Evaluation of venous blood gas analysis, blood chemistry and haemocytometric parameters in milk fed veal calves at different periods of livestock cycle

An evaluation of blood chemistry profile in relation to specific stages of livestock cycle can help better understand variations in physiological conditions in order to adjust management systems to animal needs. In addition to basal hematological investigation, the acid-base balance and blood gases are essential tools in evaluating metabolism in calves. The relationship between blood gas parameters, diet and growth should be further investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in acid-base status, blood gases, serum chemistry and hematological parameters in veal calves at different periods of livestock cycle. One hundred twenty-eight healthy cross breeding calves were enrolled in a farm in North-East Italy. Blood samplings were carried out from the jugular vein on day 1 (t1), 60 (t2) and 150 (t3) after arrival. Blood gas analysis was performed and hematological parameters were evaluated. One-way ANOVA and Tukey-Kramer post-hoc test were performed to assess differences between blood par- ameter values at the different periods. The main differences in blood gas parameter levels during the livestock cycle concerned pH, Base Excess and HCO3 with higher values recorded in t3. Urea, creatinine, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and bilirubin mean values were significantly higher in t1 than in t2 and t3. Aspartate aminotransferase increased from t1 to t2 and t3. Alkaline Phosphatase was higher in t2. Fe levels severely dropped in t2 and in t3, and the decrease led to a restrained but significant reduction in haemoglobin values. A correspondent decrease in the other haemocytometric parameters was found

Use of hepatic and testicular molecular biomarkers to detect growth promoters misuse in cattle: a preliminary application under field conditions

Introduction. Growth promoters (GPs) are forbidden at the European Community level. Nevertheless, GPs misuse in cattle still represent a major concern. In the past decade an increasing interest toward the set up and validation of molecular biomarkers to be used side by side with official analytical methods has been recorded (Nebbia, 2010). In preceding pilot studies, a number of tissue-specific responsive genes have been identified (Giantin, 2010; Lopparelli, 2011). In this study, these biomarkers were preliminarily tested under field conditions. Materials and methods. Ninety-five cattle testis and liver aliquots were collected by chance at slaughterhouses, placed in microtubes with RNAlater\uae and stored at -80\ub0C until use. A robust set of negative controls (44 animals), from earlier pilot studies, were included in the study, too. Total RNA was extracted with TRIzol\uae Reagent and gene expression profiles measured by using a quantitative Real Time RT-PCR approach (qPCR). Seven and eight target genes were chosen for liver and testis, respectively. Results were elaborated (Hierarchical Clustering, HCL, and Principal Component Analysis, PCA) by using the GenEx software (Berkvist, 2010). Results. In liver, HCL clustered samples into three main groups, supported by PCA: negative controls and most of random samples were clustered together (\u201cnegatives\u201d), while three animals were distinctly grouped in another cluster (\u201csuspects\u201d). Further nine samples, assigned to negatives by GenEx, generated a different cluster; therefore, they were classified as \u201cdoubtful\u201d. In testis, three \u201csuspects\u201d and three \u201cdoubtful\u201d were identified besides \u201cnegatives\u201d. Considering both tissues as a whole, the software identified three \u201csuspects\u201d and two \u201cdoubtful\u201d. Conclusions. This study aimed to test a set of candidate genes and a popular software for qPCR data processing and analysis upon a large number of random samples. The approach allocated samples into three different clusters, representing different expression profiles. Presented data suggest that transcriptome analysis and bioinformatic tools, coupled with a robust database of negative controls, might be helpful for tracking GPs abuse in cattle. Further studies are needed to confirm these promising results. References. Nebbia C., Urbani A., Carletti M., Gardini G., Balbo A., Bertarelli D., Girolami F., 2010. Novel strategies for tracing the exposure of meat cattle to illegal growth-promoters. The Veterinary Journal, 189: 34-42. Giantin M., Lopparelli R. M., Zancanella V., Martin P. G., Polizzi A., Gallina G., Gottardo F., Montesissa C., Ravarotto L., Pineau T., Dacasto M., 2010. Effects of illicit dexamethasone upon hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes and related transcription factors mRNAs and their potential use as biomarkers in cattle. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 58: 1342-1349. Lopparelli R. M., Zancanella V., Giantin M., Ravarotto L., Pozza G., Montesissa C., Dacasto M., 2011 Steroidogenic enzyme gene expression profiles in the testis of cattle treated with illicit growth promoters. Steroids, 76: 508-516. Berkvist A., Rusnakova V., Sindelka R., Garda J. M. A., Sjogreen B., Lindh D., Forootan A., Kubista M., 2010. Gene expression profiling \u2013 Clusters of possibilities. Methods, 50: 323-335. Acknowledgements. Project supported by a grant from Regione del Veneto (Dgr 2888 07/10/2008) to M.D

Antibacterial activity of nanocomposites of silver and bacterial or vegetable cellulosic fibers

Cellulose/Ag nanocomposites were prepared using two distinct methodologies and two cellulose substrates: vegetable and bacterial cellulose. These nanocomposites were characterized in terms of their morphology and chemical composition. Detailed studies on the antibacterial activity of these materials were carried out for Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Silver nanoparticles present in the cellulosic fibers in concentrations as low as 5.0 10 4 wt.% make these nanocomposites effective antibacterial materials. We anticipate that the versatile use of these cellulose-based nanocomposites can bring a promising strategy to produce a wide range of interesting materials where antibacterial properties are crucial