Characteristics of ripened Tronchón cheese from raw goat milk containing legally admissible amounts of antibiotics

The aim of this study was to evaluate the transfer of the most widely used antibiotics in dairy goats from milk to cheese as well as their effect on the cheese-making process and cheese characteristics during ripening. Antibiotic-free milk was spiked individually with 7 veterinary drugs (amoxicillin, benzylpenicillin, cloxacillin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, and oxytetracycline) at an equivalent concentration of the European Union maximum residue limit. Spiked goat milk was used to make mature Tronchón cheeses, which were analyzed at 0, 30, and 60 d of maturation to determine pH, chemical composition, proteolytic and lipolytic activities, and color and textural properties. A sensory evaluation of 60-d ripened cheeses was carried out. Cheeses from raw antibiotic-free goat milk were made simultaneously to be used as reference. The cheese-making process was unaffected by the presence of most antibiotics evaluated. Only erythromycin and oxytetracycline significantly increased the time required for cheese production (122 ± 29 and 108 ± 25 min, respectively). However, variable amounts of antibiotics, ranging from 7.4 to 68%, were transferred from milk to cheese, with oxytetracycline and quinolones showing the highest retention rates. In general, antibiotic residues present in the cheeses at the beginning of maturation decrease significantly along time. Thus, β-lactams and erythromycin residues were not detectable after 30 d of ripening. However, relatively high concentrations of enrofloxacin (148 ± 12 µg/kg) and ciprofloxacin (253 ± 24 µg/kg) residues were found in the cheeses after 60 d of maturation. The quality characteristics of the Tronchón cheeses were only slightly affected by such substances, with few significant differences in the free fatty acid concentration and color and textural properties of the cheeses. Results herein indicate that the use of goat milk containing antibiotics, such as quinolones, at the European Union maximum residue limit for cheese production could adversely affect the safety of the final products because relatively high concentrations of these substances could be retained in soft and semi-mature cheeses, making it necessary to assess the risk for consumer health. Studies on the partition of the antibiotic substances during cheese-making, using specific technologies, would be convenient to guarantee the safety of cheese and related products.

Abstract P1-15-17: Liposomal-encapsulated doxorubicin (Myocet)as part of primary systemic therapy in HER2-positive operable breast cancer: Efficacy data, cardiotoxicity and long-term follow-up in 81 patients diagnosed from 2005-2016 at a single institution

Objectives

To evaluate the efficacy, cardiotoxicity profile and long-term benefits of liposomal doxorubicin (Myocet) as part of neoadjuvant therapy in HER2-positive operable breast cancer patients.

Methods

The treatment consisted of a sequential regimen of paclitaxel and liposomal doxorubicin (Myocet) plus trastuzumab. Clinical and pathologic response were evaluated and correlated with clinical and biological factors. Cardiotoxicity profile and long-term benefits were analyzed.

Results

Median age was 48 years and 4%, 69%, and 27% were stage I, II, and III, respectively, while 12% had inflammatory breast cancer at diagnosis. Hormone receptor (HR) status was negative in 43% and 70% were grade III.

Patients Characteristics Total number (%)Age, years Median (Range)48 (30-79)Tumor (cT)* Tx1 (1)T14 (5)T253 (66)T313 (16)T410 (12)Nodal Status N024 (30)N1-257 (70)Stage I3 (4)II56 (69)III22 (27)Hormone Receptor Status HR+35 (43)HR-46 (57)HER2 IHC 3+74 (91)IHC 2+7 (9)FISH/SISH21 (26)Grade I1(1)II22 (27)III57 (71)Unknown1 (1)Ki-67 <20%6 (7)20-35%32 (40)>35%43 (53)Surgical Indication at Diagnosis Mastectomy58 (72)Tumorectomy22 (27)Any surgery in breast*1 (1)* One patient had an occult carcinoma.

pCR by SubgroupsPathologic ResponsepCRNo pCR(n=81)n (%)n (%)Tumor Size (MRI)  </=5 cm26 (49)27 (51)> 5 cm10 (67)5 (33)Nodes  Positive26 (46)31 (54)Negative18 (75)6 (25)Histological Subtype  Ductal43 (56)34 (44)Lobular0 (0)2 (100)Other1 (50)1 (50)Hormone Receptor  Negative23 (66)12 (34)Positive21 (46)25 (54)Ki-67  <204 (67)2 (33)20-3512 (38)20 (62)>3528 (65)15 (35)Grade  I0 (0)1 (100)II12 (55)10 (45)III31 (54)26 (46)

The clinical complete response rate by ultrasound and MRI were 47% and 65%, respectively, and allowed a high rate of conservative surgery (72%).

The pathologic complete response (pCR) rate in breast and axilla was 54%, higher in HR-negative (66%) than in HR-positive (46%),in ki-67>35% (65%) than ki-67 between 20-35% (38%) and similar in grade III (54%) and grade II (55%).

Patients who achieved pCR had longer DFS and a trend to improve OS.

Four percent of patients showed a decrease in the left ventricular ejection fraction below 50% during treatment. All except one of them recovered after discontinuation of trastuzumab.

Conclusion: A sequential regimen of taxanes and liposomal doxorubicin (Myocet) plus trastuzumab was active with high pCR rates and long-term benefit with a very good cardiotoxicity profile.

Citation Format: Antolin S, Calvo L, Prato J, Molina A, Reboredo C, Mosquera J. Liposomal-encapsulated doxorubicin (Myocet)as part of primary systemic therapy in HER2-positive operable breast cancer: Efficacy data, cardiotoxicity and long-term follow-up in 81 patients diagnosed from 2005-2016 at a single institution [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-15-17.

Screening for epistatic selection signatures: A simulation study

Detecting combinations of alleles that diverged between subpopulations via selection signature statistics can contribute to decipher the phenomenon of epistasis. This research focused on the simulation of genomic data from subpopulations under divergent epistatic selection (ES). We used D’_IS² and F_ST statistics in pairs of loci to scan the whole-genome. The results showed the ability to identify loci under additive-by-additive ES (ES_aa) by reporting large statistical departures between subpopulations with a high level of divergence, while it did not show the same advantage in the other types of ES. Despite this, limitations such as the difficulty to distinguish between the quasi-complete fixation of one locus by ES_aa from other events were observed. However, D’_IS² can detect loci under ES_aa by defining a minimum boundary for the minor allele frequency on a multiple subpopulation analysis where ES only takes place in one subset. Even so, the major limitation was distinguishing between ES and single-locus selection (SS); therefore, we can conclude that divergent locus can be also a result of ES. The test conditions with D-statistics of both Ohta (1982a, 1982b) and Black and Krafsur (1985) did not provide evidence to differentiate ES in our simulation framework of isolated subpopulations.

Evidence for the effect of serotoninergic and dopaminergic gene variants on stress levels in horses participating in dressage and harness racing

Eye temperature assessed with infrared thermography is an adequate tool for stress level assessment in sport horses’ competitions having a moderate heritability. Serotonin and dopamine signal transduction-linked gene variants have been associated with anxiety-related traits in several species. In this study we examined the association between 10 gene variants in BDNF, COMT, HTR1A, TPH2 and SLC6A4 genes (and the haplotypes at SLC6A4 gene) with stress level (measured with eye temperature and heart rate) in 270 animals, 135 Spanish Trotter Horses (STH) participating in trotting races and 135 ‘Pura Raza Español’ (PRE) horses in dressage. Association analyses were performed using a unified mixed model (counting for population structure and individual relatedness) for the whole population and for each horse breed. The g.43865600G > A intronic gene variant located 11.0 kb downstream from the transcription start site of SLC6A4 gene was associated with an increase in eye temperature before competition with a relative contribution of this gene variant of 38.8% (P = 0.001), 31.8% just after (P = 0.001) and 29.8% 2 h after the competition (P = 0.003). In STH, the g.43865600G > A gene variant showed the same association with eye temperature before (P = 0.001, contribution 27.2%), just after (P = 0.0003, 29.0%) and after the competition (P = 0.002, 17.5%); and the c.*111G > A gene variant located at the 3′UTR region of COMT gene was associated with eye temperature 2 h after the competition (P = 0.001, 22.3%). These results showed that SLC6A4 and COMT gene variants are associated with stress level measured as eye temperature increase during competitions, and may be promising tools for genetic testing against resistance at high stress levels in trotter horses.

An update on tolvaptan for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

Tolvaptan is an orally active antagonist of vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone [ADH]) V2 receptors. By blocking water reabsorption in kidney collecting ducts, it prompts renal free-water excretion and has been used for the treatment of hyponatremia, both euvolemic due to the syndrome of inappropriate ADH secretion, and hypervolemic due to liver cirrhosis and congestive heart failure. In the past few years, it has been shown that vasopressin and its second messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) play an important role in the pathogenesis of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). This has been the rationale for the use of tolvaptan to halt the progression of ADPKD, mainly through slowing kidney growth and decline in renal function. Two major randomized clinical trials have demonstrated the benefits of tolvaptan in slowing the progression of ADPKD in terms of kidney growth and decline in renal function at 1 and 3 years (REPRISE and TEMPO). However, the long-term effectiveness of treatment with tolvaptan remains to be determined.

Image processing and machine learning in the morphological analysis of blood cells

INTRODUCTION

This review focuses on how image processing and machine learning can be useful for the morphological characterization and automatic recognition of cell images captured from peripheral blood smears.

METHODS

The basics of the 3 core elements (segmentation, quantitative features, and classification) are outlined, and recent literature is discussed. Although red blood cells are a significant part of this context, this study focuses on malignant lymphoid cells and blast cells.

RESULTS

There is no doubt that these technologies may help the cytologist to perform efficient, objective, and fast morphological analysis of blood cells. They may also help in the interpretation of some morphological features and may serve as learning and survey tools.

CONCLUSION

Although research is still needed, it is important to define screening strategies to exploit the potential of image-based automatic recognition systems integrated in the daily routine of laboratories along with other analysis methodologies.

Characterization of the animal by-product meal industry in Costa Rica: Manufacturing practices through the production chain and food safety

Animal by-product rendering establishments are still relevant industries worldwide. Animal by-product meal safety is paramount to protect feed, animals, and the rest of the food chain from unwanted contamination. As microbiological contamination may arise from inadequate processing of slaughterhouse waste and deficiencies in good manufacturing practices within the rendering facilities, we conducted an overall establishment's inspection, including the product in several parts of the process.An evaluation of the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) was carried out, which included the location and access (i.e., admission) to the facilities, integrated pest management programs, physical condition of the facilities (e.g., infrastructure), equipments, vehicles and transportation, as well as critical control points (i.e., particle size and temperature set at 50 mm, 133°C at atmospheric pressure for 20 min, respectively) recommended by the OIE and the European Commission. The most sensitive points according to the evaluation are physical structure of the facilities (avg 42.2%), access to the facilities (avg 48.6%), and cleaning procedures (avg 51.4%).Also, indicator microorganisms (Salmonella spp., Clostridium spp., total coliforms, E. coli, E. coli O157:H7) were used to evaluate the safety in different parts of the animal meal production process. There was a prevalence of Salmonella spp. of 12.9, 14.3, and 33.3% in Meat and Bone Meal (MBM), poultry by-products, and fish meal, respectively. However, there were no significant differences (P = 0.73) in the prevalence between the different animal meals, according to the data collected.It was also observed that renderings associated with the poultry industry (i.e., 92.0%) obtained the best ratings overall, which reflects a satisfactory development of this sector and the integration of its production system as a whole.

Gastric Plication and Sleeve Gastrectomy in an Experimental Model of Obesity: New Insights into Weight Loss, Intake and Metabolic Results

AIM

Laparoscopic gastric plication (LGP) is a bariatric surgical technique based on the anatomical principles of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), but its effects on the metabolic profile are still uncertain. The aim of our study is to compare the changes in weight, metabolic parameters and gastric histology following intervention by gastric plication (GP) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) in an experimental model of obesity.

METHODS

To conduct the study, 32 8-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats (Charles River®) were fattened by means of a cafeteria diet and randomly assigned to the following experimental groups: group 1: GP (n = 12); group 2: SG (n = 12) and group 3: sham (n = 8).

RESULTS

Unlike the SG group, the GP group attained the weight of the sham group at the end of the experiment (week 16). The GP group continued to eat more cafeteria diet than the SG group. In addition, the SG group achieved better glycaemic control than the GP group. Significantly higher plasma ghrelin levels were observed at week 16 in the GP group than in the SG group (2.29 ± 0.5 vs 1.07 ± 0.4, p < 0.05), which also occurred for the glucagon plasmatic levels (62.71 ± 36.2 vs 24.63 ± 9.3, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

GP is not as effective as SG and cannot be considered a metabolic surgery due to observed hormonal variations. The animals subjected to a GP continued to have a high appetite for the cafeteria diet unlike the animals submitted to an SG. Hormonal mechanisms possibly related to glucagon and ghrelin may be involved in this metabolic response.

Hair extensions need to be considered during preoperative assessment

Hair extensions are an increasingly common hairstyling practice. Others have demonstrated these devices can lead to hair and scalp injuries. We describe a recent case where such an injury was narrowly avoided in a patient undergoing a long surgical procedure. We suggest that preoperative assessment procedures need to be aware of such devices and provide advice to patients accordingly.

Analysis of Gastric Physiology After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG) With or Without Antral Preservation in Relation to Metabolic Response: a Randomised Study

INTRODUCTION

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is one of the most common techniques in bariatric surgery, but there is no consensus on the optimal distance from the pylorus to start the gastric transection. The aim of this study is to determine the differences in gastric emptying, gastric distension and metabolic response between two starting distances.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This is a prospective randomised study of 60 patients (30 patients with the section at 3 cm and 30 patients at 8 cm from the pylorus). We calculate at 6 and 12 months from surgery gastric emptying by scintigraphy (T1/2 min), gastric volume by CT scan (cc) and metabolic response by blood sample analysis (glucose, HbA1c, insulin, HOMA-IR, GLP-1, GIP and C-peptide).

RESULTS

Gastric emptying increases the speed significantly in both groups but is greater in the 3-cm group (p < 0.05). Dividing groups into type 2 diabetic patients and non-diabetic patients, the speed in non-diabetic patients is significantly higher for the 3-cm group. Residual volume increases significantly in both groups, and there are no differences between them. One year after surgery, there are significant improvements in the hyperinsulinaemia in the patients of the 3-cm group with respect to the 8-cm group, but only in diabetic patients. No differences between groups are found regarding changes in GLP-1 or GIP.

CONCLUSIONS

Gastric emptying is faster in patients with antrum resection. The distance does not influence the gastric emptying of diabetic patients. Other mechanisms may explain metabolic response besides GLP-1 and its association with improvements in diabetes via gastric emptying.

Prevalence of twin foaling and blood chimaerism in purebred Spanish horses

Twin foaling is associated with chimaerism in several domestic species and is recognised in horses. In this study, 21,097 purebred Spanish (Pura Raza Español) horse births from the 2015 to 2016 breeding season were investigated for chimaerism. Twin foaled and chimaeric individuals were assessed on the basis of foaling records, short-tandem repeat (STR) parentage test results and a sex-linked STR-based technique. Fourteen twin pregnancies with 23 twin foals born alive were identified (0.066% twin foaling prevalence), including five blood chimaeric cases (21.7%; overall prevalence 0.011%), suggesting that this genetic condition is extremely low in horses. Furthermore, no true chimaeras were detected. This is the first large scale study analysing the occurrence of chimaerism in a horse population and the first assessment of twin foaling in purebred Spanish horses.

Thaw depth spatial and temporal variability at the Limnopolar Lake CALM-S site, Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, Antarctica

A new Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) site was established in 2009 at the Limnopolar Lake watershed in Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, Antarctica, to provide a node in the western Antarctic Peninsula, one of the regions that recorded the highest air temperature increase in the planet during the last decades. The first detailed analysis of the temporal and spatial evolution of the thaw depth at the Limnopolar Lake CALM-S site is presented here, after eight years of monitoring. The average values range between 48 and 29cm, decreasing at a ratio of 16cm/decade. The annual thaw depth observations in the 100×100 m CALM grid are variable (Variability Index of 34 to 51%), although both the Variance Coefficient and the Climate Matrix Analysis Residual point to the internal consistency of the data. Those differences could be explained then by the terrain complexity and node-specific variability due to the ground properties. The interannual variability was about 60% during 2009-2012, increasing to 124% due to the presence of snow in 2013, 2015 and 2016. The snow has been proposed here as one of the most important factors controlling the spatial variability of ground thaw depth, since its values correlate with the snow thickness but also with the ground surface temperature and unconfined compression resistance, as measured in 2010. The topography explains the thaw depth spatial distribution pattern, being related to snowmelt water and its accumulation in low-elevation areas (downslope-flow). Patterned grounds and other surface features correlate well with high thaw depth patterns as well. The edaphic factor (E=0.05842m²/°C·day; R²=0.63) is in agreement with other permafrost environments, since frozen index (F>0.67) and MAAT (<-2°C) denote a continuous permafrost existence in the area. All these characteristics provided the basis for further comparative analyses between others nearby CALM sites.

Plasticity effect of rider-horse interaction on genetic evaluations for Show Jumping discipline in sport horses

To obtain a sport horse that excels in the highest levels of competition, breeders must take into account certain genetic and environmental factors that could influence the sport horse's performance, such as the rider-horse interaction (RHI). The main aim of this study was to describe this interaction in a genetic model by modelling it in relation to the horse's age. A total of 31,129 sport results from Spanish Sport Horses were used from a total of 1,101 animals evaluated, and these were grouped in three age levels and had been ridden by 606 different riders. Only riders who had ridden more than one horse (and vice-versa) were considered for the analyses. Five linear models with different random effects were analysed according to the covariates, the homogeneity/heterogeneity of the RHI and the relevant residual random effects. The model of best fit was then selected for the genetic evaluation of the animal. In general, models including the RHI effect (M2, M4 and M5) fitted better than the other models, and the best fit was obtained for M4 (with heterogeneous residual variance). The genetic variance increased constantly with age, whereas heritability showed a response on three intervals. This study revealed the varied evolution of the RHI with age, showing the different "plastic abilities" of this relationship.

150 Runs of Homozygosity Analysis and their Possible Influence on Sperm Motility in Highly Consanguineous Bulls

Inbreeding depression is associated with emergence of deleterious effects and loss of genetic variability. Widespread use of genotyping technologies and new approaches for identification of runs-of-homozygosity (ROH) provide valuable tools to better understand the effects of inbreeding depression. We have previously demonstrated that inbreeding affects sperm motility patterns in cattle (Dorado et al. 2016 Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 29, 712-720; 10.1071/RD15324), with an increase in individuals presenting a hyperactivated-like motility. In this study, we characterised ROH patterns and performed gene ontology analysis of a large, highly consanguineous cattle population. Thirty-three Retinta bulls [average inbreeding percentage FPED = 16.57% (10.25 to 30.62%)] were genotyped using the Axiom® BOS 1 High-Density SNP Array (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). The ROH were estimated using CGATOH package and classified upon their length into 5 categories: 1-2, 2-4, 4-8, 8-16, and >16 Mb, which are inversely related to inbreeding events occurring 50 to 3 generations before, respectively. The ROH showed an average length of 3.73 Mb (1.48 to 6.71 Mb). Total FROH was partially explained by the increase in ROH fragments longer than 8 Mb, which is consistent with recent inbreeding events that occurred in this population in the last 6 generations. Additionally, the distribution of ROH varied notably between chromosomes. For instance, >16 Mb runs (very recent inbreeding event) were absent in BTA26 and BTA29, whereas certain loci on BTA7, BTA13, and BTA24 showed >16 Mb runs in 9 animals. To identify candidate biological functions affected by inbreeding, we performed functional analysis of the genome areas covered by ROH >8 Mb (our pedigree data covered 5.87 equivalent complete generations) using the Functional Annotation Clustering tool implemented in DAVID. Candidate regions were defined by occurring in ROH >8 in more than 6 animals and by a distance <1 Mb between adjacent single nucleotide polymorphisms. Eight significant gene clusters (enrichment score >1.30; P < 0.05) were identified, with 2 of these clusters related to sperm motility. One of these clusters (score 1.72) contained 23 genes coding microtubule-related proteins, which are associated with cellular movement structures such as flagella. The other cluster (score 1.42), included 4 genes related to dynein and motile cilium assembly ATPase complexes, associated with movement of eukaryotic flagella. We observed an additional cluster representing an ATP-binding feature, which included 77 genes (score 1.43). These results indicate that inbreeding could affect sperm motility by altering microtubule structure and motility. However, the fact that ROH were unevenly distributed across the genome, even in a highly inbred cattle population, also suggests that different metabolic pathways could be affected in individuals with similar inbreeding values. Therefore, the use of inbreeding coefficients as predictors for sperm quality should be approached carefully.

BREEDING AND GENETICS SYMPOSIUM: Breeding for resilience to heat stress effects in dairy ruminants. A comprehensive review

Selection for heat tolerant (HT) animals in dairy production has been so far linked to estimation of declines in production using milk recording and meteorological information on the day of control using reaction norms. Results from these models show that there is a reasonable amount of genetic variability in the individual response to high heat loads, which makes feasible selection of HT animals at low costs. However, the antagonistic relationship between level of production and response to heat stress (HS) implies that selection for HT animals under this approach must be done with caution so that productivity is not damaged. Decomposition of the genetic variability in principal components (PC) can provide selection criteria independent of milk production level although biological interpretation of PC is difficult. Moreover, given that response to heat stress for each animal is estimated with very sparse information collected under different physiological and management circumstances, biased (normally underestimation) and lack of accuracy may be expected. Alternative phenotypic characterization of HT can come from the use of physiological traits, which have also shown moderate heritability. However, costs of a large scale implementation based on physiological characteristics has precluded its use. Another alternative is the use of biomarkers that define heat tolerance. A review of biomarkers of HS from more recent studies is provided. Of particular interest are milk biomarkers, which together with infrared spectra prediction equations can provide useful tools for genetic selection. In the 'omics' era, genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics have been already used to detect genes affecting HT. A review of findings in these areas is also provided. Except for the slick hair gene, there are no other genes for which variants have been clearly associated with HT. However, integration of omics information could help in pointing at knots of the HS control network and, in the end, to a panel of markers to be used in the selection of HT animals. Overall, HT is a complex phenomenon that requires integration of fine phenotypes and omics information to provide accurate tools for selection without damaging productivity. Technological developments to make on-farm implementation feasible and with greater insight into the key biomarkers and genes involved in HT are needed.