas and crossed by large straight roads with a lot of intersections. Wandering dogs as other animals represent a mounting problem on urban roads in Italy, despite of the effort to reduce these populations. Better knowledge of this phenomenon is important with reference to taking countermeasures and improve road safety. It is also important with reference to One Health and the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011- 2020 of the United Nations
MicroRNA-199b-5p Impairs Cancer Stem Cells through Negative Regulation of HES1 in Medulloblastoma
BACKGROUND: Through negative regulation of gene expression, microRNAs (miRNAs) can function in cancers as oncosuppressors, and they can show altered expression in various tumor types. Here we have investigated medulloblastoma tumors (MBs), which arise from an early impairment of developmental processes in the cerebellum, where Notch signaling is involved in many cell-fate-determining stages. MBs occur bimodally, with the peak incidence seen between 3-4 years and 8-9 years of age, although it can also occur in adults. Notch regulates a subset of the MB cells that have stem-cell-like properties and can promote tumor growth. On the basis of this evidence, we hypothesized that miRNAs targeting the Notch pathway can regulated these phenomena, and can be used in anti-cancer therapies. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a screening of MB cell lines, the miRNA miR-199b-5p was seen to be a regulator of the Notch pathway through its targeting of the transcription factor HES1. Down-regulation of HES1 expression by miR-199b-5p negatively regulates the proliferation rate and anchorage-independent growth of MB cells. MiR-199b-5p over-expression blocks expression of several cancer stem-cell genes, impairs the engrafting potential of MB cells in the cerebellum of athymic/nude mice, and of particular interest, decreases the MB stem-cell-like (CD133+) subpopulation of cells. In our analysis of 61 patients with MB, the expression of miR-199b-5p in the non-metastatic cases was significantly higher than in the metastatic cases (P = 0.001). Correlation with survival for these patients with high levels of miR-199b expression showed a positive trend to better overall survival than for the low-expressing patients. These data showing the down-regulation of miR-199b-5p in metastatic MBs suggest a potential silencing mechanism through epigenetic or genetic alterations. Upon induction of de-methylation using 5-aza-deoxycytidine, lower miR-199b-5p expression was seen in a panel of MB cell lines, supported an epigenetic mechanism of regulation. Furthermore, two cell lines (Med8a and UW228) showed significant up-regulation of miR-199b-5p upon treatment. Infection with MB cells in an induced xenograft model in the mouse cerebellum and the use of an adenovirus carrying miR-199b-5p indicate a clinical benefit through this negative influence of miR-199b-5p on tumor growth and on the subset of MB stem-cell-like cells, providing further proof of concept. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Despite advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of MB, one-third of these patients remain incurable and current treatments can significantly damage long-term survivors. Here we show that miR-199b-5p expression correlates with metastasis spread, identifying a new molecular marker for a poor-risk class in patients with MB. We further show that in a xenograft model, MB tumor burden can be reduced, indicating the use of miR199b-5p as an adjuvant therapy after surgery, in combination with radiation and chemotherapy, for the improvement of anti-cancer MB therapies and patient quality of life. To date, this is the first report that expression of a miRNA can deplete the tumor stem cells, indicating an interesting therapeutic approach for the targeting of these cells in brain tumors
The unprecedented 2017-2018 stratospheric smoke event : Decay phase and aerosol properties observed with the EARLINET
© Author(s) 2019. This open access work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Six months of stratospheric aerosol observations with the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET) from August 2017 to January 2018 are presented. The decay phase of an unprecedented, record-breaking stratospheric perturbation caused by wildfire smoke is reported and discussed in terms of geometrical, optical, and microphysical aerosol properties. Enormous amounts of smoke were injected into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere over fire areas in western Canada on 12 August 2017 during strong thunderstorm-pyrocumulonimbus activity. The stratospheric fire plumes spread over the entire Northern Hemisphere in the following weeks and months. Twenty-eight European lidar stations from northern Norway to southern Portugal and the eastern Mediterranean monitored the strong stratospheric perturbation on a continental scale. The main smoke layer (over central, western, southern, and eastern Europe) was found at heights between 15 and 20 km since September 2017 (about 2 weeks after entering the stratosphere). Thin layers of smoke were detected at heights of up to 22-23 km. The stratospheric aerosol optical thickness at 532 nm decreased from values > 0.25 on 21-23 August 2017 to 0.005-0.03 until 5-10 September and was mainly 0.003-0.004 from October to December 2017 and thus was still significantly above the stratospheric background (0.001-0.002). Stratospheric particle extinction coefficients (532 nm) were as high as 50-200 Mm-1 until the beginning of September and on the order of 1 Mm-1 (0.5- 5 Mm-1) from October 2017 until the end of January 2018. The corresponding layer mean particle mass concentration was on the order of 0.05-0.5 Όg m-3 over these months. Soot particles (light-absorbing carbonaceous particles) are efficient ice-nucleating particles (INPs) at upper tropospheric (cirrus) temperatures and available to influence cirrus formation when entering the tropopause from above. We estimated INP concentrations of 50-500 L-1 until the first days in September and afterwards 5-50 L-1 until the end of the year 2017 in the lower stratosphere for typical cirrus formation temperatures of -55 ?C and an ice supersaturation level of 1.15. The measured profiles of the particle linear depolarization ratio indicated a predominance of nonspherical smoke particles. The 532 nm depolarization ratio decreased slowly with time in the main smoke layer from values of 0.15-0.25 (August-September) to values of 0.05-0.10 (October-November) and < 0.05 (December-January). The decrease of the depolarization ratio is consistent with aging of the smoke particles, growing of a coating around the solid black carbon core (aggregates), and thus change of the shape towards a spherical form. We found ascending aerosol layer features over the most southern European stations, especially over the eastern Mediterranean at 32-35? N, that ascended from heights of about 18-19 to 22-23 km from the beginning of October to the beginning of December 2017 (about 2 km per month). We discuss several transport and lifting mechanisms that may have had an impact on the found aerosol layering structures.Peer reviewe
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The unprecedented 2017â2018 stratospheric smoke event: decay phase and aerosol properties observed with the EARLINET
Six months of stratospheric aerosol observations with the European Aerosol Research Lidar Network (EARLINET) from August 2017 to January 2018 are presented. The decay phase of an unprecedented, record-breaking stratospheric perturbation caused by wildfire smoke is reported and discussed in terms of geometrical, optical, and microphysical aerosol properties. Enormous amounts of smoke were injected into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere over fire areas in western Canada on 12 August 2017 during strong thunderstormâpyrocumulonimbus activity. The stratospheric fire plumes spread over the entire Northern Hemisphere in the following weeks and months. Twenty-eight European lidar stations from northern Norway to southern Portugal and the eastern Mediterranean monitored the strong stratospheric perturbation on a continental scale. The main smoke layer (over central, western, southern, and eastern Europe) was found at heights between 15 and 20âkm since September 2017 (about 2 weeks after entering the stratosphere). Thin layers of smoke were detected at heights of up to 22â23âkm. The stratospheric aerosol optical thickness at 532ânm decreased from values >â0.25 on 21â23 August 2017 to 0.005â0.03 until 5â10 September and was mainly 0.003â0.004 from October to December 2017 and thus was still significantly above the stratospheric background (0.001â0.002). Stratospheric particle extinction coefficients (532ânm) were as high as 50â200âMmâ1 until the beginning of September and on the order of 1âMmâ1 (0.5â5âMmâ1) from October 2017 until the end of January 2018. The corresponding layer mean particle mass concentration was on the order of 0.05â0.5â”gâmâ3 over these months. Soot particles (light-absorbing carbonaceous particles) are efficient ice-nucleating particles (INPs) at upper tropospheric (cirrus) temperatures and available to influence cirrus formation when entering the tropopause from above. We estimated INP concentrations of 50â500âLâ1 until the first days in September and afterwards 5â50âLâ1 until the end of the year 2017 in the lower stratosphere for typical cirrus formation temperatures of â55ââC and an ice supersaturation level of 1.15. The measured profiles of the particle linear depolarization ratio indicated a predominance of nonspherical smoke particles. The 532ânm depolarization ratio decreased slowly with time in the main smoke layer from values of 0.15â0.25 (AugustâSeptember) to values of 0.05â0.10 (OctoberâNovember) and <â0.05 (DecemberâJanuary). The decrease of the depolarization ratio is consistent with aging of the smoke particles, growing of a coating around the solid black carbon core (aggregates), and thus change of the shape towards a spherical form. We found ascending aerosol layer features over the most southern European stations, especially over the eastern Mediterranean at 32â35ââN, that ascended from heights of about 18â19 to 22â23âkm from the beginning of October to the beginning of December 2017 (about 2âkm per month). We discuss several transport and lifting mechanisms that may have had an impact on the found aerosol layering structures
Event reconstruction for KM3NeT/ORCA using convolutional neural networks
The KM3NeT research infrastructure is currently under construction at two
locations in the Mediterranean Sea. The KM3NeT/ORCA water-Cherenkov neutrino
detector off the French coast will instrument several megatons of seawater with
photosensors. Its main objective is the determination of the neutrino mass
ordering. This work aims at demonstrating the general applicability of deep
convolutional neural networks to neutrino telescopes, using simulated datasets
for the KM3NeT/ORCA detector as an example. To this end, the networks are
employed to achieve reconstruction and classification tasks that constitute an
alternative to the analysis pipeline presented for KM3NeT/ORCA in the KM3NeT
Letter of Intent. They are used to infer event reconstruction estimates for the
energy, the direction, and the interaction point of incident neutrinos. The
spatial distribution of Cherenkov light generated by charged particles induced
in neutrino interactions is classified as shower- or track-like, and the main
background processes associated with the detection of atmospheric neutrinos are
recognized. Performance comparisons to machine-learning classification and
maximum-likelihood reconstruction algorithms previously developed for
KM3NeT/ORCA are provided. It is shown that this application of deep
convolutional neural networks to simulated datasets for a large-volume neutrino
telescope yields competitive reconstruction results and performance
improvements with respect to classical approaches
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