Search results for "biome"

No evidence for associations between brood size, gut microbiome diversity and survival in great tit (Parus major) nestlings

2022

Abstract Background The gut microbiome forms at an early stage, yet data on the environmental factors influencing the development of wild avian microbiomes is limited. As the gut microbiome is a vital part of organismal health, it is important to understand how it may connect to host performance. The early studies with wild gut microbiome have shown that the rearing environment may be of importance in gut microbiome formation, yet the results vary across taxa, and the effects of specific environmental factors have not been characterized. Here, wild great tit (Parus major) broods were manipulated to either reduce or enlarge the original brood soon after hatching. We investigated if brood siz…

Le varianti A1 e A2 della ?-caseina non hanno un effetto significativo sul microbiota del latteThe A1 and A2 ?-casein variants have not impact on mil…

2020

Objective: Milk is composed by a complex microbiota which can be influenced by numerous factors such as the season, the diet, the type of litter, the facility. As well, the animal's genotype can affect the composition of the milk microbiota. In milk, ?-casein is characterized by a high-level of polymorphism. The aim of this study was to verify if A1 and A2 ?-casein variants could in- fluence the milk microbioma. Materials and methods: Thirty Holstein cows were genotyped for ?-casein locus and divided into three groups. In two different sea- sons, milk samples (individual and bulk tank for each experi- mental group) and mozzarella cheese were collected separately from each group. Bacterial D…

Effects of Minimalist Footwear and Foot Strike Patterns on Plantar Pressure during a Prolonged Running

2022

The use of minimalist shoes (MS) in running involves changes in running mechanics compared to conventional shoes (CS), but there is still little research analysing the effects of this footwear on plantar pressure, which could help to understand some risk injury factors. Moreover, there are no studies examining the effects of a prolonged running and foot strike patterns on baropodometric variables in MS. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the changes produced using MS on plantar pressure during a prolonged running, as well as its interaction with the time and foot strike pattern. Twenty-one experienced minimalist runners (age 38 ± 10 years, MS running experience 2 ± 1 years) ran…

On the Finite Element Modeling of the Lumbar Spine: A Schematic Review

2023

Finite element modelling of the lumbar spine is a challenging problem. Lower back pain is among the most common pathologies in the global populations, owing to which the patient may need to undergo surgery. The latter may differ in nature and complexity because of spinal disease and patient contraindications (i.e., aging). Today, the understanding of spinal column biomechanics may lead to better comprehension of the disease progression as well as to the development of innovative therapeutic strategies. Better insight into the spine’s biomechanics would certainly guarantee an evolution of current device-based treatments. In this setting, the computational approach appears to be a remarkable …

Motility analysis by means of video tracked markers

2018

Abstract The motility of the gastrointestinal tract is crucial for digestive activity and dysfunction can lead to severe disease pattern. A method for analysing the motility is needed when treatment approaches shall be evaluated. Therefore markers attached to different locations on the stomach and the bowel of pigs are video tracked in this research study. The markers are designed to provide a high contrast and have an adhesive side for fixation. Above the operation field a video camera has been placed to film the markers during the procedure. To analyse the video data a special algorithm has been implemented. The algorithm requires a registration process at the beginning of each recording …

Hands-feet wireless devices: Test-retest reliability and discriminant validity of motor measures in Parkinson's disease telemonitoring

2022

Background Telemonitoring, a branch of telemedicine, involves the use of technological tools to remotely detect clinical data and evaluate patients. Telemonitoring of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) should be performed using reliable and discriminant motor measures. Furthermore, the method of data collection and transmission, and the type of subjects suitable for telemonitoring must be well defined. Objective To analyze differences in patients with PD and healthy controls (HC) with the wearable inertial device SensHands-SensFeet (SH-SF), adopting a standardized acquisition mode, to verify if motor measures provided by SH-SF have a high discriminating capacity and high intraclass corr…

Motor unit activation and spinal excitability in young and elderly males during isometric and dynamic muscle actions

2013

Modeling muscle mechanics of arm and leg movement : a new approach to Hill's equation

2015

Assessment of the tibia using ultrasonic guided waves in pubertal girls

2002

The purpose of this study was to compare low frequency ultrasonic guided wave measurements with established ultrasound and bone density measurements in terms of their ability to characterize the tibia in pubertal girls. Subjects were 12-14-year-old girls ( n=106) who were participating in a calcium and vitamin D intervention study. A prototype low frequency pulse transmission device consisting of a uniaxial scanning mechanism and low frequency transducers orientated perpendicularly to the limb was used to measure two ultrasound velocities in the tibia. The first velocity, V1, was that of the first arriving signal, similar to that measured by existing commercial tibial ultrasound devices. Th…

Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis with Bone Marrow-Derived Mononuclear Cell Injection: 12-Month Follow-up.

2018

Objectives To evaluate the main symptoms of knee osteoarthritis (OA) and tissue structure changes after a single dose bone marrow–derived mononuclear cell (BM MNC) intra articular injection. Case series study. Patients with knee OA Kellgren Lawrence (K-L) grade II and III received 1 injection of BM MNC. The clinical results were analyzed with the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and Knee Society Score (KSS) before, 3, 6, and 12 months after injection. Radiological evaluation was performed with a calibrated x-ray and the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging before and 6 to 7 months postinjection. Results A total of 34 knees were treated with BM MNC injections. Mean (±SD) age of…