Variability and Number of Circulating () Alleles in a Breeding Population of Italian Honeybees under Controlled Mating.

In , is the primary gene involved in sex determination: haploid hemizygous eggs develop as drones, while females develop from eggs heterozygous for the gene. If diploid eggs are homozygous for the gene, diploid drones will develop, but will be eaten by worker bees before they are born. Therefore, high allelic diversity is a priority for colony survival and breeding.

Analysis of () Allele Diversity in Different Honeybee Subspecies from Italy Based on NGS Data.

Sexual regulation in is controlled by the gene: females (queens and workers) are heterozygous at this locus and males (drones) are hemizygous. When homozygous diploid drones develop, they are eaten by worker bees. High allelic diversity in honeybee populations is a priority for colony survival.

Automated image analysis to assess hygienic behaviour of honeybees.

Focus of this study is to design an automated image processing pipeline for handling uncontrolled acquisition conditions of images acquired in the field. The pipeline has been tested on the automated identification and count of uncapped brood cells in honeybee (Apis Mellifera) comb images to reduce the workload of beekeepers during the study of the hygienic behavior of honeybee colonies. The images used to develop and test the model were acquired by beekeepers on different days and hours in summer 2020 and under uncontrolled conditions.

The Pupillary Light Reflex as a Biomarker of Concussion.

The size of our pupils changes continuously in response to variations in ambient light levels, a process known as the pupillary light reflex (PLR). The PLR is not a simple reflex as its function is modulated by cognitive brain function and any long-term changes in brain function secondary to injury should cause a change in the parameters of the PLR. We performed a retrospective clinical review of the PLR of our patients using the BrightLamp Reflex iPhone app.

Brain Vital Signs in Elite Ice Hockey: Towards Characterizing Objective and Specific Neurophysiological Reference Values for Concussion Management.

Prior concussion studies have shown that objective neurophysiological measures are sensitive to detecting concussive and subconcussive impairments in youth ice-hockey. These studies monitored brain vital signs at rink-side using a within-subjects design to demonstrate significant changes from pre-season baseline scans. However, practical clinical implementation must overcome inherent challenges related to any dependence on a baseline.

Whole-Genome Sequence Analysis of Italian Honeybees ().

At the end of the last glaciation, was established in northern Europe. In Italy, adapted to the mild climate and to the rich floristic biodiversity. Today, with the spread of and with the increasing use of pesticides in agriculture, the Ligustica subspecies is increasingly dependent on human action for its survival.

Head Position and Posturography: A Novel Biomarker to Identify Concussion Sufferers.

Balance control systems involve complex systems directing muscle activity to prevent internal and external influences that destabilize posture, especially when body positions change. The computerized dynamic posturography stability score has been established to be the most repeatable posturographic measure using variations of the modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration in Balance (mCTSIB). However, the mCTSIB is a standard group of tests relying largely on eyes-open and -closed standing positions with the head in a neutral position, associated with probability of missing postural instabilities associated with head positions off the neutral plane.

The genetic heritage of Alpine local cattle breeds using genomic SNP data.

Background: Assessment of genetic diversity and population structure provides important control metrics to avoid genetic erosion, inbreeding depression and crossbreeding between exotic and locally-adapted cattle breeds since these events can have deleterious consequences and eventually lead to extinction. Historically, the Alpine Arc represents an important pocket of cattle biodiversity with a large number of autochthonous breeds that provide a fundamental source of income for the entire regional economy. By using genotype data from medium-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays, we performed a genome-wide comparative study of 23 cattle populations from the Alpine Arc and three cosmopolitan breeds.

Improvement of Saccadic Eye Movements after Head-Eye Vestibular Motion (HEVM) Therapy and Neuro-Psychiatric Considerations.

Introduction: Eye movement pathology can assist in the identification, diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders. Eye-tracking paradigms have been utilized to provide greater ecological validity, and directly capture the detailed sequence of processes in perception and attention, while quantifying classifiers in mood, anxiety, and psychotic disorders. Saccadic eye movements serve as an endophenotype for various mental health disorders.

Functional SNP panel for parentage assessment and assignment in worldwide goat breeds.

Background: International standard panels of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have replaced microsatellites in several species for parentage assessment and assignment (PA) purposes. However, such a resource is still lacking in goats. The application of a cheap tool for PA would help the management of goat populations by improving the reliability of pedigree registration and, consequently, allow a better implementation of breeding schemes or conservation programs.

The Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder With Auditory Neurofeedback: A Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial Using the Mente Autism Device.

Children affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have impairment of social interaction and demonstrate difficulty with emotional communication, display of posture and facial expression, with recognized relationships between postural control mechanisms and cognitive functions. Beside standard biomedical interventions and psychopharmacological treatments, there is increasing interest in the use of alternative non-invasive treatments such as neurofeedback (NFB) that could potentially modulate brain activity resulting in behavioral modification. Eighty-three ASD subjects were randomized to an Active group receiving NFB using the Mente device and a Control group using a Sham device.

Conservation status and historical relatedness of Italian cattle breeds.

Background: In the last 50 years, the diversity of cattle breeds has experienced a severe contraction. However, in spite of the growing diffusion of cosmopolite specialized breeds, several local cattle breeds are still farmed in Italy. Genetic characterization of breeds represents an essential step to guide decisions in the management of farm animal genetic resources.

Distribution of ncRNAs expression across hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in Capra hircus.

Background: Molecular regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis plays an essential role in the fine tuning of seasonal estrus in Capra hircus. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are emerging as key regulators in sexual development and mammalian reproduction. In order to identify ncRNAs and to assess their expression patterns, along the HPG axis, we sequenced ncRNA libraries from hypothalamus, pituitary and ovary of three goats.

Studies of modern Italian dog populations reveal multiple patterns for domestic breed evolution.

Through thousands of years of breeding and strong human selection, the dog () exists today within hundreds of closed populations throughout the world, each with defined phenotypes. A singular geographic region with broad diversity in dog breeds presents an interesting opportunity to observe potential mechanisms of breed formation. Italy claims 14 internationally recognized dog breeds, with numerous additional local varieties.

Investigating the population structure and genetic differentiation of livestock guard dog breeds.

Livestock guarding dogs are a valuable adjunct to the pastoral community. Having been traditionally selected for their working ability, they fulfil their function with minimal interaction or command from their human owners. In this study, the population structure and the genetic differentiation of three Italian livestock guardian breeds (Sila's Dog, Maremma and Abruzzese Sheepdog and Mannara's Dog) and three functionally and physically similar breeds (Cane Corso, Central Asian Shepherd Dog and Caucasian Shepherd Dog), totalling 179 dogs unrelated at the second generation, were investigated with 18 autosomal microsatellite markers.

Genomic Analysis Suggests KITLG is Responsible for a Roan Pattern in two Pakistani Goat Breeds.

The roan coat color pattern is described as the presence of white hairs intermixed with pigmented hairs. This kind of pigmentation pattern has been observed in many domestic species, including the goat. The molecular mechanisms and inheritance that underlie this pattern are known for some species and the KITLG gene has been shown associated with this phenotype.

Head-Eye Vestibular Motion Therapy Affects the Mental and Physical Health of Severe Chronic Postconcussion Patients.

Context: Approximately 1.8-3.6 million annual traumatic brain injuries occur in the United States.

Identification of additional loci associated with antibody response to Mycobacterium avium ssp. Paratuberculosis in cattle by GSEA-SNP analysis.

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis: (MAP) causes a contagious chronic infection results in Johne's disease in a wide range of animal species, including cattle. Several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been carried out to identify loci putatively associated with MAP susceptibility by testing each marker separately and identifying SNPs that show a significant association with the phenotype, while SNP with modest effects are usually ignored.

Genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation in hypothalamus and ovary of Capra hircus.

Background: DNA methylation is a frequently studied epigenetic modification due to its role in regulating gene expression and hence in biological processes and in determining phenotypic plasticity in organisms. Rudimentary DNA methylation patterns for some livestock species are publically available: among these, goat methylome deserves to be further explored.

Results: Genome-wide DNA methylation maps of the hypothalamus and ovary from Saanen goats were generated using Methyl-CpG binding domain protein sequencing (MBD-seq).

The Valdostana goat: a genome-wide investigation of the distinctiveness of its selective sweep regions.

The Valdostana goat is an alpine breed, raised only in the northern Italian region of the Aosta Valley. This breed's main purpose is to produce milk and meat, but is peculiar for its involvement in the "Batailles de Chèvres," a recent tradition of non-cruel fight tournaments. At both the genetic and genomic levels, only a very limited number of studies have been performed with this breed and there are no studies about the genomic signatures left by selection.

Responses of Bovine Innate Immunity to Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Infection Revealed by Changes in Gene Expression and Levels of MicroRNA.

Paratuberculosis in cattle is a chronic granulomatous gastroenteritis caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratubercolosis (MAP) which is endemic worldwide. In dairy herds, it is responsible for huge economic losses.

An alternative experimental case-control design for genetic association studies on bovine mastitis.

The possibility of using genetic control strategies to increase disease resistance to infectious diseases relies on the identification of markers to include in the breeding plans. Possible incomplete exposure of mastitis-free (control) animals, however, is a major issue to find relevant markers in genetic association studies for infectious diseases. Usually, designs based on elite dairy sires are used in association studies, but an epidemiological case-control strategy, based on cows repeatedly field-tested could be an alternative for disease traits.