Incidence of hospital-acquired infections due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in critically ill patients in Italy: a multicentre prospective cohort study.

Background: Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria, including Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) and Carbapenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA), are common causes of infections in intensive care units (ICUs) in Italy.

Objective: This prospective observational study evaluated the epidemiology, management, microbiological characterization, and outcomes of hospital-acquired CRE or CRPA infections treated in selected ICUs in Italy.

Methods: The study included patients with hospital-acquired infections due to CRE and CRPA treated in 20 ICUs from June 2021 to February 2023.

Deglutition preservation after swallowing (SWOARs)-sparing IMRT in head and neck cancers: definitive results of a multicenter prospective study of the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO).

Background: To investigate changes of objective instrumental measures and correlate with patient reported outcomes (PROs) of radiation-induced dysphagia (RID) after swallowing organs at risk (SWOARs)-sparing IMRT.

Methods: Patients (pts) underwent Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES), Videofluoroscopy (VFS) and M.D.

In vitro proteolysis mirrors intact muscle maturation in beef carcasses.

An in vitro assay was developed to study protease activity during the maturation of beef postmortem. Myofibrils were purified from the semitendinosus and used as a sentinel for assessing the activity of endogenous proteases in longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and the extensor carpi radialis (ER) over time postmortem in beef carcasses. Samples were collected from each muscle at 0, 1, 2, 7, and 14 d of aging and snap frozen.

Altered microRNA composition in the uterine lumen fluid in cattle (Bos taurus) pregnancies initiated by artificial insemination or transfer of an in vitro produced embryo.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are presented in the uterine lumen of many mammals, and in vitro experiments have determined that several miRNAs are important for the regulation of endometrial and trophoblast functions. Our aim was to identify and contrast the miRNAs present in extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the uterine lumen fluid (ULF) at the onset of attachment in cattle pregnancies (gestation d 18) initiated by artificial insemination (AI) or by the transfer of an in vitro-produced blastocyst (IVP-ET). A third group had no conceptus after the transfer of an IVP embryo.

Identification of novel cattle (Bos taurus) genes and biological insights of their function in pre-implantation embryo development.

Background: Appropriate regulation of genes expressed in oocytes and embryos is essential for acquisition of developmental competence in mammals. Here, we hypothesized that several genes expressed in oocytes and pre-implantation embryos remain unknown. Our goal was to reconstruct the transcriptome of oocytes (germinal vesicle and metaphase II) and pre-implantation cattle embryos (blastocysts) using short-read and long-read sequences to identify putative new genes.

The Ruminant Telomere-to-Telomere (RT2T) Consortium.

Telomere-to-telomere (T2T) assemblies reveal new insights into the structure and function of the previously 'invisible' parts of the genome and allow comparative analyses of complete genomes across entire clades. We present here an open collaborative effort, termed the 'Ruminant T2T Consortium' (RT2T), that aims to generate complete diploid assemblies for numerous species of the Artiodactyla suborder Ruminantia to examine chromosomal evolution in the context of natural selection and domestication of species used as livestock.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Induced by Feeding Medium-Chain Fatty Acids Upregulates Cholesterol and Lipid Homeostatic Genes in Skeletal Muscle of Neonatal Pigs.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a range of disorders characterized by lipid accumulation in hepatocytes. Although this spectrum of disorders is associated with adult obesity, recent evidence suggests that this condition could also occur independently of obesity, even in children. Previously, we reported that pigs fed a formula containing medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) developed hepatic steatosis and weighed less than those fed an isocaloric formula containing long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs).

Higher abundance of 2-dehydro-d-gluconate in the plasma of sub-fertile or infertile Bos taurus heifers.

Infertility or subfertility impacts approximately 5% and 15% of dairy and beef heifers (Bos taurus), respectively. Heifers that do not produce a calf within an optimum window of time have a significant negative impact on the profitability and sustainability of the cattle industry. Selection of heifers based on their fertility potential remains a challenge yet to be resolved.

Interleukin-6 supplementation improves bovine conceptus elongation and transcriptomic indicators of developmental competence†.

A high incidence of pregnancy failures occurs in cattle during the second week of pregnancy as blastocysts transition into an elongated conceptus. This work explored whether interleukin-6 supplementation during in vitro embryo production would improve subsequent conceptus development. Bovine embryos were treated with 0 or 100 ng/mL recombinant bovine interleukin-6 beginning on day 5 post-fertilization.

Protocol for the electroporation of CRISPR-Cas for DNA and RNA targeting in Bos taurus zygotes.

The use of CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoproteins has revolutionized manipulation of genomes. Here, we present a protocol for the electroporation of CRISPR-Cas for DNA and RNA targeting in Bos taurus zygotes. First, we describe steps for production and preparation of presumptive zygotes for electroporation.

Influences of Supplementing Selective Members of the Interleukin-6 Cytokine Family on Bovine Oocyte Competency.

This work explored whether supplementing selective members of the interleukin-6 (IL6) cytokine family during in vitro bovine oocyte maturation affects maturation success, cumulus-oocyte complex (COC) gene expression, fertilization success, and embryo development potential. Human recombinant proteins for IL6, IL11, and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) were supplemented to COCs during the maturation period, then fertilization and embryo culture commenced without further cytokine supplementation. The first study determined that none of these cytokines influenced the rate that oocytes achieved arrest at meiosis II.

Ablation of function in cattle embryos by double electroporation of CRISPR-Cas for DNA and RNA targeting (CRISPR-DART).

CRISPR-Cas ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) are important tools for gene editing in preimplantation embryos. However, the inefficient production of biallelic deletions in cattle zygotes has hindered mechanistic studies of gene function. In addition, the presence of maternal RNAs that support embryo development until embryonic genome activation may cause confounding phenotypes.

Sex-differences in proteasome-dependent K48-polyubiquitin signaling in the amygdala are developmentally regulated in rats.

Background: Sex differences have been observed in several brain regions for the molecular mechanisms involved in baseline (resting) and memory-related processes. The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) is a major protein degradation pathway in cells. Sex differences have been observed in lysine-48 (K48)-polyubiquitination, the canonical degradation mark of the UPS, both at baseline and during fear memory formation within the amygdala.

Extensive rewiring of the gene regulatory interactions between in vitro-produced conceptuses and endometrium during attachment.

Pregnancy loss is a significant problem when embryos produced in vitro are transferred to a synchronized uterus. Currently, mechanisms that underlie losses of in vitro-produced embryos during implantation are largely unknown. We investigated this problem using cattle as a model of conceptus attachment by analyzing transcriptome data of paired extraembryonic membrane and endometrial samples collected on gestation days 18 and 25, which spans the attachment window in cattle.

A multi-omics analysis identifies molecular features associated with fertility in heifers (Bos taurus).

Infertility or subfertility is a critical barrier to sustainable cattle production, including in heifers. The development of heifers that do not produce a calf within an optimum window of time is a critical factor for the profitability and sustainability of the cattle industry. In parallel, heifers are an excellent biomedical model for understanding the underlying etiology of infertility because well-nourished heifers can still be infertile, mostly because of inherent physiological and genetic causes.

Robust identification of regulatory variants (eQTLs) using a differential expression framework developed for RNA-sequencing.

Background: A gap currently exists between genetic variants and the underlying cell and tissue biology of a trait, and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) studies provide important information to help close that gap. However, two concerns that arise with eQTL analyses using RNA-sequencing data are normalization of data across samples and the data not following a normal distribution. Multiple pipelines have been suggested to address this.

Thrombosis in Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Pathogenesis, Risk Factors and Therapeutic Challenges.

Prophylaxis and treatment of thrombosis in leukemic patients still represent a major challenge with several clinical questions yet to be solved. Indeed, the paucity of evidence makes the management of venous thromboembolic events difficult and not uniform. Due to thrombocytopenia, patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are underrepresented in trials investigating prophylaxis and treatment of thrombosis in cancer, and prospective data are lacking.

Minimally invasive techniques: full endoscopic inferior parietal lobule approach for an endoventricular removal of a left trigone meningioma grade I.

Intraventricular meningiomas are rare tumors, mainly localized in the lateral ventricle trigone. Several microscopic surgical approaches have been proposed according to the location of the tumors in the atrium. The authors present the case of a 68-year-old woman who had an increscent medically resistant headache with a left trigone meningioma.

Sexing of cattle embryos using RNA-sequencing data or polymerase chain reaction based on a complete sequence of cattle chromosome Y.

When necessary, RNA-sequencing data or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays can be used to determine the presence of the chromosome Y (ChrY) in samples. This information allows for biological variation due to sexual dimorphism to be studied. A prime example is when researchers conduct RNA-sequencing of single embryos, or conceptuses, prior to the development of gonads.

Tight gene co-expression in BCB positive cattle oocytes and their surrounding cumulus cells.

Background: Cytoplasmic and nuclear maturation of oocytes, as well as interaction with the surrounding cumulus cells, are important features relevant to the acquisition of developmental competence.

Methods: Here, we utilized Brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) to distinguish cattle oocytes with low activity of the enzyme Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase, and thus separated fully grown (BCB positive) oocytes from those in the growing phase (BCB negative). We then analyzed the developmental potential of these oocytes, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in single oocytes, and investigated the transcriptome of single oocytes and their surrounding cumulus cells of BCB positive versus BCB negative oocytes.