First application of a microsphere-based immunoassay to the detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs): quantification of Cry1Ab protein in genetically modified maize     

Fantozzi A  Ermolli M  Marini M  Scotti D  Balla B  Querci M  Langrell SR  Van den Eede G 《Journal of agricultural and food chemistry》2007,55(4):1071-1076

An innovative covalent microsphere immunoassay, based on the usage of fluorescent beads coupled to a specific antibody, was developed for the quantification of the endotoxin Cry1Ab present in MON810 and Bt11 genetically modified (GM) maize lines. In particular, a specific protocol was developed to assess the presence of Cry1Ab in a very broad range of GM maize concentrations, from 0.1 to 100% [weight of genetically modified organism (GMO)/weight]. Test linearity was achieved in the range of values from 0.1 to 3%, whereas fluorescence signal increased following a nonlinear model, reaching a plateau at 25%. The limits of detection and quantification were equal to 0.018 and 0.054%, respectively. The present study describes the first application of quantitative high-throughput immunoassays in GMO analysis.  相似文献   

Debating the cause of a neurological disorder     

Duncan MW  Marini AM 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2006,313(5794):1737

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Impact of farm size and topography on plant and insect diversity of managed grasslands in the Alps     

Lorenzo Marini  Paolo Fontana  Andrea Battisti 《Biological conservation》2009,142(2):394-403

Since the second half of the 20th century, the intensification of land-use practices and the associated decline in semi-natural habitats have been the major drivers of farmland biodiversity loss. In many marginal agricultural systems, a structural transformation of farms, from small and traditional to large and intensive, has also been observed. We unravelled the impact of farm size and slope on plant, orthopteran and butterfly diversity in 132 hay meadows in a region of the Italian Alps. We defined three farm size classes representing different levels of intensification and used mixed models to test the influence of farm size along with topographic slope. The diversity of plants, orthopterans and butterflies declined with management intensity at the field scale, which mainly depended on farm size and grassland topography. We found a positive effect of slope and a negative influence of farm size on species richness of the three taxonomic groups. Large farms were strongly associated with higher production of organic fertilizers and higher soil fertility than small traditional farms, irrespective of meadow slope. At the regional scale, we found that large farms managed flatter meadows (slope = 9.0) than small traditional farms (slope = 13.5), contributing to the abandonment of steep species-rich grassland areas. Regional stakeholders should consider targeted conservation schemes to prevent the ongoing substitution of small farms with large intensive farms. A complementary solution could be to target future conservation measures to support farms with low production of organic fertilizers and to reward the maintenance of the current management of steep meadows.  相似文献   

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING FEATURES AND OUTCOME FOR SOLITARY CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM COCCIDIOIDES GRANULOMAS IN 11 DOGS AND CATS          下载免费PDF全文

R. Timothy Bentley  Hock Gan Heng  Craig Thompson  Chun‐Sheng Lee  Robert A. Kroll  Michael E. Roy  Lauren Marini  Jin Heo  William L. Wigle 《Veterinary radiology & ultrasound》2015,56(5):520-530

Little published information is available to guide therapy for canine and feline patients with Coccidioides infections involving the central nervous system (CNS). The purpose of this cross‐sectional retrospective study was to describe magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and outcome for a group of dogs and cats with solitary CNS Coccidiodes granulomas. Nine canine and two feline cases met inclusion criteria; four diagnosed and treated with surgery and fluconazole and seven diagnosed by serology or cytology and treated medically. Three cases had left Coccidioides endemic areas long before developing neurological disease. The MRI lesions shared many features with neoplastic masses. The extra‐axial granulomas often had a lack of a distinct border between the mass and neural parenchyma. Four cases were extra‐axial and seven were intra‐axial, but distinguishing between extra‐axial and intra‐axial locations was sometimes challenging. The surgical cases had good outcomes and histology allowed definitive diagnosis. Medically managed patients also had generally good outcomes, with resolution of clinical signs in most cases. Findings indicated that distinction between neoplasia and focal Coccidioides granulomas based on MRI features is likely to be imprecise. Demonstration of the organism by cytology or histology is required for definitive diagnosis. The role of surgery for improving the outcome of brain or spinal coccidioidomycosis granulomas warrants further study.  相似文献   

Religious slaughter in Italy     

Cenci-Goga  B. T.  Mattiacci  C.  De Angelis  G.  Marini  P.  Cuccurese  A.  Rossi  R.  Catanese  B. 《Veterinary research communications》2010,34(1):139-143

This research aims to understand the prevalence of religious slaughter practices in Italy. Two different ways of slaughtering animals are identified. Conventional slaughter is performed with prior stunning; kosher slaughter is practiced without stunning. Halal slaughter is performed for most animals without stunning. Halal slaughter with prior stunning is acceptable for 5.90% of small ruminants. For Halal slaughter in Italy, the terms “religious slaughter with stunning” and “religious slaughter without stunning” should be used to differentiate religious slaughter practices, keeping animal welfare in perspective.

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Flow cytometric characterization of culture expanded multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from horse adipose tissue: towards the definition of minimal stemness criteria     

Pascucci L  Curina G  Mercati F  Marini C  Dall'Aglio C  Paternesi B  Ceccarelli P 《Veterinary immunology and immunopathology》2011,144(3-4):499-506

In the last decades, multipotent mesenchymal progenitor cells have been isolated from many adult tissues of different species. The International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) has recently established that multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) is the currently recommended designation. In this study, we used flow cytometry to evaluate the expression of several molecules related to stemness (CD90, CD44, CD73 and STRO-1) in undifferentiated, early-passaged MSCs isolated from adipose tissue of four donor horses (AdMSCs). The four populations unanimously expressed high levels of CD90 and CD44. On the contrary, they were unexpectedly negative to CD73. A small percentage of the cells, finally, showed the expression of STRO-1. This last result might be due to the existence of a small subpopulation of STRO-1+ cells or to a poor cross-reactivity of the antibody. A remarkable donor-to-donor consistency and reproducibility of these findings was demonstrated. The data presented herein support the idea that equine AdMSCs may be easily isolated and selected by adherence to tissue culture plastic and exhibit a surface profile characterized by some peculiar differences in comparison to those described in other species. Continued characterization of these cells will help to clarify several aspects of their biology and may ultimately enable the isolation of specific, purified subpopulations.  相似文献   

Ex vivo evaluation of imatinib mesylate for induction of cell death on canine neoplastic mast cells with mutations in c-Kit exon 11 via apoptosis     

Giacomo Rossi  Chiara Bertani  Subeide Mari  Carlotta Marini  Giacomo Renzoni  Gregory Ogilvie  Gian Enrico Magi 《Veterinary research communications》2013,37(2):101-108

Several studies of canine spontaneous mast cell tumours have described mutations in the c-kit proto-oncogene. These mutations produce a constitutively activated product and have been suggested to play a role in the malignant transformation of mast cells. We hypothesize that the selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate inhibits signal transduction and induces apoptosis when tested in cutaneous canine mast cell tumour samples positive for mutation in c-kit exon 11. Three-dimensional ex vivo cultures of canine grade II mast cell tumour treated with STI-571 at 48, 72, and 96 h and tested for signal transduction and apoptosis using appropriate assays were used. There was a progressive and significant increase in caspase-3 and TUNEL-positive mast cells compared to the untreated cultures. Additionally, a concurrent reduced expression of Ki67 and BCL-2 was observed. Furthermore, the treated cultures showed a marked reduction of Kit expression. Our results demonstrate that STI-571 induces Caspase-dependent apoptosis in a canine neoplastic mast cells possessing mutations in c-kit exon 11.  相似文献   

Nitrogen transactions along the gastrointestinal tract of cattle: A meta-analytical approach     

Marini JC  Fox DG  Murphy MR 《Journal of animal science》2008,86(3):660-679

In ruminant animals, endogenous N (EN) secretions contribute to meeting the N requirement of the ruminal microflora. The EN also constitutes a sizable portion of the duodenal N flow, which might be available to the host animal. Most measures of EN have been accomplished with highly invasive techniques or unusual semisynthetic diets. By utilizing a statistical approach and data obtained from studies reporting duodenal, ileal, and fecal N flows in cattle, the EN losses and true digestibility of N were estimated for different segments of the gastrointestinal tract of cattle. A simulation for a reference diet (24.2 g of N/kg of OM, 32% NDF and carbohydrates of medium fermentation rate) consumed at 2% of BW daily estimated that the minimal contribution of EN to the N available in the rumen was 39%. The free EN represented 13% of the duodenal N flow, and when bacterial N of EN origin was considered, EN contributed 35% of the total N flow. The minimal entry of EN into various segments of the gastrointestinal tract was also estimated as: foregut, 10.54; small intestine, 3.10; and hindgut, 5.0 g/kg of OMI. Rumen dietary N degradability was 0.68, and true N digestibilities in the small intestine and hindgut were 0.75 and 0.49, respectively. A better understanding of the factors involved in EN losses will allow for a more accurate estimation of both N supply and N requirements. This will translate into improved accuracy of diet formulation and less N excreted into the environment.  相似文献   

Ranitidine bismuth citrate and clarithromycin, alone or in combination, for eradication of Helicobacter mustelae infection in ferrets     

Marini RP  Fox JG  Taylor NS  Yan L  McColm AA  Williamson R 《American journal of veterinary research》1999,60(10):1280-1286

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether ranitidine bismuth citrate, clarithromycin, or a combination of ranitidine bismuth citrate and clarithromycin would be efficacious in eradication of Helicobacter mustelae infection in ferrets. ANIMALS: 60 seven-month-old ferrets. PROCEDURE: To determine dosages of clarithromycin and ranitidine bismuth citrate that would suppress growth of, but not eradicate infection with, H mustelae, ferrets (n = 6/group) were treated p.o. with clarithromycin or ranitidine bismuth citrate at various dosages. Efficacy of treatment was then determined by treating ferrets with clarithromycin alone, ranitidine bismuth citrate alone, or clarithromycin and ranitidine bismuth citrate. Gastric biopsy specimens were obtained before, during, and at various times after treatment and submitted for quantitative bacterial culture and histologic evaluation. Minimum concentrations of clarithromycin that inhibited 90% of the growth of isolates obtained before and after treatment were determined. RESULTS: Dosages of clarithromycin and ranitidine bismuth citrate that suppressed growth of H mustelae were 12.5 and 24 mg/kg of body weight, p.o., every 8 hours, respectively. Infection was not eradicated in ferrets treated with ranitidine bismuth citrate alone but was eradicated in all 6 ferrets treated with clarithromycin and ranitidine bismuth citrate and in 4 of 6 treated with clarithromycin alone. A decrease in susceptibility to clarithromycin was detected for H mustelae isolates obtained after treatment. Mild or moderate antral gastritis was observed even in ferrets from which infection was eradicated. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A combination of ranitidine bismuth citrate and clarithromycin was efficacious in eradicating H mustelae infection from ferrets.  相似文献   

Epiphytic lichen diversity in old-growth and managed Picea abies stands in Alpine spruce forests     

Juri Nascimbene  Lorenzo Marini  Pier Luigi Nimis 《Forest Ecology and Management》2010

In the last decades, a large body of literature has grown to evaluate the impact of forest management on epiphytic lichens in boreal coniferous forests. However, information is still lacking on coniferous forests of the Alps. This study compares lichen diversity between spruce forest stands of four successional stages: (1) young, (2) intermediate, (3) mature forests managed for timber production with a rotation cycle of 120–180 years, and (4) old-growth protected forests. The emphasis was placed on the occurrence of nationally rare and calicioid species (lichens and fungi traditionally referred to as Caliciales, known to be indicative of forest age and continuity). For each forest successional stage, four plots were selected. In each plot, 7 spruce individuals were surveyed for epiphytic lichens according to a standardised sampling method. Species richness increased from young to mature stands, while no difference was detected between mature and old-growth stands. This pattern was also confirmed for rare and calicioid species which are, however, more frequent in old-growth stands. Differences in species composition were also found between the different forest successional stages. Mature and old-growth plots slightly overlap, indicating that to some extent comparable lichen assemblages could be found in these stands. A nested pattern of species assemblages was found, old-growth stands hosting most of the species which were also found in stands belonging to the previous forest successional stages. Our results support the hypothesis that the management regime applied to spruce forests of the Italian Alps renders mature stands managed for timber production somewhat similar to old-growth stands as lichen habitat. However, we found a higher complexity in old-growth forests, and many species of conservation concern clearly preferred old-growth stands. In this perspective, a further prolongation of the normal cycle it is likely to be a most favourable conservation-oriented management to be recommended at least within protected areas and Natura 2000 sites, where conservation purposes should receive a high priority.  相似文献