Effect of Lupinus albus as protein supplement on yield, constituents, clotting properties and fatty acid composition in ewes' milk

The effect of feeding lupin seeds (Lupinus albus L.) as an alternative protein source in ewe diets was investigated. Two groups of 18 Sarda ewes were fed two different isonitrogenous diets: with lupin (L) seed, given after 12 h soaking, or soybean meal (SBM) as the main protein source. DMI, variations of body weight and milk production were unaffected by the treatment. Although not statistically significant, in the group fed L diet the production of milk fat and protein was higher. Clotting properties of milk were similar for the two treatments, probably due to the small differences in the milk protein contents. The fatty acid profile of milk was affected by treatment with a larger content of short (14.19 wt% versus 12.26 wt%)- and medium (49.37 wt% versus 47.76 wt%)-chain fatty acids in milk from ewes fed the L diet. CLA content was unaffected by treatment. Triglyceride content of fat from the two diets reflects the milk fatty acid composition. Indeed, milk from L diet showed a higher level of medium-chain triglycerides, which are of particular interest to consumers with concerns over health and heart disease. The inclusion of lupin seed in the diet of lactation ewes can be a means of achieving a more desirable triglyceride profile in milk fat. Milk with enhanced nutritive quality may promote wider market penetration of sheep dairy products

Dinosaur footprints and other Ichnofauna from the Cretaceous Kem Kem Beds of Morocco

We describe an extensive ichnofossil assemblage from the likely Cenomanian-age 'lower' and 'upper' units of the 'Kem Kem beds' in southeastern Morocco. In the lower unit, trace fossils include narrow vertical burrows in cross-bedded sandstones and borings in dinosaur bone, with the latter identified as the insect ichnotaxon Cubiculum ornatus. In the upper unit, several horizons preserve abundant footprints from theropod dinosaurs. Sauropod and ornithischian footprints are much rarer, similar to the record for fossil bone and teeth in the Kem Kem assemblage. The upper unit also preserves a variety of invertebrate traces including Conichnus (the resting trace of a sea-anemone), Scolicia (a gastropod trace), Beaconites (a probable annelid burrow), and subvertical burrows likely created by crabs for residence and detrital feeding on a tidal flat. The ichnofossil assemblage from the Upper Cretaceous Kem Kem beds contributes evidence for a transition from predominantly terrestrial to marine deposition. Body fossil and ichnofossil records together provide a detailed view of faunal diversity and local conditions within a fluvial and deltaic depositional setting on the northwestern coast of Africa toward the end of the Cretaceous

Autoimmune mucocutaneous blistering diseases after SARS-Cov-2 vaccination: A Case report of Pemphigus Vulgaris and a literature review

Background: Cases of severe autoimmune blistering diseases (AIBDs) have recently been reported in association with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination. Aims: To describe a report of oropharyngeal Pemphigus Vulgaris (OPV) triggered by the mRNABNT162b2 vaccine (Comirnaty®/ Pfizer/ BioNTech) and to analyze the clinical and immunological characteristics of the AIBDs cases reported following the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Methods: The clinical and immunological features of our case of OPV were documented. A review of the literature was conducted and only cases of AIBDs arising after the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination were included. Case report: A 60-year old female patients developed oropharyngeal and nasal bullous lesions seven days after the administration of a second dose of the mRNABNT162b2 vaccine (Comirnaty®/ Pfizer/BioNtech). According to the histology and direct immunofluorescence findings showing the presence of supra-basal blister and intercellular staining of IgG antibodies and the presence of a high level of anti-Dsg-3 antibodies (80 U/ml; normal < 7 U/ml) in the serum of the patients, a diagnosis of oropharyngeal Pemphigus Vulgaris was made. Review: A total of 35 AIBDs cases triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination were found (including our report). 26 (74.3%) were diagnosed as Bullous Pemphigoid, 2 (5.7%) as Linear IgA Bullous Dermatosis, 6 (17.1%) as Pemphigus Vulgaris and 1 (2.9%) as Pemphigus Foliaceus. The mean age of the sample was 72.8 years and there was a predominance of males over females (F:M=1:1.7). In 22 (62.9%) cases, the disease developed after Pfizer vaccine administration, 6 (17.1%) after Moderna, 3 (8.6%) after AstraZeneca, 3 (8.6%) after CoronaVac (one was not specified). All patients were treated with topical and/or systemic corticosteroids, with or without the addition of immunosuppressive drugs, with a good clinical response in every case. Conclusion: Clinicians should be aware of the potential, though rare, occurrence of AIBDs as a possible adverse event after the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. However, notwithstanding, they should encourage their patients to obtain the vaccination in order to assist the public health systems to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic

Skeletal myocyte types and vascularity in the Black Sicilian Pig.

The objective of this study was to verify the presence of giant fibres in the Black Sicilian pig skeletal muscle and to evaluate the effect of sex on histochemical and morphometric characteristics of the myocytes (myofibres) as well as vascularity of the muscle. Twenty Black Sicilian pigs (10 males, 10 females) from a farm in Sicily (Italy) were slaughtered at two years of age. Muscle tissues were obtained from three muscles: psoas major, longissimus dorsi, and trapezius. Myofibres were stained for myosin ATPase, succinic dehydrogenase, and α-amylase-PAS. For all fibre types, area and perimeter were measured. Slow-twitch oxidative fibres, fast-twitch glycolytic fibres and fast-twitch oxidative-glycolytic fibres were histochemically differentiated; an image-analyzing system was used. The results showed no differences between males and females in percentage of the fibre types, but there were significant differences between sexes in size of all the three fibre types. Psoas major muscle had a high percentage of slow-twitch oxidative fibres and contained more capillaries per fibre and per mm2 than trapezius and longissimus dorsi, in which fast-twitch glycolytic fibres dominated. The cross-sectional area of all fibres types was larger in longissimus dorsi than in trapezius and psoas major muscles; the giant fibres were absent in all the muscles studied. Fibre type composition may contribute to the variation of meat quality

Fatty acid composition of Mediterranean buffalo milk fat

The purpose of this research was to investigate the variation in fatty acid composition of milk fat from four buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) herds under different feeding management and ration composition. Changes in milk fatty acid composition were monitored on a weekly basis. Saturated fatty acids (65.5%) predominated in buffalo milk fat; monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids were 27.0% and 4.5%, respectively. Of saturated fatty acids, the content of palmitic acid was the highest (30.6%) followed by stearic acid (12.0%) and myristic acid (10.7%). Of the unsaturated fatty acids the content of oleic acid was the highest (26.6%). The average content of conjugated linoleic acid (0.76±0.33) was higher than the maximal values generally reported for dairy cow

Small-Cell Carcinoma of Nasopharynx: A Case Report of Unusual Localization

Neuroendocrine tumors are a spectrum of rare and highly heterogeneous neoplasms with distinct functional and biological behavior in relation to location, tumor size, and histological differentiation. Neuroendocrine tumors arise from the neuroendocrine cells of the diffuse neuroendocrine system located in almost every organ. Neuroendocrine tumors in the head and neck district are usually reported in sinonasal cavities and larynx. We present the case of a nasopharyngeal small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, which, as far as we know, is the 16th case reported in literature

A new tyrannosaur with evidence for anagenesis and crocodile-like facial sensory system

A new species of tyrannosaurid from the upper Two Medicine Formation of Montana supports the presence of a Laramidian anagenetic (ancestor-descendant) lineage of Late Cretaceous tyrannosaurids. In concert with other anagenetic lineages of dinosaurs from the same time and place, this suggests that anagenesis could have been a widespread mechanism generating species diversity amongst dinosaurs, and perhaps beyond. We studied the excellent fossil record of the tyrannosaurid to test that hypothesis. Phylogenetic analysis places this new taxon as the sister species to Daspletosaurus torosus. However, given their close phylogenetic relationship, geographic proximity, and temporal succession, where D. torosus (~76.7–75.2 Ma) precedes the younger new species (~75.1–74.4 Ma), we argue that the two forms most likely represent a single anagenetic lineage. Daspletosaurus was an important apex predator in the late Campanian dinosaur faunas of Laramidia; its absence from later units indicates it was extinct before Tyrannosaurus rex dispersed into Laramidia from Asia. In addition to its evolutionary implications, the texture of the facial bones of the new taxon, and other derived tyrannosauroids, indicates a scaly integument with high tactile sensitivity. Most significantly, the lower jaw shows evidence for neurovasculature that is also seen in birds

Maximizing Nash Social Welfare in 2-Value Instances: The Half-Integer Case

We consider the problem of maximizing the Nash social welfare when allocatinga set $G$ of indivisible goods to a set $N$ of agents. We study instances, inwhich all agents have 2-value additive valuations: The value of a good g \inG for an agent $i \in N$ is either $1$ or $s$, where $s$ is an odd multiple of$\frac{1}{2}$ larger than one. We show that the problem is solvable inpolynomial time. Akrami et at. showed that this problem is solvable inpolynomial time if $s$ is integral and is NP-hard whenever $s = \frac{p}{q}$,$p \in \mathbb{N}$ and $q\in \mathbb{N}$ are co-prime and $p > q \ge 3$. Forthe latter situation, an approximation algorithm was also given. It obtains anapproximation ratio of at most $1.0345$. Moreover, the problem is APX-hard,with a lower bound of $1.000015$ achieved at $\frac{p}{q} = \frac{5}{4}$. Thecase $q = 2$ and odd $p$ was left open. In the case of integral $s$, the problem is separable in the sense that theoptimal allocation of the heavy goods (= value $s$ for some agent) isindependent of the number of light goods (= value $1$ for all agents). Thisleads to an algorithm that first computes an optimal allocation of the heavygoods and then adds the light goods greedily. This separation no longer holdsfor $s = \frac{3}{2}$; a simple example is given in the introduction. Thus analgorithm has to consider heavy and light goods together. This complicatesmatters considerably. Our algorithm is based on a collection of improvementrules that transfers any allocation into an optimal allocation and exploits aconnection to matchings with parity constraints.<br

Maximizing Nash Social Welfare in 2-Value Instances

We consider the problem of maximizing the Nash social welfare when allocatinga set $\mathcal{G}$ of indivisible goods to a set $\mathcal{N}$ of agents. Westudy instances, in which all agents have 2-value additive valuations: Thevalue of every agent $i \in \mathcal{N}$ for every good $j \in \mathcal{G}$ is$v_{ij} \in \{p,q\}$, for $p,q \in \mathbb{N}$, $p \le q$. Maybe surprisingly,we design an algorithm to compute an optimal allocation in polynomial time if$p$ divides $q$, i.e., when $p=1$ and $q \in \mathbb{N}$ after appropriatescaling. The problem is \classNP-hard whenever $p$ and $q$ are coprime and $p\ge 3$. In terms of approximation, we present positive and negative results forgeneral $p$ and $q$. We show that our algorithm obtains an approximation ratioof at most 1.0345. Moreover, we prove that the problem is \classAPX-hard, witha lower bound of $1.000015$ achieved at $p/q = 4/5$.<br

Lung ultrasound and BNP to detect hidden pulmonary congestion in euvolemic hemodialysis patients: a single centre experience

Background: Dry weight assessment in hemodialysis (HD) remains a challenge. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of subclinical pulmonary congestion using lung ultrasound (LUS) in maintenance HD patients with no clinical or bioimpedance signs of hyperhydration. The correlation between B-lines Score (BLS) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) was also evaluated. Methods: Twenty-four HD patients underwent LUS and BNP dosage at the end of the mid-week HD session, monthly for 6 months. LUS was considered as positive when BLS was &gt;15. Hospitalizations and cardiovascular events were also evaluated in relation to the BLS. Results: LUS+ patients at baseline were 16 (67%), whereas 11 (46%) showed LUS + in at least 50% of the measurements (rLUS+ patients). Only the rLUS+ patients had a higher number of cardiovascular events [p=0.019, OR: 7.4 (CI 95%. 1.32-39.8)] and hospitalizations [p=0.034, OR 5.5 (CI 95% 1.22- 24.89)]. A BNP level of 165 pg/ml was identified as cut-off value for predicting pulmonary congestion, defined by BLS &gt;15. Conclusion: Prevalence of pulmonary congestion as assessed by LUS and persistent or recurrent BLS &gt;15 were quite prevalent findings in euvolemic HD patients. In the patients defined as rLUS+, a higher rate of cardiovascular events and hospital admissions was registered. BNP serum levels &gt; 165 pg/ml resulted predictive of pulmonary congestion at LUS. In the dialysis care, regular LUS examination should be reasonably included among the methods useful to detect subclinical lung congestion and to adjust patients’ dry weight