Tenebrio Molitor Meal in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) Diets: Effects on Animal Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Chemical Composition of Fillets

This study evaluated the effects of diets containing Tenebrio molitor (TM) larvae meal on growth performances, somatic indexes, nutrient digestibility, dorsal muscle proximate and fatty acid (FA) compositions of rainbow trout. Three hundred sixty fish were randomly divided into three groups with four replicates each. The groups were fed diets differing in TM inclusion: 0% (TM0), 25% (TM25) and 50% (TM50) as fed weight basis. Weight gain was not affected by treatment. Feeding rate was significantly higher in TM0 than TM50. Feed conversion ratio was significantly higher in TM0 than TM25 and TM50, while an opposite trend was observed for protein efficiency ratio and specific growth rate. The survival rate was significantly lower in TM0 than TM25 and TM50. The apparent digestibility of protein was significantly lower in the TM50 group than the other groups, while the apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and lipids was unaffected by treatment. If compared to control, the protein and lipid contents of fillets were respectively increased and decreased following TM inclusion in the diet. The Σn3/Σn6 FA ratio of fish dorsal muscle was linearly (TM0>TM25>TM50) reduced by TM inclusion in the diet. Results suggested that TM could be used during the growing phase in trout farming; however, additional studies on specific feeding strategies and diet formulations are needed to limit its negative effects on the lipid fraction of fillets

Clinical and virological findings in patients with Usutu virus infection, northern Italy, 2018

Background Usutu virus (USUV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus, which shares its transmission cycle with the phylogenetically related West Nile virus (WNV). USUV circulates in several European countries and its activity has increased over the last 5 years. Aim To describe human cases of USUV infection identified by surveillance for WNV and USUV infection in the Veneto Region of northern Italy in 2018. Methods From 1 June to 30 November 2018, all cases of suspected autochthonous arbovirus infection and blood donors who had a reactive WNV nucleic acid test were investigated for both WNV and USUV infection by in-house molecular methods. Anti-WNV and anti-USUV IgM and IgG antibodies were detected by ELISA and in-house immunofluorescence assay, respectively; positive serum samples were further tested by WNV and USUV neutralisation assays run in parallel. Results Eight cases of USUV infection (one with neuroinvasive disease, six with fever and one viraemic blood donor who developed arthralgia and myalgia) and 427 cases of WNV infection were identified. A remarkable finding of this study was the persistence of USUV RNA in the blood and urine of three patients during follow-up. USUV genome sequences from two patients shared over 99% nt identity with USUV sequences detected in mosquito pools from the same area and clustered within lineage Europe 2. Conclusions Clinical presentation and laboratory findings in patients with USUV infection were similar to those found in patients with WNV infection. Cross-reactivity of serology and molecular tests challenged the differential diagnosis

Genetic traceability of two local chicken populations, Bianca di Saluzzo and Bionda Piemontese, versus some current commercial lines.

The aims of this investigation were to analyse the genetic variation of two Piemonte chicken local breeds, Bionda Piemontese and Bianca di Saluzzo, and to set them against some commercial lines. A panel of 19 microsatellite markers was used. On the overall, the results of different analyses highlight the genetic uniqueness of the two breeds; therefore they should be considered genetic resources worthy of preservation. The panel of microsatellites used in this investigation turns out to be a consistent and reliable tool for traceability. In fact, these markers are able to distinguish the two local populations from the commercial lines and they are able to confirm the existence of two genetically different clusters within the Bionda Piemontese, namely the ecotypes standard and Cuneo. Mating policies implemented to avoid inbreeding and, if necessary, a marker assisted conservation scheme would be sufficient to solve the problem of inbreeding

PKA and PDE4D3 anchoring to AKAP9 provides distinct regulation of cAMP signals at the centrosome

Previous work has shown that the protein kinase A (PKA)–regulated phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4D3 binds to A kinase–anchoring proteins (AKAPs). One such protein, AKAP9, localizes to the centrosome. In this paper, we investigate whether a PKA–PDE4D3–AKAP9 complex can generate spatial compartmentalization of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling at the centrosome. Real-time imaging of fluorescence resonance energy transfer reporters shows that centrosomal PDE4D3 modulated a dynamic microdomain within which cAMP concentration selectively changed over the cell cycle. AKAP9-anchored, centrosomal PKA showed a reduced activation threshold as a consequence of increased autophosphorylation of its regulatory subunit at S114. Finally, disruption of the centrosomal cAMP microdomain by local displacement of PDE4D3 impaired cell cycle progression as a result of accumulation of cells in prophase. Our findings describe a novel mechanism of PKA activity regulation that relies on binding to AKAPs and consequent modulation of the enzyme activation threshold rather than on overall changes in cAMP levels. Further, we provide for the first time direct evidence that control of cell cycle progression relies on unique regulation of centrosomal cAMP/PKA signals