Spoligotyping and exact tandem repeat (ETR) analysis ofAs a result, the official TB-free status was achieved starting from 1970 in some Italian areas such as the Autonomous Region of Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (northeast Italy), and some provinces of northern and central Italy. In the rest of the national territory, TB still persists with different prevalence rates: 6.6% in Sicilia, 0.77% in Puglia, and 0.59% in Lazio and Campania. In northern Italy, where about the 70% of the cattle population is reared, TB is still present in the Piedmont (0.4%), Lombardy (0.15%), Veneto (0.1%), and Emilia-Romagna (0.08%) regions. In order to accelerate the achievement of a TB-free status, the authorities in these areas are implementing specific TB control measures, taking into account local situations and problems such as mean distance among herds, trade of animals from other territories, and common pasturing.In this respect, the origin of TB infection often remains undetermined despite its importance. Molecular typing of isolates has become a valuable tool in the study of M. bovis epidemiology, allowing investigators to better identify the sources of infection and achieve a wider knowledge of TB transmission routes. A genetic profile database collection of M. bovis isolates may help to confirm or reject hypotheses outlined by traditional epidemiological investigations.Genotyping of M. bovis probably lacks sufficiently informative methods. IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) typing has been considered a gold standard method for differentiation of M. tuberculosis strains for a long time; this has provided only limited discrimination among M. bovis populations where the majority of the isolates harbor only one or few IS copies (11). PCR-based spoligotyping (16) has been widely used to genotype M. bovis isolates (11); it is highly reproducible and rapid and represents the first universally recognized typing system for M. bovis populations. However, studies performed on M. bovis isolates in Northern Ireland (32,33), France (12), Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, and Iran (7) showed a limited discrimination power of this method.Over the last 10 years several PCR-based genotyping methods have become available for rapid molecular epidemiology

No abstract

Seaweeds have been used as animal feed since a long time and are consumed as food in several cultures. In fact, macroalgae are a source of protein, fiber, polyunsaturated fat, and minerals. The concentration of trace elements was determined in dominant macroalga species from three sites of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. A high interspecies variability was observed, with higher metal levels in brown and green than those in red seaweeds. The maximum values set by European regulations for arsenic, mercury, and cadmium in food and feed were never exceeded, but a few samples were very close to limits set for mercury. Conversely, the maximum limit for lead in feed was exceeded in all species from one of the considered sites. Analogously, lead in seaweeds could constitute a potential risk for human health, due to the exceeding of the maximum value set for food supplements.

Many studies have demonstrated that xanthophylls, such as astaxanthin, have beneficial effects in human health, and their use in food supplements is thus encouraged. Moreover, such nutrients are frequently used in aquaculture to meet consumer demand for salmonoid flesh pigmentation. In this study different xanthophyll administration protocols were tested to verify pigmentation properties and safety of such mixtures of additives in trout diet. Residues of xanthophylls in muscle samples were determined by HPLC-MS/MS, reaching levels of 3.70 ± 0.04 mg/kg (astaxanthin) and 1.21 ± 0.06 mg/kg (canthaxanthin) during a 56 day administration period. On the basis of the average fish consumption in the human diet, the highest astaxanthin and canthaxanthin concentrations detected in trout fillets could result in weekly intakes of 1.63 and 0.53 mg, respectively, in humans; these values are not sufficient to achieve the positive effects described by many authors, but their residues could still represent an important source of carotenoids, alternative to the use of synthetic dietary supplements.

No abstract

No abstract

Human HT-29 and HepG2 cell lines were employed to test the effects of increasing concentrations of two rare earth elements (REEs), namely cerium (Ce) and lanthanum (La), alone or in combination. Effects on cell proliferation were measured using MTT assay, luciferase-based assays and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression, while cell mortality and type of cell death was determined by Annexin V-FTC test using flow cytometry. Modulation of 84 genes involved in oxidative stress pathways was also studied using RT-PCR based arrays. Major alterations in selected genes compared to basal expression levels of respective control groups were found in the cells exposed to 600μM Ce for 48h. In HepG2 cells, 51 out of 84 genes were significantly up- or down-regulated, while in HT-29 cells only 16 genes were significantly up- or down-regulated. Dosage of REEs seems to be the pivotal factor for switching the biological effects from down- to up-regulation of cell growth; thus, low concentrations promoted cell survival and proliferation, but when concentrations increased, REEs exerted anti-proliferative and cytostatic/cytotoxic effects. The molecular mechanisms underlying these effects are still not well-defined and further analysis of the mechanisms that result in inhibition or induction of cell proliferation are crucially important.

Crops intended for human nutrition and food production containing different essential trace elements, such as copper and zinc, could be contaminated by toxic metals like cadmium and lead. The interrelationship between micronutrients and contaminant trace elements in different cereals was investigated in North-western Italy, where both agricultural and industrial activities are present. Elemental concentrations in sampled cereals were assessed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Rice, oats and barley reached the highest median levels for Al, Cd and Pb content, while corn samples were less contaminated by toxic metals. Regarding essential elements highest median values of Cu and Zn were both found in barley, while Ni median content was higher in oats. Rice had the lowest median levels of essential elements. The correlation study between toxic and essential elements seemed to demonstrate fixed trends in analysed samples, corroborating the importance of a different diet to limit potential adverse effects caused by toxic elements.