1,721,173 research outputs found
Project Apiculture MIPAAF 2021. Data about Trace elements in Italian honeybees and wild plants
No full textThe dataset contains the data on the content of three trace elements (copper, zinc, and iron) in samples of honeybees and wild plants collected from 6 farms. The biological samples were collected during the productive season in two periods of the year (T1=April 2023 and T2=July 2023, except for one farm (Farm3 ), for which only the first sampling is present) from 6 farms located in different Italian regions: one from Emilia-Romagna (Farm1), one from Veneto (farm2), one from Friuli Venezia Giulia (Farm6), and three from Abruzzo (Farm3, Farm4, and Farm5). Of the 6 farms, three were conventionally managed (Farm2, Farm4, and Farm6), while the others were organic (Farm1, Farm3, and Farm5). The farms were also grouped into small (Farm1 and Farm2), medium (Farm3 and Farm4), and large (Farm5 and Farm6) according to the number of hives. Trace elements were analysed using atomic absorption spectrometry after acid digestion of the samples
Looking for biomarkers of health status in the hemolymph of Apis mellifera
No full textThe demographic decline of honeybees (Apis mellifera) determines negative effects not only for agriculture and apiculture, but also for the ecosystems.
For this reason, it is mandatory to understand the determinants causing the decline and to establish objective criteria to evaluate their health status. Proteins in the hemolymph may represent a source of valuables biomarkers to assess the health status of the hive; however, they are still poorly investigated.
The aim of this study is to separate, to identify the most abundant proteins in the hemolymph, and to identify biomarkers of health status that could help beekeepers and veterinarians in the management and treatment of the hives.
Four apiaries were chosen for this research, characterized by different management and location (A= hill, B and D= plain, C= apiary subjected to nomadism). In each apiary, three hives were selected and bees were collected in June, July, August, September, and October. Then 2 μL of hemolymph were withdrawn from each bee and the total proteins were determined by the Bradford method. The proteins of the hemolymph were separated using the SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and identified using mass spectrometry. Colony-level traits (areas covered with bees, brood, sealed brood and pollen) were also estimated.
In the hemolymph of honeybees, 20 proteins were identified and among these, five proteins showed relevant variations. These are vitellogenin, apolipophorin, hexamerin, transferrin and prophenoloxidase. In particular, in October, the apiary C presented worst general conditions and a lower population associated with lower concentrations of total proteins, apolipoforin and vitellogenin. The apiary D, on the contrary, had the best trophic and health conditions, associated with higher concentrations of all the aforementioned five proteins.
Thereby, it is possible to hypothesize that these proteins may be valuables biomarkers of health status, and it is worthy to continue their study
Urine proteome in canicross dogs before and after a competition
No full textThe dataset contains the data on urinary biochemical parameters and urinary proteins to investigate the effects of exercise during canicross competition on to determine whether exercise and stress associated with competition could still have a negative effect on renal function.
In particular, pH was affected by exercise and proteinuria also showed changes immediately after physical exercise with a return to baseline within 2 hours after the physical activity.
SDS-PAGE electrophoresis allowed the separation of the urinary proteins on the basis of their molecular mass allowing a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the urinary proteome, which showed significant increase in urinary albumin and a decrease in uromodulin after exercise
Efficacy of Extracts of Oleogum Resin of Boswellia in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Full text linkBackground: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) has recently been ranked as the 11th highest contributor to global disability. More than 40% of the patients use complementary and alternative medicine including supplements containing phytoextracts with anti-inflammatory properties as those from Boswellia genus.
Objective: The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of phytoextracts from the oleogum resin of the Boswellia genus as a supplementation for patients affected by knee OA.
Search Methods: Four electronic databases were used for the research and PRISMA statements were followed throughout the study.
Selection Criteria: The following inclusion criteria were used: a) the subjects of the study were humans with a diagnosis of knee OA reported by medical staff; b) randomisation and the presence of a control (placebo, negative or positive control), and c) outcomes reported with WOMAC and/or VAS score.
Data collection and analysis: Publication bias was assessed with funnel plot and through the Egger test. Jadad scale was used in order to assess the quality of the studies included. The statistical heterogeneity was assessed using I2 statistics. Results of meta-analysis and sub-group analysis were reported using forest plot.
Results: A total of 13 studies involving 850 (WOMAC) and 1185 (VAS) patients met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis did not detect a significant effect of the use of Boswellia extracts between the control and the treatment groups due to the high heterogeneity of the studies (p=0.0865 for WOMAC) and (p= 0.3966 VAS). However, the subsequent sub-group analysis demonstrated the significant beneficial effect of Boswellia extracts with respect to a placebo (lower WOMAC score in the treatment groups). This was also confirmed in the meta-regression applied to the WOMAC scores.
Conclusion: Boswellia extracts showed potential benefits in the treatment of knee OA respect to a placebo using the WOMAC score. This is an important finding as people exposed to NSAID-related adverse effects could benefit from the use of Boswellia extracts. However, further high-quality studies are needed to establish the clinical efficacy of extracts from genus Boswellia
Trace elements in unconventional animals: A 40-year experience
No full textThe role of trace elements in animal health has attracted increasing interest in recent years. The essentiality and toxicity of these elements have been extensively investigated in humans, laboratory animal models and partially in domestic animals, whereas little is known about trace element metabolism in most living organisms. Forty years ago our research started on Cd metabolism in molluscs, thereafter expanding to Zn, Cu, and Fe metabolism in many unconventional animal species of veterinary interest. This review summarizes the main results obtained over this long period of time: some of the findings are original and have not been published to date. They are discussed in more detail and compared with data obtained in conventional animals, including man
Antioxidant enzymes in canine mammary tumors
No full textSpontaneous mammary tumors are very common in bitches. The involvement of oxidative stress and the function of antioxidant enzymes in cancerogenesis have been studied in depth in human medicine, while data in veterinary medicine are still fragmentary. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the activity and the expression of superoxide dismutases (Cu-ZnSOD and MnSOD) and the activity of catalase (CAT) in canine mammary tumors in comparison with the adjacent healthy tissue. Six female dogs (mean age 10.4 years) were included in this study. After surgery, fresh tumor and healthy tissue samples were immediately frozen in dry ice and stored at -80°C for biochemical analyses, while the remaining parts were used for histopathological analysis. Enzyme activity was measured by spectrophotometric assays and protein expression by western blotting. In canine mammary tumors, Cu-ZnSOD activity and expression increased significantly compared with healthy control tissues (p=0.03). MnSOD showed a significantly lower activity in tumoral tissues at stage 2 (p<0.05), while a significant increase of expression was measured in tumors. CAT activity was significantly higher in healthy tissues respect to tumors (p=0.015). These variations of antioxidant enzymes activities and expression could be related to an increase of oxidative stress in breast cancer tissues and could be considered as biomarker candidates for neoplastic transformation
Cytotoxic Effects of Artemisia annua L. and Pure Artemisinin on the D-17 Canine Osteosarcoma Cell Line
Full text linkArtemisia annua has been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Although used as an antimalarial drug, its active compound artemisinin and the semisynthetic derivatives have also been investigated for their anticancer properties, with interesting and promising results. The aims of this research were to evaluate (i) the cytotoxicity and the antiproliferative effect of pure artemisinin and a hydroalcoholic extract obtained from A. annua on the D-17 canine osteosarcoma cell line and (ii) the intracellular iron concentration and its correlation with the cytotoxic effects. Both artemisinin and hydroalcoholic extract induced a cytotoxic effect in a dose-dependent manner. Pure artemisinin caused an increase of cells in the S phase, whereas the hydroalcoholic extract induced an evident increase in the G2/M phase. A significant decrease of iron concentration was measured in D-17 cells treated with pure artemisinin and hydroalcoholic extract compared to untreated cells. In conclusion, although preliminary, the data obtained in this study are indicative of a more potent cytotoxic activity of the hydroalcoholic extract than pure artemisinin, indicating a possible synergistic effect of the phytocomplex and a mechanism of action involving iron and possibly ferroptosis. Considering the similarities between human and canine osteosarcomas, progress in deepening knowledge and improving therapeutic protocols will probably be relevant for both species, in a model of reciprocal translational medicine
Attività antinfiammatoria di un mangime complementare addizionato con estratto secco di Boswellia serrata e Salix alba in galline ovaiole
No full textTotal Plasma Magnesium In Healthy And Critically Ill Foals
No full textAbnormalities in total Mg (tMg) concentration in plasma and/or serum are common in critically ill humans, and the association with increased mortality has been documented in several clinical studies in adults and newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Abnormalities in tMg were studied in hospitalized dogs, cats, and adult horses. Newborn foals were scarcely studied with regard to Mg concentration. The aims of the present study were: (1) to compare two analytical methods for the determination of tMg in plasma: the automated colorimetric method and the atomic absorption spectrometry; (2) to measure plasma tMg in healthy foals during the first 72 hours after birth and in sick foals during the first 72 hours of hospitalization; (3) to compare total plasma Mg concentration among healthy foals, foals affected by perinatal asphyxia syndrome (PAS), prematurity and/or dismaturity, and sepsis; (4) to evaluate tMg plasma concentration in surviving and non-surviving foals. One hundred seventeen foals were included in the study: 20 healthy and 97 sick foals. The automated method used in clinical practice probably overestimates plasma tMg. Due to its higher sensitivity and specificity, the atomic absorption spectrometry should be considered the method of choice from an analytical point of view, but requires an instrumentation not easily available in any laboratory and specific technical skills and competencies. Plasma tMg in healthy foals were included in the range 0.52 to 1.01 mmol/L and did not show any time-dependent change during the first 72 hours of life. In sick foals, tMg evaluated at T0 was statistically higher than tMg measured at subsequent times. Foals affected by PAS had a tMg at T0 significantly higher (P < 0.01) than healthy, septic, and premature and/or dysmature foals. The. t test found significantly higher (P < 0.01) plasma tMg measured at T0 in non-surviving than in surviving foals. Plasma tMg could be a useful parameter for the diagnosis of PAS and the formulation of the prognosis in critically ill foals
Identification of the most abundant proteins in equine amniotic fluid by a proteomic approach
Full text linkCharacterisation of the physiologic equine amniotic fluid (AF) proteome is a prerequisite to study its changes during diseases and discover new biomarkers. The aim of this study was to identify by a proteomic approach the most abundant proteins of equine AF. AF samples were collected at parturition from 24 healthy mares that delivered healthy foals. All samples were subjected to sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) on 4–12% gels. A pool of the 24 samples, after SDS-PAGE, was cut in 25 slices, trypsin-digested and analysed by mass spectrometry (MS) for protein identification. Mean AF protein concentration was 1.96 ± 1.12 g/L. Thirty-four proteins were successfully identified by MS and subsequently categorised according to Gene Ontology (GO). Twelve proteins (e.g. fibronectin, lumican, thrombospondin and fibulin) belonged to or interacted with the extracellular matrix (ECM) playing an important role in the development of foetal tissues. Most of the remaining proteins were classified as transport (e.g. albumin, major allergen Equ c1 and alpha-fetoprotein) delivering nutrients, ions and lipids essential for foetal growth and development. Among these proteins, major allergen Equ c1 is widely studied in human medicine because it induces Ig-E mediated type I allergic reaction. The absence of immunoglobulins in equine AF was also confirmed
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