Publications by authors named "Piccione G"

Benzisothiazolinone (BIT) is a preservative and antimicrobial agent widely used in various household and industrial products. It is readily detectable in pesticides, polishes, printing inks and detergents. This extensive use is reflected in a vast amount of this compound in the environment, which may cause toxic effects in organisms that come in contact with it.

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The study aimed to evaluate how plasma total proteins, their fractions (i.e. albumin, α1-, β-, γ-globulins) and A/G ratio change in lambs and kids over the first month of life.

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Introduction And Importance: Bartter syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder affecting renal tubular function leading to disturbances in electrolyte and volume homeostasis. It can also manifest as Bartter-like syndrome (BLS), a rare side effect of certain medications. Polymyxin-B, an antibiotic used to treat multidrug-resistant infections is infrequently associated with BLS.

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The aim of the present study was the evaluation of the bioaccumulation of cadmium (Cd), Zinc (Zn), Chrome (Cr), Lead (Pb), Iron (Fe) and Copper (Cu), in the blood, serum, tail and mane of horses from the industrialized area of Milazzo (Messina, Sicily), to understand the relationships between haematological parameters: Red Blood Cells (RBCs), White Blood Cells (WBCs), Haemoglobin (Hb), Haematocrit (Hct), Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), Platelets (PLTs) and the concentrations of trace elements. Blood and hair samples from 20 healthy Italian Saddle horses and water, hay and concentrates samples were obtained to determine the haemogram and mineral concentration using a Thermo Scientific iCAP-Q ICP-MS spectrometer. Descriptive analysis showed a higher concentration of Zn, Cr, Pb, Fe, and Cu in the blood and a higher concentration of Cd in the tail than other substrates.

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  • - The rise of plastic debris has led to microplastics (MPs), tiny particles that can enter aquatic ecosystems, threatening fish and disrupting ecological balance.
  • - MPs harm fish by causing physical damage, inflammation, oxidative stress, and impairing growth and reproduction, while also allowing other harmful chemicals to accumulate in their bodies.
  • - The presence of MPs in fish can affect human health when consumed and may lead to broader ecological impacts, necessitating efforts to reduce plastic waste and promote better recycling and waste management practices.
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Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) is a rare congenital disorder marked by facial port-wine birthmarks, neurological impairments, and ocular anomalies. Our case report describes a 20-year-old man with SWS who presented with right-sided weakness, slurred speech, and oral dyskinesia. Laboratory studies demonstrated elevated prolactin levels, and imaging confirmed a pituitary macroadenoma.

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  • * It found no significant differences in the measured parameters between circus horses and a control group of horses managed for classic riding, indicating that circus management did not negatively impact mental wellbeing.
  • * However, older horses (ages 16-21) displayed lower biological antioxidant potential compared to younger age groups, suggesting they might be more vulnerable to oxidative stress and require additional care in their management.
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() has rarely been documented in human infections. However, this report describes a case involving a 52-year-old woman who developed empyema and lung collapse due to . She initially presented to the emergency department with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.

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Improper disposal of household and industrial waste into water bodies has transformed them into de facto dumping grounds. Plastic debris, weathered on beaches degrades into micro-particles and releases chemical additives that enter the water. Microplastic contamination is documented globally in both marine and freshwater environments, posing a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems.

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The aim of the present study was to investigate eye temperature modifications after road transport in athletic horses habituated to travel. Eight adult Italian saddle horses traveled 100 km and, two weeks later, 300 km. Eye temperature (ET), rectal temperature (RT) and serum cortisol concentration were assessed before (T1), after (T2) and 60 min (T3) after the road transport.

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  • The study looked at how road transport affects hormone levels in 10 horses traveling 150 km from their training place to a competition.
  • Blood samples were taken before, right after, and one hour after the trips to check the levels of specific pro-inflammatory interleukins in their blood.
  • Results showed that transport was kind of stressful for the horses, raising some inflammation hormones initially, but they got better and showed less inflammation the second time they traveled.
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  • The research focused on how yeast supplementation affects acute-phase proteins and electrophoretic parameters in young Charolaise bulls.
  • Sixty bulls were split into a control group (no yeast) and a yeast group (5g of yeast), with blood samples taken at the start and after 20 and 40 days of supplementation.
  • The results showed that the yeast group had higher levels of total proteins and albumin while having lower levels of haptoglobin and γ-globulins, indicating yeast may improve the inflammatory response in young bulls.
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  • The study investigates the stress and inflammatory responses of tourism carriage horses in Sicily by analyzing blood samples before and after a typical workday in the summer months of 2022.
  • Results showed an increase in certain red blood cell indices after work, but cortisol and protein levels remained stable, indicating the horses may be adapting to the workload.
  • However, higher stress levels were noted during July due to increased temperature and humidity, suggesting it is better to avoid working these horses during the hottest parts of the summer.
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  • Drugs are chemical compounds used to treat diseases, but they can enter aquatic environments through wastewater, where they accumulate and affect aquatic organisms.
  • This study focused on the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac (DIC) and its impact on the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis at two temperatures (17°C vs. 21°C), finding that higher temperatures decreased the mussel's metabolic capacity and ability to detoxify contaminants.
  • The findings indicate that while DIC combined with increased temperatures can harm mussels, they may adapt over time, and the presence of such drugs in the environment emphasizes the need for a One Health approach to tackle pollution affecting human, animal, and ecosystem health.
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This review highlights recent findings on biological rhythms and discusses their implications for the management and production of domestic animals. Biological rhythms provide temporal coordination between organs and tissues in order to anticipate environmental changes, orchestrating biochemical, physiological and behavioural processes as the right process may occur at the right time. This allows animals to adapt their internal physiological functions, such as sleep-wake cycles, body temperature, hormone secretion, food intake and regulation of physical performance to environmental stimuli that constantly change.

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This study aimed to evaluate changes in body temperature in athletic horses during two different road transport distances. Six Italian Saddle horses were subjected to a 100 and 300 km transport during different times of day (am and pm). Rectal and cutaneous temperatures were recorded before (T0), immediately (following 5 min- T1) and 1 hour (T2) after transport by means of a rectal digital thermometer and a thermal infrared camera (FLIR T440) respectively, for the evaluation of left and right side of four body regions: jugular, shoulder, croup and inner thigh.

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In this study, the expression and implication of acid-sensing ion channels 2 and 4 (ASIC2 and ASIC4) in the gonadal sex differentiation of (), subjected to increasing water temperatures during gonadal development, were evaluated. Two groups were selected: a control group (CG), in which the average water temperature was maintained at 15 °C and increased to 20 °C in 20 days until weaning; and an experimental group (EG), in which the water temperature was retained at 15 °C for 60 days; thereafter, the temperature was increased daily by 0.5 °C until it reached 20 °C up to the weaning time.

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The conventional metered dose inhaler (MDI) has long served as a cornerstone in the management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), affecting millions annually. Despite its advantages, a persistent challenge is seen in the form of patient education and the unchanged design of these inhalers since their inception in 1956. This lack of progress in MDI design has inadvertently contributed to incidences of foreign body inhalation.

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This study aimed to investigate the common social and communicative behaviors of the Fonni's Dog under different outdoor conditions. For this study, 70 adult dogs (3-7 years; 32 intact males, 38 intact females) belonging to the Fonni's breed were used. A total of 35 dogs were kept in kennels and 35 were free-ranging dogs in their sheep/goat livestock units.

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Dogs are the common pets adopted by humans, and their circadian behavior and physiology are influenced by human habits. In many families, there is a change of lifestyle with respect to the natural daylight (NDL) cycle. Exposure to constant light disrupts some central and peripheral circadian rhythms.

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Among personal care products, quaternium-15 is prominently featured as a preservative in items such as shampoos, soaps, shaving products, and cosmetics. The widespread use of these products in people's daily routines contributes to quaternium-15 release into aquatic ecosystems. In this context, the primary aim of the study was to assess the physiological and cellular responses of the digestive gland and gills in Mytilus galloprovincialis to quaternium-15 exposure.

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In recent years, the presence of pharmaceuticals and microplastics (MPs) in aquatic ecosystems has raised concerns about their environmental impact. This study explores the combined effects of caffeine, a common pharmaceutical pollutant, and MPs on the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Caffeine, at concentrations of 20.

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Nanotechnology is an expanding and new technology that prompts production with nanoparticle-based (1-100 nm) organic and inorganic materials. Such a tool has an imperative function in different sectors like bioengineering, pharmaceuticals, electronics, energy, nuclear energy, and fuel, and its applications are helpful for human, animal, plant, and environmental health. In exacting, the nanoparticles are synthesized by top-down and bottom-up approaches through different techniques such as chemical, physical, and biological progress.

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Bullous emphysema is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that results from chronic inflammation of the lung parenchyma leading to alveolar destruction. Etiology includes tobacco smoking and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. In this article, we present a rare case of bullous emphysema in a nonsmoker with no genetic predisposition or social risk factors presenting with productive cough, fatigue, and shortness of breath.

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