The utilisation of prebiotics and synbiotics in dogs

The microbiota of the large intestine plays a fundamental role in maintaining the state of health of the gastrointestinal tract and of the host. The use of specific dietary supplements such as prebiotics and synbiotics might positively influence the composition and metabolism of the intestinal microbial population. Several studies have been conducted on the use of prebiotics in dogs. Most studies have aimed to assess whether using prebiotics brings about an improvement in the canine intestinal ecosystem. Moreover, the effect of prebiotics on canine immune system has also been investigated. Among the prebiotics used in the studies present in the literature, short-chain fructooligosaccharides and oligofructose seem to be the most effective in modulating the canine intestinal ecosystem and improving intestinal absorption of minerals but with little or no effect on canine immune system. Conversely, mannanoligosaccharides may have a positive influence on the immune system of dogs. Some positive effects of prebiotics on canine intestinal microbiota might be enhanced when these are used in combination with one or more probiotic strains (synbiotic). Clinical effects of prebiotics have been investigated in humans and animal models but little evidence exists that prebiotics may be helpful in canine diseases. Finally, most studies on canine intestinal microbiota were conducted using traditional culture methods, so that more research remains to be done with modern molecular identification methods to investigate the effects of prebiotic substances. This paper presents an overview of the scientific literature dealing with the use of prebiotics and synbiotics in the canine species

Nutritional modulation of canine and feline intestinal microbiota

Il microbiota intestinale riveste un ruolo importantissimo nell’influenzare la salute dell’ospite. È stato dimostrato come la composizione della dieta possa condizionare lo stato di benessere dell’animale, inducendo importanti cambiamenti tra le popolazioni batteriche che coabitano l’intestino; l’uso di prebiotici rappresenta una delle strategie maggiormente impiegate per modulare positivamente la composizione ed il metabolismo dell’ecosistema gastroenterico. Il presente progetto di dottorato si è proposto di indagare gli effetti sul microbiota intestinale del cane e del gatto di diete a diverso tenore proteico e contenenti proteine di diversa digeribilità in presenza o meno di sostanze prebiotiche. Inoltre, sono stati valutati gli effetti della presenza di un estratto di Yucca schidigera e di tannini sulla microflora intestinale del gatto. In ultima istanza, sono state valutate le conseguenze di dosi crescenti di lattosio sul benessere intestinale del cane. I risultati del presente studio hanno rilevato come le sostanze prebiotiche influiscono sulla composizione e sul metabolismo della microflora del cane e del gatto, e come l’impiego di diete ricche di proteine possa avere conseguenze negative sull’ambiente intestinale. Tuttavia, la presenza di oligosaccaridi non sembra contrastare gli effetti negativi che diete ad alto tenore proteico potrebbero avere sull’ecosistema intestinale dell’animale. Nella successiva prova è stato evidenziato come l’inclusione nella dieta di estratti di Yucca e tannini possa contribuire a mitigare l’emanazione di sostanze maleodoranti dalle deiezioni degli animali da compagnia. Nel corso dell’ultima prova, nonostante non siano state osservate differenze tra le popolazioni microbiche intestinali, la somministrazione di dosi crescenti di lattosio ha indotto una certa riduzione delle fermentazioni proteolitiche microbiche. Ulteriori studi sono necessari per stabilire in che misura la dieta e gli alimenti “funzionali” possano influire sul microbiota intestinale del cane e del gatto e come queste informazioni possono essere utilizzate per migliorare miratamente l’alimentazione e lo stato di salute degli animali da compagnia.The microbiota of the large intestine plays a fundamental role in maintaining the state of health of the gastrointestinal tract and the host. Considerable evidence suggests that dietary macronutrients and prebiotic substances may affect microbial composition and activity. Knowledge about the modulation of canine and feline intestinal microbiota in response to macronutrients and prebiotic supplementation is limited. However, such information is necessary to investigate further the complex interplay between host and intestinal microbiota in response to changes of diet. The research for this PhD thesis focused upon the changes of the intestinal microbiota and bacterial metabolites of dogs and cats, in response to feeding diets differing in their protein content and digestibility, and containing or not a source of prebiotics. Additionally, the effects of tannins and Yucca schidigera extract on feline intestinal microbiota were evaluated. Furthermore, aim of the last trial was to evaluate the effect of increasing level of lactose on composition and metabolism of dog intestinal microbiota. The results from the present thesis show that different prebiotics exert different effects on the composition and activity of canine and feline intestinal microbiota and that high dietary protein levels can have negative effects on the animal intestinal environment. However, administration of oligosaccharides doesn’t seem to counteract the negative effects that can be observed when companion animals are fed high-protein diets. In the other study, Yucca extract and tannins does not affect feline fecal microbiota. Despite this, a reduction of odour components was observed due to fermentation of substrates. Finally, results from the final study showed no difference between treatments on canine microbial population. However, proteolytic compounds were decreased by lactose. Future studies must determine how diet composition and prebiotic supplementation affect the gut microbiota and how this information may be used to improve diets and the host’s health

Valorizzazione tecnologica di cultivar locali di susine

Italian prune consumption is almost entirely satisfied by imported product, due mainly to lack of proper cultivars. A research has been carried out on five plums cultivars in order to check their adaptability to drying. Process was made with a pilot plant. Results showed that mild drying temperature led to slow drying kinetics, although a de-waxing treatment reduced drying time. Sensorial assessment was excellent, although two cultivars were judged negatively for their brown peel colour. II consumo italiano di prugne e soddisfatto quasi esclusivamente da prodotto importato, a causa, principalmente, della mancanza di varietà idonee. L'impulso per una valorizzazione delle risorse genetiche locali ha stimolato una sperimentazione mirata a verificare l'attitudine di cinque varietà del germoplasma italiane all'essiccazione, utilizzando un impianto pilota a flusso tangenziale. I risultati mostrano che le basse temperature adottate portano a durate di processo elevate, sebbene un pretrattamento di deceratura riduca drasticamente i tempi. Il giudizio sensoriale è stato eccellente, tranne che nel caso di due varietà, in quanto i frutti essiccati avevano un colore non conforme agli standard richiesti

Opioid Peptide Gene Expression in the Primary Hereditary Cardiomyopathy of the Syrian Hamster I. REGULATION OF PRODYNORPHIN GENE EXPRESSION BY NUCLEAR PROTEIN KINASE C

Prodynorphin gene expression was investigated in adult ventricular myocytes isolated from normal (F1B) or cardiomyopathic (BIO 14.6) hamsters. Prodynorphin mRNA levels were higher in cardiomyopathic than in control myocytes and were stimulated by treatment of control cells with the protein kinase C (PKC) activator 1, 2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol. Both chelerythrine and calphostin C, two PKC inhibitors, abolished the stimulatory effect of the diglyceride and significantly reduced prodynorphin gene expression in cardiomyopathic myocytes. Nuclear run-off experiments indicated that the prodynorphin gene was regulated at the transcriptional level and that treatment of nuclei isolated from control cells with 1, 2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol increased prodynorphin gene transcription, whereas chelerythrine or calphostin C abolished this transcriptional effect. Direct exposure of nuclei isolated from cardiomyopathic myocytes to these inhibitors markedly down-regulated the rate of gene transcription. The expression of PKC-alpha, -delta, and -epsilon, as well as PKC activity, were increased in nuclei of cardiomyopathic myocytes compared with nuclei from control cells. The levels of both intracellular and secreted dynorphin B, a biologically active product of the gene, were higher in cardiomyopathic than in control cells and were stimulated or inhibited by cell treatment with 1,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol or PKC inhibitors, respectively

Optimizing the Mechanoluminescent Properties of CaZnOS:Tb via Microwave-Assisted Synthesis: A Comparative Study with Conventional Thermal Methods

Recent developments in lighting and display technologies have led to an increased focus on materials and phosphors with high efficiency, chemical stability, and eco-friendliness. Mechanoluminescence (ML) is a promising technology for new lighting devices, specifically in pressure sensors and displays. CaZnOS has been identified as an efficient ML material, with potential applications as a stress sensor. This study focuses on optimizing the mechanoluminescent properties of CaZnOS:Tb through microwave-assisted synthesis. We successfully synthesized CaZnOS doped with Tb3+ using this method and compared it with samples obtained through conventional solid-state methods. We analyzed the material's characteristics using various techniques to investigate their structural, morphological, and optical properties. We then studied the material's mechanoluminescent properties through single impacts with varying energies. Our results show that materials synthesized through microwave methods exhibit similar optical and, primarily, mechanoluminescent properties, making them suitable for use in photonics applications. The comparison of the microwave and conventional solid-state synthesis methods highlights the potential of microwave-assisted methods to optimize the properties of mechanoluminescent materials for practical applications

Verifica in opera dei requisiti acustici passivi: applicazione a un caso studio di procedure BIM per la determinazione dei componenti più critici da indagare

La metodologia del Building Information Modelling richiede, per poter essere messa in pratica, l’utilizzo di software moderni in grado di gestire in maniera interoperabile un edificio in ogni sua parte ed elemento, compresi i dati analitici associati ad essi, lungo tutto il suo arco di vita, dalla progettazione alla demolizione. Tali capacità permettono di sfruttare la geometria per eseguire calcoli di diversa natura, tra cui quelli acustici sulla base di un modello correttamente modellato e con dati associati, ma non sempre si ha accesso ad un modello simile. Questo lavoro considera l’utilizzo di un modello puramente geometrico privo di dati acustici, al quale sono state assegnate le informazioni mancanti in fase di analisi, attraverso il quale ricercare quali elementi risultano maggior-mente critici ai fini della scelta degli elementi per le verifiche in opera. Infine i diversi metodi implementati, tra i quali il calcolo acustico previsionale eseguito sul modello, sono stati comparati fra loro per valutarne la percentuale di corrispondenza

Assessment of the Effects of Edible Microalgae in a Canine Gut Model

Microalgae are a source of bioactive compounds having recently been studied for their possible application as health-promoting ingredients. The aim of the study was to evaluate in an in vitro canine gut model the effects of four microalgae, Arthrospira platensis (AP), Haematococcus pluvialis (HP), Phaeodactylum tricornutum (PT) and Chlorella vulgaris (CV), on some fecal microbial populations and metabolites. The four microalgae were subjected to an in vitro digestion procedure, and subsequently, the digested biomass underwent colonic in vitro fermentation. After 6 h of incubation, PT increased propionate (+36%) and butyrate (+24%), and decreased total BCFA (-47%), isobutyrate (-52%) and isovalerate (-43%) and C. hiranonis (-0.46 log10 copies/75 ng DNA). After 24 h, PT increased propionate (+21%) and isovalerate (+10%), and decreased the abundance of Turicibacter spp. (7.18 vs. 6.69 and 6.56 log10 copies/75 ng DNA for CTRL vs. PT, respectively); moreover, after 24 h, CV decreased C. coccoides (-1.12 log10 copies/75 ng DNA) and Enterococcus spp. (-0.37 log10 copies/75 ng DNA). In conclusion, the microbial saccharolytic activities and the shift in fecal bacterial composition were less pronounced than expected, based on current literature. This study should be considered as a preliminary assessment, and future investigations are required to better understand the role of microalgae in canine nutrition

Influenza dei parametri di processo sulla composizione fenolica e sulla capacità antiossidante delle prugne durante lo stoccaggio

Changes in phenolic content, antioxidtmt capacity and ascorbic acid in prunes dried at 85° and 60°C, during eight months of storage at 20°C, were studied. Results obtained showed a significant decrease for ascorbic acid and phenolic content in both prune samples during storage. Antioxidant capacity underwent a significant decrease at fourth month of storage in both prunes while it increased, up to reach and go over the initial value, at the eight month of storage. Lo studio ha riguardato l'evoluzione dei composti fenolici e dell'attività antiossidante durante la conservazione, di una varietà di susino europeo, la President, sottoposta a due diverse temperature di disidratazione. Sui frutti appena essiccati e durante 10 stoccaggio alla temperatura di 20°C sono stati analizzati i composti fenolici (catechine, acidi idrossicinnamici, antociani e flavonoli), l'acido ascorbico e la capacità antiossidante. I risultati ottenuti hanno evidenziato, per i campioni sottoposti alle due diverse temperature, un decremento significativo sia dell'acido ascorbico sia dei polifenoli totali, soprattutto a carico del campione a 60°C, durante lo stoccaggio. La capacità antiossidante, in entrambi i casi, ha subito una diminuzione ai 4 mesi di conservazione per poi aumentare portandosi ad un livello uguale o addirittura superiore al valore iniziale dopo 8 mesi di conservazione