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Inosine 5′-monophosphate (5′-IMP) is an essential nucleotide for de novo nucleotide biosynthesis and metabolism of energy, proteins, and antioxidants. Nucleotides are conditionally essential, as they cannot be produced sufficiently rapidly to meet the needs of the body in situations of oxidative stress or rapid muscle growth. A deficient intake of nucleotides can result in decreased ATP and GTP synthesis and impaired metabolism. We demonstrated that supplementation of finishing pig diets with 5′-IMP reduces the relative weight of the liver, and increases oxygen consumption during mitochondrial respiration without changing the ADP/O ratio, indicating an increase in the respiratory efficiency of liver mitochondria. We also observed a reduction in liver lipid peroxidation and an increase in muscle creatine. Moreover, 5′IMP supplementation increases slaughter weight, lean meat yield, sarcomere length, and backfat thickness in finishing barrows, demonstrating influence on protein metabolism. We suggest that 5′-IMP supplementation increase the mitochondrial respiratory capacity when the liver metabolic activity is stimulated, enhances antioxidant defense, and promotes muscle growth in finishing barrows.

Purpose The role of osteocalcin (OCN) in pubertal development, male hypogonadism, and the effect of testosterone (Te) replacement therapy (TRT) remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the total OCN (tOCN) concentrations in male patients with Klinefelter syndrome (KS), a model of adult hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. Methods This retrospective longitudinal study investigated 254 male patients with KS (47,XXY) between 2007 and 2021 at an academic referral center, categorized as (1) prepubertal, (2) pubertal, and (3) adults. All prepubertal patients were Te-naïve. Adult patients were subcategorized as (1) eugonadal, (2) hypogonadal, and (3) receiving TRT. We also analyzed 18 adult patients with available tOCN levels before and 3 months after TRT commencement. Results The tOCN levels varied throughout the lifespan according to pubertal status, were highest in eugonadal and significantly lower in TRT subjects, correlated with both LH ( p  = 0.017) and FSH levels ( p  = 0.004) in adults, and significantly declined after 3 months of TRT ( p  = 0.006) in the adult KS cohort. HPG-axis hormones levels demonstrated no correlation in prepubertal boys. Adjustment for age and body mass index confirmed previous results and revealed significant inverse correlations with total Te ( p  = 0.004), calculated free Te ( p  = 0.016), the Te/LH ( p  = 0.010), and calculated free Te/LH ratios ( p  = 0.031). Conclusion In KS, a model of male hypergonadotropic hypogonadism, tOCN levels were not associated with gonadal function during normal prepuberty and pubertal development but were associated with worse testicular function and a higher degree of HPG stimulation in adults. TRT acutely reduced tOCN levels in adults.

Purpose While SARS-CoV-2 infection appears not to be clinically evident in the testes, indirect inflammatory effects and fever may impair testicular function. To date, few long-term data of semen parameters impairment after recovery and comprehensive andrological evaluation of recovered patients has been published. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether SARS-CoV-2 infection affect male reproductive health. Methods Eighty patients were recruited three months after COVID-19 recovery. They performed physical examination, testicular ultrasound, semen analysis, sperm DNA integrity evaluation (TUNEL), anti-sperm antibodies (ASA) testing, sex hormone profile evaluation (Total testosterone, LH, FSH). In addition, all patients were administered International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire (IIEF-15). Sperm parameters were compared with two age-matched healthy pre-COVID-19 control groups of normozoospermic (CTR1) and primary infertile (CTR2) subjects. Results Median values of semen parameters from recovered SARS-CoV-2 subjects were within WHO 2010 fifth percentile. Mean percentage of sperm DNA fragmentation (%SDF) was 14.1 ± 7.0%. Gelatin Agglutination Test ( GAT ) was positive in 3.9% of blood serum samples, but no positive semen plasma sample was found. Only five subjects (6.2%) had total testosterone levels below the laboratory reference range. Mean bilateral testicular volume was 31.5 ± 9.6 ml. Erectile dysfunction was detected in 30% of subjects. Conclusion Our data remark that COVID-19 does not seem to cause direct damage to the testicular function, while indirect damage appears to be transient. It is possible to counsel infertile couples to postpone the research of parenthood or ART procedures around three months after recovery from the infection.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the antimicrobial capacity of the photosensitizer (PS) safranin-O (Sf), through antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDTa), against strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens (PV1, PVh, and PC3) and Staphylococcus aureus (SV1, SV3, SV5, SC5, SC6, and SC8) isolated from milk from cows and goats and the biofilm formation on equipment. To evaluate the effectiveness of the formulation, studies were carried out through in situ applications of the Sf hydrogel as post-dipping in lactating cows and goats. Antibiogram tests showed the resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolates to ampicillin, trimethoprim, and tetracycline. In the in vitro assays in bovine milk, the PDTa reduced the P. fluorescens (PV1) counts by 17.4% (p<0.05). In goat milk, the PDTa reduced the growth of S. aureus by up to 24.43% (SC8) (p<0.05), and for P. fluorescens (PC3), the inactivation was 50.25%. In biofilm formation, there were reduction of 66.66% (SV1) and 38.27% (SC5) in the adhesion of S. aureus to stainless steel coupons. For in situ applications, photoactivated Sf maintained bacterial counts in bovine milk similar to the control treatment (lactic acid). During the experimental period (28 days), there were reductions of 23.23% and 28.85% in staphylococci and Pseudomonas spp. in cow’s milk and 76.13% for Pseudomonas spp. in goat milk (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in goat milk’s somatic cell count (CCS). These results indicate that photoactivated Sf can help reduce milk contamination and maintain the health of the mammary gland.

Obesity, whose prevalence is pandemic and continuing to increase, is a major preventable and modifiable risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, as well as for cancer. Furthermore, epidemiological studies have shown that obesity is a negative independent prognostic factor for several oncological outcomes, including overall and cancer-specific survival, for several site-specific cancers as well as for all cancers combined. Yet, a recently growing body of evidence suggests that sometimes overweight and obesity may associate with better outcomes, and that immunotherapy may show improved response among obese patients compared with patients with a normal weight. The so-called ‘obesity paradox’ has been reported in several advanced cancer as well as in other diseases, albeit the mechanisms behind this unexpected relationship are still not clear. Aim of this review is to explore the expected as well as the paradoxical relationship between obesity and cancer prognosis, with a particular emphasis on the effects of cancer therapies in obese people.

This study was conducted to evaluate glycine equivalent (Gly equi ) requirement in low crude protein (CP) diets with different levels of standardised ileal digestible (SID) threonine (Thr) on performance, serum metabolites, and muscle creatine of broiler chickens from 1 to 21 d age. A total of 1275 one-day-old male Cobb-Vantress chicks were distributed in a completely randomised 3 × 5 factorial arrangement for a total of 15 treatments with 5 replicates of 17 birds each. Diets were formulated to comprise three dietary SID of Thr concentrations 6.9, 8.1 and 9.3 g/kg and five dietary Gly equi levels (12.8, 14.3, 15.8, 17.3 and 18.8 g/kg). An interaction (p < 0.05) was observed between the Gly equi and SID Thr levels for feed:gain and serum uric acid (SUA). With increasing levels of Gly equi , feed:gain decreased linearly (p < 0.05) in 6.9 and 8.1 g/kg SID Thr diets while SUA decreased linearly (p < 0.05) in 6.9 g/kg SID Thr diet. In diet containing 9.3 g/kg SID Thr, increasing Gly equi level optimised feed:gain (p = 0.04) at an estimated minimum level of 15.5 g/kg. Gly equi levels resulted in a quadratic effect (P < 0.05) on BWG, feed:gain, muscle creatine with optimum point of 17.2, 16.7, 17.1 g/kg, respectively. Therefore, minimum requirement of Gly equi in low CP (174.0 g/kg) diet needed to optimised performance is 15.5 g/kg in 9.3 g/kg SID Thr diet, but could be or higher than 20.9 g/kg in 6.9 g/kg and 8.1 g/kg SID Thr diets for broilers. Highlights Feeding a low-protein diet of 174 g/kg with adequate Thr concentration at higher Gly equi levels could support performance in broilers of 1-21 d old. Provision of 15.5 g/kg Gly equi in low CP diet containing 9.3 g/kg SID Thr level is required to improve performance. Sufficient supply of dietary Thr concentration represents a sparing effect of Gly especially at marginal levels of dietary Gly equi in low-CP diets.

Purpose Tall stature is defined as height greater than the threshold of more than 2 standard deviations above the average population height for age, sex, and ethnicity. Many studies have described the main aspects of this condition during puberty, but an analysis of the characteristics that the physician should consider in the differential diagnosis of gigantism—tall stature secondary to a pituitary tumour—during the transition age (15–25 years) is still lacking. Methods A comprehensive search of English-language original articles was conducted in the MEDLINE database (December 2021-March 2022). We selected all studies regarding epidemiology, genetic aspects, and the diagnosis of tall stature and gigantism during the transition age. Results Generally, referrals for tall stature are not as frequent as expected because most cases are familial and are usually unreported by parents and patients to endocrinologists. For this reason, lacking such experience of tall stature, familiarity with many rarer overgrowth syndromes is essential. In the transition age, it is important but challenging to distinguish adolescents with high constitutional stature from those with gigantism. Pituitary gigantism is a rare disease in the transition age, but its systemic complications are very relevant for future health. Endocrine evaluation is crucial for identifying conditions that require hormonal treatment so that they can be treated early to improve the quality of life and prevent comorbidities of individual patient in this age range. Conclusion The aim of our review is to provide a practical clinical approach to recognise adolescents, potentially affected by gigantism, as early as possible.

Background Sellar/parasellar lesions have been studied in the adult and paediatric age range, but during the transition age their epidemiology, clinical manifestations, management and treatment outcomes have been poorly investigated. Materials and methods An Italian multicentre cohort study, in which hospital records of patients with diagnosis of sellar/parasellar lesions during the transition age and young adulthood (15–25 years), were reviewed in terms of prevalence, clinical and hormonal features at diagnosis, and outcomes where available. Both pituitary neuroendocrine tumours (pituitary tumours, Group A) and non-endocrine lesions (Group B) were included. Results Among Group A ( n  = 170, 46.5% macroadenomas), the most frequent were prolactin and GH-secreting tumours, with a female predominance. Among Group B ( n  = 28), germinomas and Rathke cells cysts were the most common. In Group A, the most frequent hormonal deficiency was gonadal dysfunction. Galactorrhoea and amenorrhoea were relatively common in female patients with prolactinomas. Pre-surgical diabetes insipidus was only seen in Group B, in which also hormone deficiencies were more frequent and numerous. Larger lesions were more likely to be seen in Group B. Patients in Group B were more frequently male, younger, and leaner than those of Group A, whereas at last follow-up they showed more obesity and dyslipidaemia. In our cohort, the percentage of patients with at least one pituitary deficiency increased slightly after surgery. Conclusions The management of sellar/parasellar lesions is challenging in the transition age, requiring an integrated and multidisciplinary approach. Hormone and metabolic disorders can occur many years after treatment, therefore long-term follow-up is mandatory.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of 1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol glycoside (1,25(OH)2D3-G) supplementation on the performance, biochemical blood, bone health, intestinal histomorphometry, and gene expressions in broilers from breeders supplemented or not with 1,25(OH)2D3-G. A total of 1152 one-day-old, male Ross 308 AP chicks were distributed in a completely randomized design with a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement. One factor was the inclusion or not of 1,25(OH)2D3-G in the breeders’ diets from 21 to 62 weeks of age. The other factor involved three levels (0, 50, and 100 mg/kg) of 1,25(OH)2D3-G inclusion in the broilers’ diets from 1 to 21 days of age. The study totaled six treatments, with eight replicates and 24 birds per experimental unit. Breeders supplemented with of 1,25(OH)2D3-G resulted in heavier broiler chicks at hatch, better feed conversion, and higher concentrations of calbindin D28K, interleukin 10, and interleukin 1β at 21 days of age. Villus height and absorption area in the jejunum showed interactions between breeder supplementation and broiler diets. The inclusion of this additive in both diets was not sufficient to increase villus height and absorption area in broilers at 21 days of age. It is concluded that supplementation in breeders improves growth and immunity in broilers.

The situation reported from the Global Status Report 2021 and the now war-related risks urge the application of measures for decreasing emissions and energy consumption, aiming carbon neutrality by 2050. Smart solutions for decreasing energy consumption are researched and implemented in the context of energy efficient buildings and Plus Energy Houses (PEHs). As PEHs gained an increasing consideration for the challenge of energy consumption reduction, their design produced a multitude of solutions. In such a multitude, an optimum is defined by accounting and comparing the performance offered by provided technologies and the actual technical requirements. The latter can be affected by the geographical/climate context as well as the user behaviour and socio-cultural aspects. This objective has been addressed in the CULTURAL-E research framework. Furthermore, in compliance with the current climate targets, this framework attributes a central role to the environmental performance of systems designed for PEHs. In this work, environmental impacts’ investigations of solution sets for PEHs are provided according to the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The developed bottom-up approach provides lifecycle information hierarchically on three levels (component, solution sets and PEH), while information of operation energy is derived through building energy simulations and average user-related energy usage. The selected 8 case studies are drawn from the CULTURAL-E research and include solution sets tailored for climate and socio-cultural clusters. Innovative technological components as well as conventional technologies are included. Based on such analyses, an environmental (CO 2 ) payback periods have been estimated, i.e., the time required to recoup the total expended embodied CO 2 through building operation carbon positivity. Results identified potentials for climate mitigation and different performance levels of the implemented technologies and photovoltaics systems, especially for countries in which a faster shift to renewable energy sources is needed for meeting the 2050’s environmental targets.