Confirmation of the unexpected occurrence of bitterness-inducing cucurbitacins in edible unripe melons by a two-step workflow based on liquid chromatography with combined UV and high-resolution MS detection.

Plant metabolites known as cucurbitacins are known to impart an unpleasant bitter taste to edible fruits and even lead to severe health complications after the ingestion of relatively high amounts. In this study, an analytical method based on reversed phase liquid chromatography with combined detection by UV spectroscopy and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization high-resolution single/tandem mass spectrometry was applied to confirm the occurrence of four cucurbitacins (B, D, and R, and 23,24-dihydro cucurbitacin B) previously inferred in unexpectedly bitter-tasting fruits of an Italian variety (Scopatizzo) of unripe melon (Cucumis melo L.), known for the sweetness of its fruits.

Milk consumers in Pakistan and Italy: a comparative study on the effects of geographical affiliation, socio-demographic characteristics and consumption patterns on knowledge, attitude and perception of antimicrobial resistance.

Antimicrobials are extensively used in livestock to treat common diseases, including mastitis and other bacterial infections, with around 80% of food-producing animals receiving such treatments. Despite a ban in the EU since 2006, antibiotics are still used globally for growth promotion, exacerbating antimicrobial resistance (AMR). From the consumers' point of view, the potential exposure to resistant zoonotic bacteria in animal-derived food products may represent a threat to public health.

Near-infrared diffuse optical characterization of human thyroid using ultrasound-guided hybrid time-domain and diffuse correlation spectroscopies.

Thyroid vascularization and hemodynamics become altered in thyroid pathologies and could thus inform diagnostics, therapy planning, and follow-up. However, the current non-invasive monitoring methods available in clinics lack the necessary sensitivity and/or are impractical for large-scale deployment. As a step towards proposing a new modality, we applied the first platform, to our knowledge, designed to do simultaneous measurements of neck anatomy and thyroid microvascular hemodynamics and metabolism in a single probe placement, integrating state-of-the-art near-infrared spectroscopy techniques and clinical ultrasound.

Altered expression of systemic and ovarian factors involved in the recruitment and activation of immune cells in bovine cystic ovarian disease.

Despite the involvement of both immune cells and soluble factors in the etiopathogenesis of cystic ovarian disease (COD), the precise interplay between these components in this reproductive condition remains unclear. Based on this, in the present study we aimed to evaluate the expression of key molecules involved both locally and systemically in the recruitment, infiltration and activation of immune cells in Holstein cows diagnosed with follicular cysts (N = 5). For this, animals from commercial dairy farms located in the milk-productive region of Santa Fe, Argentina were included after their diagnosis were confirmed by ultrasonographic examination and hormonal evaluation.

Dietary water fly (Notonecta sp.) meal as an alternative protein source for sheep: Effects on performance, nutrient intake, nitrogen balance, and fermentation parameters.

In this study, the inclusion of water fly (Notonecta sp., NT) meal was compared with conventional protein sources such as soybean meal (SBM) and fish meal (FM) in diets destined for sheep, with specific reference to growth performance, nutrient intake, nitrogen balance, and in vitro rumen fermentation parameters. For 21 days, 18 male Suffolk lambs were randomly assigned to three experimental diets fed: (1) SBM at 130 g/kg dry matter (DM), as a plant-based protein diet; (2) FM at 50 g/kg DM, as an animal-based protein diet; and (3) NT at 60 g/kg DM, as an insect-based protein diet, for ad libitum feed intake.