Duckweed (Lemna minor) meal was included in the formulation of three experimental feeds (L1, L2, L3) for rainbow trout at 10%, 20%, 28% of the protein source, respectively. Increasing the duckweed inclusion, the other protein sources were adjusted to get isonitrogenous (41%) and isolipidic (20%) diets, as the control diet (LC). 540 fish (mean body weight 124.5 ± 0.7 g) were randomly allocated in 12 tanks divided equally among the four different diets. After 90 days, fish were weighed and the most important productive performances, fillet quality and fatty acid profile were determined. The final body weight in L1 (340.53 g) and L2 (339.42 g) was not different from LC (348.80 g); L3 trout significantly (p < 0.05) exhibited the lowest one (302.16 g). Similar trends were found in final mean length, weight gain, specific growth rate, food conversion rate. Somatic indices were affected by duckweed inclusion. Diets had not significant effects on the proximate composition and fatty acids of the fillet in L1, L2, L3 respect to LC. Based on this study, duckweed meal derived from Lemna minor can be included in the feed for the rainbow trout without negative effects on the growth performances at 20% of the protein substitution.

Background: In Europe, rainbow trout is one of the main fresh water fish farmed in a constantly developing environment that requires innovative studies to improve farm management, fish welfare and environmental sustainability. The aim of this paper is to investigate the trend of water quality parameters over 10 years, after a feeding strategy change from pellet to extruded feed. Methods: The study was conducted on a farm in central Italy, based on parallel raceways. The cycle started from young rainbow trout (90 ± 2 g) that were grown until they reached market size. A water sample of 500 cm³ was collected monthly from 2009 to 2019 from the lagoon basin in order to investigate the trends of the total suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrites (NO₂-N), nitrates (NO₃-N), total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), total phosphorus (TP) and pH. Results: All of the studied parameters (TSS, BOD₅, COD, NO₂-N, NO₃-N, TAN and TP) showed a significant improvement from 2009 to 2019. The pH parameter did not display notable variation during the studied period. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) was also investigated and exhibited a significant improvement from 1.4 to 1.1. Conclusion: Based on the decrease of all the investigated parameters, it is possible to say that extrusion is currently an excellent processing feed technique in aquaculture with a good level of respect for the environment.

Neoplastic progression is influenced by the expression of tumour antigens that activate an anti-tumour immune response. Human medical studies show that this body defence is carried out in secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs) but also directly in the tumour through organized cellular aggregates that are called tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs). However, their occurrence has different meanings in different tumour types. For example, the presence of TLSs in breast cancer is associated with the most aggressive subtypes. This paper aimed to study TLSs in canine mammary simple carcinomas. A morphological assessment of the inflammatory infiltrate was performed on H&E sections of fifty cases. Immunohistochemistry was then carried out to typify the inflammatory cells in the tumour microenvironment. Results showed that, sometimes, inflammatory infiltrates were organized in follicles close to high-grade carcinomas, simulating a lymphoid organization, as in breast cancer. Therefore, we can assume that even in canine mammary tumours, TLSs exist and they are entities to consider due to their presence in the most aggressive histotypes or tumours with a high degree of malignancy.

Histological diagnosis of Canine Mammary Tumours (CMTs) provides the basis for proper treatment and follow-up. Nowadays, its accuracy is poorly understood and variable interpretation of histological criteria leads to a lack of standardisation and impossibility to compare studies. This study aimed to quantify the reproducibility of histological diagnosis and grading in CMTs. A blinded ring test on 36 CMTs was performed by 15 veterinary pathologists with different levels of education, after discussion of critical points on the Davis-Thompson Foundation Classification and providing consensus guidelines. Kappa statistics were used to compare the interobserver variability. The overall concordance rate of diagnostic interpretations of WP on identification of hyperplasia-dysplasia/benign/malignant lesions showed a substantial agreement (average k ranging from 0.66 to 0.82, with a k-combined of 0.76). Instead, outcomes on ICD-O-3.2 morphological code /diagnosis of histotype had only a moderate agreement (average k ranging from 0.44 and 0.64, with a k-combined of 0.54). The results demonstrated that standardised classification and consensus guidelines can produce moderate to substantial agreement; however, further efforts are needed to increase this agreement in distinguishing benign versus malignant lesions and in histological grading.

Background: Hepatotoxicity, a significant complication of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) treatment, is generally triggered by oxidative stress, liver damage, and apoptosis processes that take place in cancer patients. Methods: In this study, the protective effect of different astaxanthin (ASX) dosages (16 and 32/mg/kg/bw) was determined in rats with 5-FU-induced liver damage. Results: 5-FU induced a significant increase in the histopathological lesions severity and immunohistochemical (TNF-α and 8-OHdG) expression scores in the liver (p < 0.001), significantly increased serum liver parameters (AST, ALP, ALT, GGT, and TP) and malondialdehyde (p < 0.001), and, at the same time, significantly decreased antioxidant parameters (SOD, CAT, GST, GSR, Caspase-3, and GPx) (p < 0.001). Histopathological lesions and oxidative stress parameters significantly decreased in parallel while increasing the ASX dosage (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Based on these data, our results suggest that ASX may be considered a promising and valuable agent to mitigate hepatotoxicity and resistance mechanisms during cancer treatment.

Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO) is a rare clinical syndrome in veterinary medicine characterized by severe intestinal dysmotility without evidence of mechanical occlusion of the intestinal lumen. The exact pathogenesis of CIPO is unknown. A 1-year-old male Miniature Bull Terrier dog was presented with a history of chronic weight loss, regurgitation, lethargy, vomiting and diarrhea. The dog was submitted for exploratory laparotomy. A full thickness intestinal biopsy was taken and a CIPO was suspected. The clinical condition deteriorated and the dog was euthanized. At gross examination the small intestine was severely dilated. Histologically severe fibrosis of the submucosa and severe atrophy of the tunica muscularis were present in small intestine and colon. Immunohistochemical examination with a panel of antibodies for gastro-intestinal neuromuscular disease-associated antigens revealed a severely reduced expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin in the tunica muscularis. This case report describes the gross, histological and immunohistochemical findings of CIPO affecting a 1-year-old Miniature Bull Terrier; on the basis of these findings a myopathic form of CIPO is hypothesized in this case.