Transfer of aflatoxin from feed to milk and curd in Sarda ewes with different milk production level

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a toxin produced by some strains of Aspergillus growing in feedstuffs. Dairy animals fed with diet containing AFB1 excrete aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) into the milk. The carry over ratio (AFM1 excreted in milk/ AFB1 ingested) has been found lower in sheep (Battacone et al., 2002a) than in cattle (Veldman et al., 1992). Being AFM1 linked to milk proteins, its concentration in curd is higher than in milk. The AFM1 concentration in milk resulted not influenced by milk production level in cattle, therefore the total amount of AFM1 excreted in milk and, consequently, the carry-over ratio increased with milk yield (Munksgaard et al., 1987; Veldman et al., 1992). A previous study carried out on isoproductive dairy ewes showed an increase of the AFM1 concentration both in milk and in curd as the amount of AFB1 ingested increased (Battacone et al., 2002b). Aim of the present work is to study the influence of AFB1 dose and milk production level on the transfer of AFB1 from feeds to milk and curd as AFM1 in dairy ewes

Gene expression profiles of antigenic proteins of third stage larvae of the zoonotic nematode Anisakis pegreffii in response to temperature conditions

Anisakis pegreffii, a recognised etiological agent of human anisakiasis, is a parasite of homeothermic hosts at the adult stage and of ectothermic hosts at the third larval stage. Among distinct factors, temperature appears to be crucial in affecting parasite hatching, moulting and to modulate parasite-host interaction. In the present study, we investigated the gene transcripts of proteins having an antigenic role among excretory secretory products (ESPs) (i.e., a Kunitz-type trypsin inhibitor, A.peg-1; a glycoprotein, A.peg-7; and the myoglobin, A.peg-13) after 24 h, in A. pegreffii larvae maintained in vitro, under controlled temperature conditions. Temperatures were 37 °C and 20 °C, resembling respectively homeothermic and ectothermic hosts conditions, and 7 °C, the cold stress condition post mortem of the fish host. Primers of genes coding for these ESPs to be used in quantitative real-time PCR were newly designed, and qRT-PCR conditions developed. Expression profiles of the genes A.peg-1 and A.peg-13 were significantly up-regulated at 20 °C and 37 °C, with respect to the control (larvae kept at 2 °C for 24 h). Conversely, transcript profiles of A.peg-7 did not significantly change among the chosen temperature conditions. In accordance with the observed transcript profiles, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) revealed the presence of the three target ESPs at 37 °C, while only A.peg-13 was observed at 7 °C. The results suggest that temperature conditions do regulate the gene expression profiles of A.peg-1 and A.peg-13 in A. pegreffii larvae. However, regulation of the glycoprotein A.peg-7 is likely to be related to other factors such as the host's immune response

Stage Ia squamous cell carcinoma as the malignant transformation of giant and unusual mature teratoma of the ovary in an elderly patient

Background Mature cystic teratomas of the ovary (MCTO) are a type of germ cell tumor that may contain well-differentiated tissues developed from three germ cell layers and constitute about 20% of ovarian germ cell tumors. They are rare ovarian tumors with an annual incidence variable from 1.2 to 14.2 cases per 100,000 that occur mainly in women of reproductive age. They are frequently benign with a slow growth rate, even if they can undergo a malignant transformation in about 1-2% of cases. Case presentation Here, we present the case of an elderly woman referred to gynecological first aid for acute abdominal pain and showing a giant and unusual MCTO at rapid growth with malignant transformation in squamous cell carcinoma (FIGO stage Ia). The patient underwent pelvic mass removal trough emergency longitudinal midline laparotomic incision with intraoperative frozen pathologic examination. A complete surgical staging during the first surgery was performed. After about 9 years of follow-up, she died of non-oncological reasons without recurrence. Conclusions Present case highlights that CMTO with malignant transformation should always be suspected in elderly women in presence of pelvic mass at rapid growth, even if in absence of other clinical and ultrasonographic signs of malignancy. An intraoperative frozen pathologic examination may drive the best treatment

Milk yield and quality to estimate genetic parameters in Buffalo cows

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for daily milk yield, fat and protein milk contents and their relationship with "mozzarella" cheese production using the classic instruments of the quantitative genetics. A total of 5130 daily milk yields records, belonging to 6 herds in South Italy were analyzed. The traits studied were: accumulated 270-day milk yield, milk fat and protein percentages, and milk yield day and mozzarella production. Descriptive statistics of the variable studied have been obtained with the procedure MEANS and FREQ, while the variation sources have been investigated using procedure GLM. With the objective to characterize the effects of greater impact on the production of milk (kg/days), fat and protein content (%) and "mozzarella" production (kg/days), has been used analysis of variance (ANOVA). On average, buffalo cow's milk production during lactation was 9.21 ± 2.79 kg/d with 8.73% of fat and 4.98% of protein. Heritability estimates were low. The genetic correlation estimates between milk yield and % of fat and % of protein were low. These results showed that the genes with the affect on milk yield have an antagonistic effect on % of fat and % of protein traits. Its suggests that selection to increase milk yield, would in the long term probably cause a reduction in milk constituents

Primary dermal melanoma in a patient with a history of multiple malignancies: a case report with molecular characterization

Introduction: Primary dermal melanoma (PDM) is a recently described clinical entity accounting for less than 1% of all melanomas. Histologically, it is located in the dermis or subcutaneous tissue, and it shows no connections with the overlying epidermis. The differential diagnosis is principally made along with that of metastatic cutaneous melanoma. Case Report: A 72-year-old Caucasian woman with a history of multiple cancers (metachro-nous bilateral breast cancer, meningioma, clear cell renal cell carcinoma, uterine fibromatosis and intestinal adenomatous polyposis), came to our attention with a nodular lesion on her back. After removal of the lesion, the histology report indicated malignant PDM or metastatic malignant melanoma. The clinical and instrumental evaluation of the patient did not reveal any other primary tumour, suggesting the primitive nature of the lesion. The absence of an epithelial component argued for a histological diagnosis of PDM. Subsequently, the patient underwent a wide surgical excision with sentinel node biopsy, which was positive for metastatic melanoma. Finally, the mutational status was studied in the main genes that regulate proliferation, apoptosis and cellular senescence. No pathogenetic mutations in CDKN2A, BRAF, NRAS, KRAS, cKIT, TP53 and PTEN genes were observed. This suggests that alternative pathways and low-frequency alterations may be involved. Conclusions: The differential diagnosis between PDM and isolated metastatic melanoma depends on the negativity of imaging studies and clinical findings for other primary lesions. This distinction is important because 5-year survival rates in such cases are higher than in metastatic cases (80– 100 vs. 5–20%, respectively)

Microbial characterization of sourdough for sweet baked products in the Campania region (southern Italy) by a polyphasic approach

The microflora of nine sourdoughs used for sweet bakery products underwent preliminary microbiological characterization using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast enumeration. Five sourdough samples were submitted for microbial identification by culture-dependent techniques employing 16S and 26S rRNA genes sequencing, as well as a culture-independent technique using PCR-DGGE analysis. The LAB species isolated belonged principally to facultative heterofermentative Lactobacillus spp., Leuconostoc spp., and Lactococcus spp. Yeast strains were identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with one exception represented by a strain belonging to Metschnikowia pulcherrima. PCR-DGGE analysis allowed the identification of Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus sakei, Weissella groceries and Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis among lactic acid bacteria and Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Metschnikowia pulcherrima among yeasts. This polyphasic approach highlighted different levels of biodiversity, from two to eight different typical LAB species, always associated to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, that could be selected to be specifically used in naturally fermented brioche and cornetto preparation

Epidemiology and Genetic Susceptibility of Breast and Ovarian Cancer in Sardinian Population

The objective of this population-based study is to describe epidemiological and genetic features of breast and ovarian cancer in North Sardinia, Italy. Patients who carry a high-risk mutation in one or both of the BRCA genes (BRCA1 or BRCA2) have a significantly increased risk of developing breast/ovarian cancer (BOC) and other cancers (e.g., prostate cancer in male). Epidemiological data on incidence distribution of breast/ovarian cancer from 2016 to 2019 in North Sardinia are obtained from the local tumor registry and from the cumulative results of 209 genetic testing for BRCA gene mutations performed in all young breast cancer patients and all women (over 50 years) with family history of BOC (total of 164 cases); further, 45 genetic testing is performed, on ovarian cancer patients, at any age. The results provide a different distribution of fraction mutations carried by women and a higher prevalence of the BRCA2 mutation in the north of Sardinia than the entire population and highlight the presence of specific germline mutation associated with the “founder effect” in distinct genetic subgroups reflecting genetic drift. Advances in next-generation sequencing technology, data analysis, and clinical investigation have revolutionized efforts to identify potential targets for BRCA molecular-based therapeutic agents