School nutrition guidelines: overview of the implementation and evaluation

Objective To holistically evaluate the extent of implementation of dietary guidelines in schools and present various monitoring systems. Design The study comprises three methods: (i) a cross-sectional survey (process evaluation); (ii) an indicator-based evaluation (menu quality); and (iii) a 5 d weighed food record of school lunches (output evaluation). Setting Slovenian primary schools. Subjects A total 234 food-service managers from 488 schools completed a self-administrated questionnaire for process evaluation; 177 out of 194 randomly selected schools provided menus for menu quality evaluation; and 120 school lunches from twenty-four schools were measured and nutritionally analysed for output evaluation. Results The survey among food-service managers revealed high levels of implementation at almost all process evaluation areas of the guidelines. An even more successful implementation of these guidelines was found in relation to organization cultural issues as compared with technical issues. Differences found in some process evaluation areas were related to location, size and socio-economic characteristics of schools. Evaluation of school menu quality demonstrated that score values followed a normal distribution. Higher (better) nutrition scores were found in larger-sized schools and corresponding municipalities with higher socio-economic status. School lunches did not meet minimum recommendations for energy, carbohydrates or dietary fibre intake, nor for six vitamins and three (macro, micro and trace) elements. Conclusions The implementation of the guidelines was achieved differently at distinct levels. The presented multilevel evaluation suggests that different success in implementation might be attributed to different characteristics of individual schools. System changes might also be needed to support and improve implementation of the guidelines

The role of metabolism in understanding the altitudinal segregation pattern of two potentially interacting lizards

Sympatric species from the same ecological guild, that exhibit partial altitudinal segregation, can potentially interact in areas of syntopic occurrence. Besides general species' ecology, physiology can provide important answers about species interactions reflected in altitudinal patterns. Lizards Podarcis muralis and Iberolacerta horvathi exhibit partial altitudinal segregation, while they strongly resemble in overall morphology and ecology (diet, daily and seasonal activity pattern), but show certain degree of physiological dissimilarity. They have similar mean preferred body temperatures and patterns of seasonal and daily variations but differ in the magnitude of seasonal variation. Since an ectotherm metabolism is highly dependent on body temperature, thermoregulation is expected to directly affect their metabolism. We compared metabolic rates of adult males from an area of sympatry, measured under two temperature regimes (20°C and 28°C). Both species increased metabolic rates with temperature in a similar pattern. We also compared electron transport activity from tail tissues which provide values of species' potential metabolic activity (enzymatic capacity). Species clearly differed in potential metabolic activity; I. horvathi attained higher values than P. muralis. No difference was detected in how species exploited this potential (calculated from the ratio of electron transport activity and metabolic rates). However, we observed higher potential metabolic activity I. horvathi which together with the ability to thermoregulate more precisely could represent a higher competitive advantage over P. muralis in thermally more restrictive environments such as higher altitudes. Understanding of metabolism seems to provide valuable information for understanding recent distributional patterns as well as species interactions

Whole-genome analysis of introgressive hybridization and characterization of the bovine legacy of Mongolian yaks

The yak is remarkable for its adaptation to high altitude and occupies a central place in the economies of the mountainous regions of Asia. At lower elevations, it is common to hybridize yaks with cattle to combine the yak’s hardiness with the productivity of cattle. Hybrid males are sterile, however, preventing the establishment of stable hybrid populations, but not a limited introgression after backcrossing several generations of female hybrids to male yaks. Here we inferred bovine haplotypes in the genomes of 76 Mongolian yaks using high-density SNP genotyping and whole-genome sequencing. These yaks inherited ~1.3% of their genome from bovine ancestors after nearly continuous admixture over at least the last 1,500 years. The introgressed regions are enriched in genes involved in nervous system development and function, and particularly in glutamate metabolism and neurotransmission. We also identified a novel mutation associated with a polled (hornless) phenotype originating from Mongolian Turano cattle. Our results suggest that introgressive hybridization contributed to the improvement of yak management and breeding

Data from: A metabolic syndrome in terrestrial ectotherms with different elevational and distribution patterns

The metabolic performance of ectotherms is expected to be driven by the environment in which they live. Ecologically similar species with contrasting elevation distributions occurring in sympatry at mid-elevations, provide good models for studying how physiological responses to temperature vary as a function of adaptation to different elevations.. Under sympatry, at middle elevations, where divergent species ranges overlap, sympatric populations are expected to have similar thermal responses, suggesting similar local acclimation or adaptation, while observed differences would suggest adaptation to each species’ core range. We analysed the metabolic traits of sympatric species pairs from three ectotherm groups: reptiles (Reptilia: Lacertidae), amphibians (Amphibia: Salamandridae) and beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), living at different elevations, in order to test how adaptation to different elevations affects metabolic responses to temperature. We experimentally tested the thermal response of respiration rate (RR) and estimated potential metabolic activity (PMA) at three temperature regimes surrounding the groups’ optimal activity body temperatures. RR was relatively similar among groups and showed a positive response to increasing temperature, which was more pronounced in the high-elevation species of reptiles and beetles. Relative to RR, PMA displayed a stronger and more consistent positive response to increased temperature in all three groups. For all three groups, the average biochemical capacity for metabolism (PMA) was higher in the range-restricted, high-elevation species, and this difference increased at higher temperatures in a consistent manner. These results, indicating consistent pattern in three independently evolved animal groups, suggest a ubiquitous adaptive syndrome and represent a novel understanding of the mechanisms shaping spatial biodiversity patterns. Our results also highlight the importance of geographic patterns for the mechanistic understanding of adaptations in physiological traits, including species’ potential to respond/adapt to global climate changes

Is It Function or Fashion? An Integrative Analysis of Morphology, Performance, and Metabolism in a Colour Polymorphic Lizard

Colour polymorphism may be accompanied by alternative expressions of phenotypic traits that are directly or indirectly related to fitness, and selection forces may act on the traits separately or concurrently. In polymorphic species, natural selection may act through frequency- or density-dependent mechanisms and maintain polymorphism through interactions among morphs. We used an integrative approach to examine functionally relevant and interrelated life history traits in the context of colour polymorphism in the European wall lizard (Podarcis muralis). Body, head and limb morphology, bite and locomotor performance, and physiology, particularly metabolic and antioxidant capacity, were analysed in the three pure colour morphs (yellow, orange, white) and the two mosaic morphs (yellow-orange and white-orange). Morphological differences between morphs were present but subtle and consisted mainly of variations in head length. Head size and bite force were strongly associated between and within morphs. Limb and boot morphology and locomotor performance (sprinting and climbing) were variably associated among morphs. Finally, variation in biochemical indicators of cellular metabolism and antioxidant capacity appeared to be largely independent of morphology and performance. The results provide evidence for existing and non-existing relationships between colour and morphology, performance, and physiology that could have short- and long-term effects on selection

ELECTROCHEMOTHERAPY: EXPERIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PISA

Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a local treatment for cutaneous and subcutaneous tumours, that uses electric pulses (electroporation), combined with the administration (local or systemic) of non- or poorly-permeable cytotoxic drugs. Electroporation causes a transient permeabilization of cellular membranes in the treated tissue and allows the passage and accumulation of cytotoxic drugs within the neoplastic cells. Once inside the targeted cells the drugs provoke cytotoxicity (Mir et al., Eur J Cancer, Suppl., 2006; Mir et al., Adv Drug Deliv Rev., 1999; Tozon et al., J Vis Exp., 2016). Currently only bleomycin and cisplatin have been proven effective combined with ECT (Čemažar et al., J Vet Intern Med., 2008; Serša et al., Eur J Surg Oncol., 2008). In addition, ECT induces the so called vascular-lock and vascular disrupting mechanism, a rapid and profound abrogation of local blood flow of exposed tissue that leads to ischemic cell death. Finally, ECT studies showed a potential role of the immune system in anti-tumour effectiveness (Jarm et al., Expert Rev Anticancer Ther., 2010; Calvet et al., Oncoimmunology, 2014). Guidelines for ECT in veterinary medicine were published by Tozon and others in 2016. (Tozon et al., J Vis Exp., 2016) The experience at the University of Pisa is mostly based on retrospective studies. The latest study was arranged to evaluate the feasibility of ECT in the treatment of non-tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma (ntSCC). Twelve dogs with ntSCC were treated with ECT combined with systemic bleomycin. The response rate was 92% and the overall recurrence rate was 27.3%. All dogs with tumours smaller than 2 cm obtained complete response. Overall treatment toxicity was very low (Simčič et al., ready for submission to VCO, 2019). The first study was about the use of ECT with systemic bleomycin in canine mast cell tumour (MCT) with or without surgical excision. A group of 51 dogs was divided in 4 groups based on treatment modality (1-ECT only, 2-intra-surgery, 3-neoadjuvant ECT, 4-ECT recur). Complete remission ranging from 64-93% and partial remission from 7-36% were observed. The group where ECT was used intra-surgically obtained the best and longest disease-free interval. In conclusion, ECT could be applied in small size MCTs as an alternative to surgery. However, for larger tumours ECT should be applied intra- or post-surgery without causing high toxicity (Lowe et al., Vet Comp Oncol., 2017). Recently, we published a study on the safety and efficacy of ECT with systemic bleomycin in the treatment on canine soft tissue sarcomas (STSs). Fifty-two dogs included in the study were divided in three groups (1-ECT alone, 2-intra-operative, 3-adjuvant ECT). Recurrence rate ranged 23-25% and disease-free interval ranged 81-243 days. Local treatment toxicity was mild in 66.7% of the patients and higher toxicity was associated with higher pulse voltage. In conclusion, ECT could be considered safe and efficient in treatment of canine STSs (Torrigiani et al., Vet Comp Oncol., 2019). In all three studies the results achieved after ECT treatment are good and, in the future, more prospective studies should be performed to confirm the success of ECT as a treatment modality for solid tumours in veterinary medicine

Is It Function or Fashion? An Integrative Analysis of Morphology, Performance, and Metabolism in a Colour Polymorphic Lizard

Colour polymorphism may be accompanied by alternative expressions of phenotypic traits that are directly or indirectly related to fitness, and selection forces may act on the traits separately or concurrently. In polymorphic species, natural selection may act through frequency- or density-dependent mechanisms and maintain polymorphism through interactions among morphs. We used an integrative approach to examine functionally relevant and interrelated life history traits in the context of colour polymorphism in the European wall lizard (Podarcis muralis). Body, head and limb morphology, bite and locomotor performance, and physiology, particularly metabolic and antioxidant capacity, were analysed in the three pure colour morphs (yellow, orange, white) and the two mosaic morphs (yellow-orange and white-orange). Morphological differences between morphs were present but subtle and consisted mainly of variations in head length. Head size and bite force were strongly associated between and within morphs. Limb and boot morphology and locomotor performance (sprinting and climbing) were variably associated among morphs. Finally, variation in biochemical indicators of cellular metabolism and antioxidant capacity appeared to be largely independent of morphology and performance. The results provide evidence for existing and non-existing relationships between colour and morphology, performance, and physiology that could have short- and long-term effects on selection