11 research outputs found

    Facilitating knowledge transfer: decision support tools in environment and health

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    The HENVINET Health and Environment Network aimed to enhance the use of scientific knowledge in environmental health for policy making. One of the goals was to identify and evaluate Decision Support Tools (DST) in current use. Special attention was paid to four “priority” health issues: asthma and allergies, cancer, neurodevelopment disorders, and endocrine disruptors

    Application of Olive By-Products in Livestock with Emphasis on Small Ruminants: Implications on Rumen Function, Growth Performance, Milk and Meat Quality

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    The olive oil industry has a leading position in the Mediterranean countries, resulting in the production of considerable quantities of the respective by-products (OB) that constitute an important environmental issue. OB contain valuable nutrients and bioactive components that can be re-used under the bioeconomy strategy, and several chemical, physical, and biological processes have been evaluated with the intention to improve their nutritional value. One feasible application of OB is their incorporation in the diets of livestock and especially ruminants due to their high fiber content. As indicated by numerous studies, OB dietary supplementation increases the levels of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and decreases that of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) in the milk and meat of ruminants with beneficial effects for consumers' health. At the same time, environmental impact and feeding costs are reduced without detrimental effects on ruminal fermentation, nutrients utilization, growth performance, carcass traits, milk yield and composition

    Simulation of Colloidal Stability and Aggregation Tendency of Magnetic Nanoflowers in Biofluids

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    A population balance model for the aggregation of iron oxide nanoflowers (IONfs) is presented. The model is based on the fixed pivot technique and is validated successfully for four kinds of aggregation kernels. The extended Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek (xDLVO) theory is also employed for assessing the collision efficiency of the particles, which is pertinent to the total energy of the interaction. Colloidal stability experiments were conducted on IONfs for two dispersant cases—aqueous phosphate buffered saline solution (PBS) and simulated body fluid (SBF). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements after 24-h of incubation show a significant size increase in plain PBS, whereas the presence of proteins in SBF prevents aggregation by protein corona formation on the IONfs. Subsequent simulations tend to overpredict the aggregation rate, and this can be attributed to the flower-like shape of IONfs, thus allowing patchiness on the surface of the particles that promotes an uneven energy potential and aggregation hindering. In silico parametric study on the effects of the ionic strength shows a prominent dependency of the aggregation rate on the salinity of the dispersant underlying the effect of repulsion forces, which are almost absent in the PBS case, promoting aggregation. In addition, the parametric study on the van der Waals potential energy effect—within common Hamaker-constant values for iron oxides—shows that this is almost absent for high salinity dispersants, whereas low salinity gives a wide range of results, thus underlying the high sensitivity of the model on the potential energy parameters

    Effect of Farming System (Organic vs. Conventional) and Season on Composition and Fatty Acid Profile of Bovine, Caprine and Ovine Milk and Retail Halloumi Cheese Produced in Cyprus

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    The present work aimed to evaluate the effect of farming practices and season on the fat and protein content and fatty acid (FA) profile of milk and Halloumi cheese produced in Cyprus. Over a year, raw bulk-tank milk samples from cow, goat, and sheep farms were collected seasonally from all organic (11) and representative conventional (44) dairy farms, whereas Fresh Halloumi cheese samples were collected monthly from retail outlets (48 organic and 48 conventional samples in total). The different farming practices did not affect the milk fat content of ruminants, while protein levels were decreased in organic bovine and caprine milk. Under organic farming practices, milk and cheese contained increased values of total mono-unsaturated FA (MUFA) and poly-unsaturated FA (PUFA), and specific FA, such as oleic, conjugated linoleic, linoleic, and α-linolenic acids. Total saturated FA (SFA) levels were particularly decreased in organic samples and, consequently, the atherogenic indices of milk and cheese were decreased. Season influenced milk and Halloumi cheese FA profile; spring samples had lower SFA and higher PUFA and MUFA concentrations. Overall, the organic farm practices improved the lipid profile of milk and Halloumi cheese, which is more likely attributed to the different feeding strategies applied in organic dairy farms

    The use of olive cake by-product in ruminant diets

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    The Mediterranean countries produce the 98% of olive oil worldwide and generate large quantities of olive byproducts that could be considered as alternative feedstuffs with the intention to reduce both the feeding costs and the environmental impacts associated with waste accumulation. Among these by-products, olive cake (OC) is the most abundant containing nutrients and bioactive compounds that vary according to the cultivation conditions (geographic origin, year, season), the process of oil extraction (three or two phase centrifugation), or form and preservation method (crude, partly-destoned, dried or ensiled). With regards to nutrition, OC has a high fibre content, an attribute that makes its inclusion in ruminant diets as a replacement of forages, particularly useful in areas with roughage scarcity. However, its low protein and energy content, or the seasonal availability, possible rancidity and the need for processing may hinder its regular application. In the present review, data from the literature will be presented from earlier and recent studies conducted in ruminants evaluating the effects of various forms of processed OC on milk yield and composition as well as on the lipid profile of meat, milk and dairy products. Then, the proposed underline mechanisms of OC effects on intake, ruminal fermentation, metabolism and milk and dairy products quality will be discussed, suggesting possible ways of this by-product utilisation in ruminant diets

    The use of olive cake by-product in ruminant diets

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    The Mediterranean countries produce the 98% of olive oil worldwide and generate large quantities of olive byproducts that could be considered as alternative feedstuffs with the intention to reduce both the feeding costs and the environmental impacts associated with waste accumulation. Among these by-products, olive cake (OC) is the most abundant containing nutrients and bioactive compounds that vary according to the cultivation conditions (geographic origin, year, season), the process of oil extraction (three or two phase centrifugation), or form and preservation method (crude, partly-destoned, dried or ensiled). With regards to nutrition, OC has a high fibre content, an attribute that makes its inclusion in ruminant diets as a replacement of forages, particularly useful in areas with roughage scarcity. However, its low protein and energy content, or the seasonal availability, possible rancidity and the need for processing may hinder its regular application. In the present review, data from the literature will be presented from earlier and recent studies conducted in ruminants evaluating the effects of various forms of processed OC on milk yield and composition as well as on the lipid profile of meat, milk and dairy products. Then, the proposed underline mechanisms of OC effects on intake, ruminal fermentation, metabolism and milk and dairy products quality will be discussed, suggesting possible ways of this by-product utilisation in ruminant diets

    Multiscale physics-based in silico modelling of nanocarrier-assisted intravascular drug delivery

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    A rational design of drug nanocarriers supported by in silico modelling tools can improve the efficacy of nanosystem-based intravascular drug delivery (IVDD). Computational model development stems from the vision of replacing conventional (pre)clinical trials with advanced simulations and applies to the development of more efficient nanocarriers for intravascular therapies. To establish a standardized framework for in silico preclinical trials, it is necessary to include in silico tools that can model each experimental stage of a preclinical trial for a respective nanocarrier system and give accurate and verifiable results. This review paper highlights the status of intravascular drug delivery supported by nanocarriers and discusses the modelling stages of a physics-based multiscale modelling framework that should be developed, validated and exploited to address the need for an effective preclinical assessment of nanocarriers for IVDD

    The Dietary Inclusion of Ensiled Olive Cake Increases Unsaturated Lipids in Milk and Alters the Expression of Lipogenic Genes in Mammary and Adipose Tissue in Goats

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    This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the dietary inclusion of ensiled OC on milk yield, composition, fatty acid (FA) profile, and the expression of selected genes involved in lipid metabolism in the udder and adipose tissue of goats. Seventy-two Damascus dairy goats in mid-lactation were assigned randomly to three iso-nitrogenous and iso-energetic diets containing 0, 10, and 20% of ensiled OC as a replacement of forage (OC0, OC10, and OC20, respectively) for 42 days. During weeks 5 and 6 of the trial, dry matter intake, milk yield, milk composition, and FA profiles were recorded, while mammary and perirenal adipose tissue samples were also collected from six animals per treatment from the OC0 and OC20 groups for gene expression analysis. No significant differences were observed among groups concerning milk yield, 4% fat-corrected milk, fat, or protein yield (kg/d). In contrast, the milk fat percentage was gradually increased with increasing OC inclusion rates in the diets, while milk protein percentages were elevated in both OC groups but significantly only in the milk of the OC20 group. The content of FA between C4:0 to C16:0 was reduced, while mono-unsaturated FA (MUFA) concentration was enhanced in the goat milk of OC groups. The OC feeding treatment was associated with the increased mammary expression of SLC2A1 (p < 0.05), VLDLR (p < 0.01), FABP3 (p < 0.01), and elevated SLC2A1 (p < 0.05) and FASN (p < 0.01) gene expression in the adipose tissue of goats fed the OC20 diet. Overall, OC can be used in goats' diets as a forage replacement, at least in the inclusion rate of 20% DM, since this could increase the milk protein and fat percentage and enrich its content with beneficial for human health lipids without adversely affecting milk production traits
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