Search results for "1100"
showing 10 items of 207 documents
Effects of ewes grazing sulla or ryegrass pasture for different daily durations on forage intake, milk production and fatty acid composition of cheese
2016
Sulla (Sulla coronarium L.) forage is valued for its positive impact on ruminant production, in part due to its moderate content of condensed tannin (CT). The duration of daily grazing is a factor affecting the feed intake and milk production of ewes. In this study, the effects of grazing sulla pasture compared with annual ryegrass, and the extension of grazing from 8 to 22 h/day, were evaluated with regard to ewe forage intake and milk production, as well as the physicochemical properties and fatty acid (FA) composition of cheese. During 42 days in the spring, 28 ewes of the Comisana breed were divided into four groups (S8, S22, R8 and R22) that grazed sulla (S) or ryegrass (R) for 8 (0800…
Exercise Training Protocols in Rabbits Applied in Cardiovascular Research
2020
Simple Summary Several animal models have been used to understand the physiological adaptations produced by exercise training in the healthy and diseased cardiovascular system. Among those, the protocols for acute and chronic exercise in rabbits present several advantages compared to other large animal models. In addition, the rabbit model has important physiological similarities with humans. On the other hand, the design of the training protocol is a key factor to induce the physiological adaptations. Here, we review the different training protocols used in rabbits and the different physiological adaptations produced in the cardiovascular system, in normal and pathological conditions. Abst…
Penalized classification for optimal statistical selection of markers from high-throughput genotyping: application in sheep breeds
2018
The identification of individuals’ breed of origin has several practical applications in livestock and is useful in different biological contexts such as conservation genetics, breeding and authentication of animal products. In this paper, penalized multinomial regression was applied to identify the minimum number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from high-throughput genotyping data for individual assignment to dairy sheep breeds reared in Sicily. The combined use of penalized multinomial regression and stability selection reduced the number of SNPs required to 48. A final validation step on an independent population was carried out obtaining 100% correctly classified individuals. …
Diet-Induced Rabbit Models for the Study of Metabolic Syndrome
2019
Simple Summary In recent years, obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) have become more prevalent owing to increased unhealthy habits and sedentary lifestyles, becoming public health problems. Experimental studies have allowed us to explore the mechanisms underlying the pathophysiological processes related to MetS. Several research protocols can be carried out with minimal staff, maintenance, and resources in animals such as rabbits. High-fat diets enriched with other components, mainly cholesterol and sugars, result in the rapid development of hypercholesterolemia and vascular alterations as a response to dietary manipulation. Furthermore, other experimental models, including transgenic rab…
Biochemical and nutritional traits of sea bass (Dicentrachus labrax) from different rearing systems
2009
Farmed European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), sampled from three different culture systems (intensive in sea-cages, intensive in land-based basins and extensive in lagoon and storage basins of salt-work), of the Northern, Central and Southern Italy, were analyzed with the aim to employ nutritional trait to describe and to distinguish the “origin” of the product. Lipid and fatty acid profile, strongly affected by the feeding history and environmental factors, responsible of the nu- tritional and perceived quality of fish product, are proposed as marker of origin.
Cadmium, Copper and Tributyltin effects on fertilization of Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata)
2009
Marine environments are continuously being threatened by a large number of xenobi- otics from anthropogenic sources. The effect of chemical pollution on living organisms are numerous and may impair reproductive success of adults species of marine invertebrate and vertebrate through effects on gamete quality. Echinoderms are characterized by external fertilizzation and gametes, free of any type of protection, may be in contact with toxic substances so the reproductive success depends largely on the environment conditions. The purpose of this work is to assess the effects on the in vitro fertiliza- tion of exposure of sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus gametes to xenobiotic substances as CuSO4,…
Molecular characterisation of k-casein gene in Girgentana dairy goat breed and identification of two new alleles
2015
The k-casein fraction plays an important role in the formation, stabilisation and aggregation on casein micelles and thus affects technological and nutritional properties of milk. In this study, exon 4 of k-casein (CSN3) gene was sequenced and analysed in Girgentana goat breed. Analyses of the obtained sequences showed the presence of A, B, D, and G known alleles and two new genetic variants, named D’ and N. The new D’ allele differs from D in one transition, G284→A284, which did not cause amino acid change. The new N allele differs from A in five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): T245/C245, G284/A284, G309/A309, G471/A471 and T591/C591, while it differs from C in one transition, i.e.…
Critical appraisal of tubular putative eumetazoans from the Ediacaran Weng'an Doushantuo biota
2015
Molecular clock analyses estimate that crown-group animals began diversifying hundreds of millions of years before the start of the Cambrian period. However, the fossil record has not yielded unequivocal evidence for animals during this interval. Some of the most promising candidates for Precambrian animals occur in the Weng'an biota of South China, including a suite of tubular fossils assigned to Sinocyclocyclicus, Ramitubus, Crassitubus and Quadratitubus, that have been interpreted as soft-bodied eumetazoans comparable to tabulate corals. Here, we present new insights into the anatomy, original composition and phylogenetic affinities of these taxa based on data from synchrotron radiation …
Anthropoid versus strepsirhine status of the African Eocene primates Algeripithecus and Azibius: craniodental evidence.
2009
Recent fossil discoveries have demonstrated that Africa and Asia were epicentres for the origin and/or early diversification of the major living primate lineages, including both anthropoids (monkeys, apes and humans) and crown strepsirhine primates (lemurs, lorises and galagos). Competing hypotheses favouring either an African or Asian origin for anthropoids rank among the most hotly contested issues in paleoprimatology. The Afrocentric model for anthropoid origins rests heavily on the >45 Myr old fossil Algeripithecus minutus from Algeria, which is widely acknowledged to be one of the oldest known anthropoids. However, the phylogenetic position of Algeripithecus with respect to other p…
Molecular characterization of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum in Switzerland and France with a new multilocus sequence typing scheme
2018
Syphilis is an important public health problem and an increasing incidence has been noted in recent years. Characterization of strain diversity through molecular data plays a critical role in the epidemiological understanding of this re-emergence. We here propose a new high-resolution multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (TPA). We analyzed 30 complete and draft TPA genomes obtained directly from clinical samples or from rabbit propagated strains to identify suitable typing loci and tested the new scheme on 120 clinical samples collected in Switzerland and France. Our analyses yielded three loci with high discriminatory power: TP0136, TP0548, and TP…