Sugary and salty former food products in pig diets affect energy and nutrient digestibility, feeding behaviour but not the growth performance and carcass composition

Former foodstuff products (FFPs) are promising alternative ingredients for reducing the waste of natural resources and the environmental impact of food production. This study investigates the effects of salty and sugary FFPs on growth performance, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD), and growing-finishing pigs' empty body and carcass composition. Thirty-six Swiss Large White male castrated pigs were assigned to three growing (G) and finishing (F) diets: (1) standard diet (ST), 0% FFPs; (2) 30% conventional ingredients replaced by sugary FFPs (SU); and (3) 30% conventional ingredients replaced by salty FFPs (SA). Faecal samples from 24 selected pigs were collected to assess the ATTD of gross energy, crude fibres, and CP. The BW was measured weekly, while feed intake was determined daily. Average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and ATTD were calculated for both the growing and finishing periods. Pigs' body composition was determined at ≥20 and ≥98 kg using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. In the growing but not finishing period, the FCR was lower (P < 0.05) in ST compared to SA and SU pigs. Considering the entire growing and finishing period, neither the inclusion level nor the type of FFPs influenced (P > 0.05) ADG, ADFI, FCR, or BW at slaughter. In both the growing and finishing periods, the gross energy ATTD was higher (P < 0.05) in the SA than in the ST group, with intermediate values in the SU group. In the growing period, the CP ATTD was higher (P < 0.05) in the SA than in the SU and ST groups. In the finishing period, the crude fibre ATTD was lower (P < 0.05) in the SA and SU than in the ST group. Throughout the overall period, the average daily fat intake was higher (P < 0.05) in pigs fed an SU diet, even though both categories of FFPs had no (P > 0.05) effects on the parameters related to the pigs' body composition (e.g., average daily fat weight gain). Finally, the carcasses of the SU group had the thickest belly fat, even though the total fat content was similar among the groups. This study confirms that including FFPs has no detrimental effects on growth performance or live body/carcass composition in growing and finishing pigs.

Review: Pig-based bioconversion: the use of former food products to keep nutrients in the food chain

The primary challenge of agriculture and livestock production is to face the growing competition between food, feed, fibre, and fuel, converting them from resource-intensive to resource-efficient. A circular economy approach, using agricultural by-products/co-products, in the livestock production system would allow to reduce, reuse, and redistribute the resources. Former food products (FFPs), also named ex-foods, could represent a valid option in strengthening resilience in animal nutrition. FFPs have a promising potential to be included regularly in animal diets due to their nutritive value, although their potential in animal nutrition remains understudied. A thorough investigation of the compositional and dietary features, thus, is essential to provide new and fundamental insights to effectively reuse FFPs as upgraded products for swine nutrition. Safety aspects, such as the microbial load or the presence of packaging remnants, should be considered with caution. Here, with a holistic approach, we review several aspects of FFPs and their use as feed ingredients: the nutritional and functional evaluation, the impact of the inclusion of FFPs in pigs' diet on growth performance and welfare, and further aspects related to safety and sustainability of FFPs.

Exploring the Potential for Steel Slags Valorisation in an Industrial Symbiosis Perspective at Meso-scale Level

A greater reuse of steel slags would bring considerable benefits both from an environmental and economic point of view. The development of tools and strategies to monitor at different scales resources and waste flows would allow for better resource planning and a more sustainable management on territory. The aim of this study is to investigate and analyse the supply chain that deals with the management of steel slags at meso-level, in order to investigate the state of implementation of industrial symbiosis (IS), its potential and its improvement. A Mass Flow Analysis (MFA) has been implemented, through big data analysis coming from the integration of regional and provincial databases with a careful data processing from questionnaires. This integrated methodology has proved to be a valid tool to monitor the recovery and reuse, the implementation of industrial symbiosis and to plan improvement actions. This paper reports a representation of the current situation regarding the production, recovery and reuse of these materials in production processes for which they are suitable, with a view to their full exploitation, following the principles of circular economy and an analysis of the mutual exchange that occur among steelmaking plants and other business partners in a network of industrial companies. The results showed that most of the steel slags managed at meso-level (Province of Brescia, Italy) is still unfortunately destined for landfill with low percentage of them classified as by-product highlighting as the IS is not adequately applied. Of the slag destined for treatments and recovery processes, almost all of them are Electric Arc Furnace slag, which are mainly reused for hydraulically bound base layers and road sub-bases (about 85% of the total recovered) and as aggregates for the production of cement and bituminous mixes (about 15% of the total recovered). Results shows as further effort should be made in term of policies and strategies to incentivize IS and to increase the recovery.

Graphical abstract

Sacubitril-valsartan activates pAMPK and reduces NLRP3, MyD88, cytokines/growth factors and DAMPs in doxorubicin-treated mice improving longitudinal strain and ejection fraction

Background

Doxorubicin-mediated adverse cardiovascular events are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in breast cancer patients. Sacubitril-valsartan (LCZ 696) is a combination drug, made up of neprilysin inhibitor sacubitril and angiotensin II receptor blocker valsartan, used for the treatment of heart failure in patients with a reduced ejection fraction.

Purpose

We hypothesized that LCZ 696, administered during doxorubicin, could improve cardiac function

Methods

Female C57Bl/6 mice were untreated (Sham, n=6) or treated for 10 days with doxorubicin i.p at 2.17 mg/kg (DOXO, n=6), LCZ-696 at 60 mg/kg (LCZ, n=6) or doxorubicin combined to LCZ-696 (DOXO-LCZ, n=6). Ejection fraction, radial and longitudinal strain were analyzed through transthoracic echocardiography (Vevo 2100). Cardiac tissue expression of NLRP3 inflammasome, Myd88, DAMPs (galectine 3 and calgranulinS100), pAMPK, NF-kB, and 13 chemokines (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IL17-α, IL-18, IFN-γ, TNF-α, G-CSF, and GM-CSF) were quantified through ELISA and western blot methods.

Results

LCZ 696 improved significantly the EF and prevented the reduction of radial and longitudinal strain after 10 days of treatment with doxorubicin. A reduced expression of NLRP3, MyD88, DAMPs and NF-kB in cardiac tissues was seen in DOXO-LCZ group compared to DOXO mice (p&lt;0.001). Cardiac expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, G-CSF and GM-CSF were significantly reduced after treatment with LCZ-696 indicating anti-inflammatory properties. Expression of pAMPK was strongly enhanced in LCZ-696-DOXO compared to DOXO group. Levels of Calgranulin S100 and galectine-3 were strongly enhanced in DOXO group; on the other hand their expression were reduced by 47.7 and 52.3% in LCZ-696-DOXO group vs DOXO (p&lt;0.005).

Conclusion

In this preclinical study, LCZ-696 is able to improve cardiac function and reduce biomarkers involved in heart failure and fibrosis. The overall picture of the study pushes the use of Sacubitril-valsartan in prevention of cardiomyopathies induced by anthracyclines in cancer patients.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Ricerca Corrente, Ministero della Salute

The prevalence of TTR cardiac amyloidosis among patients undergoing bone scintigraphy

BACKGROUND

Radiolabeled bisphosphonates bone scintigraphy is highly sensitive in detecting transthyretin (TTR) cardiac amyloidosis; data on the true prevalence of cardiac involvement in TTR amyloidosis are lacking.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This retrospective observational, monocentric study aims to estimate the prevalence of positive bone scan suspect for TTR cardiac amyloidosis among an all-comers population who underwent a bone scintigraphy. ECG, echocardiography and clinical status of patients with unexpected cardiac uptake (Perugini score 2-3) who underwent bone scintigraphy with [99mTc]-HDP or [99mTc]-DPD at San Luigi Gonzaga University Hospital between January 2015 and May 2020 have been collected. The prevalence of bone scintigraphy suspect for cardiac involvement was 0.54% (23/4,228). The bone scintigraphy was mainly performed using [99mTc]-HDP (82.9%) and the dominant indication for the test was oncology in the 47.9% of cases. 8 Subjects had a history of neuropathy (34.8%) and 5 of carpal tunnel syndrome (21.7%). 11 Patients suffered a previous episode of heart failure (48%) while 5 patients (21.7%) were totally asymptomatic, without any sign or symptom before the bone scintigraphy making the nuclear examination crucial for an early diagnosis of TTR amyloidosis.

CONCLUSION

Bone scintigraphy allows suspecting TTR amyloidosis in a pre-clinical stage of the disease in an all-comers population of patients undergoing bone scintigraphy mainly for oncology reasons.

COVID-19 therapies and their impact on QT interval prolongation: A multicentre retrospective study on 196 patients

Background

SARS-CoV-2 infection has caused a global pandemic. Many of the medications identified to treat COVID-19 could be connected with QTc prolongation and its consequences.

Methods

Non-ICU hospitalized patients of the three centres involved in the study from the 19th of March to the 1st of May were included in this retrospective multicentre study. Relevant clinical data were digitally collected. The primary outcome was the incidence of QTc prolongation ≥ 500 ms, the main secondary outcomes were the Tisdale score ability to predict QTc prolongation and the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden deaths.

Results

196 patients were analysed. 20 patients (10.2%) reached a QTc ≥ 500 ms. Patients with QTc ≥ 500 ms were significantly older (66.7 ± 14.65 vs 76.6 ± 8.77 years p: 0.004), with higher Tisdale score (low 56 (31.8%) vs 0; intermediate 95 (54.0%) vs 14 (70.0%); high 25 (14.2%) vs 6 (30.0%); p: 0.007) and with higher prognostic lab values (d-dimer 1819 ± 2815 vs 11486 ± 38554 ng/ml p: 0.010; BNP 212.5 ± 288.4 vs 951.3 ± 816.7 pg/ml p < 0.001; procalcitonin 0.27 ± 0.74 vs 1.33 ± 4.04 ng/ml p: 0.003). After a multivariate analysis the Tisdale score was able to predict a QTc prolongation ≥ 500 ms (OR 1,358 95% CI 1,076–1,714p: 0,010). 27 patients died because of COVID-19 (13.7%), none experienced ventricular arrhythmias, and 2 (1.02%) patients with concomitant cardiovascular condition died of sudden death.

Conclusions

In our population, a QTc prolongation ≥ 500 ms was observed in a minority of patients, no suspected fatal arrhythmias have been observed. Tisdale score can help in predicting QTc prolongation.

mTORC2-AKT signaling to ATP-citrate lyase drives brown adipogenesis and de novo lipogenesis

mTORC2 phosphorylates AKT in a hydrophobic motif site that is a biomarker of insulin sensitivity. In brown adipocytes, mTORC2 regulates glucose and lipid metabolism, however the mechanism has been unclear because downstream AKT signaling appears unaffected by mTORC2 loss. Here, by applying immunoblotting, targeted phosphoproteomics and metabolite profiling, we identify ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY) as a distinctly mTORC2-sensitive AKT substrate in brown preadipocytes. mTORC2 appears dispensable for most other AKT actions examined, indicating a previously unappreciated selectivity in mTORC2-AKT signaling. Rescue experiments suggest brown preadipocytes require the mTORC2/AKT/ACLY pathway to induce PPAR-gamma and establish the epigenetic landscape during differentiation. Evidence in mature brown adipocytes also suggests mTORC2 acts through ACLY to increase carbohydrate response element binding protein (ChREBP) activity, histone acetylation, and gluco-lipogenic gene expression. Substrate utilization studies additionally implicate mTORC2 in promoting acetyl-CoA synthesis from acetate through acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2). These data suggest that a principal mTORC2 action is controlling nuclear-cytoplasmic acetyl-CoA synthesis.

mTORC2 activates Akt, a regulator of cell growth and metabolism, however, the role of mTORC2 in adipocytes is incompletely understood. Here the authors report that a mTORC2-Akt axis specifically activates ACLY to promote lipid synthesis and histone acetylation during brown adipocyte differentiation.

Full scale treatment of ASR wastes in a modified rotary kiln

A plant, designed for the thermo-valorisation of tyres, was specifically modified in order to treat Automobile Shredder Residue (ASR). Results from two full-scale combustion experiments, carried out on large ASR feeding lots (thousands of tons) indicate the proposed technology as a potential route to help the fulfilling of impending 95% reuse and recovery target set by the End of life Vehicle (ELV) Directive (January 2015). The paper describes the main operational troubleshot occurred during the first experiment (emissions at the stack out of regulatory limits and problems of clogging on the conveyer belt) and the consequent upgrading solutions (pre-treatment, introduction of waste double low-flow screw feeder and a cyclone prior to the main fan, modification of rotatory kiln inlet) adopted to allow, during the second long-term experiment, a continuous basis operation of the plant in full compliance with the discharge limit to the atmosphere. Characterization of both ASR and combustion residues allowed to quantify a 18% of combustion residues as not dangerous waste while only the 2% as hazardous one. A pre-treatment for the reduction of fines in the ASR was recommended in order to achieve the required energy recovery efficiency.

Review of Italian experience on automotive shredder residue characterization and management

Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) is a special waste that can be classified as either hazardous or non hazardous depending on the amount of hazardous substances and on the features of leachate gathered from EN12457/2 test. However both the strict regulation concerning landfills and the EU targets related to End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) recovery and recycling rate to achieve by 2015 (Directive 2000/53/EC), will limit current landfilling practice and will impose an increased efficiency of ELVs valorization. The present paper considers ELVs context in Italy, taking into account ASRs physical-chemical features and current processing practice, focusing on the enhancement of secondary materials recovery. The application in waste-to-energy plants, cement kilns or metallurgical processes is also analyzed, with a particular attention to the possible connected environmental impacts. Pyrolysis and gasification are considered as emerging technologies although the only use of ASR is debatable; its mixing with other waste streams is gradually being applied in commercial processes. The environmental impacts of the processes are acceptable, but more supporting data are needed and the advantage over (co-)incineration remains to be proven.

The economic status of parents with serious mental illness in the United States

OBJECTIVE

Parents with serious mental illness may be vulnerable to financial insecurity, making successful parenting especially difficult. We explored relationships among parenting, serious mental illness, and economic status in a nationally representative sample.

METHOD

The sample included all working-age participants from the 2009 and 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (n = 77,326). Two well-established scales of mental health distinguished participants with none, mild, moderate, and serious mental illness. We compared economic status by parenthood status and mental illness severity.

RESULTS

Rates of employment were low for parents with serious mental illness (38% full time and 17% part time among mothers; 60% full time and 9% part time among fathers) compared with parents with no mental illness (50% full time and 19% part time among mothers; 85% full time and 5% part time among fathers). Mothers and fathers with serious mental illness were twice as likely to fall below the U.S. Census poverty threshold as their peers without mental illness.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Parents with serious mental illness are less likely to be employed than those without mental illnesses, and are highly likely to be living in poverty. Reducing poverty by helping parents with serious mental illness achieve better jobs and education is likely to translate into family stability and better outcomes.

On the ASR and ASR thermal residues characterization of full scale treatment plant

In order to obtain 85% recycling, several procedures on Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) could be implemented, such as advanced metal and polymer recovery, mechanical recycling, pyrolysis, the direct use of ASR in the cement industry, and/or the direct use of ASR as a secondary raw material. However, many of these recovery options appear to be limited, due to the possible low acceptability of ASR based products on the market. The recovery of bottom ash and slag after an ASR thermal treatment is an option that is not usually considered in most countries (e.g. Italy) due to the excessive amount of contaminants, especially metals. The purpose of this paper is to provide information on the characteristics of ASR and its full-scale incineration residues. Experiments have been carried out, in two different experimental campaigns, in a full-scale tyre incineration plant specifically modified to treat ASR waste. Detailed analysis of ASR samples and combustion residues were carried out and compared with literature data. On the basis of the analytical results, the slag and bottom ash from the combustion process have been classified as non-hazardous wastes, according to the EU waste acceptance criteria (WAC), and therefore after further tests could be used in future in the construction industry. It has also been concluded that ASR bottom ash (EWC - European Waste Catalogue - code 19 01 12) could be landfilled in SNRHW (stabilized non-reactive hazardous waste) cells or used as raw material for road construction, with or without further treatment for the removal of heavy metals. In the case of fly ash from boiler or Air Pollution Control (APC) residues, it has been found that the Cd, Pb and Zn concentrations exceeded regulatory leaching test limits therefore their removal, or a stabilization process, would be essential prior to landfilling the use of these residues as construction material.

Panobinostat synergizes with zoledronic acid in prostate cancer and multiple myeloma models by increasing ROS and modulating mevalonate and p38-MAPK pathways

Patients with advanced prostate cancer (PCa) and multiple myeloma (MM) have limited long-term responses to available therapies. The histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat has shown significant preclinical and clinical anticancer activity in both hematological and solid malignancies and is currently in phase III trials for relapsed MM. Bisphosphonates (BPs), such as zoledronic acid (ZOL), inhibit osteoclast-mediated bone resorption and are indicated for the treatment of bone metastasis. BPs, including ZOL, have also shown anticancer activity in several preclinical and clinical studies. In the present report, we found a potent synergistic antiproliferative effect of panobinostat/ZOL treatment in three PCa and three MM cell lines as well as in a PCa ZOL-resistant subline, independently of p53/KRAS status, androgen dependency, or the schedule of administration. The synergistic effect was also observed in an anchorage-independent agar assay in both ZOL-sensitive and ZOL-resistant cells and was confirmed in vivo in a PCa xenograft model. The co-administration of the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine blocked the increased reactive oxygen species generation and apoptosis observed in the combination setting compared with control or single-agent treatments, suggesting that oxidative injury plays a functional role in the synergism. Proapoptotic synergy was also partially antagonized by the addition of geranyl-geraniol, which bypasses the inhibition of farnesylpyrophosphate synthase by ZOL in the mevalonate pathway, supporting the involvement of this pathway in the synergy. Finally, at the molecular level, the inhibition of basal and ZOL-induced activation of p38-MAPK by panobinostat in sensitive and ZOL-resistant cells and in tumor xenografts could explain, at least in part, the observed synergism.

Vorinostat synergises with capecitabine through upregulation of thymidine phosphorylase

Background:

Potentiation of anticancer activity of capecitabine is required to improve its therapeutic index. In colorectal cancer (CRC) cells, we evaluated whether the histone deacetylase-inhibitor vorinostat may induce synergistic antitumour effects in combination with capecitabine by modulating the expression of thymidine phosphorylase (TP), a key enzyme in the conversion of capecitabine to 5-florouracil (5-FU), and thymidylate synthase (TS), the target of 5-FU.

Methods:

Expression of TP and TS was measured by real-time PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Knockdown of TP was performed by specific small interfering RNA. Antitumour activity of vorinostat was assessed in vitro in combination with the capecitabine active metabolite deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5′-DFUR) according to the Chou and Talay method and by evaluating apoptosis as well as in xenografts-bearing nude mice in combination with capecitabine.

Results:

Vorinostat induced both in vitro and in vivo upregulation of TP as well as downregulation of TS in cancer cells, but not in ex vivo treated peripheral blood lymphocytes. Combined treatment with vorinostat and 5′-DFUR resulted in a synergistic antiproliferative effect and increased apoptotic cell death in vitro. This latter effect was impaired in cells where TP was knocked. In vivo, vorinostat plus capecitabine potently inhibited tumour growth, increased apoptosis and prolonged survival compared with control or single-agent treatments.

Conclusions:

Overall, this study suggests that the combination of vorinostat and capecitabine is an innovative antitumour strategy and warrants further clinical evaluation for the treatment of CRC.

Overweight and hypertension: longitudinal study in school-aged children

AIM

A continuous increase in overweight has been documented in the paediatric population. The increase occurred in many developed and also developing countries. In the United States prevalence of overweight is 21.5% among African-Americans, 21.8% among Hispanics, and 12.3% among non-Hispanic whites; in Europe, from 10% to 20% in Northern Europe and 20% to as high as 36% in parts of Southern Italy (International Obesity Task Force data). The association between overweight and hypertension in children has been reported. This longitudinal study assessed the prevalence of hypertension and the relationships between gender, overweight, and blood pressure.

METHODS

School-based screening was performed in 1.563 children (3-16 years). Age, gender, height, weight and blood pressure were registered every year for 3 subsequent years, in the period 1997-2000. Body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) was calculated and overweight was defined as centile corresponding to BMI = or >25 at 18 years. Blood pressure > 95th centile defined hypertension.

RESULTS

The prevalence of elevated blood pressure at first, second and third screenings was 35.1%, 33.8% and 23.9% in males, and 41%, 40.2% and 31.2% in females. The relative risk was significant for overweight subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

These results confirm an increasing epidemic of cardiovascular risk in children, as evidenced by an increase in the prevalence of overweight and hypertension. This increase in association with other cardiovascular risk factors that include dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, type II diabetes mellitus, suggest the necessity of accurate prevention strategies.

Subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate versus leuprolide acetate in the treatment of endometriosis-associated pain

BACKGROUND

A clinical study compared efficacy and safety of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) with leuprolide for endometriosis-associated pain.

METHODS

This multicentre, 18 month, evaluator-blinded, comparator-controlled trial randomized 300 women with laparoscopically diagnosed endometriosis to 6 month treatment with subcutaneous injection of 104 mg/0.65 ml DMPA (DMPA-SC 104) every 3 months or leuprolide (3.75 mg monthly or 11.25 mg every 3 months), with 12 months post-treatment follow-up. Endpoints included patient response to treatment in five signs/symptoms (dysmenorrhoea, dyspareunia, pelvic pain, pelvic tenderness, induration) and changes in bone mineral density (BMD) and productivity at 6 and 18 months.

RESULTS

DMPA-SC 104 and leuprolide produced equivalent (P < 0.02) reductions in at least four pain categories and significant (P < 0.001) improvements in composite score at months 6 and 18. At month 6, reductions in total hip and lumbar spine BMD were significantly less (P < 0.001) with DMPA-SC 104 versus leuprolide. BMD returned to pre-treatment levels 12 months post-treatment in the DMPA-SC 104 but not the leuprolide group. Total productivity also significantly (P < or = 0.05) improved in both groups at 6 and 18 months.

CONCLUSIONS

DMPA-SC 104 reduces endometriosis-associated pain as effectively as leuprolide and improves productivity with significantly less BMD decline.

The treatment by V.A.T.S. and M.A.C. of secondary neoplastic pleural effusion in the old patient (> 70 years)

A secondary malignant pleural effusion is a common event in the evolution of some tumours. It is frequent in advanced phase, above all the breast cancer in the woman and the cancer of the lung in the man, but such pathology can interest also extra-thoracic cancers (ovary, colon, prostate, etc.) and the malignant lymphoma. In the majority of cases in order to obtain a good control of the effusion entity with reduction of the respiratory symptoms and improvement of the quality of life, palliative local therapy is indispensable. Numerous methods and substances have been proposed in the time for the treatment of the N.P.E. The talc pleurodesis executed in the old patients (> 70 years) by means of the V.A.T.S. "one trough" and "Monitored Anaesthesia Care" (MAC) has shown valid procedure for the control of the secondary neoplastic pleural effusion, with little uneasiness for the patients, reduced complications and a sure effectiveness.