Publications by authors named "Andon M"

Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluates the environmental footprint of pig production in Spain and Italy, focusing on ammonia and particulate matter emissions from livestock housing using Life Cycle Assessment.
  • It compares a baseline scenario to two air treatment technologies (wet scrubber and dry scrubber) to assess their effectiveness in reducing emissions and identifies key environmental trade-offs involving energy and resource usage.
  • Findings suggest that both scrubbers can significantly reduce harmful emissions, particularly in Italian farms, but their implementation also brings additional environmental impacts that need to be considered for comprehensive sustainability.
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Neisseria meningitidis is a life-threatening human bacterial pathogen responsible for pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis. Meningococcal strains with reduced susceptibility to penicillin G (Pen(I)) carry a mutated penicillin-binding protein (PBP2) resulting in a modified peptidoglycan structure. Despite their antibiotic resistance, Pen(I) strains have failed to expand clonally.

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Leptospira interrogans is responsible for a zoonotic disease known to induce severe kidney dysfunction and inflammation. In this work, we demonstrate that L. interrogans induces NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent secretion of IL-1β through the alteration of potassium transport in bone marrow-derived macrophages.

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Leptospirosis is a widespread zoonosis caused by pathogenic Leptospira interrogans that are transmitted by asymptomatic infected rodents. Leptospiral lipoproteins and LPS have been shown to stimulate murine cells via TLRs 2 and 4. Host defense mechanisms remain obscure, although TLR4 has been shown to be involved in clearing Leptospira.

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Background: Recent reports suggest that dietary energy density (ED) is associated with diet quality, energy intake, and body weight. Breakfast consumption was also associated with diet quality and body weight; however, little is known about the association of breakfast consumption with dietary ED.

Objectives: We examined differences in the ED (in energy content/g of food) of diets between breakfast consumers and nonconsumers, and in breakfast reporters we examined the association of ED of breakfast foods with ED of nonbreakfast foods, diet quality, and body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)).

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Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) expression is controlled at the transcriptional level, however, the TdT core promoter combining D, D', an initiator (Inr) and downstream basal elements (DBE) does not recapitulate the whole complex regulation of TdT expression. We hypothesized that important cis-regulatory elements of the gene are located outside of the TdT promoter. In an attempt to identify these elements, we performed DNase I hypersensitivity assays over 24kb including a 10kb region located upstream of the transcription start site (+1) and a 14kb region spanning exons and introns I to VI.

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The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase gene (TdT) is expressed in mice only in early B and T lymphoid precursors a few days after birth. Transactivating factors have been shown to contribute to the lymphoid specific expression of TdT, but they do not account entirely for the restriction of its expression to early precursors. Since tissue-specific expression can be modulated by other mechanisms such as DNA methylation and DNA accessibility, we evaluated the methylation pattern of the TdT gene in various expressing and non-expressing tissues and cell lines.

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The effects of growth, menstrual status, and calcium supplementation on iron status were studied over 4 y in 354 girls in pubertal stage 2 who were premenarcheal at baseline (x+/-SD age: 10.8+/-0.8 y).

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There is increasing evidence that calcium intake up to the threshold amount (1480 mg/d) increases bone mass during growth. However, there is concern that such a high calcium intake may interfere with the utilization of other nutrients such as zinc, which is also important for skeletal development. The purpose of our study was to investigate the effect of long-term calcium supplementation on zinc utilization in 26 adolescent females (mean +/- SD age 11.

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Objective: Determine calcium (Ca) absorption from Ca fortified orange and apple juice.

Methods: Absorbability was assessed by measuring 45Ca absorption in healthy women (mean age 57 years, n = 57/group) and whole body 47Ca retention in adult female beagle dogs (n = 6/group) and young adult male rats (n = 6/group). Women received 6.

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Increasing emphasis is being placed on optimizing calcium intake during growth as a way to enhance peak bone mass. Although some studies in adults have shown that high calcium intake may negatively affect magnesium utilization, few data are available regarding the interaction of calcium and magnesium in healthy children. The purpose of our study was to measure the effect of calcium intake on magnesium balance in 26 adolescent girls (mean age 11.

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One hundred and twelve Caucasian girls, 11.9 +/- 0.5 years of age at entry, were randomized into a 24-month, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial to determine the effect of calcium supplementation on bone mineral content, bone area and bone density.

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Objective: To evaluate the effect of calcium supplementation on blood pressure in children.

Design: Randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial.

Setting And Participants: One hundred one fifth-grade students in one inner-city school.

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Calcium is an important determinant of peak bone mass in young adults because of its influence on skeletal development during growth. Attainment of maximum peak bone mass requires optimal positive balance between calcium intake and obligatory losses of calcium, primarily in urine and feces. Urinary excretion is an important determinant of calcium retention in the body.

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The vast majority of peak adult bone mass is accumulated by the time longitudinal growth is complete. As peak bone mass is an important determinant of future fracture risk, the goal of the current calcium recommended dietary allowance during youth is to provide a calcium intake that allows individuals to reach their full genetic potential for acquiring skeletal mass. The advent of controlled trials of calcium supplementation and total body bone mass measurements in children and adolescents provide the first direct way of determining the amount of calcium necessary to achieve optimal skeletal accretion.

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The effects of calcium supplementation (as calcium citrate malate, 1000 mg elemental Ca/d) with and without the addition of zinc (15.0 mg/d), manganese (5.0 mg/d) and copper (2.

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To determine the timing of peak bone mass and density, we conducted a cross-sectional study of bone mass measurements in 265 premenopausal Caucasian females, aged 8-50 yr. Bone mass and bone mineral density were measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry and single-photon absorptiometry at the spine (anteroposterior, lateral), proximal femur, radius shaft, distal forearm, and the whole body. Bone mass parameters were analyzed using a quadratic regression model and segmented regression models with quadratic-quadratic or quadratic-linear form.

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In a longitudinal study we determined the effect of animal age as well as Ca source and radiolabeling method on Ca bioavailability by measuring whole body 47Ca retention (WBR) in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The WBR assay was performed without surgery or anesthesia, and the same groups of animals were studied at 8, 16, 20, and 32 wk of age. Rats were administered a 6-mg radiolabeled oral dose of Ca as Ca citrate malate (CCM) or intrinsically or extrinsically labeled CaCO3 or hydroxyapatite (HAP).

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Objective: To evaluate the effect of calcium supplementation on bone acquisition in adolescent white girls.

Design: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the effect of 18 months of calcium supplementation on bone density and bone mass.

Subjects: Ninety-four girls with a mean age of 11.

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Chromium metabolism of lactating women was evaluated by measuring diet, breast milk, urine, and serum chromium in 17 subjects 60 d postpartum. Breast milk chromium concentration was similar for the 3 d of collection with a mean +/- SE concentration of 3.54 +/- 0.

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A new form of TdT mRNA has been identified by screening a mouse thymus cDNA library. It contains an open reading frame of 1527 base pairs corresponding to a protein containing 509 aminoacids, whereas the previously identified mouse TdT mRNA is composed of 1587 base pairs and encodes a protein of 529 aminoacids. Analysis of a mouse genomic clone containing the 3' portion of the TdT gene shows that these twenty additional aminoacids are encoded by an additional exon located between exons X and XI.

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The dissolution of CaCO3 before intraduodenal administration was found to be an important factor determining calcium (Ca) bioavailability. Extrinsically and intrinsically labelled 47CaCO3 preparations were sequentially dissolved by serial additions of HCl. Aliquots of these preparations were collected before (no HCl added) and during the solubilization process and administered intraduodenally to rats.

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Bone mass accretion during puberty appears to be critical in the development of peak bone mass, which, in turn, is believed to be a major determinant of osteoporosis risk. Although genetics may be the primary determinant of peak bone mass, modifiable secondary factors, such as nutrition and hormone exposure, may significantly affect bone mass accretion during the second decade of life. As part of a longitudinal study of major determinants of bone development during puberty, we obtained cross-sectional measurements from 112 premenarchal caucasian females (mean +/- SD age, 11.

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The effects of dietary protein restriction on mineral and bone metabolism are uncharacterized. We studied growing rats fed a diet low in protein (5%) for 4, 6, and 8 wks (n = 10 animals/group) and compared them with animals pair-fed with a protein-replete (18%) diet. The low-protein diet rapidly induced a profound hypocalciuria that persisted for greater than or equal to 8 wk.

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