1,720,988 research outputs found
Influenza di un protocollo di arricchimento ambientale sul comportamento dei cavalli in scuderia.
No full textInfluence of environmental enrichment framework on the behaviour of stabled horses [Influenza di un protocollo di arricchimento ambientale sul comportamento dei cavalli in scuderia]
No full textThe latest research shows that animal welfare might be affected by the possibility of performing a behavioural repertoire which is as natural as possible, as already stated in the fifth of the "Five Freedoms" developed by the Farm Animal Welfare Council. To make up for modem stabling methods, there is a trend to use environmental enrichment programmes that increase the animals' behavioural repertoire and make it as similar as possible to that of animals in the wild. Also for horses, the modern stabling methods cause alterations between the behaviour of stabled animals and that of animals in the natural state, with remarkable differences above all in terms of sociality, eating and motor behaviours. The goal of this paper was to develop an environmental enrichment protocol for the horses of a horse-riding school that allows to change the current social, feeding and locomotor conditions of the stabled animals through structural, stable management and staff training measures. The programme we proposed and implemented was then assessed by comparing the horses that undergone the protocol with a control group that maintained the original structure and management. Such comparison involved behavioural tests and analyses of in-box ethograms, and the results showed that horses tend to align their behaviours to the natural repertoire when they have an opportunity to do so, and that environmental enrichment may also affect behaviours that are important for the perception of the environment, such as attention and exploration of objects and people. This suggests that stabling methods that provide quantitative/qualitative changes in the stabled horses' behavioural repertoire should be developed and implemented, since this aspect might affect their welfare
Plasmatic levels of carnosine and l-histidine in horses under treadmill standardised exercise
No full textThe aim of this study was to detect the variations of Carnosine (Carn) and l-Histidine (l-Hist) concentrations in horse blood plasma as a potential indicator of muscle status
during 2 treadmill standardised exercise test (SET) executed at 48 hours one to the other. The concentrations of both molecules increased during all SET; l-Hist concentrations were alwayshigher than Carn ones. Significant increases were found between the values of Carn and of l-Hist during the second SET and in the first versus the second SET (p<0.05) and Carn during thefirst SET (p<0.005). A positive correlation was found in each horse between Carn and l-Hist values (p<0.05). The higher basal values observed during the second SET could be due to the absence in plasma of carnosinase and/or to subclinical muscle damages in untrained horse.
Plasma concentrations of these molecules can be useful as clinical indicators of muscle damageand could be utilized to plan SET
Determinazione quantitativa dei dipeptidi istidinici nel cervello bovino mediante metodica HPLC
No full textRIASSUNTO La Carnosina (b-Alanil-L-Istidina) e i dipeptidi ad essa correlati (Omocarnosina e Anserina) sono molecole largamente distribuite nei tessuti degli organismi vertebrati, soprattutto in quelli eccitabili come il tessuto muscolare e il sistema nervoso. Nel tessuto nervoso dei vertebrati inferiori (osteitti, anfibi e rettili) sono presenti soprattutto l’Omocarnosina e in misura minore la Carnosina. Scopo della presente ricerca è stato quello di determinare mediante metodica HPLC le concentrazioni dei dipeptidi istidinici e loro componenti nella corteccia cerebrale e nel cervelletto di 15 bovini (10-12 mesi di età) di ambo i sessi. I dati ottenuti dimostrano che l’Omocarnosina risulta più concentrata (nmoli/g di campione ± E.S.) nella corteccia (3506,33 ± 447,45) rispetto alla Carnosina (102,82 ± 16,18) ed alla L-Istidina (2616,93 ± 116,07). È stata inoltre osservata una correlazione positiva tra Carnosina ed Omocarnosina (r = 0,57, p < 0,02) e correlazioni negative tra la Carnosina e la L-Istidina (r = 0,484, p < 0,05) e tra la Omocarnosina e la L-Istidina (r = 0,61, p < 0,01). La loro distribuzione % nella corteccia cerebrale è risultata la seguente: 2% Carnosina, 42% L-Istidina e 56% Omocarnosina. Nel cervelletto la presenza di Carnosina è stata dimostrata solamente nel 25% degli animali presi in esame mentre l’Omocarnosina (517.17 ± 55,10) e la L-Istidina (2093,96 ± 281,43) sono state determinate in concentrazioni minori rispetto a quelle osservate nella corteccia cerebrale. Nel cervelletto sono state osservate correlazioni negative tra le concentrazioni di Omocarnosina e L-Istidina (r = 0,676; p < 0,01) e tra le concentrazioni di L-Istidina presenti nella corteccia e nel cervelletto (0.64; p<0.01). La distribuzione % di queste due molecole nel cervelletto era: 20% Omocarnosina e 80% L-Istidina. Infine i livelli di Omocarnosina rilevati nella corteccia e nel cervelletto risultavano essere inversamente correlati (r = 0,486; p < 0,05). Nessuna differenza significativa era osservata tra maschi e femmine; con questa metodica di analisi in HPLC, è stato possibile determinare le concentrazioni di questi dipeptidi e della L-Istidina in animali giovani di ambo i sessi appartenenti alla specie bovina. I dati ottenuti, in questi giovani soggetti, mostrano come l’Omocarnosina sia presente in concentrazioni maggiori nella corteccia rispetto al cervelletto dove è presente in concentra- zione minore di circa sette volte. La Canosina risulta invece praticamente assente nel cervelletto mentre la concentrazione di L-Istidina in questo compartimento si riduce di appena il 20%. Questa distribuzione è in accordo con studi effettuati sul ratto (De Marchis et al., 2000) dove è stata osservata mediante metodica di immunoreattività una localizzazione della Carnosina nel cervelletto dipendente dall’età del soggetto, probabilmente a causa di una evoluzione dell’attività metabolico enzimatica delle cellule gliali e dei neuroni. In conclusione la determinazione quantitativa in HPLC di questi Dipeptidi nel bovino associata a metodiche immuno istochimiche in giovani e vecchi animali potrebbero essere utili per meglio comprendere la distribuzione quantitativa e il ruolo che questi Dipeptidi hanno in relazione allo sviluppo del sistema nervoso. SUMMARY Carnosine (b-Alanyl-L-Histidine) and other related dipeptides, such as Anserine and Homocarnosine are widely distributed in tissues of vertebrate organisms particularly in muscle and nervous tissue. As to cellular localisation of Carnosine related dipeptides in central nervous system of reptiles and amphibians, studies show high concentrations of Homocarnosine and lower concentrations of Carnosine. The aim of this research was to evaluate by HPLC method the concentrations of Histidinic Dipeptides and their components in 15 samples of bovine’s cerebral cortex and cerebellum (male and female, 10-12 months of age). Our data show that in cerebral cortex the concentration (nmol/g of sample ± E.S.) of Homocarnosine (3506.33 ± 447.45) is higher respect to Carnosine(102.82 ± 16.18) and to L-Histidine (2616.93 ± 116.07). In addition, a positive correlation has been founded between Carnosine and Homocarnosine (r = 0.57; p < 0.02) and negative correlations between Carnosine and L-Histidine (r = 0.484; p < 0.05) and between Homocarnosine and L-Histidine (r = 0.61 p < 0.01). The distribution of these dipeptides and their components in cerebral cortex is: 2% Carnosine, 42% L-Histidine and 56% Homocarnosine. The presence of Carnosine in cerebellum has been detected only in 25% of all animals and the concentrations of L-Histidine (2093.96 ± 281.43) and Homocarnosine (517.17 ± 55.10) are lower respect to cerebral cortex. The % distribution of these components in cerebellum was: 80% L-Histidine and 20% Homocarnosine. Our data show that in cerebellum a negative correlation exists between Homocarnosine and L-Histidine (r = 0,676; p < 0.01). In addition a negative correlations were observed between Homocarnosine concentrations in cerebellum and cerebral cortex (r = 0.486; p < 0.05). This negative correlation was relieved also for L-Histidine distribution between these compartments (0.64; p < 0.01). No significative gender related differences have been founded. From this study has been possible to find the Histidinic Dipeptides and L-Histidine concentrations by a very simple and rapid HPLC method in young bovine animals. Our data show clearly that Homocarnosine concentration was higher respect to Carnosine levels in cortex and that Carnosine was practically absent in cerebellum. In cerebellum Homocarnosine concentrations in all subjects were reduced respect to cerebral cortex (about 7 times less) and also in cerebellum L-Histidine levels were reduced about 20 % respect to cerebral cortex. These differences of Histidinic Dipeptides distribution could be do probably at the progressive metabolic activity of glial cells and neurones that has been reported in rat brain study 34 ANNALI FAC. MED. VET., LVIII (2005) (De Marchis et al., 2000). In this research it has been demonstrated by immunohistochemical method that the brain’s concentration of Carnosine increases with age. In conclusion a quantitative HPLC detection of these Dipeptides in bovine, associated with immunohistochemical methods, in old and young animals could be useful to understand the quantitative distribution and role of these dipeptides in relation to nervous system development
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Brief note about plasma catecholamines kinetics and submaximal exercise in untrained standardbreds
Full text linkFour untrained standardbred horses performed a standardized exercise test on the treadmill and an automated blood collection system programmed to obtain blood samples every 15 s was used for blood collection in order to evaluate the kinetics of adrenaline and noradrenaline. The highest average values obtained for adrenaline and noradrenaline were 15.0 +/- 3.0 and 15.8 +/- 2.8 nmol/l respectively, with exponential accumulation of adrenaline (r = 0.977) and noradrenaline (r = 0.976) during the test. Analysis of the correlation between noradrenaline and adrenaline for each phase of the test shows that correlation coefficient decreases as the intensity of exercise increases (from r = 0.909 to r = 0.788). This suggests that during submaximal exercise, the process for release, distribution and clearance of adrenaline into blood circulation differs from that of noradrenaline
Temperature effect on post column derivatisation reaction with o-phthalaldehyde of hystidine dipeptides and their components
No full textDeterminazione dei parametri cinetici in spermatozoi di verro con un nuovo sistema integrato semiautomatico per analisi di motilità
No full textBoar is a model species for investigating the relationship between semen parameters and fertility, in fact the pig offers some advantages over other species. Two types of fertility information can be obtained: 1) success or failure to conceive 2) the number of piglet born.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate kinetic parameters of boar spermatozoa by a new system for semiautomatic quantitative measurement of motility : EukaTrack Sperm Plus.This program works off-line, by acquiring data as movies, to process in a further step
Impatto emotivo dell’uso di maschera spirometrica nel cavallo durante esercizio al treadmill
No full text- …
