Effect of an outdoor rearing system on the welfare, growth performance, carcass and meat quality of a slow-growing rabbit population.

The effect of Outdoor or Indoor housing systems on the growth, welfare and carcass and meat quality of a local rabbit population was investigated. The slaughter age was 103±2days. Open-field tests showed an effective capacity of the Outdoor group to combat stressors. Compared to Indoor rabbits, Outdoor rabbits showed better growth performance and higher slaughter weight (SW) (2535 vs 2137g; P<0.01). Outdoor housing conditions increased the physical activity of rabbits and their hind legs were more developed (36.1% vs 34.9%; P<0.01). Slaughter yield was lower in Outdoor rabbits (57.8% vs 58.4% SW; P<0.05) due to the higher skin proportion (17.2% vs 15.6% SW; P<0.05). Outdoor rabbit meat showed lower L∗ value (L. lumborum: 55.6 vs 59.2; P<0.01; B. femoris: 53.0 vs 55.5; P<0.01) and cooking loss (L. lumborum: 15.9% vs 18.1%; P<0.05). Outdoor rabbit hind leg meat was characterized by lower water (74.5% vs 75.1%; P<0.01) and higher protein (22.9% vs 22.6%; P<0.01) and fat (1.4% vs 1.1%; P<0.01) contents; lipids were lower in SFA and higher in MUFA. Outdoor rearing seems to be a possible alternative housing system that allays the ethical concerns of modern consumers while also providing good meat quality.

[Approach to juxtarenal inflammatory aneurysms]. / L'approccio agli aneurismi infiammatori iuxtarenali.

The incidence of inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm (IAAA) in a late review of the literature is estimated about 2-15% overall aortic aneurysms. In our data this type of aneurysm is 3.6 overall aortic aneurysms treated. In the majority of the cases, IAAA is juxtarenal or infrarenal. Ethiopathogenesis of IAAA till today is not certain. Recent hypothesis on IAAA attribute the same ethiopathogenesis in both atherosclerotic and inflammatory aneurysm. The interaction of genetic, environmental and infective factors should be able to determine an autoimmune inflammatory reaction of variable severity. 80% of the patients suffering from IAAA present abdominal or lumbar pain, loss of weight and increase of the RC sedimentation velocity. The IAAA's natural history goes to rupture. Entrapment of nearstanding organs totally involved in the fibrotic process is the most frequent complication. Usually there is a compression of the ureter and the duodenum with consequenced hydroureteronephrosis and bowel obstruction. Preoperative diagnosis is possible; CT scan and MRI guarantee and accuracy about 90%. Intraoperatively the external wall of IAAA appears whitish and translucent and always there are tenacious adhesion given by the avventital wounds inflammation. Confirm is given by the histological examination of the aneurysmatic wall and peravventitial tissues. Our experience and a late review of the literature concorde that surgical indication for the treatment of IAAA is the same for the atherosclerotic one. This conviction is supported by the fact that the diagnostic methodical evolution and the improvement in mininvasive surgical technique lowered perioperating morbility and mortaliy. We prefer, according with many authors, retroperitoneal approach to juxtarenal IAAA, instead of standardized transperitoneal access with xifo-pubical or transversal under costal incision. This approach offers some advantages as easier exposition of aorta, whose postero-lateral wall is hardly ever involved in inflammatory process, little duodenum's and left renal veins manipulation and low incidence of paralytic ileum and respiratory disease. Endovascular surgery hasn't in this moment any role in juxtarenal IAAA treatment because this type of aneurysm has inadequate proximal neck. In the future, probably, endovascular repair will be possible using a new type of endograft with renal legs. Often surgical treatment is inadequate to control retroperitorenal fibrosis and so surgeon has to use perioperating pharmacolocical therapy.

Behavioral and neurochemical effects of dopaminergic drugs in models of brain injury.

The dopaminergic drugs, ropinirole and dihydroergocryptine (DHECP) were injected subcutaneously (s.c.) at doses of 0.5 and 1 mg/kg/day for 7 days into male rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain. The drug pretreatment reverted amnesia induced in rats by hypobaric hypopxia and tested in active and passive avoidance tasks. Furthermore, a partial restoration of memory retention was found in animals with a 2-month brain occlusive ischemia induced by manipulation of the four major arteries of the brain. No major changes were found in spontaneous motor activity, but drug treatment increased ambulation of animals subjected to acute or chronic experimental manipulation. In a model of kainate-induced epilepsy, ropinirole or DHECP did not affect seizure parameters, but reduced mortality rate. At the end of behavioral procedures, in all animals subjected to hypobaric hypoxia or to brain occlusive ischemia glutathione redox index (glutathione reduced/glutathione oxidized ratio) was measured in the frontal cortex, striatum and hippocampus. It was found that experimental models of brain injury were followed by a decrease of reduced glutathione content in all brain areas. The glutathione redox index was augmented by ropinirole or DHECP treatment in all brain areas. These behavioral and neurochemical findings suggest that ropinirole and DHECP may exert either protective activity (as found in animals pretreated with these drugs and exposed to hypobaric hypoxia) or reversal of brain injury (as found in animals treated after two-month occlusive brain ischemia). Thus, both drugs may be studied as therapeutic agents in brain injuries of various origin.

Niaprazine in the treatment of autistic disorder.

Niaprazine is a histamine H1-receptor antagonist with marked sedative properties. It has been employed in subjects with behavior and sleep disorders. No data concerning the use of niaprazine in subjects with autistic disorder are reported in the literature. The authors performed an open study to assess niaprazine efficacy in a sample of 25 subjects with autistic disorder and associated behavior and sleep disorders. Niaprazine was administered at 1 mg/kg/day for 60 days. A positive effect was found in 52% of patients, particularly on hyperkinesia, unstable attention, resistance to change and frustration, mild anxiety signs, heteroaggressiveness, and sleep disorders. Statistical comparison between responders and nonresponders showed no influence on niaprazine effect by age over or under 12 years, presence of neurologic signs, epilepsy, or abnormalities seen on brain imaging. Niaprazine was more efficacious in subjects with a mild or moderate degree of mental retardation. No side effects were observed. Because of its sedative effects and good tolerability, niaprazine can be used as a first-choice drug to improve behavior and sleep disorders in patients with autistic disorder.

[Myoid tumors of the stomach. Our experience]. / I tumori mioidi dello stomaco. Nostra esperienza.

The authors analyse the incidence of myoid tumours of the stomach in comparison to bowl cancer as a whole and identify the different anatomopathological varieties (benign leiomyoma, leiomyosarcoma and Martin-Stout's bizarre leiomyoma). Symptoms are usually subtle and development slow: important factors are the site of onset (antro-pyloric in 60% of cases, body 25% and cardias 15%), the type of tumour growth (intra- or extraluminal or mixed) and tumour size which may sometimes be considerable. Four categories of patients are identified on the basis of symptoms shown: a) asymptomatic (chance diagnosis), b) aspecific (vague symptoms such as epigastralgia, dyspepsia, ecc.), c) symptomatic (presence of abdominal mass, chronic anemia, ecc.), d) complicated (onset of complications the most frequent of which is acute hemorrhage). The clinical data reported here refers to 4 patients (3 males and 1 female) aged between 53 and 75 years old. In one case diagnosis was made by chance, in 2 cases diagnosis followed acute hemorrhage of the upper digestive tract, and in the case of the woman clinical controls began following the finding of a voluminous abdominal mass. Diagnosis was based on traditional radiology and EGDscopy, as well as ultrasonography and CT. Treatment was surgical in all cases (two enucleations of the lesion and two atypical gastric resections). In the light of the authors' personal experience and data reported in the literature, the discussion focuses attention on the problems of diagnosis and therapy, in particular the various options facing the surgeon in the form of operating tactics.