Application of laboratory methods for understanding fish responses to black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) based diets

A major challenge for development of sustainable aquafeeds is its dependence on fish meal and fish oil. Replacement with more sustainable, nutritious and safe ingredients is now a priority. Over the last years, among several alternatives proposed, insects have received great attention as possible candidates. In particular, the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens; BSF) represents a concrete example of how the circular economy concept can be applied to fish culture, providing a valuable biomass rich in fat and protein valorising organic by-products. In the last decade, several studies have been published about the use of different BSF dietary inclusion levels for various fish species including experimental models. Varying and encouraging results have been obtained in this research field using a plethora of laboratory methodological approaches that can be applied and coupled to obtain a comprehensive view of the BSF-based diets effects on fish physiology, health, and quality. The present review aims to explore some of the most promising laboratory approaches like histology, infrared spectroscopy, gut microbiome sequencing, molecular biology, fish fillets’ physico-chemical and sensory properties, essential for a better understanding of fish welfare and fillet quality, when BSF is used as aquafeed ingredient. In particular, great importance has been given to European finfish species and experimental models.publishedVersio

Effect of chestnut tannins and short chain fatty acids as anti-microbials and as feeding supplements in broilers rearing and meat quality

Chestnut tannins (CT) and saturated short medium chain fatty acids (SMCFA) are valid alternatives to contrast the growth of pathogens in poultry rearing, representing a valid alternative to antibiotics. However, the effect of their blends has never been tested. Two blends of CT extract and Sn1-monoglycerides of SMCFA (SN1) were tested in vitro against the proliferation of Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella typhymurium, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter jejuni. The tested concentrations were: 3.0 g/kg of CT; 3.0 g/kg of SN1; 2.0 g/kg of CT and 1.0 g/kg of SN1; 1.0 g/kg of CT and 2.0 g/kg of SN1. Furthermore, their effect on broiler performances and meat quality was evaluated in vivo: one-hundred Ross 308 male birds were fed a basal diet with no supplement (control group) or supplemented with CT or SN1 or their blends at the same concentration used in the in vitro trial. The in vitro assay confirmed the effectiveness of the CT and SN1 mixtures in reducing the growth of the tested bacteria while the in vivo trial showed that broiler performances, animal welfare and meat quality were not negatively affected by the blends, which could be a promising alternative in replacing antibiotics in poultry production

Mucuna pruriens (Velvet bean) Rescues Motor, Olfactory, Mitochondrial and Synaptic Impairment in PINK1(B9) Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Model of Parkinson's Disease

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (Dm) mutant for PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1B9) gene is a powerful tool to investigate physiopathology of Parkinson's disease (PD). Using PINK1B9 mutant Dm we sought to explore the effects of Mucuna pruriens methanolic extract (Mpe), a L-Dopa-containing herbal remedy of PD. The effects of Mpe on PINK1B9 mutants, supplied with standard diet to larvae and adults, were assayed on 3–6 (I), 10–15 (II) and 20–25 (III) days old flies. Mpe 0.1% significantly extended lifespan of PINK1B9 and fully rescued olfactory response to 1-hexanol and improved climbing behavior of PINK1B9 of all ages; in contrast, L-Dopa (0.01%, percentage at which it is present in Mpe 0.1%) ameliorated climbing of only PINK1B9 flies of age step II. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of antennal lobes and thoracic ganglia of PINK1B9 revealed that Mpe restored to wild type (WT) levels both T-bars and damaged mitochondria. Western blot analysis of whole brain showed that Mpe, but not L-Dopa on its own, restored bruchpilot (BRP) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression to age-matched WT control levels. These results highlight multiple sites of action of Mpe, suggesting that its effects cannot only depend upon its L-Dopa content and support the clinical observation of Mpe as an effective medication with intrinsic ability of delaying the onset of chronic L-Dopa-induced long-term motor complications. Overall, this study strengthens the relevance of using PINK1B9 Dm as a translational model to study the properties of Mucuna pruriens for PD treatment

Vitamin D responsive elements within the HLA-DRB1 promoter region in Sardinian multiple sclerosis associated alleles

Vitamin D response elements (VDREs) have been found in the promoter region of the MS-associated allele HLA-DRB1*15:01, suggesting that with low vitamin D availability VDREs are incapable of inducing *15:01 expression allowing in early life autoreactive T-cells to escape central thymic deletion. The Italian island of Sardinia exhibits a very high frequency of MS and high solar radiation exposure. We test the contribution of VDREs analysing the promoter region of the MS-associated DRB1 *04:05, *03:01, *13:01 and *15:01 and non-MS-associated *16:01, *01, *11, *07:01 alleles in a cohort of Sardinians (44 MS patients and 112 healthy subjects). Sequencing of the DRB1 promoter region revealed a homozygous canonical VDRE in all *15:01, *16:01, *11 and in 45/73 *03:01 and in heterozygous state in 28/73 *03:01 and all *01 alleles. A new mutated homozygous VDRE was found in all *13:03, *04:05 and *07:01 alleles. Functionality of mutated and canonical VDREs was assessed for its potential to modulate levels of DRB1 gene expression using an in vitro transactivation assay after stimulation with active vitamin D metabolite. Vitamin D failed to increase promoter activity of the *04:05 and *03:01 alleles carrying the new mutated VDRE, while the *16:01 and *03:01 alleles carrying the canonical VDRE sequence showed significantly increased transcriptional activity. The ability of VDR to bind the mutant VDRE in the DRB1 promoter was evaluated by EMSA. Efficient binding of VDR to the VDRE sequence found in the *16:01 and in the *15:01 allele reduced electrophoretic mobility when either an anti-VDR or an anti-RXR monoclonal antibody was added. Conversely, the Sardinian mutated VDRE sample showed very low affinity for the RXR/VDR heterodimer. These data seem to exclude a role of VDREs in the promoter region of the DRB1 gene in susceptibility to MS carried by DRB1* alleles in Sardinian patients

Analysis of Atlantic bluefin tuna catches from the last Tonnara in the Mediterranean Sea: 1993–2010

In the last 20 years, several factors have heavily impacted the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery. They include management policies, market changes, the ban of the drift-net fishery, expansion of the modern purse seine fleet, and implementation of a stock recovery plan. To enhance current knowledge about the population's status, we conducted a long-term analysis (1993–2010) of scientific data and standardized catch-per-unit-of-effort (CPUE) from the traditional trap fishery of Sardinia (Western Mediterranean, Italy), which is the last active bluefin trap fishery in the Mediterranean. We detected a significant increase of the standardized CPUE and a significant decrease in mean weight over time. Cluster analysis conducted on 29,000 specimens revealed three different size groups that were distinct by time period: the 1993–1995 period was characterized by a significant presence of large bluefin; a decrease in mean weight occurred in the 1996–2006 period; and 2007–2010 was characterized by the prevalence of young adults in the history in the trap fishery. This trend, which needs to be confirmed over longer time and spatial scales, raises some ecological questions. In particular, is the occurrence of these young adults a consequence of changes in the migratory behavior of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean, or does it reflect the actual demography of this population? The results of this study emphasize that data from traditional traps provide valuable long term scientific information about population parameters through time, and thus the use of traps as monitoring stations should continue in the future

La tradizione politica aristotelica nel Rinascimento europeo: tra "familia" e "civitas"

Attraverso l'analisi di opere di autori del XV secolo (Leon Battista Alberti) e del XVI secolo (Giovanni Nevizzano, Andr\ue9 Tiraqueau, Francesco Guicciardini) si \ue8 inteso verificare il costante ed importante ricorso alle opere aristoteliche in pieno Rinascimento, con particolare riguardo alla Politica, all'Etica a Nicomaco e all'Economico. Gli autori analizzati, tra cui alcuni giuristi, mostrano di condividire appieno le teorie politiche ed economiche di Aristotele sul parallelismo tra famiglia e stato e sulla organizzazione familiare imperniata sulla supremazia del marito, motivata con la inferiorit\ue0 psico-fisica della donna. La novit\ue0 consiste nell'aver indagato in questa direzione facendo oggetto di analisi le opere di giuristi, solitamente ignorate dalla storiografia, e nell'aver dimostrato la persistente centralit\ue0 dell'insegnamento aristotelico in campo politico ed economico

A mobile remote monitoring service for measuring fetal heart rate

This paper illustrates an architecture and an implementation of a tele-monitoring service measuring fetal heart rate. The service helps pregnant women in self-accomplishing the exam at their homes wearing a textile garment connected to an 8-channel ECG monitoring device which delivers the signal to a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. The mobile device then sends the acquired signal over the air to a clinic server where further processing is performed and a medical report is eventually issued. A web application is available on the clinic server in order to enable the medical staff to retrieve and classify the acquired signals. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014