5 research outputs found
Farmed fish welfare during slaughter in Italy: survey on stunning and killing methods and indicators of unconsciousness
Information on slaughter procedures for farmed fish in aquaculture is limited, both in Europe and in Italy, due to a general lack of field data. The aim of this study was to gather information on the procedures used to slaughter fish in Italy and to discuss them considering the WOAH and EFSA recommendations on fish welfare. Using a questionnaire survey, data were collected by official veterinarians in 64 slaughtering facilities where 20 different species of fish were slaughtered. The main species slaughtered were rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss; 29/64), followed by European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax; 21/64), sea bream (Sparus aurata; 21/64), Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus; 14/64), European eel (Anguilla anguilla; 11/64), sturgeon (Acipenser spp; 11/64), common carp (Cyprinus carpio; 6/64), and brown trout (Salmo trutta fario L.; 5/64). The most applied stunning/killing methods were “asphyxia in ice/thermal shock” and “electric in water bath,” followed by “percussion,” “asphyxia in air,” and “electric dry system.” After the application of the method, the assessment of the fish level of unconsciousness was practiced in 72% of the facilities using more than one indicator, with “breathing” and “coordinated movements” the most practiced. The collected data showed a discrepancy between the available recommendations about the welfare of fish at slaughter and what is practiced in many production sites, but for many species precise recommendations are still not available
Development of a predictive model to determine the age of dog puppies: a variable importance approach to teeth development
Prevalence and types of video gaming and gambling activities among adolescent public school students: findings from a cross-sectional study in Italy
Abstract
Adolescence is characterized by emotional instability and risk-taking behaviours that can lead to, among other things,
an increased risk of developing pathological video-gaming and gambling habits. The aim of this Study is to assess the
prevalence and type of video gaming and gambling habits in adolescent students attending Italian upper-secondary
schools. The cross-sectional study was conducted via an online survey using validated questionnaires. The primary
outcome measures were the prevalence of past-year video gaming and gambling activities. The sample consisted of
502 adolescent students from frst- and second-grade secondary schools. A total of 40.8% of participants were video
gamers, 4.8% were gamblers, 17.8% were both video gamers and gamblers, and the remaining 36.6% were not players. Among participants who reported video gaming activity (n=294), 68.0% were classifed as nonproblem gamers,
24.5% as at-risk gamers, and 7.5% as disordered video gamers. Among the participants who reported gambling activity (n=113), 85.8% were not problematic gamblers, 8.9% were at-risk gamblers, and 5.3% were pathological gamblers. Only 0.2% of all subjects met the criteria for both pathological gambling and pathological video game use. The
fndings indicate that video gaming and gambling are common leisure times among adolescent students. However,
a small but signifcant minority of these adolescents met the criteria for either severe problem gaming or gambling or
bot
Farmed fish welfare during slaughter in Italy: survey on stunning and killing methods and indicators of unconsciousness
Information on slaughter procedures for farmed fish in aquaculture is limited, both in Europe and in Italy, due to a general lack of field data. The aim of this study was to gather information on the procedures used to slaughter fish in Italy and to discuss them considering the WOAH and EFSA recommendations on fish welfare. Using a questionnaire survey, data were collected by official veterinarians in 64 slaughtering facilities where 20 different species of fish were slaughtered. The main species slaughtered were rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss; 29/64), followed by European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax; 21/64), sea bream (Sparus aurata; 21/64), Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus; 14/64), European eel (Anguilla anguilla; 11/64), sturgeon (Acipenser spp; 11/64), common carp (Cyprinus carpio; 6/64), and brown trout (Salmo trutta fario L.; 5/64). The most applied stunning/killing methods were “asphyxia in ice/thermal shock” and “electric in water bath,” followed by “percussion,” “asphyxia in air,” and “electric dry system.” After the application of the method, the assessment of the fish level of unconsciousness was practiced in 72% of the facilities using more than one indicator, with “breathing” and “coordinated movements” the most practiced. The collected data showed a discrepancy between the available recommendations about the welfare of fish at slaughter and what is practiced in many production sites, but for many species precise recommendations are still not available
Factors related to longevity and mortality of dogs in Italy
Besides its translational value, an improved understanding of dog longevity and mortality is necessary to guide
health management decisions, breed selection, and improve dog welfare. In order to analyse the lifespan of dogs
in Italy, identify the most common causes of death, and evaluate possible risk factors, anonymised medical records were collected from 9 veterinary teaching hospitals and 2 public health institutions. Data regarding breed,
sex, neuter status, age, diagnosis, and mechanism of death were retrieved. Cause of death (COD) was classified by
pathophysiologic process (PP) and organ system (OS). Of the 4957 dogs that died between 2004 and 2020
included in the study, 2920 (59.0%) were purebred, 2293 (46.2%) were female, 3005 (60.6%) were intact, 2883
(58.2%) were euthanised. Overall median longevity was 10.0 years. Median longevity was significantly longer
for crossbreds, females, neutered dogs, and small-sized breeds. The breeds with the highest median age at death
were the Yorkshire terrier, English cocker spaniel, West Highland white terrier, Italian volpino, and Shih Tzu,
whilst the American bulldog, English bulldog, American pit bull terrier, Bernese mountain dog and the Maremma
and the Abruzzes sheepdog had the lowest median age at death. The most frequent COD by PP was neoplasia
(34.0%), which occurred more frequently in large breeds, namely German shepherd, Labrador retriever and
Boxer. Degenerative diseases mostly affected small-sized dogs like Miniature pinscher and Dachshund. Regarding
the OS involved, diseases of the renal/urinary system were most frequently responsible for COD (15.0%),
prevalently degenerative and inflammatory/infectious. Substantial variation in median longevity according to
causes of death by PP and OS was observed. These data are relevant for breeders, veterinary practitioners, and
owners, to assist breed selection, facilitate early diagnosis, guide choice when purchasing a purebred dog and
making health management decisions, and ultimately improve dog welfare