Concomitant small cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder: a case report.

Gallbladder cancer is the most frequent neoplasm originating from the extrahepatic biliary tract, with characteristics of late presentation and rapid progression. We report the case of a 58 years old female patient with concomitant small cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder, incidentally reported after a cholecystectomy performed for cholelithiasis. According to the stage of the disease, we performed a second surgical procedure with laparotomy, resection of the liver parenchyma IVb and V and regional lymphadenectomy. After multidisciplinary team consultation, the patient was not administrated chemotherapy. She was well followed up at our department and she is alive 12 month after surgery.

A case of peduncolated Brunner's gland hamartoma.

AIM: To report a case of Brunner's gland hamartoma (BGH) in patient treated with surgical resection. CASE REPORT: A 73 years old male patient that was admitted with melena. The preoperative investigations suggested a suspected duodenal large polypoidal mass. A local resection was performed. Surgical resection is actually considered the best treatment for this lesion. DISCUSSION: Brunner's glands were first described by Brunner in 1688. Hamartoma designates an excessive focal overgrowth of mature normal cells and tissues, composed of identical cellular elements. Most patients with Brunner's gland hamartoma are asymptomatic or have nonspecific complaints. CONCLUSION: BHG is a rare tumor arising from the Brunner's gland of the duodenum, considered entirely benign, although there have been occasionally reports of malignant foci inside.

Influence of fresh forage-based diets and αs1-casein (CSN1S1) genotype on nutrient intake and productive, metabolic, and hormonal responses in milking goats.

Polymorphism at the αS1-casein locus (CSN1S1) in goats influences several milk production traits. Milk from goats carrying strong alleles, which are associated with high αS1-casein (αS1-CN) synthesis, has higher fat and casein contents, longer coagulation time and higher curd firmness than milk from goats with weak alleles linked to low αS1-CN content. Nutrition also affects these milk properties; therefore, it is important to better understand the interaction between dietary characteristics and the CSN1S1 genotype in goats. This study aimed to investigate the effect of fresh forage based diet or energy supplement on feeding behavior, milk production, and metabolic and hormonal parameters of Girgentana goats with different genotypes at CSN1S1 loci. From a group of goats genotyped by PCR at the DNA level, 12 were selected because they had the same genotype for αS2-CN, ß-CN, and κ-CN but a different genotype for αS1-CN: 6 were homozygous for strong alleles at the CSN1S1 loci (AA) and 6 were heterozygous for a weak allele (AF). Goats of each genotype were allocated to 3 subgroups and fed 3 diets ad libitum in a 3×3 Latin square design. The diets were sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.) fresh forage, sulla fresh forage plus 800 g/d of barley meal (SFB), and mixed hay plus 800 g/d of barley meal (MHB). Diet had a stronger effect than CSN1S1 genotype. The SFB diet led to the highest energy intake, dry matter (DM) digestibility, and milk yield. The fresh forage diets (SFF and SFB) increased DM and crude protein (CP) intake, CP digestibility, and milk CN compared with the MHB diet. The diets supplemented with energy (SFB, MHB) reduced milk fat and urea, improved CP utilization for casein synthesis, and limited body fat mobilization, in accordance with a lower level of nonesterified fatty acids and higher levels of glucose and IGF-1. With regard to CSN1S1 genotype, AA goats showed higher CP digestibility and lower free thyroxine hormone and cholesterol levels than AF goats. Significant diet × genotype interactions indicated how AA goats, compared with AF goats, showed higher DM digestibility and milk yield when fed the SFB diet, which had more energy. A reduction in free triiodothyronine hormone occurred in AF goats fed the MHB diet, whereas no differences were observed in AA goats. These results demonstrate how goats with a higher capacity for αS1-CN synthesis exhibit more efficient energy and protein utilization, evident at the digestive level, and better productive responses to high-nutrition diets.

Effect of farming system and cheesemaking technology on the physicochemical characteristics, fatty acid profile, and sensory properties of Caciocavallo Palermitano cheese.

Caciocavallo Palermitano is a typical stretched-curd cheese that has been produced over the centuries in Sicily according to traditional cheesemaking technology and using raw milk from autochthonous cow breeds reared at pasture. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of the farming system and processing technology on the characteristics of Caciocavallo Palermitano cheese, with particular regard to the fatty acid profile. The farming system was either extensive, using autochthonous cows fed a pasture-based diet, or intensive, with specialized dairy cow breeds fed mainly hay and concentrate. The cheese-processing technology was either artisanal, using traditional wooden tools and endemic lactic bacteria, or advanced, using modern steel equipment and selected lactic bacteria. Twelve Caciocavallo Palermitano cheeses, 3 from each of the 4 experimental theses (2 farming systems × 2 cheesemaking technologies), were obtained and aged for 1, 30, 60, and 120 d. Milk of origin and cheeses were analyzed for the main chemical and rheological parameters. Fatty acids were methylated in lyophilized cheese and analyzed by gas chromatography. Sensory analysis was carried out by trained panelists. The PROC GLM of SAS 9.1.2 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NY) was used for the statistical analysis. The physical, chemical, and sensory characteristics of Caciocavallo Palermitano cheese were influenced more by the farming system than by the cheesemaking technology. Compared with cheese produced through intensive farming, cheese from extensive farming was richer in polyunsaturated, n-3, and odd- and branched-chain fatty acids, as well as in conjugated linoleic acid (cis-9,trans-11 C18:2), with accompanying improved human health benefits. The cheesemaking technology produced variation in the evolution of proteolysis during aging, due presumably to the different active microflora, which influenced the sensory profile of the resulting cheese. Indeed, cheese produced by artisanal manufacturing was described as less "bitter" and more "piquant" than cheese produced through the advanced process.

Persistence of wild Streptococcus thermophilus strains on wooden vat and during the manufacture of a traditional Caciocavallo type cheese.

The present work was undertaken to evaluate the influence of the wooden dairy plant equipment on the microbiological characteristics of curd to be transformed into Caciocavallo Palermitano cheese. Traditional raw milk productions were performed concomitantly with standard cheese making trials carried out in stainless steel vat inoculated with a commercial starter. Milk from two different farms (A and B) was separately processed. The wooden vat was found to be a reservoir of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), while unwanted (spoilage and/or pathogenic) microorganisms were not hosted or were present at very low levels. All microbial groups were numerically different in bulk milks, showing higher levels for the farm B. LAB, especially thermophilic cocci, dominated the whole cheese making process of all productions. Undesired microorganisms decreased in number or disappeared during transformation, particularly after curd stretching. LAB were isolated from the wooden vat surface and from all dairy samples, subjected to phenotypic and genetic characterization and identification. Streptococcus thermophilus was the species found at the highest concentration in all samples analyzed and it also dominated the microbial community of the wooden vat. Fourteen other LAB species belonging to six genera (Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Streptococcus and Weissella) were also detected. All S. thermophilus isolates were genetically differentiated and a consortium of four strains persisted during the whole traditional production process. As confirmed by pH and the total acidity after the acidification step, indigenous S. thermophilus strains acted as a mixed starter culture.

Effects of feeding green forage of sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.) on lamb growth and carcass and meat quality.

The nutritional effects of sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.) forage containing condensed tannins (CT) on growth of lambs, and carcass and meat quality were investigated. Thirty-two male Comisana lambs aged 100 ± 8 days weighing 19.0 ± 2.8 kg were fed fresh forage of sulla or CT-free annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam. subsp. Wersterwoldicum) for 49 days until slaughter; in addition, each lamb was supplied with 200 g/days of concentrate. Eight lambs per diet had been previously treated with anthelmintic drugs to remove nematode parasites. Measurements of BW and feed intake, and counts of faecal nematode eggs were made. Carcass parameters were recorded after slaughter, and tissue components of the hind leg were determined. Longissimus dorsi meat was evaluated for pH, colour, thawing and cooking losses, Warner-Bratzler shear force, chemical composition and sensory properties based on triangle tests. Relative to ryegrass-fed lambs, sulla-fed lambs had significantly greater dry matter (DM) and protein intake, a more favourable feed conversion ratio, and superior growth rate, final BW at 150 days of age, carcass weight, yield and fatness. These results were attributed to the high protein and non-structural carbohydrate content of sulla, and also to the moderate CT content of sulla (16.7 and 20.3 g/kg of DM in offered and consumed sulla forage, respectively). Anthelmintic treatment did not affect lamb growth, as the level of parasitic infection (initial and final) was low. The physical, chemical and sensory properties of the lamb meat were not influenced by diet.

Addition of pasture plant essential oil in milk: influence on chemical and sensory properties of milk and cheese.

The aim of this experiment was to study the effect of the addition, to milk, of an essential oil (EO) obtained from the hydrodistillation of plants collected from a mountain natural pasture on the milk and cheese sensory properties. The EO was mainly composed of terpenoid compounds (67 of the 95 compounds identified) as well as ketones, aldehydes, alcohols, esters, alkanes, and benzenic compounds. In milk, the addition of this EO at the concentration of 0.1 microL/L did not influence its sensory properties, whereas at 1.0 microL/L, sensory properties were modified. In cheeses, the effect of adding EO into milk was studied in an experimental dairy plant allowing the production of small Cantal-type cheeses (10 kg) in 3 vats processed in parallel. The control (C) vat contained 110 L of raw milk; in the other 2 vats, 0.1 microL/L (EO1) or 3.0 microL/L (EO30) of EO were added to 110 L of the same milk. Six replicates were performed. After 5 mo of ripening, chemical and sensory analyses were carried out on the cheeses, including determination of the volatile compounds by dynamic headspace combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The EO did not influence the sensory properties of the cheeses at the lower concentration (EO1). However, the EO30 cheeses had a more intense odor and aroma, both characterized as "mint/chlorophyll" and "thyme/oregano." These unusual odors and aromas originated directly from the EO added. In total, 152 compounds desorbing from cheese were found, of which 41 had been added with the EO; in contrast, 54 compounds of the EO were not recovered in the cheese. Few volatile compounds desorbing from cheeses, other than the added compounds, were affected by EO addition. Among them, 2-butanol, propanol, and 3-heptanone suggested a slight effect of the EO on lipid catabolism. The antimicrobial activity of terpenes is not or is only marginally involved in the explanation of the influence of the botanical composition of the meadows on the pressed cheeses sensory properties.

Endocrine and ovarian response after a 2-day controlled suckling and eCG treatment in lactating rabbit does.

Synchronization methods are used to obtain higher fertility when artificial insemination (AI) is applied to lactating rabbit does. The most common methods are eCG administration or temporary doe-litter separation. Nevertheless, drawbacks have been reported, such as negative side effects of hormonal treatment in the doe and low litter growth due to absence of suckling, respectively. Recently, improved reproductive performance (without visible consequences on young rabbit growth), has been obtained by applying a 2-day controlled nursing method before AI, by allowing for a 10 min nursing of the litter 24 h of separation. The present study was undertaken to examine the pituitary (PRL, LH, FSH) and the ovarian response (follicle size and number) to those methods. A total of 442 lactating does inseminated on day 11 post-partum were distributed in three experimental groups: 2CN (closing of nest box on day 9, controlled nursing on days 10 and 11), eCG (20 IU administered on day 9 post-partum) and CONTROL (untreated). Blood samples were obtained from 10 does per group at 48, 24 and 0 h before AI, and 1h after AI. Both 2CN and eCG treatments similarly improved sexual receptivity (76.3, 77.5 and 58.2%, respectively; P<0.001) and fertility (63.1, 64.1 and 48.4%, respectively; P<0.05) in lactating does, compared to the CONTROL group. Similar plasma FSH levels in all groups of does and sampling times were observed. Due to the absence of suckling, plasma concentration of PRL on day 10 post-partum in the 2CN group was lower than in the CONTROL group (P<0.05); this endocrine change in PRL levels could explain the better reproductive performances obtained with 2CN treatment. At 1h after exogenous administration of GnRH (at the moment of AI) a high LH response was observed in all groups (P<0.001). Ovaries from 20 rabbits treated in the same way but uninseminated (2CN, n=10; eCG, n=5; CONTROL, n=5 does) were obtained on day 11 post-partum in order to check the morphometric status (weight, width and height) and to make histological and immunohistochemical studies to detect growth hormone receptor (GH-R). As a result, synchronization methods did not show any significant difference in relation to the CONTROL group. However, a small increase in the number of primary follicles was evidenced in the 2CN group with respect to the eCG group, similarly to the CONTROL group (23.0+/-3.7, 9.4+/-4.9 and 14.8+/-4.92 primary follicles, respectively; P=0.1). GH-R immunostaining-presence was more evident in the 2CN and the eCG groups, including primordial follicles and oocytes themselves. Thus, there could have been some direct effects of GH on follicular development, as described in other species. Some ovarian parameters described open new ways to study intra-ovarian mechanism of follicular development in the post-partum period of rabbit does.

Changes in terpene content in milk from pasture-fed cows.

Changes of terpene content in milk from cows grazing natural diversified upland pasture were examined in this observational trial. A homogeneous plot divided into 2 subplots was used from May 31 to July 1, 2003 (first growth) and again from October 1 to October 7, 2003 (vegetative regrowth). Each subplot was grazed by 6 dairy cows in 2 ways: strip grazing (SG), with new allocations of pasture strips at 2-d intervals, and paddock grazing (PG). The PG subplot was divided into 3 paddocks and the cows were moved to a new paddock on June 13 and June 24, 2003. Milk from the 6 cows was collected twice a week, pooled, and used for terpene analyses by dynamic headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry system. Twenty mono- and 23 sesquiterpenes desorbing from the milk fat were separated. The most abundant monoterpenes were beta-pinene, alpha-pinene, gamma-terpinene, limonene, alpha-tujene, terpinolene, and alpha-phellandrene. The most abundant sesquiterpenes were beta-caryophyllene, alpha-copaene, beta-cedrene, transmuurola-4-(14)-5-diene, beta-bisabolene, and delta-cadinene. Both mono- and sesquiterpenes in SG milk increased across time with an 8-fold increase in total terpenes in milk from the beginning to the end of June. In parallel, dicotyledons, including the main terpene-rich plants, increased from 17 to 31% of total biomass of the vegetation and the development of Dactylis glomerata progressed from boot to ripening stage. The terpenes in PG milk were equivalent to those in SG milk for the first paddock at the beginning of June and remained constant or doubled for the sum of mono- and sesquiterpenes, respectively. The lower variability of the PG milk terpene content could be related to the opportunity that PG cows had to choose ingested herbage, whereas the SG cows had limited choice within the smaller allocated pasture strips. Milk from cows grazing regrowth pastures in October contained low levels of terpenes, and values were similar for PG and SG milks. Change in the sum of monoterpenes is representative of changes for most monoterpenes (except for limonene) and, conversely, the change in the sum of sesquiterpenes mainly reflected changes in beta-caryophyllene and alpha-copaene. In addition to effects of botanical composition of pasture, it appears that terpene content in milk may vary according to factors linked to grazing management that need more intensive study. Nevertheless, current results raise questions about the precision of terpenes as feed tracers.