Nutrigenomic activity of plant derived compounds in health and disease: Results of a dietary intervention study in dog

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary administrations of four nutraceuticals in dogs. Seventy four dogswere enrolled in the trials, 24 healthy dogs were fedwith a control diet (CT) and the experimental groups received for 60 days the same diet supplemented with nutraceuticals, namely Echinacea angustifolia (EA, 0.10 mg/kg live weight as echinacoside; 14 dogs), Vaccinium myrtillus (VM, 0.20 mg/kg live weight as anthocyanidin, 13 dogs), Curcuma longa (CL, 6.60 mg/kg live weight as curcumin, 18 dogs with arthrosis), and Sylibum marianum (SM, 1.5 mg/kg live weight as sylibin, 8 dogs with hepatopathy). Dogs were weighted at the beginning of study and blood samples were collected at the beginning (T0) and at the end (T60) of the study. VM significantly down regulated TNF, CXCL8, NFKB1 and PTGS2 and decreased plasma ceruloplasmin (CuCp). The activity of EA was evidenced by the significant decrease of TNF and NFKB1 expression and CuCp levels and by the increase of plasma Zn. Administration of CL caused a significant decrease of CuCp and increase of Zn and a down regulation of TNF, CXCL8, NFKB1 and PTGS2, corroborating the anti-inflammatory action of curcuminoids. After 60 days of treatmentwith SM, plasma ALT/GPT activitywas reduced and paraoxonase was increased, supporting the antioxidant activity of silymarin, also confirmed by the significant up regulation of SOD2. Results indicated that nutraceutical administrations in dogs can be an interesting approach to modulate immune response in order to improve health condition of animals

Effect of different starch sources in a raw meat-based diet on fecal microbiome in dogs housed in a shelter

n/

variations of salivary cortisol in dogs exposed to different cognitive and physical activities

Working dogs are gaining popularity for their ability to learn and perform tasks entertaining their human companions. For this reason, dogs are often subjected to various stimuli due to inter- and intra-specific interactions, environmental variations and effort required by different activities. In the present study, salivary cortisol was measured to monitor physiological response to different conditions. The first study was performed to assess the variability of salivary cortisol in dogs in usual environmental conditions. For this, salivary cortisol was measured in 10 dogs at home during three not consecutive days at three different times of the day and not significant variations between days and time of sampling were observed. In the second study, salivary cortisol was measured in dogs before and after Pointing Hunting (No. 5), Tracking for Ungulate Hunting (No. 6), Blood Tracking (No. 4), Agility Training (No. 6) and Animal Assisted Activities (AAA, No. 6). Salivary cortisol concentration significantly increased after the Pointing Hunting activity (p < .05), while salivary cortisol significantly decreased at the end of AAA session (p < .05). No significant differences in cortisol variations were observed for Tracking for Ungulate Hunting, Blood Tracking and Agility Training, before and after the activities. The response of cortisol suggests that the extent of hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis activation varies between short high-intensity activities and endurance exercises. The measurement of salivary cortisol can support the trainers to evaluate the animal response to the stimulations

Microbial biodiversity of the liquid fraction of rumen content from lactating cows

Host and dietary interactions with the rumen microbiome can affect the efficacy of supplements, and their effect on the composition of the bacterial population is still unknown. A 16S rRNA metagenomic approach and Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology were used to investigate the bacterial microbiome composition in the liquid fraction of the rumen content collected via stomach tubing. To investigate biodiversity, samples were taken from three groups of four lactating dairy cows given a supplement of either 50 g of potato protein (Ctrl group), or 50 g of lyophilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae (LY group) or 50 g of dried S. cerevisiae (DY group) in a potato protein support. Rumen samples were collected after 15 days of dietary treatments and milk production was similar between the three groups. Taxonomic distribution analysis revealed a prevalence of the Firmicutes phylum in all cows (79.76%) and a significantly ( P<0.05) higher presence of the genus Bacillus in the DY group. Volatile fattyacid concentration was not significantly different between groups, possibly because of relatively high inter-animal variability or limited effect of the treatments or both, and the correlation analysis with bacterial taxa showed significant associations, in particular between many Firmicutes genera and butyrate. Limited differences were observed between dietary treatments, but the lack of microbiome data before yeast administration does not allow to draw firm conclusions on the effect of dietary treatments

Gut Microbiome of Healthy and Arthritic Dogs

Several studies have underlined the interplay among host-microbiome and pathophysiological conditions of animals. Research has also focused specifically on whether and how changes in the gut microbiome have provoked the occurrence of pathological phenomena affecting cartilage and joints in humans and in laboratory animals. Here, we tried to evaluate the relationship between the gut microbiome and the hip and elbow arthritis in owned dogs. The study included 14 dogs suffering from chronic arthritis (AD) and 13 healthy dogs (HD). After the first visit and during the period of the study, the dogs, under the supervision of the owner, were fed a semi-moist complete diet supplemented with omega 3 fatty acids. Feces and blood samples were collected in the clinic at the first visit (T0) and after days (T45). The plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) was higher, and the serum vitamin B12 and folate concentrations were lower (p < 0.05) in the AD group in comparison to the HD group. Data of the fecal microbiome showed that the relative abundances of the genus Megamonas were higher in AD (p < 0.001), while the relative abundance of the families Paraprevotellaceae, Porphyromonadaceae, and Mogibacteriaceae was significantly lower in comparison to HD. The results of the study identified several bacterial groups that differed significantly in the fecal microbiome between healthy and diseased dogs. If the observed differences in fecal bacterial composition predispose dogs to hip and elbow arthritis or if these differences reflect a correlation with these conditions deserves further investigation

Raw meat based diet influences faecal microbiome and end products of fermentation in healthy dogs

Background: Dietary intervention studies are required to deeper understand the variability of gut microbial ecosystem in healthy dogs under different feeding conditions and to improve diet formulations. The aim of the study was to investigate in dogs the influence of a raw based diet supplemented with vegetable foods on faecal microbiome in comparison with extruded food. Methods: Eight healthy adult Boxer dogs were recruited and randomly divided in two experimental blocks of 4 individuals. Dogs were regularly fed a commercial extruded diet (RD) and starting from the beginning of the trial, one group received the raw based diet (MD) and the other group continued to be fed with the RD diet (CD) for a fortnight. After 14 days, the two groups were inverted, the CD group shifted to the MD and the MD shifted to the CD, for the next 14 days. Faeces were collected at the beginning of the study (T0), after 14 days (T14) before the change of diet and at the end of experimental period (T28) for DNA extraction and analysis of metagenome by sequencing 16SrRNA V3 and V4 regions, short chain fatty acids (SCFA), lactate and faecal score. Results: A decreased proportion of Lactobacillus, Paralactobacillus (P < 0.01) and Prevotella (P < 0.05) genera was observed in the MD group while Shannon biodiversity Index significantly increased (3.31 +/- 0.15) in comparison to the RD group (2.92 +/- 0.31; P < 0.05). The MD diet significantly (P < 0.05) decreased the Faecal Score and increased the lactic acid concentration in the feces in comparison to the RD treatment (P < 0.01). Faecal acetate was negatively correlated with Escherichia/Shigella and Megamonas (P < 0.01), whilst butyrate was positively correlated with Blautia and Peptococcus (P < 0.05). Positive correlations were found between lactate and Megamonas (P < 0.05), Escherichia/Shigella (P < 0.01) and Lactococcus (P < 0.01). Conclusion: These results suggest that the diet composition modifies faecal microbial composition and end products of fermentation. The administration of MD diet promoted a more balanced growth of bacterial communities and a positive change in the readouts of healthy gut functions in comparison to RD diet

Investigation of rumen metagenome in Italian Simmental and Italian Holstein cows using a whole-genome shotgun sequencing technique

The study aimed at investigating the rumen microbiome composition and functional activity in mid lactating cows of Italian Holstein (IH) and Italian Simmental (IS) breeds. Eight IH and eight IS pluriparous cows with days in milking (DIM) ranging from 90 to 180 were selected and rumen contents were sampled with oesophageal tube. Rumen metagenome was analysed using a whole shotgun sequencing. Data were analysed for taxonomic classification and microbial genes. The relative abundance of Archaea, the Archaea to Bacteria ratio and the Archaea to Eukarya ratio were higher (p < .05) in IS than IH cows. The comparison between IH and IS underlined differences for the abundances of Bacteria, being Bactroidaceae, Bacteroides, Prevotellaceae and Prevotella lower (p < .05) in IS than in IH cows. The IS cows showed higher abundances of Euryarchaeota (p < .05), Methanosphera (p < .01) and Methanothermobacter (p < .05) than IH cows. The annotation of sequences to KEGG revealed that 170 genes were differentially abundant between IS and IH cows and among these, 20% were involved in protein biosynthesis, 8.8% in one-carbon metabolism, as methyl coenzyme M reductase associated protein and of six isoforms of methyl coenzyme M reductase. The present results suggest a genetic link between breed and microbiome, although this interaction can be influenced by several biological factors. Considering that there are still a low number of whole genome shotgun sequencing analysis of rumen communities, these data can provide further information to scientific community

Analisis Intangible Factors Yang Mempengaruhi Penentuan Harga Produk Karya Seni

This research aims to develop a new quantitative method to determine painting pricing based on 10 intangible factors, i.e. curator, amount of exhibition, painter\u27s year of birth, painting\u27s years of made, auction record,estimation price, exhibition place, painting media, painting size, and previous sales record. The selling price data are obtained from six auction houses. Kano Model and Linear Regression Model are used to examine the relationbetween pricing and each variable. Based on the model development scheme, there are 6 alternative models that can be obtained. Each model then was evaluated by cross-validation procedure using 21 data. Based on the value of R2for each model, the Kano Model with variable previous sales is the best model with R2 of 70

Effects of Saccharomyces boulardii Supplementation on Nutritional Status, Fecal Parameters, Microbiota, and Mycobiota in Breeding Adult Dogs

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the administration of Saccharomyces boulardii on the nutritional, immunological, inflammatory, stress status, and the gut composition in 25 healthy adult American Staffordshire Terrier dogs. Supplementation with S. boulardii significantly improved the intestinal status and induced a reduction of stress, a common condition affecting animals managed in a breeding environment. ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the administration of Saccharomyces boulardii on the nutritional, immunological, inflammatory, and stress status and on the composition of the gut microbiota and mycobiota in healthy adult dogs. A total of 25 American Staffordshire Terrier dogs were selected and randomly assigned to two groups: control (CTR, n = 12) and treated (TRT, n = 13) groups. No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding body weight, body condition score, and fecal score. No significant differences in microbiota/mycobiota, short chain fatty acids, indole/skatole, histamine, zonulin, or lactoferrin were detected. Indeed, supplementation with S. boulardii significantly decreased fecal calprotectin Immunoglobulin A, indicating an improvement in the gut well-being. Interestingly, fecal cortisol significantly decreased in dogs belonging to the TRT group compared to the CTR, suggesting both an improvement of the intestinal status and a reduction of stress, a common condition affecting animals managed in a breeding environment