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: Parental involvement is currently recommended by Italian national guidelines on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) intervention. However, research on the impact of parent-mediated interventions on parental skills and children's outcomes in Italy is limited. This study evaluated the feasibility of delivering Parent-ESDM (Parent-mediated Early Start Denver Model), a well-supported Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention (NDBI) known to benefit parents' well-being and children's development, within an Italian healthcare service. : Twenty parent-child dyads participated in weekly 1 h Parent-ESDM sessions for 6 months. Spontaneous parent-child interactions were assessed at baseline, mid-intervention, and post-intervention to examine parents' use of NDBI strategies and changes in children's core ASD behaviors. : Throughout the intervention, parents acquired a good level of fidelity in the use of NDBI strategies and children obtained significant improvements in core ASD behaviors. : These preliminary findings support the feasibility of delivering a parent-mediated intervention within an Italian healthcare service. The positive trends observed provide a strong rationale for conducting controlled trials to more definitively evaluate this model and its potential adoption as a future standard practice.

Background/Objectives: Increasing scientific evidence supports the importance of early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), followed by timely intervention, in optimizing developmental trajectories. Despite these advances, achieving an early diagnosis remains challenging, and substantial delays in the diagnostic process continue to be reported worldwide. This study aimed to describe the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics associated with early referral to a telehealth parent-mediated intervention program for infants at high likelihood for ASD, under 18 months of age, with the broader goal of informing clinical services in the field of neurodevelopmental disorders. Methods: Infants were evaluated by a multidisciplinary team using standardized measures to assess autism risk, developmental functioning, adaptive behavior, and parental stress. Potential differences in age at access to the program were examined by comparing families who were referred before versus after 12 months of age. Results: Of the 78 families who expressed interest in the program, 69 consented and 60 met eligibility criteria (male/female ratio = 40/20; mean age = 10.0 months). Families were evenly distributed across Italy, and 66% of parents held a university degree. Self-referral accounted for 62% of cases. Higher parental concern was associated with earlier referral and children referred after 12 months of age showed significantly lower developmental and adaptive functioning scores. Conclusions: These findings support the feasibility of identifying prodromes of autism within the first year of life and highlight gaps in specialized services for infants at elevated likelihood in Italy. Maternal concern and self-referral drove early consultation, underscoring the need for improved pediatric training. Future studies should assess longitudinal population-based screening and the feasibility and long-term impact of timely interventions in routine care.

Background Recent investigations highlighted that Hermetia illucens (BSF) larva meal can be a valuable alternative protein source for aquafeed production. In this study, in substitution of fishmeal, we used increasing inclusion levels of a partially defatted BSF larva meal in low fishmeal-based diets for rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) and we evaluated the related implications in terms of growth performance, physical characteristics, proximate and fatty acid (FA) compositions of the fillets, gut and liver histology, and diet digestibility. In a 131-day trial, 576 fish (100.1 ± 9.29 g) were randomly allotted to 24 tanks (24 fish/tank, 4 replicates/treatment). Six experimental diets were produced to have partial replacement of fishmeal (0, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%) by increasing levels of BSF meal (0% [BSF0], 3% [BSF3], 6% [BSF6], 9% [BSF9], 12% [BSF12] and 15% [BSF15] on as fed basis, respectively). Results No differences were observed among the treatments for all the considered growth performance parameters. The viscero and hepato-somatic indexes showed significant differences among the treatments, with the highest values observed in the BSF15 group. No differences were recorded in terms of fillet’s physical characteristics, dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and ether extract (EE) contents. Total saturated and monounsaturated FA increased, while polyunsaturated FA (particularly n-3 FA) decreased while increasing the HI meal inclusion in the diet. Histopathology of liver and gut was not affected, whereas, in posterior gut, villi were higher in BSF6 and BSF9 compared to BSF3 fish. The apparent digestibility of DM, CP, EE and gross energy did not vary among the treatments. Conclusions These results suggest that a partially defatted BSF meal could be included up to 15% in low fishmeal-based diets for rainbow trout with no adverse effects on growth performance, fillet’s physical characteristics, gut and liver health, and diet digestibility. On the contrary, the fillet FA composition worsened while increasing the level of BSF meal in the diet.

In this study, a total of 200 male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were assigned to four dietary treatments (5 pens/treatment and 10 birds/pen) for two feeding phases: starter (0–11 days of age) and grower-finisher (11–33 days of age). A basal diet containing soy oil (SO) as added fat was used as control group (C), tested against three experimental diets where the SO was partially substituted by BSF larvae fat (BSF) or one of two types of modified BSF larvae fat (MBSF1 and MBSF2, respectively). The two modified BSF larvae fats had a high and low ratio of monobutyrin to monoglycerides of medium chain fatty acid, respectively. Diet did not influence the growth or slaughter performance, pH, color, or the chemical composition of breast and thigh muscles, gut morphometric indices, or histopathological alterations in all the organs. As far as fecal microbiota are concerned, MBSF1 and MBSF2 diets reduced the presence of Clostridium and Corynebacterium, which can frequently cause infection in poultry. In conclusion, modified BSF larva fat may positively modulate the fecal microbiota of broiler chickens without influencing the growth performance and intestinal morphology or showing any adverse histopathological alternations.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Hermetia illucens (HI) and Tenebrio molitor (TM) live larvae as environmental enrichment on the mucin composition, local immune response and microbiota of broilers. A total of 180 four-day-old male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were randomly allotted to three dietary treatments (six replicates/treatment; ten animals/replicate): (i) control (C); (ii) C+HI; (iii) C+TM. Live larvae were distributed based on 5% of the expected daily feed intake. At slaughter (39 days of age), samples of duodenum, jejunum and ileum (twelve animals/diet) were submitted to mucin histochemical evaluation. Expression of MUC-2 and cytokines was evaluated by rt-qPCR in jejunum. Mucin staining intensity was not influenced by diet (p > 0.05); however, this varied depending on the intestinal segment (p < 0.001). No significant differences were recorded for IL-4, IL-6 TNF-α, MUC-2 and INF-γ gene expression in jejunum, while IL-2 was lower in the TM group compared to HI and C (p = 0.044). Caecal microbiota showed higher abundance of Clostridium, Saccharibacteria and Victivallaceae in the HI group, while Collinsella was higher in the TM group. The results suggested that live insect larvae did not impair mucin composition or local immune response, and can slightly improve caecal microbiota by enhancing a minor fraction of short chain fatty acid-producing taxa.

Background The present work is aimed at evaluating the effect of different inclusion levels of a partially defatted black soldier fly ( Hermetia illucens , L.; HI) larva meal for ducks. A total of 192 female 3-day-old Muscovy ducklings ( Cairina moschata domestica , Canedins R71 L White, Grimaud Freres Selection, France) were divided into 4 groups, assigned 4 different dietary treatments (6 replicates/treatment and 8 birds/replicate) and reared from 3 to 50 days of age. HI larva meal was included at increasing levels (0, 3%, 6% and 9%, HI0, HI3, HI6 and HI9, respectively) in isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets formulated for 3 feeding phases: starter (3–17 days of age), grower (18–38 days of age) and finisher (39–50 days of age). The growth performance and apparent total tract digestibility were evaluated during the trial using titanium dioxide as an inert marker (0.3% of inclusion). At 51 days of age, two birds per pen were slaughtered and histomorphological investigations were performed. Results The live weight and average daily gain showed a quadratic response to increasing HI meal in the grower period (minimum corresponding to the HI6 group). No effects of dietary inclusion levels were observed for the daily feed intake or feed conversion ratio. The apparent dry matter and organic matter digestibility were not affected by the dietary treatment. A linear decrease was observed for the crude protein apparent digestibility in the starter period (minimum for the HI9 groups). The ether extract apparent digestibility increased linearly during the grower and finisher periods (minimum for the HI0 group). The morphometric indices were not influenced by the dietary treatments. Conclusions The inclusion of up to 9% of HI partially defatted larva meal in the diet of ducks did not cause any effect on growth performance, as well as the apparent digestibility. Moreover, dietary HI inclusion preserved the physiological intestinal development.

The present study has evaluated the effects of dietary partially-defatted black soldier fly (BSF; Hermetia illucens L.) larva meal on the blood parameters, antioxidant status, and histological features of the organs of broiler ducks. A total of 192 female 3-days of age Muscovy ducklings (Cairina moschata domestica) were divided into four dietary treatments (0%, 3%, 6%, and 9% BSF meal inclusion; 6 pens/treatment, 8 birds/pen). A total of 12 ducks/treatment (2 birds/pen) were slaughtered at 51 days of age and blood samples were collected to evaluate the haematological traits, serum protein, lipid and minerals, liver and renal function serum enzymes, plasma oxidative enzymes, and metabolites. Liver, spleen, thymus, and bursa of Fabricius samples were submitted to histopathological investigations. Between the serum and plasma traits, triglycerides, cholesterol, creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, magnesium, malondialdehyde, and nitrotyrosine showed a linear decrease for increasing amounts of dietary BSF meal (p <0.01); in contrast, the serum iron concentration showed a linear increase (p <0.01). Moreover, the histopathological findings were not significantly affected by the dietary BSF larva meal inclusion. The results showed that the inclusion of up to 9% BSF larva meal represents a promising feed ingredient for Muscovy duck nutrition, and improved blood traits were observed.

Background The constant interaction between diet and intestinal barrier has a crucial role in determining gut health in pigs. Hermetia illucens (HI) meal (that represents a promising, alternative feed ingredient for production animals) has recently been demonstrated to influence colonic microbiota, bacterial metabolite profile and mucosal immune status of pigs, but no data about modulation of gut mucin dynamics are currently available. The present study evaluated the effects of dietary HI meal inclusion on the small intestinal mucin composition of piglets, as well as providing insights into the cecal microbiota and the mucosal infiltration with immune cells. Results A total of 48 weaned piglets were randomly allotted to 3 dietary treatments (control diet [C] and 5% or 10% HI meal inclusion [HI5 and HI10], with 4 replicate boxes/treatment and 4 animals/box) and slaughtered after 61 days of trial (3 animals/box, 12 piglets/diet). The cecal microbiota assessment by 16S rRNA amplicon based sequencing showed higher beta diversity in the piglets fed the HI-based diets than the C ( P  <  0.001). Furthermore, the HI-fed animals showed increased abundance of Blautia , Chlamydia , Coprococcus , Eubacterium , Prevotella , Roseburia , unclassified members of Ruminococcaceae, Ruminococcus and Staphylococcus when compared to the C group (FDR <  0.05). The gut of the piglets fed the HI-based diets showed greater neutral mucin percentage than the C ( P  <  0.05), with the intestinal neutral mucins of the HI-fed animals being also higher than the sialomucins and the sulfomucins found in the gut of the C group ( P  <  0.05). Furthermore, the piglets fed the HI-based diets displayed lower histological scores in the jejunum than the other gut segments (ileum [HI5] or ileum and duodenum [HI10], P  <  0.05). Conclusions Dietary HI meal utilization positively influenced the cecal microbiota and the small intestinal mucin dynamics of the piglets in terms of selection of potentially beneficial bacteria and preservation of mature mucin secretory architecture, without determining the development of gut inflammation. These findings further confirm the suitability of including insect meal in swine diets.

Background Fruit pomaces are by-products rich in polyphenol compounds and dietary fiber. They seem to play an important role in regulating the gut microbiota, morphology and physiology. The aim of this study was to assess whether apple (A), blackurrant (B) or strawberry (S) pomaces could be suitable ingredients in broiler diets and their effect on gut health. A total of 480 male broilers were randomly allotted to 8 dietary treatments with lower (3%-L) or higher (6%-H) dietary fiber content: two control groups (CL/CH), two A diets (AL/AH), two B diets (BL/BH), two S diets (SL/SH). Diet and fruit pomaces were chemically analyzed to assess polyphenol concentration and fibre fraction content. After the evaluation of growth performance, 6 birds/group were slaughtered at 35 days of age. Morphometric and histopathological investigations were performed on duodenum, jejunum and ileum. Excreta were collected to perform microbiota evaluation by 16S DNA sequencing. Weight, viscosity, enzymatic activity, short chain fatty acid (SCFAs) and ammonia concentration were determined in ileum and/or ceca content. Results A pomace and A diets showed the lowest polyphenol content and the highest content of soluble fibre fraction. No significant differences were observed for growth performance, gut morphometry and histopathology ( P  > 0.05). Dietary fruit pomace inclusion increased the weight of ileum and ceca and the ileum digesta viscosity ( P  < 0.05). In the ileum, A and S groups showed lower bacterial α-glucosidase activity than C groups. Moreover, small intestine SCFAs concentration was higher in fruit pomaces diets ( P  < 0.05). In ceca, B and S groups showed lower ammonia concentration and higher SCFAs than C. Dietary treatments also influenced the activity of α-glucosidase, α-galactosidase, β-galactosidase β-glucuronidase and xylase. Regarding microbiota, at phylum level, Firmicutes were differentially abundant across treatment (maximum for C and minimum in S, FDR > 0.05). At genus level, an increase of Weissella in AH and Erwinia in S/B diets, as well as a decrease of Lactobacillus in all fruit pomace groups were recorded ( P  < 0.05). Conclusions Fruit pomaces could be suitable ingredients in poultry nutrition even if further studies are needed to better understand which doses is more recommended to avoid negative effects on gut microbiota.

Background The provision of environmental enrichments to Muscovy ducks could reduce the expression of the aggressive behaviors. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of black soldier fly (BSF) and yellow mealworm (YM) live larva provision on Muscovy duck performance, excreta corticosterone metabolites (ECM), behavior, and blood parameters. Methods A total of 126 3-day-old female Muscovy ducklings were allotted to 18 pens (6 replicates/treatment, 7 birds/pen) and assigned to 3 experimental treatments: a control group fed commercial feed, and two experimental treatments fed commercial feed plus the 5% (based on the expected daily feed intake, as fed basis) of BSF and YM live larvae (BSF and YM groups, respectively). A two-phase feeding program was applied: starter (from 3 to 31 days of age) and grower-finisher (from 32 to 55 days of age). The live weight, average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were calculated. Larva consumption times were collected, and video recordings were performed during 3 periods (P) each day: the hour before (P1), during (P2), and after (P3) the larva administration. ECM were evaluated at 3, 31, and 55-day-old. Finally, the total red and white blood cell counts, serum proteins, lipids, and liver and renal function serum enzymes were evaluated on 12 birds/treatment. Results The experimental treatment did not affect the growth performance of the birds ( P  > 0.05). Larva consumption times were always similar between the two insect species, except at 14–18 days of age, were BSF larvae were consumed faster than YM larvae ( P  < 0.001). The birds showed less walking activity during P2, and preening behavior increased in YM birds during P3. The C birds increased the attack behavior over the weeks ( P  < 0.05). During weeks 1–3 the YM group reduced the attack frequency (P1 > P3; P  < 0.05). Finally, the provision of live BSF and YM larvae significantly reduced the ECM at 55 days of age and the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio ( P  < 0.05). Conclusions Live BSF and YM larva supplementation in Muscovy duck improves duck welfare, without impairing birds’ growth performance.